Chapter 481

Powerful, making Wu Tie feel a suffocating power.

The power of the Yin-Yang Two-Qi Bottle made Wu Tie overjoyed.

Correspondingly, the terrifying consumption of the Yin-Yang Two-Qi Bottle: in just a breath, nearly three thousand Da Wu warships were sucked into one bottle; even Wu Tie's vast Life Pool accumulated magical power was depleted by a full ten percent!

For an ordinary cultivator, at the Life Pool stage, there is absolutely no possibility to activate the Yin-Yang Two-Qi Bottle!

"Go!" Wu Tie checked his condition, gave a soft shout, and landed with Pei Feng and Lao Tie on another large warship; the mighty fleet flew toward Daze City.

Crossing the vast waters, Daze City was near; behind, dozens of silver lights flashed as Zhao Xiu led the Zhao clan's flying fish warships rushing over.

Earlier on the way, Wu Tie and Zhao Xiu split forces; Wu Tie entangled a main detachment of the Da Wu fleet, while Zhao Xiu led the Zhao clan's private warship fleet, noticeably faster, to intercept and kill the smaller detachments everywhere.

Just now, if Zhao Xiu had been present, Wu Tie would absolutely not have used the Yin-Yang Two-Qi Bottle.

The flying fish warships' speed was astonishing, more than double that of the Da Jin standard warships; dozens of silver lights shot through the void, soon reaching near Wu Tie's fleet. However, Zhao Xiu was very cautious, not letting his own fleet get too close, but keeping a safety distance of nearly a hundred li.

From afar, Zhao Xiu performed a secret technique to send a voice transmission to Wu Tie.

"General Huo Xiong, how are the battle results?" Zhao Xiu's tone was calm, but from afar he wore an undisguised smile.

"Lord Zhao seems to have gained much? I don't know how many Da Wu generals were slain or how many Da Wu warships destroyed." Wu Tie gave a cold snort; he had no patience to play along with Zhao Xiu, his eyes blazing as he stared at the land already beginning to turn into desert, rapidly transforming into wasteland.

Zhao Xiu's smile grew brighter; he did not answer Wu Tie's question, but with hands behind his back, he overlooked the land rapidly turning yellow below and said leisurely: "I heard from the Imperial Secretariat that Da Wu has a secret apothecary who developed a 'Soil Plague Powder' specifically targeting soil… I never expected they'd first use it in actual combat here in Daze Prefecture!"

Wu Tie gave Zhao Xiu a distant glare.

This is Daze Prefecture, this is Wu Tie's territory; the Da Wu Divine State actually used such destructive means to undermine Daze Prefecture's foundation, making Wu Tie furious… If Zhao Xiu dares to say another unpleasant word, Wu Tie wouldn't mind wiping him out together with all of the Zhao clan's private forces.

Anyway, the Yin-Yang Two-Qi Bottle has already been used…

Zhao Xiu didn't know Wu Tie's ruthless calculations, nor that a main detachment had just been utterly wiped out by Wu Tie. He chuckled, looking at the sky-filling dust raised by the lake wind, and said slowly: "General Huo Xiong, you are the commander of Daze Prefecture's army, with the duty to defend the nation and its land… Tsk tsk, if Daze Prefecture's land were all like this, your guilt…"

Shaking his head, Zhao Xiu laughed brightly: "However, General Huo Xiong holds the merit of having gravely wounded the Da Wu Crown Prince Wu Duzun, so this minor fault is of no matter. Only your dukedom, hehe!"

Wu Tie glanced askance at Zhao Xiu, then suddenly took out a jade seal, held it high, and poured magical power into it.

Zhao Xiu and several Zhao clan Elders looked at Wu Tie, bewildered.

Suddenly the jade seal in Wu Tie's hand flashed; in the distance, the main cannon of a floating war fort's three gates let out a 'ga—' sound, three beams of white light, each about a li thick, nearly grazed Zhao Xiu's flagship bridge.

The three beams of white light brought terrifying heat, directly triggering the explosion of Zhao Xiu's flagship's protective ward, bursting out a vast blaze.

The three white light pillars slammed into the lake a thousand li away; with a tremendous roar, a strong light of several li in diameter shot up from the water, the lake surface within a radius of nearly a hundred li sank, vast amounts of weak water evaporated by the heat, steam shot up hundreds of li high, and in the high sky it slowly spread into a mushroom-shaped white cloud.

A gale blew past, heat waves rolled.

In the white cloud, torrential rain poured down, striking the heated, undulating lake surface, then continually turning into vapor that shot up into the sky.

This back-and-forth repeated, continuing for a long time without cease.

Zhao Xiu and several Zhao clan Elders' faces turned extraordinarily vivid, their features twisted, both furious and astonished as they stared at Wu Tie.

This brat, how dare he?

How dare he do this?

Wu Tie gave Zhao Xiu a cold look: "Just now, a few Da Wu warships attempted to sneak attack your flagship, Lord Zhao. Our Daze Prefecture troops, sharp-eyed and quick-handed, hehe, fired the main cannon to annihilate them, saving your life, Lord Zhao… oh, no, I mean your old life… no thanks needed, no thanks needed!"

Wu Tie held the jade seal that remotely controls eighteen floating war forts, and slowly bowed his fist to Zhao Xiu.

Zhao Xiu and several Zhao clan Elders silently stared at Wu Tie from afar; after a long while, dozens of Zhao clan flying fish warships rose into the air, swiftly soaring to high altitude, their silver lights flashing as they headed toward the Daze Prefecture spatial gate.

Wu Duzun has already been severely wounded; Zhao Xiu's main mission in coming to Daze Prefecture is accomplished.

With just that Zhao clan fleet and private soldiers, it's utterly impossible to oppose the regular armies of the Da Wu Divine State.

Wu Tie is the commander of Daze Prefecture's army; unless he dies in battle, if he dares to leave Daze Prefecture's territory or dodge combat, he is guilty of a capital crime, so Wu Tie must remain in Daze Prefecture, sharing its fate.

As for Zhao Xiu, he has no reason to die together with Wu Tie.

Although Zhao Xiu and the Zhao clan's private forces were ordered to come to Daze Prefecture to snipe the Da Wu armies, as a high-ranking military minister, Zhao Xiu can find countless excuses—having already gravely wounded Wu Duzun, whatever he does next can be justified.

For example, he could run to Feng Prefecture behind Daze Prefecture and claim he was mobilizing troops and horses there to rescue Daze Prefecture.

Who could say Zhao Xiu is wrong?

Dozens of flying fish warships sliced through the sky, passing over Daze City and arriving before the spatial gate.

The spatial gate slowly opened; after passing strict identity verification, the flying fish warships went through the gate, destination unknown.

"Huo Xiong?" Pei Feng frowned at Wu Tie: "The Zhao clan holds tremendous power among the Da Jin generals; especially, many clan masters are numerous, even rumors say several of their ancestors have reached the pinnacle of the half-step Divine Realm… Provoking them like this is likely unfavorable for your future."

Wu Tie shook his head and patted Pei Feng's shoulder: "No fear, no fear; the Zhao clan is strong, but I also have someone behind me. As long as we show enough value, hehe, Zhao clan… if they could truly crush me, why would Zhao Xiu be forced to settle even his son's death?"

Pei Feng laughed and nodded: "Thus, very good."

After a pause, Pei Feng earnestly looked at Wu Tie: "Even if Zhao Xiu remains unyielding, my Pei family also has many old friends and elders; the Zhao clan dare not move Daze Prefecture an inch."

Wu Tie laughed happily.

He shook his head; the current trouble is not the Zhao clan, but Da Wu.

His forehead's dharma eye opened; a grayish misty chaotic spiritual light shot out, the seven-colored divine light representing the innate Yin-Yang Five Elements power mixed within the chaotic light and leapt rapidly; in an instant Wu Tie could see at a glance all the territory of Daze Prefecture belonging to Daze Prefecture.

Tens of thousands of Da Wu warships swarmed like locusts, flying chaotically, howling as they passed over mountain after mountain.

They continuously scattered Soil Plague Powder; wherever they passed, fertile mountains turned into barren desert; with a strong wind, the sky filled with dust shooting straight up; in Wu Tie's view, nearly half of Daze Prefecture's land had already suffered harm.

Wu Tie wanted to intercept them but was willing yet unable.

The tens of thousands of large and small flying vessels are too scattered; unless Wu Tie truly reaches the Divine Realm, possessing inconceivable power, able to appear instantly before hundreds of fleets, otherwise Wu Tie simply cannot stop them.

However, what slightly comforted Wu Tie is… more than half of the Da Wu warships, after wreaking havoc within Daze Prefecture and scattering sufficient amounts of Soil Plague Powder, flew off toward the northeast.

The northeast direction is precisely the neighboring Jin Prefecture's capital, Feng Prefecture, which borders Daze Prefecture.

When Wu Tie took office in Daze Prefecture, he also passed through Feng Prefecture; it is a region mainly focused on agriculture and sericulture, with minerals as auxiliary, and without using the spatial gate, traveling purely by flying vessel, given Da Wu's shipbuilding technology, their fleet would need about half a month to enter Feng Prefecture's territory.

Feng Prefecture's main industry is agriculture and sericulture; if the Soil Plague Powder spreads there…

Wu Tie sighed; as the highest official of a prefecture, he suddenly felt a heavy weight on his shoulders.

"Pei Feng, Lao Tie, you go back to Daze City first to repair… see if there's any way to deal with this damned Soil Plague Powder." While speaking, Wu Tie launched himself upward, turning into a stream of light that sped toward the distant mountains where gray sand filled the sky.

"Huo..." Pei Feng instantly turned into a black stream of fire and pursued.

Lao Tie originally wanted to stop Pei Feng, but after thinking, he shook his head and laughed: "Hey, youngster… this is also good, pretty good! Um, the little ones of the Black Phoenix Army, your commander has run off, so just listen to me!"

Ma Dashu and the other Black Phoenix Army generals all burst out laughing.

Watching the departing Wu Tie and Pei Feng, a group of Black Phoenix Army veterans felt mixed emotions.

There was joy, there was delight…… but more than that, they really wanted to gang up and beat Wu Tie to a pulp—after watching their daughter grow up, she had her heart stolen by him just like that.

The problem is, this 'Huo Xiong' fellow is just plain ugly—no, not hideous, but at least he's nowhere near handsome, which is a far cry from the handsome future husband Ma Dashu and the others had imagined for Pei Feng.

The bigger problem is…… they still can't beat Wu Tie.

With nearly three thousand Great Wu warships, just a flash of black and white qi, and this huge fleet vanished.

'Huo Xiong' carries a great treasure…… Ma Dashu and the others were both delighted and alarmed, even a bit shocked.

Their minds were in turmoil, and they didn't know whether Pei Feng following Wu Tie was a good thing or a bad thing……

Wu Tie hadn't flown far when he noticed Pei Feng hot on his tail.

He stopped his escape light, waited for Pei Feng to catch up, then took her hand and they flew forward side by side.

Wu Tie didn't say what he was going to do, Pei Feng didn't ask why he left the army, and so, in tacit understanding, they flew forward in silence.

After more than an hour, at their escape-light speed, they penetrated the mountains and arrived beneath a sheer peak that rose like a bookstand.

Several burly men in Great Wu armor, with fierce auras, were already waiting at the foot of the peak.

Wu Tie and Pei Feng landed; a man glanced at Wu Tie, then at Pei Feng, asked nothing, and directly tossed over a jade tablet.

"This time, the one overseeing the main force of the Destroy Jin Army, taking over my lord's campaign against Great Jin, is Wu Duyao. Here is all his information from childhood to adulthood, including his cultivation traits, his strength level, the few treasures on his person, and any reinforcements he might have gotten from his mother's clan, etc."

"Besides that, there is also information on his close aides—several trusted generals and strategists."

"The main force of the Destroy Jin Army has already set out; via the spatial gates laid on the secret paths, in three days Wu Duyao will be able to lead the army to the borders of Great Jin."

"My lord asks you: do you have confidence in fulfilling the promise?"

Several generals sent by the Martial Sole Venerable stared coldly at Wu Tie.

This is the cooperation between the Martial Sole Venerable and Wu Tie, and this is the Martial Sole Venerable's powerful strike against his ambitious brothers.

Although colluding with foreign enemies…… is a bit underhanded, but since the Martial Sole Venerable has made the decision, those of us who have entrusted our lives and fortunes to him naturally have no choice—we can only go down this road to the bitter end!

Furthermore, in the Great Wu Divine State, brothers slaughtering each other, even wiping out each other's mothers' clans and other relatives, is nothing unusual.

Just get used to it.

"I need your cooperation." Wu Tie looked at the several Great Wu generals and complained: "You Great Wu lot don't bother with propriety; you burn, kill, and loot—I've accepted that—but why do you have to use that vile Earth Plague Powder?"

The general who handed over to Wu Tie spread his hands, shook his head helplessly: "This is the Emperor's order; against Great Jin we must use scorched-earth tactics—wherever our Great Wu army passes, within a hundred years nothing shall grow, using the most extreme means to cripple Great Jin's war potential."

He gave a grin, the general chuckled: "His Highness Duyao here……"

The general pointed at his own head: "He's a bit short on brains. If it were my lord, he naturally wouldn't really carry out those extermination measures; at least he'd leave enough fertile land in hand as a base. But His Highness Duyao? He might actually destroy every plot of land he passes over."

"So, General Huo Xiong, we will naturally give you our full support, but we also hope you will exert your utmost." The faces of several Great Wu generals darkened: "General Huo Xiong can seriously wound my lord in the great war…… so, against His Highness Duyao, who is far inferior to my lord, General Huo Xiong will surely succeed."

Wu Tie extended his right fist.

That general also extended his fist, then the two clenched their fists and slammed them together hard.

With a thud, Wu Tie's body didn't budge an inch, while the general's right fist bones were shattered to pieces; his body swayed, his face twisted, and he stumbled back dozens of steps.

"Good!" Several Great Wu generals gave Wu Tie a deep look, turned and left, their harsh words carried on the wind: "Once my lord recovers, we will naturally follow him and hunt together with General Huo Xiong here. We hope that by then, General Huo Xiong's might will not have waned."

Several Great Wu generals vanished into the distance in an instant.

Wu Tie played with the jade tablet in his hand; a thread of magic seeped in, and instantly all the data of the Destroy Jin Army, together with the information of Wu Duyao and other Great Wu princes, lay bare before his eyes, down to the smallest detail.

Pei Feng sucked in a breath of cold air: "This Martial Sole Venerable is really reckless…… if this intelligence leaks out, his crown prince's position may be in jeopardy."

Wu Tie nodded, then shook his head: "Looks like they've already found a scapegoat. Hehe, for the sake of power struggles, what can't they do?"

"Three days from now, when Wu Duyao's overseeing main force of the Destroy Jin Army arrives, we'll give them a nice surprise."

Pei Feng's whole body was wreathed in black flames, her eyes blazing as she looked at Wu Tie and gave a firm nod.