“Too brutal… What kind of gourd is this?”
Luo Song followed Wu Ming, his eyes instinctively glancing at Wu Ming’s waist.
“It’s sharper than the star sword pill of my sect at its peak. Even under the sword formation, the Gu Shenzi’s insects couldn’t withstand it… Others may not know, but I know that besides his life-long Gu insect, Gu Shenzi also has six primary Gu insects, distributed among six disciples, each said to be able to resist a Grand Master of martial arts!”
“This time, two of them died consecutively; Gu Shenzi surely won’t stay still…”
“Luo Song!”
At this moment, Wu Ming called from ahead.
“At your service!”
Luo Song slightly bowed, showing utmost respect. In front of Wu Ming, he didn’t maintain any air of being a sect leader.
“You’ve always been on good terms with the Red Lotus Sect… Just now… if it weren’t for this consideration, I wouldn’t have rescued you. Now, what are you thinking?”
“Reporting to the True Lord!”
Luo Song replied candidly, “Gu Shenzi is reputed to be the foremost master of insect arts in the Southern Frontier; I’m indeed somewhat worried…”
“So it’s about this. Let him come if he dares!”
Wu Ming sneered, “This Taoist priest will naturally ensure he meets his death. Even as for you, hiding in the main camp, how could you be afraid of him?”
At this time, the gathering of forty rebel kings was underway, and the military camp was filled with hidden talents. If Gu Shenzi dared to storm in, he would only meet his doom.
“What are you waiting for? Lead the way!”
“At once!”
Hearing this, Luo Song inwardly rejoiced and led Wu Ming toward the Ten-Peril Pass.
Clomp! Clomp!
Both were cultivators who unleashed their powers. After traveling a distance, they saw the surroundings become increasingly populated, naturally filled mostly with various unruly troops bearing all sorts of banners, as well as relatively elite scouting cavalry distributed around, checking the routes.
The Heaven-Defying King had summoned forty rebel factions from across the land to form an alliance, so the commotion was naturally extraordinary.
Wu Ming climbed high to look afar and saw smoke and dust rolling in from a hundred miles away. Among them were countless spies and informants, with various fates intertwining in a complex haze that rose to the heavens.
“After passing through the pass, head to the main camp!”
The Ten-Peril Pass was built along the mountains, with walls as high as thirty zhang (nearly one hundred meters), thick at about four zhang (nearly fifteen meters), towering and majestic, making Wu Ming feel as small as an ant standing beneath its gates.
“Without supernatural powers in this world and the unparalleled craftsmanship of the Mohist school, such an engineering feat would be unthinkable in ancient times. Even so, I’ve heard that during the Shang Dynasty, it took over a million conscripts working for forty years to complete this formidable pass… Yet now, despite its perilous defenses, what use is it?”
Around here, Wu Ming distinctly sensed a chilling and resentful aura, deeply embedded in the land and walls, lingering without dispersal.
Luo Song naturally had the proper documents and insignia for passage, and immediately stepped forward, easily guiding Wu Ming through the checkpoint.
Yet at this moment, the Ten-Peril Pass appeared quite chaotic, with rebel kings constantly arriving with their troops. The defenses were lax, and the inside of the pass was bustling and disorderly, reminding Wu Ming instantly of a marketplace.
“This forced amalgamation of forty factions with no unified command is nothing but a catastrophe!”
Wu Ming touched the city wall, noticing its bloodstained surface and the marks of blades and axes. Around it was a blackened ring, clearly remnants of Xu Zongwu’s earlier assault.
“Despite this… each rebel king’s main camp is extremely strong. Once the Heaven-Defying King successfully unites all the rebels under his authority and enforces strict discipline, they will immediately become the strongest army in the land!”
Luo Song interjected, showing some insight.
“Pity… It’s a heavy burden on a long road; how easy can matters in this world ever be?”
Sighing, Wu Ming followed Luo Song to the Heaven-Defying King’s camp.
Of course, the rebel king’s camp wasn’t outside the Ten-Peril Pass but inside it, near the Shang Dynasty’s capital region.
“The Shang Dynasty has appointed Guo Zihe as general to resist us. The Heaven-Defying King has led from the front, recently defeating enemy generals and capturing their banners, seizing enemy camps and advancing the front line more than eighty miles. It won’t be long before our forces reach the outskirts of Shengjing!”
Standing before a vast encampment stretching like a mountain range, Luo Song spoke with some pride.
Observing this, Wu Ming inwardly shook his head repeatedly: “This terrain is mountainous, narrow, and fragmented, necessitating multiple camps for self-protection. The extended front line, combined with dry weather and overconfidence… Fortunately, this world doesn’t have a reenactment of Lu Xun’s fire attack on the linked camps as seen in the Three Kingdoms tale, or Guo Zihe might be crying!”
As a latercomer, he naturally had a clear understanding of this history, but at this time, the rebel kings were full of confidence and unwilling to heed any advice.
“Our King commands a million troops, and once Shengjing falls, the whole world will submit!”
Luo Song deeply bowed to Wu Ming, conveying an invitation on behalf of the Heaven-Defying King Xu Zongwu: “If the True Lord would kindly join us now, our King will surely treat you as an honored guest. Titles and honors will follow, making you a prominent figure in the Taoist sect, and even the Maoshan Sect will be officially recognized!”
“This is a significant matter; naturally, this Taoist priest must first meet the One-Brow King before deciding!”
Wu Ming replied evasively and entered the main camp with Luo Song.
Boom!
At this moment, he activated his divine eye and immediately shuddered. In Wu Ming’s vision, the malevolent aura of a million-strong army surged into the sky like a pillar, an oppressive force so terrifying that even his Yuan Shen felt uneasy.
Dozens of star beams crashed down, exuding cruelty, bloodthirst, and an overwhelming desire for destruction, enough to send chills down one’s spine.
“With forty rebel kings gathered together, probably half the stars of the heavens are here, most likely many of them being stars governing warfare and slaughter. Truly a den of hidden tigers and crouching dragons! Genuine hidden tigers and crouching dragons!!!”
Certainly, while it appeared thus from the outside, upon entering, there was yet another impression.
Although each rebel king’s main camp was elite, their discipline was lax. Wu Ming even caught the scent of strong liquor and perfumed women, prompting another inward sigh.
“At its height, assembling a million soldiers, none in the world could rival them… but who could foresee that this is merely the final splendor before the flames of destruction consume everything?”
“This is the location of the One-Brow King’s camp; I shall take my leave now!”
Luo Song led Wu Ming to a place and then hurriedly excused himself.
“Haha… The True Lord has arrived!”
The camp gates swung open, and Han Hulin, whom Wu Ming hadn’t seen in many days, promptly came out with the Red Lotus Holy Mother, civil and military officials, and others to greet him. The single eyebrow connecting his brows lifted, giving him a particularly animated expression: “With the True Lord here, I can finally feel at ease!”
“Greetings to the True Lord!”
The Red Lotus Holy Mother also stepped forward, bowing with graceful charm, as if all that had previously occurred was but a fleeting cloud.
“Haha… Order a feast to welcome the True Lord!”
Han Hulin waved his hand generously.
“Better to comply than to refuse!”
Wu Ming smiled slightly and entered hand in hand with Han Hulin, while soldiers on both sides saluted: “Greetings to the Three-Mao True Lord!”
“Peace be upon the Three-Mao True Lord?”
“Your humble servant greets the True Lord!”
…
They had witnessed Wu Ming summoning wind and rain to flood the seven armies, so they naturally felt some awe.
“Just… Three-Mao True Lord?”
Wu Ming was momentarily taken aback: “Why does this title feel so vulgar? It gives me goosebumps all over…”
“What do you think? My elite soldiers hold the Taoist Master’s supernatural abilities in the highest regard, and they’re deeply grateful for your previous great assistance!”
Han Hulin declared loudly.
“Elite soldiers?”
Wu Ming was slightly startled.
“That’s right, Senior Brother, do you know that the King brought only two thousand elite troops this time, one thousand from the Elite Vanguard and another thousand also strong and fit!”
The Red Lotus Holy Mother finally found an opening and added with a coquettish laugh.
“I see!”
In reality, as one of the forty rebel kings, the One-Brow King commanded only about ten thousand troops, of which these two thousand were the elite core, nearly half his entire strength!
As long as these troops remained and the world remained in chaos, wherever they went they could quickly raise a banner of rebellion again, gathering tens or even hundreds of thousands in an instant, though the composition of such forces would be highly questionable.
Precisely because of this, Han Hulin had come to the alliance meeting with little concern for the remaining old, weak, and sickly soldiers left behind.
Among the forty rebel kings, if all had brought their refugees, they would have devoured the army’s grain supplies like locusts in no time!
Even now, Wu Ming could be quite certain that the army’s supply situation was problematic.
“Report! The Heaven-Defying King has sent an envoy!”
As the group reached the tent and had just sat down, a messenger arrived with news.
“An envoy from the Heaven-Defying King? Invite him in!”
Han Hulin slightly furrowed his brow but still said.
“Your humble servant greets the One-Brow King!”
Soon after, an envoy entered and performed a deep bow: “My lord is hosting a grand banquet tonight and respectfully invites the One-Brow King to attend…”
He glanced at Wu Ming: “Additionally… My lord has heard that the Three-Mao True Lord under the One-Brow King’s command has arrived, and is very pleased. He has extended an invitation to him as well!”
“I understand. You may take your leave!”
Han Hulin waved his hand, and after the envoy departed, he leaned back against the cushions with a sigh, rubbing his temples.
“Your Majesty seems troubled; is it about the alliance?”
Wu Ming knew that the alliance among the many rebel kings was anything but simple, and so he directly asked.
“Indeed… Xu Zongwu wants to be the Supreme Commander, which I cannot oppose. However, if he seeks to command us all and even absorb our forces, that is something we can never agree to!”
At this point, a general stepped forward and said: “If that’s the case, why don’t we just leave and ignore him?”
“That won’t do!”
Han Hulin also shook his head: “Originally, we forty rebel factions had agreed to mutual support. Moreover, Xu Dage is about to capture Shengjing and may become emperor one day. If we don’t follow his orders, it will damage his dignity…”
Wu Ming smiled slightly, accurately grasping the wavering attitude of these rebel kings:
“Unwilling to submit, yet afraid to break the oath and face retaliation. It seems Xu Zongwu is currently caught between internal and external pressures. Just dealing with this group of rebel kings won’t be easy, leading him straight into the Shang Dynasty’s trap?”
At this moment, he felt as if a part of history’s fog had started to lift before his eyes.
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