Chapter 359: Swelling Earth
The sky became lit.
The campsite of Hule Division was a big mess.
The soldiers emerged from the walls of earth as they guarded the fugitives, swept the battlefield for survivors and looted from the campsite.
"Lord..."
Tong’s face was filled with happiness as soon as he saw Fang Yuan making his way over. Without hesitation, he presented a piece of oracle bone. "After predictions, it is confirmed that we have killed over 3,000 soldiers. We have actually only killed 1,000, but the other 2,000 were killings among themselves during the chaos. We have captured 4,000 of them, taken possession of 5,000 weapons. The rations and bronze are still unaccounted for. In addition, we have more than 2,000 horses now!"
"That’s not too bad!"
Deep down, Fang Yuan knew that the credit for his victory and rewards belonged to the internal chaos in Hule Division.
"After this, all the elite soldiers in Hule Division are wiped out. With this piece of news, people would return to the North to continue living in the plains. We have finally settled the mess in the North!"
Fang Yuan casually added. "I want at least half of all that we have looted. Split the remaining half as you wish, but don’t forget the contribution to Yang City! Hmm, I want more horses as well!"
With these horses, Fang Yuan could train up his cavalry units for the future.
Based on the method of training which he adopted, the cavalry which he would train up would surely be stronger than that of the Hule Division.
"Of course!"
Tong had no intention to vie for the rewards and respectfully replied.
"Since all of this is over, we shall rest for one day before heading to Yang City to provide our assistance!"
Fang Yuan’s eyes widened. "Wei, you shall escort our loot back!"
"Hmph!"
The young woman heaved a heavy breath and agreed. She knew that she could not go against Yuan’s orders and could only clench her teeth and carry out his orders.
...
Yang City.
The capital of Xia Country was now in a desolate state.
With the Jiuli Division army attacking and the assistance from the divisions from the East and West, they were formidable. Under the leadership of Xing, they killed their way to the vicinity of Yang City.
"Kill them! Kill all these Xia people to take revenge for the people of Jiuli!"
In one of the divisions, Xing roared as the blood inscriptions on his body glowed dimly. He waved his axe about and wielded a huge shield. Ferociously, he struck at the head of another division’s leader.
"Ah... You cannot kill me! I am..."
This division leader was a dream master from the Realm Alliance. However, he could not finish his sentence as his expression turned to one of fear. "Die!"
"Rumble!"
Above him, many small array flags appeared, forming an array. It was a killer array of a dream array master!
"Hmph... You are one of those mutants!"
Xing grinned from ear to ear. "It’s a pity... Who would even care about such a small spell?"
"How dare you call my Evil 7 Extremes Array a small spell?"
The dream master was infuriated. "7 Evil Ghost Generals, kill!"
"Hehe!"
"Keke!"
From all directions, armoured ghost generals and soldiers emerged from a layer of fog. They had sinister smiles on their faces and fangs poked out of their mouths, dripping blood. Together, they floated towards Xing.
"You are the one to die!"
Xing exclaimed as the illusionary figure of a giant appeared behind him. The figure stretched out its huge hands and slammed down.
"Pa!"
It was as though the hand was slapping a fly. With that, the glow from the array dimmed and blood trickled from the nose of the dream master. The dream master took a few steps backwards; it was evident that he had just experienced a backlash.
Xing continued to advance and sliced his axe forward.
"Bang!"
As the axe made its way down, the dream master immediately became a bloodied mess and died in a gruesome fashion.
"Leader... Our leader is dead!"
As soon as the people of the division witnessed the death of their leader, they immediately ran for their lives.
"Haha... Go forth! Kill their men and capture their women. Kill those children taller than the length of a bronze sword, and keep the remaining as slaves!"
As Xing gave his command, the warriors behind him let out bloodshot eyes. However, these were all understandable.
If they didn’t do this, how else could they vent out their years of hatred for the people of Xia?
With this, the division started to undergo destruction.
Outside the division, a person was witnessing everything. A slit appeared on his forehead, revealing a third eye.
’Xing is becoming too... scary! The peak of the Ultimate Witch Body would allow one to nullify most types of spells and would grant one immense power like a godly demon. This would make one comparable to a True Divine martial artist in the main world... To be able to kill a dream master in the 4th Tier of the Illusionary Divine stage in one move would mean that he must be as powerful as Army Leader Chi years ago!’
"Monkey!"
Xing walked out with flames of passion burning in his eyes. "I will be able to see the walls of Yang City in another day. Where are your promised allies?"
"This..."
This monkey was naturally the 3 Eyed Monkey. After being questioned, he became slightly embarrassed. "Xing... Your army is advancing too quickly. The Sangjie and Kuayi Divisions from the East and West have already started to make their way, but they are facing resistance from the other divisions. They will need another 10 days before they can arrive at Yang City... As for the Hule Division in the North, they are already defeated!"
"Bunch of useless people!"
Xing scoffed and let out a heavy breath. "This is especially so for Hule Division. Who was the one who defeated them?"
"It’s the lord of Xia Country - Yuan! The hero who killed Wu Zhiqi!"
As the monkey replied, it shuddered in fear at the thought of it.
Only he knew the true meaning behind what he had just said.
"He killed Wu Zhiqi?"
Xing smiled. "In a few days, I shall personally behead him! Hopefully, he will not be as useless as the other leaders to die in a single move of mine..."
"Yes! Yes of course!"
The monkey was a little sceptical. However, he quickly composed himself. "Although we cannot depend on the other 3 divisions, you can trust that the demons are already taking action to cause floods in Xia Country and especially so for Yang City. You will be able to witness our friendship and power."
"Very well, I shall look forward to it!"
Xing smiled widely and replied. As soon as the monkey left, his expression turned to a cold one. "Another mutant! All demons in this world are mutants! They are the ones who had harmed our people. Only the people of Jiuli Division are the true owners of this world. This is predicted by the priests and will never be wrong!"
"Yang City is also occupied by a bunch of mutants. Since I can still make use of the demons, I shall do so. Otherwise..."
...
Within the palace in Yang City.
"King Xi, Xing had already destroyed Tianlan Division with 50,000 soldiers. He will be able to arrive at our city walls in a day!"
"King Xi, the water demons have been wreaking havoc for the past few days and have destroyed many things. As of now, they are hidden in Yang River, which is next to Yang City..."
On the throne, Xi sat calmly like a piece of rock.
His composure brought peace to those who were worried within the tense atmosphere of the hall.
"Reporting!"
At this point in time, another priest requested to see the king. "King Xi, we have news from the North. Tong has combined forces with Yuan and they have defeated Hule Division. They are now rushing back!"
"That’s great!"
Hearing this news, Xi finally bit his lips. "How many soldiers do we have left in Yang City?"
"Our people have caught wind of news that Jiuli is invading us. They have loyally pledged their lives to us. If we use the soldiers in the reserves, we can rack up 30,000 armed soldiers!"
One of the ministers stood out and reported. "However, the Yang River is overflowing! That is a more pressing problem!"
"This is easy to resolve. Ju!"
Xi calmly spoke. "Retrieve the Swelling Earth and stop the disaster!"
"Yes, King!"
Ju dismissed himself, walked out of the main hall and arrived at a spot in the palace. "The King has instructed me to retrieve the Swelling Earth!"
The guard of the treasury was also a dream master and was long aware of the instructions. With an outstretched hand, he disabled the seal on the treasury.
Ju entered the treasury and noticed spiritual glows everywhere.
’All the treasures of the Xia Empire is here. It’s a pity... none of these can be brought out!’
Xia Country ruled over the 9 Regions and therefore had many treasures.
However, those spiritual treasures which could turn illusionary and be brought out of the realm were only for the Sage and the dream masters in the 7th Tier of the Illusionary Divine stage. How could they enjoy these treasures? Even if they could get their hands on these treasures, they would not have enough karma to bring them away!
Ju arrived at a corner of the treasury. On an elevated platform, a bunch of black soil was wrapped in cogon grass. It appeared normal.
"Sir, please be careful. If the Swelling Earth is not contained by the cogon grass and if it were to land on the ground, it will start to expand immediately!"
Although both of them were aware of the ability of this treasure, the guard of the treasury had the responsibility. After all, there was no harm in reminding his fellow dream master.
"I know about it. This treasure has the essence of the heaven and is full of life. In past years, the Sage has used it for himself to manage the floods as well!"
Ju bit his lip and carefully held the bag of Swelling Earth in his hands. "Of course, this treasure has its own limit as well. It can only expand to 800 feet wide before coming to a halt! This is only a temporary measure to manage the flood!"
With that, he carried the Swelling Earth and brought it to the top of the city wall of Yang City.
"Sir, look!"
Beneath them, the Yang River surged as water crashed onto the city walls. It was a threatening scene to behold.
Furthermore, within the murky waters of the river, there were many black silhouettes.
"Go!"
Ju mustered his magical energy and scattered the Swelling Earth. With that, the soil fell into the river.
"Buzz! Buzz!"
The ground shook. Within a few moments, the Swelling Earth started to expand and blocked the mouth of the river. However, it continued to grow.
Although the water was gushing with might and the water level was rising continuously, it was finally blocked.
The soldiers on the city wall witnessed this scene and cheers erupted.
However, Ju silently sighed to himself. ’We can only temporarily keep the demons at bay. However, if the water erupts from it in the near future, the consequences would be worse! What is Elder Xi Chen thinking?’
Of course, it was a sin to doubt his leader in such a tumultuous period.
Ju forcefully wiped this thought of his from his mind!
"Elder Xi Chen is the disciple of Sage and is powerful. He will have his own arrangements. Why do I have to care so much? I just have to follow the plan..."
"After all... this world is manipulated by Sage. Who would dare to show disrespect here?" Ju mumbled to himself.
If things were to fall out of control, Sages would get involved to correct it!
If that was the case, what do they have to fear?
Thinking about how Elder Xi Chen could keep his composure amidst all the chaos, Ju felt impressed and was full of admiration for him. "This is what the mind of a powerful being can do!"