All Heavenly destiny reduced to ashes
Chapter 487 - 106: Shenjing Envoy? Slaughter! (Large W - )_3

Chapter 487: Chapter 106: Shenjing Envoy? Slaughter! (Large W Chapter)_3

However, over the years, as the Inward Officers gained growing power and gradually took control of many court affairs, the major noble families started sending their offspring into their ranks.

These pampered sons and daughters of nobility, who never lifted a finger in their life, rarely possessed a Fate Pattern. Aside from selecting officials through civil and military examinations, serving as an Inward Officer was the only other career path available.

Indulged by their families at home, they somewhat restrained themselves in the royal court, but once assigned to supervise the localities, they behaved almost lawlessly.

Take Protector-General Song for example, he made a grand spectacle before setting out, excessively feasting and celebrating at the expense of the local populace’s provisions for years, urgently requisitioning supplies from the surrounding warehouses for logistics, and forcing labor to the point of death of several strong men to meet demands in a short time.

Yet on the journey, he dilly-dallied, reluctant to march quickly, wasting provisions along the way—a sum astronomical for the now impoverished Northern Border.

These actions alone were enough for Hang Mofeng to clench his fists in secret, yet everyone saw nothing unusual in them because the perpetrator was an envoy from Shenjing.

Moreover, it was unclear what orders this person had received, as he tried several times to take the Tiger Talisman from Hang Mofeng, which controlled the Martial Guard and the Military Formation.

Hang Mofeng knew very well that if other Martial Generals in the localities got a hint from the Inward Officers, they would most respectfully offer up the Tiger Talisman.

There was nothing against the rules with this, as the other party was indeed a Military Supervisor who could take over command by citing any reason. Offering the talisman willingly wouldn’t provoke these Shenjing nobility and might even help earn some favor with higher-ups.

Not to mention that it’s one thing for him to disobey orders, but the subordinate officers and soldiers may not.

Under Hang Mofeng’s command, discipline was strict and tasks were often thankless, making him an unpopular leader from the start.

The people under him wanted to curry favor with their superiors, the superiors wanted control over the military power—it was a mutual fit, but Hang Mofeng stubbornly stood in the way, displeasing both sides.

"But why?"

Hang Mofeng pondered, and this time he quickly found the answer.

—An Jing.

That recently illustrious Divine Mandate, An Jing.

He was targeting An Jing to delay the support, which explained these strange actions!

—Incomprehensible, such a talent, yet instead of vying for him, they intentionally target him?

To be honest, Hang Mofeng could understand their reasoning; after all, An Jing’s awakening as a Divine Mandate was due to the Frost Calamity at the Northern Border. It’s highly probable that he had little affection for Da Chen and had already joined the Sects, specifically the Bright Mirror Sect, making him unlikely to be fully ’one of their own’.

Loyalty that isn’t absolute is absolutely no loyalty. Shenjing must have thought along these lines, and given that Linjiang City seemed quite special, it would naturally seek control over the military command in the event of war.

The problem is, this matter could have been discussed. Yet Hang Mofeng felt that this Inward Officer didn’t seem to have any intention of resolving the issue through ’discussion’...What exactly does he intend to do?

—What exactly does he intend to do?

This question was also on the minds of everyone in Linjiang City.

They had long seen the Martial Army approaching Linjiang City, yet there was no messenger to signal their arrival and call them out to welcome the forces.

This was highly unusual because, by convention, when receiving auxiliary forces dispatched from the Prefecture Government and envoys from Shenjing, all officials of the city, both high and low, were to go out a hundred miles to greet them upon receiving the notice.

But now, with the Martial Army less than twenty miles from the city outskirts—a distance deemed within arm’s reach for Martial Artists—there was not just an absence of envoys but not even the simplest of Water Mirror messages.

"The visitors bode ill," An Jing squinted from atop the city wall, golden and red light flickering in his eyes as he observed the Martial Army stirring up the Earth Pulse Qi nearby, "With such a display, do you say they’ve come to aid us? I’d say they’ve come to quell a rebellion!"

"Indeed..."

Cang Linzu’s expression grew solemn too. He paid no mind to whether An Jing’s reference to a ’rebellion’ was in jest or a statement of fact, and said seriously, "I have seen the Martial Army under General Gu’s command in action. This force, apart from the ’Military Spirit Great Formation’ that is yet to be activated with the Tiger Talisman, has already deployed all other abilities."

Among these two Martial Armies, one was the most elite of Da Chen, aside from the Mystery Armor Guard, equipped with the ’Houtu Haotian Formation’ of the Golden Armored Guards, and the other adapted to the current celestial patterns, equipped with the ’Taibai Golden Sky Formation’ of the Cang Armor Guard.

Cang Linzu pointed out the details to An Jing, "Look, these warriors clad in identical armor, practicing the same Cultivation Technique, their combined auras forming a Formation, drawing the power of heaven and earth, have created two major martial Law Domains. Within ’Houtu Haotian,’ magnetic elements are in chaos, altering the weight and levity, yet only the Martial Army moves normally and could take to the skies or burrow into the ground at any moment."

"And in ’Taibai Golden Sky,’ every grain of sand becomes gold, transformed into a blade, making the Martial Army indestructible. They can absorb the enemy’s broken weapons to reinforce their armor, a Battle Formation that grows stronger as battle rages."

White Golden Qi and brown-yellow Earth Pulse Qi left behind by the passing of the two Martial Armies’ Formations accumulated on the ground, turning into surging clouds overhead. And as the clouds of Qi Condensed increasingly dense and heavy, they became the Impure Fiend Military Barrier comparable to Art of Magic.

If the Impure Fiend Military Barrier could gather all five powerful Five-Colored Armor Guards, it could even shatter a Martial Artist’s Divine Skills, disrupt Great Void Transference, throw the Five Elements into chaos, making any enemy taste the bitterness of battling against the forces of heaven and earth.

[I reckon these Da Chen folks just want to cut you down to size,] Chenyinzi communicated directly, [You’ve garnered too much attention recently—Divine Mandate, City Lord of Linjiang, eliminating the Iron Cavalry Vanguard Camp that breached three cities. The local Martial Army must feel overshadowed by you, and there must be a faction in Shenjing not too fond of you either. Their unannounced approach this time must be to find an excuse to press down on you.]