Chapter 499: Bad News!!

The slaughter on the ground grew more intense at this moment; although the Sheng Lan Tribe's offensive was fierce, under the reinforcement of the Fenghai County's golden great web and amidst the roar of countless magic treasures, the various legions retreated in an orderly fashion.

Furthermore, war puppets, formed by the convergence and integration of a large number of cultivators, rushed out to provide support.

These puppets varied in size, the large ones being a thousand zhang and the small ones several dozen zhang; each contained multiple arrays, and the number of cultivators gathered within them also differed.

The larger ones held several thousand people, while the smaller ones had nearly a hundred.

The ones that had previously slaughtered the Reapers were these war puppets. The cultivation bases of the cultivators within them merged into one, erupting with combat power comparable to different stages of Spirit Storage; looking around, there were tens of thousands of these puppets, large and small.

Thus, very quickly, the human legions on the battlefield, under this continuous retreat, approached the golden great web and rapidly withdrew into it.

At the same time, the Red Spirit Emperor in the firmament gazed at the Palace Master and once again transmitted a voice like heavenly might.

"Kong Brother Liangxiu, at this moment, the Black Heaven Tribe and the human race are also at war, and the scale of the domain war far exceeds this place; therefore, the human Imperial Capital Domain is unable to send reinforcements, and you need not wait. You have no reinforcements."

"And as for the war in the human Imperial Capital Domain, all the great tribes of the Eastern Wanggu Continent are watching. As long as your human race shows even the slightest sign of decline, other tribes will rise to annihilate your human race."

"Do you know why this is?" the Red Spirit Emperor spoke calmly.

"Because the Flame Moon Profound Heaven Dynasty, among the supreme tribes of Eastern Wanggu, is approaching its 400,000-year Founding Hunting Ceremony, and the ancient agreement is also about to expire. No tribe wants to become its prey; thus, at this time, the human race, lacking a war domain treasure, is naturally the best sacrifice. By sending you up, the tribes can remain stable for another 100,000 years."

"Therefore, Kong Brother Liangxiu, the general trend is gone, and you do not have much time. This Emperor can give you one chance: surrender to my Sheng Lan Tribe. This is the only way for you to preserve Fenghai County."

These words transmitted from the mouth of the Red Spirit Emperor were not directed only at the Sword-Holding Palace Master, but spread across the entire battlefield, and even pierced through the golden great web, falling into the ears of every human cultivator here.

Clearly, this was an intentional act.

In an instant, everyone who heard this felt their minds shake; the Red Spirit Emperor's words possessed a mysterious power, causing feelings of despair to rise uncontrollably in people.

"To destroy the will of my Fenghai County to resist, you use your imperial status to speak such absurd words. Red Spirit Emperor, you are anxious."

The Palace Master's voice was as calm as ever, without any ripples, as if he were a massive rock; no matter how the raging waves crashed against him, he still possessed the ability to calm the sea.

At this moment, as his voice echoed, the ripples formed among the Fenghai County human cultivators due to the Red Spirit Emperor's words were rapidly pacified.

In the very next instant, the Palace Master's figure stepped out from the sky; as he raised his right hand, the Imperial Sword beside him shone with a brilliant light, its shape changing until it transformed into a long spear. After he grasped it, he charged straight at the Red Spirit Emperor.

As they clashed, the heavens and earth changed color, and they fought their way up into the sky; although their figures could soon no longer be seen from the battlefield below, the fluctuations coming from the sky were incomparably violent.

The slaughter on the battlefield also continued.

After all the human legions returned, the taboo light of the County Capital shone; one after another, taboo magic treasures from every sect in Fenghai County manifested artifact spirits on the great web, erupting fully and roaring outward in an attempt to stop the incoming force.

But Fenghai County was, after all, only the strength of one county, far inferior to a domain of the Sheng Lan Tribe. Therefore, the rhythm from beginning to end was in the hands of the Sheng Lan Tribe.

Even though they were currently facing only the Red Spirit Kingdom, it was still difficult to resist; they could only barely hold on, delaying the time of collapse while waiting for reinforcements from the Imperial Capital to arrive.

Time passed slowly like this. Soon, seven days went by.

This conventional war had continued until now; whether day or night, the roaring echoed constantly, and the slaughter went on without pause.

Although the Palace Master had not returned, under the arrangements of the Vice Palace Master and the Great Elders of the Sword-Holding Courts of each province, everything was still relatively orderly, and the defensive line, after experiencing several near-collapses, ultimately held firm.

The fifth defensive line, ten thousand miles to the rear, had also been more than half constructed.

As for Xu Qing, he had already entered the battlefield more than once to adapt to the rhythm of war, becoming familiar with the various legions.

He changed his own way of killing enemies, but injuries were unavoidable.

Although he had the purple crystal for recovery, that kind of mental exhaustion could not be dissipated; it could only accumulate continuously in his heart, blocking his throat and making people become silent.

He also encountered Spirit Storage cultivators of the Sheng Lan Tribe on the battlefield several times.

Fortunately, he did not go too deep and barely managed to save his life. However, there was one time he was heavily injured and on the verge of death.

Finally, he met Kong Kong Xianglong, joined the squad Kong Kong Xianglong was in, and together with Shan Shan Hezi and several hundred others, operated a war puppet, participating in the battlefield more deeply.

And under the crazy offensive of the Sheng Lan Tribe, in these seven days, the Fenghai County side had no time to rest at all; with such high-intensity warfare, everyone's nerves were pulled tight.

Only when the legions were rotating was there a short period of rest; every time this happened, Kong Kong Xianglong would lie on the ground, staring blankly at the sky, not saying a word.

Shan Shan Hezi was the same; he, who usually did not like to drink, would also at this time lean against the scarred, giant puppet, drinking wine with a face full of stubble.

Even though he was in his youthful years, his face had gained much vicissitude.

Xu Qing heard that Wang Chen... had also died in battle half a month ago, on the third day after Ye Ling's death.

It was to support Shan Shan Hezi.

His remains were not found during the interval of the war when both sides were clearing the battlefield; he had merged with countless flesh and blood, dying without a complete corpse. Xu Qing silently looked up into the distance; the sky was dim, and red light flickered from time to time, filling everything within sight.

In that direction was another front line of the Western Theater, and also the place guarded by the army of Yinghuang Province.

The Captain was there, and the Blood Refiner Ancestor was also there.

"I hope they are unharmed," Xu Qing muttered in his heart.

He could not transmit sound via jade slips; on the battlefield, this was restricted, and only battle reports could be delivered.

Oppression, silence, everything—this was the rhythm of the battlefield.

And the time for rest was very short.

With the arrival of the order to deploy, Kong Kong Xianglong climbed up and, without a word, headed straight for the war puppet that was permeated with flesh and blood and riddled with countless damages.

This was already the seventh puppet they had changed in seven days.

Shan Shan Hezi carefully put away the wine jar and walked over as well.

Xu Qing silently stood up and, together with the hundreds of cultivators gathering from all around, boarded the puppet and sat cross-legged inside.

As their cultivation bases spread out, the puppet instantly shook throughout, slowly emitting pressure, stepping toward the battlefield, and walking amidst the tremors of the ground.

During this movement, quite a bit of minced meat fell from the joints of the puppet; there were Reapers inside, but more of it was the blood of Sheng Lan Tribe soldiers that had fallen to the ground, only to be crushed again by the war puppets walking behind.

For the war puppet Xu Qing was in, he was responsible for the left hand, which held the power of destruction.

Sitting cross-legged inside at this moment, Xu Qing looked through the light screen guarding the surface at the battlefield drawing ever closer; his expression, unknowingly, had become like everyone else's—numb.

Until passing by the mountain of abandoned puppets, Xu Qing saw that there were no living people there.

The lame old man who had once told him to return alive—his corpse lay on a mountain of abandoned puppets, covered in purple-black. That was the mark of being submerged by alien substances.

Such corpses, Xu Qing had seen too many back in Nanhuangzhou.

For a battlefield with millions of people, the death of one person, apart from the comrades in his squad and the recording officer, was very difficult for others to notice.

Dying silently and without a trace.

Xu Qing was silent. In the next instant, the puppet he was in rushed out of the golden great web and, together with tens of thousands of identical puppets, converged into a great army and charged.

Time passed.

At dusk on the tenth day, the Palace Master returned.

His appearance caused the morale of the Fenghai County human race to rise significantly.

Rising, there seemed to be a glimmer of light in everyone's eyes.

And this conventional war, with the return of the Palace Master, saw the Sheng Lan Tribe side choose to rest, and an interval period appeared.

During this period, both sides

would send small-scale teams to the battlefield to retrieve the corpses belonging to their own side as completely as possible; although they would still clash and fight if they met, in the final analysis, they would instinctively choose to avoid each other.

As for Xu Qing, he also left the squad Kong Kong Xianglong was in; he was summoned back to the main tent by the Palace Master.

When he saw the Palace Master again, he did not see any signs of injury on the Palace Master; in fact, there was even a rich fire of life in his eyes, and the baleful aura on his body was even thicker.

This was not reasonable.

The battle between the Palace Master and the Red Spirit Emperor had lasted so long; it was impossible for him to have no injuries at all.

Xu Qing looked at the Palace Master, hesitated for a moment, and softly informed him of the information he had investigated in Mount Zhaoxia Province, while simultaneously taking out the Palace Master's token and handing it over with both hands.

The Palace Master took it, looked at it in his hand, and then threw it back to Xu Qing.

"This token, there are two in total; you keep this one. Perhaps it can provide you with the power to protect yourself in the future. Even if a new County Governor arrives and this token has all its permissions revoked, the power I have bestowed upon this token to trigger a taboo magic treasure once cannot be revoked."

"Palace Master." Xu Qing looked at this old man before him, ripples rising in his heart.

"Xu Qing, you have already grasped the battlefield these past few days, haven't you?" The Palace Master interrupted Xu Qing's words, looked up with a serious expression, but sighed in his heart.

He thought highly of Xu Qing and had originally intended to pay long-term attention and cultivate him well, eventually making him one of his successors, but the arrival of the war had changed everything.

There was not enough time.

"I have gained some understanding." Xu Qing lowered his head and spoke softly.

"Then next, you will continue to serve as the accompanying Secretary; record now!" The Palace Master's gaze fell outside the main tent, and he spoke calmly.

Xu Qing immediately said yes and took out the recording jade slip.

"Order the Sixth Legion and the Seventh Legion to retreat ten thousand miles and station at the fifth defensive line."

"Order the legions of Yinghuang Province and Quzhao Province to retreat thirty-eight thousand miles and station at the Yuheng Mountain Range."

"Order the Fourth and Fifth Legions to retreat seventy thousand miles and station at the border of Yutian Province."

"Order the Criminal Prison Department to disperse throughout Linlan Province, clear out all Black-Clothed Guards, and secure the route to Yutian Province."

"Order Yutian Province to keep their large-scale teleportation arrays open at all times from this moment on!"

"Secretly order the First Legion to head to the ley lines of Yutian and Qiling Provinces, check the burning situation of the earth fire, and accelerate the evacuation of the mortals of the two provinces."

Hearing this, Xu Qing looked up at the Palace Master.

"Palace Master, in this way, only the Sword-Holding Palace and the Second and Third Legions will remain here."

The Palace Master closed his eyes and transmitted his calm words.

"Go and issue the orders!"

Xu Qing lowered his head and retreated; as he was about to walk out of the main tent, he could not help but speak softly.

"Palace Master, Brother Kong's mood has been a bit low lately." The Palace Master did not speak.

Xu Qing waited for a moment and then left silently.

Until after he had left, the Palace Master opened his eyes; the vigorous fire of life that had appeared in his eyes before dimmed rapidly, but soon it was reignited, and the price was the blood overflowing from the corners of his mouth.

Outside the main tent, Xu Qing saw Kong Kong Xianglong standing there.

Kong Kong Xianglong looked at Xu Qing, nodded, and as the sound of a summons came from inside the tent, Kong Kong Xianglong walked in.

Looking at the dejected Kong Kong Xianglong, Xu Qing sighed in his heart, but he had to collect his thoughts and summon the Secretary Department to begin issuing the orders.

Just like that, time on the battlefield passed day by day.

The war continues, and it is becoming increasingly intense. As casualties increase daily and one legion after another is redeployed, the military camp has become much emptier than usual.

Only the corpses remain, piled up there one by one, growing ever more numerous.

Xu Qing walks through the military camp, moving forward silently. Twenty-three days have passed since he arrived at the battlefield.

In these twenty-three days, he has seen too much death, seen countless miseries, seen a living hell, and he has long since grown accustomed to the roaring sounds in his ears. Today is another lull in the fighting between the two sides, and he intends to find some people here to join his

Secretariat.

Because the Secretariat also has the duty of accompanying the troops into battle, over a hundred have died so far.

Now, there are not enough left.

Thinking of the number of war deaths he sees every day, Xu Qing's steps feel heavy. The image of the Palace Master appears in his mind; the other party is clearly becoming more and more abnormal.

No one's inner fire of life can be this intense, and the baleful aura radiating from his body is actually being gradually covered by the fire of life.

A look of sorrow appears in Xu Qing's eyes.

As a cultivator, even if he didn't notice it at first, after so long, he naturally understands now.

The Palace Master is burning his own potential. He is burning it at all costs, and the terrifying power gained from this burning is not being released by the Palace Master, but is being kept within his body, as if he is gathering strength.

"Will the reinforcements from the Imperial Capital really not arrive?" Xu Qing murmurs in his heart. This question is also the shared longing of all the human race in Fenghai County on the battlefield.

Even though Xu Qing is a Secretariat official and knows much of the battlefield information, regarding this... he is also completely ignorant.

After a long while, Xu Qing sighs inwardly. As he walks past the corpses, his footsteps suddenly pause, and he turns his head abruptly to look not far away.

There are two skeletons there. They were embracing each other before death. Their bodies have numerous wounds and are filled with thick foreign matter, yet even in sacrifice, they still have not let go of each other. Even though they only have their upper bodies left.

Xu Qing walks over silently, standing there, gazing at these two corpses for a long, long time.

"Senior Brother Chen..."

Those two corpses embracing each other are Chen Chen Tinghao and his dao companion.

When Xu Qing arrived at the front line more than twenty days ago, he had seen them. At that time, Chen Chen Tinghao was injured, and his dao companion was bandaging him. Upon seeing Xu Qing, they had even smiled at him.

But now, they are separated by the divide of life and death.

Xu Qing waves his hand to take off the cloak of his dao robe and covers the two corpses. After more than ten breaths, he murmurs softly.

"Rest in peace."

Xu Qing closes his eyes. When he opens them again, he leaves this place, and the horn for a new round of war sounds from the battlefield at this moment; the war has begun again.

The rhythm and frequency have clearly accelerated.

"Fully operate the taboo magic treasures, release seventy percent of the taboo power of each sect!"

"Order the war puppets to use the discarded ones as one-time weapons and throw them onto the battlefield!"

"Inform the Sword Holders to prepare the Imperial Sword!"

"The magic spikes within the defensive line, deploy the third-tier power, divide into five batches, and pierce into the battlefield root and branch."

"Notify the entire army to prepare for withdrawal to the fifth defensive line." Outside the main tent, the Palace Master stands there in armor, issuing orders. At this moment of battle, his divine sense transmission can change the color of the heavens and earth. There is no longer a need for the Secretariat to transmit the decrees one by one; all arrangements are within a single thought of his mind.

But he looks at the big picture; constrained by his energy, it is impossible for him to be infinitely detailed about the specifics.

At this time, Xu Qing needs to coordinate and arrange for suitable Secretariat disciples to immediately go to the battlefield to assist in supervising the battle and summarize the information upon their return, facilitating the Palace Master's verification and judgment of the war situation.

Soon, the slaughter between the two sides on the battlefield erupts continuously. This time it is more difficult than ever. On one hand, it is what he sees with his own eyes, and on the other, the summary of information from various areas of the battlefield gives Xu Qing a feeling that the great building is about to collapse.

"Palace Master, the fatigue level of the Sheng Lan Tribe cultivators is not right! The amount of black snow is also not right; it is fifty percent denser than at the same time in the past!"

"Based on battle damage, their magic tool operation, and their formations being different from the past... the Secretariat analyzes that the Sheng Lan Tribe has reinforcements secretly joining!"

Almost at the same time Xu Qing speaks, in the sky, in the far north region, a violent storm sweeps across the firmament, connecting to the earth, and howls toward the battlefield.

In an instant, the rain in that storm swirls between heaven and earth and falls onto the battlefield.

This rain is blood rain. It blows from the distant north.

At the same time, Xu Qing's command sword emits a rapid buzzing sound. A battle report from the northern war zone is transmitted here with unprecedented urgency.

Xu Qing's breathing becomes rapid. After checking it, his mind roars instantly. With his

composure, his expression changes drastically in an instant, and he instinctively grips the command sword tightly.

Outside the main tent, besides the Palace Master, there are the Vice Palace Master, two executive officers, and the Great Elders of the Sword Holder Court of the Second and Third Legions.

They also notice something is wrong and look abruptly at Xu Qing and the Palace Master.

The Palace Master's body trembles slightly. Clearly, the information Xu Qing received has also been sensed by him through the authority of the county capital's realm magic treasure.

The Sword Holder Palace Master, who has always been like a rock, like a stabilizing needle in the sea during the most critical time of the entire Fenghai County, shows sorrow on his face in front of everyone for the first time.

Amidst this sorrow, he gazes into the north.

But whether it is the trembling or the sorrow, it is only for an instant. The next moment, all these fragile emotions are completely severed by the Sword Holder Palace Master.

His body remains upright, his spine remains straight, his expression remains serious, and his gaze remains firm.

"Palace Master..." The Great Elders of the Sword Holder Court of the Second and Third Legions hesitate at this moment.

"Xu Qing, read it!" the Palace Master says calmly, his voice steady. Even now, he is still the stabilizing needle in the sea.

Xu Qing lowers his head and takes a deep breath.

"The northern taboo magic treasure network has collapsed, unable to gather again. The allied forces of all tribes have been defeated with countless casualties."

"The Heavenly Wind Dynasty and the Earth Soil Dynasty of the Sheng Lan Tribe have driven straight in and have already invaded Taihe Province!"

"The Palace Master of the Law Palace has died in battle!"

"The Palace Master of the Conduct Palace has died in battle!"

"And the Yao family... the entire clan that was advancing in the north has all died in battle. Marquis Yao himself has gone missing on the battlefield, his life or death unknown."

Xu Qing's words fall into the ears of the Vice Palace Master and the others like a thunderclap. Everyone's breathing hitches, and they all look at the Palace Master.

But the Palace Master smiles.

"This matter, by today, I have finally understood. Do not fear, you must not fear." The Palace Master raises his head, looks toward the battlefield, and speaks softly.

"The decisive battle is coming."

Almost the moment the Palace Master's words are spoken, a huge change occurs on the battlefield. All the Sheng Lan Tribe cultivators seem to have received a unified order, each emitting boiling cheers, and the army actually retreats in unison.

Soon they retreat from the battlefield to the King Tianlan Mountain Range, and along with them, all the diamond-shaped magic tools in the firmament also retreat.

Their departure makes the clouds and mist in the firmament much thinner, revealing the huge vortex high above.

Black snowflakes pour down from within. The countless severed hands on the ground clutching iron chains pull them frantically at this moment. A breath containing death permeates from within the firmament vortex. Just a wisp of it makes the firmament have the twilight of spring, and green smoke rises from the dim earth.

The iron chains extending into the vortex frost over visibly to the naked eye, becoming ice chains.

Subsequently, two earth-shattering, huge figures, after the Sheng Lan Tribe withdraws from the battlefield, stand tall on the left and right from the King Tianlan Mountain Range.

The one on the left is exactly the Red Spirit Emperor.

The one on the right is also wearing imperial robes and an imperial crown; clearly, it is also an Emperor of the four great dynasties of the Sheng Lan Tribe!

They stand between heaven and earth, their huge figures seeming to support the firmament, gazing at the main tent where the Palace Master is located.

"Kong Brother Liangxiu, the northern war zone has collapsed, our tribe's army has entered Fenghai County, and the Black Heaven War Domain Treasure here is descending. Everything is about to end."

"You know what a War Domain Treasure is, so you can try to stop it. We will not interfere, but in reality... you cannot stop it."

The vast voice echoes between heaven and earth. Outside the main tent, all the Sword Holders show determination. As the murderous intent rises to the sky, the Palace Master raises his head, looking at the two Emperors standing on the King Tianlan Mountain Range, his voice calm, spreading in all directions.

"Yes, everything is about to end."

After speaking, the Palace Master looks back at Fenghai County and speaks softly.

"Pass the order: the Second Legion and Third Legion here are to immediately withdraw from the defensive line, retreat ten thousand miles, and must not engage in battle."

"Pass the order: all Fenghai County cultivators here must not engage in battle."

"Pass the order: all other eight major legions that have retreated to their respective positions are to station in place and must not engage in battle."

"

Pass the order: all Sword Holders here... retreat five thousand miles and must not engage in battle!"

Once the Palace Master's words are spoken, the expressions of everyone around change one after another. Xu Qing looks up abruptly at the Palace Master.

The Vice Palace Master of the Sword Holder Palace steps forward, a look of twilight on his weathered face, and speaks in a low voice.

"None are allowed to engage in battle? Are you the only one left, Palace Master? I am old; I will go with you."

"Palace Master, Prince Sima Nan's cultivation base is not enough, but my blood still has some warmth; it cannot be wasted. I see that the icy cold emitted by that Domain Treasure is very good, and I want to go and cool off." Executive Officer Prince Sima has a look of death in his eyes, but he carries a smile on his face and also steps forward.

"Among the four executive officers, Old Zhou and Old Song are gone; only I and Prince Sima remain. Palace Master, you cannot favor Prince Sima; I naturally want to go too."

Executive Officer Sun, who presided over the oath-taking of their generation of Sword Holders when Xu Qing first went to the Sword Holder Palace, also smiles at this moment and steps forward.

Others also speak one after another, and at this moment, the icy power within the firmament vortex becomes increasingly intense.

The firmament is completely rendered in a ghostly color. With the rotation of the vortex, bursts of soul-stirring cold air rotate and disperse, shrouding heaven and earth. The green smoke that obscures everything is actually frozen between heaven and earth, turning into irregular pillars, which is shocking to the eye!

Looking at these, the Palace Master says indifferently.

"Am I still the Palace Master?"

Everyone is silent.

"Do you not want the Sword Holder Palace anymore?"

"Have these human combatants died in vain?"

"You all, execute the order immediately!"

The Palace Master emits a cold voice and walks toward the battlefield. As he raises his right hand and waves it, a vast storm rises to the sky, sweeping across this place, causing countless cultivators within this defensive line to tremble, pushed and forced to retreat until they are ten thousand feet away.

In the dim heaven and earth, on the entire fourth defensive line, only one lonely figure who has never taken off his armor remains.

Yellow sand rises in the wind, frost rises from the ground, and everything is hazy.

Only that figure walks further and further away, his momentum growing stronger. Moreover, with a wave of his hand, the Dao Bell floating in the sky emits a sharp cry, detaches from the surrounding coffins, flies out alone, and heads straight for the vortex to suppress it.

Then, the Palace Master's hoarse voice spreads in all directions.

"Hong Ling, Yue Wu, do you two dare to fight me!"

Dimly, it seems that wherever he passes, clouds and mist turn to ice, and the earth rises.

"A battle report has arrived from the northern front!"