Chapter 470: Frost and Ash Ignite the Plains: Success and Revenge, the Horror of Hekou

With the resilience of frost, burn through Chu’s lands;

Resist oppressive taxes, restore our food and clothing;

Smash the household registers, no one is noble or base.

Though these three slogans were taboo in Chen Cang, the number of people who knew them was far from small—not just Zhang Long and the other district officials, but even ordinary Digging Earth cultivators had heard of them.

So when thousands shouted the slogans in unison, everyone instantly understood—especially when over a thousand armed men burst from the millet fields, roaring as they charged toward Zhang Long and his men, six words flashed instantly in their minds:

“The Frost Ash Society has rebelled!”

With that thought, apart from the rebels themselves, the reactions of all others split roughly into two groups.

The first were those uninvolved in the rebellion; their faces showed fear, and they immediately began retreating. The second were Zhang Long and the district officials—their faces turned deathly pale, filled with shock and terror.

If only the thousand men emerging from the millet fields were involved, it wouldn’t have mattered much.

The key was that thousands of Digging Earth cultivators surrounding them—three or four thousand at least—were now also roaring in unison; that was the true cause of their panic.

Swoosh… swoosh… swoosh…

Dozens of swift iron arrows shot from the direction of the millet fields, striking several district officials not wearing iron armor—each arrow carried immense force, piercing throats clean through, killing instantly.

“Powerful Sinew Bows—where did they get Power Sinew Bows?”

“It’s not just Power Sinew Bows—look at their thousand-forged iron armor and the weapons in their hands! Don’t you see?”

“Their qi-blood state is wrong too—how did they recover so fast?”

………………

“All of you, shut up!”

Zhang Long, as a regional commander, forced his composure and roared to silence those around him, then bellowed orders: “So what if they came prepared? At most four thousand men, fewer than a thousand capable fighters—the rest three thousand are rabble, mere disorganized rebels, no threat at all! Follow me and kill the traitors!”

After speaking those final words, though his face had grown paler, Zhang Long still forcibly drew his waist blade, slashing aside several incoming iron arrows, then turned to the surrounding Digging Earth cultivators, eyes flashing sharply as he roared: “Tonight, anyone who stands with me to crush the rebel army—”

“Corrupt official, die!”

Zhang Long’s words were not merely interrupted by shouts—simultaneously, several blades flashed straight toward his face.

Huh…

It was Liu Zhang, who had just escaped, returning to fight again.

He wasn’t alone—two towering black-clad men, wearing crimson-faced, fanged demon masks and wielding silver greatswords, charged with him.

“Protect the Commander!”

Zhang Long had already been stabbed hard in the chest, so when he saw Liu Zhang, he immediately retreated.

Fortunately, Zhang Hu reacted swiftly behind him, barked an order, and the remaining seven deputy commanders, over a hundred district guards, and more than a hundred Cold-Resisting cultivators from the district all nocked arrows and fired at the three attackers.

“Brothers, the district won’t let us live—what are you waiting for? Join the Frost Ash Society and rebel! We outnumber them—only by fighting can we survive!”

“That’s right! Going into the millet fields means death anyway—better to fight!”

“The Frost Ash Society has so many people—don’t be afraid, charge!”

………………

“Tonight, anyone who stands with me to crush the Frost Ash Society rebels—I will report your deeds to the county seat, remove your slave status, and…”

The district had nearly three hundred Cold-Resisting cultivators, plus over a thousand Digging Earth Limit loyalists—so Zhang Long hadn’t been trapped immediately and managed to retreat safely.

Once at a secure position, Zhang Long quickly finished his unfinished words, ignoring his wounds, forcing qi-blood into his throat to project his voice across the entire field.

But the fury of the ten thousand Digging Earth cultivators around him had already been fully ignited by the Frost Ash Society.

These ten thousand Digging Earth cultivators had been forced here by the district tonight; when they first realized the Frost Ash Society had rebelled, their instinct was to retreat—but as the core members surged from the reed millet fields, and the three thousand outer-circle rebels roared in support, the momentum swelled, and their hearts subtly shifted.

Added to that, the Frost Ash Society’s deliberate, inciting shouts ignited their emotions instantly, and their courage surged.

“That’s right, brothers! Either way, we’re dead—let’s fight!”

“Rebel with the Frost Ash Society!”

“If we don’t rebel, we’ll be sent into the millet fields—what’s there to fear?”

“Surround these corrupt officials and kill them!”

………………

Fear turned to boldness—the remaining ten thousand Digging Earth cultivators erupted. Though unarmed, they held the iron sickles issued by the district for harvesting millet. Countless roars rose as all raised their sickles, instantly surrounding Zhang Long and the other thousand district personnel.

The hundred district guards, who had originally aimed their bows at the rebels charging from the western millet fields, now turned their arrows inward, targeting the nearest rebels.

“No!”

Seeing this, Zhang Long’s eyes bulged with rage as he shouted to stop them.

Swoosh…

Too bad, his voice was still a step too late.

One soldier, clearly nervous, trembled and released his bowstring prematurely.

Puch!

The district guards’ bows were Power Sinew Bows with over one zong pull—deadly against unarmored ordinary Digging Earth cultivators.

The Digging Earth cultivators were packed too tightly—the arrow pierced through at least three bodies, knocking down over a dozen in a single shot.

“Younger brother!”

“Father!”

“Ahh…”

“I’ll kill you, corrupt official!”

………………

The situation was now utterly out of control!

The relatives of the three killed—about a dozen—lost all restraint, eyes blazing red, screaming as they charged the district guards with their iron sickles; everyone else was swept along.

The difference between regular soldiers and common civilians was immense.

The hundred district guards would never stand idle—rebel crowds were less than ten meters away, giving them few chances to shoot, so they frantically nocked and fired, instantly killing hundreds more.

“Crush the rebel army!”

Zhang Long realized the situation was beyond salvage. With no way to recover, and fearing morale collapse, he concealed his own despair, deliberately roaring orders to rally them.

The district guards’ arrows were useless against the ocean of bodies.

The ten thousand Digging Earth cultivators charged without fear, so densely packed the guards couldn’t even nock arrows—when they tried, their bowstrings were severed mid-draw by incoming iron sickles.

“Kill!”

Digging Earth cultivators were as fragile as paper before Cold-Resisting cultivators—especially these, unarmored, wielding only hundred-forged short iron sickles.

As the hundred district guards, the hundred-plus district personnel, Zhang Long, and dozens of other officials moved to attack, the scene turned instantly bloody.

The stench of blood did not deter—it only fueled the crowd’s frenzy. Those lingering on the outskirts, stirred by the screams and roars, surged forward en masse.

“Rebel traitors, deserve death—get out of my way!”

One front-line district guard roared, slashing his greatsword to kill three or four men ahead, then swept sideways to shove away a dozen more, aiming his blade downward at the next target.

Jing…

At the last instant, Hong Xicheng appeared, armored in iron, raising his sword to block the blow—then without hesitation, he kicked the soldier’s abdomen with all his strength.

Bang…

The soldier was kicked back only four or five steps—he’d already killed many, expended great strength, proving his power far exceeded Hong Xicheng’s.

“You think your one-zong strength lets you act tough before me? Even in this armor, you’re just an ant—die, soldier!”

The soldier instantly sensed Hong Xicheng’s strength, sneered, leapt forward, and slashed down at him.

Jing… Crack…

Hong Xicheng raised his sword again to block—the blades clashed, sparks flew. His strength was no match; his arms weakened, the sword’s back slammed hard onto his right shoulder with a sharp crack.

One strike—bone shattered!

“Your pitiful strength dares to—”

Puch!

The soldier sneered as he spoke—but before he finished, a blade flashed across his throat. His pupils dilated instantly; he dropped his sword, staggered back, clutched his neck with his right hand, pointed his left at Hong Xicheng, staggered as blood spilled, face filled with disbelief.

“You… you…”

Divine Courage Pill—truly peerless in courage!

I feel no pain at all.

Hong Xicheng glanced at his right shoulder—flesh torn, bone exposed—and his pupils glowed with excitement and awe.

The soldier had assumed his shoulder was shattered, his strength gone, and kept pressing down with full force—unaware Hong Xicheng felt no pain whatsoever. At the last moment, he freed his right hand, drew his waist dagger, and delivered a fatal strike.

“Why don’t they feel pain? Something’s wrong!”

“They truly don’t feel pain—be careful! They must’ve taken strong drugs!”

“Retreat—fall back…”

“Where to retreat? We’re surrounded on all sides—retreat my ass, fight to the death!”

“Take out the Blood Rage Powder—swallow it now, or we all die!”

………………

This soldier’s death was merely a microcosm—soon, more and more people noticed the Frost Ash rebels’ abnormality: their utter indifference to pain and injury.

Though Hong Xicheng was the first to clash with the district guards, he wasn’t the only one—by the time he unexpectedly slew that soldier, the thirty-six sub-branch Cold-Resisting cultivators and over a thousand Digging Earth Limit rebels had already surged into the inner circle, locked in brutal combat with Zhang Long and his men.

The district officials were vile, but their strength was undeniable.

With three hundred Cold-Resisting cultivators—including the hundred district guards—and over a thousand loyal Digging Earth Limit fighters, they held firm against ten thousand ordinary Digging Earth cultivators, not breaking formation or showing signs of collapse.

True signs of disarray only emerged after the Frost Ash Society’s thousand-strong force charged in and clashed directly with them.

Especially as more and more realized the rebel forces felt no pain, panic began to creep in—but under the commandant Zhang Hu’s shouted warning, the Cold-Resisting cultivators quickly pulled out red powders from their robes and swallowed them.

After swallowing the red powder, their faces instantly flushed crimson, and bloodshot veins spiderwebbed through their pupils; those who had been injured and moved sluggishly now moved with full normalcy.

Seeing this, Hong Xicheng’s expression darkened instantly.

Clearly, this Blood-Rage Powder was similar to the Divine Valor Pill.

These district officials and the County Guard troops—how could their arsenal be any less than ours, the dirt-stained peasants?

BOOM…………

As Hong Xicheng’s mind churned in turmoil, two silver blades erupted from the center of the crowd ahead, and the earth shuddered violently.

“Younger brother!”

Zhang Long’s grief-stricken roar rang out. Hong Xicheng stared forward—and saw the scene before him, his face instantly alight with relief.

It was the two guardians wearing crimson-faced, fanged demon masks. Their power was terrifying—one shielded while the other charged, having already cut through to the heart of the crowd and clashed with Zhang Long and his men.

With the formation shattered, Zhang Long and the other district officials had long since broken off into scattered skirmishes with their subordinates. In his own zone, only he, his brother Zhang Hu, and dozens of County Guard soldiers remained.

The two guardians had been relentlessly attacking Zhang Long and his brother, but the dozens of County Guard soldiers fiercely protected Zhang Long, preventing any breakthrough. Frustrated, they switched targets and turned on Zhang Hu.

Zhang Hu’s strength was already inferior to his elder brother’s, and he was not a protected target of the County Guard. The moment the guardians switched targets, they struck instantly.

CRACK…………

The guardian who had just stabbed through Zhang Hu’s throat, upon hearing Zhang Long’s hysterical scream, didn’t stop—he turned his head, glanced at Zhang Long, then slammed his right hand forward, severing Zhang Hu’s head clean off.

Then he grabbed a strand of Zhang Hu’s loose hair and, with deliberate provocation, flung the severed head backward toward Zhang Long.

“Aaaahhhhh! You fiends—I’ll slaughter you! All County Guard, follow me—kill this monster!”

Seeing his decapitated brother, Zhang Long lost all composure, roaring as he drew his blade and charged straight at the guardian.

Though he seemed out of control, his call to the County Guard soldiers revealed he wasn’t charging blindly.

He had taken the Blood-Rage Powder—his chest wound was temporarily suppressed—and with dozens of County Guard soldiers, he had a chance against the two guardians.

“Heh—he killed so many, yet you never shed a tear. Now that you’ve lost one brother, you’re losing your mind?”

“Aaaahhh…”

Zhang Long heard nothing else. His blade swung straight at the guardian. The dozens of County Guard soldiers surged forward, instantly surrounding the two guardians.

WHOOSH…………

The County Guard wielded swords too. Under the assault of dozens of Cold-Resist-level fighters, the two guardians’ movements grew constrained—but their power was simply too great. Even surrounded, they still shattered gaps with brute force. Though they rarely killed, escaping was clearly easy for them.

“Damn it, damn it! Nearly forty Cold-Resist levels—where did the Frost Ash Society get such powerful experts? We’re finished—even if we survive this…”

Zhang Long turned to survey the battlefield—his pupils instantly filled with despair.

The two guardians deliberately didn’t flee—they were clearly diverting attention for the others. He saw it clearly. And the situation around them was growing worse by the second.

Blood-Rage Powder wasn’t common. The Cold-Resist-level fighters and County Guard carried it—but none of the thousand-plus Earth-Digging-level fanatics had any.

We were already outnumbered. The rebel force of over a thousand Earth-Digging-level fanatics had taken pills that ignored pain. The outcome was inevitable.

Already, over twenty percent of those thousand fanatics were dead—and mass panic had set in. Some had begun kneeling, begging for mercy.

“Now you beg? Give me back my father’s life!”

“When my sister was sold to the city brothels, I knelt and begged you—did you spare her? Now you want me to spare you? Dream on!”

“My son was driven to death last month in your millet fields—I’ll kill you, kill you…”

“Aaah… Aaah…”

“Mercy, spare me… Aaah…”

………………

Just moments ago, Zhang Long’s group had slaughtered over four thousand. The stench of blood had stripped everyone of reason. Those who knelt and begged hadn’t even finished their pleas before they were swallowed whole by the furious mob.

You didn’t need to look—just from their agonized screams, you could tell what awaited them beneath the crowd.

“Run! Go to the Reed River Camp for help!”

Zhang Long jolted awake. Seeing the crowd swell around him, his shattered reason returned—he realized if he didn’t flee now, he’d die here. He made his decision instantly.

“Too late to run now!”

But the two guardians they’d just surrounded weren’t done.

WHOOSH…………

Seeing the County Guard soldiers begin retreating toward the eastern flank—the least crowded direction—the two guardians leapt high, stepping on soldiers’ heads to race to the eastern gap and help the Earth-Digging-level rebels hold the line.

SPLASH…………

Both guardians were at 38 Cold-Resist levels. They surged to the east and slaughtered the fastest-charging soldiers. Seeing Zhang Long and the others charging behind, they shouted loudly: “Lord Hong! Bring your men—don’t let a single one escape!”

“Your orders are heard!”

Hong Xicheng now had only twenty-five men left. But at the guardians’ cry, he roared back instantly, rallying his remaining twenty-five Cold-Resist-level fighters to swarm toward the east.

Yet suddenly, he remembered something. He turned his head toward the western reed millet fields, where over a hundred men stood holding iron sickles, their faces filled with hesitation. He bellowed: “You all—standing still now won’t save you! Today’s uprising grants a share to all who witness. Do you think the Reed River Camp and the Deputy Prefect will spare you?”

The hundred-odd men standing outside the reed millet fields were all Cold-Resist-level slaves from Qingwu Village. The commotion had drawn them out from the fields—they’d stood frozen, clearly still deliberating.

Now, hearing Hong Xicheng’s cry, some snapped to attention. Seeing the district officials reduced to only two or three hundred Cold-Resist-level fighters, hatred flared in their eyes. They raised their sickles and charged toward the fray.

Once one moved, the rest—even those reluctant—were swept up by emotion and surged forward together.

“Run!”

Seeing the hundred-plus Cold-Resist-level slaves charging, Zhang Long and the deputy commanders froze in terror. They had nearly three hundred men—still over two hundred left—but now they faced over ten thousand enemies.

They couldn’t hold back ten thousand Earth-Digging-level rebels. Now, with a hundred more Cold-Resist-level slaves joining?

Zhang Long’s cry of “Run!” was the final signal that the rebellion had succeeded.

After failing to break east, the two hundred-plus Cold-Resist-level fighters pivoted sharply southeast. Their sudden turn caught the two guardians and Hong Xicheng’s group off guard—and they actually carved out a gap.

Zhang Long and three deputy commanders, along with over thirty County Guard soldiers, burst through.

“Liu Zhang, come with us. Lord Hong, keep surrounding and slaughtering.”

“Your orders are heard!”

After the Liu Guardian gave his order, he and the other guardian charged straight after Zhang Long and his group.

“Run, run—once we reach Reed River Camp, we’re saved!”

Zhang Long’s chest wound flared again—he realized the Blood-Rage Powder’s effect was fading. His face turned ashen. He glanced back: the two guardians and Liu Zhang had already killed over ten County Guard soldiers. Fear gripped his pupils. His legs burned with the need to fly—he sprinted like a man possessed.

He was still 35 Cold-Resist-level. With all his will focused on escape, his speed was swift. In barely ten breaths, he’d pulled over ten meters ahead. The two guardians and Liu Zhang fell farther behind—so much so that they slowed, distracted by chasing others. He exulted, redoubling his pace.

WHOOSH…………

Yet as he passed beneath a massive tree, a furious wind suddenly roared from above.

It was a blade!

Zhang Long sensed the ambush. His heart, just sinking, shot back to his throat. Panic flooded his pupils. He raised his blade instinctively to block overhead.

“Dog official—where are you running?”

He was already a frightened bird. Hearing the young voice above, he raised his blade—and instinctively looked up. The attacker wore the same crimson-faced, fanged demon mask as the two guardians behind him. His soul trembled. In the final instant, he dropped his guard—not to block, but to collapse backward onto the ground.

He was gravely wounded, his strength reduced to six or seven tenths. The Frost Ash Society’s guardians were nearing 40 Cold-Resist levels. This sudden strike—if he’d tried to block, he’d be dead.

SPLASH…………