700 - 704

Chapter 700: Wishes Finally Fulfilled

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Ling Tian shifted his body and immediately hid within the shadows. He wanted to see for himself just who was it that actually had the guts to actually sneak around his palace at night. Right now, he had a belly full of anger but nowhere to vent. If that interloper had that much luck to bump into him, then he could only have his ancestors to blame!

But upon seeing the two white-robed people sneakily covering an entire round of the imperial palace, Ling Tian naturally came to the conclusion that those two were Ling Chen and Li Xue. The two of them moved around carefully, as though afraid of alarming someone. What exactly were they doing?

However, he barely started to think when he almost burst out into laughter. To think that the monarch of a country would not have a place to sleep on his nuptial night, and his Empress, as well as the Imperial Concubine, were behaving like thieves and doing a night search of the palace…

These two matters, no matter which one spread out, would turn into a story laughed by everyone across the ages. However, most likely Ling Chen and Li Xue did not feel that the safety measures were adequate, and hence were carrying out their own searches.

Ling Jian and Li Xue's movement techniques could be considered to be at the pinnacle of this world, and with the natural flexibility inherent in females, they had an even higher advantage. Even if it was Ling Jian, he would not be able to roam in such a carefree manner around the imperial palace without being spotted.

Oh, but of course, the only exception lay in the person following behind the two ladies, our dear Monarch Ling Tian.

( NovelFull ) After circling around through the palace, it was obvious that the duo who were unable to locate Ling Tian were feeling anxious at this point.

Finally, both of them huddled at one side.

Ling Tian carefully concealed himself a mere hundred feet away, listening closely to their conversation.

"Sister Xue, look at this… now we're in trouble. The young noble is definitely angry." That was Ling Chen's voice. "What should we do now?"

Li Xue frowned in response. "We're technically not in trouble yet, but he is definitely angry with us. However, who asked him to be so frivolous? This is a lesson for him, to let him know that even if he becomes the Emperor, the imperial harem is not at his discretion to fill as he wishes. We are the ones in power there, and if this rule is not set now, we'll be in trouble next time. Who knows, he might really choose to get 72 concubines or the like."

"But… what happens if the young noble is really angry? This…" Ling Chen was a little panicky, as well as a little heartbroken. "To be chased out during his nuptial night, to not have a place to go, no matter how you put it, it doesn't seem right. Furthermore, young noble now is the head of a country! This problem of face… how can he swallow it so easily?"

Li Xue confidently replied in return, "Relax, I understand him the most. This sort of thing, even if you beat him to death, he still won't admit it. He can only swallow this bitter pill in silence. He won't have the guts to spread out the word that he got chased out by his six brides the day he got married."

Ling Chen stomped on her foot, replying anxiously. "That might not be so."

"Oh?' Li Xue let out a strange sound, after which she mused to herself. "Hmm, that might be true, that jerk's face has always been thicker than that of the guarding city walls. If he really talks about it, others would definitely find some way to capitalize on this situation, such as bestowing more beauties upon him…"

"Sister Xue, I still think that we went a little overboard this time," Ling Chen said with a bitter expression. "After all, young noble is the Emperor now. From the ancient times til now, what Emperor did not have multiple pretty women inside his harem? But young noble he…. is already quite controlled. Even if we were to have a few more sisters, I think… it's actually nothing big."

Li Xue snorted as she replied, "Sister Chen, on this point you're misinformed. Do you think that guy's standards are so easy? Just based on looks, all of us sisters are already so-called country toppling beauties, and if we add in knowledge, who can hope to surpass us in this world? His appetite has long ago been jaded by us, and ordinary beauties just cannot catch his eye at all! He will not accept beauties on a whim just because they're sent to his doorstep. On this point, I'm extremely confident!"

"So it's like that. Then isn't it even worse for us to treat him as such?" Ling Chen was still feeling some trepidation in her heart.

"How is it too much?" Li Xue sniggered, "This shows that our bond as sisters are good, that none of us are willing to leave out the other sisters. Yes, that's why this sort of scenario has happened, and we definitely cannot be blamed for it. So long as we endure tonight, everything will be alright!"

Ling Chen still seemed obsessed over her own personal gains and losses, and as she gazed towards the dark starry skies, she lightly murmured, "Just where is young noble now? The weather today is chilly. What if he gets too obsessed over tonight's manner, this could be detrimental to his body!"

Li Xue inclined her head to look at the sky, before replying heartlessly, "Relax, based on his current cultivation, he has long ago reached the state where he will not be affected by curses and maladies! Forget it, let's ignore him and go to sleep. How about we engage in a heart to heart talk tonight?" After that, she pulled Ling Chen away.

Ling Tian stood up, twisting his mouth as he muttered to himself, "Something suspicious is going on!"

Looking at the two ladies slip off quietly, Ling Tian cracked a sinister smile as he thought, 'I might not dare to make a sound when you ladies bully me, but the same applies for you! Come look at this old man here shoot down two birds!'

Thinking along this line, he immediately felt a heat rise in his abdomen. He could no longer suppress his desires and shot off after the two ladies.

Ling Chen tagged along Li Xue, secretly entering Li Xue's bedchambers. She didn't know why, but she felt it to be somewhat desolate. A weird sense of emotion rose up inside her: That the palace life could not be compared to the life she had while in the Ling Family Courtyard.

The two of them ordered the maids to retreat, before sitting on the bed together and whispering to each other. It was unknown what they were talking about, but they smiled and frowned, and even burst out into laughter at times. While they were talking, they suddenly reached a point where both parties turned red. Li Xue might be a person of two lifetimes but, in the end, she was still a young virgin, and immediately jumped over to tickle Ling Chen as she teased, "I've never seen such an Empress like you, you actually… actually…" As to what she actually did, Li Xue did not continue saying.

Ling Chen was rolling around in helpless laughter while pleading for mercy, and the two ladies rolled into a ball as they laughed.

Halfway through, Li Xue sighed and said, "No wonder it is said that a founding emperor will definitely love his first wife, the empress, the most. After all, the time spent together is the most, so how could their feelings not be deep?! After founding the dynasty, due to the number of imperial affairs, to even meet him is difficult so how would there even be feelings? If we add on your own bodyguards as well as the fight between the princes, it would be weird if we don't make a commotion." ( NovelFull )

Ling Chen nodded her head in complete agreement, but before she could reply, a tiny voice sounded. "Since that's the case, how about I issue an imperial decree tomorrow, to hold a renovation for my bedchambers and partition them into many sections so all of you can stay together. That way, it will also save the time from walking to and fro, how good would that be??"

Both of them lost color in their faces at once. Turning over, they saw a person grinning like a Cheshire cat at their doorstep as he walked in. His body was well sculpted, with a face so beautiful it put women to shame. If it wasn't our great noble Ling Tian, who else could it be?

Both ladies were tongue-tied, and could not get any words out momentarily. It was only after Ling Tian had walked up to them did Li Xue finally recover her wits and raise her eyebrows skeptically while fiercely saying, "Why did you come over here?"

Ling Tian sniggered, feigning shock as he replied, "Wasn't that what you said? To want me to secretly slip into your place at night when everyone's sleeping?"

The moment this sentence came out, Li Xue turned completely red. Ling Chen thought quickly before saying, "So it's like that. Then I guess I had better return to my chambers first, to prevent disrupting young noble's happiness." As she spoke, she twisted her body, about to escape.

Li Xue was deeply embarrassed, and immediately held onto her as she shouted, "When was there even such a thing? This jerk is just spouting nonsense!" This went without saying, and how could Ling Chen not be aware? If there was such a matter, would Li Xue still ask her along to her bedchamber to talk? However, at this time it was better to first escape and talk later. Looking at Ling Tian's lascivious look, ready to draw his 'sword', how would Ling Chen still want to stay?

But could Li Xue be willing to let Ling Chen off? With Ling Tian appearing at this time, plus the fact that it was the nuptial night, even with Li Xue's normal nonchalant attitude, she was still a young girl and hence had already begun panicking. She could only feel her entire body softening in weakness, and knew that she needed to keep Ling Chen here to be her protective talisman. What else could she still think of?

Under her obstruction, Ling Chen thus lost the best chance to escape, and was taken advantage of by Ling Tian who pulled her close to him as he grinned, "Since you're already here, why leave? Let's just sleep together."

Li Xue began to struggle, and threatened, "Quickly let go of me… you you you… don't…."

Ling Tian cackled sinisterly as he replied, "You can try shouting for help, but I bet no one will hear it even if you shout yourself hoarse."

The three of them buried their heads together, seeming to meld into one whole. All the candles were suddenly extinguished, plunging the room into darkness, and Ling Tian's cackle could be heard as he pounced onto the bed, fighting two by himself…

…

On this night, whether one wished to term it as a tyrant forcing himself onto others, or something else, Ling Tian the Emperor did enjoy the entire night.

The sky was already bright, yet there was no sound coming from the bedchambers. This was because, under Ling Tian's prowess the whole of nighttime, the trio had just fallen asleep not too long ago. Even with their strong cultivations, there were still limits. All of them were still fast asleep.

On the huge bed, there was an unlimited scenery of springtime.

Beneath the thin blankets, Ling Tian's 'dragon' lay proudly; on his left was a head of soft hair, which was Ling Chen that was curled up like a kitten above his arm. Her long silky locks revealed a snow-white neck, just like that of a swan, and below the neck, one could see the trace of bulging snow-white globes…

On the right was Li Xue with a face twisted between joy and pain. This was her bidding farewell to her identity as a virgin. Even Li Xue, who was usually stronger than most men, had to go through this unforgettable experience of suffering. Her arms were tightly locked around Ling Tian's waist, with her head resting on his chest, her breathing slow and even.

On the other side of the blanket, two little pink feet revealed themselves, but after lingering for a while, as though feeling it was cold, huddled back into the blanket once again…

Chapter 701: Silence

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

After the intense battle last night, Ling Chen and Li Xue were finally able to escape from the demonic hands of Ling Tian. After a night of endless joy and pleasure, the two of them were completely drained of all their strength! Even with the two of them working together, they weren't able to deal with a single Ling Tian! Ling Tian had intentionally vented his frustrations on Li Xue for spoiling his plans over and over again. Since it was the first time for Li Xue, she knew that she wouldn't be a match for Ling Tian alone. However, even with the aid of Ling Chen, the two of them were still helpless against Ling Tian. At the very end, even Li Xue who refused to admit defeat had no choice but to raise the white flag of surrender.

Ling Tian had thoroughly enjoyed himself this time around! He had never felt such a sense of satisfaction ever since he came into this world! With his heart full of satisfaction, he let down all of his defenses for once and fell into a deep sleep.

He slept until…

The sun was high up in the sky and Shui QianRou was puzzled. Yesterday, the six of them had agreed to have a good conversation but there was no news of Ling Chen and Li Xue up until now. Helpless, the remaining girls could only gather together to find the other two ladies. When they went to the eastern palace to find Ling Chen, they were greeted with emptiness. The palace maids greeted them while stammering, saying that the Empress had not rested in her palace since last evening. If not for Ling Chen giving an order for them to not worry, the entire palace would probably be in complete chaos.

Being filled with doubts, the ladies then visited the palace of imperial consort Li Xue and were immediately at ease. It turned out that Ling Chen and Li Xue spent the entire night talking. No wonder the two of them were still asleep at this moment. It seems like the two ladies must have talked for an entire night.

Stopping the maids from reporting their arrival, the four ladies tiptoed their way into Li Xue's bedroom and wanted to give the two ladies a surprise. Charging into the room, Shui QianRou shouted out in surprise while snatching the blanket away from the bed.

"Time to get up! Haha… Ah? AHH?!!" A gasp of shock could be heard and the four ladies turned around with their faces red.

On the bed and under the blanket were three stark-naked bodies.

"AHHH!!" A cry of extreme embarrassment sounded…

"Where are my clothes?… this… this…"

"Ahhh… this is too embarrassing…"

"You you you you… hmph hmph hmph…"

A frenzied mess erupted.

After the intense battle last night, Ling Tian was truly too exhausted and was currently in deep sleep. If not for this, with his current cultivation, it would be impossible for a bunch of people to approach him without him knowing. Being deep in sleep, he suddenly felt his body become cold and upon opening his eyes, he understood what was going on. Looking at Ling Chen and Li Xue putting on their clothes with their faces flushed in embarrassment, Ling Tian stretched his body and a pillar rose to the sky. Even after the battle last night, his little brother had…

Since they are all my wives, so what if they take a look? Ling Tian thought to himself without the slightest bit of shame. With his pillar standing up proudly, the ladies were even more embarrassed as they turned around and ran out of the room.

A bunch of clothes were thrown in his face and Li Xue's embarrassed voice sounded, "You you… hurry up and put on your clothes!!!"

…

They were finally fully dressed and Ling Tian walked out of the room with a bright smile of satisfaction on his face. He reminisced about last night as he walked out of the room and sat on the chair.

All of the six peerless beauties were present and all of their faces were flushed red and heads lowered. Especially Ling Chen and Li Xue, they looked as though they had committed the same crime as they squirmed around uneasily in the chair as though they wanted to find a hole to hide themselves in.

Especially Li Xue, her entire body was on fire and she did not know where to hide her face. After all, she was the mastermind behind their little plan and she had gathered together all of the other ladies to work together with her. In the end, she was actually caught in bed with Ling Tian… just what should she do?

If they suspected her… it would truly be too embarrassing! For her to be caught in the act completely naked…

"Why… why are all of you here? Don't all of you have any manners!" Ling Tian asked with an innocent pair of eyes.

"We… this… cough cough…" All of the ladies were stumped. They couldn't possibly say that they didn't feel too good about last night's matter and were gathering together to discuss the matter.

Shui QianRou stood up with her face flushed red, "This consort was wrong. This consort shouldn't have barged in and disrupt the good affair of the Empress and Imperial Consort. This consort seeks forgiveness from the Emperor, Empress, and Consort."

With her words, both Ling Chen and Li Xue were even more embarrassed. Li Xue began cursing under her breath as she glared at Ling Tian, "It's all your fault! All your fault!!"

Ling Tian chuckled and said, "We are all a big family and there isn't a need to seek forgiveness. I have already given orders for my bedroom to be expanded and all of you can shift over to stay there in the future. As for all of your current palaces, you can all go back when you wish or just leave it empty."

"Really? That's great! It is truly too tiring for us to stay so far from each other!" Yu BingYan's eyes glowed with excitement and almost leaped for joy. The other ladies also had a look of elation on their faces. With this small interruption, the awkwardness that Ling Chen and Li Xue felt was greatly reduced.

Only then did Li Xue say with a chuckle, "Last night when we all chased him out, the Empress wasn't at ease and dragged me out to look for him."

All of the ladies then let out a profound 'oh'…

Li Xue's face flushed red and she hurriedly defended herself, "It isn't like what you think…"

Yu BingYan smiled and made a funny face, "What we think? What exactly are we thinking about?"

Li Xue's face turned even redder and ignored Yu BingYan entirely, "Unable to find him, younger sister Chen and I decided to talk through the night. Who would have thought that halfway through the night, this shameless scoundrel would find his way over and he actually jumped in from the window…"

All the ladies burst out into laughter together, "So it turns out that elder sister met a lecher last night. Elder sister didn't lose your body, right? Hahaha…"

Seeing the other ladies not misunderstanding anything, Ling Chen and Li Xue finally thought about questioning the other ladies, "Hmm? That's right! Aren't all of you too bold this morning? No matter what, this is still the palace of an imperial consort and how can all of you be so preposterous?! All of you cannot be let off so easily!"

Only then did Ling Chen lift up her head. "That's right! All of you went too far! None of you shall be spared lightly! This seat wants to punish all of you!"

"Ah?" All of the ladies were dumbfounded. While they tended to tease each other frequently back in the Courtyard, it didn't matter since no outsiders were present. However, this morning was entirely different. After all, a man was added into the mix and it was truly too… awkward. Everyone could not help but tremble slightly.

"All of you cannot be let off lightly indeed!" Ling Tian said with a solemn expression, "My dear wives, how about this? I shall drag these four ladies into my bed tomorrow morning and the two of you can uncover the blanket as revenge. How about this? This is a good idea, right? This is called an eye for an eye! Haha, while it would be a little tiring for me, I wouldn't mind at all…"

The instant those words came out from Ling Tian's mouth, a flurry of fists and kicks came flying towards Ling Tian and drowned him.

"You must be dreaming!"

"Wouldn't you be the only one benefitting?!"

"Sisters, beat him up…"

Ling Tian clutched his head pitifully…

In his first honeymoon month, Ling Tian truly had an extremely sweet month. He had lazed his days away for an entire month and spent his days in softness. If not for Meng LiGe pressing him, Ling Tian also wanted to be an emperor that didn't attend morning court.

However, Ling Tian made a decree: He pushed back the time for morning court by three hours!

He pushed the timing of the morning court from five to eight in the morning. While he sounded extremely righteous and caring on the surface, saying that he was concerned about the old age of the ministers and generals. In truth, it was just because emperor Ling Tian could not bear to part with his bed in the morning.

Time passed by in a blink of an eye and a year and a half passed by quickly.

Nothing much happened during this time. After the wedding of emperor Ling Tian, Ling Tian conferred the title of Divine Sword Duke to Ling Jian and Ling Tian then personally hosted Ling Jian's wedding.

With the founding of the Divine Prefecture Empire, the atmosphere of the court was extremely fresh and clean. Ling Tian pushed out a series of new policies that were both beneficial to the country and commoners. Together with Ling Tian's iron-fisted methods and numerous talents under his charge, all of Ling Tian's decisions and policies were carried out efficiently. Any form of opposition was almost non-existent!

In the entire empire, all the government officials performed their jobs dutifully and the commoners were at peace. The entire empire was filled with prosperity and peace.

At the borders of the empire, both the Ling and Yu Family were biding their time and preparing for battle. Soldiers and military resources were continuously sent towards the borders with both empires on high vigilance. However, both parties did not dare to take the initiative to make a rash move.

Everyone knew that the moment battle broke out, it would not end unless one party ended in destruction. Furthermore, the battle would drag on for a long period of time, and on top of the massive wealth required to support the battle, there would be hundreds of thousands who would lose their lives. Both the Yu Family and Divine Prefecture Empire had just emerged from war. If they were to start such a huge battle again, neither of the two families would be able to endure the expenditure. Thus, this formed a delicate situation where both empires did not dare to make a rash move.

However, everyone knew that there would come a time when both countries were well-rested. As the days passed one by one, it signified that they were getting closer to war day by day. Thus, not a single person dared to ease up.

Regardless of the generals or soldiers, they were all extremely clear about that!

Both the families would break out in small skirmishes once in a while and they both treated it as training for their soldiers.

During this period of rest, Yu ManLou conscripted soldiers endlessly. He knew that the number of soldiers he had was far inferior to Ling Tian's forces. After all, Ling Tian did not expend a single man to subdue the Xiao Family and they had even incorporated a large number of the Xiao Family's troops into their own forces. If their Yu Family didn't conscript more soldiers, Ling Tian could easily overrun their forces by using a human wave tactic.

On the other side, the prestige of the Sky Alliance was unstoppable. Under the aid of the Shui Family, the Sky Alliance rapidly swept through the entire Heavenly Wind like a miracle! In just a short year and a half, the underworld of the Heavenly Wind Continent was already under the control of the Sky Alliance!

Those who defy me shall die!

At the same time, another mysterious organization appeared on the Heavenly Wind Continent.

League of Rosy Cheeks!

The appearance of this name was just like the First Pavilion and Crystal Pavilion from back then! It appeared out of nowhere and shook the entire continent in a short period of time!

It is said that all the members of this League of Rosy Cheeks were ladies and their targets were all the wealthy tyrants who bullied the commoners, local tyrants who did all kinds of evil, and the government officials who abused their power for personal interests. The moment these individuals were found, rivers of blood would flow! Not a single person would be spared! The viciousness of their means and swiftness of their attacks was truly astounding!

This organization made a sudden appearance and swept through the entire continent in a short amount of time. Currently, it had even begun to appear in Heavenly Star as well. Everywhere they went, corrupt officials would wallow in grief and the local tyrants would be frightened out of their wits. The name of the League of Rosy Cheeks shook the entire world and the commoners treated them like living Buddhas. This good news had even spread into the palace and the ears of emperor Ling Tian. This made emperor Ling Tian who was busy with his everyday affairs dumbfounded.

"So quickly?" Ling Tian raised his head up in shock as he looked at Ling Jian. After the wedding, Ling Jian was still as cold as ever. However, those who were familiar with Ling Jian could tell that the current Ling Jian had a lot more human emotion than before. Ling Tian frequently joked that Ling Jian was finally more like a living person.

"When Ling One and the others trained the League of Rosy Cheeks, they used the methods that young noble used to train us." Ling Jian's eyes glowed and a look of admiration could be seen in his eyes, "To a bunch of weak ladies, such intense training was no different from a living hell! However, they were actually able to endure all of that. While there were thirty or so ladies who died from fatigue, not a single person gave up…"

Ling Tian took in a deep breath and understood what Ling Jian's words meant.

When he trained Ling Jian and the others, they were still children and at the best age to train. Their bodies were flexible and they still had a great deal of potential for growth. However, the ladies who he saved had mostly passed that age and it could be said that most of them were fully developed!

With their fully developed bodies and being weak ladies, they had to endure the devilish training that Ling One and the others went through. This was originally almost impossible to complete! This was a huge error on Ling One's part! However, those ladies were able to endure the training and graduate from training in a year and a half!

This was an unbelievable miracle!

Just what kind of unbelievable torture did they have to endure? It would be impossible for an ordinary individual to imagine it. However, as the person who designed the training and Ling Jian who had personally experienced the bitterness of the training, how would they be unable to imagine the pain?!

"They are all ladies and their bodies were weaker than ours." Ling Jian narrated slowly, "With the severe training, they shouldn't have been able to endure the stress on their bodies. However, the moment they endured the initial training phase, their improvements after that were even swifter than men… so…"

Ling Tian immediately understood Ling Jian's intentions and said with a deep breath, "Ah Jian, you have personally experienced the intense training before and should understand just how difficult it is to tide over the initial training phase! With the weaker bodies of a lady, just what kind of willpower was required for them to achieve such a feat?!"

Ling Jian fell silent for a long while before saying, "The willpower of these ladies is probably above that of us in the past!"

Ling Tian stood up and walked in front of the window. Shaking his head, he said, "This is definitely true! The constitution of a female body is weaker than a male but once a female has a target in mind, her willpower will exceed that of a man! All the ladies of the League of Rosy Cheeks were ordinary commoner daughters and the only reason behind their accomplishments today was because they had suffered too greatly in the past! The deep hatred in their heart had become their greatest motivation and formed unbreakable willpower. If not, it would be impossible for them to endure such hardship! It truly wasn't easy…"

"Yes! It wasn't easy indeed." Ling Jian's eyes lit up and said, "If we can train another batch of ladies using this method, wouldn't it mean…"

"No! You must not even entertain this thought! These ladies are a complete coincidence and an exception! You must not attempt this again!" Ling Tian ended the idea blooming in Ling Jian's head, "There are certain things that a man must not do! This is something that I will never do! Not only me, no one else will be allowed to do this! I forbid to train any ladies with such a method forever! Forever! Those who defy this order shall be executed regardless of who the person is!"

"Yes!' Ling Jian replied emotionlessly and a look of admiration could be seen on his face.

"How is the organization that you are managing in secret?" Ling Tian asked casually.

Ling Jian's eyes lit up and said, "All of the manpower has been prepared and the first batch is already being sent out. We are going to train the few subjects that young noble and imperial consort said."

Ling Tian nodded his head before saying, "Make some arrangements to aid the League of Rosy Cheeks in their missions. Also, you must monitor their actions well. While it isn't wrong for them to uproot evil, they cannot be too lawless either. There must be a good balance in their actions and you better manage it on your own."

Ling Jian bowed in response and was extremely used to such orders. This was something that did not pose any difficulty to him at all.

"Has there been any movements in the Yu Family?" Ling Tian walked forward slowly and asked casually.

"There aren't any big actions and the situation on the border is just as before. However…" a strange expression could be seen on Ling Jian's face, "I heard that Yu ManTian had a couple of arguments with Yu ManLou and was reprimanded a couple of times. He was even grounded twice and jailed once."

Ling Tian could not help but laugh, "With that fellow's character, this is extremely ordinary." After pausing for a moment, he asked, "Second Master Yu… didn't send any news?"

"Apart from sending Imperial Consort Yu a jade hairpin, he did not come again. He is also extremely silent in the Yu Family and there isn't any news of him doing anything out of the ordinary." Ling Jian walked beside Ling Tian.

"Oh." Ling Tian suddenly stopped walking and looked up at the sky, "Heavenly Wind…"

"Everything is ready!" Ling Jian replied immediately.

"Mmm." Ling Tian shut his eyes and muttered, "Since that's the case, the time is about right and Yu ManLou should be becoming anxious soon. Since everyone is already tired of waiting…" His voice was soft and calm. However, even the usually calm and vicious Ling Jian felt a chill run down his spine. As Ling Tian said those words, Ling Jian could imagine a sea of blood flowing before him…

"During spring of next year will be the time when I flatten the Yu Family and unite the entire world!"

Ling Tian lifted his head up and look at the sun in the sky. At this moment, the divine glow in his eyes seemed to be capable of suppressing the splendor of the sun! His yellow robes fluttered in the winds and he looked as though he was capable of soaring above the nine heavens!

At the same time, in the Yu Family's imperial palace.

Yu ManLou looked at the sun with his eyes half shut as he muttered, "A storm that should have erupted two years ago has been suppressed until now. With the storm clouds gathering for such a long time without any rain, the storm clouds must be getting impatient. Ling Tian, among the two of us, who will be the first to break this delicate situation? The silence of the forest awaits the rain! The storm has to come eventually!"

He then shook his head with a smile, "Regardless of who goes first, this delicate balance will have to be destroyed eventually." He then turned around and ordered, "Men! Inform the five battalions to prepare for battle! All of the experts in the Yu Family who have martial arts are to report to the military! During spring next year, our army shall raise our flags and trample over Sky Bearing. We will capture Ling Tian alive and unite the world!"

"Yes!"

One in the north and the other in the south, the two peerless rulers had made the same decision and decided on the same time!

The two of them unveiled their final trump card at the same time!

Who would be the final victor?!

The skies were changing rapidly!

Plans can never change as fast as times.

Both Ling Tian and Yu ManLou probably wouldn't be able to imagine that this huge battle which they had been waiting for would be unveiled in such a bizarre manner.

As such, when they heard of the actions of the other party, they were both dumbfounded. Everything that happened was truly out of their expectations and plans! At that moment, both rulers had a sense of loss.

Chapter 702: Asura in the Blizzard

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

A large snowstorm came after the lunar new year. While it was a good sign for snow to fall after the lunar new year, the amount of snow was beyond everyone's expectations. The army camp situated on the borders was freezing and many soldiers suffered from frostbite.

At this moment, the 15,000 scouts and vanguard of the Divine Prefecture Empire were trapped 300 miles away from Swallow County. Their way back was mountainous terrain covered in snow and there wasn't a way for them to proceed forward and continue their scouting mission. Under such circumstances, they could only set up camp where they were.

However, setting up camp where they were did not solve the problem at all. Even if they could set up camp where they were, they would eventually run out of rations! The rations needed to feed 15,000 men and their horses was a frightening figure. With their return path being cut off, it also meant that their provisions wouldn't be able to reach them. Furthermore, because their mission wasn't too far away, they only brought seven days of rations along with them! None of them paid much attention to the falling snow and by the time they realized that the snow was getting heavier and heavier, half a day had passed and their way back had already been sealed. At that time, it was already too late for them to do anything.

The amount of rations that the 15,000 of them would require every day would be 10,000 catties at the very least. Furthermore, this did not include the grass that their horses needed to eat and the medicine for the injured. With the weather turning cold and rations running out, those who were slightly weaker immediately fell ill! Thankfully, the constitutions of the troops were pretty good and not many were sick.

While it wasn't too cold when it was snowing, the moment the snow stopped, the bone-piercing chill was almost capable of freezing a person alive. While they did make some preparations for the cold, the preparations that they had made were greatly lacking.

This sudden snow had forced the 15,000 troops into a desperate situation without any hope!

At least ten days would be required for the snow to melt completely, and by that time the 15,000 soldiers would have probably turned into 15,000 ice statues.

There were two paths before them at the moment. The first would be for them to continue moving forward and robbing the commoners along the way. However, doing so would not be able to solve their predicament either. Any village near the border would house a maximum of a hundred households and it would be impossible for such a village to feed a 15,000 man army.

The other choice would be for them to charge to the enemy camp and snatch their enemy's resources for their own use. Of course, this choice had its dangers but was the more practical of the two.

The general leading the vanguard forces was the courageous Feng Mo. This ex-leader of the twenty Blood Iron Warriors had finally managed to persuade Ling Tian to let him out on a mission after a thousand pleas, but before his mission could even begin, they were trapped in the snow. Feng Mo who was trapped in this desperate situation had almost gone crazy!

If he had left a day earlier or later, he wouldn't have been trapped in such a precarious and pathetic situation. However, why would his timing be so coincidental! Could it be that all of the brothers he brought out today would be frozen solid out in the wild? Feng Mo was unresigned! He was truly unresigned!

Regardless of how unresigned he was, he did not dare to go against Ling Tian's orders. Ling Tian's words were extremely clear, "…spring of next year would be the time when the Yu Family is flattened!" With snow covering the land, it definitely wasn't the best time for them to engage in battle. Thus, Feng Mo was still hesitating if he should unleash his attack.

However, there were another two reckless and daring individuals among the soldiers: Ling Feng and Ling Yun. After Ling Jian got married, Ling Tian conferred titles of nobility and gave them official government posts. However, their blood was still surging with killing intent and the two years of silence couldn't be compared to having a sword in their hands. Knowing that Feng Mo was about to lead his soldiers out, the two of them had also insisted on following him out.

With an experienced general like Feng Mo leading the troops together with the aid of peerless assassins such as Ling Feng and Ling Yun, both Ling Tian and Ling Jian felt that nothing would go wrong. With such a lineup, as long as they weren't surrounded by forces many times greater than theirs, nothing should go wrong. Furthermore, Ling Feng and the others were truly too bored in this period of time and it was time to let them out to catch some air. Ling Jian and Ling Tian had even discussed about allowing the fifty brothers to take turns and catch some air.

Of course, both Ling Feng and Ling Yun were greeted with numerous envious gazes before they left. If not for Ling Jian hollering at the others to order them back, there would definitely be more of them who tagged along in this mission.

However, none of them expected such a situation to unfold after setting off!

In the face of such a precarious situation, Ling Feng and Ling Yun were not worried in the slightest and slightly excited instead. They pressed Feng Mo to launch an attack so that they could first, weaken the enemy, and second, protect the lives of their brothers.

Seeing Feng Mo's hesitation, Ling Feng persuaded convincingly, "With such bad weather, since young noble says that this weather isn't beneficial for both empires to engage in battle, Yu ManLou definitely wouldn't risk sending out his troops either! Thus, we must make use of this opportunity to get rid of a few thousand enemy forces, snatch some food, cause some destruction and escape for our lives. Even if Yu ManLou finds out about our attack, he would only be able to endure silently."

"Even if Yu ManLou really wants to take his revenge, he would not dare to send out his forces now. He would definitely wait for winter to be over and would not come out to suffer the wind and snow. We have no choice but to take such a risk but Yu ManLou is different. When spring arrives, the attack of our Divine Prefecture Empire would also begin and we would be finding Yu ManLou even if he doesn't look for us. What are you afraid of?"

"So our choice will not affect the big picture of the battle. Furthermore, charging forward will give us a chance to survive but if we don't move forward, are we going to wait for our deaths?!"

Feng Mo began hesitating and after pondering for a long while, he finally said, "You are right! You are right! This is truly a great plan! Alright, we shall follow your plan!" He then broke out into a wide smile and added, "This is also to my liking!"

This made Ling Feng and Ling Yun who spent a great deal of effort to persuade Feng Mo feel as though they fell into a trap. That old brat Feng Mo definitely has the intention of letting us take the blame when we return.

As such, Feng Mo chose three thousand soldiers who were in perfectly good condition to be the vanguard. Ling Feng, Ling Yun and himself led the troops personally and they gathered all the twenty Blood Iron Warriors to infiltrate the Yu Family's territory. As a safety precaution, the 12,000 remaining soldiers would naturally keep some distance from the vanguard forces and followed from behind. If anything goes wrong, they would be able to provide backup.

However, none of them expected what the ending would be…

On the other side, snow was falling heavily as well and all the soldiers of the Yu Family were either in front of a fire or drinking a warm glass of wine to keep warm.

Regardless of how experienced a general was, it would be impossible for him to predict that there would be an enemy ambush in such weather. Both the families were separated by a mountain range and the snow would cause the terrain to become slippery. With a single slip, the outcome would be falling to one's death. Sending out troops at this moment was akin to seeking death and this was the biggest taboo for a military general!

Even without talking about military books, no one would choose to set off on a military expedition based on common sense. The journey of a soldier wasn't an easy one and even if a soldier had to die on the battlefield, he wouldn't want his hands and feet to be frozen! This was already a tradition!

Who would have thought that there would be a bunch of crazy fools coming out from Sky Bearing as though they were on a holiday and get trapped in the snow? Furthermore, the mountain that they were trapped in was already past the borders between the empires…

A coincidence was truly frightening at times…

However, this coincidence was also inevitable and these soldiers never had any good intentions to begin with! Of course, it was extremely rare for troops to be so unlucky as well. Being trapped in the mountains when snow began to fall…

The general in charge of the first line of the Yu Family's defense naturally wouldn't be an ordinary individual. With Yu ManLou giving the order, the experts of the Yu Family had all entered the military camps and the camp at the borders was naturally the most important one. With winter being the time when war would never break out, there were many who wanted to make use of this opportunity.

All the descendants of the various elders naturally had to be conscripted into the army as well. However, how would the elders of the Yu Family be willing to allow their precious descendants to participate in a bloody war? Just what would they do if anything happened to their descendants? Trying to make something ordinary seem special is one thing but fighting on the front lines was another!

The current weather was the best for making something ordinary seem special. With the knowledge that battle will never break out, they sent their descendants to the most bitter and arduous military camp. This camp that was usually the most dangerous place was currently the safest place. When the weather became warm again, they would then transfer their descendants back and it was truly a foolproof plan.

They would be able to ensure that their descendants had sufficient military accomplishments for future promotions as well. Guarding the borders during the most difficult and tough times, not returning even during the lunar new year! Even if they didn't have any true merits, their loyalty and suffering were there for everyone to see!

The lives of their descendants would be protected and they would be able to fish for some military accomplishments to ensure their position in the empire. This was a beautiful and well-rounded plan. Those crafty old foxes naturally understood the beauty of this plan. Thus, they all sent their descendants to the front lines under the banner of protecting the empire.

Because of this, the front-most military camp on the borders had become the place for the Yu Family's descendants to gather at this moment. All the profligate young masters of Bright Jade City were now clad in armor and gathered in the camp with their spirits high!

This gave the border guarding general, Yu ChaoWei, a huge headache!

While their safety wasn't an issue…

It wouldn't be much if these little ancestors followed the regulations of the military camp but their profligate character did not change the slightest bit. Some of them brought ten hunting dogs, some sat on a luxurious carriage and some had even brought their concubines from home.

The weather was extremely cold but the Yu Family's military camp was bustling with activity!

Some of them were gathered in a circle and gambling, others were having their beasts do battle as they enjoyed the show, and some others were hiding in their tents with their beauties enjoying themselves. There were even some who had nothing to do and went out hunting. However, with the cold weather, they naturally wouldn't go up the mountain to suffer but went to the nearby village to hunt instead…

In just a short period of time, not a single barking dog could be heard in the nearby villages! At the same time, any form of poultry naturally couldn't escape either. The life of the commoners became extremely miserable but thankfully there weren't any lives that were lost.

As such, Yu ChaoWei received dozens of complaints from the nearby villagers. This gave the XianTian expert a huge headache…

Behind every one of these little ancestors was an old fogey of the Yu Family that Yu ChaoWei wouldn't be able to provoke. After attempting to reprimand them a couple of times to no avail, he decided to completely ignore them.

Thankfully, they were only going to stay there for three to four months! If they were going to stay for any longer, Yu ChaoWei would rather smash his head on a tree and end his life! If not, he would definitely be angered to death. Seeing the coming of spring and the time for these little ancestors to leave nearing, a smile could finally be seen on Yu ChaoWei's face.

They truly weren't existences that he couldn't provoke.

Now that these bunch of little ancestors were about to return, Yu ChaoWei had even prepared a memorial for every one of these little ancestors stating their merits. When it was time for them to leave, he would then quickly give the memorial to every one of them and chase them out as quickly as he could.

Who would have thought that this large snowstorm would fall at this moment?!

Looking at the falling snow, Yu ChaoWei had the urge to cry. It will be another ten days before I can get rid of these little ancestors! Life with these little ancestors is like a living hell! With them around, how am I going to train my soldiers? All of my soldiers were dragged by these little ancestors to gamble…

Yu ChaoWei even suspected that if these little ancestors were allowed to stay here for a year and a half, the military camp would probably crumble without the Divine Prefecture Empire attacking them.

Hearing the sound of gambling sounding from beside his marshal tent, Yu ChaoWei let out a long bitter sigh. He dove into his bed and covered his head with his blanket…

Is this still a military camp?

Just when General Yu ChaoWei was feeling extremely depressed, a frightening and shocking event stopped his depression.

The most ridiculous ambush since the ancient times was nearing him at the very moment!

General Yu ChaoWei suddenly realized that the noise around him had reduced by a great deal. He was originally surrounded by noise on all directions but the noise in the east suddenly disappeared. While this wasn't much, the other directions remained noisy and the XianTian expert Yu ChaoWei could instinctively feel that something was wrong.

The east was led by the two grandchildren of the First Elder and a couple of other nephews. They were the most unruly bunch of all the descendants and never bothered about his military order. Why would they cease their lawlessness early today? Learning from their mistakes? That was probably impossible. Could it be they had enough fun? Even if that was the case, wasn't the disappearance of the sound too abrupt?

After a short while, Yu ChaoWei realized that the sound in the south had also disappeared. The crazed laughter a moment ago had disappeared in an instant!

The noise of excitement could still be heard from both the north and west but the east and south were like a ghost town. This sharp contrast was far too odd! Yu ChaoWei suddenly felt his entire body turning cold and an immense sense of danger overwhelming him.

Circulating his inner qi, Yu ChaoWei extended his senses but could not hear a single thing. The sound of the violent winds and falling snow could still be heard on the outside and there seemed to be the sound of barely audible heavy footsteps from afar.

"Men!" Yu ChaoWei burst out in cold sweat and let out a loud roar. However, not a single person responded to his shout. Yu ChaoWei could sense that something was wrong and his figure shot towards the entrance of his tent. Waving his right hand, he threw a chair out before unsheathing his sword and slashing an opening on the other side of the tent to escape.

Snow covered the entire camp and the ground was silvery-white in color as though nothing was amiss. The chair which he threw out previously was smashed into smithereens and a small crater could be seen in the snow.

The four layers of lookout which he had arranged around the marshal's tent had disappeared completely! His 32 personal guards who never left his side had also disappeared in the snow and not a single one of them could be seen. Yu ChaoRan suddenly felt his hair standing up and death assaulting him…

Not a single sound could be heard from the south and east but the dense smell of blood slowly flowed over. Yu ChaoWei immediately made a decision and his figure shot towards the west. As the marshal of this military camp, this was the first time he had to unleash his movement techniques in his own camp!

Just when Yu ChaoRan's figure just left the ground, the snowy ground before him suddenly fragmented and a thick layer of snow smashed towards his face. Following that, two white figures shot out from the ground and two swords stabbed out ferociously.

Chapter 703: Curtains to War Open

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Yu ChaoWei had just launched his movement techniques and was in the midst of speeding up. In addition, all his attention was placed behind him, so how would he even pay attention to the flat expanse of snow in front of him?

The two were hidden in the snow, and they were completely white as though they had merged directly with the snow. Even their hair and brows were colored white. If one did not observe closely, they would not be able to discover them even if they had walked straight up to them!

The two of them not only excelled in martial arts, but their ability to judge the opportunity to assassinate was also at the peak!

Yu ChaoWei only sensed that a large clump of snow pounced at him all of a sudden. Panicking he twisted his body, ready to immediately retreat, but during that instant he felt an icy cold numbness spread through both sides of his chest. Two swords just like venomous snakes had dug through his chest into his heart in that instant! Two streams of vicious inner qi surged forth from the swords, destroying his body from within.

Yu ChaoWei did not even have the chance to let out a shout before he dropped like a rock.

The vanguard general of the Yu Family, Yu ChaoWei, had died!

The two white-robed men pulled out their swords with a 'shua' sound. During that moment, their wrists seemed to vibrate, before pulling out the gleaming sword shaft untainted by blood. What was left were only two bloody holes.

Amid the flying snow, Yu ChaoWei's corpse was buried under the snow in a blink of an eye, as though he had just evaporated from the human realm itself. A great general from the Yu Family died under the hands of the duo without any fanfare, as though it was the most ordinary soldier that had perished!

The duo exchanged glances before suddenly using their mouths to produce a series of chirping sounds. It sounded like a flock of hungry birds foraging for food. Following the sounds, countless white shadows blurred into existence, appearing soundlessly from the tent in the distance. Everyone orderly proceeded to another tent in the distance.

The killers were precisely Ling Feng and Ling Yun! While Yu ChaoWei's martial skills might be above the masses, having stepped into the XianTian realm, he was still severely lacking compared to them! For these two killers to set such a trap to assassinate him, it was not out of expectations that Yu ChaoWei had fallen so quickly. It was within reason for him to have died so quickly!

And this was only a start…..

Within the tent, it was a hubbub of noise, creating a din. Everywhere in the tent, all the soldiers had a look of impatience or discomfort. Those who had just lost in gambling looked sad, lying on their beds or covering their heads, forcing themselves to sleep. Some were cursing under their breath.

This group of soldiers was the reason why Ling Feng and company's operation was so successful this time. With this sort of weather, those who were adjacent to these tents were long ago in dreamland, and to block out the noise they had all stuffed their ears before sleeping! Also, the number of soldiers in the southeast area here was the least! Why? Because this place was facing the Divine Prefecture Empire.

No one would have thought that at this critical juncture, someone would launch a sneak attack!

This was the reason behind the success of the operation!

Naturally, the noise made by all the profligates was also an important reason behind it.

To have over 3,000 elites take action in this operation, with 200 of them being victors of over a hundred battles and two of them being killing gods, it was no challenge to face off against such soldiers who were defenseless and without a hint of battle intent! Only Yu ChaoWei's guards had some measure of potential, causing them some delays in their movements. However, with the ghostly speed that Ling Feng and Ling Yun had displayed so far, it was a mere inconvenience.

The success of the operation led by Ling Feng and Ling Yun was hard to imagine, so this group of brats started to suspect that their operational details had been exposed, leading to the enemy setting up a trap for them. This was because the whole process went so smoothly that it was unbelievable!

The lead general Feng Mo waved his hand once, and the soldiers behind soundlessly proceeded forward. A pair stationed themselves outside every tent with their weapons at the ready. Meanwhile, a team of twenty positioned themselves encircling each tent, before slicing their way in. These people could not be more familiar in regards to the position of beds placed in such a tent, and this showed as they calmly sliced their way in to immediately cover the enemy's mouths while mercilessly stabbing down with their blades. "Pu! Pu!" sounds continuously rang out, along with a random muffled groan or stifled scream now and then. After a moment, the twenty men would walk out orderly, giving a thumbs up to indicate success, before moving to the next available tent.

The 3,000 people noiselessly carried out their actions this way, reaping life after life simply and easily. As they moved deeper in, a couple of hundred men deviated from the group to occupy the stables and the warehouses. All of these places were important resource points, be it for themselves or their enemies.

Under the orders of Feng Mo, they purposefully avoided the rowdiest tents. This was because Feng Mo also discovered that it was the best form of concealment for them! To make so much noise that the surrounding men were forced to cover their ears as they sleep… just based on this point, they could be said to have made the most contributions! It would only be fair for him to let them live the longest as a form of thanks…

Furthermore, even if they spared this bunch of gambling addicts, how much battle power could they muster? However, if they decided to alarm the snake by beating the grass, deciding to kill them off along the way, that would spoil their otherwise perfect plans!

Feng Mo did not forget in the end that a force of over 30,000 was resting within this army camp! This was a good 10 times more than his own forces! He never thought before the operation that things would end up going so smoothly. Thus, it was even more crucial that he did not do anything that could potentially frighten the enemy, causing him to pay a huge price using the lives of his troops! After all, the disparity between their troop strengths was just too huge!

The best-case scenario would be if we can kill off all these soldiers here just like slaughtering pigs in their sleep, Feng Mo thought nastily to himself.

Ling Feng and Ling Yun floated along together with the snowflakes in the sky. The sentinels along the roads in the army base were all taken care of by them. Behind the duo, the 3,000 strong army noiselessly followed their footsteps. They were akin to a horde of grim reapers, expressionless and killing without emotions!

Heavily outnumbered, they were ready to kill what could be killed, without leaving any alive! Even the slightest pretext could cause unforeseen circumstances! To be merciful to the enemy meant plotting the deaths of their brothers! This was the motto Feng Mo gave the team before they were activated.

In the southeast direction, a troop that was wearing lambskin furs was rushing forward in the middle of the huge snowstorm with snow like goose feathers. This was the extra 10,200 soldiers that Feng Mo had left behind in advance!

However, Feng Mo's wish was destined not to be fulfilled, as killing one, two, maybe 10 enemies would not cause any problems, but there were after all over 30,000…

"AH—— Enemy attack…" Following a scream of misery, the silent assassinations came to a halt. The dead silence of the army camp finally showed some form of chaos.

"What sound is that?"

"They said there's an enemy attack…"

"Ah——"

Feng Mo's troops immediately came to a discussion, to stop hiding their tracks. They rushed like the wind towards each tent, stabbing those who had just awoken from their dreams. But this caused more of them to start screaming out, throwing the entire camp into chaos!

Many soldiers ran out of their tents with their padded clothes only draped over their shoulder and still exposing their chests. From what they saw, all around them were the enemy, with no sense of the strength of the enemy. With the addition of miserable screams resounding everywhere, this caused even more people to be frightened…

Right when the alarms sounded, Feng Mo immediately pointed towards those tents that were engrossed in gambling without any expression on his face. Immediately, a group of over 10 people brought their blades, still dripping with fresh blood, and pounced into the tents. Miserable screams sounded…

"Kill!" Feng Mo raised his arm high as he shouted, "This camp is my army's occupied territory, kill them all for me! Leave no one alive!" His voice rang out like thunder, shaking the surrounding air so hard the snow all fell off the tents!

"Divine Prefecture Empire, unrivaled beneath the heavens!" all 3,000 soldiers recited loudly, their influence imposing.

The Yu Family soldiers that were thrown into chaos rushed up one after another like headless flies, only to find out that their people actually had no one to give the commands! The originally calm and composed Marshall as well as Vice Generals had vanished into thin air, and they only sensed that the enemy was everywhere. Like a group of dragons without a head, no one could develop a sense of resistance, and immediately started fleeing in all directions. Bright gleams flashed around the camps as the light reflected off the blades that chopped down time after time…

There might be a few that existed with quicker minds who immediately ran towards the stables, thinking of snatching a few horses to better aid their escape. However, when they made it to the stables with much difficulty, what greeted them was the gleam of blades chopping towards them!

At this time, the frontier defense for the Yu Family's barracks began to panic and scream like they were being fried in a wok. While surrounding most of them were their own fellow comrades, most of them were too busy escaping to even notice. If they had stopped to carefully observe, they would have noticed that the number of their troops far outstripped that of Feng Mo's 3,000. However, in the chaos, without a rallying call, there was no fighting strength of the enemy to speak of. Coupled with the unified will of the soldiers on the Divine Prefecture Empire's side, even if the Yu Family's army was like a herd of antelopes, how would they dare to fight against a fierce tiger?

Originally, the defensive army for the Yu Family's camp would of course be comprised of elite troops. They could be considered as disciplined troops, but once they were attacked, without a head to command them, the morale of the soldiers plummeted to rock-bottom. They were no different from a horde of wild boars. From them not to engage in slaughtering their teammates in their rush to escape was already good enough, let alone put up resistance! So what if their numbers overwhelmed the enemy? Being surrounded by them right now, survival was the most important task at hand!

From the southeast, a muffled sound of orderly footsteps could be heard, and following that, a group of snow-white troops walked out from the snowstorm, akin to a dragon appearing from the darkness.

"Our reinforcements are here! Kill with all your might!" Feng Mo brandished his blade, conveniently disposing of a Yu Family soldier who aimlessly ran towards him. He shouted at the top of his voice, "Those who surrender will be spared! Throw down your weapons, hug your head and kneel!"

"Those who surrender will be spared! Throw down your weapons, hug your head and kneel! All the soldiers from the Divine Prefecture Empire chorused.

Ling Feng and Ling Yun employed their movement techniques, coming and leaving like the wind as they left bodies in their wake, shouting now and then, "Those who surrender will be spared!"

At this point, their foresight of hiding Yu ChaoWei's body came into use here. Feng Mo bid someone to raise high a pole with the Yu Family Marshall's body hung atop it. This destroyed the final barrier of resistance the soldiers had within their hearts, and in their despair they all obeyed the words and threw down their weapons, kneeling on the ground. Even their marshall had been strung up, why bother to throw away their lives needlessly?

Feng Mo ignored those who had surrendered, leading the rest to storm the remnant pockets who were putting up their final resistance!

He had to ensure that the supplies here were accounted for, as this was what he and his 15,000 strong army were counting on to survive. If this plan was wrecked by overzealous resisting soldiers as their final retaliation, then the consequences would be unimaginable!

Following the cries of "Those who surrender will not be killed", huge swathes of soldiers knelt on the ground. The resisting pockets were completely killed off, and only about 1,000 enemies managed to get hold of the warhorses and escape. The Divine Prefecture Empire had thus utilized 15,000 men to overcome 30,000 with overwhelming success! Only 100 of their men had perished, with 300 suffering from light injuries. This could be considered a glorious achievement.

Strictly speaking, the 12,000 soldiers that appeared at the end did not play much of a part. It was only the first 3,000 that were responsible for a big part of this defeat for the Yu Family! 3,000 soldiers defeating 30,000! Who would even believe that?!

After taking possession of Yu ChaoWei's tent, Feng Mo was gulping down the enemies' wine with big gulps, chowing down on their food with big mouthfuls, thinking about how good life was.

After occupying the camp, he had commanded the corpses to be buried, followed by giving his troops a brief moment of respite before they moved further into the Yu Family's territory.

Their time of enduring the hunger and cold weather on the journey over to attack had temporary come to a halt, and their difficult days were also considered over. Everyone burst out into smiles. Only Feng Mo was aware that the entire operation had just begun, and there were still tougher problems and more dangers to face later!

"We have occupied the camp, and obtained sufficient supplies to last us. Let's hear what opinions all of you have on how we should proceed." Feng Mo had on a solemn expression as he spoke to the 10 odd people seated in a circle around him. "Our position now is precarious. We might have won a great victory by taking down a huge encampment of the Yu Family with close to no casualties, but by doing so, we have started a blood feud with them. I believe the Yu Family will retaliate soon, and in our current circumstances, without half a month or more, we cannot return to the empire! We can choose to infiltrate deeper, but we might end up being annihilated by the Yu Family soldiers, or we can turn turtle and defend, but with our current strength we definitely cannot endure the retaliation! We will only have a single outcome, that is to be completely routed."

"What are we scared of? If they send soldiers, we will use our generals to block; if they send water, we'll use the earth to shield us! If they dare to come, we'll utterly defeat them!" One of the Blood Iron Warrior had stuffed himself completely full, and in addition to the great victory they achieved, was full of confidence. He immediately spoke without thinking.

"Stupid! We have 15,000 brothers here, of course we're not scared if the Yu Family sends out an equal amount. But what if they send out a force of 100,000? How are we going to withstand it? They can charge at us in waves, and we cannot retreat as well. Without reinforcements coming from behind, how long can we hold out? Do you wish for all our brothers to throw away their lives here?!" Feng Mo snapped in anger.

"Since over 1,000 of the enemy troops escaped previously, our operation here will be exposed very soon. It is a given that the Yu Family will come and seek revenge," Ling Feng coolly replied. "This time, we acted before thinking and killed off almost the entire generation below the current heads, how would they rest after hearing this? There's only one path left ahead of us, and that is to engage in bloody slaughter to the end. What else is there to say?"

"How could I not know of this point? But, even a bloody slaughter needs to have a method to go about doing that! Do we just hunker down and wait for them to attack us, or do we take the initiative?"

"Even if it's risky, it would be better to take the initiative to meet them in battle! Kill till the heavens turn upside down!" Ling Yun slowly spoke. "Take today as an example, where we cannot retreat and are also short of reinforcements. Let's use war to breed war! We'll stab deep into the Yu Family with all our strength, wantonly destroying them. At the same time, we can split ourselves into small teams. If we encounter an encirclement by the Yu Family, we still divide and conquer, each team seeking their own way out. No matter what, even if we were to die here, the Yu Family will have to pay the most painful price to take us down."

After pausing for a moment, Ling Yun then stared at Feng Mo as he icily continued, "Now that matters have reached this point, none of us should harbor thoughts of leaving alive. Since it will be a road of death no matter what, then we'll cut off all our means of retreat and gamble! If we huddle here, it will be a death sentence. Instead, if we take the initiative there is still a slim chance to survive and maybe even narrowly escape!"

Feng Mo snorted. "For us, we can all choose not to return, but not the two of you! If not, how will I, Feng Mo, account to Young Noble and Ling Jian?" While Ling Tian had already become the monarch of a nation, Feng Mo and the rest still stuck to their old habits of addressing him as 'Young Noble'.

"If we wanted to go back, then we would have long returned!" Ling Feng coldly remarked. "Do you think this bullshit snowstorm could actually hinder us? However, to have 15,000 of our brothers die here, even if the two of us make it back, will our hearts still be at ease? We'll conquer and retreat with you guys!"

"But if you were to die, then what would happen to Ling Jian and Young Noble? You need to think of the big picture!" Feng Mo was infuriated, stubbornly standing his ground. "Do you want me to die knowing that in the end, I've let Young Noble down? If you guys really end up dying, do you think I can rest easy as well? Young Noble spent so much effort and resources to nurture you two, was it just for you to throw your lives away here?!"

The two of them glared daggers at each other like cocks about to fight, neither wanting to give way.

"Truth be told, it is not confirmed that we have no hope of survival. Didn't I say that just now, to take the initiative to attack would be like having a 90% chance of dying? We still have hope, and going out to attack doesn't necessarily equate to sending ourselves into the enemy's stomach!" Ling Yun was strangely calm as he stared at the battlefield map, slowly saying, "Look at this, from the start we only thought of occupying other camps of the enemies or to huddle in. But we never thought of other possibilities. If we retreat back to the mountains, then what will happen? Right now, our supplies are enough to feed 30,000 men for a month, or maybe even more. If we were to bring all these supplies and retreat back into the mountains, we will be able to last for at least three months! Furthermore, if needed, we can still kill the horses for sustenance! The mountain is also full of snow, we can always melt the snow to get clear water. Also, look over here," Ling Yun pointed at one of the mountain tops. "This place is easy to defend, hard to attack. The cliffs are also precipitous. Behind us is also our previous encampment, which is familiar ground to us. So long as we defend this mountain pass, then we can wait till its spring. At the very worst, we just need to retreat out of the mountains."

After hearing his plans, Feng Mo and Ling Feng no longer argued, immediately crowding around the map. After a while, the three of them finally exchanged glances, nodding their heads.

Ling Feng fist-bumped Ling Yun's shoulder as he praised, "What a good lad, how did you even come up with this?!"

Ling Yun's face was red from the praise as he bashfully replied, "Young noble always mentioned, that so long as it is a situation, then there will definitely be a method to break out of the situation. To find a path of survival from an impossibility, one has to seek life amid death. Don't you guys remember?!"

Ling Feng's face turned red in embarrassment. "I do, but I never went to think deeper behind the reasoning in his words!"

"Since that's the case, then let's not delay any longer. We'll put the plan into operation!" Feng Mo was decisive.

"The first group and third group will stay at the current location and arrange all the logistics for transportation, especially the bows, clothing, and medicine. Everything must be done in two days, and those that are unable to be transported on time must be destroyed. No error is permitted! The second and fourth groups will use the warhorses and send the injured to the mountains. When they arrive, they are to chop down all the surrounding trees and use them to create traps. The point is to cause the enemy cavalry to be unable to display the full scope of their capabilities. Employ our archers to locate shooting areas as soon as possible! Also, bring all the accumulated snow to the mountain pass, and set up fires there to melt the snow and mold them into walls to obstruct the enemy. The moment the entire army retreats, that will be the time we go fully on guard! The five groups will build a makeshift camp at the valley. With so many supplies, there should be no problem surviving for a while!"

Everyone stood up together, receiving the command before moving out to give instructions.

Feng Mo, Ling Feng, and the rest walked out of the tent. As they stared at the snow flying around them, with the accumulated snow already past their knees, they exchanged smiles. Ling Yun spoke, "While the closest army of the Yu Family is about 25 kilometers from here, their strength is not high, and consists of less than 20,000 people. If they really come here then they're just seeking death! But if they wait for the main headquarters of the Yu Family to receive the news before sending reinforcements, more than two days would have passed. This time will allow us to fully retreat."

Feng Mo smiled, but his expression was grave as he replied, "This makes sense. Kid, your brain is indeed quick. This will be an unprecedented tough battle for us, so everyone must prepare adequately, there's no room for carelessness."

Ling Feng and Ling Yun exchanged a smile as they sensed the killing and battle intent on each other's body. The two of them had killed countless people, and seen through life and death. Towards this scenario they of course did not worry about it in their hearts at all!

A black messenger falcon took off from the hands of Feng Mo, and after circling the air once, let out a clear screech, before diving into the endless expanse of white.

At this moment, Bright Jade City had already been thrown into chaos!

A good half of the heads from the younger generation had been killed off! This shocking news shook the entire Bright Jade City.

Nobody thought this would happen. This was the time when winter was the harshest, along with the snow sealing up all the mountain passes, this should be the time where everyone was the most peaceful. But they actually suffered such a huge blow to their forces! The Yu Family elders who were absorbed in wishful thinking felt like they were hit in their heads by a huge hammer! All of them felt a burning rage in their hearts as well as a fervent desire to attack!

Previously when they allowed their own children and nephews to go to the front lines, it was part of their ingenious ideas to groom them. But now that such a disaster happened, would that not mean that it was them who had sent their younger generation straight into the den of the grim reaper? To have those with white hair sending off the black-haired ones in a final journey [1. It is considered a taboo for those who are younger to die before the older generation, as their elders would need to send them off], and furthermore to be the originator of this evildoing, who would understand their emotions?

There was even quite a number of the elders whom, having heard of the news, immediately fainted on the spot!

The group of elders in the Yu Family who were experts immediately made a racket, clamoring to be the one whom would lead the troops out to battle, exterminating those arrogant pricks from the Divine Prefecture Empire. That very same night, Yu ManLou sent out a military order commanding the surrounding army camps to encircle and annihilate the troops from the Divine Prefecture Empire, ensuring that none of them would be able to retreat to Sky Bearing!

At the same time, he commanded all the officers and men on the front line to pressure the battlefield, especially the area around Yan County, to ensure that no reinforcements would be able to aid the troops in their retreat.

The elder generation who had lost their younger generation of the Yu Family in this war numbered more than ten and were all clamoring to be part of the battle. Yu ManLou did his best to approve their petitions and so more than 100 experts made haste towards the front lines as well…

At the same time.

In the Imperial Palace of the Divine Prefecture Empire.

Ling Tian was seated at the window admiring the snow had his brows furrowed as he finished reading the message brought by a panicking Ling Jian. He did not hesitate, immediately sending down a group of orders in succession.

In less than an hour, the Sword Duke of the Divine Prefecture Empire, the previous Head of the First Pavilion, the number one assassin Ling Jian took off on horseback, bringing with him 30 brothers on horseback, as they rushed like a tornado into the snow, disappearing past the north gate.

This was followed by three consecutive grey messenger falcons being released, carrying with them the newest instructions from Ling Tian, as they flew towards the main camp of the Divine Prefecture Empire consisting of over a million soldiers.

The 15,000 soldiers that Feng Mo had commanded were mostly comprised of those who had originally been inside the Ling Family Courtyard. With the addition of the 20 Blood Iron Warriors as well as Ling Feng and Ling Yun, this loss was something Ling Tian did not wish to see, neither could he afford to!

Upon seeing that the news contained reports of large swathes of the Yu Family descendants dying, Ling Tian could sense the great danger within! How could the Yu Family not rage when they receive this news? What would they do in their rage, Ling Tian could naturally guess, because it was exactly the same as what he would do if his brothers were injured!

Thus, Ling Tian did not hesitate, sending Ling Jian as well as 30 other brothers to act as reinforcements for the expeditionary army.

This was destined to be a fight between the greatest experts!

Unprecedented, and never to be matched!

This was also the prelude to the all-out war between the two empires! Although, they had brought it slightly forward than the expected timing.

Furthermore, Ling Tian sent out a harsh military order regarding the situation in the North. No matter what happened, they were to report immediately! Be in during the day or night, there was not to be any delay in reporting!

The dark clouds of the war were finally drawing near.

While this was not in agreement with Ling Tian's plans, he was not afraid at all! If not for this dragon robe he was clothed in, Ling Tian would have long ago personally led the troops to battle…

Chapter 704: Flames of War

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The dark storms of war had been spread all over the continent!

While it was different from his original plan, Ling Tian wasn't afraid in the slightest! If not for him being clothed in dragon robes, he probably would have personally gone to war. However, at the very end of the war, Ling Tian would have to enter the war personally even if he didn't want to! Once Yu ManLou took action, Ling Tian would have to join in as well!

The endless snow continued to fall and as though the heavens were crazy, the entire sky was still filled with dark clouds despite the thick layer of snow covering the ground!

Many large pine trees in the forest were crushed by the endless snowfall and after accumulating a great deal of snow on their leaves and branches, the pine trees finally collapsed under the merciless snowstorm.

The timing of the war between both empires was the first of its kind and how the war broke out was almost crazy!

Towards the direction of the Swallow County, 500,000 Yu Family soldiers made their way towards the borders. The distance between both their armies could be covered by a couple of arrows!

This was an extremely awkward and delicate distance!

Of course, it was also a distance which had a great deal of military knowledge within it!

This was the distance that was the most miserable for the Divine Prefecture Empire!

While an arrow wouldn't suffice, a horse would cover that distance in a flash.

If they took the initiative to attack, they would suffer a huge loss in this weather! But if they were to remain on defense, their enemy would be able to attack at any time and they would be on the losing end. After all, it would only take a few breaths for both armies to clash in battle!

Either attacking or defending wasn't an option!

Of course, the Yu Family army also faced the same problem as the Divine Prefecture Empire! However, this situation was intentionally created by the Yu Family.

Since this was the case, they would naturally have their reasons! The intentions of the Yu Family was extremely obvious. They wanted to use blood to have their revenge! So what if they had to send some cannon fodders to their deaths? They had to drag down the soldiers of the Divine Prefecture Empire to be buried with their grandchildren!

This is something that the generals of the Divine Prefecture Empire were worried about. While the Yu Family could treat the lives of their soldiers as dirt, their Divine Prefecture Empire couldn't do the same.

Facing such circumstances, the three marshals of the Divine Prefecture Empire dealt with it using different methods. The eldest and most stable Yu YanHai chose to fortify his defenses and dug out countless traps in front of their camp before retreating a hundred miles.

By doing so, the troops would have the time to rest and they wouldn't need to be on high alert at all times. While they would still have to be on guard, they would be able to take turns to get some sleep and wouldn't have to worry about losing their heads while they were dreaming. They wouldn't be afraid even if the Yu Family filled up the traps that they set with sand. At the very most, they could just dig more traps again. While they would still be on the passive side, they would be able to protect the lives of their soldiers!

Shen RuHu also chose to fortify his defenses by arranging for archers to be lined up along the two wings of the army camp. They also made use of the thick trunks of the trees to build a large tower and formed a water-tight defense around their camp. Under the tight surveillance of the archers, even a fly wouldn't be able to make it through!

The Eastern Zhao army being led by DongFang JingLei did not have such patience. The flames of war had been ignited and both armies had already broken out in war. They would either take the initiative to attack or be forced to defend. Even if there were occasional breaks in between the battles, they would still sound the war drums now and then to ensure that the Yu Family army wouldn't dare to relax. In just a short few days, both armies were extremely fatigued. Because the Yu Family fought in an almost suicidal manner, they currently had the upper hand. However, this slight advantage of theirs came with a heavy price and their casualties amounted to more than 10,000 of DongFang JingLei's men.

On the western battlefront, Xiao FengYang's army faced XiMen Sa and the two young and old genius commanders began their face-off. The outcome was one that was completely out of Xiao FengYang's expectations.

With an exception like Ling Tian, Xiao FengYang was extremely wary towards this young genius commander who was a match for Ling Tian in the eyes of the world! Since XiMen Sa could be ranked alongside Ling Tian, even if he wasn't a match for Ling Tian, he shouldn't be too far away! Even if XiMen Sa only had half of Ling Tian's abilities, he couldn't be underestimated! Besides that, he would be representing his Xiao Family in this battle and the outcome of the battle would have a great significance to their family's future.

With cautiousness in his heart, Xiao FengYang stepped onto the battlefield with a heavy heart but the outcome of his battle of wits with XiMen Sa had dumbfounded him!

It wasn't because this legendary youth was too outstanding and difficult to deal with but because he was far too easy to deal with! The battle was smooth to the point it was shocking and it was smooth to the point Xiao FengYang felt that it was a trap!

This battle was one which Xiao FengYang felt was the easiest in his entire life. He felt as though the genius commander, XiMen Sa, was far too stupid! All of his opponent's plans and schemes would be easily dealt with by him and seen through completely. In his eyes, XiMen Sa's plans and schemes were no more than child's play. The couple of ambushes that XiMen Sa planned were easily seen through by Xiao FengYang and XiMen Sa would end up losing his soldiers and suffering a huge loss instead. If not for Xiao FengYang being extremely careful, the current situation of the battle definitely wouldn't be as such!

He truly does not live up to his reputation! Being filled with delight, Xiao FengYang also began lamenting about how such a character could be called a young genius. How does he live up to being comparable to Ling Tian?! If that's the case, wouldn't the title of young genius be too worthless? This old man is truly going to die from laughter!

However, Xiao FengYang didn't know how difficult a task it was for XiMen Sa to perform such a feat! The wits required were ten times more than Xiao FengYang!

His plans had to ensure the defeat of his army and he also had to ensure that the generals under his leadership wouldn't be able to spot anything fishy. Furthermore, he had to think about whether or not Xiao FengYang would be able to guess his plans. If Xiao FengYang was unable to guess his plans, the false may end up becoming the truth!

XiMen Sa had to rack his brain to create a losing scenario and he had to lose without revealing the slightest flaw. Every plan of his even had to be approved by all of the generals under his charge…

It was truly too miserable for XiMen Sa to fight such a battle. There was even once when Xiao FengYang was unable to guess his intentions and went towards the wrong direction. In the end, XiMen Sa realized that something was wrong and had no choice but to retreat while pretending to be paranoid. The most exasperating thing was the fact that Xiao FengYang did not even dare to give chase when his army had already been defeated…

Just what is going on?! I really wonder how his reputation of being a military expert came about!

XiMen Sa sat in his tent and let out a long sigh of frustration. All the generals under his charge had already been subdued by the personal charisma of their undefeatable marshal. They all began to console him, "Marshal, it is normal for a general to lose in battle and it would be best to act with caution. You do not need to take it to heart!"

XiMen Sa was speechless.

I really do not wish to take things to heart. However, can I not take things to heart? The moment my army wins a battle, how will I lead my life in the future? Even if young noble is understanding, there are another fifty pairs of eyes looking at me…

Is it truly so difficult for me to seek defeat? I just wish to be XiMen QiuBai (seek defeat)! To think that Xiao FengYang still dares to call himself a military expert!

From afar, the scolding of Xiao FengYang's army could be heard, "XiMen Sa! A scum who doesn't know how to lead an army or fight a war! A useless and worthless scum who only knows how to run with his tail between his legs!"

XiMen Sa let out a groan. Oh my goodness! I didn't complain about you and you are now complaining about me?!

Using the words that young noble likes to use…. what the flying f***!

"Marshal! This general requests to go out to battle! Let me teach Xiao FengYang a good lesson!" One of the generals rushed out with anger, "They are truly going too far! They are too arrogant!"

"Let me think for a moment and discuss a flawless plan." XiMen Sa rubbed his head and begun thinking about a plan where he would lose for sure…

Not a single person dared to doubt this young marshal of theirs! This young marshal of theirs had given them far too many surprises and this time wouldn't be an exception!

Ling Feng, Ling Yun, and Feng Mo were already trapped in an extremely deadly situation.

Their troops had gathered almost all of the Yu Family's aggression and they were the ones who the Yu Family truly wanted to kill! Of the four large armies, each army sent out 20,000 soldiers and began surrounding them. There were even more than 100 experts from the headquarters of the Yu Family! Amongst these experts, the weakest one was the white jade level expert and there were more than ten gold jade level experts. Furthermore, there were even two middle gold jade level experts who were comparable to Ling Feng and Ling Yun.

The Yu Family had never sent out such a lineup before this!

Ling Feng, Ling Yun, and Feng Mo had truly touched the tiger's tail this time and stirred up a hornet's nest. A total of 37 Yu Family upper echelons lost their descendants and the eyes of these old fellows all turned red. Just when the army of the Yu Family gathered beneath the mountain, they immediately launched a thunderous attack without any hesitation. The ferocity of their attack had startled even the experienced Feng Mo.

Their dense attack came wave after wave, and with every defeated wave another wave would quickly launch their attack. The Yu Family army charged forward clenching their teeth with hundreds of archers lining behind them getting ready to shoot anyone who dared to escape!