King of Creation
Chapter 470 - 464 Purple Spirit

Chapter 470: Chapter 464 Purple Spirit

"Marshal Zhou, you don’t also doubt the authenticity of the intelligence I’ve reported, do you?"

On the way back to the Left Army’s camp, Ye Zhen watched the Duke of Ming, Zhou Zhen, and the senior officers of the Left Army still displaying faces of shock and couldn’t help feeling somewhat frustrated.

At these words, Duke of Ming Zhou Zhen forced a bitter smile.

"How could that be! If someone else brought this intelligence, of course I would doubt it, but coming from Commander Ye, its truth is beyond question, it’s just..."

"Just what?"

"It’s just too incredible and difficult to accept!" Saying this, Duke of Ming Zhou Zhen pondered for a moment before carefully advising, "Commander Ye, Marshal Gu is just being stubborn in the heat of the moment and not thinking clearly. I believe he will come to his senses soon enough."

Zhou Zhen, as an old general of the military faction, really didn’t want to see discord between the two great commanders of the Eastern Expedition Army. In certain situations, it could lead to unimaginable consequences.

"Hmph, forget about him!"

"After returning to camp, let’s prepare for battle. Marshal Zhou, we cannot miss this opportunity. By sunrise tomorrow, I want to see the army begin its expedition!" Ye Zhen declared.

"Yes!"

"Commander Ye, our Left Army’s camp is two hundred li south of Great Wilderness Pass. It’s inconvenient to attack Beichang Military Town from there, not to mention that it’s a gathering place of heavy forces, and the Eastern Expedition Army’s main camp is right across from Beichang Military Town.

I suggest we attack from the direction of Great Leaf City, three hundred li southeast of our camp. The city’s defenses are robust, but based on your intelligence, our army should be able to easily break through..."

Ye Zhen waved his hand gently, interrupting Duke of Ming Zhou Zhen.

"Marshal Zhou, when it comes to military strategy, I am far inferior to you. How to attack, where to attack, and how to deploy the troops are all up to you to arrange. You need not report to me, just take charge of the deployment.

This includes the high-level experts sent by Qiyun Sect to assist in battle; you may deploy them, even including myself, according to the needs of the war!"

"I have but one request: to break into Sword Origin Empire as soon as possible and reclaim the territories lost by the empire a hundred years ago, and then to greatly expand our frontiers." Ye Zhen’s words were very straightforward.

Before Ye Zhen even finished speaking, emotions of excitement had already surfaced on Duke of Ming Zhou Zhen’s face.

"I swear to repay Commander Ye’s trust with my life!" Suddenly, Duke of Ming Zhou Zhen knelt on one knee before Ye Zhen, performing a grand gesture of respect!

You must understand, at the rank of Duke of Ming Zhou Zhen, with his cultivation and title, even in the presence of the current emperor, he would bow respectfully. Now, offering a half-kneel to Ye Zhen demonstrated his sentiments.

In fact, it wasn’t hard to understand. In the military, every officer valued their command as dearly as a prized consort, wishing to keep it locked away.

A deputy commander of an army usually had little real authority. They would gleam a little when there was achievement and take the blame when there was none. Ye Zhen’s trust in him was so profound, how could he not be moved!

"All right, Marshal Zhou, go and beat the drums to gather the generals. If anyone fails to follow military orders, please use this sword to execute them!" As he spoke, Ye Zhen handed over the command sword, symbolizing the authority over the Left Army.

"Yes!"

"Marshal Zhou, oh, regarding those few individuals I tasked you with before, just provide them with more opportunities during the warfare. Everything else depends on their abilities! Reward them for their merits and hold them accountable for their faults, all according to military law!" Ye Zhen instructed.

Where there are people, there are interests.

In taking on the role of Commander of the Left Army, it was natural for Ye Zhen to seek some benefits for his side.

For instance, several disciples from Qiyun Sect who had attained mid-level military ranks—if they could achieve military merits through this opportunity, it would deeply entrench several markers in the military department for Qiyun Sect, enhancing the sect’s influence!

"Understood!"

Duke of Ming Zhou Zhen’s face again revealed a look of admiration. Such practices were all too common. If it had been someone else, it would directly mean allocating military merits to certain individuals.

Now it was just a slant towards giving opportunities for merits, it was nowhere near favoritism!

With the return of Commander Ye Zhen and Deputy Commander Zhou Zhen to camp, the entire Left Army was promptly set in motion. Orders from the commander’s tent flowed non-stop, being quickly executed.

The Left Army had completed its assembly three months ago. On the march to Great Wilderness Pass, it had already been well-integrated by Zhou Zhen, who dealt with insubordinates through demotion, replacement, or execution, commanding an army of three hundred thousand as if it was his own limb. It had to be said, Duke of Ming Zhou Zhen was quite capable!

By the dim light of the next morning, the army began to advance en masse, heading straight for Great Leaf City three hundred li away!

...

"What? The Left Army has really set out? Hmph, what are they trying to do? Embark on the Eastern Expedition alone?"

Inside the tent of the Eastern Expedition Army, Grand Marshal Gu Zhaoge wore an astonished expression. The news was too unexpected, and in addition to a touch of anger, Grand Marshal Gu Zhaoge was mainly contemplative.

As previously said, Grand Marshal Gu Zhaoge was no fool. On the contrary, reaching the top post of military minister and Grand Marshal of the Eastern Expedition Army was not an unearned reputation.

He immediately thought about the authenticity of the intelligence Ye Zhen had mentioned the day before.

Ye Zhen was not an impulsive person, and Deputy Commander Duke of Ming Zhou Zhen certainly wouldn’t allow Ye Zhen to act recklessly, meaning the departure of the Left Army needed to be weighed seriously.

"Officer Wang, have there been any reports from the Imperial Capital regarding Sword Origin Sect? Also, have the martial artists sent to Spirit Sword Grave Mountain departed, and how long will it take for them to return?"

Indeed, after Ye Zhen left the previous day, Gu Zhaoge had dispatched martial artists to Spirit Sword Grave Mountain to investigate the actual situation. If the mountain had indeed exploded, then the intelligence from Ye Zhen...

"Report to Marshal, there have been no intelligence reports from the Imperial Capital regarding Sword Origin Sect! Additionally, the martial artists dispatched to Spirit Sword Grave Mountain have been on their way for half a day now. However, due to the roadblocks, and martial artists patrolling even in the skies, they must take a detour to Spirit Sword Grave Mountain.

They are expected to arrive at Spirit Sword Grave Mountain in two days at the earliest, and we will receive Talisman Communication then!" the military officer answered.

"Two days, alright. Let’s wait for the intelligence in two days."

...

In the sky, Ye Zhen sat cross-legged on the back of the Cloud Winged Tiger King, allowing the Cloud Winged Tiger King Kitten to carry him forward. Aside from occasionally glancing down at the rapid procession of the army below that resembled a dragon, nearly all his attention was immersed in the newly forged Sword Vein Divine Power.

To be precise, Ye Zhen’s consciousness was completely immersed in the purple Sword Light hidden within the Sword Vein Divine Power.

After entering Ye Zhen’s Sword Vein God, the radiant light of the purple Sword Light converged, gathering with the countless Sword Vein Origins within the veins as if it felt extremely comfortable.

At first glance, there was no sharpness to be seen, and it appeared very ordinary.

However, the moment Ye Zhen’s Divine Sense focused on it, an indescribably terrifying Sword Qi instantly assailed his Divine Soul.

Mere contact with his Divine Soul was enough to instill a sense of fear in Ye Zhen.

And this was when the purple Sword Light held no hostility towards Ye Zhen.

Nevertheless, thinking of how the Sect Leader of the Sword Origin Sect, Yu Ruhai, had been pierced through the chest with a sword, Ye Zhen felt relieved.

It was also for this reason that Ye Zhen did not dare to refine this segment of the purple Spirit Sword using the methods he knew for refining Spiritual Artifacts.

If there were to be backlash, it’s feared that the purple Spirit Sword might directly burst out from within Ye Zhen, and it was even possible that it would break through his skull.

Because of this reason, Ye Zhen had spent the better half of the day with his consciousness immersed in the Sword Vein Divine Power, communicating with the purple Sword Light.

Perhaps it was because the Sword Light had entered Ye Zhen’s body, or because it was closer now, the communication suddenly became smooth.

The purple Spirit Sword could precisely express its intentions through a special rhythm, with hints of Divine Sense communication embedded within.

In other words, this purple Spirit Sword possessed Divine Soul Power.

The ability to communicate with Ye Zhen before and to let Ye Zhen understand its rhythm was not without the role of Divine Sense communication.

The purple Spirit Sword was like an ignorant child, full of curiosity and a quick learner.

Very quickly, it recognized the name Ye Zhen gave it—Purple Spirit!

Of course, Ye Zhen also attempted to ask about the origins of Purple Spirit, and the responses he received were numerous and complex, so much so that even Ye Zhen could not understand them.

However, this sort of communication wasn’t useless.

In just half a day, the relationship between Ye Zhen and Purple Spirit warmed up rapidly, and for the rest of the march, Ye Zhen would communicate with Purple Spirit whenever he had the time.

Ye Zhen planned to leave things as they were for now.

Once the Eastern Expedition was over, he would have time to delve into Purple Spirit’s details, either by looking up records in the Sect or by consulting the Sect Leader.

If all else failed, Ye Zhen was prepared to use the Ten Thousand Stars Plate to offer a reward.

Speaking of the Ten Thousand Stars Plate, there is something that must be mentioned.

That is the Innate Bloodline Enhancement Pill.

It had been almost a year since Ye Zhen took notice of the Innate Bloodline Enhancement Pill, but every time he opened the Ten Thousand Stars Plate to check for it, the message showed ’out of stock’!

This was very disappointing for Ye Zhen.

If it weren’t for the Eastern Expedition, Ye Zhen would have wanted to find the Stars Building Master, Hai Luoshuang, to inquire about the situation!

....

In the year 4377 of the Black Dragon Calendar, on the third day of September, the Left Army of the Black Water Kingdom, which had marched three hundred miles in two days to the foot of Great Leaf City, sounded the horn to attack the city after a night of rest!

Unlike small-scale wars, the first order of business in large-scale warfare was to engage in martial contests!

This was identical to the duels between generals in ancient warfare, but the outcome of these contests had an even more severe impact on the war, even affecting its outcome directly!

This was evident in the battle for Great Leaf City.

The Military Commander of Great Leaf City himself was a Martial Artist of the Spirit Transformation Realm, and his four protectors were all Martial Artists of the Spirit Transformation Realm as well, with the highest among them being at the Second Stage of the Soul Sea Realm.

This lineup was enough to deal with the average Martial Artist.

But it was nowhere near sufficient in the face of Ye Zhen. Even against ordinary Spirit Transformation Realm Martial Artists, or the Spirit-Breaking Crossbow Cannons capable of repelling Soul Sea Realm Martial Artists, they were of little use against Ye Zhen, who could simply ignore them.

For the Cloud Winged Tiger King Kitten that Ye Zhen rode, the speed of the Spirit-Breaking Crossbow Cannons was simply too slow!

In just two encounters, Ye Zhen, along with the Seventh Elder of the Qiyun Sect, Zhongli Jing, and Eighth Elder Weng Guang, had slain the protector of the Great Leaf City Military Commander with a thunderclap.

Though the Great Leaf City Military Commander had enough foresight to hide within his troops.

Boom!

A Heavenly Thunder of Fright plummeted from the sky, and the Military Commander of Great Leaf City was directly turned to ash!

With the Military Commander of Great Leaf City fallen, the Deputy Commander took his place!

In an instant, the Deputy Commander’s head was also sent flying!

Amidst the low sound of the horn, the thirty thousand strong Vanguard Army of the Black Water Kingdom’s Left Army commenced the siege!

After 15 minutes, the fortress of Great Leaf City was breached!

After all, when several Soul Sea Realm powerhouses flitted above their heads, even the soldiers with the strongest mental fortitude had no other choice but to flee for their lives!(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at Qidian (qidian.com), your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)