572 - 576

Chapter 572: Both Sides Rendezvous

Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT, Rock

As Ling Jian heard those words, he couldn't help but chuckle, "Alright! I can say for sure that even if that brat doesn't pee his pants after seeing me, his legs will definitely turn to jelly!"

"Hahaha…" Ling Tian burst out laughing, "You truly tortured Ling Seventeen badly back then. No wonder this fellow is like a mouse seeing a cat whenever he meets you. There was once when Ling Seventeen had diarrhea and you insisted that he had to train his swordplay. However, he couldn't hold it in and wanted to relieve himself, but you refused to let him and forced him to hold it in for a full day. In the end, his whole pants were soiled and Ling Chi and the rest gave him the nickname 'yellow gold'. Am I right?"

Mentioning this event, Ling Jian also laughed happily. "Yep, it is this brat indeed. This nickname of his is still in use and is just like Ling Chi's 'dog egg'. Whenever someone mentions it he will definitely erupt in anger, and even I don't dare to mention it!"

"Haha, you still say that you do not know how to brag? Aren't you bragging beautifully? Let's go. If we go late, this brat may start his operation and we wouldn't be able to watch a good show." Ling Tian called out and the four hundred elites sprinted away leaving a cloud of dust behind them.

Ling Tian originally brought 500 men, but after the previous battle, he lost about 40 to 50 men despite having the absolute advantage and initiative. Besides that, Ling Tian left another 20 men behind to guard the mountain pass and he was left with 400 men. Despite there being only 400 men left, even if they were to face an army with a couple of thousand soldiers they may not necessarily be on the losing end! All of these soldiers were the elites of the elites! Of the 400 present, 60 were trained by Ling Jian to be backup assassins of the First Pavilion and 25 used to be Blood Iron Warriors. The rest of them were the absolute elites chosen from the tens of thousands of soldiers in the Courtyard and their battle prowess was not to be underestimated either.

Ling Tian led his burly and ruffian-like subordinates silently past the mountain and went deep behind the Xiao Family's army.

...

The Xiao Family tent.

The Grand Marshal of the Xiao Family, Xiao FengYang, was seated in the military tent while holding onto an ancient looking book and reading it attentively. He had the demeanor of a wise sage reading a book in spring, solemn and dignified while flipping through the pages with a twinkle of wisdom in his eyes.

At this moment, Second Master Xiao was definitely not as calm as he looked and he was worried because of a single thing: Money! They had already set off for 20 days and the amount of money that they had spent during this period could only be described as astronomical! Despite the amount of money being an astronomical sum, the Xiao Family could definitely afford to drag out the battle. The name of being the number one financial magnate was not a lie. If they were to fight a war of wealth, the Xiao Family was confident that no one would be a match for them! The wealth that they had accumulated over a thousand years was not to be underestimated. Even the Yu or Shui Families wouldn't be a match for the Xiao Family in terms of wealth. This is something which the Xiao Family had always been extremely confident about!

According to reliable information, Southern Zheng was already in dire straits after making preparations for war. While not a single soldier had been lost, Southern Zheng's finances were incapable of enduring such a large consumption of resources. With both the Ling and Xiao Families sending out their troops to Southern Zheng at the same time but not taking action, the civilians of Southern Zheng were becoming anxious and were on the verge of collapse. The only thing that was lacking was a trigger point to incite chaos.

The Ling Family was openly ambitious and everyone was aware of their ambitions, but the Xiao Family was two-faced obviously with the intention to kill two birds with one stone.

Currently, Southern Zheng had exhausted a large amount of resources and was already in a precarious situation. At the same time, it was also a large meat pie that was placed in the middle of the two families' troops with both the families eyeing it covetously. Everyone knew that this meat pie no longer belonged to Southern Zheng, but the final ownership of the pie was still undetermined. It was this feeling of knowing that their deaths were inevitable but yet they had no choice but to await their deaths that made one feel hopelessness and craziness.

The only problem for the Xiao Family now was the fact that the Ling Family's resources could still hold up. Furthermore, the news that Xiao FengYang had received and analyzed had shockingly revealed that the Ling Family did not look like they were struggling at all. This was something that made Xiao FengYang extremely puzzled and was also the reason for him to speed up the execution of his plan.

Since when did the Ling Family's wealth become so formidable? Holding up three fronts of battle but looking as though they were still at ease? During this period of time, even with the Xiao Family's immense wealth, even if they were able to endure the drain of resources, it definitely wasn't an easy task for them. What was the Ling Family relying on?!

"In the near future, the Ling Family will definitely be my Xiao Family's greatest enemy! The threat that they pose to us will probably be even greater than the Yu Family!" Xiao FengYang placed the book in his hands down and let out a long sigh of regret, "Big brother, not swallowing up the Ling Family a decade ago is probably the biggest mistake of our Xiao Family!"

"Reporting to Second Master, everything has been prepared and we are awaiting your orders." A general clad in black armor walked into the tent and reported respectfully.

"Mmm, you may take your leave. The arranged time is two hours later and our army will set off at that time. We must attract the attention of the whole continent to us." Xiao FengYang nodded his head calmly. Today was the time limit that he agreed on with Meng RuoYun and Meng RuoYun who should already be in Sky Bearing by now. As long as his army sets off at the agreed time, Meng RuoYun would launch his attack four hours later. Meng RuoYun would first attack the slightly weaker Ling Residence before attacking the Ling Family Courtyard. They must take down these two establishments that house the upper echelons of the Ling Family! The Ling Family would then be facing internal and external struggle and would not be able to make a comeback after this!

As he went over the plan in his heart, Xiao FengYan felt that there was a 70% chance for the plan to succeed. The moment that the Ling Family was wiped out, Southern Zheng would be within their reach. Furthermore, Eastern Zhao is also in a period of internal struggle with the new DongFang Family Head, DongFang JingLei, staging a rebellion. Currently, both parties were engaged in an intense battle and with their strengths being similar, both parties would end up being heavily injured. After they take care of matters here, half of the continent would fall into the Xiao Family's hands with the fall of the Ling Family!

If not for this huge goal of theirs, why would Xiao FengYang send out more than 400,000 troops? In the world today, was there really an enemy worthy of the Xiao Family sending out all of their forces? Even the Yu Family did not have such rights. Just to deal with a Ling Family?! Haha, what a joke!

After sending out this order, Xiao FengYang stood up and looked towards the mountains in the distance as though he was facing his nemesis.

"Yu ManLou, the time for both our families to fight over the world will come soon! Do you know that I have been waiting for this battle for a very long time?! It is time for us to see who is the number one military commander!" At this moment, Xiao FengYang's gaze was filled with the loneliness of someone standing at the peak.

Ever since he started leading his troops into battle for the first time, he had always emerged victorious in every battle and there was nothing capable of stopping him. After experiencing victory after victory, Xiao FengYang felt a sense of loneliness. At the same time, he also looked forward to having a face-off with the other military commander who had no records of loss: Yu ManLou! No other individual was able to enter the sights of this Second Master Xiao!

A thousand victories were easy but a single defeat was difficult!

Imagining the scene of him facing Yu ManLou in the battlefield and battling it out with their wits, Xiao FengYang's eyes turned damp and he felt his blood boil. If he was truly able to face Yu ManLou in battle, it would be the dream of a hot-blooded general and he wouldn't have any regrets for the rest of his life…

The horns sounded!

Xiao FengYang's eyes glowed and outside the tent, orderly marching could be heard all across the camp. Apart from the neighing war horses and shouts of the commanders, not another sound could be heard in the camp.

The army was about to set off!

Such disciplined troops that were as tough as steel, who else other than I, Xiao FengYang, would be able to train them?

...

Ling Seventeen scampered around anxiously. Ever since the Xiao Family began their operation, he had surveyed the mountains carefully to find any possible geographical element that he could exploit, such as the terrain, water source, etc. However, it was a pity that the Xiao Family's commander truly lived up to the reputation of being the number one strategist in the Xiao Family. The arrangements that he had made along the way were truly without a flaw for others to take advantage of!

This made the stubble on Ling Seventeen's chin become even denser. In just a few days time, the short stubble became even longer and he no longer looked like a seventeen-year-old teen.

Ever since he received the orders from Ling Chen to destroy the Xiao Family's food resupply route at all costs, Ling Seventeen had truly gone crazy. Ling Seventeen himself also wanted to destroy the resupply route at all costs, sacrificing his own life together with his more than a thousand brothers.

However, the problem was that after a few days of investigation, there was no weakness in the food resupply route for him to exploit. It was an easy thing to sacrifice himself, but even if he wanted to sacrifice himself, he must sacrifice himself meaningfully. If he were to sacrifice all of his thousand brothers without accomplishing anything, it would only be a pointless sacrifice.

Even if he were to die, he must die at the appropriate moment and use the final moment of his life to give the enemy a heavy blow!

Even if he had the heart to fight with his life on the line, it was completely meaningless. Even if he were to sacrifice all of his thousand brothers, he would not be able to even delay the Xiao Family's resupply route!

Seeing the Xiao Family's carriages slowly passing by, Ling Seventeen truly wanted to let out a curse.

Along the way, there was a lookout station every couple of miles and all the lookout stations faced each other so they would be able to aid each other. Despite there not being many people in each lookout station, all of these lookout stations were constructed on extremely open areas. It was extremely difficult to take out all the soldiers in the lookout station without alerting anyone! As long as a single lookout station broke out in battle, reinforcements would arrive swiftly and they might not even be able to escape.

According to Ling Seventeen's estimation, he would have to destroy at least twenty lookout stations and destroy the road in the middle before he would be able to complete the task given to him to delay the Xiao Family's food supply for three days!

However, he only had 1200 subordinates and even though all of these subordinates were experts at robbery, when it came to destroying the road, they had no better ideas other than to set things on fire. Thus, they were all unable to find a solution!

Regardless of the damage they dealt, the Xiao Family would be able to fix it in half a day!

Ling Seventeen was enraged!

He had already lost his temper more than a hundred times over the past seven to eight days! All of his subordinates avoided him like the plague, afraid that they would suffer a beating from their fuming leader. There were already a few who were carried away after being whipped by their leader…

Ling Seventeen stood high up on the rocks and borrowing the cover of the trees he used his spyglass to study the enemies' movement beneath the mountain. The more he studied them, the angrier he got and he couldn't help but let out a series of curses. Although Ling Seventeen could see from his peripheral vision that his subordinates received someone who was walking towards him, the insensitive him did not think much about it until an extremely irritating mocking voice sounded…

"Eh, yellow gold. What's wrong? Why is your face so red? Hehe, look at how you are squatting on top the rock, you really look as though you are constipated. Err… are you going to create yellow gold again?"

"F**k your grandmother!" Ling Seventeen who had nowhere to vent his frustrations exploded and he turned around with a blazing gaze, "Which darn b*st*rd…" Before he could finish his words, his mouth hung wide open and his previously red face turned green. Then, his legs buckled and gave way as he crashed onto the ground as though he had seen a ghost.

In front of him was his boss, the king of assassins, Ling Jian. As for the person standing by the side looking at him with a mischievous smile, it was 'dog egg' Ling Chi who had just teased him.

As such, the bandits who were watching from afar witnessed an unbelievable scene. Their leader crawled forward with tears welling up in his eyes before jumping up with ecstasy. Just when he was about to give the other party a big hug, he was mercilessly stomped onto the ground. Just when all of them were about to brandish their swords to take revenge for their boss, their boss was not frustrated or angry in the slightest. Instead, he crawled forward with a look of flattery as though he had not been stomped on enough…

Was this still their cold-blooded and uptight boss who would rather die than submit? All of their jaws dropped in complete incredulity. Are we dreaming?! Their eyes were wide opened and it was as though their eyeballs would drop out at any moment…

573 Crazy Decision

Translator: DavidT | Editor: DavidT /Rock

"Hehe… Yellow Gold's face turned red again…" Ling Chi pointed at Ling Seventeen and laughed to the point his body trembled.

"You dog egg…" Ling Seventeen's face wasn't red at the start but turned red from what Ling Chi had said. He then glared at Ling Chi fiercely and waved his fists around.

"Yellow… err, Seventeen, do you have some trouble?" Ling Jian was too used to using Ling Seventeen's nickname and had almost blurted it out without thinking.

"It isn't 'some trouble' at all but it is a huge trouble," Ling Seventeen said with a depressed look. "I have never been afraid of death but am afraid that my death wouldn't be sufficient to complete the young noble's mission. That would be horrible and extremely embarrassing."

"Oh," Ling Jian looked at Ling Seventeen with a smile which didn't seem like a smile. "There isn't a need for you to rush, young noble is here already. Let me tell him now that Ling Seventeen does not have the ability to complete this mission. I believe that the young noble will understand you for sure." Ling Jian's voice suddenly turned cold and he turned and walked away.

"Don't don't… don't… brother Jian, ancestor Jian…" Ling Seventeen's burly figure pounced forward and grabbed onto Ling Jian's calves and was dragged by Ling Jian along the ground for a short few feet, "My dear ancestor, please don't play with me. I will die…"

Ling Tian sat on a smooth rock with a bunch of burly men seated opposite him respectfully.

"Speak, what kind of difficulties do you have?" Ling Tian looked at the ape-like Ling Seventeen in front of him and could not help but be shocked. When he was in the courtyard, Ling Seventeen could already eat more than the others and had a larger built as compared to his peers. In just a short few years, Ling Seventeen had grown horizontally and currently looked like a rectangle. In a couple of years, who knows if he would turn into a square.

Especially his extremely boorish face and his needle-like beard. No one would ever be able to imagine that this boorish man who looked as though he was more than thirty years old was actually less than eighteen! Ling Tian almost suspected that Ling Seventeen had taken steroids.

"Young noble, this subordinate wants to launch an ambush to capture the surrounding twenty or so lookout stations before sending men to guard the ends of the two roads. The others will then dig up this segment of the road and sister Chen's mission would be complete." Ling Seventeen scratched his hair and a handful of dandruff fell off as he said helplessly, "It is a pity that we do not have enough manpower."

"Puchi!" Ling Seventeen was greeted with a face full of water and never expected that his young noble would spit out his mouthful of water.

Ling Tian had just received the gourd which Ling Chi offered him and drank a mouthful of water but was choked by the words that Ling Seventeen said. "What did you say? Ambush more than twenty lookout stations? Guard the two ends of the road? Dig the road up??"

Lling Tian stood up and kicked Ling Seventeen's burly shoulders with exasperation. "Dammit! Without 5000 soldiers at least, it would be impossible to attack more than twenty lookout stations at the same time. On top of that, if you want to guard the two ends of the road, you would need 50,000 soldiers at the very least and even then, you guys may not be able to guard the road! As for digging the road up, while the idea isn't bad… the road is filled with iron and rocks two feet underground. How do you plan to dig it up? You only have a mere thousand soldiers and you actually came up with such a huge plan? I really don't know if I should call you a genius or idiot! If I were to really go with your plan, I might as well bring all of our soldiers over to have a final battle with the Xiao Family. What is the point of talking about disrupting their resupply route? To think that you really came up with such a plan."

"Hehehe… yellow gold is truly pigheaded!" Ling Chi gloated by the side.

After being sent rolling by Ling Tian, Ling Seventeen stood up foolishly with a few leaves stuck onto his bird nest like hair. He then blinked his eyes with doubt and asked, "Err… sister Chen was the one who said that… we need to destroy the resupply route. If we don't dig up the road, how should we destroy it?"

"Haiz!" Ling Tian let out a long sigh and had the urge to bang his head on the rock. He was truly playing music to a bull.

"Pig! Do you really need to touch the road to destroy the resupply route?" Ling Jian let out a flurry of fists, hating the fact that Ling Seventeen had truly thrown his face. "Setting fire to burn it is destroying the resupply route. Killing them all is also destroying the resupply route. Dammit, even if you guys infiltrate the Xiao Residence to kill them all cleanly, it would still be destroying the resupply route! Do you understand?!"

Ling Seventeen used one hand to cover his face and the other to guard his two important parts, implementing the battle philosophy which Ling Tian had taught him back then, "Cover his face, hug his balls and allow the other party to punch and kick as they like!" His body began shaking from left to right as he begged for mercy, "Brother Jian… I will pick some soldiers to infiltrate the Xiao Residence to kill…"

"F**k!" Ling Tian was completely speechless!

The saying of 'a disciple truly takes after his master' was truly right. Ling Jian's idea was truly completely rotten and wasn't any much better than Ling Seventeen's plan of guarding the ends of the road and digging up the road! To think that he would have a look of righteousness on his face, scolding his subordinate for being a pig. In actual fact, he wasn't any much better than Ling Seventeen.

Kill everyone? If they really killed everyone, what was the point of destroying the resupply route? Wasn't this akin to taking off his pants to fart?!

A few hundred thousand soldiers, even if they stood still and allowed you to kill them, you would require a few months to complete the task!

"Stop fooling around! All of you are a bunch of pig heads! Pot calling the kettle black!" Ling Tian grunted, "Show me the map of the surrounding area!"

It seems like I will still have to rely on myself. Ling Tian sighed helplessly. It was completely nonsensical to rely on a bandit and assassin to destroy a military resupply route! Just what was Meng LiGe thinking about? You have to know, every occupation has a specialty…

Seeing Ling Jian finally stopping his attack, Ling Seventeen carefully removed his hands from his head and crotch. To the thick-skinned Ling Seventeen, this round of beating was truly nothing much. Turning around and seeing his subordinates look at him in a daze, he immediately flew into a rage, "Didn't you guys hear that young noble wants the map? Aren't all of you bstrds going to fetch the map? A bunch of pig heads without any reaction! Are you guys going to wait for my whip to teach you guys a lesson?"

With a loud bang, the bandits scattered like the birds and hurriedly ran to fetch the map…

Ling Tian frowned and let out a sigh. In order to fetch a map which was a mere few grams, more than a hundred people were required to fetch it…

Ling Seventeen turned around in embarrassment and scratched his head foolishly, "Young noble please don't be anxious… err, the children are going to fetch the map and it would arrive soon. Hehehe… these fellows are a little slow… it isn't much, I only need to give them a good beating…"

Ling Tian looked at the bushy face in front of him and was speechless. At the same time, he felt his stomach churning in disgust before sighing and saying weakly, "Seventeen, I finally understand why you unloaded the yellow gold into your pants back then and also completely understand Ling Jian's mood when training you. It isn't easy."

Ling Seventeen was dumbfounded with his jaws down in shock. He completely could not understand how this matter was related to his embarrassing past. Besides that, what has this got to do with his boss Ling Jian? What wasn't easy for Ling Jian? Their young noble's words were truly deep and profound and he was truly a well-learned individual.

Feng Mo, Ling Jian, and Ling Chi looked at the dumbfounded Ling Seventeen and their faces contorted from holding in their laughter.

The sound of footsteps broke Ling Seventeen's doubt and snatched the map from the hands of his subordinate. He then turned around and presented the map with both his arms raised as though he was presenting a treasure to the king, "Young noble, hehe, the map is here."

"Sssss…" In a moment of anxiousness, a large hole was torn in the fragile map and Ling Tian who witnessed it was about to blow up.

"Scram to the side!" Ling Jian kicked Ling Seventeen in the ass and cursed.

Ling Seventeen held onto his ass and stood by the side shamelessly. At the same time, he winked at Ling Chi, "Hehe, dog egg, hehe…"

Ling Chi rolled his eyes and looked to the side. Facing a shameless person like Ling Seventeen, Ling Chi was truly helpless. Of course, there also wasn't a need for him to flare up at Ling Seventeen as flaring up at Ling Seventeen was just a waste of effort. Even if you went completely bonkers from anger, Ling Seventeen wouldn't understand why you were angry.

Ling Tian frowned and looked at the gigantic map carefully. After considering for a long time, he finally made up his mind and pointed to the map, "It shall be here!" He then revealed a helpless smile. Ling Jian could clearly feel that there was a dense feeling of pity in Ling Tian's eyes and he could not help but be stunned. Why? Why would Ling Tian be acting in such a manner?

Looking at where Ling Tian's finger was pointing at, Ling Jian saw a large lake on the map with a blue stream beneath it. Following along the stream, Ling Jian noticed that it was surrounded by two tall peaks by the side with a large road in the center. Following that, there was a sturdy looking castle and it was the number one perilous location of the southeast, the Heavenly Water Ravine Pass! This was also the Xiao Family's natural barrier towards invaders!

After going through the Heavenly Water Ravine Pass, they would be greeted with three thousand miles of fertile land and that was where the true territory of the Xiao Family was. It was also the reason why no other power was able to infiltrate into the Xiao Family's territory for the past 500 years!

Regardless of whether the Xiao Family wanted to send out armies or the outside world wanted to invade them, it was necessary to pass through the Heavenly Water Ravine Passing and there wasn't a second path! The mountains which spanned across a couple of thousand miles and the precipitously steep slopes that were high up in the clouds made it impossible for any army to surmount it!

This Heavenly Water Ravine Pass was truly capable of blocking ten thousand soldiers with a single man! At this place which only required 2000 soldiers to defend steadily, the Xiao Family actually sent a whole ten battalions!

Ten thousand men!

This was only counting the ordinary troops and did not include the various personal guards, cavalry and other various troops. If all of these were to be added in, there would be 20,000 soldiers at the very least! Regardless of how terribly the Xiao Family loses on the outside, as long as they were able to protect this place, the three thousand miles of territory behind it would always be theirs! Even if all of their soldiers on the outside perished, the Xiao Family only needed a few decades of rest before they would be able to produce tens of thousands of soldiers again and rule the world!

The grain of the Xiao Family was sent out from this place and the defense of the resupply route was watertight. There was no place for them to take action and even if they only wanted to cut off the supply of food for three days, it was an extremely challenging task! This was only possible if they could grasp control of this ancient pass within their hands! Apart from that, the Xiao Family would be able to repair any form of damage that they created in a short day or two. As for harassment tactics, that was completely useless.

In front of this massive obstacle, all of Ling Tian and Meng LiGe's plans were armchair theories!

Ling Tian resolutely decided that things probably wouldn't end at just disrupting the resupply routes of the Xiao Family!

Since they wanted to play, they should increase the stakes and bring forward the final battle!

A crazy battle intent burned in Ling Tian's heart! It is either this half of the continent becomes peaceful from now on or the whole continent shall break out into chaos!

"Does young noble want to seize the Heavenly Water Ravine Pass?" Ling Jian took in a breath of cold air. Even the reckless Ling Jian could not see any hopes for this plan to work out. The generals guarding this pass had always been the direct descendants of the Xiao Family and would be loyal to the Xiao Family to the very end. At the same time, they were also all experts among experts!

How would it be an easy task to take over the pass in one swoop!

Ling Jian was certain that if he and his young noble wanted to infiltrate the pass, they would be able to do so with a couple of martial arts experts and their movement techniques. However, it wouldn't be easy for them to retreat fully after infiltrating the pass, and as for seizing the control of the pass… even with Ling Jian's arrogance and faith in Ling Tian's strength, he felt that it was no more than a joke!

A mysterious smile could be seen on Ling Tian's face, "With our strength, it would indeed be a dream for us to capture the Heavenly Water Ravine Pass. But what if I said that we want to destroy it?!"

Ling Jian had the sudden urge to roll his eyes with disdain. If not for the fact that Ling Tian was a deity-like existence to Ling Jian, Ling Jian would definitely blurt out: Young noble, do you have a fever? If there is really a way to destroy this pass, would the experts of the continent allow it to remain for a few hundred years?!

Ling Tian could naturally tell what Ling Jian was thinking about and smiled, "Under normal circumstances, my idea would be no more than a dream. However, there isn't anything absolute in the world. Ling Jian, have you seen these two mountain peaks?"

Ling Jian looked at where Ling Tian was pointing at and said, "These two mountain peaks lie behind the Heavenly Water Ravine Pass and are the two highest points of the ridgeline. What does this have to do with our plan? Does young noble have other plans? However, how could these two mountains be moved by human strength?!"

Ling Tian sneered and traced out the azure river with his finger and said with a devilish smile, "Even if our human strength is lacking, the forces of nature are unparalleled. A large amount of river water flows past these two mountain peaks and after thousands of years of weathering, a precipice has been formed. The road which the Xiao Family has been maintaining for a thousand years is on the other side of the mountain. Even though the road is broad, there is only a single road with steep mountains on both sides. If these two mountains were to collapse, it would definitely cut off the flow of the river. At that time, where will all the water flow to?"

"The river water will definitely flow into the mountain road and may even drown the Heavenly Water Ravine Pass. If that's the case, not to mention three days, even if the Xiao Family was given three months they may not be able to redirect the river water. If that happens we would have destroyed the food resupply route and even sending out a single soldier would be of great difficulty. If that's the case, the 450,000 soldiers on the outside would be left without any reinforcements." Ling Jian shook his head with a depressed look, "However, why would the mountain peak collapse without a reason? It probably wouldn't be completely destroyed even if lightning strikes it. As for causing the mountain to collapse with human force, there isn't even a need to think about it."

"I naturally have a plan!" Ling Tian smiled with confidence before his face turned serious, "Send my orders!"

Everyone immediately straightened their backs and sat up attentively.

"Ling Seventeen, pick out a few guides familiar with the place to be the guides of these troops. Feng Mo's troops are to be split into five groups and will take turns to harass the lookout stations. Regardless of whether or not they are successful, they are to retreat after a single wave of attacks and are not to drag out the battle. However, the attacks must happen frequently and this matter cannot be delayed."

"As for the rest, collect large amounts of sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal. The more the better! I have my own use for them!"

"Feng Mo, immediately send a message to the Courtyard to ensure that the soldiers' morale is high. Regardless of the price, they are to defend against the attacks of Southern Zheng and the Xiao Family and wait for my good news."

"Besides that, inform the advisor to mobilize all of our troops. Apart from those at the Southern Zheng's battlefield, all other troops are to be sent to the east.

"Command Shen RuHu is to take a roundabout route to get here. They are to fortify their defenses and prepare for a bitter battle! Tell the general to get ready to swallow up the Xiao Family's 400,000 man army! Over the next few days, the Xiao Family's army will definitely fall into chaos!"

"Send my orders to my father's army. The moment we start the battle with the Xiao Family on the east, they are to swallow up Southern Zheng in the quickest time possible!"

"Ling Jian, order the remaining forces of the First Pavilion stationed in the Courtyard to go down south and listen to my father's orders. They are to assist the army to the south and I allow them to carry out assassination missions. Within half a month after battle breaks out in the east, I want to receive news of Southern Zheng being captured! They will then send their army up north and towards Eastern Zhao!"

"Inform DongFang JingLei to create chaos in Eastern Zhao within three days. Even if he has to sacrifice all of his men, he is to complete this mission! Tell DongFang JingLei that regardless of how much he loses, I will pay him back double! But if he does not complete the mission, not a single member of the DongFang Family will be left alive! I will not go back on my word!"

"Ling Jian and Ling Chi, pick out a hundred elites capable of scaling this mountain and await my orders! They should be prepared to go past the mountain and I will have further orders for them."

"There isn't any room for negotiations and all of these orders are to be carried out immediately! Those who defy my orders will be dealt with by military law!"

Ling Tian then looked at the two tall peaks afar with killing intent in his eyes and muttered under his breath, "Since we want to play, let us go all in! Let me see how the Xiao Family army is going to survive after losing their food supply."

"In three months time, I will unite my half of the continent and only leave the Xiao Family's territory alone. At that time, the Heavenly Water Ravine Pass will be in my hands and the Xiao Family won't be a cause for concern!"

Ling Tian grinned ferociously, "I originally didn't want to do this but since the Xiao Family has this natural indestructible obstacle that no power is able to threaten, hehehe…"

Ling Tian's chuckle filled with killing intent made everyone present feel their backs turn cold and hair stand.

It was a pity that Miss Li Xue wasn't present today. Only Li Xue would be able to guess what was going on in Ling Tian's head. If Li Xue was present today, she would also be laughing and looking forward to the scene in future…

Even though none of the members present in this meeting could understand the rationale for Ling Tian's orders, they still swiftly carried it out because of the faith they had in Ling Tian.

Ling Jian thought about everything that Ling Tian had said and could feel his blood boiling with excitement. Although he didn't know what Ling Tian wanted to do, based on his understanding of Ling Tian, this plan of his must definitely be one that will shake the heavens and will definitely succeed!

If the young noble wants to do something, how would it possibly fail!

Ling Jian had a sudden premonition that the whole continent would be transformed because of Ling Tian's orders today!

...

Ling Tian stood up at the peak of the mountain and his gaze swept past the surroundings. Even with Ling Tian's eyesight, the barracks beneath the mountain looked like small little soybeans.

The sky seemed to have been cleaned of all its clouds and it was blue for ten thousand miles!

The cold breeze swept past Ling Tian's face and his black robes fluttered in the winds. His black hair drifted in the winds and Ling Jian stood guard behind him silently. Looking at the tall and slim back view of Ling Tian, Ling Jian suddenly felt a deep reverence.

Even though they were only a couple of steps away from each other, Ling Jian felt as though Ling Tian was high up in the skies! In this life of his, Ling Jian felt that he would never be able to achieve such heights!

Ling Tian's silhouette was clearly outlined by the sun and it seemed as though there was a layer of golden light covering him.

A thousand mountains and rivers were all beneath his feet!

"The world is like a painting, who will rise and who will fall?" Ling Tian's eyes were narrowed and a bloody killing intent flashed past his eyes. Despite only muttering a single phrase quietly, a powerful killing intent was suppressed within it! This was something that Ling Jian could clearly feel.

Chapter 574: Sobbing Ghost Mountain

Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT, Rock

"Ah Jian, come over here!" Ling Tian instructed.

Ling Jian took a few steps forward seriously and stood behind Ling Tian silently. He remained an arm's length behind Ling Tian and looked toward the horizon with Ling Tian.

"Stand up here. What do you see? What do you think?" Ling Tian placed his hands behind his back and did not turn around. His words were calm as though he was having a casual conversation with Ling Jian.

Ling Jian's gaze was like a sword as he took in the sights of the surrounding thousand miles with the strong winds crashing onto his face. Ling Jian suddenly felt a wave of heroism in his heart! Although he did not say a single thing, Ling Tian could still feel the agitation of his most loyal subordinate.

"This is the highest spot in the surrounding few hundred miles!" Ling Tian smiled calmly, "Looking out from here, everything within the surrounding thousand miles is captured in your vision and is all beneath your feet!"

"If an ordinary person stands on this point, he will exclaim about how beautiful the creation of God is. He may even feel reverence or fear and will subconsciously worship the heavens and earth! If someone who yearns to stand at the peak of the martial way stands here, he will feel a sense of loneliness. Especially someone who is at Justice's level. If he were to stand here, he would only feel endless loneliness. A loneliness which is born from extreme arrogance. Thus, if he is standing here, he would think about me. He would wonder when I will be able to attain the same heights that he has achieved so that I can fight a battle with him."

Ling Tian chuckled and said those words with certainty. He then said, "But when I am standing up here, I am thinking about how the millions of living beings are all beneath my feet! Did you know?! I must definitely rule over the world in this lifetime of mine! I have never felt loneliness in my heart but only pride and arrogance!" Ling Tian looked at Ling Jian and smiled while shaking his head, "You will never understand just what I am thinking about in my heart."

Ling Jian indeed couldn't understand what Ling Tian was thinking about, for no other reason except that Ling Tian's thoughts had already exceeded the thinking of this world. Ling Jian only knew that his young noble's usually calm eyes had actually turned red from excitement!

At this moment, Ling Tian was truly agitated in his heart! He had the urge to cry out loudly to the millions of living beings beneath his feet, I am from China! I am from China! I am from China!!!

I do not belong to this world of yours! But I will definitely conquer you! I will conquer the whole world!

Who dares to defy me?!

Taking a deep breath, Ling Tian suppressed the agitation in his heart and finally regained his cool. Although his expression had not changed at all, his mood went from being calm to agitation, and then back to being calm.

Letting out a long breath, Ling Tian looked at Ling Jian warmly and said, "Ah Jian, remember my current position. When we are both at the true peak of the world, your position would be right behind me and only a single step away! You aren't allowed to be any farther away than that!"

Ling Jian's pale face suddenly turned red.

Ling Tian looked at Ling Jian with a smile. "However, such a position cannot be occupied by someone who only knows how to kill. I wish that you will stand at this position forever. Do you understand? Are you willing to stand here forever?"

Even with the winds blowing ferociously at the peak, a droplet of sweat could be seen on Ling Jian's nose. Ling Jian nodded his head solemnly and said, "It is Ling Jian's honor to be able to stand behind Young Noble! I will stand at this position!"

Ling Tian chuckled, "Do you know? In terms of realm, Justice and I aren't too far apart from each other. The only thing that I am lacking is the accumulation over time. However, I will not feel lonely standing here because I have you behind me. Thus, I will not experience such loneliness."

"Such loneliness is the greatest torture to people like us!" Ling Tian looked at Ling Jian and said seriously, "I do not wish to experience such loneliness. Thus, you must work hard to not make me feel lonely. Do you understand?"

Ling Jian's usually frosty expression finally defrosted and he felt a sourness in his throat.

Ling Tian watched the clouds float by him in a daze. The clouds seemed to pass through his body as though he was currently in the Heavenly Palace and he was reminded of a song:

The earth is beneath my feet,

Power is in my hands,

Who dares to go against me?

Who is the one who conquered the six empires?

Who is the one who united the world?

Whose battle exploits soared to the heavens?

High up above,

Gentleman, take a look,

Our territory is as beautiful as the painting;

Ascending the mountain and stepping on fog,

Pointing to the heavens and scolding,

Who else deserves praise but me?

In the beginning,

I am here,

Seizing the carefreeness of all ages,

Stone inscriptions,

Recording history,

Spreading how I ruled over the world!

…

The song that belonged to his memory replayed over and over again in Ling Tian's heart. The sound of horses galloping and the majestic music. The heroism that shot to the heavens was exceptionally tyrannical!

Ling Tian clenched his teeth and a sharp glow shot out from his eyes!

Let me seize the carefreeness of all ages in this world! Let the people of future generations spread my legend of ruling over the world!

******

Eastern Zhao had fallen into complete chaos!

After DongFang JingLei unexpectedly seized the position of DongFang Family Head, he cleared up all his opposition with thunder-like methods. Just when everyone thought that DongFang JingLei would remain low profile for a while to bide his time and rebuild his forces, DongFang JingLei's actions dumbfounded everyone.

He actually gathered all of his DongFang Family's troops to stage an open rebellion! In the eyes of everyone, this was akin to DongFang JingLei seeking death!

However, there was something even more exaggerated than this! The number one merchant of Eastern Zhao, Wu SanSan, who had never joined in political affairs had chosen to support DongFang JingLei with the risk of going bankrupt. The combined strength of these two individuals was definitely not as simple as 1+1=2. As though a reactive chemical reaction was ignited, these two individuals chased the Eastern Zhao Emperor DongFang MingRi out of the capital!

Following that, both parties launched an all-out war! With the many generations of accumulation of the DongFang Family and the immense wealth of Young Noble SanSan, their momentum was like a gigantic snowball rolling down a hill. The first few cities that responded were the few surrounding cities. All the generals that belonged to the DongFang Family raised their flags and left for the capital. Such a situation extended throughout the Eastern Zhao Empire and in a short three days, fighting broke out throughout the cities between the two factions. During these short few days, Eastern Zhao fell into complete chaos.

Three days later, the might of a family naturally could not be compared to the might of an empire. Young Noble SanSan was the first to go missing and DongFang JingLei was chased out of the capital. However, the powers that belonged to the DongFang Family were like an undying bug that refused to die. They plundered and killed along the way like a bunch of locusts, bringing chaos wherever they went.

General Shen RuHu from Sky Bearing had suddenly made his move. He first sent out 30,000 elites towards the direction where DongFang JingLei was fleeing towards. He must definitely follow Young Noble Ling Tian's arrangement and receive DongFang JingLei's troops.

The Eastern Zhao's action had ignited the whole world!

Just when Eastern Zhao broke out into chaos, it was as though all the powers in the world had agreed on a time…

After remaining silent for a month, General Ling Xiao's army also moved out like a tsunami rolling forward! They raised their flags and launched their assault towards Gold Jade City of Southern Zheng! The generals of all the armies along the way mysteriously died and were utterly defeated.

General Ling Xiao's army did not suffer from any obstruction along the way and naturally did not suffer too big of a loss. In just a mere four days, General Ling Xiao's army killed its way to Gold Jade City and surrounded the city gates of Southern Zheng completely. Without a moment of delay, General Ling Xiao began their siege of the city!

He did not even give Southern Zheng a chance to negotiate! They obviously wanted to wipe out Southern Zheng completely! Surrender? Sure. However, you must surrender immediately and we will not accept any form of negotiations. If you want to surrender, you better let down the drawbridge and admit your defeat. If you want to send someone to negotiate with me? I am sorry, we will kill anyone you send!

Even though the battle was currently at a stalemate, it was already looking like it was in the favor of General Ling.

At the same moment, the 150,000 strong army of the Xiao Family also launched their assault at Southern Zheng. If the Ling Family didn't make a move, they would not make a move either. Now that the Ling Family was about to attack Gold Jade City, if the Xiao Family still didn't make their move, they would have to watch Southern Zheng fall into the hands of the Ling Family. At such a moment, the Xiao Family would naturally not miss the opportunity to fish in troubled waters!

Even if they couldn't fight Ling Xiao's army face on, they had to dig out some benefits! They must definitely have a share of the big slice of cake called Southern Zheng!

Naturally, the Xiao Family that was stationed by Eastern Zhao came from afar under the guise of aiding their alliance mate. But the moment chaos broke out in Eastern Zhao, the Xiao Family revealed their true ambitions and transformed into bandits who committed all kinds of atrocities. They only had a single motive: to snatch a portion of the huge cake called Eastern Zhao, the largest portion!

Naturally, the one with the largest action was Xiao FengYang's army. With a single command, they killed their way to Sky Bearing's Sobbing Ghost Mountain. At the same time, he sent out a 20,000 man army along the northeast route to launch a pincer attack with the Eastern Zhao army against Shen RuHu! In truth, the purpose of the army was to work together with the Xiao Family's army in Eastern Zhao to obtain the biggest benefit!

The moment the battle at the Sobbing Ghost Mountain began, Second Master Xiao who was a military strategist expert felt something wrong!

This was the instinct of a brilliant military strategist!

Originally, Xiao FengYan only intended to feign an attack to coordinate with Meng RuoYun's ambush on the Ling Family. Naturally, if he received any favorable news, he would immediately turn this bogus attack of his into reality and make adjustments to his plans on the spot.

Battles had sprung up all around and flaming beacons would shoot towards the sky every day. If Meng RuoYun succeeded in his ambush, then Second Master Xiao would make use of this opportunity to swallow Southern Zheng, Sky Bearing and Eastern Zhao!

With the person who he was the most wary of being chased by Justice, this was the best opportunity for Xiao FengYang!

However, Xiao FengYang didn't know that he wasn't the only person who thought of such a crazy idea. There was another individual who had already begun making arrangements. Both their plans were equally crazy but the latter's plans had even included Xiao FengYang.

The mountain pass that should have been easily within his grasp was heavily guarded by the Ling Family's army. It was completely out of Xiao FengYang's expectations and completely contrary to his original plan!

According to Xiao FengYang's plan, the soldiers guarding the mountain pass should be the close aides of Imperial Tutor Wang and were naturally the Xiao Family's spies. Before launching his attack, Xiao FengYang had already sent out an order to Imperial Tutor Wang, ordering him to feign defeat and retreat all the way. The Xiao Family's army would then chase after their defeated troops and make use of the opportunity to seize Sky Bearing. It was also because he received a letter of assurance from the guards within the pass that he would lead his army to assault the pass confidently.

This should have been a plan without a flaw but he had actually faced obstruction at the very beginning. There should have only been only slight resistance from the Ling army but his Xiao army was now facing intense resistance with signs of the Ling army counterattacking.

Just when Xiao FengYang's army swaggered their way to the entrance of the pass confidently, they were greeted by an appetizer from the Ling army. A volley of arrows was sent towards them and the Xiao army who was caught off guard did not have a chance to react. Leaving behind almost a thousand corpses, the Xiao army retreated like wailing ghosts! This sudden change angered Second Master Xiao to the point he accidentally pulled out three strands of his beard!

Preposterous!

Can this be considered putting up a slight resistance and feigning defeat? All the soldiers of the Ling Family looked as though they would rather perish with the enemy than take one step of retreat. They looked as though they were afraid that they weren't slashing hard enough and afraid that their enemy wasn't dead!

This… just what was going on?

Did something go wrong? Why do I feel so uneasy? Just what went wrong with my perfect plan?!

At this moment, Xiao FengYang's head was in a complete mess.

Eighteen years ago, the Xiao Family had already secretly arranged for the Wang Family to enter Sky Bearing. After the Wang Family rose up the ranks in Sky Bearing, the Xiao Family had begun arranging this matter. Knowing that the Xiao Family would definitely enter Sky Bearing from here, Wang ZhiHong had arranged for his close confidantes to be stationed here. In order to prevent his deeds from being exposed, he would minimize the number of confidantes stationed. After so many years, he did not dare to reveal any traces of his plotting. In fact, it was also the information that the Wang Family provided that allowed Xiao FengYang to uproot the spies of the Ling Family.

However, the moment the battle broke out, these people had actually fought them to the death!

Xiao FengYang just could not understand what was going on.

But no matter what, their army had already launched their attack and an arrow that was sent out could not be retrieved. At the same time, the sacrifice of the few thousand people who had already died could not be in vain. On top of that, a few generals who were meticulously nurtured by the Xiao Family had also perished under the gates of the mountain pass. How could they not take revenge for such a vengeance?

As such, the battle between both parties became more and more intense.

After a full day of battle, there weren't many who could even stand up straight on the city wall. However, the Ling Family's attack was still like a raging storm and in a short day, the 150,000 man army of the Xiao Family had lost over 7,000 men.

The number of injured soldiers was almost half of the 150,000 men Xiao army! Not to mention feigning defeat, even if they were to fight in an all-out battle, such losses were unacceptable to the Xiao Family! Xiao FengYang hated the guards of the mountain pass to the bone!

Upon seeing that the mountain pass was about to be captured, Xiao FengYang gave a strict order: The general in charge of guarding the mountain pass must be caught alive! Second Master Xiao will not allow him to die! This person had killed so many of his Xiao Family's soldiers. How could such a vengeance be settled with a simple death?

I will let you suffer a fate worse than death! I want to let you know how extravagant a thought death can be!

Second Master Xiao face was filled with malevolence and hatred had filled his heart!

There were a few hundred men of the Xiao Family who had climbed up the city gates and were about to seize the mountain pass! The Ling Family no longer had the ability to retaliate and their battle merit was already within their grasp. However, the Xiao Family had already paid a huge price in this battle!

Originally, their plan didn't require sacrificing a single soldier to complete but it had transformed into a complete head-on battle!

Even with victory near their grasp, none of the Xiao Family members could feel the slightest bit of joy!

However…

Even this short moment for them to catch their breath was extremely rare!

Countless numbers of Ling Family reinforcements suddenly swarmed over as though they had dropped down from the sky. The reinforcements were like a swarm of hornets and charged at the Sobbing Ghost Mountain Pass. In just a single exchange, they sacrificed thousands of soldiers to block the momentum of the Xiao Family. They then used their own bodies to fill up the gaps in the city wall which was destroyed by the Xiao army and squeezed the Xiao army off the city wall.

That's right: squeezed! Or perhaps, it would be more accurate to say 'knocked'! The soldiers of the Ling Family seemed to have gone crazy and using their bodies as a weapon they charged at the incoming blades and arrows. Wave after wave, it was as though none of them feared death and their blood sprayed on the city walls like the rain. Almost every single inch of land was filled with a couple of corpses from both parties!

At this moment, human life seemed so fragile! It seemed so worthless!

The first wave of reinforcements from the Ling Family was almost completely wiped out in an instant! After that, an endless swarm of Ling Family soldiers charged over without stopping and pounced into the bloody battlefield without the slightest bit of hesitation. They were like children who had not seen their family for a long time diving into the warm embrace of their mother. They did not hesitate the slightest and did not show a single sign of hesitation!

Without a command or leader, the place where blood was the thickest, shrieks the loudest, and corpses the most would be the place where they attacked!

Without any apprehensions!

Stepping on the corpses of their own comrades, they charged forward with their eyes bloodshot! Charging forward to their deaths! Right after they charged forward, the previously living troops had turned into corpses quickly. Following that, the other guards stepped on the bodies of comrades without even blinking their eyes and died. Another wave then charged forward…

Around the soldiers, they could only see blood splattering everywhere and limbs flying in all directions. They could not even hear what their comrades were screaming or what their enemies were roaring. All of their eyes were bloodied red and filled with intense killing intent!

They were all filled with the resolution to perish with the enemy!

From afar, countless Ling Family reinforcements swarmed over from all directions and charged up the mountain pass. Even if it was a land of death, they had to charge into it. Outside the mountain pass, the Xiao Family's soldiers also continued to pounce forward without fear.

The armies of both parties were charging forward without retreat and their eyes were bloodshot with enmity. All of them charged forward as though their only motive was to kill or be killed! Behind the backs of the soldiers, a mountain of corpses was left behind. The corpses were all dismembered without a single complete corpse and their eyes were still wide open with a crazed killing intent! However, not a single tinge of reluctance could be seen in their eyes!

In the heart of these hot-blooded men, apart from their enemy and killing, nothing else was in their hearts. Their elderly parents at home, their gentle wife and adorable children… at this moment, perhaps they had flashed by the hearts of these soldiers, or perhaps they didn't. However, everyone knew that if their enemy invaded their home, their parents, wife, and children would be worse than widows and orphans!

Men! Their brutal nature that belonged to the battlefield was completely ignited!

Kill! For their kin!

Kill! For Sky Bearing!

Kill! For glory!

Kill! For… the sake of killing!

….

This was no longer a mountain pass!

This place had turned into a millstone that ground up the lives of thousands of soldiers!

The sun set and the moon rose!

In a short day and night, at least 40,000 soldiers were sacrificed in this narrow path! The Xiao Family had lost at least 25,000 soldiers and the Ling Family had lost more than 10,000 soldiers!

The miserable battle made everyone's soul tremble whenever they recalled this event! Every soldier who witnessed the miserable battle before their eyes shed off their cowardice with only their bestial nature left behind!

Humans had already forgotten about their animal nature and it was hidden within the depths of their instinct!

The strong eating the weak! It's either your death or mine!

The massacre of the battlefield and bloody flesh flying around. The crazed warriors all shared the same soul. Regardless of whether they belonged to the Ling or Xiao Family, they only had a single thought: Kill!

This life or death battle was completely out of Xiao FengYang's expectations. At this moment, it was impossible to stop it!

The Xiao Family had already sacrificed 25,000 soldiers and this figure was still growing. At every minute, this number was growing but not a single soldier was able to enter the narrow mountain pass! What kind of a humiliation was this? This pent-up humiliation and anger from being lied to exploded forth from the lungs of the Xiao Family in the form of a maniacal roar. Without even receiving Xiao FengYang's orders, they had all charged forward with their eyes reddened!

The Xiao Family refused to give up their advancement and the Ling Family would never give up the mountain pass! As such, the battlefield became more and more miserable, crazier and crazier! The number of casualties soared by the minute!

This mountain pass that was destroyed by the Xiao Family completely was actually even more majestic than before its destruction! The countless corpses that were piled into the city walls had filled up the broken city walls! Looking at it from afar, it looked like a waterfall of blood that gradually formed a flowing stream! That is if this place can still be called a wall.

It was truly a barrier of meat!

It was truly a barrier of lost life!

Currently, the soldiers from both armies were completely stepping on corpses as they battled! There wasn't a single person who could still step on the earth beneath them! From their feet to the earth, there would be at least a distance of three to four corpses!

As the battle continued and soldiers stepped onto their comrades, countless sounds of bones breaking could be heard. However, the soldiers who were in battle didn't notice any of those sounds and continued to wave their blades crazily until they collapsed onto the ground and became a pile of bones for their comrades to step on.

Every single soldier in the battle had already turned crazy! If they had a blade in their hands, they would use a blade. If their blade broke, they would use their fists, shoulders, legs, knees, head, or even their teeth…

Wang Han and four other Blood Iron Warriors each took a single direction and their eyes were also reddened from killing. After a day and night of roaring out commands, their throats were burning as though a blazing hot knife were stabbed into their throats. They could no longer let out a single sound and they could only give their commands by waving their hands.

This action didn't need any explaining and was easily understood. Everyone could also easily understand the simple meaning of that action: Charge! Kill!

Their usually robust inner qi had already been reduced to a mere trickle a day ago. Currently, they were only relying on their physical abilities to command and do battle. Each and every one of them had blood spraying out of them at a different part of their body. Be it the blood of their enemy or their own blood, there would be blood spraying on them at every moment. It may be their enemy's blood trickling down their body now and their own heads being cleaved off the next moment!

Wang Han had two arrows embedded in him and he did not even have the time to pull them out. The iron sword in his hand had already turned into a bloodied sword. This treasured sword in his hand that would not be stained with blood had already been dyed completely red after consuming blood for a whole day and night. After a full day and night, even Wang Han himself wasn't sure just how many people he had killed! He only knew that there was an endless wave of people charging at him before collapsing before his blade. He did not know anything else and only knew that as long as he was still standing, he would continue battling! He would never stop battling! Wang Han's blade had actually twisted from the intense battle!

Even his blade which had been tempered with Black Iron had actually twisted from killing! This unbreakable weapon was actually unable to endure the crazy battle until the very end! The friction from the blade grinding against bodies was like the heat from the furnace! When slashing into the flesh of the enemy, a brief wave of heat would be emanated! However, no one noticed this oddity and it was impossible for anyone to notice!

Raising his head up, Wang Han continued his slaughter as though he did not know what fatigue was. Every exchange he had with the enemy, a couple of enemy troops would fall and his body would be inflicted with a few more injuries!

There was no longer anyone to stop the battle and everyone was in a state of crazed killing intent. The only thing that they could differentiate was the difference between enemy and comrade. The only way to make them stop right now would be death!

As long as they still had a single breath, they would not stop their killing!

Never ending reinforcements continued to arrive in perhaps a ten man squad, a hundred man squad or even a thousand man squad. They charged over hurriedly and dived into the battle hurriedly before rushing to their deaths hurriedly!

There were far too many people who had dove into battle without even leaving behind a final word! In just a couple of breaths, living human beings were transformed into piles of mush on the ground!

Meng LiGe sending out his order with the highest authority of the Ling Family Courtyard had achieved the greatest effect! All of the Ling Family soldiers in the surrounding were like bees who had smelled honey and swarmed over endlessly!

The battlefield was already out of anyone's control. It was already out of the so-called military command. This narrow region had completely turned into a region of slaughter and death!

The initial battle cries and loud roars had completely disappeared. Apart from the mourning shrieks of the dead and the sound of blades diving into the human flesh, there wasn't another sound that could be heard. Every single ounce of strength they had was channeled into their blades and transferred into their enemies' bodies!

Regardless of which party the mountain pass lands in the hands of, it wouldn't be able to serve its original purpose any longer! This place probably couldn't even be compared to a wasteland!

The ground had gradually been soaked by the blood and turned into a mud made of clay and the bloodied flesh of the soldiers. It was then trampled on by the soldiers and ground into dust before becoming a part of the earth!

As the reinforcements of the Ling Family increased, they also gradually gained the upper hand of the battle and victory had finally leaned towards the Ling Family. Regardless of how indignant or furious the Xiao Family soldiers were, they were forced out of the mountain pass!

Or perhaps, it would be more accurate to say that all of the Xiao Family soldiers who had charged into the mountain pass had perished and the Ling Family's soldiers had charged out of the mountain pass!

Chapter 575: Each Secretly Rejoicing

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT, Rock

Was this the indication of a huge counterattack?!

Watching team after team of his own soldiers rushing to the mountain pass, followed by them dying without even one remaining… Xiao FengYang sat on top of his horse, his eyebrows twitching repeatedly and his eyes lifeless.

Behind him, the flag bearer had his mouth wide open to the point it could drop off, and his expression was so pale he looked like a dead man.

In his thirty years of commanding, Xiao FengYang had seen many intense wars and battles, yet he had never seen such a hair raising-sight like now! In his thirty years of command, he had never received such huge losses as well! This was furthermore the first time he had sacrificed so much, and still not achieved a victory!

"This will go down in history as the most miserable and desperate battle!" Beside Xiao FengYang, an old man clad in gold battle armor solemnly stared at this sight, before saying in a heavy tone, "In my entire wartime experience, never have I seen such a miserable battle like today!"

"Sound the drums to retreat!" Xiao FengYang was shaken awake by his words. While the mountain pass had been broken through, allowing his troops to advance, the mountain pass was also completely destroyed before they could use it. By retreating, he could still reduce his losses by a bit. He could utilize his elite troops to be the vanguard in conquering it! Unless the Ling Family was willing to hold a decisive battle here with his troops, there was no other meaning for them to continue to hold the fort.

"Commander, the optimal time has already been lost!" The golden armored general regretfully shook his head. "We can only send down the command, telling those who have yet to engage to retreat. As for those that had been sent out, we cannot pull them back anymore. None of them are able to listen to orders anymore!"

"Their mental states have already been scrambled by the massacre. As a result, the gong of retreat is as good as the signal to charge further." The general sighed. "This is also the reason why a crazed battlefield will never produce any cowards. Once the war gets heated up to such a state, even if I were to throw the world's number one coward inside, he would also become iron blooded warrior ready to sacrifice himself at any point! A pity that this war has already taken the lives of 20,000 of our hot-blooded sons of the Xiao Family!"

"No!!" Xiao FengYang screamed with reddened eyes and heavy breathing, "Retreat! Sound the retreat!! Get everyone back!!!"

A startling drumbeat reverberated through the battlefield, but the Xiao Family troops facing the Ling soldiers did not even bat an eyelid in response. All of them actually did not even acknowledge the sound at all!

Their senses were already fully focused inside this frantic slaughter-fest! Other than annihilating the opposite party, no other thoughts existed inside their heads anymore!

More and more reinforcements from the Ling Family came out, and one by one, red flags started to be hoisted up amid the sea of corpses!

From afar, the thunderous sound of hoofbeats ceaselessly sounded. The faint blood-red flags fluttered like an azure dragon soaring in the sky. That was the sound of the Ling Family's reinforcements!

Xiao FengYang let out a drawn-out sigh. Now that he knew the overall outcome of the situation, he closed both his eyes tightly as two streams of tears suddenly flowed out, "A whole 45,000 troops! 45,000 troops!!! Just because of this old man's carelessness, countless people are laid to rest in this spot. This old man deserves death! Why did I even place the Southeast sector in my eyes? How am I going to face the cries and wails of those widows and mothers!"

"Second Master doesn't need to worry. Since time immemorial, what war did not have sacrifices? To be gentle and not bring troops to war means that one will never be able to wield wealth. We're still waiting for Second Master to take charge of the general situation!" The old man consoled.

A thick scent of blood wafted through the skies in the battlefield, pervading ten miles around the area!

This bitter and desperate killing had finally drawn its curtains and come to the end!

Outside Sobbing Ghost Mountain, corpses were disorderly strewn about lying on the ground. There were no injured men during this battle, only dead or alive! Normally on a battlefield, the aftermath would be filled with groans and screams of misery, yet this area was devoid of sound!

As for the corpses lying on the ground, none of them were whole! Under such circumstances, it would be an impossibility to have someone who could walk out alive. Only the heads of the soldiers remained staring at the sky, their eyes still wide open in killing intent and anger, staring at the heavens themselves.

As for where the entrance of the mountain pass was supposed to be, all the bodies had already been mashed into chunks of flesh and blood paste. Enemies and comrades could not be told apart. The brave warriors from both sides who had staked their lives just a few moments ago were now intertwined with each other, without any way to distinguish between them whatsoever!

Wasn't this ironic?

This was war. The bloodiest, most desperate war!

Fresh blood flowed unceasingly, pooling together. They slowly merged to form a river of blood, and under the rays of sunlight, they painted the entire mountain pass a scarlet red, overriding all other colors present!

Silence reigned between heaven and earth!

The gloomy and suppressive killing atmosphere hung like overcast clouds over the entire area, and even the screaming autumn wind seemed to have quietened down all of a sudden. It was as though they were paying a moment of tribute to the fallen brave souls!

In front of the Xiao Family's army formation, Xiao FengYang stood there with a numb expression on his face, as though he was a crafted sculpture.

Countless commands were suddenly shouted out, and the thunderous sounds of hoofbeats sounded. Out from the mountain pass came countless blood-red battle flags, and valiant soldiers walked out line after line from the mountain pass.

The reinforcements stepped across all the corpses strewn on the ground, appearing in front of Xiao FengYang for a direct confrontation!

Since the strategic value of the mountain pass was no longer reliable, then they might as well face him head-on. Besides, they could attack and retreat anytime they deemed fit. On this point, the Ling Family's general made the best choice.

While the Ling Family indeed possessed a troop count of more than ten thousand lower than Xiao FengYang, they were technically warring within their own area, and so long as they kept defending at this particular location, there would be an unceasing number of troops reinforcing them. As for the Xiao Family, they had pushed deep within enemy territory to attack. While their troops might be the elite soldiers, their numbers would only dwindle over time. Without the power to obtain a decisive victory, the morale of the troops would be sure to drop!

"This battle was unbelievably desperate and cruel. The corpses on the ground, be it allies or enemies were all brave warriors! They are not to be defiled!" The general of the army hollered out from his horseback. "The various soldiers, do your fastest to separate the bodies of our allies from our enemies and bring the remains of our Ling Family warriors back into the pass. For the Xiao Family's soldiers, send them to the opposing forces. When two forces battle, each has their respective masters, and if there are any injuries or death, they are not to hold them against each other! However, the brave warrior's remains must be put to rest!"

"Yes!" The soldiers behind responded in one voice, followed by hundreds of them jumping down from their horses and beginning to get busy.

At this time, Xiao FengYang also slowly began to regain his calmness. He gazed with rapt attention in the distance, and recognized someone, causing his body to have a single tremble. He clenched his teeth for a while, the expression on his face ever-changing, before suddenly nudging his horse towards the center area between the two armies. He spoke in a low gravelly tone, "Lord Yu, it has been a long time. I never thought that Sky Bearing would actually employ you, the War Minister himself, against me. I am really flattered!"

The general from the Ling Family was precisely the person who the Ling Family entrusted this battle to, the previous assistant minister of war, Yu YanHai. While his military merits and his skills did not match up to Shen RuHu and Ling Xiao, when it came to military strategy, he was definitely not inferior to them in any aspect. This, coupled with his experience and knowledge, allowed him to be extremely rigorous, an expert in both offense and defense. Especially regarding defense, inside Sky Bearing, and maybe even the entire Heavenly Star, not many could compare. Thus he was definitely the best choice for the battle this time.

It was because Xiao FengYang knew him, and furthermore knew him extremely well, that he knew this battle was not good to fight, and furthermore extremely unusual!

Yu YanHai had on a cold expression, as he casually waved his hands and said, "How is that so, Second Master Xiao is too polite. Second Master is a master of military strategy, so how can I even compare to you? This Yu has trapped himself inside Sky Bearing, not coming out in the last few years, so how would I be compared to the great Second Master Xiao, who has great influence and has gathered the troops to conquer the continent? Second Master Xiao is helping the Xiao Family to expand its territories, and that is a great accomplishment!"

How could Xiao FengYang not be able to tell apart the ridicule within his words? He merely retained a poker face as he said, "Brother Yu is really polite. We brothers have not seen each other for so many years, could it be that we have to immediately war against each other the moment we meet?"

Yu YanHai coldly snorted as a gleam shot through his eyes. He spat, "If Second Master Xiao is willing to retreat, and expand elsewhere, then this Yu will definitely not dare to offend Second Master's prestige!" His meaning was: If you aren't willing to leave, then I'll have to offend you!

Xiao FengYang's face grew cold as well, and his voice turned sinister, "Yu YanHai, don't think that I'm afraid of you. I merely respect you as a rare hero of a generation and do not wish for such a hero to die here. If you're still tactful, then you had better clear this road quickly!" His facial expression suddenly took on a 180-degree change. "Actually, brother Yu is a great talent, and if you're willing to follow my Xiao Family, then I, Xiao FengYang can help to attest to you, elder brother. When we conquer the continent and create a dynasty, within the high ranking officials, Brother Yu will definitely take one of the top 5 seats!"

Yu YanHan only laughed as he spoke, "Second Master Xiao really gives this country bumpkin here too much credit. However, since we're on this topic, this Yu indeed has a matter that I wish to seek guidance on."

Xiao FengYang could only reply with a heavy expression, "Speak."

"The Xiao Family has been the hegemon of the Northeastern side for the past few centuries and sits strategically surrounded by mountains and rivers, protected by nature with no need to fear invasion from enemies. It could be said that you people are living in a world of paradise, but yet you throw away such a peaceful time and so many lives in your country? Your ancestors once decreed that the descendants of the Xiao Family would forever not take part in any wars in the continent. Could it be that Second Master has forgotten the teachings of your ancestors?!"

Yu YanHai poked a finger at all the bloodshed, and the various corpses, bleakly saying, "Those people could have been benevolent fathers and filial sons, brothers in arms, harmonious couples, enjoying life to their fullest. Yet they now all lie within this area, buried in a foreign land, all because of your Xiao Family's ambitions! If you continue with your plan, then just how many orphans and widows will be created? Brother Xiao, why must you be so cruel? Are you really not afraid of going against the oath of your ancestors?"

Xiao FengYang's eyes sharpened, staring at the corpses all messily strewn on the ground. A wave of pain brushed past his eyes but was quickly suppressed and he ruthlessly waved it off. "I, of course, have carved the words of my ancestors deep into my heart, not daring to forget it for even a moment. However, the ancestor himself was also worried that because the world was always embroiled in war, we would one day also lose the last piece of pure land that belonged to us. Hence, he had also said that so long as the world was not fully unified, there will never be peace, and the people of the world will never truly know happiness! Thus, only by unifying the continent can we then avoid strife. As a descendant of the Xiaos, I obey and wish to unify this place, to create a utopia where my Xiao Family can live happily ever after. This is clear proof! To create happiness and joy for the various common folk of the world, what wrong is there in doing so? Instead, it is you who do not follow the wishes of the heavens and of the common folk, obstructing the heavenly troops without careful consideration, causing rivers of blood to flow. Your Ling Family is the true offender!"

"Hahaha… this is the best joke I've ever heard!" Yu YanHai let out a cold snort, as he disdainfully replied, "So it turns out that you leading troops to invade us make sense, and it is complying with the rules of heaven. However, us not willing to allow you to invade our motherland actually makes us criminals, going against Heaven's rules?! What a preposterous idea, complete nonsense! Xiao FengYang, in my entire life I, Yu YanHai, have seen quite a few shameless people, but I just found out that you totally just refreshed my ranking list! Respect, much respect, for a person to have reached such levels in thick-skinned behavior like you, it could be because the skin on the left side of your face had appeared in the right side as well! This is because you're not just thick-skinned, but also two-faced in reality! I believe that no one can be your match!"

Xiao FengYang's face turned frosty at that, and killing intent started to flow out in waves.

At this time, a logistics section leader ran over, and saluted to Yu YanHai, saying, "Reporting to general. We have separated the bodies, and those who can be recognized number at 8,744 for our men, and 15,320 men for the enemy. However, there are still remaining bodies that cannot be identified at all and can only be muddled together. How do we proceed, general?"

"8,744, 15,320… " Yu YanHai's beard trembled as he furiously stared at Xiao FengYang, "Second Master Xiao, do you hear that? These two startling numbers represent human lives! And furthermore, there is still a heap that cannot be recognized, even the bodies not found! In just these two days, both sides lost more than 60,000 people in total! In this world, this would mean another 60,000 broken families! Having you ever thought about this, Xiao FengYang? This is what your Xiao Family calls living in peace? I think it is bringing disaster to the world!"

However, Xiao FengYang merely replied with a sneer, "Pedantic! I actually thought that you, Yu YanHai would be considered a great character, but to think that you actually are so pedantic! Don't you understand the saying, "Even if I want to sacrifice my life for my country, why should I be wrapped inside horse's hide after my death?" As a person who has been through numerous wars, dying on the battlefield is my honor and glory, and my purpose in life! Where is the sadness in that?"

Yu YanHai's face turned green, and he hatefully spat out, "Shameless! I thought I was already used to the various shameless people on earth, but today, after having met you, I realized just how much of a frog in a well I am!" Turning back, he hollered to his subordinates, "Take 500 men, and put all the Xiao Family's troops inside carts and send them to their barracks! The Xiao family are courageous men, and can naturally be heartless, but we cannot disrespect these heroes who sacrificed their lives on the battlefield!"

A string of neat commands and a solemn oath from him!

The soldiers on both sides seemed to quicken their breathing, and their eyes turned red. All gazes turned towards the carts, where limbs could be seen dangling outside of them, spelling utmost bleakness.

Xiao FengYang steered his horse back, and a hint of a smile passed through his face. Now that things had gotten to this state, in some way, the plan could have been said to be successful. Since the Ling Family had taken precautions, then his false invasion could be said to be successful. Although the battle got a little out of hand, causing miserable losses, things had settled down at this point. Thus, Xiao FengYang would naturally not bother to bump against this steel wall. It would not be too late to act after Meng RuoYun sent out the news.

Now that Sky Bearing's complete attention was placed towards himself, reinforcements would start to be sent from all areas. This would cause a substantial decrease in the number of troops stationed in all other areas, which would definitely aid Meng RuoYun and his group in their operation. Who knows, maybe they could overturn the Ling Family's nest in one fell swoop?

While this Second Master Xiao had worked to no avail during this past one day and night, his impatience, anger, and hate had gradually begun to transform into happiness and excitement. The battlefield running out of control was also considered a good thing. Who would have thought that this miserable battle would have resulted in free advertising for him? Most likely, even God could not predict it, let alone the Ling Family!

Even that little b*st*rd Ling Tian probably would not have imagined that this was the herald to the destruction of Sky Bearing, right?

Our poor Second Master Xiao was still unaware that the good news he was so eagerly waiting for would never be transmitted to him, and those familiar faces would no longer be seen as well…

Naturally, along with Second Master Xiao, there was a person whose emotions was just as excited as the latter himself!

This person was the general of the Ling Family, Yu YanHai! He was also the only person who was clear on Ling Tian's complete plans!

Initially, when he saw the overwhelming prestige and aura of the Xiao Family, as well as the mutual destruction wrought by both parties, Yu YanHai's heart sank. It seemed as though completing his task this time would be a tall order. Since the Xiao Family had sacrificed so much without even getting an inch of land, how could they be satisfied? The following wars would even be more intense, harder to deal with. With the rabble that he was currently leading and the fortifications of the pass completely destroyed, if he had to fight in the open area together with the Xiao Family, just what was their chance of succeeding?

But never in his dreams did he expect Xiao FengYang to come out and start a tirade! This was really the heavens helping him. He thought to himself, With this old man's performance, bemoaning the sad fate of the universe, as well as borrowing the corpses of his enemies to set an example, I successfully resolved the state of mutual hostility. This was out of my expectations! Looks like this old man here is really a blessed general.

Looking at the situation now, the task which Young Noble Ling left to him to stall for time could be completed with at least three to five days of guarantee. Hence, while Yu YanHai's face displayed absolute pain and sadness, his heart was screaming with joy. What was it about the Xiao Family having deep wisdom? What godly general? Weren't you still completely led around by this old man here?

Just like that, on the battlefield, covered by the fire of war and the thick stench of blood, both parties thought that they had achieved the upper hand, secretly gleeful and happily grinning to themselves…

However, who was it that would achieve the last laugh?!

Chapter 576: Reaching the River

Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT, Rock

The Xiao Family army met with countless troubles along the way. Their supply outposts along the way were continuously ambushed by the enemy. However, the enemy was extremely crafty and would retreat after a single round of assault!

These little skirmishes weren't enough to make the Xiao Family lose anything and they weren't capable of causing any true damage to the resupply route. However, it was extremely annoying!

After a few rounds of ambushes, Second Master Xiao was enraged! As such, the Xiao Family army sent out their forces to suppress the enemy forces. With the Xiao Family army chasing and the Ling Family troops escaping, time passed day by day…

Just when the battle in the Sobbing Ghost Mountain began, Ling Tian had already taken the 150 elites that Ling Jian had picked and sprinted towards their target in the vast mountains.

Ling Tian had never ceased his communication with the Ling Family Courtyard. Apart from the Courtyard sending news and analysis of the battle, there was a memo that Miss Li Xue had inserted. After Ling Tian opened it, he let out a bitter laugh before crushing it and throwing it aside.

Ling Chi was extremely curious. Picking it up, he realized that there was only a single word written on it.

It was a strange word that didn't seem like a word! In actual fact, it was the word 'slice' that was written in simplified Chinese. However, only Ling Tian and Miss Li Xue recognized this word!

Scratching his head, Ling Chi was completely puzzled.

What was the meaning of this word? A special signal? Could it be a special signal that Miss Li Xue used to communicate with their young noble? What exactly was that scribble? Why did this secret code look so strange? Why did their young noble throw it away after seeing it?

In a puzzled state, Ling Chi plucked up his courage and asked Ling Tian about those scribbles with a humble attitude. Mmm, I am afraid that young noble will forget about it… if matters were to be delayed… While Ling Chi was indeed a little nosy, it was also out of good intentions.

The moment the words left Ling Chi's lips, Ling Tian's face darkened down completely and he glared as Ling Chi as though he wanted to swallow Ling Chi alive, "Those words mean that this daddy here is going to slice off your little bird! Scram afar for this daddy, you darn dog egg!"

Ling Chi trembled slightly and felt his whole body turn cold. He then sped away as quickly as he could.

Just when Ling Tian was feeling frustrated, Ling Chi had to be the one to trigger Ling Tian and become the innocent punching bag.

Li Xue's meaning was simple and filled with disdain: Since you won't allow me to use it, why do you still make it on your own? Do you mean to say that only the governors are allowed to set fire to things but the commoners are not allowed to light lamps? If this Miss isn't going to slice it up, what is the point of keeping it?!

Actually, Ling Tian had also been pondering about this matter over the past few days. Without a better idea, he clenched his teeth and decided to go all out! Who asked the Xiao Family to have an impenetrable natural fortress? If this daddy isn't going to use gunpowder, am I going to tolerate its existence? This action of mine is also for the lives of the millions of Ling Family soldiers. Besides that, as long as I am the only one who has the recipe and not allow anyone to know of its existence, can't I just say that the mountain was struck by lightning? Who asked this daddy to have lived through two lifetimes? Glory to the knowledge of my previous world!

After finding an excuse for himself, Young Noble Ling felt better in his heart.Dammit, as long as Li Xue that lass does not expose me, who would know that this daddy went back on my word? Even if she exposes me, who would believe her?!

Hehehe…

After venting his anger on Ling Chi, the frustration that Ling Tian felt from Li Xue's 'slice' word made all of his frustration fly away. At the same time, he comforted himself in his heart, This is for the livelihood of the commoners! I am doing this for the commoners of the world! This is for the peace of the world and happiness of the commoners…

Looking at the matter from such a viewpoint, not only did Ling Tian not feel bad, he even felt that his actions were extremely noble…

As such, when the army was advancing rapidly, Young Noble Ling's delighted and strange laughter would sound from the dark forest… Even Ling Jian and the rest who were extremely familiar with Ling Tian could not help but have their hair stand up on edge. Especially in the depths of the night, Ling Tian's laughter caused all of them to be covered with goosebumps and cold sweat…

After a day and two nights of weaving through the mountains and ridgelines, the fifty or so kilograms of weight on the soldiers' shoulders had taken a large toll on their bodies. Even the Blood Iron Warriors who were battle maniacs weren't able to endure the arduous journey. Along the way, the times when they stopped for meals were the happiest times of the journey.

This was for no other reason except that their young noble Ling revealed his masterful barbecue skills during their journey. Along the way, although the soldiers did not bring many rations to reduce their load, they had their fair share of mountain delicacies.

For a few hundred years, people rarely entered the forest and wild beasts roamed around everywhere. As long as a martial arts expert entered the forest, he would not have to worry about starving to death but would worry about choosing between which to eat instead.

Young Noble Ling Tian had also taken out a unique fragrance incense to attract a large number of venomous snakes. Even after a series of killing, a large number of snakes were still left and all the soldiers were stuffed with delicious snake meat to the point they were unable to even walk.

As for the brat Ling Chi, he had even remarked that he hoped for the road to be never finished. With the endless delicacies in the mountain such as bear paws, tiger's heart, snake meat, deer antelopes and wild rabbits, even though Ling Chi was extremely fatigued from the journey, not only did he not slim down but he had even put on some weight.

From not too far away, an ear-deafening rumbling sound could be heard. It was the sound of the rushing river crashing onto the rocky mountain before being reflected out again. Even if one was a couple of miles away, the commotion of the rushing river was like the mountain collapsing and a tsunami rushing. Anyone who was in the region could not help but be awed by the irresistible might of the heavens and earth!

Including Ling Jian, none of the soldiers knew just what they were carrying or what Ling Tian had in mind. However, none of them even had the thought of questioning Ling Tian. They only lowered their heads and weaved through the mountains without a single complaint!

They had finally arrived!

Ling Tian let out a long sigh. Along the way, it was uphill after uphill and there wasn't any proper path that they could take. It was impossible for them to think about riding a horse and even Ling Tian had a gigantic bag on his shoulders. The hardship of the journey could be easily imagined. Looking at the plump appearance of his subordinates, Ling Tian could not help but feel a sense of imbalance in his heart.

These subordinates of his seemed to be on a vacation and all acted in a leisurely manner. If he allowed his subordinates to roast the meat, it would either be half-cooked, burnt black, or half-cooked on one side and black on the other. How could any of this be eaten? So all of his subordinates were completely useless and the task could only fall on Ling Tian's shoulders.

Even experts like Ling Jian and Ling Chi could only act as delivery men…

Looking at how these fellows ate the burned meat eagerly and with pleasure, Ling Tian could no longer take it. In order to preserve the strength of his troops, Ling Tian could only personally take the position of head chef and be in charge of the meals of his soldiers!

Young Noble Ling let out a depressed sigh. Was there any master who was like him? Could there be a master more pitiful than him?!

Seeing the 150 burly men throwing and flinging their baggage around without a care in the world, Ling Tian could not help but be amused. If these fellows knew that the baggage that they were carrying was capable of blowing all of them up without leaving them a complete corpse, who knows how they would feel? One thing was for sure, they definitely wouldn't dare to fling it around casually like a toy for sure…

Climbing up the mountain peak in front of them, all of the soldiers took in a breath of cold air!

Even though they had heard the thunderous sound from afar, they didn't truly take it to heart. Now that they were in the face of the majestic nature, they finally understood that the boundless river was truly something that wasn't easily described.

After climbing up the mountain, they were at the downstream portion of the river. If they were to go further upstream, they would be at the most narrow region of the river. The torrential waters smashed at the sides of the cliffs like thunder and the splashing water shot up a hundred feet to the sky!

At this moment, Ling Tian suddenly thought of the Yangtze River!

The Yangtze River from his previous life!

Even if this river wasn't comparable to the Yangtze River of his previous life, there wasn't too big of a difference. In fact, the speed of the river channel was even faster than that of the Yangtze River. There were two tall cliffs on both sides of the river and the river was like a heavenly blade splitting the huge mountain into two.

Ling Tian looked around and pushed a gigantic boulder by his side into the river. After the huge boulder created a large splash, it quickly sank into the river and disappeared completely.

"It is really too… damned deep!" Young Noble Ling cursed under his breath.

Ling Jian asked, "Does Young Noble really intend to dam up this river? How can this be accomplished with human might?!"

As Ling Jian said those words, all the other soldiers looked over. Since even Ling Jian who trusted Ling Tian the most said so, it would be a lie if the others didn't have any doubts in their hearts! The large river in front of them couldn't be compared to the other small rivers. How could it be such an easy matter to dam up the river? Everyone immediately looked at Ling Jian who asked this question with an 'are you idiotic?' look.

Just when everyone thought that Ling Tian was about to give Ling Jian a good beating for asking such a silly question, Ling Tian replied as though everything was normal, "Dam up this river? Naturally. If we don't dam up this river, how will we be able to drown the Heavenly Water Ravine Pass? If we aren't going to dam up the river, what is the point of spending so much effort to climb up here?!"

"Siii…" All the burly soldiers took in a deep breath together and felt their innards cramping up. Dammit, if you ask us to kill and plunder, that would be within our specialty. However, isn't it too unreasonable of a request for you to ask us to dam up this river? Not to mention the 150 of us. Even if we have 15,000 people, it would be completely useless!

That gigantic boulder that was flung into the river had disappeared with a splash in just a short instant! Not to mention what the few of us could do!

Ling Tian watched the two lonely peaks facing each other from afar like they were two peerless swordsmen. Their height had also far surpassed the surrounding peaks and they looked like two cranes in a flock of chickens.

Pointing at the two peaks, Ling Tian narrated calmly, "If we are going to talk about damming up this river, wouldn't it be an easy matter? We just have to push down those two mountains."

Everyone felt their heads spinning!

Master, you are truly our master! You truly dare to say anything!

We just have to push down those two mountains?! While this plan is indeed simple, simple to the point that even we can think of it… but you have to know that these are two mountain peaks and not two people. Push them down? If we had the strength to push them down… My goodness, from the ancient times until now, we have never heard of anyone capable of pushing down a mound, not to mention this tall peak…

"Everyone follow me!" Ling Tian dashed forward and headed towards the two peaks.

Everyone could not help but gasp to themselves, It seems like their young noble wasn't rational… He is probably seriously ill. Helpless, they could only drag their fatigued bodies forward to follow their young noble, hoping that their young noble would quickly come to his senses… Such a gigantic mountain peak was not something that a human would be able to push down.

"Put down everything on your backs. Ling Jian, Ling Chi, and a few others with better movement techniques should remain behind here. The rest of you follow me. I will find a place for all of you to dig a hole. Take a look at how I push down this mountain." Ling Tian chuckled.

Only now did Ling Tian realize that collapsing two mountain peaks was just like the story of The Arabian Nights. Why? With a large river in their way, it was impossible for them to pass! If they were to go around the river, even half a month wouldn't be enough and it would be a waste of their time. They had no choice but to turn their attention to the mountain peaks by the side.

After a series of careful exploration, Ling Tian finally picked a spot and ordered a hundred burly men to begin excavating five different areas! Ling Tian glared at them and ordered that if anyone did not meet his expectations, they would have to suffer the board!

This mission was truly a little unreasonable. After all, Ling Tian did not tell them the depth which he expected and it was difficult for the Blood Iron Guards to have a proper estimate. They could only use all of their strength to dig as deeply as they could.

After giving his orders, Ling Tian came to the peak.

He tied a long rope by his waist and descended a thousand feet before he found an appropriate ledge. There were obvious traces of water rushing onto this ledge and it was obvious that this ledge was created after centuries of friction.

The water level of the river was more than a hundred feet beneath Ling Tian and the splashing water had drenched Ling Tian completely.

After adjusting his inner qi, Ling Tian began taking action.