Drums of War

by Tinalynge

  Both Hui Yue and Cai Jie were observing the battle with great interest. Wan Qiao now attacked fiercely, darting straight for Li Xiaopeng’s head. A screech escaped her mouth as she dove straight towards the shorter man.

  “Do you know about the four holes that the Crusaders have on their foreheads?” Hui Yue asked curiously as he observed the eagle dive down. The further she fell the more her speed picked up. Her talons suddenly shifted forward, and she stopped herself with her wings for a moment. Li Xiaopeng clad his body in Wu Wei after which he lifted his sword. Wu Wei surged into the sword itself causing it to shine brightly. A small sun seemingly appeared on the tip of the sword. A small sun which grew as Qi was poured into the sword. He stood with his side facing the eagle, his sword waiting by his side ready to be swung towards the bird as soon as she came into reach.

  “This is getting exciting,” Cai Jie said, and Hui Yue nodded his head. The entire army was watching the battle, but no one stepped in. They understood that Wan Qiao wished to win this fight on her own, and no one wanted to deal with an enraged Wan Qiao should Li Xiaopeng die by anyone else’s hand.

  Suddenly a sound could be heard from the back of the army, the sounds of turmoil and clamor. Hui Yue turned around to see a group of around thirty Saints flying in the air. They stood off to the side uncertain about what to do. Looking up in the sky, Hui Yue saw his own Saints take to the sky as well, ready to settle this once and for all. Hui Yue smiled as golden Wu Wei wings appeared on his shoulders and he too flew into the air, followed by the golden young man who seemed to walk on the air rather than fly.

  Standing side by side, neither Hui Yue nor Cai Jie paid any more attention to Wan Qiao and Li Xiaopeng. Instead, their eyes were focused solely on the group of Saints in the air.

  The beasts had all changed their appearances to their original ones, and Hui Yue sighed for a moment before he woke up the meditating bird within his lower dantian. ‘This doesn’t look good,’ Hui Yue commented, so Lan Feng opened his eyes, observing what it was Hui Yue saw.

  ‘You know back when the war started you were certain that the Siban Empire only had a few Saints. Li Meilin said that there were only a few Saints as well. Now when it comes down to it, it seems that are actually pretty even with this country when it comes to the number of Saints. Where have they all come from?’ Lan Feng asked curiously as he took over control of their body, causing a shiver to run through Hui Yue.

  ‘I don’t know,’ Hui Yue said with a sigh. ‘They are here. I must have made a mistake by trusting what Li Meilin told me. Or they just appeared from out of nowhere. Perhaps they are mercenaries, bought to assist them.’

  ‘Who do you think Saints are?’ Lan Feng said mockingly, ‘They are not mercenaries, they are the peak of power. But who cares. I’ll make sure to save your little bum.’ He laughed and suddenly Hui Yue felt his mist energy started to flood out from his red beast core within the dantian cave. The energy which entered his body slowly started to change. Much to Hui Yue’s surprise his body did not sprout red fur, instead blue feathers started appearing on his skin. His hair turned to feathers, his legs to talons, and his arms to wings. His ice-blue eyes turned celestial with small yellow feathers around the eyes. The transformation took everyone by surprise.

  The beast horde knew Hui Yue was a red wolf. He had transformed to that shape over and over again, yet here he was turning into a massive blue phoenix which had the aura of a Saint. A loud screech left his beak, and a shudder went through the body of all the beasts on the ground. Even Wan Qiao, who was known as the strongest, shuddered. Lan Feng was the blue phoenix, son of the Vermilion bird and sovereign of birds. Although he was not the strongest Saint, he was clearly not someone to look down upon. Seeing the changes even the golden man by his side had widened his eyes in surprise at seeing Hui Yue completely change his aura, strength, and appearance.

  “Time to play a little!” Lan Feng said with a voice that sounded was far different from the one Hui Yue used. All the Saints on the beast side started to screech, roar, or howl. All the Saints were capable of feeling that by their side was a sovereign of beasts, a divine beast. Something which should have perished thousands of years ago by the hand of An He. Yet here he was, a phoenix who had risen from the ashes of war. The phoenix boosted the willpower of the Saints. All of them were elated and the humans, although not inferior in numbers, were completely taken aback by the increase in power each and every one of the beasts showed.

  “It’s because of that useless bird in the back!” The Grand Marshall yelled out. He was not a Saint, but he was being carried by one so that he could watch the battlefield. His eyes were determined, but fear was evident deep within as he looked at the ruckus caused by the appearance of this stupid blue bird.

  “Attack him! Kill him, and you will win the war!” The Grand Marshall continued to yell as he pointed at Lan Feng. Foam appeared around his mouth as he was spitting out the words. “He is only one beast. Go kill him! ATTACK HIM!” His voice reached a high pitch fervor, his eyes turned red, and foam splashed here and there. The Saints on his side were currently uncertain whether or not they wished to follow the order given by the Grand Marshall, who was clearly becoming deranged.

  “This is not what he promised us,” One Saint said as he looked around at the many beasts who had gathered near Hui Yue. “He said we would be able to easily deal with the beasts and that he would give us some of the riches from Shenyuan, but all we have done is fight and fight. We have even lost some of our brothers,” One complained and the others quietly agreed.

  “I only joined because he promised me plenty of beast slaves. Those beast slaves sell for a lot of money. But right now, I am about to risk my life for a few slaves?” Another joined in.

  “Who cares about slaves, I was promised ancient cultivating methods that would allow for a breakthrough into the God rank. He promised me that the beasts had some cultivation methods like this, and what do I get? My martial brother died while fighting those who were supposed to be weak!” A third started speaking and within moments, all the Saints were filled with displeasure as they heard they had all been promised various rewards. Some had been promised worldly riches and others had been promised ancient cultivation methods or high ranking abilities.

  “I am not going to fight in a war against this many beasts,” One Saint said as he lifted his arms in the air. “I already wasted a lot of time to try and win, but seeing that even the Crusaders failed in removing the majority of the Saints, I am not risking my own hide for the sake of this power hungry Grand Marshall,” He continued as he looked at Hui Yue. His eyes showing many complex emotions. “I wish that if I meet you in the future, there will be no bad blood between us,” He said towards the large group of beast Saints, and he bowed fractionally to Hui Yue before he picked himself up turned around and left. Looking at the Saint many others on the side of the Siban Empire hesitated for a moment before they too bowed fractionally towards the beasts and took to the sky flying into the horizon, never once looking back.

  The Siban Empire lost around thirty Saints within a few moments, and soon only four remained. One of these four was Li Xiaopeng, the Saint busy fighting Wan Qiao. He paid no attention at all to what was happening in the sky, all he had cared about was getting revenge for Li Meilin.

  Looking around, the panicked eyes of the Grand Marshall of the Siban Empire fell upon Li Xiaopeng, and a manic grin appeared on his lips. “It doesn’t matter if the Crusaders failed or if the Saints have left me!” He screamed as he started moving around causing it hard for the Saint to keep him in the air. “Li Xiaopeng is one of the Saints who can rival even the Frozen General!” He yelled out loud, “Li Xiaopeng is the secret of the Siban Empire. Thanks to Li Meilin he stayed loyal to the Empire. He can deal with all of you! Don’t think I will let you go!” He yelled loudly, but soon his eyes filled with fear as he felt himself plummeting to the ground. The Saint no longer bothering to hold him. “No! Don’t let go! We can win! The Siban Empire is mine!”
He yelled, but no beast tried to grab him, and the final three Saints who had stayed behind, apart from Li Xiaopeng, all looked at him with disgust before they too turned around and followed the rest of the Saints into the horizon.

  Everyone watched the Grand Marshall as he landed on the roof of a house. Cracking sounds could be heard as bones broke, and his screams of agony rose to the air. He rolled from the roof to the ground and suddenly the screams stopped. No sound was heard as he laid on the ground. Two beasts went to see what state the Grand Marshall was in, but as they checked his vitals both of them shook their heads. The Grand Marshall was dead.

  Chapter 95 - Who Really Killed Her?

  Everyone, apart from Wan Qiao and Li Xiaopeng, stopped as they looked at the dead Grand Marshall. His death had been very anticlimactic, pitiful really as he had plummeted to the ground, but Hui Yue could not help but feel that the man deserved a death such as this. Nothing fancy, just a quick death to end a greedy life.

  Hui Yue was still for some time before a smile appeared on his lips. The only thing he needed to do now was to defeat Li Xiaopeng. When he was defeated, then the Siban Empire would belong to the beasts. They would have gained the freedom they had fought so hard for. Knowing that everything now depended on Wan Qiao and the battle with Li Xiaopeng, Lan Feng, in control of their body, used his wings to fly a bit into the sky before he turned towards the woman and man who were currently fighting.

  While Hui Yue was deeply focused observing the battle on the ground, he felt that Lan Feng was feeling ecstatic as he flew in the sky. Then he hovered in the air above the battlefield before once more repositioning himself. Lan Feng was in his original form for the first time in four thousand years, and his feelings of longing were so overwhelming that Hui Yue was certain the arrogant bird was crying from joy.

  Hui Yue said nothing as he let Lan Feng fly around in the sky. His eyes kept going from the many beasts who eyed him with shock and reverence to the battle between Wan Qiao and Li Xiaopeng. Watching the battle, Hui Yue was surprised to see that Wan Qiao was not attacking the shorter man; instead, she was solely defending herself. Something which did not fit her personality.

  “Is she waiting for the opponent to run out of energy?” Hui Yue mumbled to himself as he scratched his chin, his eyes focused solely on the battle in front of him. “She gains nothing from waiting for him to run out of energy… Will she run out first?” He continued to grumble. “She should be stronger than him. She was healed just before. Why is it that she does nothing.”

  Just as Hui Yue was filled with questions, Wan Qiao changed shape to the beautiful woman that Hui Yue usually saw her as. “What is she doing!” He exclaimed once more, but no one answered him. Lan Feng was currently too emotional to listen to Hui Yue’s words, and no one else could hear him as he was deep within his lower dantian.

  “This battle is pointless!” Wan Qiao called out as she dodged one more attack coming her way. This time, it had been a golden dragon-shaped spear with an incredibly strong and sharp end. Seeing it, Hui Yue was certain that it was so sharp it could cut through stone.

  The words spoken by Wan Qiao caused all the beasts to feel surprised. None of them expected that she was not enjoying the battle. “Look at your beloved sister!” She continued, and although Li Xiaopeng wished to continue the battle, he did stop for a moment to look at his little sister.

  “She is clad in the black clothes of a Crusader. She has four holes in her forehead, and she was found together with a whole bunch of Crusaders. Now tell me, how could we beasts make her into a Crusader when the Crusaders are on your side?” Wan Qiao tried reasoning with the angered Saint by her side, and although the words would have had no effect earlier, they clearly had an effect now. Li Xiaopeng took his hand and slowly caressed the four holes in her head, a frown appearing on his forehead.

  “It was your fault from the start,” He argued back, but he did not send an attack towards Wan Qiao; instead, he lifted up his sister and moved towards her. “She was petrified when she returned. Don’t tell me you had nothing to do with that!”

  “I admit that we might have frightened her, but we took good care of her as a guest when we should have killed her. We warned her about the war so you could get ready in time, and we even delivered her back to your borders without allowing anyone to hurt her.” Wan Qiao retorted, and Li Xiaopeng was clearly aware that what she said was correct. The one to blame was the emperor who sent his little sister to Shenyuan with that delegation. She had been treated very well by the beasts who should have killed her, and then the Siban Empire gave her to the Crusaders.

  These thoughts were confusing, and although the anger had not vanished, he still felt that what the beast might be correct. After standing for some time indecisively, he finally nodded to Wan Qiao before he took to the sky and vanished in the opposite direction that the majority of the Saints had gone.

  Lan Feng landed on the ground next to Wan Qiao and with a sigh he returned control of the body to Hui Yue. As soon as they switched, the feathers and his beastly shape changed to his human form. He quickly withdrew a robe from a storage stone which he then wore.

  “That was not like you,” He pointed out as he looked at Wan Qiao. The comment seemed to make the eagle blush a little, but she quickly cleared her throat and seemed to be focused once again, “I know,” She said her voice trembling a little. “I understand his emotions,” She said with a sigh, “I lost someone important during this battle as well, and I know the urge to kill the responsible party,” She commented. Her eyes turned slightly red as unshed tears appeared within. Hui Yue knew she was thinking of Lord Pan, and he placed a friendly hand on her shoulder. “He will be reborn somewhere and become a great hero,” Hui Yue promised her with a sad smile on his face. He too had liked Lord Pan.

  A small chuckle escaped Wan Qiao’s lips as soon as she heard the words said by Hui Yue, and she nodded her head. “We just won a war. We cannot be too depressed now!” She exclaimed and Hui Yue smiled to her as he nodded his head. “We really did win the war,” Hui Yue said with a sigh, as he felt a massive stone lifted from his shoulders. “Thank you for your hard work Grand Marshall!” One Saint after another rushed to Hui Yue to express their gratitude for his help. The Saints who had always treated him as an equal now treated him as a lord far above them. ‘I didn’t think it would matter this much that you are a divine beast,’ Hui Yue pointed out, but his statement only caused Lan Feng to snort. ‘Of course, they respect me. Only the direct bloodline of the four divine beasts are known as divine beasts. When I and the others were banished and tricked, I am certain that all our descendants were either killed or taken as slaves. It must have been four thousand years since the last divine beast appeared. For me to be here now should not be possible, but here I am. They will love for me to be here.’

  Hui Yue considered it for some time, but he quickly agreed to what he said. Divine beasts were the sovereigns of beasts after all. They were the most awe-inspiring beasts and the strongest. They had the bloodline of the gods, and they had abilities that no one else had.

  Even the golden young man was looking at Hui Yue with a complex expression. Unfortunately, it was impossible for Hui Yue to read what exactly he was hiding within his mind.

  Now that Hui Yue had finished the war, he stood there in the middle of the city completely taken aback with how the war ended. The war itself had gone incredibly easy, easy compared to what he had expected. This was something he could thank the enemy Grand Marshall for. His certainty of victory came back to bite him due to the Crusaders but eventually both the emperor and the Grand Marshall fell to the beast horde. With their fall so too fell the Siban Empire. It was now land that belonged to the beasts.

  ….

  “Lord, the victor has been determined.” The maid took a step forward as she looked into the air right in front of her. She dared not look at her master as she knew he disliked to be looked at by mere maids like her.

  “I am sorry to tell you that the Siban Emp
ire could not prevail under the attack of the beast army. Even the Crusaders sent by you seem to have passed away during the battle.”

  As the words were spoken, a snort could be heard from the seat by her side. “I don’t care who wins the war,” An He said with a smile on his lips as he swirled a small globe in his hand. A globe which looked like a little planet of its own. “I am not a part of this world any longer. I am not a part of your idea of time. You weaklings are like animals living within a field, and this field is your world. None of you can see beyond the field, nor do you know what exists outside it. I encompass this field; I exist everywhere at once. I am your yesterday and your tomorrow. I am the only one who has left the field, and the world outside is my stage, never to be held down by this pathetic small plane.”

  The Maid said no more as she took a step backwards and stood there, awaiting the next order from her master.

  ….

  Hui Yue and the beasts quickly found mansions within the Siban Imperial Capital where they waited while some of the army returned to Shenyuan with the good news and allowed for the beasts to start migrating towards their new lands. The beast armies which remained within the Siban empire all went to the borders to ensure that no other army suddenly attacked them. They ensured that the humans who could not coexist started to migrate from their kingdom, turning it into a haven for beasts to live.