Chapter 347

In this life, the most important thing is to be happy.

Wu Tie consoled himself in this way.

Outside Zhenmo City, inside the giant great rift valley. Both sides are cliffs over ten thousand zhang high; on the cliff tops, elite soldiers of the Fuxi Divine Kingdom can be faintly seen.

In the rift valley, using divine power to blast open the thick rock layer, employing secret techniques to penetrate the underground water veins, reaching straight down a thousand li underground, finally drawing out groundwater and constructing several hundred wells each a hundred zhang in size.

Groups of captured soldiers from Zhenmo City gathered around the wells, gulping down the ice-cold, bone-chilling water that had just been drawn from underground.

Some soldiers drank too much of the cold water, their bellies swelling high; with a slight sway, their bellies emitted a constant 'gurgle'.

Wu Tie, like the soldiers beside him, was naked, drinking until his belly bulged, eyes rolled back, lying limp on a large stone basking in the sun. The cold water filled his belly, the sun baked his whole body hot, Wu Tie kept opening his mouth to belch continuously, belching out nothing but the taste of cold water.

Outside, the battle still raged heaven and earth, Fuxi Divine Kingdom and Great Jin Divine Kingdom went all out, day and night countless warriors risked life and limb, fighting desperately.

The earth trembled violently, on the cliffs of the Great Rift Valley on both sides, big and small rocks continually collapsed and fell, clattering down.

The war outside had nothing to do with the prisoners in the Great Rift Valley.

All the prisoners were stripped naked, not a scrap of cloth left; besides digging these wells in the valley to provide drinking water, the Fuxi Divine Kingdom had given them no food at all recently.

On both cliffs, elite troops of the Fuxi Divine Kingdom kept watch, and many terrifying restrictions lay in ambush.

After several waves of Demon-Suppressing Hall soldiers died trying to break out, the prisoners in the Great Rift Valley finally settled down, each resigned, daily drinking cold water and basking in the sun in the valley, silently awaiting their unfathomable fate.

Wu Tie had been secretly sent into the Great Rift Valley half a month earlier.

At the same time Wu Tie was brought in, a low-ranking officer of the Great Jin Divine Kingdom in the Great Rift Valley vanished without a trace.

Every 108 years, when the Fuxi Divine Kingdom launches its largest-scale punitive war, aside from the Demon-Suppressing Hall and Demon-Dispelling Hall, which are the two institutions specially responsible for precious affairs of the Fuxi Divine Kingdom, the Great Jin Divine Kingdom also drafts part of its reinforcements from elsewhere to rush to the front.

The unfortunate fellow whom Wu Tie impersonated belonged to the Divine Martial Hall of the Great Jin Divine Kingdom.

In the Great Jin Divine Kingdom, the military officers of the great halls are ranked: first to third rank are generals, fourth to sixth rank are commandants, seventh to ninth rank are colonels; below colonels are third-rank officers outside the official ranks, and below them are third-class soldiers.

The Huo Xiong whom Wu Tie replaced was an eighth-rank colonel of the Divine Martial Army under the Divine Martial Hall, commanding three hundred combat soldiers, twenty personal guards, plus some auxiliary forces, for a total of about four hundred fifty troops.

Lying spread-eagled on the large stone, utterly unconcerned about his naked body exposed, Wu Tie lightly patted his bulging belly, listening to the splashing of water inside his belly while pondering the information on Huo Xiong.

Huo Xiong, born into a military household of the Great Jin Divine Kingdom, talented from youth, joined the Martial Training Hall under the Divine Martial Hall as a child, learning the Great Jin military's standard technique, the Three Revolutions Primal Technique; after adulthood he enlisted in the Great Jin Divine Martial Army, his luck held in many battles, surviving and accumulating considerable military merit.

Huo Xiong's father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and even earlier ancestors—five generations in a row—had served the Divine Martial Army; the military merit accumulated by those five generations, plus Huo Xiong's own merit earned after joining the Divine Martial Army, after generations of effort finally let Huo Xiong, at twenty-seven, enter the Divine Martial Secret Pavilion of the Divine Martial Hall, receive the baptism and tempering of the Martial Star's power, and in one leap reach the Life Pool Realm.

Logically, after achieving mastery of the Life Pool Realm, Huo Xiong should have become a commandant.

However, Huo Xiong's family lacked influence, and besides, they had already exhausted their accumulated merit; after achieving the Life Pool Realm, Huo Xiong was merely promoted from a ninth-rank colonel to an eighth-rank colonel in an extraordinary advancement, and it has been three years since then.

Wu Tie lay on the large stone, and all the men sprawled haphazardly around him were nothing but the combat soldiers, personal guards, and auxiliary troops under Huo Xiong's command.

Earlier, in Demon-Suppressing City, the Divine Martial Army, being a guest force, was stationed at the city's core and did not get drawn into the fierce fighting of Xiqí's main army; after the city fell, not long afterward the main forces inside Demon-Suppressing City surrendered, and the Divine Martial Army suffered no losses.

At this moment, Wu Tie's four hundred fifty men were all intact, having suffered no losses.

Apart from having all their clothing and gear stripped away, the group could be considered intact.

"Chief!" a soldier with a hint of shrewdness silently bent low, almost moving on all fours, quickly slipped over.

He chuckled softly, placing a ground rat about a foot long in Wu Tie's hand: "Quite plump, enough for a bite."

Wu Tie looked at the ground rat still warm in his hand.

This shrewd youth, Lin Huo, was the captain of Huo Xiong's personal guards, and had only been with Huo Xiong for two months.

The reason Xibai arranged for Wu Tie to impersonate Huo Xiong was that two months earlier, in a battle, Huo Xiong's troops had suffered heavy casualties, including the captain of the personal guards, and most of them were newly replenished recruits.

His subordinates were not familiar with their commander.

This is the main reason Wu Tie impersonated Huo Xiong.

Hefting the half‑catty ground rat in his hand, Wu Tie recalled the memories dug from the depths of Huo Xiong's true soul, imitating his words and deeds, and gave a cold, expressionless snort.

Although I don't know how the Dark Hall obtained so much information about Huo Xiong, since I have impersonated him, I must play the role well.

"Hungry." Wu Tie said coldly: "The brothers have nothing to eat, so as their leader I naturally must be hungry too."

He reached out and slapped Lin Huo's shoulder hard, then said calmly: "Not bad; in this valley even the moss has been licked clean, and you managed to catch this precious prize… but as a commander one must lead the troops and share hardship with the brothers."

"Eating alone like that is unacceptable." Wu Tie sighed, patted his water‑filled belly, and lay back on the large stone.

Lin Huo looked at Wu Tie with a face full of shame.

He lightly nodded, glanced at the ground rat Wu Tie had tossed aside, sighed, walked over, picked up the ground rat, gave it a shake, and then simply threw it far away, out of sight, out of mind.

"Wow," the ground rat Lin Huo threw off immediately sparked a small-scale riot over there.

At least hundreds of Demon‑Suppressing and Demon‑Dispelling troops suddenly erupted, shouting and cursing as they charged toward that ground rat.

Although their weapons and gear had been confiscated, these soldiers cultivated the Great Jin Divine Kingdom's military standard technique, the Three Revolutions Primal Technique, which cultivates qi internally and tendons, bones, and skin externally, actually emphasizing bodily training more.

Each was a stalwart with iron‑like tendons and bones, capable of lifting ten thousand catties; although they had been starving for half a month, as they threw punches and kicked, the sound of breaking bones never ceased, and soon the ground was stained with blood.

Wu Tie sat up, watching those soldiers brawling in a heap, and laughed "heh heh".

Lin Huo and a few personal guards stood beside Wu Tie, each with a complex expression.

Colonels of the Demon‑Suppressing Hall and Demon‑Dispelling Hall rushed over, shouting loudly, ordering their troops to stop fighting.

In just a few words they realized these fellows were fighting over a single ground rat; the colonels of the Demon‑Suppressing Hall and Demon‑Dispelling Hall instantly flew into a rage, berating their subordinates with a torrent of abuse.

Having been imprisoned here for half a month, no one knows how the Fuxi Divine Kingdom will dispose of them.

Perhaps, as the Elders of the Wu clan said, they will be taken to the underground world to be slaves.

That would truly be a fate worse than death.

In the propaganda of the Great Jin Divine Kingdom, the Fuxi Divine Kingdom and those underground tribes are portrayed as demonic entities.

Moreover, the Demon‑Suppressing Hall and Demon‑Dispelling Hall constantly war with the Fuxi Divine Kingdom, the two sides truly bearing a blood‑deep grudge; if they were to enter the underground world, it would truly be impossible to seek life and unable to seek death.

The future is uncertain, but it is estimated to be a fate worse than death.

Those colonels were all irritated inside, and naturally they unleashed a torrent of abuse at the soldiers who dared to cause trouble, the curses being extremely foul.

Suddenly, from the entrance of the Great Rift Valley came waves of cheers.

They were powerful, elite soldiers, starving for half a month, yet with their cultivation holding them up, their cheers and shouts remained loud and clear.

Soon, the entire valley echoed with the united cheers of millions of Great Jin Divine Kingdom soldiers.

Their fate turned out far better than the terrible outcome they had imagined.

The Fuxi Divine State and the Great Jin Divine State reached an agreement.

108 years ago, during the previous Grand Stellar Flourishing period, a highly esteemed prince of the Fuxi Divine State, young and vigorous, secretly led his personal guard into the surface world and boldly attacked the Demon‑Cleansing City on the far side of the Great Rift Valley, which held a status equal to Demon‑Suppressing City and was under the jurisdiction of the Demon‑Cleansing Hall.

As expected, the prince's ordinary personal guard was slaughtered to the last man, and more than a dozen attendants from noble clans of the Fuxi Divine State, together with the prince himself, were captured alive.

For the past 108 years, that prince and his companions have been imprisoned in the Great Jin Divine State; their families have repeatedly sent assassins to rescue them, only to lose troops and generals each time, never succeeding.

This time, the Fuxi Divine State finally gained enough leverage.

By offering the elite soldiers of Demon‑Suppressing City who had surrendered as bargaining chips, the Fuxi Divine State could finally welcome back that unfortunate prince and his companions.

Countless soldiers cheered with raised arms.

On the cliffs of both sides, one could see vast numbers of the Fuxi Divine State's elite troops withdrawing, while the various seals and formations on the cliffs were swiftly dismantled.

One after another, barges flew over the Great Rift Valley.

The barges glittered with jewels, and a rich medicinal fragrance drifted down.

Without doubt, a prince and a dozen noble youths are certainly worth less than these elite lives in Demon‑Suppressing City.

Thus, the Great Jin Divine State must have paid other costs.

The Grand Stellar Flourishing period lasts only seven nights, yet Wu Tie and the others have been imprisoned here for over half a month; one can imagine how many rounds of negotiation the Fuxi Divine State and the Great Jin Divine State have gone through in these days, and how many public and secret clauses have been signed.

Wu Tie finally understood why Xi Qi and You Ruo dared to offer Demon‑Suppressing City as the price.

Feelings, they had already calculated everything.

Capturing Demon‑Suppressing City, exchanging the countless soldiers inside for those unfortunate souls imprisoned for over a hundred years, plus vast resources—these merits ought to have belonged to Xi Qi!

It is obvious that a large portion of the vast resources recovered will fall into Xi Qi's hands, greatly increasing his strength and influence.

Alas… Xi Qi was stabbed to death by Wu Tie with a single shot, and now his soul has been thoroughly refined by the Soul‑Scattering Banner.

Wu Tie, like the soldiers around him, leapt up and shouted with raised arms.

Gradually, everyone began to shout a single word.

"Great Jin!"

"Great Jin!"

"Great Jin!"

These days, the generals and commandants who had barely shown their faces in the valley appeared one after another, issuing orders; the Demon‑Suppressing Army, the Demon‑Cleansing Army, the Divine Martial Army, and likewise the Divine Might Army and the Divine Mechanism Army, which had come as reinforcements, formed neat ranks and marched in great numbers toward the valley exit.

Their bearing was lofty, their military prestige at its peak.

Yet the millions‑strong elite army, from the highest‑rank First‑Rank General down to the lowest third‑rank soldiers, were all stark naked, causing their military prestige and might to plummet, even becoming a sorry sight.

Outside the valley, hundreds of huge barges hovered silently several zhang above the ground.

Military supplies piled up like mountains, accompanied by the resounding command voices; each army, according to rank, began to receive standard equipment.

All were elite warriors with skills; the distribution of supplies was swift, and within half a day this massive army had been fully re‑equipped.

Orders rang out in all directions.

The allied troops who had been ordered to rush to Demon‑Suppressing City for reinforcement boarded the barges amid the orders, and then the barges slowly rose.

On the ground, a group of men in blood‑red robes, their bodies exuding killing aura, quickly surrounded the senior officers of the Demon‑Suppressing and Demon‑Cleansing Armies. Upon hearing an eerie, bone‑piercing Cold Qi voice berate them, the generals, commandants and colonels of both armies were stripped of their trousers, forced to the ground before the troops, and publicly beaten with military batons.

A Ninth‑Rank Colonel receives ten strikes.

An Eighth‑Rank Colonel receives thirty strikes.

A Seventh‑Rank Colonel receives sixty strikes.

A Sixth‑Rank Commandant receives one thousand strikes.

Following this pattern, the number of strikes each commander and officer receives is exactly their troop count divided by ten.

Wu Tie sucked his breath in astonishment.

Lin Huo muttered softly beside him, "Mother, a First‑Rank General who commands a million troops—this isn't going to be…"

"One hundred thousand strikes!"

Wu Tie's face also twitched.

One hundred thousand strikes. Even if the offender is at the Fetal Storage Realm, the executioner's cultivation is not low either, using a specially crafted military punishment implement—would a hundred thousand blows turn their buttocks into minced meat?

Poor things…

The barges sped eastward; after three days and nights, no one knew how far they had flown.

On the morning of the fourth day, as a red sun rose in the east, the barges descended and landed in a vast encampment.

Wu Tie and the others disembarked, just finished forming ranks, when an order arrived.

The officers of the Divine Martial Army on this mission went to the central command to report the details to the Supreme Commander, while the other commandants, colonels and all soldiers, after inspection, were temporarily discharged to return home.

These defeated troops were granted a leave of undetermined length.