Chapter 161: The Clash of Martial Paths

The celestial phenomena persisted until dusk before dissipating, and suddenly, a water column half the height of a person surged up from the Marrow Cleansing Pool. Astonishingly, Jun Du Zhao was about to emerge from his seclusion! The Three Dukes of the Zhao Clan and several Supreme Elders were once again moved. Could it be that he had completed his advancement in just half a day?

The brows of Duke Xuan Ji Zhao slightly twitched. He was about to send a message to Jun Du Zhao, advising him to be patient and stabilize his realm, but his gaze suddenly focused, and he fell silent.

By the side of the Marrow Cleansing Pool, an ancient robe hanging on an iron rack flew up on its own and plunged into the still churning water. Then, Jun Du Zhao ascended slowly up the layers of jade steps. Within his body, three origins force vortices shimmered in harmony, having crossed the barriers of the tenth and eleventh levels in just half a day, and now he stood at the rank of a Level 12 War General.

This legendary advancement was not forced in the slightest. The origins force in Jun Du Zhao’s three vortices had reached the pinnacle of purity, transforming from gas to liquid, and this was not even the end. In the eyes of true powerhouses like Xuan Ji Zhao, the origins force that had turned into water was extremely dense, flowing with the viscosity of milk, and even faintly radiating a bluish hue.

This sight once again shocked the elders of the Zhao Clan. An origin force of such quality had not appeared in the thousand-year-old Zhao Clan for centuries. Before Jun Du Zhao became a War General, no matter how much praise he received, he could only be considered a young prodigy, not a true powerhouse. There were many geniuses, but few true powerhouses, and this held true for the two major factions across the twenty-seven continents.

With this step, Jun Du Zhao had entered the ranks of true powerhouses, and even had the potential to challenge a Heavenly King. This was truly a transformation from a cocoon to a butterfly.

For a moment, the elders’ gazes toward Wei Huang Zhao became complex. With Ruo Xi Zhao in front and Jun Du Zhao behind, even if Wei Huang Zhao himself had no great abilities, his branch could at least shine for a hundred years, turning the title of Duke Cheng En into a hereditary peerage. The grand layout of the Zhao Clan, with its three dukes, was now firmly established.

Even if Jun Du Zhao never managed to cross the threshold of becoming a Heavenly King, as long as he remained an upper-rank Divine General, he might pave another path to a dukedom, making the Zhao Clan a clan with four dukes, with a foundation comparable to the Qingyang Zhang Clan.

After achieving the rank of War General, Jun Du Zhao did not linger for long. The next day, he set off once more for the Eternal Night Front. Facing the Zhao elders’ attempts to retain him, he merely said that beneath the Iron Curtain, amid blood and fire, was the best place for tempering, and the heads of the enemies would be his gifts for advancement.

Even Wei Huang Zhao was momentarily speechless, and could only dispatch more elite troops and fierce generals to fight in the Eternal Night.

Jun Du Zhao’s promotion to War General was such a significant event that it naturally could not be kept secret. It spread throughout the empire, becoming the focus of discussion. However, the Zhao Clan’s disadvantage beneath the Iron Curtain did not change immediately; they still faced the pressure of contending against the numerous clans and families alone.

One of these clans was the Zhang Clan, and the families were various aristocratic lineages, a mix of both noble and imperial factions.

The Zhang Clan maintained a low profile when the blood war began, and Bo Qian Zhang’s arrival on the Eternal Night continent was almost common knowledge. Therefore, the Zhang Clan’s teams encountered the least interference, focusing solely on battling the dark races in their assigned zones. However, the Zhang and Bai Clans had been close for generations, and in the grand battle, they inevitably supported each other. Despite this, the Zhang Clan eventually found itself entangled in the vortex of internal strife within the empire.

The Qingyang Zhang Clan, regardless of reputation or strength, was the foremost aristocratic family. Now, in opposition to the Zhao Clan, it naturally formed a leading position. Currently, the Zhao and Zhang Clans were in a deadlock, with occasional sparks of conflict.

Originally, the four clans had been mutually restraining, with complex relationships. Now, the Zhang and Bai Clans had grown closer, while the Zhao and Song Clans had some past dealings and should have cooperated. However, this time, the Song Clan hired many teams and focused on reaping benefits, showing no concern for others. The Zhao Clan, with its pride, would never deign to seek help from the weakest of the four, the Song Clan.

Throughout the blood war, the Song Clan still occupied the top spot, but this was due to their early and full investment, which gave them an initial advantage. Now, military merits were extremely difficult to obtain, and a month of hard fighting yielded less than a week’s worth of achievements in the past. The other clans and families, mostly engaged in mutual restraint and confrontation, found it not so easy to catch up.

But to those with keen eyes, it was clear that the Song Clan’s fall from the top was inevitable, and once they relinquished their position, there would be no chance for a comeback.

Furthermore, the empire’s opinion of the Song Clan’s top spot was not one of admiration, but rather ridicule. Such opportunistic actions, acceptable for minor aristocrats, made the Song Clan, one of the four great clans, look small and weak.

Since the start of the war, the Song Clan had made several blunders. For example, in the Battle of Black Flow, they were blocked by the Nan Gong Family outside the San He County, leaving Zi Ning Song, a genius among the empire’s young generation, trapped in a besieged city. No matter how justified the reasoning, it was still indefensible.

In the discussions across the empire, there was talk of self-destructive actions, and Bo Qian Zhang summed it up simply: “Merchants are like rats, losing their profits once they lose their righteousness.”

In contrast, the Zhao Clan, despite being constantly suppressed, fought on without retreating, and their ranking slowly rose, fully demonstrating the indomitable fighting spirit of a thousand-year-old great clan.

Other families also revealed their cards in this blood war, with some emerging as sudden surprises and others as mere pretenders. The most talked-about was the Nan Gong Family.

In recent years, the Yi Shui Nan Gong Family had risen in strength and became increasingly domineering, not only oppressing minor families but also rarely yielding to the Four Great Clans. To outsiders, the Nan Gong Family even seemed to overshadow the Song Clan, basking in glory.

However, the military merit rankings told a different story. Initially, the Nan Gong Family was prominently placed, but their performance steadily declined, and in the last two months, they achieved nothing, dropping out of the top ten, sparking countless discussions and ridicule.

The entire Nan Gong Family was extremely dejected, with the clan leader and elders raging in fury. But no matter how angry they were, there was nothing they could do. The Nan Gong Family’s greatest losses were related to the hunt for Qian Ye, resulting in the death of many of their elites, including several promising young powerhouses. These losses occurred during the most opportune time for gaining military merits, creating a significant gap.

Yuan Wang Nan Gong led his private army into the San He County, not targeting the small Black Flow City, as attacking human cities during the blood war was taboo, and the Nan Gong Family, no matter how arrogant, would not dare to do so.

Their prey was the five million-strong army of the dark nation, but Zi Ning Song unexpectedly emerged, holding the isolated city with the Dark Flame, and fought the most classic battle of the blood war, leaving Yuan Wang Nan Gong with no gains.

A whole elite regiment was thus stuck in the San He County, achieving nothing. Later, when Qian Ye returned and severely damaged Nan Gong Town, forcing Yuan Wang Nan Gong to retreat, the private army was forced to leave the Iron Curtain. The Nan Gong Family’s immense effort, wasted on Qian Ye, naturally led to their drop in the rankings.

These details were not entirely known to outsiders, but as with any war, the results spoke for themselves, and the blame naturally fell on the incompetent leadership of the Nan Gong Family.

Time passed, and when Qian Ye returned from the dark nation, the new military merit rankings were released.

To everyone’s surprise, the Zhao Clan’s military merits suddenly jumped from seventh to fourth, a leap so significant that even in the early stages of the blood war, it was rare.

Soon, people linked this to Jun Du Zhao’s advancement to War General, but it didn’t make sense. Considering the travel time, Jun Du Zhao had only returned to the Iron Curtain for a few days, and in that short time, how many enemies could he have killed? Unless the dark races gathered another large army for him to annihilate.

Moreover, according to well-informed sources, the Zhao Clan’s team suffered heavy losses earlier, and after Jun Du Zhao’s return, more than half of the team was withdrawn for reorganization, with only a small squad entering the Iron Curtain.

After much inquiry, a shocking revelation emerged. Ninety percent of the Zhao Clan’s increased military merits came from the Black Flow City in the San He County. In other words, Zi Ning Song had recorded all the military merits from the Battle of Black Flow under the name of Yu Ying Zhao of the Zhao Clan!

The various clans immediately erupted in discussion, and a storm of controversy raged within the Song Clan. Many elders lamented and accused Zi Ning Song of disregarding the bigger picture and betraying the clan. Some even suggested severe punishment for treason, expelling him from the Song Clan.

This proposal, however, did not pass through Zhong Nian Song’s scrutiny. Immediately, the elders from the patriarchal faction questioned what the nearby Song Clan teams were doing when Zi Ning Song was besieged in the city. If punishments were to be meted out, the Song Clan members leading those teams should also be disciplined.

Moreover, due to the delay in a previous elders’ meeting, Zi Ning Song was not included in the Song Clan’s list of participants in the blood war. Without the Song Clan’s emblem, he could not submit military merits, and who was to bear this responsibility?

Thus, the elders argued fiercely, with red faces and swollen necks, and reached no conclusion. However, such scenes were common in the Song Clan’s elders’ meetings, and it was fortunate if one or two conclusions were reached after ten disputes.

Upon returning to Black Flow City, Qian Ye immediately sought out Zi Ning Song, confused by his actions. Originally, Qian Ye thought that recording Lu De’s military merits under Yu Ying Zhao’s name would be enough, but he hadn’t expected Zi Ning Song to give all the merits.

When Qian Ye saw Zi Ning Song, he was in his study, painting with a brush, gradually revealing a landscape in ink and wash, capturing the ephemeral and changing atmosphere of an empty mountain in the rain. Even Qian Ye, who was not well-versed in art, could sense that this was no ordinary work.

Seeing Qian Ye enter, Zi Ning Song smoothly ended his brushstroke, as if timed perfectly with Qian Ye’s step. Smiling, he pointed to the unfinished painting and asked, “How do you see yourself in front of my painting?”

As Qian Ye stepped in, he sensed something profound in Zi Ning Song’s brushwork. Standing in front of the painting, he carefully observed.

However, Zi Ning Song’s Thousand Leaf Technique was renowned for its unpredictability, containing profound secrets, and after advancing to War General, his realm had deepened, giving his technique a touch of the Great Way. Although it was only a superficial glimpse, it was still extraordinary, as the term “Great Way” was typically reserved for Divine Generals, not for anyone to claim.

Qian Ye, unskilled in art and not fond of too much change, found himself baffled by Zi Ning Song’s unfinished painting. Even with his True Sight, he saw only a tangled mess of origin force lines.

Qian Ye’s martial path was one of breaking formations and suppressing mountains and seas, requiring no intricate illusions. Realizing that even his True Sight revealed nothing, he grabbed the painting and tore it to pieces, reducing whatever profound secrets it contained to dust.

Stunned and angry, Zi Ning Song shouted, “You! You brute! What’s the difference between you and a wild boar!”

Qian Ye blinked, his sapphire pupils fading to their usual onyx clarity, looking quite innocent. In truth, his Wai Clan bloodline endowed him with the striking features of the Blood Race, and calling him a brute, let alone comparing him to a wild boar, was far from accurate.

After glaring at Qian Ye for a while, Zi Ning Song’s anger subsided, and he sighed.

Zi Ning Song’s question about the unfinished painting was, in fact, a test.

The test was a contest of martial paths.

Qian Ye, unaware of Zi Ning Song’s intentions, inadvertently broke the test, while Zi Ning Song, fully aware, had lost this round.

Of course, in actual combat, Qian Ye, with his awakened Golden Blood and overwhelming physique, using the immensely powerful Great Mystery Soldier Harvest Technique, would be unstoppable. Once his Sea Vortex Formation was complete, all the leaves would be swept into the void. Zi Ning Song’s only hope was to use the unpredictable Thousand Leaf Technique to avoid Qian Ye’s edge, preserving himself, and then seek victory.

Qian Ye then asked about the military merits, and Zi Ning Song smiled mysteriously, saying, “Let’s discuss that later. First, come with me to meet a guest. I’ve kept him waiting for nearly two hours.”