Chapter 465 - 229: The War of Shang and Zhou

Huashan, Rising Sun Peak!

A group of young women hurried up the mountain, anxious to tell the sect elders what had just happened.

But when they reached the sect gates and searched the entire grounds, they couldn’t find their master or any of the uncle masters.

It wasn’t until an hour later that the young women were shocked to see their masters returning to the sect gates, their hair disheveled and their spirits broken.

"Master, Uncle Master, a strange man ambushed us just now..."

Before the lead disciple could finish, the Master of Inheritance waved his hand and said listlessly, "I know. Are any of you injured?"

"No, not at all. He said our skills were poor and that none of us knew the Mixed Element Purple Mist Skill..."

"Keep this matter to yourselves. No one is to speak of it to anyone."

"You are all dismissed!"

"Huh?"

"What are you still standing around for?"

"Oh, yes, Master, Uncle Master."

The young women answered sweetly and turned to leave the main hall.

Once the disciples had left, the Instructor Elder sighed. "That man must be a martial fanatic, searching the world for all kinds of Martial Arts..."

"But for the six of us to be unable to stop him... it’s truly shameful..."

"The world is in chaos. Junior Brothers, please redouble your Cultivation. When troubled times arise, heroes are sure to emerge. The Great Shang and Great Zhou are now at war, and the Sect Leader and the others are still in the Former Song Realm..."

"Alas, these are eventful times. I can only hope our Huashan can survive this calamity."

Hearing this, the men fell silent, all turning their gaze outside the hall.

A wisp of white cloud was slowly drifting across the sky, scattering the brilliant sunlight into countless dazzling rays that showered the entire mountaintop.

「...」

「Pangu Continent!」

The cruelty of war is something ordinary people can never truly comprehend. Even the most realistic video footage is not enough to evoke the visceral shock and terror of being there.

On a battlefield of severed limbs and flowing blood, human life was as worthless as weeds.

In that moment, it didn’t matter if you were an ordinary person or a Martial Artist. You were merely flesh and blood. Beneath the fall of blades and axes, only a mangled death awaited.

Across the continent, the army of the Great Zhou Dynasty, having rested for a long time, launched its final charge against the remaining territories of the Great Shang.

A massive herd of Exotic Beasts, so large it blotted out the sun, charged forward. Any city walls or war machines that stood in their way were trampled to dust by their brute force.

"Your Majesty, retreat! If we don’t leave now, it will be too late!"

Inside the Great Shang palace, a group of lavishly dressed Shang Dynasty officials bowed and pleaded with a fierce-looking man on the throne, whose hair flared out at his temples.

This man was, of course, the king of the Great Shang Dynasty, Prince Zi Gui!

"Damn it! My Royal Father will definitely return."

Prince Zi Gui slammed his hand on the arm of the throne, rose in anger, and strode out of the palace.

"Hurry, hurry! Faster, for your king!"

The moment he was out the palace doors, the furious expression on Prince Zi Gui’s face was instantly replaced by terror.

His confidant at his side hurriedly gathered soldiers to escort him all the way to his transport behind the palace.

Several giant, peacock-like Flying Beasts were lying quietly on the ground, awaiting the king’s arrival.

On their massive backs, they carried structures resembling small palaces, adorned with carved railings, jade pillars, rooftop beasts holding pearls, and shimmering mica screens—the height of luxury.

As Prince Zi Gui and his entourage arrived, the Exotic Beasts instantly opened their eyes.

A few attendants lowered a set of jade steps, and Prince Zi Gui quickly leaped up them and into the lavish palace of his Jade Chariot.

"Your Majesty!"

Inside the palace, a beautiful woman had already been waiting for some time. Seeing Prince Zi Gui enter, she hurriedly knelt in greeting.

"My dear consort, my Royal Father will definitely return."

"Your Majesty is wise and divine. You were merely careless for a moment and taken advantage of by petty villains. In your servant’s heart, Your Majesty is the bravest man in the world."

"My dear consort!"

Zi Gui stroked the woman’s silky black hair and nodded in satisfaction.

Soon, the giant beast-birds spread their massive wings, gave a few powerful flaps, and soared into the sky, speeding toward the north.

Behind these giant beast-birds followed a diverse flock of other flying beasts, most of them carrying transports of their own. The massive procession rumbled through the sky, a truly grand sight.

"General, the king has fled! We should run too!"

"How dare you speak such nonsense! His Majesty is merely making a tactical retreat. King Chonghou still has a million-strong army and will soon return with thunderous might to crush the Great Zhou!"

On the front lines where the armies were locked in a stalemate, news that the king had fled from the rear sent a panic through the commanding officers. They all tried to persuade the chief general to retreat immediately.

"General..."

"Anyone else who spouts such nonsense will be executed!"

"Yes, sir!"

Seeing the general’s stubbornness, the other commanders in the tent dared not speak again.

「That night, the moon was dark and the wind was high.」

The general lay down to rest in his clothes, his armor still on, not daring to remove it. He was in a daze, as if his soul were wandering outside his body, and he drifted into a state of confusion.

He hurriedly forced himself to full alertness. Just as he was about to summon a guard to ask the time, he suddenly heard the distant sound of an Exotic Beast snorting.

The sound was faint, but it carried from afar and was unlike anything he usually heard.

The general scrambled to his feet. When he rushed out of his tent, he saw that the camp gates were wide open. Countless Great Zhou soldiers, mounted on Exotic Beasts, were looking at him from a distance.

"Enemy attack! To arms!"

The general was horrified. He hastily tried to rally his men, only to see countless torches suddenly light up all around him.

Pairs of terrifying Exotic Beast eyes stared intently at him, as if they had spotted long-awaited prey.

"You have all failed me!"

The general let out a grief-stricken roar. The long weapon in his hand transformed into a massive, hundred-foot blade as he leaped into the herd of Exotic Beasts.

An hour later, dawn broke on the horizon. A new sun slowly rose, illuminating a ground littered with corpses.

"Clean up the battlefield and report our victory to King Zhou!"

Atop a massive, ghost-faced Exotic Beast, a burly man let out a great, booming cry. He stomped his foot, and the colossal beast slowly turned and began to withdraw.