Yi Yan hurriedly says: “You know about Great Ancestor’s true power, don’t you, Your Majesty? In this battle, Great Ancestor must have been the winner.” At this crucial moment, how can Yi Yan possibly say otherwise? Only by saying so can he calm Xiang Guang down.
“That’s right.” Hearing these words, Xiang Guang seems as if he has eaten an immortal pill. His whole body is immediately filled with vitality and his eyes glittering. “Who on the Qian Long continent can be a match for Great Ancestor? I’ve heard that even Wu De is far inferior to him. I think that challenging Shangxian was weaker than Great Ancestor and self-destructed out of despair. It must have been so.”
Because Xiang Guang thinks so and because his subordinates such as Yi Yan also chime in with him, he immediately becomes even more certain of the battle’s result.
“Alright, follow me back to the palace, gentlemen. Together we’re going to calmly wait for Great Ancestor’s return and prepare a celebration banquet for him.” Very high-spirited, Xiang Guang immediately gives an order to the several trusted high-ranking officials around him. He then runs back to the Imperial Palace to prepare a celebration banquet for his Great Ancestor.
The terrifying battle ended a moment ago and the water of the River Wu has begun to calm down. There seems to have been no changes compared to before the battle, only that the dikes along the shores of the river have become a mess. The frightening explosion has torn large trees apart and sent swards flying all over the place. Its shock wave has even caused many ordinary people to bleed from their ears, eyes, noses and mouths, resulting in their deaths.
“Pu!”
Qin De suddenly spits out a piece of grass and stands up abruptly. At the moment he is being covered completely in dust, looking like a beggar. Fengyuzi also stands up on one side of him. The explosion just now was really too powerful.
Ignoring the dust on his body, Qin De hurriedly looks forwards. Before him, the River Wu, which is several km wide, is flowing east rapidly. There is basically not a soul to be seen on the river.
“Where’s Yu’er?” Qin De has become worried in his heart. He immediately expands his holy sense but because he has just reached the early phase of the Jindan stage, the range of his holy sense is only 1000 m and he simply cannot detect Qin Yu’s aura within this 1000 m range.
“Yu’er!”
Qin De shouts loudly all of a sudden. His voice resounds on the River Wu.
“Your Highness, don’t be anxious.” Fengyuzi hurriedly says to Qin De. “My holy sense has a much longer range. Just let me carry out a careful check.” Hearing this, Qin De calms down at once. He looks at Fengyuzi with expectation.
Fengyuzi’s holy sense spreads out in all directions. After a long time, he has no choice but to look at Qin De, saying: “Your Highness, I haven’t detected anything yet.”
Qin De’s face slightly changes color. Then, as he remembers the explosion a moment ago, he says with brightening eyes: “Brother Feng, I remember Yu’er was diving down towards the River Wu at the moment of the explosion. Perhaps he is at the bottom of the river now.”
Fengyuzi says with a shake of his head: “How deep is this River Wu? Our holy senses are over 1 km in range so if there was something at the bottom of the river, we should’ve already noticed it, but we haven’t detected anything yet …”
Bang!
The water of the River Wu suddenly explodes. A silhouette soars into the sky from underwater. Immediately afterwards, there is another sudden loud splash and a black eagle also flies into the air from the bottom of the river. A human and an eagle thus soar into the sky above the River Wu.
Qin De and Fengyuzi both look at that silhouette.
“Ah, it’s Yu’er.” Qin De’s whole body becomes excited. The human and the eagle then fly towards Qin De and Fengyuzi like 2 beams of light. In only a moment, both of them have already arrived at Qin De’s face.
Qin Yu looks at Qin De. A faint smile appears on his pale face: “Father, I’ve succeeded!”
Qin De feels a numbing sensation running through his entire body. He cannot help getting slightly misty-eyed. His face is full of excitement. Without thinking much, he suddenly hugs Qin Yu. Qin Yu also hugs his father. The both of them hug each other tightly this way.
“Father, you look so … dirty.”
At this crucial moment, Qin Yu unexpectedly says a sentence that destroys the mood. Qin De is startled. The explosion just now totally covered him in dust but afterwards he had to hurriedly search for Qin Yu so he has yet to remove the dust from his body.
“You stinking brat.”
Qin De scolds with a smile. He then activates his elemental energy to shake the dust off his body directly.
“Ha-ha, don’t be noisy, both of you. Let’s return quickly, alright?” Fengyuzi says with a loud laugh. He then goes up to one side of Qin Yu and casually gives him a punch in the chest, saying: “You little brat, who would have thought that you would be able to kill even a Yuanying expert at such a young age?”
Having watched Qin Yu grow up, Fengyuzi naturally has fatherly feelings for him. Now that Qin Yu has made such an achievement, he also feels very happy for him.
Qin Yu’s body slightly shakes. His face turns even paler.
“Xiao Yu, what’s the matter?” Fengyuzi knows that something is wrong. Even though the punch he threw just now carried some power, it definitely should not have been a problem to a Xiuzhenist.
Qin Yu says smilingly with a shake of his head: “Never mind. I only suffered some small injuries after executing that ultimate skill just now. It doesn’t matter. Once I go back and practice in peace, I’ll recover very fast.” There is a very brilliant smile on his face at the moment.
“Humph, small injuries? To perform the 1st level of my Dark Moon technique, I lost one third of my energy. That blow you executed was much stronger than mine so you must’ve lost at least half of your power. Perhaps your channels, muscles and bones have all been badly injured. If these injuries are considered small then I don’t know what should be called big injuries?” Xiao Hei says discontentedly using his holy sense.
Qin Yu gives Xiao Hei a stare.
Indeed, this time Qin Yu has been very seriously injured. The silvery grains in the nebula inside his dantian are the source of his energy but he unexpectedly executed a special skill, burning away these silvery grains. Therefore, now these silvery grains are only about half of their former sizes.
Moreover, this was the 1st time he has explosively unleashed such a large amount of energy so not even his body was able to withstand the pressure. As a result, his channels, muscles and bones have been severely injured.
“Father, let’s return. Since Xiang Yang’s dead, nothing else can stop the Qin clan. Now I can recover with no worries so you can put your mind at rest.” Seeing the expression on his father’s face, Qin Yu says comfortingly at once.
As soon as Qin De hears this, he secretly nods. Xiang Yang is already dead so Qin Yu now can take his time healing his injuries.
“Yu’er, it’s been hard on you.” Qin De pats Qin Yu’s shoulders then says smilingly: “Alright, let’s get back to the town of Xiyang.”
Soon afterwards, Qin De, Qin Yu, the black eagle and Fengyuzi pierce through the sky, heading directly for the town of Xiyang.
……
The influence of this battle has been immense. People in the several hundred cities around the battlefield all saw this frightening battle, the sky-piercing meteor created by Qin Yu and the terrifying energy generated by the yuanying’s self-destruction, which was unexpectedly as brilliant as the full moon in the sky.
A sky-piercing meteor; two high-hanging moons;
News of this legendary battle is spread by the experts on whole Qian Long continent. Even when the Shangxian of the Ming dynasty and Han dynasty come to the scene to investigate, they cannot help admitting that both sides in this battle have far surpassed them in power.
This battle later will become a legend on the Qian Long continent a
nd provide inspiration for every martial art expert.
According to the descriptions of the surviving Xiantian experts who watched the battle from the shores of the River Wu, one side of this legendary battle was Xiang Yang while the other side was very mysterious, consisting of a man and an eagle. Many people will try to find out who this man and this eagle were but will achieve nothing. Their identities thus will become a riddle on the Qian Long continent.
******
In a sumptuous banquet in the town of Xiyang,
“Ha-ha, come, bottoms up, bottoms up!!!” With a slightly reddened face, Xu Yuan stands up and says in a drunken voice.
After the death of Xiang Yang, there is no concern left over the war so the Qin clan has become totally relaxed as well. As a general military counselor Xu Yuan used to say that he could not drink wine to keep his sensibleness but now he is also drinking wine wantonly without any scruple.
When things have reached this point, if the Qin clan could not win, then those generals should all kill themselves to atone for their incapability.
“So many years, Your Highness, we prepared for this day for so many years and we’ve finally succeeded. Your Highness, we’ve finally succeeded. Tomorrow, as soon as you give an order, we’re going to launch the final attack. Ba Chu County, the Chu dynasty’s last county, will fall into our hands completely.” Xu Yuan says emotionally in a half-drunken voice.
Qin De suddenly drinks up a cup too and says with a nod of his head: “That’s true. 18 years, it’s been 18 whole years. We haven’t had a good sleep for the last 18 years. Finally … we’ve finally succeeded.” The aura around Qin De’s entire body has totally changed.
It is no longer cold and fierce as before and only gives off a free, natural feeling.
“No, it’s not only 18 years, father. The Qin clan’s seniors actually prepared for several hundred years. Each generation of seniors continuously made preparations for the future. Had it not been for these several hundred years of preparations, even with the help of the Mu clan and the Shangguan clan, we wouldn’t have come to the current situation.” Qin Zheng’s entire body has also become very excited.
“That’s right.” Qin De suddenly nods. “The Qin clan’s seniors prepared for several hundred years. They waited for so many years. There is also … Jing Yi. She’s been waiting for this day for so long.” After saying, he falls silent all of a sudden.
He is remembering the scenes of the past.
“Father.” Qin Feng’s eyes flash with coldness. “I’ll definitely cut off Xiang Guang’s head to console mother’s soul in the sky.” When he was 10 years old he saw the death of his mother with his own eyes so he has been waiting for this day ever since.
Qin De nods and suddenly says: “Zheng’er, have you been keeping a close watch on the movements of the Xiang clan in the capital? Don’t let them run away at the last moment.”
Qin Zheng says confidently: “Don’t worry, father. Every member of the Xiang clan is in the palm of my hand. Even the emperor Xiang Guang can forget about escaping from the Imperial Palace.” By now, the Qin clan’s secret forces have all been put under Qin Zheng’s control.
Qin De nods then turns to Qin Yu on one side, who is giving Xiao Hei a roast duck. Qin De looks smilingly at his 3rd son. For the moment he only smiles without saying a word.
“Father.”
Seeing Qin De only smile at him, Qin Yu cannot help feeling at a loss.
Qin De’s smile contains a father’s extreme satisfaction with his son. It is a gratified smile. Having a son like Qin Yu, Qin De can take pride in his life.
……
The next day, Qin De, dressed in a suit of armor, stands outside the west gate of the town of Xiyang looking west. The people such as Qin Zheng, Qin Feng, Qin Yu and Xu Yuan are standing behind him. There are also the crack troops whose duty is to protect this nucleus of the Qin clan.
“We’ve been preparing for several hundred years to succeed in one morning.” Qin De’s eyes glitter.
The west is the direction of the target this time -- Ba Chu County.
Suddenly, Qin De shouts to the order-delivering soldiers behind him: “Order the armies in Lei Xue County, Shang Que County and Zhen Yang County to attack Ba Chu County together at full force. I want the whole Ba Chu County to be subdued within a half month.”
“Yes!”
The several order-delivering soldiers immediately take the order then ride away very fast on their birds to transmit it.
……
Lei Xue County, Shang Que County and Zhen Yang County each have several hundred thousand troops. After the order is given, more than 1,600,000 troops of the Qin clan instantly rush into Ba Chu County. Seeing that the situation is not good for them, many troops and generals of the Xiang clan quickly surrender.
The Qin clan’s spies use a lot of money to buy off their enemies from within while the Qin clan’s army threatens them from the outside so the Xiang clan’s last county basically collapses at the first blow. Its defense is destroyed with ease by the Qin clan’s army like dry weeds and rotten wood.
This attack on Ba Chu County is basically like a race. The Qin clan’s cavalry troops advance nonstop. Once they have occupied a city, they garrison some troops in it then continue to hurry on with the attack. Even though the Qin clan has to dispatch some troops to defend the cities it defeats on the way, in the end, its armies on the 3 different directions still amount to over 1,000,000. Such a large number of troops have gathered outside the capital.
Chapter 26: No Way Out
The Qin clan’s 50,000 Fierce Tiger troops have completely surrounded the Imperial Palace. Every Fierce Tiger soldier’s eyes are filled with pride. Only a half year has passed since the beginning of the war but the entire Chu kingdom has fallen into the hands of the Qin clan and therefore, as the Qin clan’s finest soldiers and officers, they all feel very proud.
The Imperial Palace’s forbidden guards have already scattered earlier. The head of the Imperial Palace’s forbidden guards was an elite soldier of the Xiang clan but he has been assassinated by the coward vice leader of the forbidden guards. Afterwards the vice leader has led his men to surrender to the Qin clan, plunging the forbidden guards into chaos.
In the past all of the Xiang clan’s members led by Xiang Yu were extremely heroic but, after experiencing 1000 years of a luxurious lifestyle, the Xiang clan is now made up of corrupted and depraved people. Seeing that their own clan is falling apart, these members all bring out their money and valuables to beg for mercy. However, the Qin clan’s way of dealing with them is -- to confiscate their valuables then to throw them in jail.
By now the Imperial Palace has become a mess. There have been members of the Xiang clan who have committed suicide out of despair. And bunches of eunuchs, ladies-in-waiting and coward forbidden guards have begged for mercy from the Fierce Tiger troops. But there have also been loyal forbidden guards who have been trying to kill off the people who are afraid of death.
Chaos, chaos, chaos!
The Xiang clan’s doomsday has come. All of the people in the Imperial Palace are in a state of anxiety. They are trying to plunder the royal clan’s valuables and kill each other. The 50,000 Fierce Tiger troops however only watch everything happening in the Imperial Palace apathetically. None of them has attempted to get involved in the situation.
……
In the audience hall of the Imperial Palace, there is only Xiang Guang sitting in the throne. A white-haired eunuch is standing on one side of him.
“Your Majesty.”
The head eunuch Wang Meng looks at the Chu emperor Xiang Guang before him. Wang Meng has been in the palace since he was still a kid. Now his only relative is his younger sister’s grandson, who he already sent to the Ming dynasty long ago with proper arrangements.
However, an over 90 year old Wang Meng does not want to run for his own life.
Xiang Guang, who is sitting dejected in the throne, looks as if he is sleeping. Despite hearing Wan
g Meng’s words, he only raises his head after a long time. He then gives Wang Meng a lifeless look: “Oh, it’s you, Manager Wang. When things have come to this, only you still accompany me.”
Wang Meng says: “Why haven’t you run away, Your Majesty? As long as you can save your life, you will be able to stage a comeback, won’t you?”
Xiang Guang shakes his head: “Anyone else can run but I can’t.” His eyes flash with coldness and fierceness. “The Qin clan has been preparing for so many years but has always been refraining from action because it’s been enjoying the power of the East Vanquishing Prince position. But … that year I caused that incident, bringing about its current revolt.”
“It was because of me that the Qin clan rebelled. I’m the number 1 target.” Xiang Guang has gone mad.
Stellar Transformations Page 73
