Shengfeng’s leap, though brief, marked a profound shift in the essence of life. The common energies between heaven and earth, like the lingering resonance of a snapped lute string, slowly dissipated, a moment of poignant regret.

Wei Guangyao, leading his troops in a swift charge, suddenly felt a chill. He looked up, and the night sky over the Minxi Corridor had returned to winter. Under the moonlight and starlight, snow fell in abundance. It was strange, for just a few days ago they had celebrated the New Year, a time when all things should be stirring to life. The falling snow, of course, melted before it reached the Soldier Qi of his army, but a frosty chill had settled deep within his heart.

He hadn’t witnessed Touching Mercy’s demise. By the time he, with his well-prepared army, formed their formation and unleashed their Soldier Qi, he saw only the corpses of strange beasts, the shattered fragments of puppets, and Shengfeng, silently extinguished in mid-air. His gaze swept the ground and then he saw Touching Mercy, forever still.

From receiving the command flag to swiftly organizing his troops and rushing here with their Soldier Qi, he had moved with all possible speed. But the man who was meant to swiftly kill Jiang Wang had instead been swiftly killed by Jiang Wang. The war dead were not nameless nobodies; this was Great Xia’s Touching Mercy! Yet he had died silently, without a sound.

Shengfeng of the South Dipper Hall had made a grander display. That terrifying killing aura was unlike any eruption at his level, almost shattering the limits of Wei Guangyao’s imagination, and in doing so, it only highlighted the terrifying power of Jiang Wang’s sword. He had never seen Jiang Wang before, only heard his name. After this one glance, he would never be able to forget. He could alter heavenly phenomena, change the four seasons; with a single sword, he summoned the depths of winter! What kind of sword was this? How could it not chill one’s very bones!

Touching Mercy was dead, Shengfeng was dead. What was left for the Xia side? There was still Lord Zhou Xiong… and the grand army… And in this place, Ega West, there was still I, Wei Guangyao, and the fifty thousand strong army of Great Xia!

The one-armed Wei Guangyao roared in fury, “Avenge General Touching!”

He was not Tai Yin, who could effortlessly command an army of ten thousand. While he led twenty thousand troops, those who formed the Soldier Qi formation with him numbered only seven thousand. The remaining thirteen thousand were divided into two contingents of seven and six thousand, closely following behind, ready to replenish the formation at any time, allowing him to expend soldiers without restraint or concern for their stamina.

Gu Yong and Xu Can, on the other hand, divided their ten thousand troops into two formations of five thousand each. Similarly, one part formed the Soldier Qi formation, while the other served as replenishment.

The remaining ten thousand strong army, following Touching Mercy’s final command, had already begun setting up crossbows and defenses on the surrounding mountains as the Nine Sons Ring Mountain Formation was activated. This was originally intended to completely seal off the Qi army’s retreat and utterly annihilate this branch of Qi forces.

Those capable of easily controlling an army formation were rare talents. It wasn’t that Touching Mercy and the others were foolish and didn’t know how to utilize their military advantage; it was simply due to their limited abilities. What they had done was already the maximum extent to which they could employ the grand army.

The sole Divine Arrival cultivator, Zhou Xiong, was a disciple of the orthodox Confucian school and also cultivated remarkable Legalist secret techniques. However, in the Way of the Soldier, he was only average, insufficient to integrate a fifty thousand strong army. He had always been stationed in Chang Luo Prefecture, rarely participating in warfare, and thus only had a small contingent of elite soldiers under his command, which he hadn’t brought with him this time. It was precisely because of these practical limitations that they had formulated the steady strategy of “first behead the enemy general, then break the enemy army.” Combining the intelligence of both sides, this plan should have been foolproof. Unfortunately, things went awry from the very first step!

Jiang Qingyang evaded Zhou Xiong, killed Touching Mercy, severed Shengfeng, and carved out a path to survival. This left Wei Guangyao filled with both hatred and apprehension.

In the swirling snow, Shengfeng’s silently extinguished body fell. Red-eyed Xia army soldiers charged forward, three clouds of Soldier Qi, one like a tiger, one like a spear, and one like a blade’s edge…

Jiang Wang did not look. He did not indulge in the feeling of power but instead, for the first time, stepped into the void and turned, rushing towards Yan Po and Zhou Xiong’s battlefield! On the entire Mianxi battlefield, the Xia army still held the advantage in numbers and large formations. However, with Yan Po holding Zhou Xiong and the successive deaths of Touching Mercy and Shengfeng, the Qi army now held the advantage in high-level combat power. It could be said that this advantage was one Jiang Wang had carved out with a single long sword. Although he didn’t understand military strategy, he understood how to win a fight. If he could help General Yan swiftly defeat Zhou Xiong, then with two free combatants far surpassing the enemy generals, cooperating with Chong Xuan Sheng to break the Xia army would be as easy as snapping one’s fingers!

His choice to initially let Chong Xuan Sheng lead the army alone to face the enemy was, of course, born of a certain trust. And Chong Xuan Sheng had not disappointed him. The over thirty thousand strong Qi army was like a flower blooming in the frosty sky, layering out with exquisite depth. In terms of troop deployment, he and the Xia army generals before him were simply not on the same level! The only one who could compete with him, Touching Mercy, had already perished under Jiang Wang’s sword due to a single misstep.

Xue Ru Shi led the eight thousand of the New Rong Camp, forming a Soldier Qi formation, directly colliding with Gu Yong’s contingent. Fourteen, with the cooperation of Qing Zhuan and others, commanded the Zhen Wu Camp against Xu Can’s contingent. The strength of these two camps was inferior to their opponents, and they still had to contend with the pressure of the Nine Sons Ring Mountain Formation. However, their morale was incredibly high! Having once served the Xia army, and now the Qi, even though they had betrayed their former allegiances, they were even more eager to prove they had made the right choice! Otherwise, their hearts would find no peace. Chong Xuan Sheng’s leadership had brought them continuous victories, but Jiang Wang’s recent magnificent sword strike had left them with the impression of invincibility. At this moment, they advanced through the snow with an unstoppable self-awareness.

And Chong Xuan Sheng himself integrated the ten thousand strong allied army from various Eastern Domain countries, charging directly towards Wei Guangyao’s contingent! He even had the presence of mind to command the most elite De Sheng Camp to rush towards the distant mountain shadows – swiftly destroying the enemy’s large formation and seizing the high ground was also a crucial part of this battle. Cautious as he was, he still kept a reserve camp of several thousand, ready to respond to the complex changes on the battlefield at any time – although in his view, there wouldn’t be many major changes! Although the Qi army was numerically inferior, their momentum had already won.

As the Qi and Xia armies finally engaged in battle, Jiang Wang’s sword also approached Zhou Xiong. Once, in the Mountain Sea Realm, he had experience of slaying a Divine Arrival cultivator. Today, his sword had severed Shengfeng, repaying an old debt, his intent completely unhindered. His heart, his momentum, his intent, were all in an unprecedentedly grand state. He had no reason to restrain this sword!

So in this frosty night, a figure in blue robes stepped through the flying snow, and with a single vertical strike, his sword was like a collapsing mountain! His very first move was the pinnacle of sword momentum, the absolute peak of sword intent. Even a Divine Arrival Realm cultivator with a golden body and jade marrow like Zhou Xiong could not ignore such a sword.

In the midst of his fierce clash with Yan Po, Zhou Xiong flicked his large sleeve, his literary spirit surging like silver snakes, intertwining and casting, forming a silver snow plate snake literary seal. This seal was inscribed with four characters: “Feng Guo” on the left and “Ding Fa” on the right. With a lift of his hand, the command seal fell, and he intoned, “Kinship is not distinguished, noble and lowly do not differ, all shall be broken by the law!”

His spiritual awareness domain expanded, encompassing Yan Po, Jiang Wang, and indeed, all within its reach. With Confucian techniques ordering the law, its uses were truly infinite. Flight was imprisoned, movement was imprisoned, drawing a sword was imprisoned. Even the flow of Dao Yuan – everything, everything, had to obey the order of this unified rule. Anyone within this square spiritual domain had to receive equal suppression. Because Zhou Xiong himself was exempt from this rule, it made the rule even more powerful. Treating all equally, in a sense, was also unfair to the weaker. Under the suppression of this equal rule, the gap between strong and weak was widened.

This technique could maximize the elimination of Jiang Wang’s influence, especially at the moment when Zhou Xiong was already injured – in this life-and-death struggle, he and Yan Po had both sustained considerable injuries. The two Divine Arrival cultivators, both with golden bodies and jade marrow, had been breached more than once. For Zhou Xiong, who was only average in leading troops, being able to single-handedly hold off the Soldier School cultivator Yan Po on the battlefield was undoubtedly a huge gain. So he would not hesitate to fight to the death with Yan Po. But the opportunity he had fought for… was seized by Jiang Wang!

In the situation where he was entangled with Yan Po, if only Shengfeng and Touching Mercy had been a little more confident, if only these two could have held out for a few more rounds, this ambush battle would still have been trending towards victory. But the fight on Jiang Wang’s side ended too quickly! After Jiang Wang successively severed two heavenly talents, Chong Xuan Sheng again displayed outstanding troop leadership abilities, and the balance of the battle had already begun to tilt. The Xia side still held the advantage in numbers and the suppression of the Nine Sons Ring Mountain Formation, but the Qi army’s momentum was like a rainbow, and those surrendered soldiers and generals were not as expected, defecting again with a simple call to arms from the Xia side. Instead, with the surrendered generals led by Xue Ru Shi, they fought with a desperate momentum. Seeing the Qi army interweaving back and forth, that kind of flowing and beautiful battle formation, Zhou Xiong’s confidence in Wei Guangyao and the others was already not that sufficient.

Just as Jiang Wang viewed him as a new breakthrough point at this moment, he also realized that perhaps he himself was the only opportunity! If he could kill Jiang Wang, he could strike down the Qi army’s soaring morale. If he could kill Yan Po, no one on this battlefield could stop him. Even if he himself sacrificed his life for this… it would still return the battlefield to a battle of armies.

So when Jiang Wang’s sword poured down, he was no longer just fighting for life and death, but with his golden body and jade marrow, he was prepared for death! When a person is desperate, they will go to death with courage. At this moment, he was not desperate, thus he needed even more courage.

The most fundamental gap between Divine Arrival and cultivators below Divine Arrival was, of course, the leap in life essence and the alteration of lifespan. The most intuitive manifestation was in the golden body and jade marrow and the spiritual awareness – the golden body and jade marrow were the qualitative change of the mortal body, and spiritual awareness was the leap in the power of the divine soul. This is why it is called “Heaven and Human Separation!” For Divine Arrival Realm cultivators, within the range of their spiritual awareness, non-Divine Arrival cultivators had almost no secrets. And within the “domain” constructed by spiritual awareness, Divine Arrival Realm cultivators were like true gods descending upon the world! The so-called spiritual awareness domain, for cultivators, in some sense, was almost equivalent to the divine country of deities. Yue Tian Nu’s display of a pure land in the Mountain Sea Realm was just one manifestation of this.

At this moment, Zhou Xiong’s spiritual awareness domain spread open. Within a thirty-zhang radius, it was completely covered by his will. Within this domain, only his rules could take effect, only his orders could be conveyed. Jiang Wang was instantly immobilized! The snow falling from the sky could not enter this thirty-zhang spiritual domain. The sword that poured down from the mountain, its fierce momentum, first slowed by three points. At the same time, his fingers were like swords, pointing remotely at a “Gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall!” Then the power of his spiritual domain surged, like clouds clearing in the sky, forming a dignified black tiger head clamp! The clamp’s mouth was wide open, sharp and fierce, bringing with it the unavoidable power of the law. This was punishment for a high official! Even if you have outstanding talent, even if your power is overwhelming, you are not innocent before this measure, and all civil and military officials will die!

“Gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall,” was the rule Zhou Xiong set down in his spiritual domain at this moment. This tiger head clamp was a super-grade yellow rank Dao technique from the Legalist school. When there are dangerous walls everywhere, where should a gentleman stand? He should stand nowhere! Jiang Wang could not go forward, could not retreat, for a time he had no place to turn, only staring and waiting for the tiger head clamp to fall!

Speaking of Jiang Wang, he had both Dragon Tiger and Flame Flower Burning City, their grades were not inferior to this tiger head clamp, but the power they displayed was completely incomparable. To fully understand it, one must exhaust the changes of Dao techniques. Only with the leap in life essence can Dao techniques truly transcend the four grades and twelve products. Zhou Xiong mobilized almost half of his spiritual domain’s power to suppress Jiang Wang, and then bombarded him with a super-grade Dao technique, which of course affected his fight with Yan Po. At the moment he unleashed the “Gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall” rule on Jiang Wang, he was just plundered by Yan Po’s knife, almost severing his arm. But when he transferred the tiger head clamp to sever Jiang Wang – Yan Po had to also unleash his own spiritual domain, remotely helping Jiang Wang break free – this was precisely what Zhou Xiong wanted!

Saving people was definitely harder than killing people. As wills clashed, spiritual domains mutually invaded. The two, who were originally evenly matched, suddenly seemed to have a clear disparity. Jiang Wang thus gained his freedom, but Yan Po suffered a wolf-like blow, and his Divine Soul Sea was momentarily shaken!

Zhou Xiong’s fighting intent was very clear. He wanted to turn Jiang Wang, who was participating in a Divine Arrival battle, into Yan Po’s burden! You, Yan Po, are from a small country in the Eastern Domain, do you dare to sit back and watch the Qi country’s heavenly talent die? Are you not afraid of being held accountable after the battle?

Which Divine Arrival cultivator was simple? Starting from their respective identities, he immediately forced out such a flawless flaw.

But at this moment, Jiang Wang suddenly spoke – “General Yan, you don’t need to worry about me. On the battlefield, life and death are determined by fate, I am well aware!” Although he wasn’t a fanatic like Dou Zhao, nor a perfectionist like Chong Xuan Zun, his original heart was still that proud. How could he allow himself to become a burden? So as soon as Zhou Xiong’s fighting intent was revealed, he immediately spoke. With this sentence, Yan Po could fight without restraint. No matter the outcome of this battle, it would not be blamed on Yan Po.

At this moment, a brilliant fire realm unfolded outside his body, this realm temporarily resisting Zhou Xiong’s spiritual domain. Within the fire realm, Flame Flower Burning City descended again! The tiger head steel clamp opened the fire realm, steel cracked against the Flame Flower praising the city, yet was held by a single long sword. The great momentum of the Human Way rolled in, the people of the world, could not be killed to exhaustion! The character “Human” on the sword held the tiger head clamp!

Within the crumbling fragments of Legalist dignity, Jiang Wang faced Zhou Xiong directly, his sword level with his eyebrows! Thus, the ten thousand sword silks had already turned into snow, cutting out Frost Snow Bright! He had just escaped danger, only to step into danger again. He was fearless, only laughing aloud: “General Yan, why don’t we bet two altars of Deer Ming wine? Let’s see who kills this person first, you or I!”

The fine wine of Deer Frost County in Qi country was world-renowned. Especially the “Seek Forest” series, which was popular in Lin Zi and naturally sought after by various countries in the Eastern Domain. Among the absolute finest, named Deer Ming, less than ten altars were produced annually. Yan Da Shao most often drank this.

At this moment, a thousand silks and ten thousand threads were sword qi, clashing back and forth against the spiritual awareness. This young man’s laughter was confident and unrestrained, penetrating the scattered snow outside the spiritual domain, like singing under the moon.

Yan Po couldn’t help but sigh in his heart. To speak of life and death with a laugh, to bet one’s life. The situation of Divine Arrival, understood like this. What heroic spirit! No wonder Lin Jie couldn’t stop praising Jiang Wang after returning from Star Moon Plain. If all the heavenly talents of the Qi country were like this, how could their hegemonic enterprise not continue for more than a millennium?! At this moment, he truly no longer needed to worry about Jiang Wang. Facing a single knife, he then descended upon Zhou Xiong!

“Then I shall bet with you! Let’s see if this old one’s knife is rusty or not!”