Chapter 466 - 229: The Shang-Zhou War (2)

The Central Asian Trading Territory.

A swarm of Flying Beasts that blotted out the sky streaked into the territory, their immense presence so powerful it shook the soul of any who witnessed it.

On a wide plain below, King Chonghou stared grimly at the most extravagant Exotic Beast in the center of the formation, his eyes filled with a cold light.

"Marquis King, the welcoming ceremony has been prepared..."

An attendant said with a bow.

"Let the music play!"

Soon, at a conductor’s signal, a powerful and majestic symphony resounded through the air.

A moment later, the enormous Exotic Beast slowly folded its wings and glided down to a prepared landing site.

At the same time, a group of barefoot Wizards began a bizarre, sacrificial dance.

At the end of each section of the dance, a slave was executed. The blood was then channeled to the Wizards’ feet, and as they stomped, it formed into characters that pulsed with an eerie light.

Prince Zi Gui sat upon the back of the Exotic Beast, a slight smile on his lips as he said to the concubine beside him, "Royal Brother Chonghou is very thoughtful."

After speaking, he rose to his full height and, accompanied by his concubine, slowly descended from the Jade Chariot.

Seeing this, King Chonghou hurriedly led his subordinates forward, dropped to his knees with a thud, and prostrated himself, crying out, "Divine Protection Wang Sheng!"

"Chonghou, you are too kind."

"It is merely my duty."

King Chonghou replied respectfully, his head bowed.

"Rise."

Upon hearing this, King Chonghou rose to his feet, stepped to the side, and followed Prince Zi Gui as he walked slowly toward the grand hall nearby.

That was the royal palace of the new Great Shang!

Not only did it replicate the appearance of the Gui Xu Great Merchant royal palace, but it had also been upgraded in various ways using modern technology.

Inside, it was a perfect fusion of Spiritual Power and technology. It would be no exaggeration to call it the most luxurious place in the entire world.

"My King, this place is so beautiful! It’s even more gorgeous than our old palace. Look at all these shiny things..."

Prince Zi Gui’s accompanying concubine excitedly touched this and that, her expression one of pure delight.

"So this is what you call the power of technology? Not bad at all! We are very pleased."

Looking at the various splendid lamps, the spring-like warmth, and the luxurious and exquisite decorations, Prince Zi Gui’s expression was one of great pleasure.

It was as if he had completely forgotten that he had just lost his vast territories in Gui Xu.

"As long as Your Majesty is satisfied, that is all that matters. I shall not disturb Your Majesty’s rest."

"You are dismissed."

"Yes!"

King Chonghou bowed, then backed away, slowly exiting the grand hall.

...

With the victor decided between Great Zhou and Great Shang on the Gui Xu Pangu Continent, the only territory on the entire Pangu Continent not yet devoured by Great Zhou was the Song Realm.

At this moment, the Song Realm did not breathe a sigh of relief at Great Shang’s retreat. For though Great Shang had withdrawn, the armies of Great Zhou simply continued the siege.

The army organized by the Song Realm Court still did not dare to relax in the slightest.

How could the Great Shang army, which could barely fend for itself, compare to the Great Zhou army, whose morale was as high as the heavens?

Once their main forces arrived, an even more brutal war would commence.

Facing the Great Zhou Dynasty, whose Combat Power was off the charts, the Song Realm had no chance of victory whatsoever.

With only five hundred years of history, they were no match for the people of Gui Xu Great Zhou, whether in terms of individual prowess or the number of peak Martial Dao masters.

At this very moment, the various sects either sealed their gates or came out to aid the Court. A pressing sense of impending doom loomed over everyone.

If even the Martial Artists felt this way, the common people were even more helpless.

Thanks to the Court’s proclamations, Great Zhou’s system of slavery was already common knowledge.

Learning that Great Zhou was about to attack and that the Court could not hold them back, the people of the Song Realm were thrown into a panic, unable to eat or sleep in peace.

Unfortunately, they were even worse off than the Martial Artists. They lacked even the ability to resist and could only wait quietly for the war to begin, like lambs to the slaughter.

They did not have to wait long. After a pause of only three days, the war resumed with the charge of a horde of Exotic Beasts.

Several thousand Song Realm Martial Artists flew out of the city, charging toward the Exotic Beasts.

Those capable of flying across the city were, at minimum, in the Grandmaster Realm. In any other context, they would absolutely be considered top experts.

But on this battlefield, these several thousand Grandmaster Realm experts were nothing more than cannon fodder.

Their purpose was to harass the Exotic Beasts and draw their attention.

The true Killing Move would come from the True Dharma Masters lying in ambush to the side.

Only True Dharma Masters had the power to slay these large Exotic Beasts.

When the time was right, dozens of True Dharma Masters from various sects streamed out, wielding all kinds of Divine Weapons as they charged toward the horde of Exotic Beasts.

Amidst a web of sword light and blade shadows, countless Exotic Beasts roared and shrieked.

Vast amounts of Exotic Beast blood stained the ground red.

"Senior Brother Ge!"

"Uncle Wang!"

Hunting giant Exotic Beasts was no simple matter. Even a True Dharma Master could be injured, or even lose their life to the beasts’ claws, if they were careless for a moment.

"We can’t hold them back. They can wear us down just by using Exotic Beasts. Their top fighters haven’t even made a move yet."

"Give up. We have to take the disciples, cross the ocean, and flee to the Central Plains as fast as possible. It’s the only way to survive."

The war had been raging for only a day, but all the masters of the various sects had already realized this was not a fight between equals.

Defeat was inevitable.

The Martial Artists’ surrender heralded the complete collapse of the Song Realm’s defenses.

After holding on bitterly for three days, the entire border of the Song Realm fell.

Exotic Beasts rampaged across the land. The soldiers of Great Zhou made no effort to restrain them; instead, they burned, killed, and plundered, showing no regard for the people of the Song Realm as equal living beings.

Perhaps in their eyes, they were merely slaves, and slaves didn’t count as people.

All that awaited them was death or submission.

In times of chaos, what is the worth of a human life?

Hearing the news of Great Zhou’s rampage, countless people of the Song Realm began to rush madly toward the continent’s coast, trying to board ships to leave the Pangu Continent.

Staying meant either becoming food for the Exotic Beasts or being enslaved. Compared to that, taking a chance on the great sea seemed like a better option. At least there was a chance of survival.

They had heard that far across the ocean, there was a powerful court of the same root and origin. If they could just get there, perhaps they could survive.

Unfortunately, they were too far from the Old Blue Star Continent—a distance of ten thousand li.

Even with ships to carry them, such a long journey was an almost impossible undertaking.

The world ten thousand li away was nothing more than a beautiful, desperate hope for the people of the Song Realm.

In the chaotic territory of the Sea Border, aside from the lost and helpless common folk, there were hundreds of large and small circles of people who stood aloof from the frantic crowds.

The common people had been driven far away from them, creating a large, empty area.

These people were the noble class or the Martial Dao powers of the Great Song.

Unfortunately, at this moment, they could only display their might against the common people. Facing the vast, boundless sea, they were just as helpless.

"Master, what do we do?"

In the crowd, several people dressed in Daoist Robes witnessed this scene with solemn expressions.

There is a limit to human strength. Faced with such a situation, even they, as Martial Artists of a sect, were powerless.

"Protect yourselves. Find a way to contact the people on Blue Star as soon as possible."

"All methods of communication are down. I’m afraid they don’t even know what’s happening to us."

"Sigh... If there’s truly no other way, our only option is to cross the Sea Border."

Hearing this, the group looked out at the churning sea, momentarily speechless.

There were Exotic Beasts in the sea.

Even if those Exotic Beasts hadn’t appeared in the nearby waters yet, on such a long journey, it was hard to say when they might break through the Pangu Continent’s blockade and swarm into this part of the ocean.

Even setting aside the factor of Exotic Beasts, in the vast, boundless ocean, how would they navigate? How would they find the right direction? How would they survive?

"Look, what is that? Is it an Exotic Beast?"

Just as everyone was feeling lost and helpless on the chaotic edge of the Sea Border, someone suddenly pointed out to sea and screamed.

At the sound, the original din on the shore vanished in an instant. The gazes of over a hundred thousand people turned in unison toward the vast ocean before them.

"It’s a ship! It’s a ship!"

"What a huge ship!"

"There are more behind it! A lot more!"

Someone shouted in astonishment, and that single cry instantly sent the entire crowd into an uproar.