by Fang Xiang
But the problem was that this was a final battle from which he could not retreat.
They had slowed down. King seemed to be purposefully giving the enemy time to gather. But when the enemy army surpassed two hundred thousand, no one was able to remain calm.
They were courageous, but not stupid. The difference in power between the two sides was too great.
The knew that the reason that they had been unstoppable these past days was because of King's outstanding abilities. A battalion of two hundred thousand, even King would not have a chance of victory.
Liang Wei and An Mo were panicked.
Zuo Mo did not seem to be in a hurry. Since the battalion stopped, he started to forge.
Everyone felt it strange. Why was King forging shen equipment at such an important time? Even the most powerful shen equipment, even if it was a shen device, would be of minimal effect at this time.
Yet King ignored the enemy and completely focused on forging.
Translator Ramblings: All this setup to make Zuo Mo look better.
Chapter 887: Facing Off
A golden square box floated silently in the flames and was covered in countless exquisite patterns.
The flames disappeared and the gold box flew into Zuo Mo's hand. The box was exactly the size of Zuo Mo's palm. A warmth came from the square box. Zuo Mo felt connected to the box and this made him smile.
"Starting from today, you will be called [King's Domain]!"
This was the shen equipment Zuo Mo was most satisfied with. Ever since he obtained that shen device nucleus, he had thought about how to forge a shen equipment for himself. At present he could be called the top forger but he didn't have his own shen device, an odd juxtaposition. Normal talismans would immediately collapse in his hands, like the gold crystal sword.
An Mo and Liang Wei were panicking like ants set on a fire. They could not understand why King was still forging at such an important time. That dark gold box looked ordinary and had no presence.
"King!" An Mo said urgently.
Zuo Mo nodded towards him and flew onto the Copper-Boned Nether Bird King. "We can talk as we travel."
An Mo was even more panicked. "King! Hai Xin Bing has gathered a great army of over three hundred thousand! If we go now, that will only be death … …"
"Are you afraid of death?" Zuo Mo asked bluntly.
An Mo stilled. He hadn't thought that King would ask this. He answered seriously, "This subordinate is not afraid of death, but of a death without meaning."
"Yes." Zuo Mo nodded. Under the bronze mask, no expression could be seen. He said coolly, "Depart."
"King!" An Mo panicked.
"King, the Yin Tomb Guards and Nether Lord You Zhe's battalion is hurrying over. How about waiting for them … …" Liang Wei said.
"We won't wait. I have limited time," Zuo Mo said coolly and then flew into the sky.
An Mo and Liang Wei stared at each other. They couldn't understand what was going on with King! If they went now, they would die without a doubt! Three hundred thousand! They didn't believe that King would not be able to understand this. But King still insisted on doing so. Did King have some trump card?
They had discussed this before but no matter how hard they thought, they could not think of any way to defeat an army of three hundred thousand!
An Mo gritted his teeth. "At worst, we will die together with King!"
He got onto his mo steed after he spoke and then chased after Zuo Mo.
"It is so curious," Liang Wei murmured. He was almost sure now that King definitely had other plans. But he could not guess. What were King's other plans?
The King's Horn immediately moved as well.
Along the way, they did not encounter any more obstacles. The path was unusually smooth.
Hai Xin Bing had realised the mistake of her previous strategy. Her delay tactic had created the new king's legendary advance, and pushed the new king's reputation to an astounding height.
Without any obstacles, Zuo Mo's group moved quickly.
There were scouts set up along the road. The mission of these scouts was to keep track of the new king's troops. These scouts were not all Hai Xin Bing's subordinates. All of Nether Realm was paying close attention to this final battle.
When Zuo Mo once again led his troops to advance like before, countless factions were shocked. Even an ignorant person knew Hai Xin Bing had set up a great net up ahead. An army of three hundred thousand, that was almost half of Nether Realm's elite battalions.
This was a power that made people tremble.
No one could win!
Using force against force was the stupidest choice. In many people's opinions, the new king should step back, avoid Hai Xin Bing's forces and go around them. Such a large army was all the power that Hai Xin Bing had gathered for many years but it could not be maintained for long. The new king had the support of the old nether King. Now that he showed the people of Nether Realm his power and strength, his situation was much better than Hai Xin Bing.
The new king only needed to avoid Hai Xin Bing, delay for a while, and Hai Xin Bing's army of three hundred thousand would quickly collapse.
That was the strategic method.
But the new king rashly advanced towards Nether King River like a moth to a flame!
Almost everyone saw his predicted outcome. Even more people felt that the new king was a brute with courage but no skill!
The new king would die!
Sorrow spread among the people. After the victorious seven day advance, they had thought that the new king would be like the old Nether King and be an unrivaled hero. But now, they thought he was only a brute. If the new king died, Hai Xin Bing did not qualify to become king, and the Nether Realm would once again become leaderless.
This was the greatest sorrow.
For ten years, they had lived a peaceful life. No battle, their lives were calm, Nether Realm was united. The direction the King's banner pointed was the direction they advanced in.
Look at Hundred Savage realm. That place was so chaotic and filled with endless battle. The major factions warred with each other, and people died every day.
Low spirits and bewilderment spread in Nether Realm.
Was an era truly about to end?
Was ten years of peace all they would have?.
"He's charging towards here?" Hai Xin Bing stilled and asked instinctively, "Did the Yin Tomb Guards and You Zhe already arrive?"
"No!" Zhu nan Yue's eyes flashed with puzzlement.
"Strange!" Hai Xin Bing pondered this. "He doesn't appear like a person without brains!"
Zhu Nan Yue didn't speak but she agreed.
How could a person that forced them to such a state, and had grabbed the only chance to resolve the situation when he was surrounded by enemies be a person without brains? It was the opposite. Zhu Nan Yue saw decisiveness, intelligence, bravery and hardiness from that person.
She had followed Hai Xin Bing from childhood and they were like sisters. This bond was the only reason she was willing to be enemies with such a person.
The other definitely had other plans!
"He has to have other plans!" Hai Xin Bing felt uneasy, like an invisible pressure weighing on her mind. She could not understand the enemy's actions at all.
"Maybe there are spies?' Zhu Nan Yue reminded.
"You are right!' Hai Xin Bing was startled. "You have to prepare for that."
Zhu Nan Yue looked in shock at Hai Xin Bing. She had never seen the Nether Lord so panicked before. In her mind, the Nether Lord was always calm and composed. Now, she was panicking just because of one poorly understood move that the enemy had made.
The pressure the enemy gave the Nether Lord was so strong!
The shock that Zhu Nan Yue felt could be imagined.
The scouts reported at a rapid pace, departing and landing constantly, to report of the enemy's position.
"Report! The enemy is estimated to be a day's travel away!"
"Rep
ort! The enemy is accelerating! Estimated arrival is in twelve hours!"
"Report! Four hours!"
As the enemy came closer to nether King River, the atmosphere suddenly grew tense. The pressure of the impending battle caused the entire army to tense. Everyone became nervous. Even those battle generals that had been through hundreds of battles had stern faces and threads of worry.
The other was clearly only two battalions, and not even ten thousand people.
But for some reason, an invisible yet great pressure was on each person's mind.
The other's unusual action caused each person's nerves to be on edge. The enemy was not unknown. He had proven his strength.
The more unusual it was, the more people were wary.
The army of three hundred thousand prepared to face a great enemy.
The sounds gradually disappeared. They unconsciously closed their mouths. They instinctively gripped their mo weapons, and the mood was unusually nervous and strict.
When a group of black dots appeared in the distance, everyone's hearts jumped.
"They've come!"
The army shifted and the roar of the battle generals came in waves.
"Be alert!"
"Prepare to fight!"
"Be prepared, do not slack off at the crucial time!"
The little black dots arrived with a strangely quick speed. In a blink, they felt their visions darken and the enemy was already close to them. The enemy were clearly not even ten thousand in number but when they advanced at such a high speed, it made people feel as though there were tens of thousands roaring and charging at them.
Everyone's hearts uncontrollably shook!
Was this the flood of metal that no one could stop for seven days and nights?
Seeing the enemy about to step into their attack range, every battle generals' expression became stern and nervous. They waited to attack as the other to stepped into their attack range!
The enemy suddenly stopped!
Stopped without any warning. From a fast charge to a sudden stop. There was no transition between the two states and it was so uncomfortable that people wanted to spit blood.
They finally saw the person at the front of the group!
Zuo Mo looked coldly at the enemies in front of him.
In reality, this was the first time he saw a battalion of three hundred thousand gathered together. The battalions were packed together and stretched into the distance. It caused people to feel weak and powerless.
But Zuo Mo didn't feel this way.
He sat motionlessly on the back of the Copper-Boned Nether Bird King. Even his gaze didn't change. It was still cold and emotionless.
"Hai Xin Bing!"
The cold and aloof voice was clear in each person's ears.
Compared to the previous panic, Hai Xin Bing calmed down now. She walked out fearlessly.
Completely outfitted in armor, Hai Xin Bing seemed to have a martial bearing. At this time, she finally showed the glory and mannerism of a nether lord. She held a long blue sword, her long hair flying in the wind. Her beautiful features did not seem to be of the mortal realm. The decisiveness and intelligence she showed made people trust her.
She did not dodge Zuo Mo's gaze but she did not want to verbally spar with Zuo Mo. She said, "No need to waste words! Let's fight!"
Hai Xin Bing's eyes suddenly gave off a sharp light. She raised the long sword in her hand, her murderous deep shout echoing in the air, "In the name of Nether Realm!"
At this time, Hai Xin Bing shone like a star.
"In the name of Nether Realm!"
Everyone was motivated by her. All of the nervousness disappeared in this moment. Their blood boiled and their spirits rose! The army of three hundred thousand roared together, the waves of sound filling the surroundings!
Hai Xin Bing suddenly had a feeling, the matter was done!
The morale of the battalions had reached a peak. When the morale of three hundred thousand rose, no one would be able to reverse all this.
The person wearing the bronze mask on the other side suddenly stood up.
He stood on the back of the Copper-Boned Nether Bird King as though he was standing above the clouds. He looked down from high up. He seemed to be looking at all life below.
The cold gaze was filled with disdain. The voice was not loud but could be heard over the entire field. The tsunami of cheers and shouts suddenly stopped.
"You, how do you qualify to invoke the name of the Nether Realm?"
Translator Ramblings: Lil' Cliffy makes a rare appearance.
Chapter 888: When Did I Allow You To Use The Name of Nether Realm
The cold words were without any emotion.
Yet these words were like a basin of icy cold water that was poured over the three hundred thousand. The fire that had just started to burn in their minds were immediately extinguished.
The person wearing the mask looked at differently at them as though they were just ants in his eyes.
Terrible!
Many people's expressions became ugly. Of them, the great majority of them had been famed for many years. When had they been dismissed like this before?
They unconsciously balled their fists, their tendons bulging.
Zuo Mo's next words caused these experts that felt humiliated to lose their mind.
"When did I allow you to use the name of Nether Realm?"
The cold and aloof tone seemed to be describing an ordinary matter. However, the undisguised dominance and imperiousness was like a wild and sharp cold wind that swept across everyone's minds!
"Who do you think you are!"
A sudden shout came from the army. A figure like that of a wild beast suddenly charged like lightning towards Zuo Mo in the sky!
A powerful presence that was like a raging wave swept towards Zuo Mo.
Xiahou Zhi!
One of Hai Xin Bing's commanders, and the strongest of the four commanders of Northern Plains Ice Mansion! Of all the commanders in Northern Plains Ice Mansion, he was an extreme outlier. When people reached such a level of strength, there were rarely any that did not know how to lead battle formations, it was just a matter of skill level. Xiahou Zhi didn't understand any battle formations.
He was obsessed with personal strength, but due to this, his individual strength was powerful and only second to Hai Xin Bing in Northern Plains Ice Mansion.
He had a fiery temper and wasn't afraid of anything. Zuo Mo's words immediately set him off!
Boom!
The furious killing energy swept out. Midair, the air around Xiahou Zhi twisted. His body suddenly swelled and black smoke rose out of his body.
An astounding presence quickly strengthened rapidly in the black spoke.
There seemed to be a terrifying monster that was being formed inside the black smoke.
Soon, an enormous monster appeared in people's view.
Hiss!
Inhales of shock came in unison from the three hundred thousand.
This monster was too large. It stood in the air like a mountain. Just the pressure from the massive size was enough for people to lose their spirit.
The monster was covered in rich and deep colored tattoos. Its eyes were like two bottomless black holes. Its four limbs were short but strong, its body slightly arched. Its mouth was slightly open, and each fang was shrouded in thick black smoke. Its tail was over ten li long. When it moved in the air, it caused twisters.
An Mo's expression changed slightly. When this nether beast appeared, it gave him a strong feeling of danger!
Xiahou Zhi was not this strong!
This was An Mo's first reaction. The power that Xiahou Zhi showed right now matched his. Soon, An Mo's expression completely changed. The words flashed through his mind.
A kamikaze warrior!
Not good!
If an expert of this level disregarded injury and death, the danger they posed would become terrifying!
He hadn't thought that Xiahou Zhi was willing to die f
or Hai Xin Bing. This woman … …
An Mo gritted his teeth and was about to move forward. Of King's subordinates, he was the only one that was a match for Xiahou Zhi. An Mo's eyes flashed with fire.
As though he knew what An Mo was thinking, Zuo Mo raised an arm.
An Mo noticed King's signal and stilled. He had followed King for these few weeks and was familiar with King's signals. There was only one meaning of this signal. King was indicating that An Mo should not move forward.
What did King want to do?
King was slightly puzzled. Did King want to personally fight?
He trusted that King would not have a problem facing Xiahou Zhi based on the power that King had shown. However, if King took a long time with just Xiahou Zhi, then the presence that King had accumulated would disappear.
What was most important right now was presence.
But An Mo was disciplined and he knew from the experienced of the past days that King was definitely not a rash person. Many of King's seemingly illogical choices and decisions would create a fantastical result in the end.
An Mo knew that the results that seemed to be miracles could not be just explained by luck.
He stopped moving and suppressed his urgency. He looked curiously at King. He wanted to know how King would defeat this nether beast.
Zhu Nan Yue looked at the enormous beast in the sky and she was in slightly low spirits.
The Nether Lord's move was extremely tricky. The new king had accumulated his presence from the seven day advance and his presence was at a peak. Using Xiahou Zhi against An Mo or the new king would be able to blunt the enemy presence.
Zhu Nan Yue was almost sure that the nether lord didn't even hope that Xiahou Zhi would defeat the other. She only asked that Xiahou Zhi would reduce the other's presence by delaying the new king or An Mo.
If the other's presence stopped, their momentum would decrease and they could be ground to death by the three hundred thousand army.
For this delay, the Nether King even sacrificed such a strong expert.
This was like playing chess!