Chapter 658

On the Three Kingdoms battlefield, the armies of Great Wu suddenly packed up camp, abandoning all their military forts and strongholds, and withdrew in great numbers back to the homeland of Great Wu.

Great Wei began to gather and contract; the legions that had invaded the territories originally belonging to the Blue Hill Divine Kingdom were retreating at top speed. They abandoned all the small and medium fortresses within the Three Kingdoms battlefield, and the massive legions converged toward super-military cities such as Azure Peak City.

The grand defensive arrays of one super-military city after another were activated; heavy main guns emerged from concealed emplacements, their barrels protruding; countless soldiers sat cross-legged on the ground, directly forming battle arrays, ready at any moment to soar into the sky and fight to the death.

Warships were moored along the city walls; huge metal stakes protruded from the walls, firmly gripping the warships and turning each vessel into part of the wall. The large and small main guns aboard the warships likewise became part of the defensive system.

The main legions of Great Wei assumed a posture of strict defense and resolute holding.

Wu Tie also mobilized his troops in a leisurely manner, slowly reclaiming the occupied military cities one by one, slowly repairing the defenses, and building up his defenses.

However, all of Wu Tie's troops were equipped with sufficient warships; even if the grand defensive arrays inside the military cities were repaired and the barracks completely refurbished, his forces were all stationed on the warships, ready to take off and flee at a moment's notice should anything go wrong.

Dark clouds blanketed the sky over the Three Kingdoms battlefield, and great masses of snowflakes kept falling, striking the ground and making the thick snowpack emit a steady 'puff-puff' sound.

Thirteen straight pillars of light stood upright between heaven and earth; the light of sun, moon, and stars was blocked by the dark clouds, so even the daytime sky over the Three Kingdoms battlefield was dim, yet only these thirteen massive light pillars brought a hint of brightness to the battlefield.

On the wall of the military city nearest to Great Wei's main force, Wu Tie stood with his arms crossed, gazing at the movements of the Great Wei military city not far away.

Dong, dongdong, dong, dongdong!

An extraordinarily ornate dragon boat, ten thousand zhang long, came slowly from the direction of the Great Wei Divine Kingdom.

This giant vessel had originally been positioned above the dark clouds; only when it was about to approach the military city where Wu Tie was stationed did it slowly break through the cloud layer and appear before his eyes.

On the deck of the dragon boat, two rows of huge war drums were neatly arranged; burly men averaging over one zhang three chi in height bared their chests, drenched in sweat as they swung the drumsticks, beating the thousands of dragon-skin war drums with a thunderous roar that seemed to shake heaven and earth.

The dragon boat, its whole body a pale gold, parted the dark clouds; a powerful surge of magical force tore a rift several li wide through the thick cloud layer, and brilliant sunlight streamed down through the rift, illuminating vast expanses of mountains and rivers behind the vessel.

"This is the Great Wei imperial barge, exhausting the entirety of Great Wei's national strength—there is only one such vessel." Linghu Buhuo stood beside Wu Tie, wrapped in a thick sable cloak, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his back slightly bent, the picture of a doddering old man.

"Expensive?" Wu Tie asked Linghu Buhuo in astonishment.

Great Wei is extremely prosperous, its overall national strength surpassing that of the Blue Hill Divine Kingdom without falling short; yet even after exhausting all of Great Wei's strength, they could forge only a single imperial barge… Just how valuable must this giant dragon boat, ten thousand zhang long, be?

Even if it were made of pure gold… with Great Wei's strength, forging eight or nine hundred such giant vessels of pure gold would be child's play.

"Expensive, it truly is. For this behemoth, the divine sovereign of Great Wei from ten generations ago poured in resources equivalent to the total price of three hundred fifty innate spirit treasures." Linghu Buhuo smiled faintly: "Not only the materials, but also labor costs, plus the expense of experimenting with all kinds of unimaginable new array formations, new mana circuits, and new yuan-energy furnaces."

After a light chuckle, Linghu Buhuo said leisurely: "However, after this behemoth was built, the people of Great Wei discovered that they had used materials too fine, making the behemoth excessively heavy—so heavy that the 1,080 latest yuan-energy furnaces they had manufactured…"

Linghu Buhuo pointed at the dragon boat and sneered: "It's just a bit slower than an ordinary thousand-li horse… This is its top speed—do you believe it?"

Wu Tie closed his mouth, said nothing, and after a while he burst out laughing, holding his belly.

A dragon ship this large, ten thousand zhang long, could be three times the length of a Four-Spirit warship, yet the Four-Spirit warships fly with incredible speed, while this behemoth is somewhat slower than an ordinary thousand-li horse.

The realm is so vast that a random prefecture in any of the three kingdoms stretches a million li from east to west. At this imperial barge's speed, crossing an ordinary prefecture would take three or four years, wouldn't it?

"The divine sovereign who oversaw the construction of this behemoth was immediately impeached and driven out, replaced by his son on the throne." Linghu Buhuo chuckled: "His son, too, is a talent; he at once summoned the top 128 aristocratic clans of Great Wei, intending to auction off this behemoth."

"The result was that after a long clamor, no one bid, and the behemoth ultimately ended up in the hands of the Great Wei imperial clan."

Linghu Buhuo shook his head and gave a hehe laugh: "Nevertheless, this behemoth is truly imposing; therefore, if the Great Wei divine sovereign leaves the Wei capital to tour the realm, this behemoth becomes his personal imperial vessel."

A grim twitch crossed Wu Tie's mouth: "But this thing is so slow…"

Linghu Buhuo laughed so hard he nearly choked: "So, if you see this behemoth flying at great speed, it must be that an elder of the Xiahou royal clan is aboard, using his own divine powers to carry the behemoth through the air, thereby boosting the clan's prestige."

Linghu Buhuo's cheeks twitched violently as he lowered his voice: "Supposedly, this is a unanimous decision made by the elders of all the great aristocratic clans of Great Wei… When the divine sovereign travels, he must pilot this behemoth; ostensibly, it is to remind the sovereign of this lesson, so he will not squander national strength recklessly in the future."

Wu Tie stared, speechless.

Linghu Buhuo's old face flushed red as he chuckled, narrowing his eyes and shaking his head: "This thing is too heavy; even an old monster of the Divine Manifestation realm, using evasion techniques to carry it aloft, could manage at most a million li before exhausting all his strength."

"Therefore, the last three generations of Great Wei divine sovereigns basically never step outside the Wei capital… Indeed, they dare not ask their own ancestors to say this." Linghu Buhuo's eyes narrowed with laughter: "Ancestor, I wish to tour the realm; could you… serve as an ox or horse and steer the boat for me?"

Wu Tie laughed so hard his front teeth showed: "If I had such a filial son, I'd kick him to death."

Linghu Buhuo spread his hands, nodding with a satisfied smile: "So the present Great Wei divine sovereign, Xiahou Luming, is right aboard the vessel."

Wu Tie also laughed brightly.

But in his heart, he inexplicably developed a deep admiration for that former sovereign of Great Wei.

After hearing Linghu Buhuo's description, that divine sovereign perhaps did not build this seemingly useless behemoth merely for pomp, for show, or for the so-called imperial dignity.

Perhaps he merely wanted to verify certain new technologies,

After all, refining such a ten-thousand-zhang-long giant dragon boat—involving casting materials, smelting techniques, even array inscriptions, various prohibitions, and most importantly the yuan-energy furnace and mana-flow circuits—is a project of astonishing complexity and enormous scale.

If, under the sponsorship of that Great Wei divine sovereign, Great Wei truly succeeded in manufacturing a giant vessel ten thousand zhang long and with normal speed…

Wu Tie's whole body shuddered with a chill… How terrifying would the warships of a Great Wei possessing such technical reserves be?

In Wu Tie's mind, a series of massive shadows flashed by.

That was from the primordial era, the time of Lao Tie, when humans forged those gigantic sky‑fortresses and star‑cities capable of ultra‑fast flight… He also recalled that Osiris, who had once given Wu Tie the Tower of Rebirth and the Tree of Abundance, was sleeping and hidden in that pyramid, which was the culmination of those sky‑fortresses of that age.

Great Wei harbors aspirations.

In their very bones they possess a romantic spirit that the peoples of the Blue Hill Divine Kingdom and the Great Wu Divine Kingdom lack.

Moreover, they are more willing to pay the necessary price for their romantic sentiments. Hence, why the arts of forging, alchemy, talismans, and arrays of Great Wei reign supreme under heaven—it is because their hearts cherish the pursuit of romance.

"Such a behemoth, what a pity…"

Wu Tie gazed at the approaching giant dragon boat and murmured to himself.

In his mind lay a vast database inherited from Lao Tie, containing the design schematics of the primordial sky‑fortresses. Wu Tie's pupils glowed faintly; if he could obtain sufficient artisans and masters from Great Wei, perhaps, perhaps… he could remanufacture those fearsome sky‑fortresses with a new appearance.

Those sky‑fortresses are terrifying weapons capable of slaying gods.

Compared to the mainstream warships of the present Three Kingdoms, they can barely contend with cultivators at the Embryonic Treasury stage, and are a hundred eighty thousand li away from being able to slay gods.

"Who goes there?" Linghu Buhuo already chuckled as he hailed the massive dragon boat.

With a tremendous 'boom', a vigorous golden energy surge shot up from the central hall of the dragon boat, quickly forming a huge cloud platform above it. Giant dragons coiled around the platform; nine dragons, their bodies entirely golden and shining, each thousands of zhang long, wound sinuously around the platform, their scarlet eyes occasionally fixing Wu Tie and Linghu Buhuo with a fierce glare.

Upon the cloud platform stood a towering throne.

Clad in regal robes, Xiahou Luming sat upright upon the throne, looking down upon Wu Tie and Linghu Buhuo from on high.

"I, representing Great Wei, declare war upon the Blue Hill Divine Kingdom."

Xiahou Luming lightly waved his hand and said calmly: "This war is a war of national annihilation; dare you accept it?"

Wu Tie stared blankly at Xiahou Luming, then let out a heavy sigh.

The current Divine Emperor personally stepped forward to declare war.

This is also too pompous, too upright and glorious, too solemn.

But this also means the Great Wei Divine State has truly been provoked; they truly intend to overturn the table.

"Your Majesty, since you have decided…… our Green Hill dare not disobey." Wu Tie stepped forward, bowed to Xiahou Luming: "A war to destroy a nation? Our Green Hill fears nothing."

Xiahou Luming nodded slowly, looked at Wu Tie, and laughed: "Prince An Huoxiong, you are talented and also capable. If you were in Great Wei, I would surely make you a pillar minister and give you heavy responsibility. Alas, you are a person of an enemy state."

Wu Tie smirked: "Your Majesty overpraises me……"

Xiahou Luming interrupted Wu Tie's words: "I sincerely praise you…… alas, alas, the ancestors said, the chief culprit must die."

Xiahou Luming's imperial boat was only twenty-some li from the military city where Wu Tie was stationed; as his words finished, a figure clad entirely in golden armor, wearing a Xiezhi mask, with aura completely concealed, standing to the right of his throne, suddenly moved.

In a single step, the golden-armored figure arrived before Wu Tie, with a clang the sword sang; a heavy sword entwined with double dragons, accompanied by a terrifying blast of air, thrust heavily into Wu Tie's chest.

The golden-armored figure acted too fast; moreover, not even Linghu Buhuo nearby expected it would launch a sudden killing strike.

Indeed, Xiahou Luming, as the current Divine Emperor of Great Wei, personally ran to the front lines to declare war on an enemy state—something that has never happened in the history of the Three Kingdoms.

Moreover, Great Wei has always placed utmost importance on rites; the Way of Rituals holds a uniquely important position in Great Wei.

Such ancient courtesies as not executing envoys during wartime between states have been observed excellently in Great Wei.

So, facing Xiahou Luming, who would have thought that his golden-armored 'guard' would suddenly transform into a deadly assassin?

Moreover, when the golden-armored figure is still, his aura is restrained to the extreme, not leaking a trace.

But when he moves, a terrifying killing intent as icy as deep winter bursts forth, startling Linghu Buhuo into an instinctive leap backward, whoosh—shooting out dozens of li.

Strong, extremely strong.

Among deities, there are also strengths and weaknesses; first-heaven deities are the weakest, tenth-heaven deities the strongest.

Linghu Buhuo's cultivation is at the Second Heaven of the Divine Realm, while the golden-armored figure that struck has boldly reached the strength of the Fifth Heaven or above of the Divine Realm.

A flash of sword light pierced the newly donned Nine Refined Immortal Soldier armor on Wu Tie; the terrifying sharpness penetrated his chest muscles, the icy-cold sword edge accompanied by a huge tearing sound, slammed hard into his ribs.

With a crisp 'ding', a flash of sparks appeared on Wu Tie's chest; the rib struck squarely by the sword tip caved in sharply, then, amidst the sparks, the rib sprang back.

Wu Tie then flew backward with the momentum, his body turning into a rainbow, whoosh—retreating nearly a hundred li.

At the instant the golden-armored figure struck, Xiahou Luming had already clenched his fists.

According to Xiahou Luming's own wishes, he would not have liked to personally come declare war; having an expert disguise as a guard to assassinate 'Prince An Huoxiong'—such an overly scheming act—he also would not have liked.

But when the royal family and the old monsters of the great clans all surfaced, this Divine Emperor Xiahou Luming became mere decoration, a mascot-like existence.

Several ancestors insisted on using Wu Tie's head as a 'proclamation', to warn the Green Hill Divine State with his blood…… Helpless, Xiahou Luming could only agree to the ancestors' plan.

The golden-armored figure launched its attack; Xiahou Luming softly exhaled a breath.

"Prince An Huoxiong…… he……"

Xiahou Luming was about to deliver his prepared lines, but his eyes suddenly widened.

He…… he…… is he possessed and having hallucinations?

The attacker was Gongsun Xiuniang, the number one swordsman of Great Wei, the Grand Supreme Elder of the Gongsun Clan…… she pulled down her mask, disregarding decorum to personally strike down a junior…… she actually failed to kill Wu Tie with a single sword?

Moreover, Wu Tie was shouting loudly with full vigor?

"Focus fire!" Wu Tie roared angrily: "Annihilate them!"

With a tremendous roar, countless lights blazed across heaven and earth, completely submerging Gongsun Xiuniang within.