Chapter 719: The Emperor's Personal Expedition (Part 1) [Bonus Chapter Available]

"Watch this move!"

As the newcomer spoke, he unleashed a slash at Chen Tang.

A massive, solid crimson blade of light, accompanied by the cries of thousands of falcons, poured towards Shen Tang. The blade was enveloped in a hazy layer of flame. This flame was extremely hot; wherever it passed, the heat not only distorted the air but also warped the countless ghostly faces within the blade, the scorching heat mingling with the stench of gunpowder. Wei Shou, naturally, wouldn't stand idly by. Without hesitation, he flashed in front of Shen Tang, his giant axe expanding and enlarging rapidly as if inflated by a frenzied surge of martial energy, standing tall between heaven and earth.

boom--

The high temperature was accompanied by a strong wind that caused it to explode.

Wei Shou's beard was accidentally ignited by a flying spark. He casually brushed the flames off and asked Shen Tang, "My lord, are you alright?"

If something were to happen to Shen Tang now, she would definitely be the shortest-lived boss in his career. Wei Shou's concern did not elicit a response from Shen Tang. He was horrified to discover that there was no trace of his lord behind him; her presence had somehow moved elsewhere.

Moreover, it was behind the enemy.

The longbow is fully drawn, and arrows rain down like a tide.

"Hmph—" The enemy completely disregarded the attack, sneering, "The same old trick, all show and no substance."

His strike was meant to cut through the rain of arrows.

Unexpectedly, a third wave of arrows rained down from another direction.

The fourth wave, the fifth wave, the sixth wave...

Shen Tang would shoot a wave of shots and then move to a different spot.

In an instant, he was surrounded from all 360 degrees.

"Noisy! Annoying!"

These arrows naturally couldn't break through his armor, and they barely even penetrated the protective aura barrier outside the armor, but wave after wave of them were truly annoying, like flies buzzing around. He recklessly broke through a path, intending to unleash his light blade again, his target still Shen Tang.

However, their path was blocked by a pink figure.

To protect his beloved beard, Wei Shou donned a mask this time, a very fashionable rose gold one at that. However, his words were far from elegant, and he couldn't resist provoking him: "Your opponent is none other than your old man, my good grandson. Where do you think you're going?"

Upon hearing Wei Shou dare to refer to himself as "Laozi" (a respectful title for a powerful figure), he flew into a rage, unleashing a barrage of attacks on that arrogant mouth. Each attack was accompanied by a crimson blade of light, which Wei Shou parried with his giant axe, the dense clanging and clashing sounds making one's teeth ache.

One move, five moves, ten moves, thirty moves...

In the blink of an eye, a hundred moves had passed.

Their speed was so fast, their afterimages so numerous, that it was impossible to discern their positions. The generals of the Dragon-Slaying Bureau below dared not act rashly, fearing they might do more harm than good. In the blink of an eye, Wei Shou had teetered on the brink of death for over a hundred rounds. Finally, he seized an opportunity and retreated with a swift turn.

Temporarily distance the two of them.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a bloodstain on the tiger's mouth, with streaks of blood like small red snakes winding down his knuckles and flowing toward the axe handle.

The enemy's weapon was undamaged, but the pink giant axe in his hand was riddled with countless nicks and chips, each one gleaming with the luster of metal heated to its melting point, and also showing dense cracks. It was clearly nearing the point of being unusable.

One more blow and this weapon will surely crack!

This is the perfect opportunity to strike!

He understood that his enemies would only become more astute! And they would not miss a fleeting opportunity! They would press their advantage and slay Wei Shou!

Click—

With a metallic cracking sound, Wei Shou knew something was wrong. He tried to dodge but found his aura completely locked on. A crimson light blade transformed into a hundred-foot-long wave that instantly engulfed him. Rui Ji, who was watching the battle, turned pale upon seeing this.

"Yuanyuan!"

She blurted it out without thinking.

Ruiji's call was drowned out by an even more piercing thunder.

The arrows, intertwined with lightning, cleaved through the waves with unstoppable force, like a pair of shimmering white jade hands tearing the tide in two. Simultaneously, they inhaled and drank deeply, frantically absorbing the remaining crimson martial energy from both sides, merging it into the arrowheads. By the time they reached the enemy, they were more than twice as powerful as before.

Target--

The enemy general's head!

This attack caused the enemy to show seriousness for the first time that night.

He sensed a threat from that attack!

"You treacherous tricks, shatter them!"

He swung his fist with all his might.

The crimson light blade hurtled towards the oncoming silver arrowhead. The two clashed, unleashing a massive, red-and-white explosion that shot into the sky. Barriers lit up at the epicenter of the blast.

Despite the obstruction, items such as tents were completely burned to ashes by the blast wave. As for those further away, they spontaneously combusted without fire, and the flames formed in an instant.

Before it could spread, it was frozen by a flying arrow.

Seeing this, Yun Ce breathed a sigh of relief. But thinking of the battle unfolding above, his handsome brows remained furrowed, and his eyes held confusion and a hint of disappointment. He sighed softly, "My lord, why are you still hesitating? It's already this late—"

His obsession with martial arts doesn't mean he's naive. After all, how could a truly foolish person cultivate so quickly? He simply prioritizes cultivation over scheming and intrigue, and he pretends not to see the subtle details, unwilling to delve into the underlying intentions.

For example, the lord made him the main rider.

The chief cavalryman is in charge of the cavalry, which to outsiders would be a sign of complete trust, but Huang Lie's ace is a heavy shield warrior.

The so-called cavalry existed in name only and were dispensable.

Huang Lie's trust is like drinking water; only the person drinking it knows whether it's hot or cold.

Yun Ce pretended not to know and diligently trained his troops every day. One day, his lord would fully trust and give him an important position; he could wait.

But he couldn't understand how, with allies leading the charge and the enemy generals reaching their headquarters, he, as the leader of the alliance, could still stand by and watch coldly? If this was a strategy, a tactic, Yun Ce could understand it rationally, but he couldn't accept it emotionally.

This action goes against his consistent principles.

"Yuanyuan, are you alright?"

Wei Shou, with a seemingly divine arrow, successfully broke through the encirclement, but the flames were difficult to deal with, and his armor caught fire.

He brushed the sparks off his body, and soon heard a familiar voice from above. He looked up and saw that Shen Tang had somehow moved to a higher position, and the longbow he had been holding had transformed into a giant crossbow. No wonder that arrow was so powerful!

"Cough cough cough—" He was about to answer that he was alright, but a series of coughs came out. "Thank goodness, I'm still alive."

At the critical moment of life and death, he vaguely heard his wife's voice.

I absolutely cannot die in front of her.

As the explosive cloud dissipated, it revealed a heavy shield with a ferocious beast's head. The frontmost shield had a large gash in the middle, through which a smaller hole could be seen behind it. The arrow had pierced through three shields and then embedded itself halfway into the fourth, with cracks extending in all directions.

This means that the arrow won the head-on collision just now, and had no choice but to conjure several heavy shields to defend itself.

"A dignified sixteenth-rank Grand Master, and after all this time you still can't take down two fifteenth-rank Junior Grand Masters? Qi, your methods are too soft! Could it be that you're getting old and your strength is failing you?" Wei Shou spat out bloody saliva, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, but his mood was very bright. He grinned at the person opposite him, not forgetting to circulate his martial energy to repair his damaged martial armor.

"Hahaha, want me to teach you?"

"Yuanyuan, you can teach him, but don't drag me into it." Shen Tang's arrow just now was infused with ninety percent of her literary and martial energy, and she was now at her limit, but she didn't show any weakness on the surface. "Do all you martial arts practitioners play such fancy tricks?"

The two of them, working in unison, infuriated the other side.

Just then, a beam of golden light shot out; it was Chu Jie, who had been training his troops outside and had rushed back upon seeing the commotion. The person opposite him, seeing this, sneered, "Another one coming to die."

"Look, what's that?"

Just then, someone pointed into the distance and shouted.

At the horizon, dark light pierced the moon.

A dragon roars beneath the sky.

Upon closer inspection, it wasn't some dark light at all, but clearly a dragon soaring into the sky. This dragon's shadow lasted only a very short time, but from the moment it appeared, an immense and overwhelming pressure pressed down on everyone with unparalleled might. Their meridians and spiritual/martial energy felt like they were sinking into quagmire; those with weaker cultivation were even unable to rise, and for a moment, some even felt an urge to submit…

At first, Shen Tang was unaware of what was happening, until she discovered that the literary energy within her body was boiling abnormally, and her dantian was churning violently, seemingly on the verge of erupting out of control. Her fingertips were burning hot, something she couldn't ignore. But Shen Tang remained calm, clenching her right fist and using her rather lazy martial energy to suppress it. Amidst the chaos, no one noticed the fleeting light in her palm.

"Hahahaha, your death is near!" With a flick of his palm, the commander's flag standing outside the central tent snapped in half and flew straight into his hand. "Wei Yuanyuan, I'll allow you to live a few more days. You can come back for your heads in a few days!"

Chu Jie reached out to stop him: "Who gave you permission to leave?"

"Get out of my way!"

With a loud shout, a shockwave swept through Chu Jie's path. Chu Jie paused for a moment, then gracefully departed, carrying the commander's flag.

Watching the fluttering banner disappear into a tiny dot in the blink of an eye, Shen Tang suppressed the strange feeling in her heart and tentatively asked, "Why did he suddenly run away? Didn't he threaten to take our heads?"

Wei Shou said solemnly, "Zheng Qiao has arrived."

Shen Tang asked, "What's here?"

Chu Jie had obviously seen similar situations before, and remained relatively calm: "It's Zheng Qiao, he's personally leading the expedition, he's here."

As he spoke, he glanced at Shen Tang out of the corner of his eye.

Seeing that she didn't react in any particular way, I felt slightly relieved.

That was incredibly dangerous! Within a certain range, the Imperial Seals can sense each other. As the saying goes, two tigers cannot share one mountain, and two rulers cannot share one country. Once they meet, they will clash fiercely, determined to determine a victor. If it were revealed that Shen Jun possessed the Imperial Seal at this moment, Zheng Qiao wouldn't even need to send troops; our own people would find a way to tear her to pieces.

Chu Jie's answer confirmed Shen Tang's guess.

"Zheng Qiao is really stubborn. Is he planning to settle things here?" She knew that she and Zheng Qiao would face off sooner or later, but she never expected it to be like this, with him personally leading the charge right from the start.

This means that Zheng Qiao intends to go all out from the start.

"Now it seems so. Putting everything else aside, his spirit is certainly worthy of respect." Chu Jie's words were sincere. Back then, when the State of Chu was destroyed, the iron cavalry of the State of Xin trampled the capital, while the ruler of the State of Chu remained holed up in the palace.

Even though he was the ruler of a country, he was dragged out of the palace like livestock by the enemy general, losing all face and dignity.

At the beginning of the war, many civil and military officials advised him to personally lead the army.

If the ruler of Chu had been willing to personally lead the army and fight to the death, even if the final outcome was still the destruction of the kingdom, at least he would have left behind a good reputation. Outsiders would at least have described him as "tough."

But he hesitated and refused to step forward, and Chu Jie, as his son-in-law, was also reprimanded. After a while, the officials of the court saw through his cowardly and fearful nature and were completely disillusioned.

In comparison, Zheng Qiao is at least not a coward.

Shen Tang glanced at Huang Lie and the others' reactions and was quite troubled: "He has guts, but we're probably in trouble... Hopefully, we won't cause any more problems. Our makeshift team can't withstand any more trouble."

The Dragon-Slaying Alliance, to put it bluntly, is a motley crew of scheming individuals. They excel at winning when things are going well, but when things turn against them, all sorts of unexpected events occur. They all claim to be mortal enemies with Zheng Qiao, but if things go wrong and Zheng Qiao shows some leniency, they might just switch sides. In this world, some are willing to die standing, but others are willing to live on their knees.

As soon as Shen Tang landed, Chu Yao and the others surrounded her.

He asked with concern, "My lord, are you injured?"

What they really wanted to ask was about the State Seal.

Shen Tang understood immediately, and she waved her hand to reassure everyone: "I'm perfectly fine now, I can still fight him for another three hundred rounds!"

Knowing her lord's current state, Gu Chi gave her face and didn't expose her. Instead, he silently cast a spell to restore her literary/martial energy. Her nearly depleted dantian felt as if it had been bathed in spring rain, and the paleness on her face was replaced by a rosy glow in just a few breaths.

This night was destined to be anything but peaceful.

The news of Zheng Qiao's personal expedition spread like wildfire through the Dragon Slaying Bureau's allied forces, keeping many awake all night, and keeping every camp brightly lit. Shen Tang's side was no exception; they were holding a meeting, but not to discuss Zheng Qiao, but to plan how to fight.

Chu Yao's words were astonishing.

Because he suggested that their side should "hide their strength and bide their time".

Shen Tang was stunned: "Starting to slack off at a time like this?"

Isn't this just like the final boss appearing and then AFK farming?

She didn't reject Chu Yao's suggestion, but simply asked him why; she needed a reason that could convince her. Chu Yao's reply was equally rational: "The fundamental purpose of the Dragon-Slaying Squad has never been Zheng Qiao's life, but the Imperial Seal in his hands. My lord, as long as this Imperial Seal doesn't fall into our hands, once the Dragon-Slaying Squad is over, we will be the next dragon waiting to be slaughtered!"

The special nature of the Imperial Seal meant that Shen Tang was destined to be exposed.

If we always strive to be first, resulting in heavy losses and a significant depletion of our strength, we will eventually be at the mercy of others, completely passive and vulnerable.

"but--"

Chu Yao knew what Shen Tang wanted to say, "but."

"We need to see the true strength of our allies first."

Before Shen Tang joined, the Dragon Slaying Bureau had been fighting for two years and had not been defeated by Zheng Qiao. Was it really that Zheng Qiao couldn't defeat them?

While some among them lacked the strength to fish in troubled waters, others were merely pretending to. Those who wanted to preserve their strength for the final reaperture would have to see if the others would allow it. Gu Chi also urged Shen Tang, "My lord, please rest assured and watch; the real show is just beginning. They've been sitting on their laurels for a long time; now it's our turn..."

Furthermore, they're not completely giving up; they're just relinquishing the stage and giving more opportunities to their allies.

The moon's reflection in the water ripples in circles as the wind blows.

When the wind calms down, the bright moon will be full again.

A young man in fine clothes, wearing a straw hat, was boating on the river.

Behind the young man, a group of eunuchs and palace maids waited with their heads bowed.

After a long while, the fishing rod sank.

The young man raised an eyebrow, immediately reeled in his line, and caught a large fish. The nearest eunuch hurriedly brought him the fish basket. The young man removed the hook from the fish's mouth, and the hook was a perfectly straight line! With a flick of the rod, the hook shattered the moon's reflection in the water.

The ripples spread outwards until they subsided.

"You're back?"

Suddenly, a burly, bearded military general appeared behind the young man, carrying a commander's flag on his shoulder.

The military officer tossed the command flag to the eunuch and clasped his hands in a salute.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

The young man turned around, revealing a face veiled in moonlight, radiating charm and stunning beauty: "Was this trip successful?"

The military officer's face was grim: "It didn't go very well. Today I saw that traitor Wei Yuanyuan, but unfortunately I couldn't take his head..." For him, this was a complete failure.

The young man was not surprised.

He even thought that Wu would return with a body full of injuries.

The result was intact, even better than expected.

"How strong are those people?"

The military officer scoffed, "A bunch of cowards. Only two or three could barely be considered men; the rest cowered and refused to come out. If the king hadn't summoned me, I would have lost three men. Then, if you gave me another army, I could wipe them out!"

The young man's lips curled slightly, neither confirming nor denying, but instead showing concern for Huang Lie: "What did Huang Lie say when you went?"

The military officer said, "He's just good with words."

She added, "They seemed to have nothing to fear."

“Of course he’s fearless—” The young man lowered his eyes to look at the calm river surface, a few sneers flashing in his eyes, but he didn’t say what Huang Lie’s confidence was based on. He changed the subject, “Did you see a young man named Shen Tang among them?”

Military officers are not unfamiliar with this name.

He just hadn't seen it before and couldn't place it.

"Does the king care about this person?"

“If Shen Tang were here tonight, then that person must be him.” The young man got up and handed the fishing rod to the eunuch. He then went into the cabin, which was more like a small palace. The interior was extremely spacious and luxuriously decorated. As soon as he opened the door, a warm breeze carrying fragrance wafted out. “I only had some suspicions before, but the more I think about it, the more suspicious I become.”

The military officer followed the young man into the cabin.

"I do not understand what the king has said."

The young man scoffed: "The Imperial Seal."

The military officer's eyes widened in astonishment: "The Imperial Seal?"

The young man muttered to himself, "I wondered why my senior brother had pushed for this person to be transferred to Longwu County back then. He knew all along, but kept it a secret for so long." He had suspected Shen Tang at the time, but Shen Tang had been obediently staying in He Yin, and did not seem to have the imperial seal.

After that, he couldn't care less about Shen Tang.

It has now been confirmed that this person is the prime suspect.

The military general devised a plan: "If we spread the news... and incite them to fight amongst themselves, we can reap the benefits!"

The young man waved his hand and smiled faintly: "That's no use."

Shen Tang's performance in the Battle of Chaoli Pass was so impressive that he was clearly the core fighting force of the Dragon Slaying Bureau's allied forces. At this time, the news that came out would make anyone guess that it was a clumsy plot to kill someone with a borrowed knife, and it would not harm Shen Tang at all.

The military officer's eyes flashed fiercely: "So you're just going to let him go like that?"

The young man's rising tone carried a unique sarcasm: "Let them go? This world doesn't let anyone go. I'm actually looking forward to seeing what it'll be like when these guys fight like dogs."

He sat on the throne.

Let's see how many people can come up and challenge him!

_(:з」∠)_

Hehe, I assembled an aluminum keyboard today. It feels heavy and substantial, definitely different from a plastic keyboard. The sound is very focused and pleasant to listen to. The only downside is that it's expensive.

There's only one hour left before the monthly pass expires. Can I still collect 153 monthly passes? Waaaaah!

PS: Guess Zheng Qiao's path as a feudal lord. This chapter should be pretty easy to guess.

(End of this chapter)