Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

Zhu Gang let out a thunderous roar, raising the Wolf Fang Club high above his head and striking down upon Liu Qingyun with the force of Mount Tai descending. Liu Qingyun exerted himself to block the attack and realized that Zhu Gang, having revealed his true form, had become much stronger than before, to the point where for a moment he actually struggled to defend himself. Continue your story on empire

It was then that Chang Chunzi made his move. With a flick of a Talisman, flames sprang up out of nowhere, engulfing the body of Zhu Gang, who was after all born a Pig Demon. Even as his hair caught fire, he did not mind the pain and continued fighting, for Liu Qingyun offered him no chance to catch his breath.

Liu Qingyun engaged in close combat, while Chang Chunzi, hiding behind him, relentlessly flung Talismans at Zhu Gang's head as if they cost nothing. It wasn't long before Zhu Gang could no longer hold on. He had already begun to think of retreat, but in the method of battle, even the slightest lapse in focus could lead to a drastic drop in combat ability.

Liu Qingyun seized the opportunity and blew Zhu Gang's head off with a spear thrust.

The remaining soldiers, having witnessed such a terrifying and formidable demon get its head blown off by a single spear thrust from Liu Qingyun, were petrified and completely devoid of fighting spirit, each and every one of them falling to their knees to beg for mercy.

Liu Qingyun had no time to deal with the surrendering soldiers; with Zhu Gang dead, he naturally sought to press the attack to expand their victory. He spurred his horse forward, raising his spear, and bellowed, "Yuzhou Army, charge!"

The morale of the Yuzhou soldiers surged in an instant. For them, that silver spear and white robe on the battlefield was their battle flag; all they needed to do was to follow the charge. In contrast, the Jinzhou Army turned pale at the sight of Liu Qingyun, their will to fight utterly vanquished.

Thus, that very night, the Yuzhou Army chased them northward, scattering the several hundred thousand-strong Jinzhou Army. They captured nearly one hundred thousand prisoners; it could be said that after this battle, King of Pingnan, Li Xin, had lost his momentum and could no longer pose a threat to Yuzhou.

The news of the great victory reached the city, and the citizens cheered and celebrated. Nothing could bring them greater peace of mind than victory. With chaos engulfing the land, battles and death everywhere, Yuzhou, under Lu Zhang's governance, had enjoyed such a rare period of peace, leaving the locals yearning for Lu Zhang to win every battle and take the world for themselves.

Should that happen, Yuzhou, as the birthplace of the dragon's rise, would become famous throughout the land.

Lu Zhang held the Treasured Sword, standing atop the city wall, staring at the Yuzhou Army chasing the enemy northward, and with a soft sigh, he lamented, "I never thought that I, Lu Zhang, would one day be unable to even set foot on a battlefield!"

As a self-made man, he had spent the first half of his life in the military, always leading his troops from the front lines. Now, to only be able to stand on the gate and watch the battle unfold made him feel a deep sense of loss.

"If our lord has to personally charge into battle now, it would be a disgrace to us all. Besides, swords and spears are blind; if our lord were to suffer any misfortune, we would be without a leader. How could you, my lord, match Qingyun in slaying generals, seizing flags, and leading troops into battle?

Better to leave such opportunities for glory to the younger generation," Hu Shengliang said with a smile, stroking his beard.

"Your words do make a lot of sense; ultimately, the world belongs to the young," Lu Zhang said with a chuckle, shaking his head.

"Old Hu, next you'll need to prepare the provisions and baggage carefully for me. I'm going to take the army to Jinzhou City soon; it's time to uproot this King of Pingnan, Li Xin." Lu Zhang turned his head to look at Hu Shengliang, his eyes shimmering with an ambition called wild ambition.

"Rest assured, my lord, these supplies will be ready within three days," Hu Shengliang of course knew that now was the best opportunity to deal with Jinzhou, and these supplies and provisions had actually been prepared by him days ago—no one was more aware of Yuzhou's strength than he was.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Despite its low profile, it was all part of a strategy to conceal its brightness and bide its time. After such a long period of development, Yuzhou had long since ceased to be the wilderness others saw it as. Hu Shengliang seemed to be able to foresee the astonishment on everyone's face when they formally stepped onto the stage of competing for supremacy.

Fate has its own magic, as to who would have thought that Hu Shengliang, nearing sixty, would experience such a turn of events. Now in Yuzhou, he was second only to one and above tens of thousands. Every major and minor affair in Yuzhou had to go through his hands. Thinking of this, Hu Shengliang felt an instant surge of motivation.

While his body was still able, he wanted to seize the moment to do some work for Lu Zhang. After so many years of support from humble beginnings, he had long come to regard Lu Zhang's family as his own.

While Yuzhou was actively preparing for war, ready to counterattack Jinzhou, a great battle broke out in the heart of Great Chen, Zhongzhou, that concerned the course of the entire realm.

The war between the Black Wolf Army and the White Lotus Sect touched the hearts of everyone in the land. Zhongzhou had long since lost its former prosperity. With successive disasters and wars sweeping across the land, Zhongzhou was now akin to hell on earth. Starved refugees devoured everything edible on the land with bloodshot eyes.

White Skeletons lay exposed in the fields, with not a chicken to be heard for thousands of miles. It wasn't just a description found in books but a visible reality. The horrific legend of resorting to cannibalism was constantly reenacted, giving those in these chaotic times an unreal feeling.

Standing on a hill and looking at the vast surge of refugees, Bai Chengchou felt quite pleased with himself. He was originally just a landlord from the countryside, and who knew what great virtue he had accumulated in his past life to be noticed by the Sect Hierarch of the White Lotus, entrusting him with the significant responsibility of leading the uprising in Zhongzhou.

"Holy Maiden, what do you think of my army?" Bai Chengchou pointed to the dense crowd below the hill and said to the woman beside him.

"They are nothing but a rabble," the woman, dressed in white with a white veil covering her face, revealing only her captivating eyes, was the White Lotus Holy Maiden, second only to the Sect Hierarch in the White Lotus Sect. She single-handedly controlled the propagation of the White Lotus teachings in Zhongzhou, demonstrating her evident prowess.

Bai Chengchou, upon hearing these words, showed a flash of displeasure on his face. He considered himself as one of the most important figures within the White Lotus Sect, yet this so-called Holy Maiden had always been aloof towards him, often dousing him with cold water which he found very unsatisfying.

However, since he needed to rely on her at the moment, he dared not offend her and could only force a smile and say, "Isn't that why I have you, Holy Maiden? I still need to rely a lot on you!"

"It is said that the Black Armored Army coming this time is not an easy opponent to handle. Do you have confidence in your heart? If you mess up the Sect Hierarch's big plans, do you know what the outcome will be?" The Holy Maiden's light words made Bai Chengchou think of the man who had given him everything.

He was an enigmatic man, his heart's desires unknown to all. Nobody knew his true identity or the reasons for his actions, but just the thought of his methods was enough to send a shiver down even a stalwart figure like Bai Chengchou.