Chapter 485: Chapter 485
"Send out the orders; all the armies are to return to the Imperial Capital!" Content orıginally comes from novel(ꜰ)ire.net
Upon hearing the imperial decree, Huo Qubing opened his eyes and circulated the Spiritual Energy within him to dispel the scent of wine from his body. He flew out of the City Lord’s mansion, suspended in mid-air, and issued a loud order.
Upon hearing his words, all the soldiers wore smiles on their faces. Who does not miss their family when roaming afar? After the battle, their greatest hope was to return home and tell their parents and wives that they were still alive and had returned with honor.
"Azure Dragon Army, assemble!"
"White Tiger Army, assemble!"
"Bei Wei Army, assemble!"
Loud and clear commands echoed over Looking-West City. The armies quickly lined up, carrying a tremendous aura of iron and blood, which aroused fear and unrest among the people in the city.
Under their commanders’ lead, the great army set off on their journey home. When they departed, the land was covered in ice and snow, but upon their return, it was spring, with flowers blooming everywhere. Seeing the beautiful scenery and thinking about their soon-to-be-reunited families brought joy to their hearts.
Of course, tens of millions of soldiers could not march at the same time. Over the next two months, each main battle legion returned to the Imperial Capital in turns. Every day, countless civilians lined the streets to welcome them, with cheers echoing throughout the heavens.
For the returning soldiers, the court arranged a victory banquet, and military departments verified their battle merits before issuing rewards. And, of course, there was the most important home leave! All soldiers who participated in the war were granted two months of leave to return home and reunite with their families in separate batches.
「Meanwhile, in the extreme North of the East Border, in a world shrouded in ice and snow, the last batch of human captives was listening to Dong Zhongshu and Wang Yangming preach.」
Teaching and cultivating all beings along their westward journey, promoting Confucian Dao and accumulating immense merits, Dong Zhongshu and Wang Yangming had benefited greatly.
Four hours later, the preaching ended. Under the grateful gaze of countless humans, Dong Zhongshu and Wang Yangming vanished into the Void.
When they reemerged, each of them was seated atop a snow-covered peak, their eyes lightly closed as they began to circulate their Cultivation Techniques, drawing in the power of merits they had obtained from their journey. The heavenly qi stirred, and auspicious signs descended from above.
Their cultivation began to rise rapidly:
The Peak of the Realm of an ancient Great Emperor!
The early stage of the Ten-thousand-year Emperor Realm!
The Ten-thousand-year Emperor Realm...
A week later, two auras belonging to the Ten-thousand-year Emperor Realm shook the firmament. The pure, majestic aura of culture and education, along with the crystal-clear snowflakes, complemented each other, making this snowy world even more pure and holy.
"I never thought there would be such a great fortune on this journey!" Wang Yangming opened his eyes. Feeling the increase in his strength, he couldn’t help but remark sincerely. Before coming here, he was prepared to endure hardship, but he never expected that the power of merits generated by enlightening the masses would enable him to break through two major realms.
"Where there is effort, there will be reward! This is the constant law of nature!" On another mountaintop, Dong Zhongshu opened his eyes, speaking with a broad smile. A wave of profound scholarly aura spread out, his every word revealing mysterious rules that influenced Heaven and Earth.
Fortunately, both were men with steady minds and quickly regained their composure. They soared into the sky, found their disciples, and embarked on their return journey.
What neither of them knew was that apart from the breakthrough in their cultivation, another great benefit was waiting for them. Confucian law had saved tens of thousands of lives, making the people of the East Border inexplicably fond of it. This fondness laid the foundation for the establishment of Confucianism down the line and even enabled Confucianism to secure an advantage amidst the later competition of many philosophies.
In the city center lay an enormous structure. Standing at over three thousand zhang high, stretching over a hundred li in length, and over sixty li in width, it resembled a small city. Intense spatial fluctuations emanated from this structure. Inside the building, there was a super space wormhole that could transport Martial Artists without any limitations.
When the Qin Army withdrew and lifted the state of combat readiness, the space wormhole linking to the Middle Region was also reopened, and trade between the two continents resumed. Caravans of merchants came and went in succession.
Everything was orderly, initially. But the appearance of two figures plunged the passage into congestion. All eyes were focused on one person. More accurately, a woman.
She was dressed in a white long gown, the skirt rippling with the wind. Her waist was delicate, her figure curvy. Her demeanor was ethereal, reminiscent of a celestial fairy from the ninth heaven. Her long black hair hung down to her willow-like waist. Her face was incomparably beautiful, enough to make fish sink and birds fall, to make the moon hide and flowers feel ashamed.
Behind the woman stood an old crone, dressed in a gray robe, ordinary-looking, her expression neither happy nor sad.
"What a beautiful lady!" Within the crowd, a youth dressed in splendid robes, his eyes filled with lust, arranged his clothes, walked forward with great strides, struck what he thought was a handsome pose, and said with a smile, "I am Liu Zifeng, the young Clan Leader of the Liu family. May I ask for the lady’s name?"
Upon seeing Liu Zifeng, the crowd shook their heads and looked sympathetically at the woman. Who in Looking-West City didn’t know the evil reputation of the dandy Liu Zifeng? Over the past few years, he had harassed countless ladies. If not a hundred, there were certainly several dozen who, in their blooming youth, had encountered this lustful demon.
"Get out of my way!" Jade Snow Gentleman spoke coldly, her voice melodious and very pleasant to the ears.
"What a charming voice!" Liu Zifeng was intoxicated, his inner desire heightened. He swore to himself that he must acquire Jade Snow Gentleman and commanded in a deep voice, "Liu Yi, Liu Er, capture her for your young master!"
Two men wearing Liu family uniforms walked out, each exuding the power of a Peak of the Realm Saint King, making the onlooking Martial Artists feel an oppressive aura and continuously retreat.
"Serving the young master is your honor!" Liu Da, a fat man with a face full of flabby flesh, reached out a thick hand towards Jade Snow Gentleman. As for the old crone behind Jade Snow Gentleman, he completely ignored her, considering her to be just an ordinary person who was of no real consequence.
"Courting death!" Before Jade Snow Gentleman could say anything, the old crone behind her suddenly roared.
A horrifying aura erupted from the old crone; countless Rhymes in Dao emerged, like billions of God Mountains, suppressing everything.
The faces of Liu Da and Liu Er changed drastically, their eyes filled with despair. In the next moment, their bodies were flattened, bursting into clouds of blood mist that splattered onto Liu Zifeng, staining him into a blood-soaked figure.
Liu Zifeng swallowed hard, realizing he was in big trouble. If his family found out that he had provoked an expert who could casually kill two Peak of the Realm Saint King Martial Artists, he would be severely punished, flayed alive even if he weren’t killed. Even now, he still hadn’t realized just how terrifying the person he had provoked truly was.
"Anyone who disrespects the Miss should have their entire nine familial exterminations!" The old crone’s cold voice echoed in the Void.
She extended her right hand, suddenly exerting a strong suction force, and grabbed Liu Zifeng into her palm. Next, a river of karma burst forth from her hand, transforming into countless red lights. Some strands of karmic force were dense, others were thin, all stretching out into the distance. At the other end of the red lights were Liu Zifeng’s family members. The strength of the karmic force represented the closeness of the relationships; it perfectly encompassed all relatives within Liu Zifeng’s nine clans.
"Exterminate!" the old crone said coldly, as if she were a god of slaughter. A massive killing intent surged along the river of karma, hunting them down.