“What is going on?” Ling Han’s expression darkened.
Li Weiwei nodded, and replied, “I am guessing this was done by Sha Yuan, because the fathers and grandfathers of these students are all the subordinates of the Great General Sha.”
“… Can’t you speak more clearly?” Ling Han sighed.
“Why are you so stupid!” Li Weiwei uttered in irritation. “It means Sha Yuan sent his subordinates where Lin You and the others were staying yesterday, and forced them to spar. They are all members of the Shattering Void Tier Division, so no one can stop it.”
“Those subordinates of Sha Yuan had entered the Shattering Void Tier Division quite a number of years ago, and are much stronger than Lin You and the others. Naturally, Lin You and the others were all beaten black and blue.”
Ling Han rubbed his chin. Was this move of Sha Yuan a show of force intended for him?
He had sent Liu Ying and the other guards to assassinate him, which resulted in failure. Now, he did not dare make a move on him in public, so he vented his anger on Lin You and the others?
“There’s nothing that could be done. Who asked you to already be in the medium extreme? So, you can’t possibly seek those people out for revenge.” Li Weiwei sighed.
In the Scarlet Heaven Academy, students in the same division could freely spar with each other. As long as no crippling injuries or fatalities occurred, the Academy would not pursue their responsibility. However, higher-level disciples could not make a move on lower-level disciples unless it was the latter who provoked them first.
Thus, Ling Han could only watch helplessly.
“Hehe, not necessarily.” He smiled, and said, “There should also be Sha Yuan’s subordinates in the Medium Extreme Division, right?”
Li Weiwei was instantly excited, and asked, “You want to thrash those people?”
Ling Han replied, “Since it was Sha Yuan who first did not follow the rules, and expanded the flames of conflict onto innocents, why should I care?”
“All right, I will prepare the namelist for you!” Li Weiwei was the type to wish for the whole world to be in chaos, so she was naturally very cooperative. Immediately, she ran off to compile the list.
In this aspect, her efficiency was really very high. In a mere day’s time, she had already collected all the names of Sha Yuan’s subordinates.
Ling Han held the namelist, and began to continuously issue challenges in the Medium Extreme Division.
Not only in the Northern Institution, but also in the other three Institutions.
He now had the cultivation level of the late stage of the medium extreme, and his normal battle prowess directly soared to the peak stage of high extreme. If he used the Fast Technique and the Annihilating Dragon Star Arrow, his battle prowess would be boosted by another star!
This was naturally enough to sweep all contenders aside.
Even the Academy was alarmed, and issued a strict order, banning Ling Han and Sha Yuan from involving other students in their personal conflict. Only then was the situation contained.
‘Sha Yuan, Zhao Lun.’
Ling Han swore that when he possessed enough strength, he would definitely slay these two people!
Ling Han was now earnestly preparing to return to the Great Ling Empire. After leaving for more than a year, he, too, missed his three elder brothers. He would bring the cultivation resources back and boost the overall strength of the Great Ling Empire.
However, right at this moment, a big piece of news exploded.
…A war had begun between the Golden Lion Nation and Eastern Rain Nation.
Golden Lion Nation was a vassal state of the Eternity Sky Majestic Empire, whereas the Eastern Rain Nation was a vassal state of the Chaotic Stars Majestic Empire. The two nations bordered each other, and could be considered the buffer area between the two great Majestic Empires, having great strategic significance.
Thus, the two Majestic Empires placed high importance on these two small nations.
Now, a war had erupted between the two. Furthermore, 14 cities of the Eastern Rain Nation had been lost to the other side in a single night, with close to a quarter of its territory occupied, so it was forced to ask for help from the Chaotic Stars Majestic Empire.
Empress Luan Xing immediately issued an imperial decree. The Ninth King would lead an army comprised of the students of the Scarlet Heaven Academy to assist.
Why was it the students of the Scarlet Heaven Academy?
Firstly, though these students were geniuses, they had not gone to the battlefield before, and were thus incredibly fragile, but what the Empire needed were soldiers that could fight a hard battle. Hence, they could take this chance to train them well.
Secondly, the students of the Scarlet Heaven Academy were only in the consummate level of the Mountain River Tier at most. Even if they joined the battlefield, it would not make the conflict escalate. Otherwise, if they invested forces that were too powerful, it might induce an all-out conflict between the Eternity Sky Majestic Empire and the Chaotic Stars Majestic Empire.
Thirdly, since the disciples of the Academy were geniuses, their battle prowess was naturally not weak. This was a troop that could not be underestimated.
Since the empress had issued an imperial decree, it was natural that no one would dare disobey. All of a sudden, the whole Academy was mobilized.
Aside from the Shattering Void Tier Division and the Alchemy Institution that did not need to participate in the battle, the other students were all registered to join the battle.
Though war was cruel, it was also a means to quickly boost their status.
The empire had a law proclaiming that anyone that could kill 10,000 enemies would be bestowed with the title of a ninth-rank military general 1 !
Who did not want to excel?
All the young people prepared for war. In their eyes, they were all geniuses, so wasn’t it a piece of cake for them to join a battle and kill enemies? None of them had considered the possibility that they could die in battle, and were all incredibly optimistic.
Ling Han, though, had fought his way all the way from a small world, and deeply knew the cruelty of war. There would be no one to fight you in a one-on-one battle. On the battlefield, arrows and blades would be dancing madly. In a moment of carelessness, they would be hit. Against 10,000 enemies, they could possibly die in an unfathomable manner.
What he did not understand was: why would Empress Luan Xing send the Ninth King to lead the troops?
It was not that he was looking down on Hu Feiyun, but this woman completely did not know how to fight a war. Her own battle prowess was also worrying, so allowing her to lead the troops wasn’t really a joke, was it?
But who could change the mind of the empress?
After three days’ preparation, the army set out.
“Young Master Ling Han, the Ninth King seeks your presence!” They had just exited the city gates when a female guard ran over to look for Ling Han. She brought him to the central area of the army, where a luxurious carriage was.
This was the private vehicle of the Ninth King. It was as big as a mobile courtyard, fully exhibiting the lavish extravagance of the Imperial Clan.
In front of everyone’s envious eyes, Ling Han entered into the carriage.
He looked, and hey, not only was Hu Feiyun here, even Shui Yanyu was present.
“Ling Han, it’s been a long time!” Hu Feiyun greeted him warmly. “After I returned, I was forced into seclusion by Big Sister. I just came out of seclusion a few days ago, and Big Sister has sent me to war. Thankfully, you guys will be there beside me.”
Shui Yanyu was currently sipping tea, and tossed a strange look at Ling Han.
Her underlying message was: ‘You damn pervert, you have again hooked another girl!’
Ling Han bemoaned how wronged he was internally. He did not have the slightest interest in Hu Feiyun. Furthermore, this Ninth King was a bit ignorant, so she probably did not know what love was. She had only been to
o lonely all this while, so she wanted someone to accompany her to talk and chat.
He took one look at Hu Feiyun, and couldn’t help but look stunned.
High extreme!
This girl actually advanced into the high extreme of Mountain River Tier, a minor level higher than even him.
‘Hiss, what divine pill have you taken that the rate of your advancement is so fast?’
It had to be known that Ling Han had harmonized with the essence of a Demon Master, so his was cultivation level rapidly increasing at all times, and had cultivated the Universal Eight Desolation Technique! But even so, he had only been able to advance a sub-minor level after a few months. How could Hu Feiyun have such exaggerated improvement?
First, it was Zhao Lun, and now, there was Hu Feiyun. Indeed, it seemed that elites of Heavenly Body Tier had astounding means, and could so rapidly boost the cultivation level of a cultivator…!
Chapter 1057 - Confronting a Furious River
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Hu Feiyun chattered on. She was just like before—not the least bit subtle, but rather naive and innocent.
She could not keep any secrets at all. As long as she thought you were a good person, she would want nothing more than to share her heart and soul with you in a few words, without holding anything back.
However, most likely because she knew of this “shortcoming” in the Ninth King’s personality, Empress Luan Xing did not allow her to know any classified information, so even if anyone asked, she would not be able to reveal any secrets.
Ling Han had asked in a roundabout manner about the origins of the other eight Kings before, but Hu Feiyun was at a loss. She only knew that the nine of them were as close as sisters with Empress Luan Xing. As for the reason for that, she did not have the slightest idea.
The Nine Kings all had different origins and surnames, and looked completely different. They merely shared one similarity, and that was that they all did not have parents, and seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. All of a sudden, they were bestowed with the title of King, after which their cultivation level would spike, and they eventually became the foundation stones of the empire.
Hu Feiyun did not even remember the matters of her past. She only knew that for as long as she could remember, she had been with Empress Luan Xing. She did not know who her parents were, what was the inheritance of her clan, and was not curious about it at all.
Hearing this, Ling Han’s and Shui Yanyu’s heart pounded madly. Thankfully, there were no female guards in the carriage. Otherwise, if they had related these words to Empress Luan Xing, who knew if both of them might be killed to keep the secret.
Though they did not manage to find out any useful information, just the origin of the Nine Kings was overly mysterious. That, by itself, could possibly be an untouchable taboo.
It should be known that aside from Hu Feiyun, the other eight Kings had all broken through to the Heavenly Body Tier one after another. This was practically an inconceivable miracle. What means did Empress Luan Xing have to be able to see through to one’s potential to finally break through to Heavenly Body Tier when they were still in the Mountain River Tier?
Even for a genius like Ling Han, there was a very high chance that he might perish halfway, and could possibly encounter a barrier in cultivation level which he might not be able to break through for eternity.
Strange, this was extremely strange.
Hu Feiyun was carefree and unworried. She did not at all look like she was leading an army to war, but more like she was going out on a leisurely outing. She had everything in her carriage: a bedroom, kitchen, and even a small garden.
Because there was no dispatch of Flight God Tools, their progress naturally was not all that fast. They had taken a whole two months’ time to exit the Chaotic Stars Majestic Empire, and enter into the territory of the Eastern Rain Nation.
In that instant, Ling Han felt the power of the nation that was enshrouding him disappear; he could no longer get any boost from it.
Thankfully, only he and the Ninth King could draw on the power of the nation of the Chaotic Stars Majestic Empire here. Hence, the influence this had on the whole troop was practically zero.
Ling Han had been making the most of these days to refine the Demonic Power Source. The fact that Zhao Lun’s and Hu Feiyun’s cultivation level had soared caused him to feel pressured. This was the Immortal Realm, and there were all kinds of bizarre means available. He could not be satisfied with the present progression rate of his cultivation.
With the help of the Black Tower, his speed of refining had indeed increased considerably. He successfully broke through to the late stage of the medium extreme, and advanced to the peak stage. Correspondingly, his battle prowess increased as well.
Unfortunately, when it came to concocting the Mysterious Azure Pill, he was still lacking a bit. On the other hand, he was burning through his wealth madly, and was again about to reach the bottom of the pile.
A Level Four Divine Pill. One failure would mean the waste of materials that amounted to a few thousand True Origin Stones.
“Greetings, Ninth King!” After they entered the Eastern Rain Nation, the higher-ups of the Eastern Rain Nation naturally had to come out to receive them.
Hu Feiyun, on the other hand, had seen this scene so often that she did not have any stage fright at all. She talked cheerfully and wittily with the higher-ups of the Eastern Rain Nation, and then took the initiative to ask to join the battle.
At first, the higher-ups of the Eastern Rain Nation were not very pleased. Although the Chaotic Stars Majestic Empire had sent them a King, this King’s abilities were really too weak. She had not even entered the Sun Moon Tier. What use would there be of an ‘elite’ like this?
If she joined the battle, not only would there be no decrease of pressure on the Eastern Rain Nation, they would have to expend a large amount of manpower to protect this King. Who did not know that Empress Luan Xing treated the Nine Kings like her own sisters?
If anything happened to the Ninth King, it was guaranteed that there was no need for the Golden Lion Nation or the Eternity Sky Majestic Empire to make a move, as the empress would personally eliminate them first.
Moreover, the troops that Hu Feiyun brought were all merely in the Mountain River Tier as well.
But upon further thought, these Mountain River Tier cultivators were not simple characters. They were all the future pillars of the empire, and there were also descendants of great and powerful clans among them. If anything happened to them, would the forces behind them refrain from making a move?
Then, the Eastern Rain Nation would instantly have the support of countless forces.
With that thought, the higher-ups’ worries immediately turned into happiness. They quickly escorted this troop to the frontline. They wanted nothing more than for a few more of them to die so that the Chaotic Stars Majestic Empire would send out a stronger army.
A few days later, the army comprised of the students from the Scarlet Heaven Academy came to the banks of a great river. The great armies of the Golden Lion Nation were on the opposite bank, confronting the troops of the Eastern Rain Nation separated by the river.
This was a furious river, its roaring current possessing terrifying destructive ability.
According to legend, this furious river was created from the swipe of a sword of a supreme elite. It held the supreme sword intent of this elite, which had not completely disappeared even after millions and millions of years had passed. Hence, this river was not something that just anybody could cross. It was necessary to use a ship that could isolate the sword intent as well as have elites of at least Sun Moon Tier stand guard.
The Golden Lion Nation was merely a Royal Empire, and all their elites of the Sun Moon Tier added together only amounted to just over 100, so how could they so easily escort an army across the furious river?
This was a natural barrier, preventing the Golden Lion Nation fr
om invading further. However, at the same time, if the Eastern Rain Nation wanted to reclaim their lost territory, it was likewise an endeavor filled with many ordeals. This furious river would turn around to confine them.
The Academy troops set up camp here. However, the students and soldiers of the Eastern Rain Nation did not mingle together.
Of those who could enroll in the Scarlet Heaven Academy, which one was not a genius? Naturally, they looked down on these soldiers. It should be known that these were only soldiers of a Royal Empire. There were not even many cultivators of the Mountain River Tier, and the majority of them were in the Shattering Void Tier, Heaven Tier, and Deity Transformation Tier.
In these few days, each side was unfriendly to the other. There were even times when they almost started fighting with their own people.
There was nothing else to be done. The two troops could only be separated. Normally, you didn’t come over to my place, and I wouldn’t go to yours, either. It was a situation of each staying in their own territory and minding their own business.
The Golden Lion Nation did not seem to be in a rush to advance. Every day, they would only use the catapults to shoot over a few balls of fire, causing a small commotion without any intention to cross the river to push their assault. The Eastern Rain Nation, on the other hand, was getting anxious. If this continued, all the territory north of the furious river would really become the territory of the Golden Lion Nation.
In the Immortal Realm, the most valuable resources were territory and population. They would directly affect power of the nation.
The general of the Eastern Rain Nation discussed with Hu Feiyun, wanting to begin a counterattack.
“I agree!” The tent flap was pushed open, and in walked a soldierly man who was clad in full armor. His armor was bright silver in color, and there was a handsome face under his helmet. His black locks were also cascading downwards, making him a very warrior-like figure.
Alchemy Emperor of the Divine Dao c1-1294 Page 542