Shennong Dao Master
Chapter 475 - 53: Spring of the Jingxin Calendar Eighteenth Year, Rewards Bestowed! (6K)

Chapter 475: Chapter 53: Spring of the Jingxin Calendar Eighteenth Year, Rewards Bestowed! (6K)

The Sacrificial Soul Pass was taken, and King Luo Hou suffered heavy losses.

Because of his bet with Lingde King, which started on November 10th, Liu Tianning had only just arrived in the war zone a few days prior.

He bet with Lingde King that Zhao Xing could resolve the issues within forty days and the Sacrificial Soul Pass would be taken.

As a result, the Sacrificial Soul Pass was only taken by the end of December.

"Hahaha, Luo Hou, I will gladly accept these two Seventh-rank Divine Weapons!" Lingde King laughed with joy. "Thank you."

A twitch appeared at the corner of King Luo Hou’s mouth, and he was speechless.

Zhao Xing’s performance indeed met his expectations.

But the speed at which the Sacrificial Soul Pass was taken was a few days slower than expected.

"If you had bet two months, Luo Hou, then Lingde would have certainly lost," said King Heavenly Destiny, shaking his head. "Too bad, it was just a few days off."

"A few days off is still off. I accept the loss willingly," King Luo Hou said. "The resistance at the Sacrificial Soul Pass was slightly more than I had anticipated."

"Look at the intelligence submitted by Yingyuan Prefecture, if it hadn’t been for Zhao Xing’s astonishing performance, it may have taken until next year to take the Sacrificial Soul Pass."

Upon examination, King Heavenly Destiny and Lingde King indeed noticed something special.

The military supplies provided by Zhao Xing far exceeded expectations.

Thus, the six-army alliance was able to continue the fierce attacks without interruption during the last month, especially the Mixed Element Battleships whose strikes hardly ceased in the latter half of the month.

Had it not been for the logistical support being in place, the Sacrificial Soul Pass, as King Luo Hou had said, would probably have been fought over into the next year.

"However, why did the Divine Might Army stop its attack?" Lingde King asked, puzzled.

"Commander Liao Rulong had a conflict with Yi Yue," King Luo Hou said gravely. "Liao Rulong missed an opportunity to pursue, halting halfway. Yi Yue had a big fight with him, and the Qi Yuan Army and Nangong Ye have already gone their separate ways."

"Having too strong a partner is not necessarily a good thing; they were bound to split sooner or later," King Heavenly Destiny stated. "But this Liao Rulong is lucky. There might be a ceasefire soon, so continuing to pursue now would offer little merit and more risk than opportunity."

"A ceasefire?" Both Lingde King and King Luo Hou turned towards King Heavenly Destiny. "How come I’m not aware of this?"

"I am merely speculating; there is no definitive news yet," said King Heavenly Destiny thoughtfully.

"If a ceasefire is indeed imminent, then halting the chase now is a prudent choice," stated King Luo Hou.

If a quality battle is indeed about to commence, high-grade powerhouses must come to the frontline in preparation.

There will be a period of chaos during which neither side will strictly adhere to the rule ’high-grades must not strike at those of lower grades.’

Poor luck might lead to stumbling into the region where high-grades appear, where not only will there be no merit gained, but it would also lead to the loss of troops and commanders.

Even without such an encounter, orders might come at any time to retreat, making the combat effectively in vain.

"Luo Hou, I might lose to you," King Heavenly Destiny expressed helplessly. If there truly is a ceasefire, Xia Jing and Zhao Xing still haven’t managed to reach the status of being sealed as a second-class Marquis.

One could only say that Emperor Jing is more impatient than expected, desiring to start a real war without much training of his troops.

...

Sacrificial Soul Pass, a separate courtyard.

"Inner Five Elements Heaven and Earth, Heavenly Destiny as my own, Heavenly Fortune as my lot, Heavenly Life as my lifespan."

"Yin Yang Self Scripture, Five Elements of heaven and earth, in the end, Self Sect is the true path," Zhao Xing reflected in his heart.

Now it’s January in the Jingxin Calendar Eighteenth Year. Since the Sacrificial Soul Pass was taken, the Divine Might Army, Xuanjia Army, and Zhenhai Army have been recuperating on site.

With nothing much to do in Tonghuo City, he came to the Sacrificial Soul Pass to cultivate.

The hundred li in radius around the Sacrificial Soul Pass had been transformed.

Its destruction was not as severe as Fire Dragon Pass; the Yin Five Elements Array of the Xuantian Sect still operated, with only the southern barrier unable to be restored.

Inside the Yin Five Elements Heaven and Earth Array, Zhao Xing’s understanding of the "Yin Yang Self Scripture" and "Five-Finger Destiny" deepened significantly.

Because Liu Tianning had taught him the High-level Enchantment Array, which involves the deeper aspects of the Yin Yang Five Elements.

Furthermore, after learning the Self Grassman, a combination of five methods, it essentially became a superficial ’integration of the Five Ways.’

The ’integration’ was also concerned with the Five Elements.

Now, being within this grand array set by the Xuantian Sect, and perceiving the rarely encountered Yin Five Elements, his insights grew even deeper.

"Five-Finger Destiny utilizes the Inner Five Elements Heaven and Earth to join the great Five Elements of heaven and earth."

"To deduce the destiny of the Inner Heaven and Earth is to deduce my own fate."

"I even have a vague sense of how long I can live," Zhao Xing mused to himself.

His extra lifespan had reached 150 years, achieved by consuming various Spiritual Beauties and lifespans extended by fortune technique.

But as a Seventh Grade Earthly Evil, how long could he live? Less than 150 years.

Is it not that the more one cultivates, the longer one should live?

Actually, that’s not necessarily the case.

Lower grades are simply unable to extend lifespan effectively.

When compared to the constraints of heaven and earth, this realm is virtually insignificant.

"In the Primordial Qi Era, the heavenly constraints are among the most difficult to shift within the rules of heaven and earth, all creatures have a lifespan preordained by these rules, which are the so-called destined lifespans."

"Cultivators can become very strong, but even strength finds it hard to break the shackles of destiny; even Emperors of the Fortune Dynasty, who are mighty as they are, can only live for a thousand years."

"After the resurgence of Spiritual Energy, the earth underwent drastic changes, entering the Spiritual Energy Era, the upper limit of the constraints of destiny increased, and with it, the lifespans of various creatures were extended."

"In the Ancient Times, the Xuanhuang Continent also experienced a Spiritual Energy Era. Huge creatures roamed the land, and whether animal or plant, all had enormous sizes. Even a small grass could live for a very long time, and what are now considered rare treasures could be found everywhere back then."

"After the Age of Calamity, the world’s prestige descended to the ’Primordial Qi level,’ and everything accordingly shrank in size, as did the upper limit of lifespans."