The west wind was fierce, filling the sky with sand and dimming the red sun.
Outside Xuanwu city, the military camp stretched for several hundred kilometers. Soldiers came and went, like ants on an anthill.
Zhang Yuntian stood on the city walls and leaned against the battlements. His gaze seemed to see everything through the sand.
He asked without looking back, “How many soldiers have we gathered so far?”
“Alliance leader, a hundred and fifty thousand,” said the leader of the Abstruse temple.
“It’s not enough. Before the decisive battle begins, we need a million bold warriors.”
“Many people refuse to fight against the hero king. It’ll be difficult to provide them with provisions too.”
“Make the clans and sects think of ideas themselves. Whether it’s through offering great rewards or forcibly recruiting men, I want an army of no less than a million. They have to bring their own provisions as well. It’ll be enough as long as we last through that day of ‘Great Snow’.”
Great Snow—great was synonymous with heavy, so it was the day of heavy snow!
Note: The day of “Great Snow”, which also corresponds to the seventh day of the twelfth month on the lunar calendar, is one of the thirty-six Chinese solar terms. You can read more about them here.
The seventh day of the twelfth month was the day of the decisive battle.
“But if the demon king doesn’t answer the challenge, the million-strong army will be useless.”
The leader of the Abstruse temple’s face was filled with worry. As long as Li Qngshan delayed it by a few days, the army of a million soldiers would immediately collapse due to a lack of provisions. It would even lead to a backlash on Xuanwu city.
“He will come, and he will be neither early nor late!”
Zhang Yuntian gazed at the distant north. For the sake of this day, he had spent sixteen entire years in preparation.
“The Abstruse temple will obviously provide the alliance leader with its full support, but what if the leaders of the other clans and sects object?”
“Threaten them or tempt them. Anything is fine. If that’s not enough, kill them!” Zhang Yuntian said indifferently. It was like he was not talking about a group of prominent figures of the jianghu, but a group of ants instead.
Throughout the sixteen years, he could sense the will of the heavens bless him. Everything progressed as smoothly as it could, and he had grasped unprecedented power too. He had ceased being that Zhang Yuntian of the past a long time ago. He was confident that even if the first alliance leader, Long Potian, was standing right before him, he could kill him with ease.
A chill ran through the heart of the leader of the Abstruse temple. Gazing at his figure, he felt a sense of deja vu.
“You don’t have to worry, temple leader. I won’t become a second demon king. Once I complete my duty, I’ll ascend.”
Zhang Yuntian gazed at the yellow skies. He would not be facing any dangers at all when he ascended. That was his reward from the heavens.
“I’ll go and prepare right now.”
“We’ve known each other for many years, but military law is merciless. Be careful!”
Zhang Yuntian’s voice did not contain any murderousness, but the implications were extremely clear. Anyone who breaks my military law will be executed!
A smear of anger flashed through the leader of the Abstruse temple’s eyes. He bowed deeply. “Yes!”
The heavy injuries from back then had unearthed a much darker side of him. He flew down the stairs and looked back at the figure swallowed by the wind and the sand. He recalled what happened a few years ago. A group of horse bandits had risen up in the western region and launched an attack on the central region, having benefited from the widespread propagation of the martial arts manuals over the years. These bandits were all martial arts practitioners, and their leader was even a seventh layer innate master.
Zhang Yuntian faced them in battle alone. He launched a single strike, ringing with the cries of a dragon and sending sand and stones flying. He slaughtered the entire group of horse bandits and shocked the entire martial arts alliance.
That was a power that even tenth layer innate masters did not possess. Apart from Li Qingshan, who was still his opponent in this world?
Thinking up to there, he touched the scar on his face. That had been left behind by the lightning. Despite the wound healing a long time ago, the scar remained permanent. It had also destroyed all possibility for him to ascend. Hatred burned like a fire within him.
Li Qingshan, the day of your death is here!
Ten days later, the four clans were destroyed, and the six sects met their end, all because they either resisted Zhang Yuntian’s call to convene or responded too slowly.
All of the figures of power were overwhelmed. They understood his determination. From the western, southern, and eastern regions, groups upon groups of soldiers set off for the central region.
The northern region was like a pot of oil set alight by sparks as well, burning fiercely like fire. Numerous people pleaded for battle, willing to destroy the martial arts alliance with the hero king and capture Zhang Yuntian alive.
Due to the letter of challenge, the entire world began to churn. Everyone began to stir.
“My king, just give me the order, and I’ll serve as the vanguard.”
“It’s just a measly martial arts alliance, so what do we need a vanguard for? A single swing from the king will basically be enough.”
The meeting room was a ruckus. Only masters at the sixth layer or higher had the right to be seated there. The others could only stand at the back and listen along. A total of several hundred people gathered there, where young faces made up more than half of them. Many innate masters were tasked with important missions, so they could not make the meeting. The asura army was resting up and being reorganised in the city too, so they only sent a few people to take part in the meeting.
Before they knew it, the World’s society already possessed such a magnificent assembly of people, well beyond anyone’s imaginations. It also made everyone believe they could crush all opponents in the world. They had begun mentioning conquering the world several years back, and the only stubborn pacifist, the Suffering Subduing monk, had passed away recently too. There were no longer any objections in the meeting room. They were all united.
In their eyes, Zhang Yuntian was basically asking to die. It was also perfect to use this opportunity to make the World’s society truly become the World’s society!
“It’s a trap!” Gu Yanying said with absolute confidence.
The meeting room immediately fell into absolute silence. No one doubted her wisdom, just like how no one doubted the hero king’s power. With the two of them combined, they were basically representations of omniscience and omnipotence.
On top of that, their ideas had only ever faced objection from one another. As a result, everyone looked at the other end of the long table. Li Qingshan sat back lazily in his chair with the Frenzy Flower Blade of Path’s End standing to one side. He casually asked, “What trap?”
“I have received reliable intelligence that Zhang Yuntian has already grasped the first martial arts alliance leader’s Jade Seal of the Divine Dragon.”
“The Jade Seal of the Divine Dragon, what’s that?”
“It’s an item that gathers the will of the people, a symbol of authority throughout the world.”
Gu Yanying took out a seal engraved with an identical jade dragon. This was not a coincidence. By founding a country and gathering the will of the people, the lord of the country obtained the faith of their citizens, becoming a god among people. This power was also known as dragon qi.
In the centre of the nine provinces was the Dragon province. The central piece of the nine cauldrons was the Dragon Province cauldron.
However, the nine cauldrons were a creation of powerful cultivators. They had forged countless Mountain and Water God Seals, merging with the laws of the world, so it obviously was well beyond what a measly Jade Seal of the Divine Dragon could compare to. However, it was still the peak power that this world could offer.
Over the years, she had handed the asura army over to him, exactly because she had begun to utilise this power instead.
As the first organisation in history to unite the world and last several centuries, even if the martial arts alliance could not be regarded as a country, the Jade Seal of the Divine Dragon had still existed first. It was just that after the first alliance leader Long Potian’s ascension, it only existed in name. It did not possess any power.
That was until Zhang Yuntian became the great alliance leader. Over these years of development, the martial arts alliance became closer to being a country. Coupled with the blessings from the intangible will of the heavens, an extremely great power had definitely gathered in the Jade Seal of the Divine Dragon.
“If we can obtain this Jade Seal of the Divine Dragon, we can contend against the will of the heavens!”
“That’s right! Man will conquer the heavens! We might even have the opportunity to replace them!”
“So everything you did over the years was intentional!” Li Qingshan smiled.
Over the years, with the establishment of each law and the founding of each hall, the World’s society was basically teaching the martial arts alliance how to build a country.
“There’s someone to help us lay a foundation, so why not?”
“So this can’t be regarded as a trap.”
“Zhang Yuntian is currently gathering a great army. He’s probably trying to give us a taste of our own medicine!”
The army qi of the school of the Military was a secret existence, but it was not a particularly profound thing in the first place. Making an inferior replica was anything but difficult. As long as there were enough people, it would still be a force to be reckoned with.
Li Qingshan sat up straight. “It’s finally getting a little interesting!”