Chapter 153: Purpose?

Faced with the wanton slaughter of the Great Yong Dragon Sparrow Army, the Nine Heavens Army left to guard the main camp could no longer withstand the fierce assault of that Great Yong Dragon Sparrow, and could only choose to surrender or flee.

However, the Great Yong Dragon Sparrow gave them no chance to escape; like a leopard, it swiftly pursued and cut down each fleeing enemy on the battlefield.

When the last Nine Heavens soldier fell, this shocking slaughter finally ended.

With the combined aid of the Dharma Aspect War God Long Junzuo and the Great Yong Dragon Sparrow Dharma Aspect, the Great Yong Dragon Sparrow Army utterly crushed the ordinary troops of the Nine Heavens Army, a one‑sided massacre.

It directly destroyed the Nine Heavens Army's main camp and captured a large number of prisoners and spoils.

And that awe‑inspiring Great Yong Dragon Sparrow slowly dissipated into the night sky after the battle ended.

Yet its image was forever etched in the hearts of everyone who witnessed the battle.

Long Junzuo stood atop the ruins, overlooking the entire battlefield, his face showing no expression.

It seemed as if all of this had been within his expectations.

Yet his eyes revealed a hint of deep‑seated fervor and satisfaction.

He shifted his gaze toward the direction of Prince Xuan's City.

His eyes flickered with boundless killing intent.

Soon, Ye Sui.

Our decades of struggle.

It's time to draw an end to it.

The Great Yong dynasty possesses several elite Dao Soldier units, including the Great Yong Dragon Sparrow Army.

And as one of the three great surnameless kings of the Da Qian dynasty, the Cloud King.

He commands the Yun Province Nine Heavens Army, which has been locked in love‑and‑hate combat with the Eastern Lands Great Yong dynasty for hundreds of years.

Naturally, he has means to resist at his disposal.

And the Nine Heavens Army's trump card is likewise a Dao Soldier unit—the Jade Qilin Army—nurtured by the Cloud Prince's Mansion and the Nine Heavens Army over hundreds of years.

As an auspicious beast, this army represents sanctity and nobility.

It is the most elite cavalry unit under the Nine Heavens Army, led by Ye Sui, and the Nine Heavens Army's sole Dao Soldier unit; each rider wears splendid jade‑colored armor, and the banner bears an embroidered golden qilin.

Since the founding of the Nine Heavens Army, it has existed as its core force.

This army is called the Jade Qilin because each rider wears a splendid set of jade‑colored armor.

This armor is not only uniquely colored and warm‑lustrous, but also exquisitely crafted, as if carved from a single flawless piece of beautiful jade.

In sunlight, the jade‑colored sheen on the armor flashes with a mysterious, enchanting light, allowing one to instantly recognize it as the Nine Heavens Army's most elite unit.

Besides the armor, the Jade Qilin Army's flag is also a symbol of its distinct identity.

The flag bears an embroidered golden qilin that strides upon the clouds, mighty and imposing, as if it could leap from the banner at any moment to charge the enemy formation.

This qilin is not only the emblem of the Nine Heavens Army, but also the soul of the Jade Qilin Army.

Whenever the flag flutters in the wind, that golden qilin seems to display to the world the army's supreme glory and steadfast belief.

Besides its formidable combat power, the Jade Qilin Army also possesses deep cultural roots and strict moral demands.

Moreover, like this generation's commander of the Jade Qilin Army, Ye Sui, and the Great Yong Dragon Sparrow Army's Long Junzuo.

Their cultivation techniques all inherit from the Dao Soldier lineage.

That is to say, Ye Sui can likewise achieve what Long Junzuo can.

He can merge his own aura Dharma Aspect with the Jade Qilin's military Dharma Aspect.

To unleash even greater power.

Therefore, as a war god of the same era who can likewise combine with the Dao Soldiers under his command.

And yet he stands in two opposing forces.

Naturally, Ye Sui of the Nine Heavens Army and Long Junzuo of Great Yong have clashed many times.

But in their previous encounters.

Although Ye Sui's personal martial prowess falls short of Long Junzuo's.

But by relying on the Jade Qilin's military grand formation and military Dharma Aspect.

Even when Ye Sui and the Jade Qilin face Long Junzuo's Great Yong Dragon Sparrow Army, they are slightly at a disadvantage.

However, it is basically impossible for Long Junzuo to single‑handedly defeat Ye Sui.

Therefore, over these decades.

The two have exchanged blows countless times.

But the result is always the same.

Neither can overcome the other.

But this time, Ye Sui actually came without the Jade Qilin that is never far from his side.

Alone, he brought a contingent of the Nine Heavens Army into Great Yong territory.

Then, as the host, Long Junzuo and the Sparrow King behind him naturally ought to give Ye Sui a proper 'reception'.

Thus came this meticulously plotted scheme by Prince Xuan, beginning with a Hongmen Banquet, a series of nested traps.

To lure Ye Sui, this big fish.

Meanwhile, far away in Yun Province, within the Nine Heavens Army.

Wen Zhong, commander‑in‑chief of the Nine Heavens Army, usually solemn and decisive, now appears somewhat unsettled.

His right eyelid twitches uncontrollably, as if foreboding some ill omen.

He begins to feel a little uneasy.

Wen Zhong frowns tightly, pacing uneasily within the spacious tent.

Each step reveals his inner anxiety and irritability.

His gaze seems to pierce the tent's heavy curtains, reaching straight to the battlefield far a thousand li away.

His thoughts involuntarily drifted back to the details of Ye Sui's campaign in Great Yong since he set out.

Those day-and-night plans, meticulously arranged tactics, the scenes of soldiers fearlessly fighting and bravely slaying enemies, as well as the laughter of victory celebrations and the dejected faces in defeat, flashed through his mind like a movie.

Wen Zhong knew well that Ye Sui's this campaign against Great Yong carried great responsibility; a slight error could affect the entire battle situation.

And now, the twitching of his right eyelid made him feel an indescribable unease.

He strove to calm his emotions, trying to find some hint or omen from this unease.

Inside the great tent, the candlelight flickered, stretching Wen Zhong's shadow long and casting it upon the tent's cloth wall.

His shadow swayed with his pacing, like the undulations of his heart at this moment.

Suddenly, Wen Zhong stopped his steps, his gaze firm as he looked ahead.

As Commander-in-Chief of the Nine Heavens Army, he must remain calm and clear-headed to cope with any possible situation.

He took a deep breath, strove to suppress the unease in his heart, then turned and walked toward the map, beginning to study the battle situation carefully.

Recalling every detail of Ye Sui's campaign in Great Yong since he set out.

His brows were tightly knit, his eyes revealing deep contemplation and worry.

The smooth progress of Ye Sui's campaign in the Great Yong dynasty since he set out repeatedly replayed in his mind, yet it made him feel an indescribable unease.

This unease was not baseless; it stemmed from this divine general, peak commander's keen insight into the battle situation and deep understanding of the enemy.

The Great Yong dynasty, as the Nine Heavens Army's arch-enemy, has had numerous opponents who are historically crafty and changeable, adept at scheming.

Yet this time Ye Sui's expedition, although advancing with unstoppable force all the way, seemed overly smooth.

Behind this smoothness leaked a hint of the unusual, making Wen Zhong feel a pang of palpitations.

He recalled the various preparations before the expedition, and the soldiers' high morale and conviction of victory.

At that time, the entire Nine Heavens Army was immersed in the joy of taking advantage of Great Yong's misfortune, with no one delving into the truth behind it.

And now, when Wen Zhong calmed down and thought carefully, he only then realized that everything seemed too perfect, perfect to the point of being unbelievable.

He began to silently sort out every detail of the battle situation in his mind, trying to find a loophole.

However, the deeper he thought, the more he felt an intangible fear spreading in his heart.

(End of chapter)