Chapter 335: The Young and Old Divine Thieves
Translator: Ninetales Editor: DarkGem
Cripple and Qin Mu walked out of Qingmen Pass, and many generals in the pass frowned. Bian Zhenyun immediately consulted Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor who said while shaking his head, "There's no need to help them. With that cripple around, no one will be able to kill Cult Master Qin."
"Cripple?" Everyone looked at Cripple only to see this old man having all four limbs and walking quickly. How was he crippled?
"His heart is crippled." Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor's face was slightly unpleasant. "His morality and conduct are crippled, his body improper, and his shadow lame, with deformed intentions. Forget about him. Shan Youxin, how many Heaven's Rings has Ministry of Works and Imperial College forged?"
"Fourteen thousand."Shan Youxin said. "They are already installed on the True Origin Cannons. Just one more day, and we can finish making the remaining few thousand. When that time comes, we will be able to attack the enemy encampment."
Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor looked at the impregnable pass in front of them and said indifferently, "There's no need for one more day. Pass down orders to all the troops for them to get ready at once, form a formation with the flying ships, and we shall push forward! General Bian, Grand Marshall, General who Supports the State, General of White Horse, Pillars of State, Duke Wei, General of Pillars of States, General who Crowns the Army, General of Cherishing Transformation!"
He pointed out the names one by one, and numerous generals of Eternal Peace Empire walked out of the ranks to wait for their orders.
After being through the rebellion of the previous crown prince Ling Yuxia, the officials under him were all cleared out, but Eternal Peace Empire was a place of talents after all. The emperor selected numerous lower officials for promotion, so there was no case of a temporary deficit in manpower.
"Mobilize the army behind the pass so it stays behind the flying ships. They will pave the way while the army behind with clean up the rest. Meanwhile, all of you shall focus on the experts of Divine Bridge and Life and Death Realm, killing them when you get the chance!"
All the generals' hearts became stern, and Duke Wei asked, "Imperial Preceptor, Cult Master Qin is still on the frontlines. If we attack now, I'm afraid the other side would lay their hands on him."
Imperial Preceptor revealed a smile. "The moment he retreats is the moment we attack, but there's no need to worry about his safety. With that cripple around, there aren't many people in this world that could harm him."
"Who will be the one dispatching the flying ships?" Bian Zhenyun asked.
The flying ships were originally scattered throughout all the army and were commanded by various generals they served to at the time. But once Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor changed the strategy to have the flying ships pave the way, they needed to set up another army with strong practitioners proficient in offense to dispatch the ships. Only then could they deal with the ever-changing situation on the battlefield instantly.
Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor's gaze flickered as he said solemnly, "Summon all the high ranking military officers over! And also, get all the directorates of Imperial College as well!"
After a moment, several hundred high ranking military officers and numerous directorates hurried to his side.
"We have a total of two hundred and forty-five flying ships, which is equivalent to two hundred and forty-five flying swords." Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor swept his gaze over all of them and said solemnly, "Those who are proficient in sword skills and can control two hundred and forty-five swords at the same time, please step forward."
Over fifty people from the high ranking military officers and directorates did so.
Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor's vital qi burst forth and transformed into flying swords that surrounded his body. "Attack me. The one who can break through my sword formation and stab my body shall become the new army's commander in chief!"
The fifty strong practitioners heard what he said and all executed their sword skills to attack. In an instant, countless sword lights swirled around rapidly, resulting in incomparably loud clanking sounds.
Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor stood motionlessly, controlling the countless sword lights with his mind, blocking the attacks of the fifty high ranking military officers and directorates.
Suddenly, a general got hit in the chest by Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor's sword light, but it didn't injure him. That general immediately fell back.
After a moment, people began to continuously fall back, until only ten or so sword skill experts were still attacking.
Duke Wei, Bian Zhenyun, and the rest exclaimed in their hearts when they saw this sight. The remaining people were all outstanding existences in regards to sword skills, and their attainments in that field were at the standard of a professional. The only thing they lacked was cultivation.
It was truly gratifying for Eternal Peace Empire to have so many talents.
After some more time, the ten or so people were finally left with three that were still attacking Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor. Suddenly, a sword sun burst forth, its red light that glowed like a fire lighting up all the surroundings. A sword light then stabbed out from the red sun and penetrated through Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor's sword skill defense, making a small hole at the corner of his clothes.
Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor raised his hand and had the three of them stop. He looked toward the man that had stabbed his clothes and asked, "The directorate of Hall of Hidden Light?"
The one who had stabbed the corner of his clothes was none other than Sword Hall Master. He then bowed and said, "Hall of Hidden Light, Jian Sansheng."
Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor nodded and looked at the other general who had executed the red sun. The Sunset Sword Skill he had used earlier had let Sword Hall Master succeed. "General of Guide Commandery Yuyuan Chuyun?"
Yuyuan Chuyun bowed and greeted. "Imperial Preceptor."
Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor revealed a smile. "Jian Sansheng, you are the new commander in chief. Yuyuan Chuyun, you are the new assistant commander in chief. I shall give you an hour to familiarize yourselves with the names of the ships and their military officers. Memorize all of them. Remember, when you command the ships, don't think of them as ships, but as your flying swords!"
Sword Hall Master's eyes sparkled, and he asked solemnly, "What does Imperial Preceptor want us to do?"
Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor pointed at the majestic and impregnable pass at the opposite side and said, "Raze the Helan Pass to the ground!"
Sword Hall Master's sturdy body trembled, and he turned his head to look at the impregnable pass with heroism burning in his chest.
In the meantime, Qin Mu and Cripple had already reached Duck Tongue Zone.
"Qin Gongtso, I trust you have been well since we last met?" Qin Mu said loudly while smiling.
Pangong Tso smiled and looked left and right. "Khan Ruandi, this is Heavenly Devil Cult Master. He isn't someone who can execute that sea of sword light, right?"
Behind him, Khan Ruandi's lightning fast eyes scanned Qin Mu, and he said solemnly, "It's this youth. When he came to the battlefield, that terrifying sword skill burst forth and made everyone hold their breaths."
Qin Mu looked at Pangong Tso's back, slightly stunned. Behind him were numerous khans and shaman kings of Rolan's Golden Palace. However, one of them was extremely eye-catching.
His figure towered over all others since he was much taller even than Sword Hall Master and Apothecary. Even though it was the end of summer, he was still wearing a thick raccoon skin with a golden knife and quiver on his waist.
After feeling his invasive gaze, Qin Mu could immediately guess the origin of this person. "The mighty lord of the prairie, Khan Ruandi!"
Back when Grand Shaman had personally granted the title of khan to this person, Khan Ruandi became the number one divine archer in the world. His tribe was also proficient in horseback archery, so from that day onwards, Khan Ruandi rose in power.
His martial power was definitely near the top, and he wasn't just a divine archer. When Qin Mu and Chancellor Ba Shan had met the Pangong Tso who hadn't yet been taken over, his fist skills had made both Qin Mu and Chancellor Ba Shan take notice of him.
Those skills had originated from Khan Ruandi, which showed that his battle power was not limited to the bow and arrow.
People frequently compared Khan Ruandi and Emperor Yanfeng. Both of them were mighty leaders that had pushed ahead with bold and decisive reforms. Yet Khan Ruandi was more like an imitator, learning from Emperor Yanfeng's actions and reforming the messy situation on the prairie where all the tribes ruled themselves. He annexed them and eradicated all big and small shaman sects. All the experts were then taken in by him to join his army.
If it was not for Rolan's Golden Palace purposely obstructing him, he would have long united the prairie.
At that time, Rolan's Golden Palace had been worried that Khan Ruandi would imitate Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor and Emperor Yanfeng and after uniting the prairie beat down on the golden palace, therefore they didn't fully support him. Only after Grandmaster had reincarnated into Pangong Tso and taken the leadership of the golden palace did they fully support him in his effort to unite the prairie.
'Khan Ruandi's abilities won't be any weaker than those of Emperor Yanfeng.'
Qin Mu smiled and walked in front of Cripple while shouting, "Pangong Tso, is that your dad, Khan Ruandi, behind you?"
Pangong Tso was unmoved and smiled. "Little slut, still trying to agitate me?"
"Senior Brother Ruandi!" Qin Mu greeted Khan Ruandi with a face full of smiles. "Heavenly Saint Cult Master pays his respects to the khan of the prairie."
Khan Ruandi frowned, slightly at a loss, since Qin Mu obviously wanted to take advantage of Pangong Tso. If he was to greet him back, that would make Pangong Tso's seniority a level lower than that of Qin Mu. Then, in the next instant, Qin Mu would make Pangong Tso call him uncle. But if he didn't return the greeting, he would be rude, and if he conquered Eternal Peace Empire in the future, Qin Mu would definitely lead Heavenly Devil Cult to cause trouble for him.
Pangong Tso knew what he was thinking and smiled. "Khan Ruandi, the Qin brat drives people mad this way. A sentence from him can stifle one to death while wanting nothing more than to mince him to pieces. Now that you have seen him, you should know that all his abilities come from his mouth. He's nothing more than that."
"In that case, is that old man behind him the one that executed the sword light that was like a vast sea?" Khan Ruandi asked.
Pangong Tso didn't recognize Cripple, so he shook his head. "It's not him. It's an armless and legless old fart. Don't worry, that old fart won't make a move easily. He has too many rules which restrict him to death. Furthermore, a few days later, there will be people from High Heavens coming here to get rid of him."
He smiled. "After he dies, you will be able to trample Qingmen Pass, walking inside it without a hitch and becoming the owner of Middle Earth!"
"At that time, the golden palace will be the only sacred ground left in the world!" Khan Ruandi immediately said.
Pangong Tso laughed. "You don't need to be so careful. My goal isn't to have the number one sacred ground, or the only sacred ground. My goal is much further and beyond your imagination."
He remembered that golden book he had placed in his clothes, and his heart started blazing. Unconsciously, his hands formed into fists.
At this moment, Qin Mu walked over with wide strides, his face full of smiles. "Khan Ruandi is quite rude. I've greeted you, yet you didn't greet me back. Your manners are too poor, no wonder you taught this brat Pangong Tso to be like this."
Pangong Tso's expression sunk. He wanted to reply, but Qin Mu suddenly rushed toward him while shouting, "Pangong Tso, you better come out and call me uncle! Let uncle smack your butt!"
Pangong Tso was furious. When he looked over, he saw the old man still standing far away, in the same spot with a beaming face, so he immediately grew guts and rushed toward Qin Mu with a sneer. "Qin brat, I didn't kill you on the ship, so I shall have you die on the battlefield this time!"
The two of them clashed, and their magic powers burst forth. With their divine arts exploding, the air currents swirled from the vibrations and expanded outwards!
Pangong Tso felt his arm go numb, and his heart trembled. 'I'm already at the peak of Six Directions Realm, yet this brat is actually not weaker than me in magic power!'
Qin Mu put his hands together, and countless sword lights flew out from the taotie sack on his back to attack!
Pangong Tso immediately defended. However, the countless sword lights suddenly pulled back and transformed into a huge sparkling silver ball that came crashing down. Pangong Tso raised his hands to hold the huge sword pellet, but he couldn't help grunting as he got pressed into the ground.
Khan Ruandi and the rest hurriedly went over to save him, so Qin Mu immediately opened his taotie sack and pulled his sword pellet back inside. In the meantime, the figure of that beaming old man vanished. Like a phantom, it flashed pas every single person. Everyone was messed up for a moment, feeling like they had been attacked by this elder!
Right then, Pangong Tso appeared from far away, floating out from the ground while shouting, "No need to fight with him. We shall let him see true power on the battlefield…"
Qin Mu and the old man didn't remain to battle. Instead, they suddenly ran away, leaving two trails of smoke as they sprinted back to Qingmen Pass.
That amiable looking elder raised the spoils that piled up on his hands like a mountain. The clothes, accessories, and spirit weapons on Khan Ruandi and the rest had been cleanly looted, leaving all of them standing there naked and not knowing what to do.
On Qin Mu's hand was a golden book, with a piece of underwear beneath it, while he was frantically escaping toward Qingmen Pass.
Pangong Tso was stunned, then hurriedly opened up his clothes before giving off a world-shaking scream.
The golden book that he had hidden in his clothes had vanished, and along with it, his underwear was gone as well!
"Chase them!" Pangong Tso shouted sternly.
Right at this moment, the city gates of Qingmen Pass opened wide, and countless soldiers and horses flooded out from inside. Flying ships rose into the air from behind the watchtower, the bows of which were pointed at Helan Pass.
Giants were standing on those bows, beating battle drums. The sound they made was like the rumble of thunder.
Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor's voice could be heard throughout the whole city. "Soldiers, raze Helan Pass to the ground!"