Blue Phoenix

by Tinalynge

  Hui Yue had an affinity for Metal, making it possible for him to create inscriptions; however, he had never spent much time on this particular affinity. Due to this, he was only able to make small, almost harmless, inscriptions. Although others might consider it harmless, Hui Yue knew that a smokescreen could be very useful for a beast horde. Although they would be unable to see, beasts had much keener senses than humans, and they could rely on either smell or hearing to locate their targets, while the humans, although having enhanced senses due to being experts, would still be at a disadvantage.

  The next few days went by in a blur as everyone was busy building the many machines that Hui Yue ordered them to. The Saints oversaw all the work while Hui Yue created one inscription after another. Although the inscriptions were all low level, he still managed to sync more and more with the element he had never synced with before. As the days went by, he started creating stronger and stronger inscriptions some contained his blue fire while others contained his elemental flame.

  Soon the days had gone by and what started out as a forest now looked like a military camp. There were no longer any trees around, instead one machine after another was towering into the air. Some of which were being dragged by experts who had assumed their original forms. Satisfied, Hui Yue looked at the army, and he noticed a few dots in the sky. Dots that were flying their way swiftly.

  Knowing perfectly well these were the enemy’s scouts who had just appeared; Hui Yue grinned as he once more glanced out over his army. “Just in time,” He said satisfied as he found a drum within his storage stone and started hitting it rhythmically. As soon as the drum resounded across the now empty plains, the many experts, all of whom looked around with alert and vigilant eyes, saw the dots in the sky. Some of them took their original shapes and flew high into the sky ready to meet the scouts while the rest quickly gathered and stood in formation; everyone stood in front of the machinery, and all of them were teeming with energy excited for their first meeting with the human army.

  Chapter 262 - Scouts

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  Chapter 262: Scouts

  “Hey, Zheng Junjie!” One of the scouts called out as his finger pointed towards a dark cluster that was visible on the ground out in the horizon. “Look at that, I think we might have found the army!” He said. His heart was beating rapidly as he vigilantly looked around his surroundings. He was constantly on high alert trying to see whether or not flying beasts were going to appear behind them, setting up an ambush to kill them before they had time to respond.

  The other scout, the one named Zheng Junjie, was also looking into the distance, and his brows turned to a frown as he saw towering structures standing behind the army, itself. Structures that reached towards the sky making him feel a sense of dread. Another thing which made him extra careful at the moment was his bird.

  Both Zheng Junjie and the other scouts were riding on magical beasts, beasts who had been tamed long ago for the use of the imperial army, yet now they were on their way towards a beast horde, and who knew if these beasts would suddenly decided to start an uproar.

  “Let us split up here,” Zheng Junjie said and pointed towards the group of beasts which came closer and closer. “Now we get to find out if any of us can survive. You fly home now. Tell them that the beast horde is coming, and they have machinery with them. I will see if I can get a more detailed report on them,” He continued, and while his friend was more than willing and instantly turned around to leave, Zheng Junjie’s eyes turned hard as he kept flying forwards towards the beasts in front of him.

  “For the Empire!” He yelled as he gripped the reins on the flying eagle he was riding upon and kicked it lightly, making it increase its speed. Seeing the army, he also saw a few beasts suddenly rise in the sky. These beasts were clearly eagles and other sorts of predatory birds, all of them looked at him waiting for him to come into range, yet none of them flew out to greet him.

  Seeing this, Zheng Junjie decided not to get any closer. He instead flew to the side and circled them taking a rough head count. He felt his whole body shudder in fear as he realized that although this army was far smaller than theirs, not one of these beasts were below the king rank. All of them seemed to be kings or above, something which he knew their army could not match.

  Flying on the outskirts of the enemy’s army, Zheng Junjie’s heart was all the way up his throat as he constantly looked around him. He was in constant fear that he would lose sight of one of the birds, and it would suddenly appear behind him. That it would end his life and ensure that he would not return to his home, that he would not return to warn the Emperor.

  As he flew around the army, he saw astonishing machines of war. The ballistae looked similar to one of their own machines, however, many of these he had never seen before. Just seeing them was enough to terrify him.

  The springald that was standing on the corner of the army was enough to send a chill down his spine on its own. The towers made him worry about their walls, and the catapults would be frightening if they were armed with flames. Fearing that he should not stay any longer, the scout swung the bird into the air and at max speed tried to flee the territory which was now claimed by the beasts. Seeing as he was about to fly away, screeches from the birds could be heard, and he felt his entire body grow numb.

  All these experts were Kings! He was nothing more than a Master ranked expert, not even a Grand Master nor a Duke. How could he survive an attack from this many Kings?

  As he was ready to give up his life, he heard a loud whistling sound, and as he looked down his eyes landed on the most beautiful man he had ever seen. The man was standing with a drum in his hands, his hair was as white as the new-fallen snow, his eyes as blue as the deepest sea, and his skin as pale as white orchids.

  Looking at this young man, Zheng Junjie was astonished by this beautiful man, so much so that he instantly forgot about the imminent danger hanging above him. But as soon as he heard the whistling sound, all the beasts who were flying in the air descended to the ground. All of them were glaring at the young man who finally returned to his senses and using everything he knew, he made the bird fly as fast as possible into the distance, far away from the beast horde. His hands were shaking, and he was gasping for air as he finally felt safe. He had finally left the location where the many beasts were ready to attack him.

  Etched within his mind was the image of the beautiful young man who stood in the middle of the beast horde, his attitude casual and a single whistle from him caused the bloodthirsty and ferocious beasts to stop their attack. A single whistle which controlled that many King ranked experts. The chill once more appeared as Zheng Junjie felt fear from deep within as he realized how one person, or what seemed to be a person, could control the entire beast horde with nothing more than sounds. The vast machinery was not usual for beasts to create either, and thinking like this, he felt that what they were up against was by no means just ordinary beasts.

  “Right, a human working together with beasts, as if that would happen,” Zheng Junjie scolded himself as he shook his head. It made absolutely no sense for a human to work together with the beasts, but even though it made little sense, this scout was unable to understand what else he could have seen. Beasts reacting like soldiers, machinery of war the likes of he had never seen before, and this beautiful human-like man whom he could not forget.

  “Thinking about it is not going to solve anything,” He mumbled to himself as he used all his focus to rush back to camp. He needed to warn the Emperor and the Grand Marshall of their army; however the further he flew, the more he started to think about this handsome young man who had controlled the beasts. What if he was their leader? But he did not seem overpowering. Could he perhaps be an expert of war that they accepted in their ranks? Zheng Junjie was lost deep in thought, so deep that he did not realize that his friend, the one he had asked to leave, flew up by his side.

  The man looked at Zheng Junjie and decided not to say anything. Seeing the deep frown on his brow
s and his focused eyes that looked straight ahead, he understood that he had seen something shocking. He had seen something terrifying, something which in turn caused him to be deeply astonished.

  The two flew side by side in silence for a few days before they finally managed to return to their own army. Only then did Zhen Junjie’s eyes turn bright as he rushed the bird to its limits. He made it dive straight down towards the tent belonging to the Grand Marshall.

  The Grand Marshall of the imperial army was the Emperor’s uncle. He was a veteran warrior who had been in the army his entire life, and he knew the art of warfare as well as he knew himself. Although the Siban Empire had never been in a war before as mountain ranges divided the kingdoms, this Grand Marshall had read everything there was to read about army tactics. He had trained with the soldiers from when he was still nothing but a young boy, and he had understood what it meant to be a part of an army.

  This Grand Marshall was standing in the middle of a tent in the outer ranks of the army. If the beast horde were to attack, this Grand Marshall and his men would instantly enter the capital and take up positions inside; however, when there was no danger of the beasts immediate arrival then he had to look after the many experts outside the castle walls. These experts were numerous enough to pose a threat to the Empire if they were to turn against them based on unhappiness or something else. Fortunately, though, these experts were all soldiers who had grown up learning that the greatest honor was to give their lives for the empire.

  The majority of the most loyal soldiers had long since entered Shenyuan in the various groups of delegations. The others died from disease or old age, having never been to war, having never once proved their worth. The new soldiers had been taught everything about warfare, but all they knew was theory and their burning wish to become someone who could fight for their empire. These soldiers were now seeing the first war of their lifetime and were incredibly eager to prove that they had exactly what was needed to be an outstanding soldier for their kingdom. They were all willing to risk their lives for the empire.

  Dismounting his beast, Zheng Junjie rushed towards the Grand Marshall. As he made it to the tent, he fell to his knees, and a thud was heard as he slammed hard against the ground underneath him.

  “The beast horde is a three day’s flight away from the capital. They are no more than four hundred thousand beasts strong, however the lowest ranked experts within their army are kings.”

  “They have multiple weapons of war with them. Some are meant for sending a wide array of arrows while others are like our massive crossbow, but some of their machinery I have never seen before, and I do not understand.”

  Hesitating slightly he cleared his throat before he decided to give an opinion which he had nothing to base it on. The only reason he wished to say it was because he felt like it was right, “I think I saw their commander,” He said hesitatingly, “It was a fairly young man. He looks human. He has white hair and the finest pale skin. His eyes are as blue as the bluest sky, and his features can only be considered beautiful. The beasts all listened to him. I am afraid that he might be a human with knowledge of war, and that his knowledge is what has made them able to produce these weapons that I have never seen before.”

  Standing within the tent a woman suddenly appeared. Her eyes went wide with surprise, and her heart was beating erratically. “What did you just say?!” She requested to hear it again; her voice was high pitched, and she looked anything but sane. Looking at her, Zheng Junjie was shocked and backed away, but the Grand Marshall nodded his head giving the scout permission to repeat, which he did, word for word.

  “I never thought…” The words trailed off as Li Meilin sat down on the cold, hard ground. Her hands were holding her head and her eyes closed.

  Neither the Grand Marshall nor the scout hurried to make her say what she knew, both of them waited patiently and slowly the woman got herself back together. Her eyes which had been filled with doubt were now cold and hard, not even the slightest remainder of affection was left.

  “His name is Hui Yue,” She said with a harsh voice. “He is a young man, not even twenty years of age. He is a half beast half human, and when I left Shenyuan, he was still far from being strong enough to command the army.”

  “He was the one who warned me about the war, and he was the one who convinced the Queen of Shenyuan to let me leave the capital. To think that this has always been a part of his plans.” She said. Although she sounded harsh, she was filled with doubt inside. Hui Yue might have been used by the beasts; however the way Zheng Junjie made it sound was as if he was their Grand Marshall. Being quiet about her mixed emotions, Li Meilin could not help but hope that she would have the chance to speak with this young man once more.

  Chapter 263 - A Shining Star

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  Chapter 263: A Shining Star

  “Do you think that this is a good idea?” Wan Qiao asked with a quiet voice as she saw the scout turning around and rushing away from their location while looking back constantly, his fear still something that she could smell in the air.

  “Why would it not be fine?” Hui Yue asked with a chuckle as he put the drum within his storage stone. He then sat down to create even more inscriptions of various ranks, inscriptions he thought he might need at some point.

  “He saw you ordering those beasts,” She continued to argue, “If he tells Li Meilin about your appearance, you will instantly be recognized. Not to mention that this scout was so close. Killing him would have been easy. You must have had something planned for letting him go, or did you seriously not wish for us to kill humans that much?”

  Looking at the One-Horned Jasmine Eagle, Hui Yue could not help but laugh slightly. “I have a plan, just leave it to me,” He said afterwards and gently patted her shoulder. Hearing that he had a plan, Wan Qiao asked no further questions. She knew that if he wished to tell her about his plans, then he would do so, but conversely if he did not wish to do so, then she would not learn about them no matter how much she attempted to do so.

  Hui Yue knew that Wan Qiao was curious, and he could not help but chuckle slightly. “It does not matter if she knows I am the one controlling the army. If anything it will make both her and the army worried as they know that I warned them intentionally. That I have the guts to warn them must mean that I have a plan of some sort, and everything they have done so far has been according to my plan. Although they have no other option, it is still something that will make them uncomfortable,” Hui Yue explained.

  “About allowing them to see the machines, well the scout definitely fears them. Many of these machines are not from this world, and they will not know what they are used for, nor how they were made. If anything a rumor will go through their entire army. A rumor that we having killing machines no one can stand against. That will benefit us because some of the soldiers will be defeated before we even start the battle,” Hui Yue said with a laughing voice. To him, allowing the scout to leave was definitely worth far more than his death.

  “If the scout spreads the word of our army consisting solely of Kings and above, that we have machinery he had never seen before, and that we are led by a half human half beast then it’s likely that their fear of us would reach an all time high, maybe even make some desert. It might make some think that they have already lost. Even if they stayed, experts who were filled with fear were far easier to kill than those who were filled with strength and confidence.”

  “She knows your name. You will never be able to go by your own name in the future,” Wan Qiao said worriedly, “By the time our war is finished, everyone will know that Hui Yue was the young man who sided with the beasts. Your features are quite easy to distinguish too. In a world filled with black haired people, someone with white hair will stick out like a sore thumb. How will you deal with this?” Although Wan Qiao was grateful for Hui Yue and all the plans he had made, she was worried about her human friend. She knew that he planned on returning to his human friends within Taiyang as soon as
the war ended.

  “Dying my hair black won’t be hard,” Hui Yue said with a shrug. “And if I use another name, no one will notice anything.” He was completely certain about this. Although he was a very recognizable young man, he believed in his knowledge of herbs to change his appearance. Much like back in his old world, there were many different herbs here that allowed for the coloring of one’s hair. Although this was not their main purpose, they would work just fine, especially because it was impossible to see through it. It was not an illusion created by Qi; it was real hair dyed black.

  Hearing this, Wan Qiao felt calmer, but she was still worried and wondered whether or not she should order his two shadows to follow him, even when he leaves Shenyuan. She would be much more comfortable if she knew that he had two Saints by his side, ready to protect him or assist him in an escape should he be noticed.

  “No need to come to a decision now,” Wan Qiao sighed to herself. Her voice so low that Hui Yue heard nothing, “Let us focus on the war for now,” She continued. “We’ll see what happens afterwards. For all we know, An He can appear out of nowhere and kill us all.” Having said this, Wan Qiao lifted her hand and drew a circle in front of her chest as she prayed to the four divine beast gods that this would not be the case.