Witch Wind

Chapter 422 Precise Sniping Kill (Part 1)

The chaotic stardust and asteroid turbulence could not stop the massive army formation of Shu Han.

With the twelve celestial bodies leading the way, all natural barriers were swept away.

Even the phrase "unstoppable momentum" cannot adequately describe the speed of the Shu Han army's advance.

When the vanguard was about to reach the heart of Sun Wu, groups of Sun Wu nobles, with their families and thousands of troops, knelt neatly by the waterway and surrendered directly.

Among these high-ranking officials of Sun Wu who surrendered, there were even members of the Sun clan!
This is...

In any case, none of the vast Shu Han army members, from Liu Bei down, looked happy—to put it in the words of the proud and arrogant Ma Chao: "I thought it would be a fair and square battle to prove my Dao and completely sever all ties with my past karma... but I never expected to step into cow dung on my way out!"

The fact that even the mighty Ma Chao was forced to utter such vulgar words as "cow dung" shows just how disgusting the heroes of Shu Han were by the Sun Wu group.

These people...

If you support them, that's a waste of food—Shu Han governed the country with 'benevolence and virtue,' and in their territory, the people of the nine provinces and the natives of this world were treated equally, without any favoritism, and everything was 'acted according to law.'

These high-ranking officials and nobles of Sun Wu were slave owners who held high above others. The local natives were slaves who could be beaten and killed at will, worse than pigs and dogs. According to the laws of Sun Wu, if you killed your neighbor's precious pet dog, you could be compensated with up to hundreds of thousands of spirit crystals.

If you kill a native slave next door, or even a bag of coarse rice, you can use that as proof of your worth.

Whether they were ordinary natives without any cultivation, or slaves with cultivation levels of Celestial Immortal, Golden Immortal, or even Taiyi Golden Immortal, if they were killed by these high-ranking officials of Sun Wu, a bag of coarse rice would be enough as compensation.

Only natives at the Great Luo realm, if killed, are finally valued as much as their master's rare pet dog—killing a native at the Great Luo realm, or even higher, requires a 'huge sum' of hundreds of thousands of spirit crystals in compensation!
Moreover, the nobles of Sun Wu were mostly arrogant, extravagant, and licentious, and were best at wasting their lives.

Those nobles of Sun Tzu who knelt by the waterway to surrender were all, at a glance, well-fed and plump, resembling large white pigs. Many of these noble sons, bearing the titles of military officers, had delicate, calloused fingers, and their bellies were so protruding that they couldn't even fit into a standard set of armor!
This is a bunch of good-for-nothings who just want to eat and wait to die!

To not accept them, but to kill them all... This goes against Liu Bei's 'benevolent virtue'. Shu Han, past, present, and future, will never do such a thing as killing the civil and military officials of an enemy state who have surrendered.

But should we accept them...?

What's the point of taking them in?
Let them continue to ride roughshod over those little natives, bullying and oppressing them at will.
They were allowed to infiltrate the Shu Han officialdom, and corrupt all the originally upright Shu Han officials, turning them into useless individuals just like them.

In the short span of three months of their journey, those nobles from Sun Wu who had surrendered had already secretly approached many powerful officials in the Shu Han group, frantically stuffing them with gifts.

Various magical treasures, various immortal weapons, various rare and exotic birds and beasts, especially beauties and handsome men with outstanding foundations, extraordinary talents, and stunning looks... Their generosity and magnanimity dazzled many Shu Han officials, almost causing them to make mistakes.

If it weren't for Prime Minister Zhuge's prior warning...

If Liu Bei had not already attained sainthood, and a wisp of holy thought had enveloped the entire Shu Han army, he would have been able to see clearly every move of the nobles from Sun Wu who had surrendered.

If it weren't for the concerted efforts of the emperor and his minister, who kept the entire group firmly under control, some unspeakable things might have already happened—Prime Minister Zhuge might have had to stage another scene of 'weepingly executing someone.'

Finally, on this day, things escalated to an intolerable level.

There was a relative of Sun Wu, who, in terms of bloodline, was the ninth-generation grandson of Sun Zhongmou, the "Great Emperor" of Sun Wu, a true direct descendant. He presented the "Heavenly Demon Dance" to Liu Huangshu's newborn son after he came to this world!
Nine lustful demons, together with one hundred and eight demonesses, performed the Heavenly Demon Dance, a dance that could not be told to outsiders, using the supreme secret technique of the demonic lust. This kind of demonic dance was the most luxurious and extravagant enjoyment among the upper echelons of Sun Wu.

However, this secret technique directly triggered a wisp of Yin Fire within the young prince Liu Huangshu's body, almost burning away his Dao foundation!
This has blown up!

Rat.

The Shu Han group, with its many heroes, was surrounded by armies from all directions.

Liu Bei sat expressionlessly on an ordinary jujube wood chair. His aura was contained, and he was completely integrated with the surrounding void. Even if people were looking at him and saw his figure right in front of them, in their perception and in their 'concepts', this place was still an empty space.

Liu Bei, the Imperial Uncle, seems to be right before my eyes.

He seemed to have scattered to the four corners of the universe.

It is ethereal and mysterious, beyond comprehension.

Liu Huangshu's youngest son, named Liu Hanzhong, who was enfeoffed as the King of Hanzhong within the Shu Han group, knelt dejectedly to one side with a pitiful, wrinkled face. He would occasionally turn his head slightly and wink at the prime minister sitting in the four-wheeled carriage, hoping that the prime minister would say a few kind words.

Prime Minister Zhuge's face was equally grim, his aura gloomy and murderous. As he waved his goose feather fan, wisps of hexagonal ice crystals could be seen slowly falling. A chilling aura, as if it were the dead of winter and about to annihilate all things in the world, surged in all directions, leaving none of the Shu Han officials present utterly speechless.

In recent days, the nobles of Sun Wu who had surrendered to Liu Bei have been kneeling before him in a state of panic and confusion.

Only Sun Quan's ninth-generation descendant, furious and raising his head, hissed, "Uncle Liu, you rule the world with benevolence and virtue, you must not kill without teaching... I have no ill will towards the King of Hanzhong. The Heavenly Demon Dance Troupe that I presented is my most precious treasure, which I have cultivated with a great deal of my wealth and a thousand years of hard work!"

Xing Tianli stroked his chin, watching the group of nobles from Sun Wu with great interest.

They really don't know what's good for them.

As surrendered subjects, they should have kept their tails between their legs and lived cautiously... But these guys from Sun Wu were a little too eager to integrate into the 'warm' and 'benevolent' family of Shu Han.

They were clearly taking advantage of the fact that Liu Bei wouldn't be too harsh on them, so they directly used the same methods they had used within the Sun Wu group, recklessly cultivating relationships, pulling strings, offering gold, treasures, and beautiful women, all in the hope of continuing to hold high positions and enjoy wealth and luxury.

But your flattery backfired!
Liu Bei, a man of such stature, had finally sacrificed a wisp of his life essence over the years to give birth to this little prince as the future successor of the Shu Han group. He was carefully raising him by his side, with Prime Minister Zhuge personally training him in both literary and military arts.

You actually offered up the Heavenly Demon Dance, which stirred up a wisp of lingering Yin Fire within the King of Hanzhong!

You almost ruined the foundation of the King of Hanzhong's rule!

The fact that this kid is still alive is enough to prove that Liu Bei really has a good temper!

Suddenly, Xing Tianli shivered. He looked at Liu Huangshu in horror and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, may I ask, is there something amiss?"

Xing Tianli suddenly realized that with Liu Bei's current level of cultivation and understanding, and with Zhuge Liang's control over the entire Shu Han group, no matter what tricks that guy named Sun Heng was making, kneeling on the ground and weeping, should not and could not touch the precious jewel of the entire Shu Han group, the King of Hanzhong!

But he touched it!

In other words, during the extremely short period of time that Sun Qing was acting, something else happened that took up the attention of Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, and even Guan Yu and Zhang Fei!
who?

What force?
Xing Tianli stared in horror at Liu Huangshu—he hoped that things wouldn't turn out like the hundreds of small and medium-sized worlds he had experienced. When he was refining the Heavenly Dao of those worlds, the Heavenly Dao of those worlds struggled to survive, recklessly depleting the world's origin and giving birth to some powerful creatures that could be described as 'mayflies,' which launched a desperate attack on Xing Tianli!

Liu Bei attained sainthood in this world by borrowing the essence of the Heavenly Dao.

Could it be that, for this very reason, the world is beginning to turn against us?
Xing Tianli looked at Liu Huangshu with a puzzled expression.

Liu Bei frowned, glanced at Sun Qing, and said in a low voice, "Fine, seal the cultivation of all these nobles from Sun Wu and send them to remote and desolate planets on the frontier to reclaim wasteland, cultivate land, and educate the natives... If they do well, they will be rewarded; if they do poorly, they will be severely punished. That's how it is."

Liu Bei pointed at the King of Hanzhong kneeling on the ground and said resentfully, "It is because I have been lax in disciplining you all these years. From today onwards, your studies will be doubled. You are not allowed to use supernatural powers or magic. Every day, you will copy the Four Books and Five Classics and the writings of great sages. You will also imitate those model essays and write ten essays every day that your Prime Minister approves of."

The King of Hanzhong suddenly looked up, staring at his own father with a look of utter despair.

No supernatural powers or magic allowed. Write ten articles a day that can be approved by Prime Minister Zhuge—good heavens, that's not as good as giving him a thousand strokes of the cane... or even ten thousand strokes!

"Father!" The King of Hanzhong cried out like a cuckoo crying blood, suddenly stretching out his hands towards Liu Bei.

Beside Liu Bei, a man of medium height, with an ordinary face, fair skin, and a short beard—who at first glance seemed utterly unremarkable—chuckled, walked over to the King of Hanzhong, grabbed him, and, along with several guards, dragged the King away, pushing and pulling him. Xing Tianli let out a breath.

Chen Dao, also known as Chen Shuzhi, was the head of Liu Bei's personal guards. He was not well-known, but he was a trusted confidant second only to Zhao Zilong... Ha, look at how he carried the King of Hanzhong away, it was as if he were carrying a kitten!
After bestowing the title of King of Hanzhong, Liu Bei then looked at Xing Tianli and nodded solemnly.

“These past few days, the closer we get to the territory of Sun Wu, the more uneasy I feel. It seems that there is great and inexplicable danger ahead... and it also seems that there are old friends there.”

Liu Bei murmured, "Speaking of old friends, the brothers Sun Ce and Sun Quan, the two commanders Zhou Yu and Lu Su, and all the civil and military officials of Sun Wu, are all old friends. But for the time being, they cannot make me feel dangerous. In this world, for the time being, I am the only one who has ascended to the holy position. I would never be wrong about this."

"However, old friends can make Bei feel uneasy."

Liu Bei smiled bitterly and bowed to Xing Tianli: "My cultivation is due to the fortune of the Buddha who fell back then. It is not something I have cultivated myself. So I have the power but lack the means... Moreover, my 'benevolence' is extremely useful for governing the country and bringing peace to the people, protecting myself, and avoiding disasters."

"But when it comes to divination of the future, predicting destiny, or even magical duels, exorcising demons and monsters, the 'benevolent virtue' aspect of Qi is truly lacking from the start." Liu Huangshu looked at Xing Tianli sincerely: "Young friend, you are a direct descendant of a sage, could you perhaps..."

Before Liu Bei could finish speaking, the narrow path, which was a million miles wide, was suddenly pushed aside by a powerful beam of immortal light. Stardust rolled out in all directions, countless chaotic asteroids were blasted to pieces, and a huge hole with a diameter of hundreds of millions of miles was forcibly torn open in the void.

Within the void, celestial light flowed, while malevolent energy rose.

A fleet of brocade-sailed warships, accompanied by the deep beat of drums, the high-pitched sound of horns, and the unified shouts of countless Jiangdong soldiers nearly ten feet tall, surged forward at high speed like a neat school of sardines.

A thousand...

Ten thousand...

One hundred thousand...

Millions...

These warships, the shortest of which were over a hundred miles long, were the oldest and most traditional naval battleships, numbering in the tens of millions. They were arranged in neat rows, up and down, left and right, front and back, forming a formidable fortress with clearly marked flags.

When this formidable Eastern Wu fleet first appeared and began to array itself, Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and other heroes of Shu Han all applauded and praised it.

Guan Yu stroked his long beard and sighed, "Even among the lowly rats of Jiangdong, there are heroes!"

Master Zhang raised his 36-foot-long spear, head held high, and declared, "Who is the leader? Watch me, Old Zhang, poke holes all over him!"

The two men, mindful of their status, did not make a move.

Having received a signal from Prime Minister Zhuge, Jin Ma Chao let out a long roar, his brocade robe adorned with a hundred flowers emitting wisps of immortal light that instantly swept across a million miles of void. Eight thousand peak-level Great Luo Body Cultivator heavy cavalry, following Jin Ma Chao's roar, unleashed boundless killing intent from the four-wheeled war chariots atop them, propelling this terrifying cavalry force towards the Sun Wu fleet.

One hundred thousand miles...

Millions of miles...

Thousands of miles...

Ma Chao led his troops forward, hoping to take advantage of the fact that Sun Wu's army was not yet in formation and break through their lines. If he could capture generals and flags, he would be able to shake the enemy's morale and gain the upper hand.

Eight thousand and one heavy cavalrymen charged forward in a streak of light, while Jin Ma Chao's three-pointed double-edged sword flashed with a cold light.

Ten thousand miles long or short...

A million miles long...

Thousands of miles long or short...

The cold light grew increasingly sharp and immense. Even hundreds of millions of miles from the enemy fleet, the cold light emanating from Jinma's super-long saber already filled the sky and covered half the battlefield. With a loud shout, he lightly waved his hands, and a streak of blade light slashed down.

This strike had completely exceeded the destructive power expected of a quasi-saint.

In Sun Wu's fleet, many generals turned pale. On the tens of thousands of warships that were at the forefront of the attack, countless soldiers shouted in unison, their faces ashen, and they closed their eyes to await their deaths.

A loud shout shot into the sky.

A young general charged out on horseback, followed closely by more than 100,000 lightly armored cavalry.

They all raised their short guns, and with a clang, hundreds of thousands of spear beams shot into the air, converging into a fierce spear beam that surged and boiled like a long river.

Above the head of the leading young general, a top-tier innate spiritual treasure-level Iron Blood Army Flag soared into the air, swallowing the spear light whole. In an instant, it amplified its power ten thousandfold before fiercely spitting it out.

A loud clang rang out.

The spear and saber lights clashed together. Jin Ma Chao and the young general shouted in unison, and the spear and saber lights shattered. Both sides coughed up blood, and the blood mist exploded all over the sky. Both armies staggered backward and retreated one after another, and some people fell over and their horses fell down in a very embarrassing situation.

However, the difference in cultivation levels between the two sides, and even the difference in the grade of the spiritual treasures they were using, was immediately apparent.

Under Jin Ma Chao's command, eight thousand heavy cavalrymen retreated after coughing up blood. In the blink of an eye, they calmed their surging magical power and charged forward again at Jin Ma Chao's shouts.

Behind the young general, among the hundreds of thousands of lightly armored cavalrymen armed with short spears, nearly ten thousand had their limbs torn apart and were thrown from their mounts. Even though the young general leading the group was highly skilled and adept at military formations, those knights who were thrown back and seriously injured could not return to their formation within three to five breaths.

And so, it was clear that the army under Jin Ma Chao's command was like a tiger opening its mouth, about to swallow the young general and the tens of thousands of light cavalry whole.

A series of bells rang out, and a heavy cavalry force, clad in exquisite silk and satin, charged out from the Sun Wu fleet. The leader was a towering figure, and a brocade cloak billowed behind him, its light shimmering like a long, winding river, stretching for tens of thousands of miles.

The man in brocade robes had a copper bell hanging from his waist. When he rode at full gallop, the bell moved automatically without wind, its clear and melodious 'ding-a-ling' sound was distinct and rhythmic. As the 30,000 heavy cavalry behind him galloped, the sound of all the horses' hooves hitting the ground echoed the sound of the copper bell.

Above this heavy cavalry, a scarlet spear, radiating an overwhelming aura of malevolence, spewed forth boundless killing intent.

This murderous aura is extremely ferocious and rampant, with extreme attributes, born for pure slaughter.

Its grade has also reached the level of a supreme innate treasure.

Although it was slightly inferior to the four-wheeled chariots in Jin Ma Chao's army, it no longer had an overwhelming advantage.

The man in the brocade robe at the head of the group laughed loudly: "Ma Chao, you brat, don't be so arrogant, I, Gan, am here."

With three loud bangs, the 30,000 heavy cavalry under the command of Gan Ning, clashed fiercely with the 8,000 heavy cavalry under Ma Chao. A large number of soldiers were sent flying backward, coughing up blood. Gan Ning's arms went slightly weak, and he was suddenly cleaved in two by Ma Chao, which splattered blood everywhere.

The young general's 100,000 light cavalry charged in from the rear, joining forces with Gan Ning to surround Jin Ma Chao.

Thus, the three armies clashed and killed each other, their ferocity reaching the heavens.

Meanwhile, the Sun Wu fleet accelerated its advance and quickly formed a battle formation in the void.

In just over three hours, right under the noses of the Shu Han Group, these more than ten million giant ships formed a massive formation shaped like a black tortoise, with a solid and rounded structure and an astonishing defensive capability.

However, behind this Xuanwu Formation, three long formations resembling venomous snakes swayed and lingered, poised to break through the Xuanwu Formation at any moment. These three long snake formations, composed of millions of warships, exuded a chilling aura, their malevolent energy almost tangible. The armored soldiers on their ships were even more formidable and elite than those forming the defensive formation in front.

(End of this chapter)