Chapter 531: A Heart Burning to Swallow the World Whole

The corner of the Whale Angler's eye twitched wildly.

He stared at that line of text, then rubbed his eyes, widened his pupils, and looked carefully, but nothing had changed — it wasn't that his eyes were playing tricks on him.

What fell into his gaze was still that simple, unadorned title.

The Number One Divine General Under Heaven.

The Whale Angler was silent for a long while, then sighed with feeling: "Number One Under Heaven…"

"Li Guanyi, Number One Under Heaven?"

He was indeed Number One Under Heaven.

Moreover, he was the most substantive Number One in eight hundred years — a famed general of these chaotic times, from sovereign to general, all of extraordinary bearing, no less than that heroic generation at the founding of the Red Emperor's dynasty.

To achieve the title of Number One Divine General among chaotic times and heroes of this caliber—

Its weight had already surpassed Xue Shenjiang.

Just how heavy was a Number One Divine General forged in such battlefields?

Put simply—

Leading a great army, he could, while lightly wounded, forcefully slay a martial arts legend.

In the truest sense, invincible, sweeping all before him.

The Whale Angler stared at that line of text. A good while passed, and he still could hardly accept this fact — could hardly accept that the youngster with weak Wu Gong from all those years ago now possessed a power that could almost be called the foremost under heaven.

But in a daze, he thought — it had already been six years since he first met this kid. How had time passed so quickly? The Whale Angler instinctively looked toward the silver-haired girl nearby; Yaoguang quietly flipped through a tome of arcane arts, her expression serene.

Over these years, she had already untied the knots in her heart.

She was no longer the girl she had been at first, who would cling to great fear and unease at parting. The Qin Wang campaigned on all four fronts; the Whale Angler withdrew his gaze and looked at the record on the Divine General Ranking—

Merits: 【Conquered the Western Regions, took the Southwest; within a few years, seized and restored all of Chen's territory; defeated Yu Langwang, fought the Army God, slew the Great Khan of the Turks, killed the Chen Emperor; in three hundred years, none surpass him in destroying states and breaking cities — illustrious in war, invincible in all directions.】

Realm: Above the Nine Heavens, suspected to be a martial arts legend; during the campaign to retake the Turks, he first displayed the bearing of a martial arts legend.

The Whale Angler stared at this judgment from the Number One Tower Under Heaven.

Especially those six great characters 【Suspected Martial Arts Legend】; calculating in his heart the youngster's age — only twenty-two or twenty-three. A martial arts legend at twenty-two or twenty-three was truly many years earlier than his own record.

Now he couldn't even out-fish that nagging Xue Shen.

Even the title of youngest martial arts legend had been snatched away.

The Whale Angler was quite displeased.

But beneath that displeasure, there was also a sense of exhilaration watching a younger generation stride boldly forward through the chaos — wanting to give the kid a beating, yet also thinking of fetching Thousand-Day Drunk and getting thoroughly drunk with him, clapping his shoulder.

Saying something like, "Kid, you're not as good as me, but you're not bad either."

However, if Li Guanyi became the Number One Divine General—

Then Jiang Su would be second?

The Whale Angler stroked his chin, thoughtful.

Jiang the Second, one-eyed Jiang the Second?

Ha, that title's not bad, suits him pretty well.

The Whale Angler's lips curved up, planning to mock him heartily next time they met. But though Li Guanyi's Wu Gong was very strong, and his growth extremely fast, he still shouldn't be able to take Jiang Su one-on-one.

In terms of commanding troops, Jiang Su was also stronger than Li Guanyi.

In terms of soldier quality, the Tiger Barbarian Cavalry was no inferior to Li Guanyi's Fire Qilin Army. So how could Jiang Su have been defeated, fallen to the second under heaven…

The Whale Angler's gaze moved downward.

His brow furrowed at once.

Because right after on the Divine General Ranking, the name of Army God Jiang Su was prominently displayed.

Honorific title: Number One Divine General Under Heaven.

The Whale Angler's brows nearly all furrowed together. After a long while, he laughed with a snort: "…Two Number One Divine Generals? This fire, it seems a bit heavy, doesn't it? Is the Number One Tower Under Heaven stoking the fires of this chaotic age?"

He continued reading.

He saw Jiang Su's judgment — equally bearing the air of sweeping all before him. Though his recent merits fell short of the Qin Wang's, his Wu Gong, command, and strategy were all the foremost of three hundred years; illustrious and domineering, he too should be the Number One Divine General.

The Whale Angler looked back and forth between the two judgments. Even a man of the jianghu like him could feel the thick conflict hidden within this ranking of the Divine General list — two divine generals, opposing factions, bearing grudges, yet both Number One.

Without a fight, it would almost be a disservice to such titles.

Was it the Number One Tower Under Heaven deliberately stirring the pot?

Or was it—

That the storms of these chaotic times had grown so fierce, the situation so intense, that even the Number One Tower Under Heaven — long-established in the world, its prestige valued and recognized by all factions — could no longer decide which of these two was truly the foremost divine general?

What the Whale Angler, and everyone in the world watching this Divine General Ranking, did not know was that in this ranking, the positions behind were quickly decided; only these two at the front could not be resolved.

No one could make that judgment, so it dragged on and on.

In the end, the Tower Master of the Number One Tower Under Heaven dragged back the guest elder Yan Xuanji, who had been trying to slip away.

The door was shut, and the key swallowed whole.

It was made plain that Yan Xuanji wouldn't leave until he ranked the Divine General list.

But even Yan Xuanji — who had once "offended" both Tai Ping Gong Li Wanli and Master Jiankuang Elder Murong simultaneously — refused to rank them. Now the Qin Wang's momentum was immense: in just a few short years, cities broken and states destroyed in great number, his fire blazing like a rainbow.

Army God Jiang Su, invincible, three hundred years of surging might.

How am I supposed to rank these two, who goes above and who below?

Who?

Me??!

You'd better just kill me.

Yan Xuanji, who had once been taken down by Elder Murong with a sword scabbard, flatly refused to get involved. After stewing for a while, this lifelong free-spirited guest elder of the Number One Tower Under Heaven suddenly grasped the essence of muddying the waters, and sought out the Tower Master, saying:

"Tower Master, hear me out a moment."

"This matter truly isn't something you and I can judge. The other famous generals of the realms can still be ranked higher or lower according to their battle records, Wu Gong, strategies, and victories and defeats. When all is said and done, this is just something scholars often do."

"Debating the annals of war, that is."

"But now these two are different. They are like the core of yin and yang Qi, their bodies like the realm itself. One anger startles the world, one joy brings peace to the world. In eight hundred years, there has never been such a situation. One could almost say, the victory or defeat of these two is the victory or defeat of the realm itself."

"The standing of these two is the standing of Qin and Ying."

"It is the standing of an old era's three-hundred-year dynasty against the blazing heroic spirit of a newly risen generation."

"It can no longer be described by the words 'divine general.'"

"The standing of these two is almost like the trajectory of the realm itself."

Tu Shengyuan said: "People like you and me are nothing more than idlers who wander the streets and wield our pens. What ability or depth do we have to make such a judgment?"

The master of the World's Tianxia Diyi Lou was silent for a long time, then said: "Who could decide it?"

Tu Shengyuan raised a finger and pointed at the sky, saying frankly:

"No one."

"Only that final battle can decide the victory and standing of those two."

"Only the vastness of the realm and the annals of a thousand autumns can render final judgment upon the two of them."

"People like you and me, with our mouths and tongues, are just making a living. We truly don't have such great ability."

The master of the World's Tianxia Diyi Lou was silent for a long time, sighed with deep feeling, and said: "Mr. is right. Such a matter is beyond human power and cannot be forced. Then, there is only one last question left."

Tu Shengyuan breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that this white-haired master of the tower would not, after all, drag him into doing something that, if done poorly, would leave a stench for ten thousand years and earn him curses for being blind. His heart settled, his bearing became composed, and he smiled: "What else does the master wish to ask?"

"Please, speak it."

"I will not refuse in the slightest!"

The master of the World's Tianxia Diyi Lou wore a troubled expression: "Two divine generals, both number one under heaven."

"Who ranks first, and who ranks second?"

Tu Shengyuan: "…………"

You f*cking—!

The corner of his mouth twitched, and he raised his hand to slap his own face.

The master of the World's Tianxia Diyi Lou hurriedly grabbed his arm, utterly sincere, and said:

"Guest retainer, guest retainer, you mustn't, you mustn't."

"You only need to say who should be ranked first."

Tu Shengyuan wished he could strangle his own self from ten breaths ago, but things had reached this point and there was no way out. After a long silence, he sighed, took two sheets of paper as the guest retainer, and wrote 【Li Guanyi】 【Jiang Su】 on them.

Then he crumpled them into balls, tossed them into a box, and drew one with his eyes closed.

He opened it and looked.

On it was clearly written Li Guanyi.

Tu Shengyuan looked toward the master of the World's Tianxia Diyi Lou:

"Qin Wang Li Guanyi, aged twenty-two, just past the capping age, a general who has destroyed nations, invincible wherever he goes, having consecutively broken the Tujue, the Dangxiang, the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions, the entire southwest, the Chen Kingdom, and the Turkic steppes, and additionally serving as the Grand Marshal of the Red Emperor's forces."

"His fame shakes the four directions, and his honored position stands even above the Grand Preceptor of Ying."

"Out of deference to the honored one."

"He should be ranked above the Army God Jiang Su."

The master of the World's Tianxia Diyi Lou: "…………"

"Huh????"

"And if the one drawn was Army God Jiang Su?"

Tu Shengyuan, without changing expression, said: "Army God Jiang Su, legend of the martial Dao, roaming the world, commanding and conquering, invincible in all directions for three hundred years, the pillar of Ying, his spirit swallowing the universe, neither good nor evil, only the victor comes first."

"Out of deference to the elder."

"He should be ranked above Li Guanyi."

The master of the World's Tianxia Diyi Lou stared in astonishment, and finally could only laugh in spite of himself. He pointed at Tu Shengyuan's mouth and tongue, saying:

"You, you. This mouth of yours can turn things over and over and still squeeze out three parts of reason, ha ha. Whether the world is in chaos or in great peace, you can always freeload off this mouth of yours."

"Only Master Jiankuang Elder Murong could use his sword to shut you up."

Back then, Tu Shengyuan had listed Master Jiankuang Murong Qiushui's granddaughter, Su Changqing, on the beauty rankings. Master Jiankuang came to his door carrying a sword, and Tu Shengyuan got beaten up, yet still said: "You may strike my hands and feet, but please do not harm my mouth and tongue."

His courage was great, and his head was hard too. Master Jiankuang, for his part, laughed in spite of himself.

He merely erased the names Su Changqing and Murong Qiushui from the World's Tianxia Diyi Lou's beauty rankings, then left. The beaten Tu Shengyuan, at that time, faced the World's Tianxia Diyi Lou master who was also sporting a bruised and swollen face, pointed only at his own mouth, smiled, and asked:

"Are my mouth and tongue still intact?"

Yet he could still be considered a hero of his domain.

However, Tu Shengyuan, with such spirit, after finishing this edition of the Divine General Rankings, was silent for a long time. Looking at the completed initial rankings, he raised his hand, snapped the brush beside him, tossed it to the ground, and only let out a long sigh.

The master of the World's Tianxia Diyi Lou was startled: "Guest retainer?!"

Tu Shengyuan said: "In this life, what I have seen and heard, I who style myself as knowing all, I have compiled the Divine General Rankings I know not how many times. I have seen the rise of famous generals, I have seen the fall of heroes. In these hundred years, the spirit of the generals contending for supremacy in this chaotic era surpasses that of the past eight hundred years."

"I did not expect this day to come so soon."

"But this should be my last Divine General Rankings."

"The next great change will be the final war for peace."

The master of the World's Tianxia Diyi Lou, who ultimately still cherished talent, spoke up to retain him, saying: "Even as you say, if the next great reshuffling and change of the Divine General Rankings is that war for peace, then after this great war, the many divine generals will also need to be rearranged."

"At that time, won't it also require your hand?"

Tu Shengyuan shook his head and said:

"If the world is already one nation, what would be the use of this chaotic-era Divine General Rankings?"

"If the world is at peace, then the ranking at that time would be nothing more than merits, nothing more than like the portraits of the lords on the lofty Lingyan Pavilion, a matter of discussing merits and bestowing rewards. How could that be the Divine General Rankings written by people like us, the storytellers of the jianghu?"

"The Divine General Ranking of the Troubled Times ends here."

"This is the final scroll in eight hundred years, and the final scroll of my life. All the bold spirit and writing of Tu Shengyuan's life have been spent; I can never again write anything that surpasses this ranking scroll."

"Better to break the brush, and never dip in ink again."

The white-haired Tu Shengyuan smiled and said: "Lady of the Tower, if we part today and fate allows it, I hope that on a day when the world is at peace, in a teahouse by the lake beside that city, I may see a storyteller who can tell of all three hundred years of the jianghu and eight hundred years of the splendor of these troubled times."

"That would be me."

Tu Shengyuan, the Guest Minister of the Tower Under Heaven, laughed loudly, pushed open the door, and walked out.

Never to return.

The Divine General Ranking, from this point, ceased to exist.

And this final Divine General Ranking was also considered the 【First Ranking of the Troubled Times】; its weight, and the bold and surging spirit hidden within it, were in no way inferior to the very first Divine General Ranking.

Beneath the heroes representing both Qin and Ying.

The top ten generals galloped and charged across the field.

The Third Divine General—the greatest divine archer under heaven, the general who once wielded a war bow, followed Jiang Wanxiang to build Ying's flourishing enterprise, opened Xiyicheng and the Western Regions route, and with a single arrow severed the bond between the Turkic Great Khan Wang Fa's dharma aspect and his fortune—Gao Xiang.

The Fourth Divine General — famed in youth, roamed the world, first-rate in military strategy and tactics of the age, a rare and peerless marshal talent of the realm, his Wu Gong at the Nine Heavens realm, who used the Jin Chida Roc dharma aspect to devour and refine the Fei poison, with deep foundations, and was said to possibly reach — the Marquis Mu of Qin, Yue Pengwu.

The Fifth Divine General — the Divine Might Grand General of Great Ying, who personally trained the Tiger Barbarian cavalry, rode a thousand li through the night, and annihilated the Tuyuhun — the divine general Yuwen Lie. Though he had lost an arm, his heroic spirit had not diminished; instead, he advanced another half step on his realm.

The Sixth Divine General — wearing a mechanical face armor, skilled in battle-halberd and archery, especially adept at provoking the opposing divine generals' minds before battle formations, hiding his identity and name — the Fire Qilin Army divine general. It was only a pity that though his Wu Gong was high, he never displayed it in full.

The Seventh Divine General — a divine general of Great Ying, mature and steady, solemn and murderous — He Ruo Qinhu.

The Eighth Divine General — just past his capping year, nearly the same age as Qin Wang, yet already ranked among the world's top ten, Lord of Xiyicheng, born with a dharma aspect, holding the rank of Duke — Li Zhaowen.

The Ninth Divine General — risen from obscurity, roamed the troubled times, fought through a hundred battles, never retreating in a hundred fights, once having crossed spears with every one of the world's top ten divine generals. Though he lost again and again, coughing blood repeatedly, he never withdrew — the divine general Yue Qianfeng.

The Tenth Divine General — the Grand Marshal and Grand General of Ying, who galloped across many battlefields like a pillar of stone — the famed general of the Eight Heavens realm, Qin Yulong.

The world all felt that the Tenth Divine General should have been chosen from among these four divine generals: Xiao Wuliang, the Southwest King Duan Qingyu, Qin Yulong, and Chen Wenmian. Only Chen Wenmian, though strong, had not yet broken through the barrier between the Seventh and Eighth Heavens.

Xiao Wuliang lost an arm, his lord died in battle — the matter of Yu Langwang greatly affected his battle record.

Though Duan Qingyu's realm was higher than Chen Wenmian's, in truth, this Southwest King had stayed in the peaceful land of the Southwest Jiuli for too long, and had already fallen somewhat behind the murderous, fierce marshal style of the Central Plains.

It was generally accepted that Duan Qingyu of the Eighth Heavens, facing Chen Wenmian at the peak of the Seventh Heavens, would have a win rate of less than forty percent. Of course, if Duan Qingyu could bring that auspicious little dumpling of the Southwest into battle, he might even the odds.

The premise being that this auspicious creature of the Southwest had not been led astray and lost by some delicacy.

Chen Wenmian was only young, limited by his battle record and Wu Gong; otherwise, he might well have advanced further and been ranked among the world's top ten.

In the end, after looking here and there, each divine general had his outstanding points and his shortcomings; instead, it was Qin Yulong, who had rendered meritorious service — though without dazzling feats, yet also without any errors or omissions — who stepped onto the position of the world's Tenth General.

Only, when Tu Shengyuan set about compiling this Divine General Ranking, he expended great effort, consulting the Juan Sect scrolls; but the more effort he spent, the more desolate he felt —

In just a few short years, too many things had happened. Yu Langwang Chen Fubi died in battle; the Turkic Great Khan perished; the original finest Zhebie divine archer of the grasslands died three years ago, beneath a single sword from Master Jiankuang leaving seclusion.

Lu Youxian opened the city and surrendered, then took his own life for his country.

Chen Tianqi exhausted his vitality and perished on the grasslands.

These divine generals, who once galloped across their domains in this surging age, bold and decisive, vying for supremacy in their time, had withered one by one on the eve of the war for peace.

Clearly, peace could be foreseen to be not far off, yet one after another, they fell and died in battle.

Like the long night.

Stars filled the sky, once shining for a time, yet all had fallen.

Thus the long night grew deeper and darker.

Thus the long night must dawn.

Yet before this final great sun rose, completely illuminating one side of heaven and earth — the darkest period of all — Tu Shengyuan felt that he could still live to see the day of a peaceful world.

Yue Qianfeng looked at the names on this Divine General Ranking, delighted beyond measure, intending to hang this ranking up as a treasure to pass down to later generations, only to discover that among the top ten of this Divine General Ranking, Ying and the Fire Qilin Army each held five.

Two of the world's foremost divine generals.

Each side possessing four famed generals.

Thus, even this Divine General Ranking itself seemed to have transformed into a battlefield, the words like blades, spears, swords, and halberds, slaughtering and vying with one another, making one instinctively hold one's breath.

Yet mere words could actually convey the spirit of blades and swords contending, yielding nothing to one another; mere words could faintly reveal that magnificent, world-devouring, overwhelming momentum.

Yue Qianfeng gazed at this scroll of the Divine General Ranking, faintly perceiving the world's famed generals—coming and going, long spears and battle-blades clashing, taking turns to appear and depart—and could not help but feel his blood surge with excitement, sighing emotionally: "The day of peace under heaven shall not be far off."

"The final battle shall be the foremost in eight hundred years."

"In this battle, I must be the vanguard, the first to face the heroes."

"Even should I die, I shall not regret it!"

………………

Li Guanyi set down the Divine General Ranking, casually closing this scroll, no longer taking it so much to heart. Beside him, Mr. Pojun swept his eyes over the ranking and felt a slight surprise within.

The weight of this Divine General Ranking, rather than being a ranking compiled by jianghu folk, was more like a hint at the great trend of the world.

Its surging spirit, taking its stand on Qin Wang and the Army God, had already surpassed the level of jianghu commentary that only looked at battle records and Wu Gong.

Seeing this ranking was like seeing the world, like seeing a million men arrayed on the sand facing each other.

Famed generals contending.

Fierce and surging.

Mr. Pojun clicked his tongue in wonder: "Indeed, there is talent and vision — to know and place my lord first."

Not bad, not some Sa Lu Zi hack — he has vision!

This Pojun acknowledges you.

Li Guanyi, however, said: "Sir, you also know that with the situation having reached its present state, this Divine General Ranking is, after all, merely an empty name."

Pojun looked at Qin Wang, his smile slightly restrained.

"My lord will ultimately be victorious."

Li Guanyi gripped the Jiuli Bingzhu Sword in his hand, his fingers calmly brushing past the ink-black blade with its faint dark-gold fine patterns, listening to the sword's hum at his ear, and said: "In the world's final battle, only the victor has the right to be listed in the records. For now, this Divine General Ranking is only worth a glance."

"The world's number one tower should have considered this as well, which is why it didn't separate a first and second."

"If we're talking about hard strength, I'm still no match for Jiang Su."

"His command is unrivaled in this age, and his Wu Gong in all the world only falls short of Great-Grandfather; however, the great trend of the world and victory or defeat are not simply a matter of looking at things on paper. In that final battle, you and I must both give our all."

Po Jun said matter-of-factly: "But rising from obscurity, contending for supremacy among emperors and kings — he falls far short of you, my lord."

"He only has the advantage of being older than you, my lord."

"If you two fought at the same age, he would certainly be no match for you, my lord."

Li Guanyi laughed and said: "How can you calculate it like that?"

"That final battle will be fought over the realm, pitting national strength and foundation against each other. Such a great war will not be easily started. Even if the Ying Kingdom wants to end this struggle before we've fully brought our foundation to bear—"

"It still can't begin fighting immediately."

"We don't have much time. In the brief period before this great war begins, we must rest and recuperate well, conserve our strength."

"Clang—"

Li Guanyi's hand gripped the sword hilt, his aura vast and surging like a great sun spanning the sky, yet all of it was reined in and contained. The Martial Dao legendary realm was right before his eyes, as if with a single half-step he could break through.

Pacify the Chen Kingdom, split the Turkic Khaganate.

Walk his own great Dao.

The trend of a realm divided in two had already taken shape.

That surging tide of fortune had long since poured into his whole body.

Within him, the Nine Provinces Cauldrons howled and trembled, far more than any time before.

Li Guanyi Xu Xu exhaled a breath.

Now forge the cauldron!

?? Begging for monthly tickets, friends~