Chapter 242: Strike

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    An army of the dead and the grotesque stands against him.

    It is a revolting parade of rotting flesh and twisted bones. The howling of the dead could bring terror to even the stoutest of hearts, and the pungent smell would take care of the rest.

    Feng Zhi just laughs.

    The Young Master of the Eternal Flame Clan uses fire to propel himself to the skies and rains devastation from above. Vast swathes of land are swallowed by flames. Hundreds of dead burn by the second.

    Ugly beasts! Abominations! Feng Zhi shouts at the top of his lungs. If there is any sense of self left in you, walk into my flames! Burn and be purified!

    The monsters do not show any signs of having heard him. The ugly creatures converge on top of each other, their flesh and bones melding and mixing like clay. From hundreds rises a single massive creature. It walks on five legs and roars with five mouths. It has two whip-like tails, each as long as a hundred men standing side by side. Its flesh is constantly moving, swirling like the surface of turbulent water.

    Is this supposed to intimidate me?! Feng Zhi shouts. All you have done is make yourself a bigger target!

    Golden flames cloak Feng Zhis body.

    Fight. Struggle. Surrender. It matters not to me, Feng Zhi says as he aims at the beast. Creations like you were born to burn. This is the only solace I can give you.

    The ensuing explosion can be felt from a mile away. Many of the soldiers watching from a distance have to avert their eyes when the horizon lights up. Others fall over due to the strength of the shockwave.

    The Young Master seems to be enjoying himself, Fan Bingbing says, using a spyglass to observe the battle. I suppose it is not surprising. He must have been waiting for an opportunity like this.

    Damn him! Huang Shing grumbles while making a fist. His eyeball is as close to his spyglass as humanly possible. Worryingly so, even.

    You are not enjoying yourself, Fan Bingbing points out. I thought youd welcome the violence.

    Dont make me sound like someone who likes violence for the sake of it, Huang Shing says. Im not Brother Hong.

    Fan Bingbing stares at him.

    Dont think it either!

    Amazing, Fan Bingbing says, turning her attention back to the battle. Brother Huang has discovered the secrets of thought discernment.

    She says it so tonelessly that, for a second, Huang Shing is convinced she means it. When he realizes she doesnt, he snorts.

    I enjoy fighting. It makes things clear because there is no need for complex thoughts in battle. Its simple. Pure, Huang Shing says, as the massive explosions caused by Feng Zhis battle with the giant creature spread across the land. I enjoyed fighting Murong Bangs soldiers. I dont enjoy fighting dead monsters.

    We are not the ones fighting, Fan Bingbing reminds him.

    Thats even worse! Huang Shing chews on his nail angrily as he watches Feng Zhi fight.

    Going by most reports, the first few battles against General He Bins forces have gone well. The gap in numbers is simply too great for his army to overcome. The general cannot hope to project enough power on both borders simultaneously.

    Maybe thats why the monsters of the Death Fashioning Scripture have begun appearing in greater numbers.

    During the first few battles, appearances by the creatures of the Death Fashioning Scripture were rare. They only appeared when General He Bins men were nearly defeated, a last resort. However, that has begun to change, and this incident is the latest example of it. The soldiers that were going to fight them never got the chance to. The whole enemy army exploded into a horde of monsters before they could engage.

    Faced with those numbers, Feng Zhi took to the field while the rest fell back. There is no sense in risking the soldiers being infected when he can deal with the horde on his own.

    Even so

    That damn Feng Zhi is making merits out there! Huang Shing says. Thisll make General Nie Dans soldiers value the Eternal Flame Clan more, and it will boost Feng Zhis status when we return home.

    Ho, that was surprisingly well-thought-out for you.

    It says a lot about how angry Huang Shing is that he doesnt look away from the battle to glare at Fan Bingbing.

    Hes even propelling himself in the air despite being under the curse of the Earth, Huang Shing notes darkly. To be able to fly while under such strain requires tremendous power. That Feng Zhi can do that and fight such a powerful foe denotes immense skill. I thought I was getting close to bridging that gap, but that bastard has even gone up another level!

    Fan Bingbing glances at him. I thought you lost your reason for surpassing the Young Master.

    That is that, and this is this. I still want to punch Feng Zhi in his smug face, Huang Shing says. He glances back at all the soldiers looking at Feng Zhis battle with awe. It makes him frown, but not for the reasons one would assume. I really dont get it, though.

    What would his father say if he could see him?

    Commander, up ahead! Zei shouts. Soaring Feathers cry rings out in the sky moments later.

    I see it, Liu Jin says. Fort Blackwind has at last appeared as a tiny spot in the distance.

    The two hundred men riding towards them are remarkably closer.

    Lacking an item like the Thiefs Lamp, hiding the presence of more than five hundred people, among which are several cultivators in the Nascent Realm and even some in the Spirit Realm, was never within the realm of possibility. The people of Fort Blackwind must have sensed them from miles away and reacted accordingly.

    Men! Lets kill! Ko roars out as he takes out his sword and points it at the enemy. His men echo his cry and charge.

    Liu Jin does not order his men to do anything. He just watches as Kos raiders easily tear through the soldiers of Fort Blackwind. From the beginning, they were nothing more than a desperate attempt to buy time while the main force in the fort prepares their defenses.

    It is a doomed effort.

    Liu Jin can sense the Qi of those at Fort Blackwind. They would have been better served using the few minutes their men bought them to run away. Of course, they were never going to do that because

    Were we too fast for you? Captain Ko asks him as he finishes the last of the advance force. His face is stained with blood, and none of it is his own. Or have you never seen real combat before?

    There was no need for us to do anything, so we did not, Liu Jin replies. You had it well-handled from the start.

    Captain Ko laughs.

    It is good that you recognize there is no need for you here, he says loudly enough for everyone around to hear. Some of Liu Jins men clench their fists and grit their teeth. Really, I cannot understand why the general sent you here. My raiders and I are enough to deal with this rabble.

    He gestures at the corpses around them to underscore his point. Despite having similar numbers, his men did not even take five minutes to kill all two hundred men.

    Nevertheless, the general sent me with you, and I intend to make myself useful, Liu Jin says. Since you handled these men, it is only fitting I get to attack the fort first, right?

    Captain Ko frowns.

    Ah, I see how it is. You want the achievement, dont you? Ko chuckles. Forget it. In this army, he who strikes first wins.

    Is that so? Liu Jin says. I will be sure to keep that in mind.

    Their army resumes its march soon after. It does not take them long to reach Fort Blackwind.

    It does not take them long to reach Blackwind City.

    Fort Blackwind is a medium-sized fort located on top of a large hill. It has a nice, defensible position, but neither it nor the city it overlooks are on their path to the palace. They are only attacking it because taking care of it right now is better than letting its soldiers try to attack them from behind later. It is a simple and sensible reason even Liu Jin can agree with.

    There is no reason at all to attack Blackwind City, a city with thousands of men, women, and children.

    Listen up! Ko yells to the men. You all heard what the general told us! This land is ours! This city belongs to us!

    And yet, there is no way Murong Bangs soldiers will fail to attack it.

    That is why the people at the fort did not try to run away but instead sent men to try to delay them. There is no possible way to evacuate the city in time. Liu Jin senses the soldiers have done their best to move the citys population inside the fort, but there is simply not enough space or time to move everyone there.

    The riches of this land are ours! Ko keeps yelling. Their weapons are ours! Their women and daughters are ours! Everything in that city is ours for the taking! Come with me and

    Ko suddenly stops talking. His hands go to his throat as he tries to gasp for air. His face takes on a greenish hue as he collapses and loses consciousness. His subordinates are immediately at his side, trying to rouse him but not to avail.

    How unfortunate.

    Most people turn to look at Liu Jin.

    It seems Captain Ko has contracted a deadly illness and is currently incapacitated, Liu Jin says. He does not shout, yet his voice reaches every man out there. For some reason, many begin shivering. As the highest-ranking officer present, I am taking command.

    Liu Jins red eyes glow ominously.

    Is that understood?

    ~~~