As Wu Ming was preparing to refine his treasure,
In a military camp,
“The military system of the Great Zhou Dynasty demands three self-examinations and five drills daily. As the personal guards of the general, we must set an example!”
Several squad leaders, who looked like squad commanders, loudly scolded while leading the training. With a wave of their hands, air currents surged, tearing through the atmosphere. Their breathing sounded like thunderclaps, clearly indicating they had cultivated an extremely advanced martial arts technique.
Not only them! The soldiers under their command also responded in unison, instantly standing at attention. Their synchronized breathing faintly formed a unified whole.
“With such soldiers, the great cause is assured!”
Inside the command tent, two men clad in scale armor, seemingly high-ranking officers, sighed:
“General is the imperial-appointed Grand General Zhenyuan. Although the Great Shang Dynasty is declining, it still remains the legitimate authority! With such elite troops, how can we fail to expel the One-Brow King and establish a great enterprise here!”
“Oh? Why not kill him directly?”
Another young man coldly laughed, playing with a strand of hair coiled at his fingertip, his eyes brimming with killing intent.
If Wu Ming were here, he would immediately sense that this person was brimming with stellar energy, his body’s acupoints faintly opening, connecting with the heavens and earth. Indeed, he bore a stellar fate, a rare prodigy!
Even more than a prodigy! He had reached the realm of True Stellar Fate, worthy of being called a Star Sovereign incarnate, no ordinary figure!
“You’re mocking me!”
The first speaker burst into laughter: “Han Hulin may seem rough but is actually meticulous. His subordinates are also battle-hardened veterans, further supported by the Red Lotus Cult. If they deliberately oppose us, the resulting damage would be immense. We must proceed gradually. Now is the perfect time since the Heaven-Covering King cannot capture Shengjing and is summoning the various rebel forces to form an alliance. This is our opportunity to drive him out of this province entirely!”
The speaker chuckled, exuding a refined demeanor.
“Oh?” The star-lit youth was startled, as the man continued: “For the first battle, we must achieve victory. Then we can leverage our advantage to drive the enemy away… The One-Brow King’s forces are mostly bandits; once they suffer a defeat, they will inevitably retreat to their stronghold. That will be our golden opportunity!”
Pursuing retreating enemies is precisely when the greatest achievements are made. While a common man’s will cannot be taken, an entire army’s morale can be seized!
Even the most battle-hardened elite, once in retreat and exposing their backs to the enemy, could be felled by a mere cook wielding a kitchen knife. That is the principle.
“Indeed… Han Hulin is naturally suspicious. At that time, if we spread rumors and incite internal conflict, he will surely abandon the camp to save himself and seek refuge with Xu Zongwu, the Heaven-Covering King!”
The youth bearing the stellar fate smiled: “I have observed this province. Other aspects are acceptable, but the people’s heavy reliance on the Red Lotus Cult remains a grave threat! Having the bandit leader retreat voluntarily now, avoiding bloodshed, is indeed a meritorious act. However, in the future, we must not hesitate to resort to force to eliminate this malignant tumor!”
Religious sects that manipulate the masses have always been feared by those in power. However, such an openly stated intent to kill caused the first speaker to shudder involuntarily, casting a sidelong glance at the youth:
“It is said that this Li Xiong was born under a stellar fate and was early on taken in by the Strategists school. Recently, he has awakened his True Stellar Fate, becoming the incarnate of the Kui Wood Wolf Star Sovereign, the first among the White Tiger Seven Lodges. Truly, he possesses immense killing intent!”
Instinctively, he shrank his neck and sighed: “The Red Lotus Cult is profound and unfathomable. The Seven-Battle Immortal’s magical abilities are top-tier. I had originally estimated a 60-70% chance of success when he volunteered to go ahead, but he was actually killed by the Red Lotus Matriarch, which still puzzles me…”
“My senior brother was not killed by the Red Lotus Matriarch!”
Li Xiong rubbed his brow: “Before my senior brother left, he borrowed my Metal-Element Gourd. This gourd is a supreme treasure of the Strategists school, painstakingly collected over fifteen years from the battlefield’s malevolent energies. Combined with my own abilities and the awakening of my True Fate, it became a weapon imbued with innate Metal-Element energy of the White Tiger, capable of slaying enemies as easily as dogs. Even with divine assistance, the Matriarch would be no match!”
“Brother Li, your words are most accurate. I have already identified the true culprit!”
Rustle!
In an instant, the tent flap moved, and a tall figure strode in, exuding the dignified gait of a dragon and tiger. He radiated the immense authority of a seasoned general who had long commanded battlefields.
“Greetings, General!”
This man was none other than Meng Kuo, the Grand General Zhenyuan of the Great Shang Dynasty and a disciple of the Strategists school. The young officer quickly saluted, while Li Xiong remained calm, directly asking:
“Oh? Who is it?”
“It is the Red Lotus Matriarch’s junior disciple, the Black-Hearted Taoist!”
Meng Kuo slowly sat down at the main seat, his face dark, his features sharp, his large eyes gleaming: “This man is a hidden Taoist from Maoshan. This time, he voluntarily emerged from seclusion and successfully reincarnated into a new life, even attaining the status of an Immortal. Truly astonishing!”
“The Black-Hearted Taoist?”
Upon hearing this, Li Xiong’s eyes flared with sharp light: “No! Impossible! The Maoshan Taoists are merely wandering cultivators; how could they produce an Immortal? But to have broken my Metal-Element Gourd is undeniable… Excellent! He doesn’t know that I share a spiritual connection with the gourd, leaving hidden imprints. Watch me manipulate this gourd and first sever his physical form!”
“Aoao!”
In an instant, a cascade of starlight descended, manifesting a fierce shape above Li Xiong’s head, resembling a wolf or tiger, causing the two beside him to show alarm!
“Too bold, too reckless! In the military camp, before the General himself, he dares to unleash his techniques and sever someone’s physical body?”
The young man inwardly roared.
Then came a piercing wolf howl, and a beam of starlight, as if guided, directly pierced into the void!
…
“Hmph! Excellent treasure! This Metal-Element Gourd is indeed a rare supreme treasure!”
In the true flames, the seven short spears danced up and down, their edges faintly melting, seemingly unable to withstand the heat.
In contrast, the Metal-Element Gourd gleamed with white light, steady as a mountain! Moreover, as the refining process deepened, it became increasingly mystical, faintly revealing the form of the White Tiger.
“Good, I’ve long known this gourd was forged from the stellar energies of the Western White Tiger Seven Lodges. Now let’s see which star lord it belongs to?”
Wu Ming’s spiritual consciousness surged instantly, breaking through the gourd’s surface restrictions and the inner malevolent energy seal, arriving at a realm of deep starlight.
Here, brilliant starlight condensed, faintly tinged with green-wood energy, taking the form of a wolf!
“Kui Wood Wolf! This is…”
Boom!
In an instant, the void opened, a beam of starlight descending to merge with the giant wolf. Wu Ming suddenly found wolf-like eyes shooting forth an extremely human-like hatred, staring directly at him, making his hair stand on end.
“Divine Consciousness Restriction! I didn’t expect that deep within the gourd, there was another layer of the original owner’s spiritual consciousness, deliberately lying in wait to sever my physical form when I was off guard!”
Wu Ming’s spiritual sense quickly retreated into his body.
Peng!
Just then, a burst of brilliant starlight followed, suddenly transforming into a constellation shaped like a straddling leg, as if a king spreading his legs to conquer all directions!
Ten thousand starlights converged, faintly forming a human figure, its leg slicing like a blade, cutting through the void to kill!
Fast! Fast! Fast!
Incredibly fast! Almost as soon as Wu Ming’s spiritual sense returned to his body, this starry avatar followed closely behind!
If it were an ordinary cultivator, such an unexpected sneak attack might result in complete annihilation of both body and spirit! Even an Immortal would struggle to escape physical disintegration!
“Come out!”
Jiejie…
However, Wu Ming was no ordinary Immortal. His reaction was extremely swift, gaining an extra breath of time compared to ordinary Immortals, making all the difference!
He extended a finger, cackling, as a skeleton spirit emerged, its bones white as jade, directly intercepting the starry figure’s leg strike.
Bang!
Zila!
After a dull thud came a fierce spark!
The skeleton spirit howled, a deep crack appearing on its forehead, as it flew backward.
“Five Ghosts, One Qi Grasping Technique!”
The starry figure also paused slightly. Seizing the opportunity, Wu Ming immediately reached out, five ghostly shadows transforming into five qi streams, intertwining into a pitch-black hand covered in magical patterns, resembling an arm of an ancient giant demon, striking forward fiercely.
“Kill!”
The starry figure roared, its body bursting with dark light forming armor, seemingly like a Grandmaster of martial arts, directly unleashing a punch!
“Kui Wood Combat Method, Heavenly Wolf Fist!”
Peng!
Fist met palm, yet Wu Ming’s Five Ghosts Grasping Technique was still slightly inferior, instantly disintegrating into black smoke.
Xiu xiu!
However, from the smoke, several sharp spikes emerged, like fine needles, rapidly scattering.
Peng peng!
Thin as hair, the black needles rained down on the starry figure like rain on banana leaves, yet were entirely dissolved by the starlight. A thought was transmitted: “With such meager evil artifacts, you dare to destroy my Star Sovereign body? Taoist… watch me…”
A scream followed as seven silver streaks instantly arrived, piercing multiple holes into the starry figure.
“How does my senior brother’s artifact taste?”
Wu Ming waved his hand, and the seven silver streaks halted, the short spears transforming into seven silver flying swords!
“Divided Focus?”
The starry figure was startled, then its expression changed again!
For on Wu Ming’s hand had clearly appeared the Metal-Element Gourd.
“Even if you channel star energy to activate the artifact’s power, what of it? Watch me… destroy it!”
“Seven Killing Silver Swords, swiftly return! Heaven’s Thunder and Earth’s Fire, become my artifact! Edict!”
Xiu xiu xiu!
The seven silver streaks quickly flew into the gourd’s mouth, and instantly, terrifying true flames erupted. In an instant, the entire gourd was completely refined, now bearing a faint silver hue.
“You channeled the artifact’s power into battle, weakening the gourd’s original restrictions, allowing me to seize and erase your imprint… This treasure is no longer the previous star-powered artifact. After my re-refining, it shall now be named the Yuan Ci Qi Sha Bao Hu (Primordial Magnet Seven Killing Treasure Gourd)!”
Wu Ming laughed heartily, completing the final refining of the gourd’s last restriction.
“You…” The starry figure moved but began to slowly dissipate.
“Go!”
Wu Ming reversed the gourd’s mouth, and the seven silver flying swords shot out like dragons, brimming with star energy, descending like a mountain crushing an egg, silver light dancing like meteors.
Pu!
The starry avatar instantly shattered like an egg…
…
“Not good!”
Meanwhile, in the military camp, Li Xiong’s face suddenly turned pale: “My Metal-Element Gourd… the connection on it has completely severed!”
His expression darkened instantly: “Good! Very good! Black-Hearted Taoist, you’ve made me suffer such a heavy loss. I won’t forget this!”
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