Chapter 1047

Wonderful Sound Divine Kingdom, the imperial capital Heavenly Sound City.

This is a human state where women predominate and every God Emperor is female; its relations with Wa Island are extremely close, it frequently exchanges with several human fate-field continents, and its national strength is extremely formidable.

Thus, although the Wonderful Sound Divine Kingdom also suffered invasions by demons, those demons were all slain by the kingdom.

The current God Emperor of the Wonderful Sound Divine Kingdom, Wa Qingxi, holds a five-stringed zither, sits cross-legged on a white cloud, behind her, in a flourish of warblers and swallows, stand hundreds of female officials of the Wonderful Sound Divine Kingdom, and around them are arrayed a million elite troops of the Divine Kingdom.

"Is that the lord of Wuguo, Wu Tie? He looks as if he hasn't eaten enough." Wa Qingxi had been on the throne for only a few years; as a God Emperor of a state, her age is relatively young, her personality is also carefree and lively, so she publicly critiques Wu Tie, who stands on the prow of the distant Slaughter-God vessel.

"He's so thin... alas, as the lord of a state, how could he possibly shortchange himself? He must not be hungry but given to drink and lust, his body wasted." Wa Qingxi's black-and-white eyes swiveled, and she gave a teasing 'hee-hee' laugh together with a few nearby palace ladies.

The Wuguo army formed ranks in the void.

A row of three hundred sixty small Slaughter-God vessels stretched out in a line, and behind them a million new-style warships were arrayed; countless giant god-soldiers lay like dark clouds, densely packed in midair, while the ground below, spanning tens of thousands of li, saw no light at all, sunlight blocked completely by Wuguo's massive battle formation.

Tens of thousands of li away, the Heavenly Court's formation grew ever larger; just in terms of ship numbers and troop strength, it was at least thirty times that of the Wuguo army.

After all, the human populace, with hundreds of top clans and countless branch tribes accumulating strength over many years, each tribe need only contribute a little resources and warriors to be enough to pile the Heavenly Court into a terrifying giant beast.

Layer upon layer of floating clouds roiled; within the clouds lightning flashed, fire intertwined, water vapor shot upward, and starlight speckled here and there, like countless fireflies flickering.

Although Gongsun Yao did not continue to use Ji Bai Jie's Nine Divisions of the Heavenly Court and the organization of the myriad heavenly grottoes, he employed the various forging blueprints left by Ji Bai Jie, so the warships, floating clouds, and other armaments he forged carried a strong Heavenly Court style.

The Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, and Qilin—these five great legions—all had large numbers of elite troops gathered here.

Gongsun Yao had already issued a death order to all department elders and commanders: once he wins, he will on the spot severely wound Wu Tie, capture him alive, and the troops of each department need only seize the moment to crush and annihilate the Wuguo army.

Thus, above the Heavenly Court's floating-cloud formation, a dozen or so three-legged golden crow phantoms flickered in and out of view, dozens of clusters of spark-fire seeds swayed gently, and the phantoms of ancient divine beasts such as the Candle Dragon, Yingdragon, Qilin, and Phoenix coiled and intertwined.

Above several layers of floating clouds, moreover, bells, cauldrons, pagodas, swords, banners and other implements glittered, as streams of spiritual light and auspicious qi burst forth, causing the void to undulate and tremble from the vibrations emitted by these powerful implements.

"Be careful!" Bai Ying tugged at Wu Tie's sleeve.

Wu Tie smiled and nodded at Bai Ying, then pointed at Zhu Yi: "Over there, little miss Hu Lu Lu, I'm not coming back, don't go cause trouble…… your staff is too heavy; after all, she is also a state lord, if you beat her to death with one blow, it won't end well."

Zhu Yi and Chen Long had just been sneaking sideways glances at Wa Qingxi.

Zhu Yi was scheming in her heart, waiting for Wu Tie to go out to keep his appointment and duel with Gongsun Yao, then she would bring Chen Long to launch a surprise attack on Wa Qingxi, properly disciplining that chatterbox girl.

Hearing Wu Tie's warning, Zhu Yi stared blankly, then suddenly, weak and listless, she squatted on the ground and with a 'whoosh' pulled out a huge wine vat.

With a few 'glug-glug' sounds, in Wu Tie's command of generals, about half of the generals involuntarily swallowed their saliva.

Wuguo's military discipline is strict; Xiahou Wuming concurrently serves as the army's judicial officer, and drinking is prohibited in the ranks. Only Zhu Yi, who is not considered a Wuguo soldier at most a private companion of Wu Tie, drinks heavily before the army formation, and who knows how many Wuguo commanders have been driven to thirst by her.

A bolt of lightning howled, and Gongsun Yao, clad in an extremely splendid imperial coronet robe, stepped upon the lightning to arrive at the position exactly between the two armies.

With hands behind his back, the stalwart Gongsun Yao bellowed: "Where is the lord of Wuguo, Wu Tie?"

Wu Tie chuckled as he stepped out, treading the void, walking step by step toward Gongsun Yao.

Although walking seemed slow, Wu Tie could cover thousands of li with a single step; after only seven or eight steps he stood before Gongsun Yao. Clad in a simple green robe, Wu Tie nodded to Gongsun Yao and said: "I am Wu Tie; are you the current Heavenly Lord, Gongsun Yao?"

Gongsun Yao looked Wu Tie up and down, his face rather displeased.

As previously stated, Wu Tie's divine body had reached perfection, forged into a perfect divine form; his height, when not employing divine techniques, remained fixed at one zhang six chi, neither taller nor shorter by an increment.

Although he had previously lost a vast amount of essence-blood, making him still appear skin-and-bones, Wu Tie's qi throughout his body was utterly unified, as if faintly connected to heaven and earth, and an intangible dignity and heavenly pressure inexplicably enveloped his whole person.

Gongsun Yao also counts as stalwart; in both height and bearing, he is inferior to Wu Tie by a fraction.

Gongsun Yao gave a light cough, his body swayed slightly, he exercised a minor divine technique, and his stature became three zhang six chi tall; consequently Wu Tie came up only to his waist, and he looked down on Wu Tie from on high, laughing with great satisfaction.

Wu Tie pursed his lips.

Wu Tie's civil and military officials, and countless seasoned soldiers, all snorted and shook their heads.

The elders and generals of the human populace stared at one another, unable to speak—here was the lord of the Heavenly Court, the acknowledged leader of the human forces present, yet before so many low-ranking soldiers he acted in such a 'childish' manner……

Losing face in public—nothing could be more embarrassing.

Wu Tie smiled and said: "I never expected the Great Heavenly Venerable to still have a child's heart."

Gongsun Yao stared blankly; he faintly sensed that Wu Tie's words were not a compliment, but he could not figure out what they meant.

Wu Tie was saying he was 'childish,' but Gongsun Yao didn't get it at all!

He snorted coldly, feigning dignity with a few light coughs, then Gongsun Yao pointed backward with his other hand at the enormous Heavenly Court army behind him—its armaments and troops numbering at least thirty times that of the Wuguo army—and declared haughtily: "Wu Tie, are my Heavenly Court's mighty troops still formidable?"

Wu Tie looked at those soldiers.

How could they not be formidable? Gazing at the Heavenly Court's troops, Wu Tie almost began to salivate.

Nowadays, the Wuguo army, aside from the daily increase in the number of venerable-level experts, aside from the giant god-soldiers who fear no death and possess surpassing combat power, in fact its regular military strength is quite ordinary.

Whether it be the Heavenly Martial Army, the Five Elements Spirits, or the human armies rescued and reorganized over the past two years, none of them practice the Primordial Classic; among their divine-level beings, the vast majority enter the Dao via a single major path or even a side heterodox path.

Among Wuguo's commanders, aside from the Wu clan youths, the various great commander houses and great clans also have few who can reach the divine level via a hundred Dao.

Yet among the Heavenly Court army before us, within the human populace's officers, nearly one-tenth have cultivated the Primordial Classic.

Those strands of Dao markings condensed into dragon-shaped light and shadow—those officers who casually cultivate three to five hundred Dao.

Wu Tie's mouth watered with desire!

Moreover, the ordinary soldiers of the Heavenly Court army all come from the human fate-fields; they are elite troops meticulously cultivated by the various great human tribes. They basically have activated one or even several bloodlines, and their combat power far surpasses that of the human soldiers the Wuguo army has drafted from various battlefields and hunting grounds.

"Formidable, absolutely formidable…" Wu Tie slowly nodded: "They can be called the first invincible strongest army under heaven; my Wuguo's regular regiments are inferior to yours…… far inferior. Well, if ordinary soldiers were to meet you head-on, you could completely defeat my Wuguo army with a one-to-a-hundred ratio."

Gongsun Yao drew a deep breath.

Wu Tie's words made him feel completely refreshed.

He smiled, full of pride, and asked Wu Tie: "If that's the case, you acknowledge my Heavenly Court's troops as invincible; why then do you still have the gall to provoke the Heavenly Court?"

Wu Tie, hands behind his back, fell silent for a moment, then asked Gongsun Yao: "Have you ever gone hungry?"

Gongsun Yao stared blankly, looking blankly at Wu Tie: "I ask you, my Heavenly Court's troops……"

Wu Tie said coldly: "Have you seen newborn infants, because their mother gave birth to two or three children, only the strongest is kept, while the other two are abandoned in stone caves to be gnawed by snakes and insects?"

Gongsun Yao felt a bit at a loss, and he said solemnly: "Wu Tie, this time, I am challenging you…… it is the Heavenly Court challenging your Wuguo head-on."

Wu Tie, hands behind his back, said in a drawn-out tone: "Have you seen pregnant women with swollen bellies, who, in order to give the child inside a slightly better cultivation aptitude, risk nine deaths to one life, descend into the mortal world, and bathe in stellar radiance?"

Without waiting for Gongsun Yao to reply, Wu Tie continued: "Have you seen, in order to reduce population and create living space, those elderly, weak, and sick underground civilians, who have fortified every brick and stone into strongholds, launching suicidal attacks?"

"Have you seen, for a single divine-level quota, letting tens of millions, even hundreds of millions of warriors fight bloodily, using flesh and blood to fill slab after slab of heavenly deity orders?"

Have you ever seen… for personal gain, plundering exceptionally talented human youths, sacrificing them to gain power?

You, have you ever seen the white bones piled high in the frontiers of every human divine kingdom?

You, have you ever seen, in the demonic realms, mountain after mountain of corpses and seas of blood?

You, have you ever smelled, in the boiling water, the scent of flesh and blood of those innocent children?

You, have you ever thought, your parents, your elders, because they were old and useless, were cut down like harvesting wheat, then thrown away like trash into the sea?

Gongsun Yao stared blankly, he shouted hoarsely: "What's the point of saying this? I came…"

Wu Tie flashed, suddenly appearing before Gongsun Yao, a slap struck his face head-on.

Gongsun Yao was caught off guard; Wu Tie's palm was too fast, he had no time to react. However, Wu Tie didn't use much force, nor did any killing intent leak out, and several of his protective spirit treasures showed no reaction.

A slap, a crisp sound, Gongsun Yao's cheek slightly reddened and swollen.

Wu Tie looked at Gongsun Yao and sneered: "You have the nerve to flaunt your Heavenly Court's martial arts before me, to flaunt your invincible legions… these martial arts, these legions, and also you high-and-mighty human dignitaries, the essences of the three-legged golden crows, the sparks of the sui fire, the legacies of divine beasts and birds, the secret treasures of ancient inheritance…"

You are so powerful, yet what have you done all these years?

Gongsun Yao, furious, pointed at Wu Tie wanting to shout a rebuke, but Wu Tie lightly grabbed with his right hand toward the distance; thirty thousand li outside, a vast plain beyond Heavenly Sound City shook violently.

A plain three hundred li long and wide rose into the air in perfect order, the soil and rock layers a hundred li thick torn open by Wu Tie's single hand.

Layers of sand and soil scattered down, revealing countless bones beneath.

There were human, beast, bird, and the skeletons of all manner of great demons, flowers, birds, insects, and fish.

But over ninety percent were human bones.

White with bloodstains, those who died within ten years.

Pale white with traces of earthly vapor, those who died roughly twenty to thirty years ago.

More are slightly yellowed, even somewhat blackened bones; these human bones have been dead for about a hundred years.

And there are ever more bone fragments, bone dust… these are the remains of those who died who knows how many years ago, the bones have dissolved and merged with the earth.

Pa!

Wu Tie gave another slap to Gongsun Yao's face.

Look, look, count them—Miaoyin Divine Kingdom is amazing, facing the demonic invasion they remain unscathed… but look, look, you dig up every inch of Miaoyin Divine Kingdom's land and see how many bones lie below, how many human subjects were slaughtered!

You Heavenly Court are mighty, powerful, invincible, oh great Heavenly Venerable, not thinking how to subdue demons and rescue the common folk, you have leisure to come duel me one-on-one!

Hehe, do you think you're a hero?

Do you think you're remarkable?

Do you think that by defeating me, Wu Tie, you become a pillar of heaven, a talent and leader, able to become a renowned great figure of humanity?

Wu Tie gave another slap to Gongsun Yao's face.

Gongsun Yao, furious, clenched his fists and roared at Wu Tie: "Wu Tie, I warn you, I am the Heavenly Court's Great Heavenly Venerable, I have come today…"

Wu Tie kicked Gongsun Yao in the belly, sending him flying tens of li.

He forcefully slapped the back of his own head, a disc of merit golden light thirty li in diameter, thick and substantial, condensed into solid form, hovering like a golden cake behind Wu Tie's head.

The warm merit golden light illuminated heaven and earth, shocking the Heavenly Court's attendants opposite into speechlessness.

To forcibly condense the seals of the three thousand great Dao and eighty-four thousand side paths, Wu Tie had previously accumulated merit power, of which about eighty percent was consumed. But over the past year or so, almost two years, the Wuguo army swept through demon hordes, saving countless human commoners.

Wu Tie gradually, even though over half of his merit power had been shared among Wuguo's superiors and subordinates, his merit power still recovered to a level even greater than before.

Your cultivation is high?

Your aptitude is good?

Your background is strong?

You have many subordinates?

It's all fucking empty!

Wu Tie arrogantly pointed to the merit golden cake hovering silently behind him and declared: "When will your contributions to humanity, your accumulated merit power, exceed mine? Then come challenge me!"

Otherwise, you brat who can't even talk like that, go home and suck your mother's milk!

He flung his sleeve, and Wu Tie turned and left.

In the military formation, Huang Lang, Lao Tie, Xiahou Wuming and other Wuguo subjects and soldiers shouted in unison, they each unleashed secret arts, releasing their accumulated merit power.

Hundreds of millions of Wuguo soldiers behind their heads, various sizes and brightness of merit golden light glittered.

Including many giant divine warriors, behind their heads hung a golden ring several feet in diameter, quite conspicuous.

Gongsun Yao stared blankly, then two streams of tears burst forth, he let out a wailing "Ah!" and shouted: "You, you, you wait!"