Chapter 810

A fierce wind swept through the void, two massive clusters of spark-fire hung suspended in midair.

Above and below, countless people watched the Feng Shang and Feng Rong brothers.

Feng Rong was furious, his face flushed, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets, veins bulging on the backs of his hands, looking as if he could lose control at any moment and lunge out to tear Feng Shang to pieces.

Feng Shang stood cold-faced on the prow of his flagship, staring straight at Feng Rong: "You, say that again?"

Feng Rong dared not speak.

Feng Rong and Feng Shang, their mothers both came from the Nuwa clan.

However, the Nuwa clan's unique customs meant that although their mothers were both Nuwa women, the paternal clans behind them were different.

Feng Rong's maternal uncle is the current White Lotus Palace sect master, Bai Su Xin.

Feng Shang's maternal uncle, meanwhile, is one of the three present Buddhas of the Red Lotus Temple, the Faceless Buddha. Among the three Buddhas—Angry Buddha, Smiling Buddha, and Faceless Buddha—the Faceless Buddha is supreme, his Buddhist cultivation having reached an inconceivable level.

Thus both of their backgrounds are formidable, but upon careful comparison, Feng Shang, who has the full backing of the Red Lotus Temple, is undoubtedly a bit stronger than Feng Rong.

So Feng Rong, his anger flaring, had just cursed Feng Shang's mother, but he didn't dare say it again.

Feeling stifled and enraged, Feng Rong's complexion grew ever more abnormal, veins standing out on his forehead, his eyeballs turning purplish-red.

Bai Su Xin stepped forward, coldly gazing at the Smiling Buddha behind Feng Shang, and said in a cold voice: "They say monastics cherish compassion, yet Smiling Buddha, you've been rather ruthless in your strike… These are all my good sons of the Ignition Dynasty."

The Smiling Buddha, with a kindly smile, pressed his palms together before Bai Su Xin and said: "The world is so beautiful, yet human hearts are so turbid—this is wrong… Sect Master Bai, King Yin came all this way with good intentions to rescue you; you should feel grateful."

"'Feel grateful for him slaughtering our own troops?' Bai Su Xin shouted in rebuke."

"'Just a mistake,' the Smiling Buddha's smile unchanged, he said gently: 'Just a mistake, not intentional; even if the case went to the emperor, we would still be in the right.'"

Behind the Smiling Buddha, one hundred thousand Red Lotus Temple disciples clasped their hands, murmuring the Buddha's name, surrounding Fan Long and the others.

An even vaster vajra–Sumeru formation began to take shape, an immeasurably huge vajra–Sumeru throne flickering into view in the void. Fan Long and the others radiated Buddhist light, beams shooting straight into the vajra–Sumeru throne, a tremendous pressure rippling through the air.

Behind Bai Su Xin, the three hundred thousand White Lotus Palace disciples split into roughly seven or eight camps, gathering together as pillars of righteous vigor shot up into the void, turning into rolling great rivers, yet their momentum was clearly far inferior to that of the Red Lotus Temple disciples.

These Red Lotus Temple disciples can die for the Buddha in their hearts.

The White Lotus Palace scholars, well… they can sacrifice a little for the justice and reason in their hearts, but scholars have many thoughts, many devious schemes, and each person's sense of justice and reason differs.

The justice and reason you approve of, I do not.

So don't expect White Lotus Palace disciples to sacrifice and strive for a common goal; they more often choose to fight alone.

Or put another way, each White Lotus Palace disciple believes he alone is the finest, dismissing others' 'principles' as nonsense, and only his own chosen 'goal' and 'person' are truly the best in the world.

However, the White Lotus Palace disciples do hold an absolute advantage in numbers.

Moreover, behind Feng Rong are hundreds of thousands of private troops from various state lords, guarding him.

Feng Shang dares to act against the Ignition Dynasty's imperial guards, but he is not so reckless as to strike hard at those state lords' private forces.

The imperial guard troops are the Feng clan's household slaves—kill them, report the losses… but those state lords' private troops are their private property; even someone as arrogant as Feng Shang would not dare offend a hundred state lords at once.

To offend so many state lords, even if one were to sit upon the divine emperor's throne in the future, it would certainly be no pleasant experience.

He gave a light cough, Feng Shang cupped his hands toward Feng Rong: "Elder brother, it seems we brothers have a slight misunderstanding."

Feng Rong's face darkened, he shook his head: "Second brother, don't say I'm leaning on my seniority here—we have no misunderstanding… you simply made a mistake. Acting so recklessly, do you really think…"

Feng Shang cut him off: "I'm stronger than you; half of the Ignition Dynasty's civil and military officials already assume I'll be the next divine emperor—there's no doubt about that. I never mess up in what I do; if I slip up once in a while, who would dare gossip about me?"

Feng Rong trembled with rage, gritted his teeth, and glared hard at Feng Shang.

Feng Shang said calmly: "This place was originally where I meant to make my mark. But since you, elder brother, have come as well, as a brother I cannot be too stingy, or else people will say I lack magnanimity."

He waved a hand and said lightly: "As far as I know, there are three dynasties on this continent. With our current forces, I still have fifty-some thousand troops, while you have only ten-some thousand… So for the three dynasties, you take one, I take two—fair and reasonable, right?"

Feng Rong, furious, pointed at the hundreds of thousands of state lords' private troops behind him and shouted: "Second brother, are you blind? I still have all these behind me…"

Feng Shang chuckled, cupping his hands to the envoys sent by those state lords: "You might ask your own lords whether you really want to meddle in the Feng clan's succession struggle."

The hundred-odd state lords' trusted commanders exchanged glances, then each stepped back a pace.

The reason they brought their private troops to follow Feng Rong in attacking Wuguo is simply that their lords' elite heirs, who were in the White Lotus Palace, died here.

They are here to take revenge.

They are not purely here to help Feng Rong expand territory.

Although the state lords' families behind them have myriad ties to the White Lotus Palace, the Palace is not a monolith—not all of its grandees are inclined to aid Feng Rong in his bid for the throne.

Bai Su Xin, your own uncle and nephew's little game—why drag the whole White Lotus Palace into it?

Some White Lotus Palace grandees are even in cahoots with other princes, exchanging benefits to their mutual delight.

One state lord's trusted aide frankly bowed to Feng Rong: "Your Highness King Xia, your feud with the Second Prince is none of our concern. However, by our lord's command, on this continent we will help you fight whomever you wish; aside from that, we stay out of it."

Feng Rong's face turned purple with anger.

Feng Shang burst into loud laughter, exultant and radiant beyond measure.

The Smiling Buddha also laughed heartily, spreading his arms, closing his eyes, inhaling deeply as if the surrounding smoky air were truly sweet and fragrant.

Bai Su Xin stood aside, gripping the hilt of his waist sword, and transmitted furiously to a few White Lotus Palace grandees behind him: "Is the face of my White Lotus Palace still worth keeping?"

Several grandees looked at Bai Su Xin with blank expressions.

A faint voice echoed in Bai Su Xin's ear: "The White Lotus Palace's face is certainly needed… but how is it to be won back? If the sect master leads his direct disciples to attack the Smiling Buddha outright, the brothers will naturally not lag behind—you take the vanguard, we'll follow."

Bai Su Xin then shut his mouth.

He looked toward the gathered direct disciples of his branch.

These disciples, each clever and quick-witted, well-behaved and sensible, receive yearly offerings from every household to Bai Su Xin that are astronomical sums. Besides cultivation resources, there are all sorts of trifles, and moreover those lively, fragrant 'treasures' that Bai Su Xin delights in, which keep arriving.

Ah, ah, these disciples are all so obedient and lovable—how could one bear to let them die in battle here?

Bai Wen and Bai Wu have already lost a hundred or so, a great loss; these tens of thousands of direct disciples are truly not to be sacrificed.

Bai Su Xin leaned close to Feng Rong and muttered quietly for a while.

Then Feng Rong and Feng Shang the brothers gathered together, one chuckling, the other grim, they muttered their grievances low for a good half hour, after which they finally slit their palms and slammed their bloody hands together three times.

The brothers reached an agreement.

The three dynasties on the ground—the original territories of the Great Martial God State and the Great Wei God State, including the tri-nation battlefield where heavenly-earthly vital energy is most abundant, products richest, and various rare treasures occasionally appear—were all entrusted to Feng Shang to conquer.

As for the underground Fuxi Divine Kingdom, it depends on the abilities of the brothers Feng Rong and Feng Shang; whoever can grab the biggest piece of fat meat depends on their respective means.

Without a doubt, in this agreement Feng Rong is the one who loses out.

But Feng Shang also has his point—the next divine emperor of the Fuxi Divine Kingdom has already fallen into Feng Rong's hands… In this agreement, Feng Rong has taken a big advantage.

Even if the news is transmitted back to Sui Du, the civil and military officials of the Sui Dynasty, from top to bottom, will have to praise Feng Shang as 'truly bearing the demeanor of a divine emperor,' and cannot say he 'dug a pit for his own brother to jump into.'

No matter how many entanglements or calculations they have in their hearts, anyway, the brothers' Blood Palm Oath, with so many people as witnesses, Feng Shang and Feng Rong cannot change this result.

The Blood Palm Oath, in the Sui Dynasty's Feng clan royalty, is considered an extremely formal and extremely solemn means of establishing a covenant.

Whoever in the Feng clan royalty dares to violate this oath, the consequences are extremely severe; neither Feng Shang nor Feng Rong would ever do such a foolish thing.

Feng Shang chuckled and waved at Feng Rong; the fleet carefully backed away, drawing a huge arc in the distance, then swiftly departed from the Fuxi Divine Capital, flying toward Wu Tie's current capital, Shenwu City.

Sitting cross-legged in the cloud mass, silently, Wu Tie's eyes flashed with a cold light as he madly increased his own power; he looked at the distant Xi Wule and Xi Bubai etc controlled by Feng Rong, then at the swiftly departing Feng Shang fleet; Wu Tie took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

The Yin-Yang Daoist, having flown out extremely far, shook his right hand, and hundreds of strands of fire light shot from his hand, swiftly flying toward Shenwu City and the numerous surrounding cities.

The Yin-Yang Daoist warned various places in Wuguo, explaining the situation of Feng Shang's commanding army advancing.

He ordered that all the military clans and aristocratic families of Wuguo hide at the utmost urgency, the farther the better; indeed, they could use that huge teleportation array to first flee to the southern Wujin Manghuang where Chiyang Shen Shan is located, to hide.

Especially the Mi tribe people brought out from the underground world by Wu Tie must withdraw immediately; they absolutely must not fall into Feng Shang's hands.

Besides that, all movable wealth and all the populace can be temporarily left to Feng Shang.

This is also a helpless situation… Wuguo now is utterly unable to cope with the Sui Dynasty's full-scale invasion. Even though Wu Tie feels as if his heart is on fire, he truly cannot think of a good countermeasure.

Feng Shang's fleet flew toward Shenwu City like a gust of wind and lightning; these standard warships of the Sui Dynasty are far faster than Wuguo's current warships, at least ten times faster, an astonishing speed.

Even if all the spatial gates along the way have been shut down or completely destroyed, relying on the fleet's own speed, Feng Shang's army could probably reach Shenwu City in a little over two months.

Wu Tie took a deep breath, and the speed at which the relics within his body burned increased once again.

His body trembled, waves of intense pain surging from all over. His divine fetus repeatedly expanded and contracted, while fragments of divine-soul crystals continuously burned away to exhaustion.

Gradually, Wu Tie entered some strange realm, and before his eyes once again appeared the towering humanoid figure that had split heaven and earth with a single axe.

On the ruins of the Fuxi Divine Capital, with inner fury blazing, the enraged Feng Rong gritted his teeth, personally wielding his blade, and beheaded more than a dozen chiefs of the underground tribes on the spot. He jumped about, brandishing his blood-soaked sword, pointing at the hovering Xi Wule beside him and roared loudly.

"You, either hack him with a blade, stab him with a sword, drink his blood wine, and let this king kneel in surrender…… otherwise, there will be no slaves, no slaves…… all of you tribespeople present, and all the tribespeople this king can find in the future, you will all die!"

Feng Rong brandished his sword, his eyes blood-red like a demon, shouting hoarsely: "You all must die…… don't think this king is joking with you…… you lowly bastards, weak, incompetent, backward, base…… you are not even as good as the demons of the Western Demon Realm, the fiends of the Eastern Demon Realm, or the monsters and ghosts of the Ghost Realm and Monster Realm!"

"This king once, at a single command in the Western Demon Realm, slaughtered a hundred billion demons!"

"You, do you have a hundred billion people here?"

Feng Rong laughed hysterically, blood inexplicably seeping from the gaps between his teeth, his whole body trembling as he looked with extreme excitement at the tribal chiefs and the gathered elders before him.

"Of course, you do…… heh heh heh heh, the population of this continent is more than a hundred times that of my Sui Dynasty, at least a hundredfold."

"So, for your kind of lowly bastards, killing a few more is no big deal."

"Wildfire cannot burn it all out, spring wind blows and it grows again…… you lowly bastards, you must find it easy to reproduce, right? Haha, kill more, this king won't feel the slightest pain!"

The high-ranking members of the Four Ferocious Families, including the Taotie, also followed Feng Rong's side, loudly shouting and cursing.

They were more familiar with the situation than Feng Rong; the chief of the Qiongqi clan suddenly took action, grabbing a pitch-black snake-person from the crowd.

"Hei Pi Lao Wu, it's you…… hey, don't act all steadfast and unyielding in front of me…… I don't understand the nature of you black-poison snake people? You guys are timid, fearful, yet the most ferocious and greedy…… hehe, come, give our future divine emperor a slash, I guarantee you and your people will enjoy fine food and spicy drinks from now on!"

The black-poison snake person trembled, first looking at the hundreds of thousands of tribal leaders behind him, then at Feng Rong before him.

Gritting his teeth, he reached out his hand toward a Sui Dynasty forbidden army soldier nearby.

A long blade flashing with a hazy red light was immediately placed into Hei Pi Lao Wu's hand.