Shocking the Nine Heavens With My Sword
Chapter 343 - 331 The Army Sets Out (2/3)

Chapter 343: Chapter 331 The Army Sets Out (2/3)

"Brother Zhou, I have a rather personal matter to discuss, may I speak with you privately?" Sang Qingshan glanced at the Ice Phoenix Lady, his expression making it clear that this was not meant for a third party to hear.

The Ice Phoenix Lady snorted and said, "Sang Qingshan, if you want me to leave, just say it directly, don’t beat around the bush!" She looked toward Zhou Heng, her expression softened, and added, "Brother Zhou, I’ll take my leave now and visit another day!"

"Please!" Zhou Heng bowed slightly, not intending to keep her.

Although the Ice Phoenix Lady’s attitude had dramatically changed, in Zhou Heng’s heart, Sang Qingshan still carried more weight, given his consistently friendly attitude toward him. Reciprocating kindness with kindness, Zhou Heng naturally valued Sang Qingshan more.

The Ice Phoenix Lady was somewhat resentful, but thinking that there would be more time in the future, she smiled broadly, waved at Zhou Heng, and then left without paying any attention to Sang Qingshan.

She had an advantage over Sang Qingshan—she was a woman! And not just any woman, but a peerless beauty!

The affairs between men and women cannot be measured by reason; today they might be mortal enemies, and tomorrow they might be cohabitating like joyful yet bitter foes!

Tsk tsk tsk, what was she even thinking about!

...

"Brother Zhou, on behalf of my family, I would like to extend an invitation for Brother Zhou to become a Guest Elder of the Han Family!" After the Ice Phoenix Lady had left, Sang Qingshan got straight to the point.

"Guest Elder?"

"Yes, the highest level of Heavenly Level Guest Elder!" Sang Qingshan said solemnly, "As a Heavenly Level Guest Elder, you have the same authority as the Nascent Soul Realm Old Ancestors of the Han Family, but you are not bound by the Han Family’s rules, similar to an allied relationship. You can also freely access up to one-tenth of the Han Family’s resources and manpower!"

Only then did Zhou Heng show some interest; this Guest Elder position was no mere title!

The Sang Family had been a top-tier family for tens of thousands of years; how immense was their foundation? Having the authority to mobilize one-tenth of the resources and manpower was indeed significant!

It also showed the sincerity of the Sang Family!

Zhou Heng smiled and said, "Brother Sang, I haven’t even reached the Nascent Soul Realm; I’m afraid I’m not worthy of such generous intentions!"

"Brother Zhou, you are too humble!" Sang Qingshan shook his head, "Looking around the world today, aside from Brother Zhou, who else has slain a Divine Infant Realm Heavenly Monarch? If Brother Zhou doesn’t qualify, who does?"

"Moreover, Brother Zhou’s future prospects will certainly not be limited to the Nascent Soul Realm. The Divine Infant Realm, even the Divinity Transformation Realm are within reach! Being able to ally with Brother Zhou, having Brother Zhou as a Guest Elder for the Han Family, is our fortune!"

Zhou Heng couldn’t help but laugh loudly and said, "Brother Sang, since you’ve put it that way, I’m too embarrassed even to refuse!"

"Then don’t refuse, just nod in agreement!" Sang Qingshan swung his right hand, and suddenly there was an additional token in his hand, jet-black, with "Sang" carved on one side and "Heaven" on the other.

He handed the token to Zhou Heng and said, "This is the identity token of the Guest Elder of the Han Family. Just infuse your Divine Sense into it, and it will display a map of the nearby Sang Family’s power distribution, allowing you to mobilize personnel and resources!"

Zhou Heng took the token; it wasn’t that he was greedy for the Sang Family’s benefits, but he accepted it out of respect for Sang Qingshan’s face.

"Thank you, Brother Zhou!" Sang Qingshan beamed with a big smile, knowing Zhou Heng’s thoughts. After this topic ended, he immediately showed a sly grin, slinging an arm around Zhou Heng’s shoulder and said, "Brother Zhou, was that Ice Phoenix possibly smitten just now?"

"Since when did you become such a gossip?" Zhou Heng glared at him annoyed.

"Dodging the question, surely there’s a scandal!" Sang Qingshan burst into laughter, "Brother Zhou, that Ice Lotus Flower isn’t easy to pluck! Zhao Anyuan from the Eastern Ridge Zhao Family has long harbored ambitions for Junior Sister Xing. If he were to find out, he’d probably come looking for trouble with Brother Zhou!"

"Zhao Family?"

"The Zhao Family is also one of the thirteen great families of the Heavenly Dragon Empire; Zhao Anyuan is the most outstanding talent of the Zhao Family’s younger generation, having advanced to the Nascent Soul Realm over a decade ago. Junior Sister Xing has always been aloof, so Zhao Anyuan has publicly declared that nobody is to pursue Junior Sister Xing, or they would be his enemy!"

"If Junior Sister Xing truly has eyes for you, Zhao Anyuan definitely won’t sit back and do nothing!"

Everyone was wise; although Zhou Heng had the achievement of slaying the Blood-Soaked Heavenly Monarch before, that was ultimately with external help. Zhou Heng himself was only at the Spirit Sea Realm; facing a real Nascent Soul Realm, he might not even get the chance to strike before being outright suppressed!

At the time of battling the Blood-Soaked Heavenly Monarch, he had made thorough preparations, but if it were a sudden attack, could he remain composed?

The threat of the Nascent Soul Realm should absolutely not be underestimated!

Zhou Heng knew what Sang Qingshan was thinking; half of it was indeed a warning, and the other half was to distance him from the Ice Phoenix Lady. After all, a peerless beauty who was destined to become a Nascent Soul Realm Old Ancestor—what man could resist if she pursued him?

Even the strongest friendship or the tightest bond, could it withstand the whispers by the pillow?

Zhou Heng smiled faintly, although he had no intention of pursuing the Ice Phoenix Lady, he was also not afraid of Zhao Anyuan!

If it’s a battle you want, then a battle it shall be!

By now, he had forged his Divine Sense, and although there was still a great distance to the Nascent Soul Realm, escaping to ensure his own safety was not an issue at all.

After catching up with Sang Qingshan for a while, the latter took his leave.

Zhou Heng’s seat had barely warmed when he was summoned by Huo Tian. The Queen Lord had finally received news of the joint invasion by two great Imperial Dynasties.

"Zhou Heng, this palace appoints you as the Heavenly Commanding General, to lead the army and repel our enemies!" Huo Tian declared from her throne, her voice slightly lazy yet magnetic, compelling one to willingly obey her will.

"On what grounds?" Zhou Heng walked up to the throne and squeezed in, given that the seat was large enough, sitting two people still seemed rather spacious.

Huo Tian quickly scooted aside, not wanting Zhou Heng to touch her. Her phoenix eyes darted, carrying a mighty aura that swept across, one that would make even a Divinity Transformation Realm Heavenly Venerate bow down.

But Zhou Heng, possessing the Black Sword, became the only one who could counter her aura, thus he cared little for her haughty pride.

"Nonsense!" Huo Tian cursed under her breath, but when she lifted her beautiful face, it was with a pitiable plea, "Master Zhou, this palace is begging you, will you help me please?"

Looking at her beautiful, flower-like face, Zhou Heng’s heart stirred, the allure of this Peerless Heavenly Maiden was incomparable to that of the Ice Phoenix Lady, causing his heart to beat wildly, almost uncontrollably.

He had originally planned to go to battle anyway, since the spark of this conflict was on him, and he also wanted to know who had framed him—Huo Tian asking or not, he would have taken this journey!

After extorting some benefits from Huo Tian, like dressing in several splendid garments for his viewing pleasure and waiting on him hand and foot, Zhou Heng reluctantly accepted the task. Three days later, with the army prepared, he would lead them to war.

He had no knowledge of military strategy, but fortunately, his position as Great General was merely nominal. Come time, he just needed to charge into battle.

Huo Tian exercised her Empress’s power to summon the great armies of the land, and with the full support of Sang Qingshan and the Ice Phoenix Lady, the two powerful families exerted their strength; both the gathering of troops and the preparation of supplies were carried out with extreme speed.

Three days later, the grand army set off, and Zhou Heng, following orders, led over ten million soldiers to advance first, while another twenty million grand army would march directly to Heavenly Gate Mountain to rendezvous with them.

Heavenly Gate Mountain, guarding the pass of the human Empire. If this critical pass were breached, the alien races’ army would march straight through, conquering expansively. Leading the army into this campaign, not only An Yumei and other women joined, but also Ice Phoenix Lady, Sang Qingshan, Yang Zhan, and several other Martial Pavilion disciples participated.

For many young martial prodigies in the Martial Path, this was a golden opportunity for growth.

Zhou Heng then activated the super Void Ship. Not only was it a Flying Artifact, but it was also equipped with eighteen Spirit Light Cannons. Under continual bombardment, even a Nascent Soul Realm Old Ancestor would have no choice but to flee upon hearing it!

Huo Tian was also brought onto the Void Ship by Zhou Heng. Originally, she intended to remain in the Imperial Capital, but Zhou Heng knew that the attention of the two great Imperial Dynasties was solely on him, and he did not know how many Nascent Soul or Divine Infant Realm Old Ancestors might suddenly emerge, thus he naturally had to prepare this secret weapon!

The Void Ship, being immensely large, naturally could not be sped up too much, but because it could ignore terrain, it was still faster than the movement of the army. In just half a month, this ship had arrived a hundred miles away from Heavenly Gate Mountain, commanding the world like a behemoth!

With the end of the Ancient Era and the decline of the Martial Path, the art of artifact creation also fell. The Point Star Sect was now the top Magic Artifact manufacturing sect within the human Empire, yet even they could not create such a colossal Void Ship!

This was a great weapon of mass destruction and deterrence!

The Blood-Soaked Heavenly Monarch had initially hoped to use this to revitalise the notorious reputation of the Poisonous Blood Sect, but unfortunately, the campaign started off on the wrong foot, inadvertently becoming a wedding dress for Zhou Heng.

Five days later, the first batch of the human Empire’s thirty million-strong army was fully assembled, while the combined forces of the Heavenly Demon and Night Demon Imperial Dynasties also pressed close to Heavenly Gate Mountain, less than ten thousand miles away, bound to arrive within a day’s march.

Zhou Heng was self-aware enough to relinquish all command of the army to the deputy commander, while he himself practiced the Sky-soaring Nine Forms with his Divine Sense in his room, fostering his Divine Sense, in hopes of breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm sooner.

As a new day’s sun rose, the alien Imperial Dynasties’ ten million strong troops also camped at the foot of Heavenly Gate Mountain, a view stretching far across, densely packed with heads. Unlike the uniform composition of the human Empire, these two Imperial Dynasties were a diverse conglomerate of races, with all sorts of peculiar beings visible.

Such as sheep-headed people, Tauren, and horse-faced people—if these beings went to a human city, just their fearsome appearances alone could terrify a large group of people!

"I am Yingshan Muzhi, the Temporary Commander of the combined forces of the Heavenly Demon and Night Demon Imperial Dynasties. Humans, who here has the authority to speak, come forth and speak to me!" an alien stood vacantly in mid-air, although he had two wings on his back, they were not spread, just floating there.

Nascent Soul Realm! Perhaps even Divine Infant Realm!

This time the two Imperial Dynasties were genuinely committed. In previous wars, even Martial Artists of the Heaven-Opening Realm were rarely seen, but this time they directly deployed a Half-Step Immortal, showing their determination and resolve to win!

Zhou Heng also rose into the air, having forged his Divine Sense, he had formed a mystic connection with the cosmos, granting him abilities difficult for ordinary people to comprehend. He smiled slightly and said, "I don’t speak with extras. Send someone official over!" (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote and support on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)