CHAPTER 56: 56. COMBINING FORCES (REQUESTING CONTINUED READING)

This...seemed familiar. He had once said the same thing to the Heavenly Kun King. It was, however, a sworn brotherhood with the Heavenly Kun King, while Chang Ji was now pledging loyalty to him. Compared to me, Chang Ji lacks a just cause. He is now just a rebel general of the Imperial Court. Even if he controls the army, at least in the early stage, the Brothers in the mountain village will only listen to his battle arrangements, not his commands...

Xu Xing looked deeply at the half-kneeling, bowed Chang Ji.

He couldn’t help but swallow this "poison pill" at this moment. However, compared to him, Chang Ji had a more challenging time rising. To rebel is not just about fighting and killing. Now, the Eighteen Rebel Kings have already formed a force, and the righteousness against the Imperial Court lies with these Eighteen Rebel Kings. To be precise, Heyang Mountain Monk Shang today can be compared to the "Righteous Emperor" Chu Huaiwang of the late Qin Dynasty. The anti-Qin army will follow his orders. But Chang Ji is just a rebel general of the Imperial Court and has not reached the level of the Eighteen Rebel Kings... Of course, Chang Ji could also start a new campaign. However, Chang Ji’s soldiers and horses are all "borrowed" from him, so how could he start a new campaign?

"Brother Chang, please get up quickly."

"You and I are brothers. There’s no need for talk of ’master’ and such."

Although various thoughts flashed through Xu Xing’s heart, in reality, he only hesitated for an instant before smiling and helping Chang Ji to his feet.

"Mr. Xu."

"Chang Ji’s virtue lies in his self-awareness. With my ability, I can manage an army. But if it comes to resisting the Imperial Court and overthrowing the dog Emperor to take his place, I am utterly incapable."

Chang Ji still knelt on the ground, refusing to get up.

As expected, this fellow’s external cultivation is not low. I’m afraid he is almost at the level of marrow cleansing, comparable to King of Sorrow Yao Dang.

Xu Xing exerted his strength but failed to help Chang Ji up. In an instant, he sensed Chang Ji’s profound external cultivation strength.

It is difficult to compare the strength of martial arts internal cultivation and external cultivation. However, there is a rough division. After reaching the Storing Truth Realm, internal cultivators can attach True Qi to their weapons to injure enemies, giving them more ability to protect themselves. The more True Qi internal cultivators accumulate and compress within their Dantian, the stronger they become.

External cultivators with organ training are roughly equivalent to internal cultivators with twenty to fifty years of Internal Power. External cultivators with marrow cleansing are equivalent to internal cultivators with eighty to one hundred and twenty years of Internal Power. As for the realms before internal and external cultivation... it simply depends on who is more skilled. After all, even ordinary people who have never practiced martial arts can use a dagger to kill martial arts masters.

These specific divisions were told to Xu Xing by Yao Dang. Among older martial artists from various sects who have no hope of advancing to Innate realms, there are not a few who enjoy competing for fame and profit. Thus, after comparing the different strength levels of postnatal realm internal and external cultivators, a rough realm comparison was established... However, this realm comparison is just a reference. The actual strength still depends on the individual.

Generally, martial artists with no hope for Innate internal cultivation will also choose to cultivate external skills. Only those with poor aptitude who fail in Qi Sensing exclusively cultivate external Martial Dao. Of course, there are also some geniuses who specialize in cultivating external Martial Dao, but they are few and far between.

In the Marrow Cleansing Realm, the strength of both arms is probably over one thousand pounds. Although Xu Xing had never cultivated external Martial Dao, his Internal Power showed some minor success. Benefiting from the Inborn strange vein and King of Sorrow Yao Dang’s gift of Thousand-Year-Old Ginseng, in just a few days, he had developed power equivalent to several years of an ordinary person’s cultivation. With the support of True Qi, he also possessed a strength of three to four hundred pounds. But he couldn’t budge Chang Ji. Obviously, Chang Ji’s strength far exceeded his!

"In that case..." Xu Xing sighed slightly. "I can only reluctantly accept Brother Chang’s kindness. Brother Chang, please get up."

As his words fell, Chang Ji was no longer insistent. He rose to his feet and bowed to Xu Xing.

"If you do not betray me, I shall not betray you," Xu Xing said seriously, firmly grasping Chang Ji’s right arm.

Although Chang Ji had pledged allegiance to him, there was a risk of backlash. But to contend for the throne, he would eventually have to face this. While he needed to be wary of Chang Ji, he couldn’t simply push him away. As long as his own power was great enough, Chang Ji wouldn’t be able to create any waves.

The battle unfolded indeed as Xu Xing and Chang Ji had predicted.

In the evening, the Righteous Army and the Forbidden army were exhausted from fighting. After they had looted a large amount of Supplies, the Local Army, which had previously retreated to avoid battle, immediately took action. The official soldiers closed in, trapping the Righteous Army like dogs in a cage, and began their siege.

Some vigilant leaders of the Righteous Army managed to escape before the Local Army’s encirclement completely closed. Although they had no choice but to leave some troops behind to cover their retreat, they managed to preserve their main force.

「By dawn’s early light...」

"Finally, we’ve escaped that catastrophe." Several rebel kings looked back at the blood-soaked battlefield, their hearts still pounding with fear. A moment’s delay in their escape, and death would have been their fate.

"Meng Haigong..."

"Phoenix King..."

"Lord Xia..."

"My Heavenly King has prepared hot soup. Honored Kings, please refresh yourselves with incense and a bath. Shortly, you will meet with the Alliance Leader to discuss our next actions." Outside the Tiger Soul River, Heavenly Kun King blocked the path of these rebel kings, cupping his hands as he spoke.

"You cur!"

"Bold!"

"Let your Big Brother speak!"

Heavenly Kun King Chang Kun had participated in the alliance of the Eighteen Rebel Kings, so Meng Haigong, Phoenix King, and Lord Xia recognized him. Seeing him block their way, intending to "rob" them, they became furious and began to shout.

Although their combined forces, even now, were numerically superior to those of Siming Mountain Stronghold, they had fled in such a rush, and the discipline of the Righteous Army had collapsed. It was already a testament to their leadership that no stampede casualties had occurred. How could they possibly muster the strength to regroup and fight the well-rested forces of Mount Siming again?

Moreover, Siming Mountain Stronghold controlled the Tiger Soul River, a vital passage. This was their only way off the battlefield. If Siming Mountain Stronghold decided to dig in, establish a camp, and block their path, they would be trapped. Once the pursuing Local Army caught up, they would die without a burial site.

As for a detour? There wasn’t enough time.

"Fellow Kings," Heavenly Kun King said, his smile not reaching his eyes. "Chang Kun is easy to talk to, but the official soldiers behind us are not so accommodating. You are all on the Imperial Court’s wanted list. Capturing any one of you brings a reward of ten thousand Gold and an Official promotion of three levels..."

"This..." The rebel kings were rendered speechless.

Meng Haigong, Lord Xia, and the others exchanged glances, then could only shake their heads helplessly. However, determined not to lose face even in defeat, they cursed, "When we reach Heyang Mountain, we’ll have the Alliance Leader see justice done for us! The Alliance Leader will never tolerate your Siming Mountain Stronghold’s brigandage!"

After spitting out a few more harsh words, they saw dust clouds billowing on the road behind them. Daring to wait no longer, they individually rode their horses into the Tiger Soul River area, where the Righteous Army of Siming Mountain Stronghold was stationed.

「After two or three cups of tea.」

Xu Xing led a troop of Cavalry to the stronghold entrance. Tied to the tail of each of their horses was a bundle of leafy branches.

"Fourth Brother..." Heavenly Kun King laughed heartily, his words filled with triumph. "Your foresight is truly godlike! When these rebel kings saw our forces gathering, they initially wanted to fight. But one look at the dust clouds on the road, and they were scared witless..."

Although these major rebel kings had been defeated and lost many soldiers and horses, their combined remaining forces were still considerable, numbering at least 30,000 to 40,000 men.

By absorbing these troops, Siming Mountain Stronghold would instantly become The second largest anti-royal force only next to Heyang Mountain.