Chapter 409

The Silver Dragon King is the lord of the waters; in the vast waters of Daze Prefecture, none can match him.

The Heavenly Centipede King is the king of mountains and forests; he and his descendants once ravaged the mountain ranges, and on land no tribe could rival him.

The Silver-Tongued King is the hegemon of the skies; he controls the territory of Daze Prefecture, and even countless avian tribes in even broader lands, while the Heavenly Centipede King has only a couple of rivals—only the Silver-Tongued King reigns supreme and alone in the sky.

The Silver Dragon King summoned countless water tribes.

With a sharp cry, the Silver-Tongued King sent countless vicious birds scattering into flight, shrieking as they swooped toward Zhang Xibai's army.

Among these vicious birds, the tiny ones are only thumb-sized—an aberrant species of hummingbird, their flight traceless, speed astonishing, and their bodies as hard as iron stone, with naturally poisonous beaks; countless hummingbirds darted wildly across the sky, dragging thin black lines and emitting piercing screeches.

The large ones have wingspans of thousands of feet, like a dark cloud, covering the sky and earth as they surged forward.

These giant birds, still tens of li from Zhang Xibai's army, all let out sharp cries; then tornadoes rose from the ground with a "whoosh," like black rods, slamming heavily into Zhang Xibai's troops.

Zhang Xibai paid no heed to the water tribes and birds, merely stomping his feet as he stared at Huo Xiong.

"Charge forward, capture Huo Xiong alive, rescue Commander Pei Feng……otherwise, each of us will be sentenced to death!"

A hundred or so commanders let out a unified long howl, leading an elite force as they charged toward Huo Xiong.

Meanwhile, the Silver Dragon King, Heavenly Centipede King, and Silver-Tongued King simultaneously roared in extreme fury, charging at Zhang Xibai and his commanders.

In opening up Daze Prefecture, the Divine Might Army and Black Phoenix Army have fought here for years, enduring countless bloody battles, slaughtering untold native tribes, only then managing to seize this vast tract of land.

Between these three kings and the Great Jin, there truly exists a blood-deep grudge.

If they never meet, it's fine; but once they do, their eyes will surely be bloodshot, killing intent surging to their heads, and it's impossible not to fight to the death.

The tornado surged into Zhang Xibai's battle formation; large numbers of weaker soldiers lost their footing and were forcibly dragged out by the powerful tornado, screaming as they were swept up into midair.

At the same time, the Silver Dragon King's lesser demons all let out a long howl; instantly vast water clouds appeared in heaven and earth, then the clouds roiled, turning from milky white to pitch black, whereupon countless thumb-sized raindrops howled through the air like a barrage of arrows, slamming into Zhang Xibai's troops.

As the violent rain struck, the tornado gained many times the power of the downpour, and by using the dark clouds as cover it became more erratic, its lethality likewise increasing greatly.

In just a few breaths, the encirclement formed by Zhang Xibai's hundreds of thousands of troops was torn open in a large section.

The Silver Dragon King, Heavenly Centipede King, and Silver-Tongued King also rushed to Zhang Xibai's front; the three kings struck together—the Silver Dragon King spewed a great mass of Cold Qi from his mouth, the Heavenly Centipede King flung poisonous flying swords in wild sweeps and slashes, and the Silver-Tongued King uttered a supremely beautiful chant, while faint signs appeared in the void of being sealed by five-colored splendid light.

"Imbecile!" Zhang Xibai shook his head, giving the three kings a cold stare: "I, in fact, had prepared Golden Ginseng Fruit—if you could kill Huo Xiong……but you've gone and made a mess of things."

Zhang Xibai felt intense hatred.

What a perfect plan it originally was.

Taking advantage of the opportunity when Huo Xiong and the Black Phoenix Army were both wounded, they would slay Huo Xiong, simultaneously intimidate the Black Phoenix Army, and forcefully compel Commander Pei Feng to submit—a double gain that would not only please Sima Lang but also win over Huo Xiong's enemies.

But now……

Seeing Commander Pei Feng limp and lifeless in Huo Xiong's grasp, Zhang Xibai's heart felt as if it would shatter.

"Rescue Commander Pei Feng, quick, quick, quick!" Zhang Xibai shot thirty-three white needles, each one foot long and as thin as a little finger, from his sleeve, emitting a sharp wolf's howl as they shot straight up, then he dove down, thrusting them toward the Silver Dragon King, Heavenly Centipede King, and Silver-Tongued King.

"Rescue Commander Pei Feng, I have life-saving Spirit Pills here—if the soul hasn't scattered, there's still a chance." Zhang Xibai issued the order urgently; the thirty-three white needles fluttered in the air, gradually turning into hazy shadows, their true forms no longer discernible.

The faces of the Silver Dragon King, Heavenly Centipede King, and Silver-Tongued King shifted slightly.

They had suffered before from these thirty-three needles.

This set of Heavenly Wolf Thorn is the personal divine weapon of Sima Lang, commander-in-chief of the Divine Might Army; it is a set of posthumously forged spirit treasures, or rather, posthumously forged heavenly divine weapons. A full set totals three thousand three hundred thirty-three needles, forged from the longest fang of the primeval gluttonous wolf, possessing extraordinary piercing power—once it strikes an enemy, it frenziedly devours the enemy's essence blood and soul, utterly vicious and immensely lethal.

The fact that Zhang Xibai could produce thirty-three Heavenly Wolf Thorns shows he must be a trusted confidant of Sima Lang; otherwise, how could Sima Lang part with so many of his most prized treasures kept at the bottom of his chest?

Amidst flashing white light and sharp wolf howls, the Heavenly Centipede King was the first to cry out in pain.

Heedlessly, three Heavenly Wolf Thorns pierced his tail; as he watched, the flesh around the wound withered, and the three gleaming white needles sank deep into his body, trembling like living things and continually emitting sharp, high-pitched wolf howls.

The Heavenly Centipede King roared in anger, his body jerking, and the segment of his tail struck by the Heavenly Wolf Thorns fell off on its own.

Blood spurted, and the Heavenly Centipede King let out a long howl, spewing a stream of black flame from his mouth.

Though not hot, the black flame, reeking of a foul stench, wailed toward Zhang Xibai, making his face blanch.

He knew these three kings' backgrounds well, aware that the flame the Heavenly Centipede King spewed was his natal pill fire from his inner elixir; this flame had no other effect—it was simply deadly poison, horribly toxic, such that even a slight touch would turn flesh and bone to pus.

Zhang Xibai and the commanders retreated hastily.

Even with immortal arms protecting them, they kept retreating.

Truly, the Heavenly Centipede King's natal pill fire is excessively vicious—not only is it deadly poison, but it also carries a trace of the world's birth‑tainted impurity; even third‑refined or higher defensive immortal arms, upon contact with his natal pill fire, are swiftly contaminated, downgraded in grade, and after just a few moments are refined into useless scrap by the poisonous fire.

It's like having an extremely precious white porcelain vase and forcing it into a giant cesspool……

The Heavenly Centipede King's natal pill fire is even more terrifying than a giant cesspool.

So, retreat, retreat quickly, while Zhang Xibai manipulates the Heavenly Wolf Thorns, incessantly stabbing and striking the Heavenly Centipede King, Silver Dragon King, and Silver-Tongued King all over their bodies.

The other commanders surrounding Zhang Xibai also brandished their weapons, turning them into streams of light that encircled the three kings' massive bodies from all sides.

In the distance came the roar of a colossal water beast and the piercing cries of countless birds.

The water tribes and birds had already clashed with Zhang Xibai's troops; dazzling light, whirlwinds, and thick clouds roiled, the tremendous boom shaking the earth faintly, blood spraying like rain, and huge bodies continually plummeting from the sky.

The troops Zhang Xibai brought were formidable, their formations highly practiced; moreover, a few heavy weapons in the formation bolstered its power manyfold, so even against the ferocious onslaught of water tribes and birds, these soldiers showed no fear.

Although the encirclement had been breached in a section, these troops gradually contracted, abandoning the long‑line encirclement formation and forming a huge, extremely thick frontal assault formation, after which the combined water‑tribe and bird forces began to falter.

As the battle turned in favor of Zhang Xibai's troops, here a hundred or so commanders, leading tens of thousands of soldiers, surrounded Huo Xiong in three inner and three outer layers, leaving no gap.

"You……." Huo Xiong opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word, as blood kept flowing from his mouth and nose.

"Surrender, and you'll suffer less." A burly man clad in scarlet armor, wearing a scarlet cape, with a second‑rank general's seal at his waist, heftily shook his long spear, his eyes flashing like lightning as he sprayed two beams of divine light that enveloped Huo Xiong's body.

"Huo Xiong, you know full well you've offended a noble; thus you are surely doomed to die—but death comes in many kinds. Some deaths are swift; some are agonizing." The scarlet‑armored commander looked at Wu Tie and said in a deep voice: "No matter what, you are certain to die. So, hand over Commander Pei Feng!"

The scarlet‑armored commander reached out, slowly approaching Huo Xiong.

"Hand over Commander Pei Feng……don't implicate your kin……you, Huo Xiong, hail from Flower Insect City, Pinghu County, Nine Mountains Prefecture, Zhongheng State……look, we know your background, we know your origins……"

"Release Commander Pei Feng……don't compound the mistake……go die yourself, don't drag your kin into it!"

The scarlet‑armored commander had already reached Huo Xiong's side, slowly extending his hand to grasp Pei Feng's shoulder, and he said cautiously: "You see, Commander Pei Feng still has breath……let us rescue her……don't add further charges to you."

Huo Xiong spat a mouthful of blood and hoarsely bellowed: "It was Zhang Xibai's order that sent me……"

"Bang!"

A winter‑melon‑sized meteor hammer suddenly plummeted from the heavens, smashing heavily into Huo Xiong's right shoulder, shattering it to pieces; his right arm, together with the Commander Pei Feng he clutched, plummeted from the sky at the same moment.

Huo Xiong cried out in pain to the heavens, a golden light flew from his sleeve, and the Nine Refined Immortal Soldier Binding Immortal Rope writhed and chased after Pei Feng.

Twelve-Faced Immortal Soldier-level shields, each with a different shape, appeared around Pei Feng, surrounding her. Over ten Womb Storage Realm generals instantly appeared beside Pei Feng; a female general as sturdy as a male bear grabbed Pei Feng, let out a shout, and immediately a large troop of soldiers flew in, escorting her toward Zhang Xibo.

The Binding Immortal Rope and the Twelve-Faced Immortal Soldier Shield collided heavily, then the Binding Immortal Rope coiled around and bound the Twelve-Faced Immortal Soldier Shield into a bundle.

But Pei Feng had already been taken away, and the Binding Immortal Rope was entangled by these Immortal Soldier Shields, making it impossible to catch up to Pei Feng.

"Prefect, we have rescued Army Lord Pei Feng!" the female general held up Pei Feng high, pride and boasting evident in her voice, shouting loudly: "Prefect, junior officer, we have rescued Army Lord Pei Feng!"

A fellow officer beside the female general was so angry his eyes rolled back.

This guy is obviously trying to steal credit.

But there's nothing to be done; here she is the only female general—who would dare touch Pei Feng?

Huo Xiong, amidst the heavy encirclement, vomited blood while cursing indistinctly. Over ten generals rushed forward, quickly binding him tightly with ropes, and then used two large colorful gold hooks to pierce his shoulder blades, lifting him like a wild boar as two commandants raised him aloft on a pole, feet upward.

The Red Armor General lightly patted Huo Xiong's cheek, chuckling: "Alright, alright, you can think about how you'll die… Moreover, a noble's order states that none of your kin will survive."

"As soon as you die, you'll be charged with the crime of cowardice and abandoning the province—a grave offense; your kin will also be implicated, exiled to the frontier and assigned to Da Ze Zhou… then your entire clan will be exterminated."

The Red Armor General laughed: "This sort of thing is simple to carry out; we've done many such cases, so rest assured—you and your relatives will soon be happily reunited."

The rough‑looking Red Armor General seemed amused, teasing Huo Xiong a few times before bursting into "heh heh heh" laughter.

Huo Xiong seemed gravely wounded, merely spitting blood mouthful after mouthful, unable to speak.

The bear‑strong female general carried Pei Feng to Zhang Xibo's side; Zhang Xibo shouted orders, directing a squad of high‑ranking generals to block the three Silver Dragon Kings. He hurried over to Pei Feng, carefully producing a thumb‑sized pill, wholly golden, its hue like fine yellow jade, with faint nine‑dragon markings on its surface.

"Damn the Heavenly Centipede King… but this is the Life‑Preserving Dao Elixir, the Nine Dragons Defy Heaven Pill, bestowed by the President. As long as the soul and spirit aren't utterly destroyed, it can revive one; other deadly toxins and miasmas are trivial…"

The female general carefully pried open Pei Feng's mouth; Zhang Xibo handed the pill to her, and she, fingers trembling slightly, fed the precious pill into Pei Feng's mouth.

The black aura on Pei Feng's face faded, the black aura over her body quickly dissipated, her skin returned to normal, and color rose to her cheeks.

Her body twitched slightly, and Pei Feng opened her eyes.

Zhang Xibo smiled at Pei Feng: "Army Lord, you're too stubborn; after this, you should realize that alone you cannot sustain the Black Phoenix Army."

Before his words finished, Pei Feng's right arm shot out like a spear, striking hard and piercing Zhang Xibo's chest.

A flash of black‑red light flickered across Pei Feng's arm.

Zhang Xibo's six‑refined Immortal Soldier‑level defensive robe, with inner and outer layers of three‑refined Immortal Soldier‑level armor, plus five Immortal Soldier‑level defensive secret treasures, together with his body, instantly turned to flying ash.

His soul scattered and his spirit dispersed; not a trace of his remnant soul remained.