Bai Yantu had not expected Qian Ye to be so unyielding. Seeing him suddenly attack, he couldn’t help but let out a cold hum, swinging his hand to block, fully prepared for a clash of strength. At the moment their fists and arms collided, Bai Yantu flipped his wrist, intending to dislodge Qian Ye and seize him in one move, ready to make this impudent youngster suffer a major loss at first encounter.
However, when Qian Ye’s fist landed on his arm, it was unexpectedly silent. The overwhelming power that Bai Yantu had been building up seemed to dissipate into thin air like an ox sinking into the sea. But in the next moment, all the power he had unleashed was enveloped by an even greater force, surging back at him like a tidal wave.
Bai Yantu was shocked. He had no time to think about any follow-up moves. He exhaled with a loud shout, and the origin crystal within his body burst with light, resembling a small sun.
The two massive forces collided, and Bai Yantu let out a muffled groan, retreating three steps with great thuds. The ground beneath his feet, made of a special blue rock harder than alloy steel, suddenly turned soft as tofu. With great effort, he suppressed the surging blood, barely holding back the metallic taste from rising in his throat. Just as he steadied himself, there were several tearing sounds, and his sleeves ripped open, revealing several new cuts on his arm.
Bai Yantu was startled. Looking down, he saw wisps of faint black gas floating in the air, which dissipated after a moment. Seeing this, he was even more alarmed, realizing that the clash of their powers had caused a spatial rift due to the intensity.
A god general’s strike is immensely powerful. On a large battlefield, god generals must at least be above mid-air to prevent collateral damage. For the two of them to have torn space apart on the ground was not surprising. Fortunately, Qian Ye had initiated a close combat stance, and Bai Yantu had no time or space to use other skills, so it didn’t affect the surrounding Bai family disciples.
Bai Yantu breathed a partial sigh of relief but then felt another sense of tension. Only when he saw Qian Ye also retreating, and taking two more steps back than he did, did he feel he had somewhat saved face. Qian Ye took more steps back, and Bai Yantu’s clothes were damaged; it could be considered a draw, though.
Yet, Bai Yantu had broken through the god general barrier over twenty years ago, while Qian Ye had only done so in a matter of months. Bai Yantu had even cultivated a second origin crystal, and his cultivation level was one grade higher than Qian Ye’s. To end up in a draw, Bai Yantu had, in fact, lost.
Qian Ye flexed his wrist and said, “I’ve learned my lesson. Zining, let’s go.”
Song Zining and Qian Ye got into the car. This time, no one tried to stop them as they drove out of the Bai family mountain gate and disappeared into the distance.
Bai Yantu stood with his hands behind his back. After a long while, he let out a humph and said, “Wake them all up! A bunch of useless people, disgracing the Bai family’s name.”
Actually, someone had already tried to help, but couldn’t wake them. Now, with Bai Yantu’s order, people rushed over to carry the unconscious Bai family members and start treating them.
An elderly man approached and whispered, “Let them go just like that? Why not sabotage their floating ship in the outer sky and see how long a newly promoted god general can survive in the void?”
Bai Yantu glared at him and said coldly, “He’s on Empress Li’s ship. Do you dare sink it?”
“Empress Li’s ship! There’s nothing we can do, then.”
In their voices, there was regret and helplessness, as if they would have held them back if not for Qian Ye riding Empress Li’s floating ship.
On the floating ship, Song Zining slapped Qian Ye heavily on the shoulder and said, “You’re already a god general!”
“Thanks to the Qingyang King’s gift of a set of techniques and a few battles, here I am.”
After asking a few questions, Song Zining said, “But you’re not the fastest. Let’s go see Jundu now. He broke through the god general barrier not long ago, even earlier than you.”
The floating ship left the Bai family and flew towards the edge of Qin Continent. This area, with its high, rugged terrain, was perpetually covered in snow and ice. Additionally, the frequent void storms at the edge of the continent made it a barren land, uninhabited and ungarrisoned.
However, at present, the central snowfield was bustling with activity. Hundreds of large machines were roaring, clearing the snow and leveling the ground. On the completed floating ship landing field, a giant transport ship was descending, and workers were busy unloading large amounts of building materials and supplies from the already landed transport ships.
Not far away, construction was underway. Building after building rose, and a new power tower was being erected. In the distant sky, a new fleet of transport ships appeared.
Beside the construction site, a vast camp had been set up, large enough to accommodate 100,000 troops. The number of craftsmen working on the construction sites was about the same.
Back when the Empire was building the Indestructible City on the Floating Land, it was on this scale.
Qian Ye, who had seen many battles, could tell something was unusual from the air. Beyond the camp and the planned city, there were clearly defensive fortifications. What was being built was actually a self-sufficient fortress city.
Qin Continent was the very heart of the Empire, untouched by war for years. Why suddenly undertake such a massive construction project in this barren land, with an importance not less than the war on the Floating Land? The cost of such rapid construction was enormous, and it was clear that this project was both important and urgent.
Amidst his confusion, the floating ship, guided by a patrol cruiser, slowly descended. When the cabin door opened, several officers were already waiting outside, saying, “Lord Qian Ye, Lord Zining, please follow me. Lord Jundu is waiting for you.”
Qian Ye and Song Zining boarded a military vehicle and headed to the only tall building in the center of the camp. They went to the top floor and entered a large meeting room. In the center of the room, a huge map was spread out, and a dozen officers were gathered around it, studying it intently.
Standing in the center of the group was Zhao Jundu, pointing at a spot on the map and discussing modifications. Seeing Qian Ye and Song Zining enter, he said, “Proceed with the new plan. Meeting adjourned.”
The officers saluted and filed out.
Zhao Jundu walked out from behind the table and looked Qian Ye up and down, nodding approvingly. “Perfect! You live up to the Zhao family’s reputation!”
Qian Ye, however, stared at him, his voice trembling. “You… how…?”
Zhao Jundu laughed. “Aren’t I fine?”
Zhao Jundu did not deliberately hide his aura, and Qian Ye could clearly feel his origin power cultivation, even sensing his origin crystal state.
At this moment, Zhao Jundu’s entire body’s origin power vortices had condensed into one, liquid to crystal, indeed breaking through the heavenly gate and becoming a god general. However, his origin power had a vibrant purple hue with a faint trace of green, indicating that he had barely reached the Purple Extreme to Green realm. This was a realm he had achieved shortly after becoming a war general. With his talent, he should have transitioned from purple to pure green, reaching the highest realm of the Zhao family’s ancestral techniques, and using that as a foundation to challenge the Heavenly King’s ultimate realm, recreating the glory of the Zhao ancestors.
But now, Zhao Jundu’s origin power quality had not improved but had instead declined. Although there was still some room for improvement, the Heavenly King’s realm was now out of reach. How could Qian Ye not be shocked by this?
Upon closer inspection, Zhao Jundu’s chest emitted another intense aura of an origin crystal, the one that Qian Ye had left behind, which bestowed vampire-like abilities.
“Why so rushed?” Qian Ye asked.
Zhao Jundu smiled nonchalantly. “What’s the point of waiting? It would be the same either way.”
“There might be a way to rebuild the foundation.”
“If the Zhao family doesn’t have such a technique, do you think other noble families would? Instead of holding onto these vague hopes, it’s better to become a god general.”
Seeing Qian Ye’s furrowed brows, Zhao Jundu patted his shoulder and said, “The origin crystal you left me is very useful. With it, many previously unattemptable techniques are now possible. So, even after becoming a god general, there might still be a way forward.”
Qian Ye’s worry slightly eased, and he sighed inwardly before asking about recent events.
Zhao Jundu had been severely injured that day. Although Hai Mi had rescued him in time and used a large amount of rare medicine, it had ultimately affected his foundation. Returning to the Western Continent, his injuries lingered, and he remained unwell. As soon as he could move, he delved into the Zhao family’s library, reading through countless records. Afterward, he made a decision that stunned everyone: to immediately break through the god general barrier.
To forcibly break through the god general barrier with an unstable foundation was not just risky, it was madness. However, once Zhao Jundu made a decision, he would not change it. The entire Zhao family had to fully support him. Ultimately, Zhao Jundu advanced by fusing the origin crystal left by Qian Ye, using its immense power and various rare medicines from the Zhao family to barely cross the god general barrier, uniting nine into one, and condensing liquid into crystal, achieving the rank of god general.
Zhao Jundu’s sudden achievement of god general status surprised the entire Empire. He had accumulated considerable merit in recent years and could have been granted a title. But as the son of a princess, his title would likely come with significant implications. Moreover, the death of the Longevity King had led to a reorganization of power within the imperial family, making everything highly sensitive. Thus, the entire court and the Zhao family itself were in a flurry of activity.
Surprisingly, the reaction from the capital, the Unending Palace, was swift. In just a few days, an edict arrived at the Zhao family, ordering Zhao Jundu to oversee the construction and defense of the Snowfield Base.
This appointment was unexpected. Initially, everyone thought it was a trivial, burdensome task, a way to sideline Zhao Jundu. But upon reflection, it made no sense. Even a regular god general without any background shouldn’t be treated so lightly. Every god general is a pillar of the nation.
When the detailed appointment was announced, it caused a commotion again. This time, it wasn’t because of neglect, but because the authority given was too great. To build this base, the Empire dispatched 100,000 craftsmen and placed two full army corps under Zhao Jundu’s command. Just the size of the direct corps was double that of Lin Xitang’s Northern Army Corps, and it was equipped with a dedicated escort fleet—an entire Imperial sub-fleet!
Thus, aside from lacking a fixed battle zone, the resources and troop scale Zhao Jundu received surpassed those of many marshals, even those during Zhang Boqian’s time.
Naturally, some exclaimed that the Zhao family was on the verge of becoming the foremost noble family. The impact of such talk, however, was uncertain.
In Qian Ye’s eyes, even with such power, this was not a good assignment. Qian Ye had extensive experience in pioneering, knowing that setting up a new base on this scale, from construction to stable operation, involved far more complex affairs than guarding an old war zone. If Zhao Jundu were entangled in mundane matters, needing to make decisions on every big and small issue, how much time would he have left for cultivation?
Could he really give up and never try for the Heavenly King’s ultimate realm? Though aware of his current condition, Qian Ye still clung to a glimmer of hope.
Seeing Qian Ye’s expression, Zhao Jundu smiled and said earnestly, “Why worry for me? Even if there seems to be no way forward, I, Zhao Jundu, will carve a path through the mountains and stones!”
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