CHAPTER 462: CHAPTER 456: HUO QUBING BREAKS THROUGH_1

The army of the Holy Land of Qionghua continued its collapse.

Outside the walls of Tianwu City, four blood mists, as thin as gauze, rose high into the sky, covering the entire city like a death shroud.

When will the days of peace come?

The city was desolate, every household’s doors tightly shut. Through the gaps in their windows, the people saw the sky filled with swirling blood mist, their eyes full of fear, trembling incessantly.

They had endured too much suffering in the last six months.

This ancient city had witnessed countless wars. First, it was a territory of an Ancient Court, then governed by the Purple Cloud Holy Land, then occupied by the Qin Dynasty’s Saint’s Court, and subsequently fell into the hands of the Holy Land of Qionghua!

Now, it seemed the city was about to change hands again!

The sounds of fighting by their ears grew louder. Hurried footsteps began to echo in the streets as generals from the Holy Land of Qionghua, their faces filled with terror, fled towards the City Lord’s Mansion.

"Kill!"

Soon after, the Qin army stormed into the city, blocking all escape routes. They cut down the banners of the Holy Land of Qionghua on the city walls and hoisted the banners of the Qin Dynasty’s Saint’s Court.

"Surround the City Lord’s Mansion!" Guan Yu commanded loudly after taking control of Tianwu City.

He rode his warhorse, his clothes neat and untouched by dust, save for the bloodstains on his Azure Dragon Crescent Blade. He looked as if he were leisurely strolling and admiring a winter scene, rather than being on a battlefield drenched in a rain of blood.

On his way to the City Lord’s Mansion, defeated soldiers from the Holy Land of Qionghua constantly knelt in surrender.

A quarter of an hour later, Guan Yu arrived outside the City Lord’s Mansion. Seeing the tightly shut gate, he cracked a cold smile and slashed with his blade.

BOOM!

The gate shattered, revealing the figure of Kang Baohua.

She stood on the stone steps of the inner house, holding a sharp sword, her face still composed.

Behind her stood more than a dozen generals and hundreds of disciples from the Holy Land of Qionghua, their expressions panicked, their weapon-wielding hands trembling.

"Kill everyone except the old woman in the middle!" Guan Yu commanded indifferently.

Dozens of cavalrymen charged through the ruined gate, their war blades swinging as they attacked.

"We’re going to die anyway! Kill!"

Seeing this, the disciples of the Holy Land of Qionghua, desperate and frenzied, cast aside all thoughts of life and death and fiercely engaged the dozens of cavalrymen.

Guan Yu pulled the reins and pressed his Azure Dragon Crescent Blade to Kang Baohua’s neck, asking coldly, "Tell me the Holy Land of Qionghua’s deployments on the central front, and I can grant you a comfortable death!"

He could have initially launched a full-frontal assault and swept through Tianwu City. But he had still gone to great lengths, dividing his forces into four prongs to besiege Tianwu City, all to capture the enemy’s commander and gather intelligence about the central front.

Having crossed dozens of Dao Domains, he was utterly in the dark about the situation on the central front, knowing absolutely nothing.

Only by possessing intelligence could he formulate a strategy to aid Huo Qubing; otherwise, a great deal of time would be wasted.

Speed is paramount in warfare! Time is truly crucial on the battlefield.

"Pah!" Kang Baohua spat defiantly and turned her head away.

Guan Yu grew somewhat impatient. "Deputy General, take her away and interrogate her thoroughly!"

"Understood!"

A burly man stepped forward, his face plastered with a ferocious sneer. He lifted Kang Baohua like an eagle snatching a chick and headed towards a room in the City Lord’s Mansion.

Before long, Kang Baohua’s piercing screams echoed from the room.

Guan Yu listened for a moment, his expression unchanging. He dismounted, walked into the main hall of the City Lord’s Mansion, sat upright in the main seat, and closed his eyes to rest.

Minutes later, Zhang Fei, Huang Zhong, and Ma Chao sat calmly beside Guan Yu.

Soon, the sounds of battle completely died down.

Kang Baohua’s wails also grew weaker and weaker.

"General!"

A short while later, the deputy general of the Fanqiu Army, covered in blood and dragging Kang Baohua, walked in. He clasped his fist and reported, "She has confessed everything!"

Guan Yu opened his eyes and looked at Kang Baohua, who was sprawled on the ground. She had lost all her pre-battle elegance; her body was covered in wounds, and her meticulously cared-for silver hair had turned a dull gray. She looked like a dead dog.

"Kill her!"

"The army will rest for two hours!"

「The Ghost Desert Corridor!」

Zheng Guiqiong and Xiong Lie fell silent upon receiving the news of Huo Qubing’s escape, their emotions extremely complicated.

"We need to change our battle strategy!" Zheng Guiqiong said unwillingly after a long pause.

Since the establishment of the ’Three Temples’, she had decided to launch a counterattack against the Qin Dynasty’s Saint’s Court from the central front. But before the horn for the counterattack could even sound, the Purple Cloud Holy Land was annihilated by the Qin army, Shu Qingyun died in battle, and their immense army was wiped out—a truly devastating blow.

Subsequent offensives also met with repeated failure. Despite gathering all the forces of the Holy Land of Qionghua and the Thousand Demons Holy Court, and dispatching two Ten-thousand-year Emperor Martial Artists, she still couldn’t eliminate the Great Desert Army.

This terrified her! It wasn’t that she feared the Qin Dynasty’s Saint’s Court, but rather she feared being blamed by the Eternal Temple and losing her position as Hall Master of the ’Three Temples’.

"That’s fine!" Xiong Lie said in a deep voice. "After several rounds of encirclement, although the Great Desert Army hasn’t been completely annihilated, not many of them remain. I suggest we attack the Qin army’s main force!"

Continuing to mobilize a large army to encircle and annihilate the Great Desert Army had become unrealistic! The Great Desert Army, with only a few thousand members, could easily hide in some remote gully or disperse into smaller units. Even if their pursuers mobilized an army of hundreds of millions, finding them would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

"In that case, you lead the Demon Army to attack the Tyrant’s Iron Riders! I will lead the human army to attack the Bei Wei Army!" Zheng Guiqiong ordered after a moment’s thought.

"Alright!" Xiong Lie nodded in agreement.

"Then let’s rally the armies! I will report to the Great Elder and request that he lead the experts of the Eternal Temple to reinforce the battle lines!" Zheng Guiqiong turned her gaze eastward, her eyes filled with endless killing intent.

Whether she could secure her position as Hall Master of the ’Three Temples’ depended on the upcoming battle!

In the following days, the armies of the Holy Land of Qionghua and the Thousand Demons Holy Court began to consolidate, no longer pursuing the Great Desert Army. This also bought Huo Qubing, who was comprehending the Laws of Destruction, precious time.

Sometimes, fate is indeed so mysterious.

If Zheng Guiqiong had persisted just a little longer, the armies of the Holy Land of Qionghua and the Thousand Demons Holy Court could have easily found the location of Huo Qubing’s seclusion. After all, the disturbances from Huo Qubing’s seclusion were immense, detectable even thousands of miles away.

BOOM!

Beneath a pillar of dark destructive light, Huo Qubing sat cross-legged. Countless Destruction Dao Rhymes swirled around him, obscuring the sky, capable of shattering eons, forming a barrier that spread outwards.

Within the barrier, there was nothing but pure destructive energy.

The world had become a black hole.

The mountain range that once stood there had vanished. Even the ground had collapsed to a depth of a thousand zhang; whether hard rock or thick soil, everything had been annihilated into nothingness.

Destruction means everything returns to its origin!

The severely injured Huo Qubing had now regained consciousness. Aided by the attributeless laws, he had gained an even more profound understanding of the Laws of Destruction.

BOOM!

A terrifying aura surged straight into the Nine Heavens.

In an instant, the skies of several surrounding Dao Domains turned dim and lightless.

Spatial rifts spread across more than a dozen Dao Domains, causing countless people to feel a heavy weight in their hearts, as if suppressed by a divine mountain.

Li Yuanba, who was protecting his Dao, said with eyes full of envy, "Peak of the Eternal Great Emperor Realm, on the verge of breaking through to the Ten-thousand-year Emperor Realm!"

"Kill!"

Suddenly, Huo Qubing opened his eyes. His gaze was imperious, and a lawless, all-destroying killing intent surged between heaven and earth.

He stretched out his right hand. His battle spear, far away in the Ghost Desert Corridor, transformed into a blood dragon. It burst forth with endless sharpness, annihilating the Void in its path before landing in Huo Qubing’s palm.

"Holy Land of Qionghua! Thousand Demons Holy Court!" Huo Qubing whispered, gripping his battle spear tightly. Strands of chilling killing intent froze the Void, causing it to shatter into pieces. "Your doom has come! Brothers, don’t go too fast! Wait for me to avenge you!"

After breaking through, the first thought in his mind was revenge! Revenge! Revenge!