Chapter 70: Awe-inspiring Might

Putting away Zangxin, Qian Ye did not leave. Instead, he chose a flat area on the hilltop to sit and cultivate. This time, he didn’t hide at all, immediately invoking the Great Profound Art of War, creating a terrifying void storm on the mountaintop in the blink of an eye. The momentum was overwhelming, reaching up to a hundred meters into the sky!

Such a spectacle could be clearly felt even from dozens of miles away, let alone just a kilometer.

Within the camp, not only the elder and Zhu Meng, but even many junior officers felt the anomaly on the hilltop. News spread quickly through the camp, and soon all the soldiers knew that the sniper hadn’t left and had even made such a commotion.

Zhu Meng stood in the center of the camp, gazing at the distant void storm, his eyes deep and inscrutable, lost in thought.

The elder, on the other hand, simply hid in the tent, not showing his face at all. He pretended to be unaware, and no one dared to question him. However, this caused the already low morale to plummet, and the soldiers’ killing intent vanished.

An officer came up behind Zhu Meng and said softly, “General, this won’t do. The brothers’ morale is completely shattered.”

Zhu Meng’s eyebrows furrowed, and he started to stride towards the hill. The officer was alarmed and hurriedly grabbed Zhu Meng, desperately trying to stop him. “General, you can’t go!”

Several other officers rushed over, desperately restraining Zhu Meng. These officers were carefully selected to join this army. Their strength might not be high, but their judgment was good. Since Rui Xiang didn’t want to provoke the person, Zhu Meng would likely be sent to his death if he went. Moreover, the person who created such a commotion must have extraordinary means.

Someone clever had already linked Qian Ye to the sniper. When they suggested this, all the officers felt it was likely true and held Zhu Meng even tighter.

Zhu Meng had self-awareness. He had seen Qian Ye’s shot. The elder could dodge, but Zhu Meng couldn’t, and he could only block with a heavy shield. But that shot was too fast; within five hundred meters, he probably wouldn’t have time to block. Therefore, pursuing Qian Ye was tantamount to suicide.

An officer whispered, “Who is this person? He looks very young!”

“And he would dare to attack us commoners. What kind of grudge could cause this?” Another officer asked, voicing the thoughts of many.

Zhu Meng couldn’t answer this question either, only sighing, “Let’s talk about this after we return alive.”

Li Kuanglan sat cross-legged beside Qian Ye, silently watching him. When Qian Ye finished his Great Profound Art of War and opened his eyes, he met her gaze, which shone like celestial stars.

“What kind of martial art is this? So domineering!”

“Art of War.”

Li Kuanglan remained silent for a long time before merely huffing.

“Truly the Art of War.”

“Hmph!”

Qian Ye changed the subject, asking, “I plan to follow them next. What about you?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“Why don’t you go back to Nanqing first? Someone needs to stabilize the situation there. Otherwise, Ji Rui, that old fox, might cause trouble. Once I’m done here, I’ll come find you.”

Having seen Qian Ye’s many abilities, Li Kuanglan knew that if she stayed by his side, it would only hinder him.

“Alright, I’ll go back to Nanqing.” With that, Li Kuanglan turned and left.

After Li Kuanglan left, Qian Ye sighed in relief, feeling the restraints lifted. Only when he was alone could he fully utilize his strength.

Qian Ye lowered his eyes, his heart calm as water, slowly refining and honing his primordial force. The threads of Dawnlight Originforce gradually filled the vortexes of his primordial force, and his combat power gradually returned to its peak.

Night passed quickly, and by dawn, when the sky was still faint, Zhu Meng led the soldiers to break camp, pack up, and prepare to return to Listening Tide City. Throughout the process, he felt as if he was constantly being watched from afar. Zhu Meng had to keep his heavy shield in hand at all times, just in case.

Rui Xiang was still in the tent, not showing himself. Zhu Meng walked to the tent and said, “Lord Rui, we are about to depart. Lord Rui?”

He called out several times, but there was no response from inside the tent. After a while, Zhu Meng couldn’t hold back and pulled open the tent flap, only to find it empty. Even the luggage was gone.

Zhu Meng froze for a moment, then suddenly burst into anger, throwing the tent aside and shouting in Qian Ye’s direction, “Do you see? No one is here! Now, I, Old Zhu, am the biggest in this camp. Come on, let’s fight to the death!”

On the hilltop, Qian Ye put down Zangxin, his brows furrowed. He hadn’t expected the elder to do something so shameless. In this way, he had thrown a difficult problem to Qian Ye.

After a moment’s thought, Qian Ye understood that the elder was probably not on good terms with the commander of this unit, which was one of the most elite units in Listening Tide City. By leaving, the elder likely wanted to use Qian Ye’s hand to eliminate the leader of this unit, the black-armored man yelling and roaring.

If Qian Ye really slaughtered the unit, it would play right into the elder’s hands and create an unresolvable enmity with Listening Tide City.

Thinking of this, Qian Ye stood up, holding Zangxin, and strode down the hill towards the camp.

Zhu Meng never expected Qian Ye to show up voluntarily. When he saw the long Zangxin in Qian Ye’s hand, his pupils constricted, and he felt a stinging sensation in his eyes, turning them red.

The soldiers in the camp were also surprised by Qian Ye’s reappearance. They instantly raised their guns and aimed at Qian Ye, while some brave ones spontaneously formed a tight formation, protecting their comrades with guns.

Many recognized Qian Ye, recalling how he had charged through the camp like a beast, slaughtering hundreds before leaving. Even the bravest of warriors grew restless, realizing that being killed in battle and being massacred were two different things. According to the unwritten rules of the neutral territory, a strong person like Qian Ye shouldn’t be confronted by them.

Seeing the dense cluster of gun muzzles aimed at Qian Ye, and some hands trembling, Zhu Meng shouted, “Put your guns down!”

His authority in the unit was high, and at his command, though many were confused, they lowered their guns.

Zhu Meng stepped forward, facing Qian Ye. At this close distance, Qian Ye didn’t hide his aura, revealing his thirteenth-rank cultivation to Zhu Meng. Zhu Meng was stunned, not expecting Qian Ye to be only at the thirteenth rank. However, Zhu Meng was a sixteenth-rank expert, yet for some reason, he felt overwhelmed by Qian Ye’s presence.

Zhu Meng said, “A person like you, why bother with these small fry?”

Qian Ye replied calmly, “Since you captured my brother, whether it’s a big figure or a small fry, they are the same to me. If you don’t release my brother, no one will live. Where is the old man? In ambush or escaped?”

Zhu Meng gritted his teeth. “He’s gone.”

Qian Ye said meaningfully, “So, he left you here for me to kill. It seems you’ve deeply offended him.”

Zhu Meng’s face darkened. “I still have hundreds of brothers here, all of whom have fought through life and death. You may be strong, but can you kill us all?”

“Yes.”

Zhu Meng suddenly fell silent, looking into Qian Ye’s calm yet icy eyes. He felt a chill, realizing Qian Ye wasn’t bluffing—he truly believed he could annihilate the nine hundred survivors, including Zhu Meng.

“Who are you exactly? Can you let me die with clarity? Also, these brothers are soldiers fighting for their rations. They shouldn’t be involved in this. If I, Zhu Meng, agree to fight you to the death without running, can you spare them after I fall?”

Qian Ye tapped Zangxin lightly. “Can you escape in front of me?”

Zhu Meng smiled bitterly. As a frontline general, speed wasn’t his forte. If he couldn’t win, he couldn’t escape either.

He took a deep breath. “Since you appeared, you must have something to say. How can I save my brothers?”

“Who is the old man? Why did he attack us?”

“He is Rui Xiang. Before the Heavenly King secluded himself, he was the King’s personal attendant, handling his daily affairs. Later, he gained power and became the Deputy Steward. After the King went into seclusion, Chief Steward Jin followed him. Rui Xiang was the only one left to handle external affairs.”

“The Heavenly King rarely shows himself and pays no attention to matters. In earlier years, he occasionally issued orders. In the past two years, he has not appeared at all, except once, seated behind a curtain, and no one knows if it was really him. So, many believe Rui Xiang’s words are the King’s will, and even the Wolf King and Mayor Luo give him some respect.”

Zhu Meng spoke in great detail, without reservation. He then briefly described Rui Xiang’s martial art characteristics, but since most of Rui Xiang’s techniques were taught by Zhang Buzhou, Zhu Meng only knew the basics. However, Rui Xiang’s black crystal longsword was a treasure, said to be one of Zhang Buzhou’s early swords, later given to Rui Xiang, indicating his importance.

Qian Ye had seen this sword stand up to Li Kuanglan’s Frostmoon Gauze. Overall, it was only slightly inferior in special effects. With this sword, the elder was truly formidable.

However, Qian Ye cared little for martial arts or divine weapons. Rui Xiang, no matter how strong, was weaker than the Wolf King. The real issue was his connection to Zhang Buzhou. Killing Rui Xiang would be like slapping Zhang Buzhou.

These thoughts flashed through Qian Ye’s mind and were set aside. Ignoring Zhu Meng’s hints, Qian Ye pressed, “Why did he attack us? For the Wolf King?”

Zhu Meng sighed. “Those not of our kind, their hearts must be different. The Wolf King harbors ill intentions, and even we can see it. How could Mayor Luo not know? I’m not sure why he attacked you. This battle is unclear. It’s because of this that I quarreled with Rui Xiang. The reasons are best asked of him.”