The Creation of the Heavens and All Realms

Chapter 6: Against His Will

“Young Master, Zhang Kai is nothing more than a captain at the Post-Heaven Realm. Relying on Liu Yuntao’s influence, he actually dared to speak to you like that. Should we—” A sinister-looking middle-aged man standing beside Huang Jue made a slashing motion across his throat as he suggested. Huang Jue was tempted by the suggestion, but ultimately shook his head. “Forget it. He’s just a lackey of Liu Yuntao. Getting into a spat with such a minor figure would only lower my standing. Besides, even if we took him out, it wouldn’t affect the bigger picture. If we’re going to act, we need to go after Liu Yuntao.” The sinister-looking middle-aged man replied, “Taking down Liu Yuntao won’t be easy. Not to mention that he’s a high-ranking military official in the Great State of Yu, commanding an army of 200,000—but even setting that aside, with his late-stage Innate cultivation, no one in the Huang family can match him, except for the Tai Shang Elder.” “Liu Yuntao is powerful, but compared to our Four Great Families, he’s nothing to speak of,” Huang Jue said haughtily. “Our Four Great Families have been operating in the City of Tears and Blood for over a hundred years—how could an outsider like Liu Yuntao possibly compare to our strength? If Liu Yuntao had just kept a low profile, that would have been one thing, but he insists on reclaiming control of the City of Tears and Blood for the royal family. That’s nothing short of courting his own demise.” “Young Master, are you saying the Royal House is behind this?” the middle-aged man asked in shock. Huang Jue snorted coldly. “Without the Royal Family’s intervention, Liu Yuntao would never have made it to the City of Tears and Blood alive. The Royal Family has been trying to reclaim the City of Tears and Blood for quite some time now, but we Four Great Families aren’t pushovers either.” “Young Master, are you saying the Royal Family sent Liu Yutao to the City of Tears and Blood with ulterior motives?” the middle-aged man exclaimed. Huang Jue let out two cold laughs: “That’s already an open secret.” “Then why are the young masters of the Four Great Families still joining the Northwest Legion? Isn’t that just handing themselves over to Liu Yuntao?” the middle-aged man asked, puzzled. “The Four Great Clans are trying to sideline Liu Yuntao,” said Huang Lin, who had remained silent until then. “Huang Meng, in terms of strength, you’re stronger than Huang Mu, but when it comes to wisdom, you’re far behind him,” Huang Jue said with a smile, acknowledging Huang Lin’s speculation. The middle-aged man, Huang Meng, gave an awkward laugh. “You’re right, Young Master…” “All right, I don’t mean to blame you. You and Huang Lin—one scholarly, one martial—are both my right-hand men,” Huang Jue said. “Whether within the clan or in the Northwest Legion, you are my most important allies. If I reap any benefits, I won’t forget about you. With your natural aptitude, reaching the Innate Realm is absolutely within your reach. In a little while, I’ll ask Father to see if he can pass down the *Azure Dragon Transforming Wood Technique* to you.” “We thank Young Master for your great kindness!” Huang Meng and Huang Lin exchanged a glance and simultaneously knelt before Huang Jue. The *Azure Dragon Transforming into Wood Technique* was one of the Huang clan’s most powerful cultivation techniques, accessible only to the clan’s innermost circle. Even within the entire Great State of Yu, it ranked among the very best. It was through this technique that the Huang clan had risen to prominence in the past, becoming a formidable martial arts clan. “There’s no need to say such things,” Huang Jue said, waving his hand. “As long as you serve me wholeheartedly, I will never treat you unfairly. Huang Lin, how is the plan to take control of the Broken Blade Army progressing?” Huang Lin replied, “Rest assured, Young Master. The entire Broken Blade Army is firmly under our control.” Huang Jue nodded. “Simply having control isn’t enough. What I want is the Breaker’s Edge Army’s absolute obedience. The clan paid a tremendous price to secure my position as commander of the Breaker’s Edge Army; we must maintain firm control over this force.” “I understand, Young Master. I will make the necessary arrangements as soon as possible to ensure the Broken Blade Army becomes a powerful weapon in your hands,” Huang Lin said. “I have every confidence in you, but this matter concerns whether I can become the family head, so you must be exceptionally careful. Throughout the entire Broken Blade Army, only my voice must be heard!” Huang Jue admonished. “Young Master, what should we do about Zhou Shi of the Blood Battle Legion?” Huang Meng asked. Huang Jue replied casually, “He’s just a minor figure. Ignore him.” “But what if Liu Yuntao finds out the truth about the Blood Battle Legion’s ambush from him…” Huang Meng hesitated. “Should we kill him first?” “There’s no need for that,” Huang Lin said, seeing that Huang Jue couldn’t be bothered to explain to Huang Meng. “Zhou Shi is just a squad leader in the Blood Battle Legion. He has no connections and knows very little. If we take action against him, it’ll only give Liu Yuntao ammunition.” Back at the barracks, Zhou Tianci wasted no time and immediately began his cultivation practice. Zhou Tianci sensed that his current situation was far from safe. Although he had passed Liu Yuntao’s test, the crisis was far from over. “The downfall of the Blood Battle Legion is definitely not that simple; it’s very likely the result of a power struggle between Liu Yuntao and the local clans of the City of Tears and Blood.” Zhou Tianci deduced from the limited information available; his experience from his previous life told him that he was likely to be swept into a massive vortex. “No matter what conspiracy lies behind this, my immediate priority is to improve my cultivation.” Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Zhou Tianci focused his entire being on cultivating the *Blood Battle Art*. He calmed his mind and cleared his spiritual consciousness, gradually losing all perception of the outside world as his spiritual senses sank deep into his body. Though his body appeared motionless, it was in fact vibrating constantly—from skin to flesh, from tendons to bones—as vital energy surged from the inside out, purifying his physical form. Under Zhou Tianci’s guidance, pale-red spiritual energy circulated at high speed. While ordinary Post-Heaven cultivators, unable to precisely perceive their meridians and acupoints during cultivation, caused the vast majority of their spiritual energy to dissipate and go to waste, Zhou Tianci was different. He possessed the ability of inner vision, allowing him to precisely “see” his meridians and acupoints. Driven by his powerful mental focus, all the spiritual energy flowed methodically through his meridians and acupoints, yielding cultivation results dozens of times greater than those of other Post-Heaven powerhouses! As the spiritual energy circulated within his body, a small vortex of spiritual energy formed, centered on Zhou Tianci. Vast amounts of spiritual energy entered through his Tianling acupoint and circulated within his body along the pathways outlined in the *Blood Battle Art*. After a moment, Zhou Tianci felt a sensation of fullness. “Boom… Boom… Boom…” Zhou Tianci absorbed the spiritual energy with all his might, simultaneously sensing a thunderous rumbling within his body. His heart leapt with joy—this was precisely the harbinger of his breakthrough to the Marrow Refining Realm. “Shaking the bones, refining the marrow like mercury, transforming the spine into a dragon…” Zhou Tianci’s expression remained calm as he broke through in one go to the Marrow Refining Realm of the Late Post-Heaven stage. “Phew!” After the breakthrough, Zhou Tianci exhaled deeply, only to see the table three meters away suddenly shatter and scatter across the floor. “Late Post-Heaven Realm—breathing out an arrow, wielding 5,000 jin of strength in a single arm. Truly terrifying.” Zhou Tianci looked at the shattered table, his expression a mix of astonishment and delight. He felt that only such power was worthy of being called a cultivator. “If the Post-Heaven realm is already like this, what kind of power does the Pre-Heaven realm possess?” Thinking of Liu Yuntao’s aura, which was as vast as the ocean, Zhou Tianci’s heart was filled with longing for the Pre-Heaven realm. News of the Blood Battle Legion’s annihilation spread throughout the City of Tears and Blood, causing a sensation. Among the 200,000 troops stationed in the City of Tears and Blood, the Blood Battle Legion wasn’t the strongest, but it was undoubtedly the most renowned. In fact, the Blood Battle Legion had been stationed there even before the City of Tears and Blood was founded. Over its three-hundred-year history, the legion had engaged in countless battles with the steppe cavalry, earning the respect of everyone in the City of Tears and Blood through its iron-willed and blood-soaked fighting style. It could be said that the Blood Battle Legion was the very banner of the City of Tears and Blood, and now that this banner had been torn to shreds by the Golden Wolf Empire, it had deeply shaken the hearts of the people of the City of Tears and Blood. “I never imagined that the Blood Battle Legion, with its glorious history spanning over three hundred years, would be completely wiped out. Back in the day, they used to send the Golden Wolf Empire fleeing in terror,” many people were discussing in a teahouse in the City of Tears and Blood. “The Blood Battle Legion today is nowhere near what it was fifty years ago. Back then, it was arguably the most elite unit in the Northwest Legion—it had five Innate-level experts alone, and their commander was a super-powerful late-stage Innate. Now, the only Innate-level expert in the Blood Battle Legion is their commander, Mo Yunjie, who’s only at the early stage. Their strength has fallen far short…” “I heard the Blood Battle Legion’s decline was the result of suppression by the Four Great Clans…” someone murmured. “I’ve heard that too. The Blood Battle Legion has always been at odds with the Four Great Families. Once the Four Great Families rose to power, they began relentlessly suppressing the Blood Battle Legion.” “What a pity—such a formidable and battle-hardened army has simply vanished like this,” an elderly man sighed. “Not necessarily. I’ve heard that the Blood Battle Legion wasn’t completely wiped out—there’s still one survivor who returned to the City of Tears and Blood,” a young man said, showing off his knowledge. “Is that so? If that’s true, I suppose General Liu will rebuild the Blood Battle Legion, won’t he?” News of the Blood Battle Legion’s ambush had reached the barracks, and when Zhou Tianci went to eat at noon, many soldiers pointed and whispered about him. “I heard he’s the Blood Battle Legion’s sole survivor…” “Even General Mo, who was at the Innate Realm, fell in battle, yet this man managed to escape unscathed. I’d bet he’s a deserter…” “He could also be a spy—maybe the Golden Wolf Empire let him go on purpose…” Zhou Tianci listened to the surrounding whispers, his expression unchanged. He wasn’t originally from this world; he had no ties here. Even after returning to the barracks, he didn’t consider himself a member of the Great State of Yu’s army. What did other people’s gossip have to do with him? Zhou Tianci simply collected his lunch. It must be said that the army’s meals were quite lavish. According to the Northwest Legion’s rations standards, as a squad leader, Zhou Tianci’s lunch consisted of half a jin of rice and two jin of meat. An ordinary person would certainly be unable to finish such a substantial meal, but for a cultivator, it was no problem at all. Carrying his lunch, Zhou Tianci walked back as if no one else were there. Although he didn’t care about the pointing and whispering around him, he didn’t want to be treated like a circus attraction either. “You kid from the Blood Battle Legion, stop right there!”