novelraw Chapter 109 : Recapturing Yutian, the Lunar Dao Soldiers
Chapter 109 : Recapturing Yutian, the Lunar Dao Soldiers
Chapter 109: Recapturing Yutian, the Lunar Dao Soldiers
Jiang Zhaoming’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Although the Monument of Heroic Souls in his hand was mysterious beyond measure, incomparable to ordinary Sacred Treasures, if one wished to directly fish out a Spiritual Treasure from the River of Fortune, the price required would be at least one strand of Red Fortune.
And right before him—this dark-golden ancient sword, “Zhu Xie (Demon-Smiting),” was precisely a treasure of that level.
Suppressing the burning heat in his chest, Jiang Zhaoming solemnly clasped his hands and bowed toward the direction of Jiang Zhaolin’s remains.
“Zhaoming thanks Royal Brother for his generous gift!”
After the salute, he did not immediately step forward to take the sword.
With a slight movement of his mind, the power of the Fortune-Appraising Treasure Mirror silently extended outward, cautiously probing the interior and exterior of the “Zhu Xie” sword.
After confirming that there were no hidden seals, curses, or spiritual imprints from others— he took a deep breath, steadied himself, and stepped forward to firmly grasp the dark-golden hilt.
The sword felt slightly heavy, the hilt warm as jade. The moment his fingers closed around it, a vague consciousness—sharp yet familiar—flowed from within the sword’s core.
It was like a newborn infant—confused, yet pure.
Indeed.
The sword spirit had just been born; its intellect was still weak. It would require the wielder’s spiritual power and will to nurture it for a long time before it could gradually grow.
A glint of light flashed in Jiang Zhaoming’s eyes. Without further hesitation—
behind him, the void rippled, and the vast, profound shadow of the “Myriad Phenomena Dao Foundation” emerged.
The palace was majestic, the aura magnificent.
He held “Zhu Xie” and slowly pressed it toward the Dao Foundation. From the palace dome, the suspended golden sword Dao seed hummed— a clear sword cry echoed through his Sea of Consciousness.
“Zhu Xie” shone brilliantly, transforming into a stream of light and instantly merging into Jiang Zhaoming’s Dao seed.
A sharp, boundless sword intent spread outward, as if injecting the entire Dao Foundation with a will to cut through illusion and annihilate evil.
The Dao Foundation’s shadow grew more solid and profound.
Jiang Zhaoming felt a subtle transformation—he seemed to have directly ascended to the peak of the Myriad Phenomena Realm.
Jiang Zhaolin silently “watched” this scene, a trace of melancholy rippling through his fading consciousness.
Jiang Zhaoming withdrew the Dao Foundation’s shadow, feeling the fierce sword intent newly born within his Sea of Consciousness, and his heart surged with exhilaration.
His gaze turned toward the mountain of Magical Artifacts, Spiritual Treasures, and the enormous pile of Spirit Crystals in the treasury, then quietly took out the Prince of Yutian’s Storage Pouch.
Infusing it with spiritual power, the pouch’s opening widened, releasing a powerful suction.
Nearly a thousand Magical Artifacts and sixty to seventy Spiritual Treasures rose into the air one after another, flying neatly into the pouch.
However, when Jiang Zhaoming attempted to store away the small mountain of Spirit Crystals— the light on the pouch’s surface suddenly froze, and the suction weakened, emitting a strained hum.
Clearly, after storing so many treasures, the pouch had reached its spatial limit.
Staring at the heap of Spirit Crystals before him, Jiang Zhaoming felt unwilling to give up.
These Spirit Crystals were invaluable—whether for cultivation, array formation, or powering treasures.
After a brief thought, he once again drew out the Monument of Heroic Souls.
“The monument nourishes eighty million departed souls—it requires immense spiritual energy. These Spirit Crystals, which I cannot take, will serve to nurture the heroic spirits and stabilize their soul bodies.”
Once decided, Jiang Zhaoming immediately activated the monument.
A soft radiance flowed over the stone’s surface; instead of opening the gateway completely, it formed a massive whirlpool of spiritual power at its base.
Whooo—
A violent suction enveloped the piles of Spirit Crystals within the treasury.
Countless translucent crystals rose like sand caught in a storm, whirling into the monument’s vortex and vanishing.
Inside the monument, the vast Soul Sea became saturated with pure, dense spiritual energy.
Countless faint souls—like parched land meeting long-awaited rain—grew visibly more solid.
Some even regained a trace of lucidity in their previously vacant eyes.
When the last Spirit Crystal was drawn in, the Monument of Heroic Souls dimmed and fell silent again.
Jiang Zhaoming stored it away, his gaze falling upon the armored skeleton on the distant throne.
“Royal Brother, A-Ming thanks you deeply for your kindness. I wonder if Royal Brother has any message to be conveyed.”
Atop the hill of corpses, Jiang Zhaolin shook his head, bitterness upon his face.
“A-Ming, tell Father Emperor of my death—that will suffice.”
Jiang Zhaoming sighed, then bowed deeply before Jiang Zhaolin and departed the city with Yue Fei and the others.
But once outside, he did not rush to leave.
He recalled that many surrounding cities still contained wandering souls.
By guiding these spirits, he could gain much Fortune—he could not afford to miss it.
Thus, Jiang Zhaoming traveled northward, aiding the departed souls in each city along the way.
Before long, the Monument of Heroic Souls housed over nine hundred million souls, and Jiang Zhaoming possessed nineteen strands of Purple Fortune.
He then stopped and entered the River of Fortune, upgrading his gathered Fortunes.
【Remaining Fortunes: Red ×2, Purple ×4, Blue ×8, Green ×7, White ×2】
Two new crimson strands emerged in his palm—Jiang Zhaoming’s heart leapt with delight.
Yet before he could continue searching for more souls, the Dragon-Patterned Jade Pendant that once belonged to Jiang Zhaolin suddenly burst forth with blinding light.
A line of text, formed purely from spiritual power, appeared before him:
【Foreign race uprising—leave immediately!】
As the words appeared, the ground beneath him quaked violently, without warning.
It was as if an ancient beast beneath the earth had stirred—rocks crumbled, thunderous rumbles echoed from afar.
Almost at once, the Fortune-Appraising Treasure Mirror’s voice resounded in Jiang Zhaoming’s mind.
“Master, the entrance to the Blessed Land is collapsing rapidly. The spatial structure is unstable—you must evacuate immediately.”
Jiang Zhaoming’s expression hardened. Without hesitation, he called out to Yue Fei, Lilian, and the possessed Sangjie Jiacuo.
“Go!”
The four turned into streaks of light, fleeing toward the northern entrance with all their might.
At the same time, Jiang Zhaoming asked, “Treasure Mirror, how do we escape?”
The mirror replied, “Either retrace your path—or I can forcibly tear open a temporary passage, but it won’t last long.”
“Do it—your way!”
Jiang Zhaoming made the decision at once. The four broke through the soil and emerged onto the dimly lit surface.
Without delay, Jiang Zhaoming poured a torrent of spiritual power—like a breached river—into the Fortune-Appraising Treasure Mirror.
The artifact trembled and emitted a dazzling silver radiance.
As the light converged, a shimmering spatial gate, several meters tall, appeared before them.
Boom!!!
At that very moment, the earth convulsed again— a dreadful aura surged forth, like a ferocious beast awakening after millennia, erupting from the depths of the Blessed Land.
Several vast, violent spiritual presences pierced the heavens, stirring the winds and clouds.
The nearest one emanated from the direction of Jiang Zhaolin’s skeletal remains.
That aura struck Jiang Zhaoming’s heart like a tolling war bell.
“Go!”
He barked the order, and without hesitation, led Yue Fei and the others into the swirling portal.
A crushing pull and fleeting disorientation wrapped around them.
Moments later, a weightless sensation returned—blinding sunlight poured down unobstructed.
Jiang Zhaoming reacted swiftly, stabilizing himself midair with spiritual power.
Yue Fei, Lilian, and Sangjie Jiacuo soon appeared beside him.
Jiang Zhaoming’s gaze swept downward—his pupils constricted slightly.
They were hovering above the City of Sunlight.
Below lay the grand, ancient metropolis—
countless commoners in vividly colored ceremonial robes knelt densely along the streets and plazas, fervently bowing in his direction. Their lips murmured chants, faces filled with reverence and hope.
Jiang Zhaoming suddenly turned back—
high above, behind him, where the entrance to the Kingdom of Sunlight had been hidden—
it now manifested as an enormous, slowly rotating dark-golden vortex.
An ancient and boundless aura poured out, enveloping the entire City of Sunlight.
They four stood precisely before the grand gateway of that Divine Kingdom.
Four figures floated in the air, bathed in the radiant glow spilling from the divine portal—instantly becoming the focus of all eyes below.
「Look! It’s the Great Priest!」
A sharp-eyed commoner immediately recognized Sangjie Jiacuo’s iconic, resplendent priestly robes.
「Who are those beside the Great Priest? The one standing in front of him—」
More onlookers turned their astonished gazes toward Jiang Zhaoming. This unfamiliar figure was standing ahead of the Great Priest.
Jiang Zhaoming needed neither words nor gestures—Lilian and Sangjie Jiacuo instantly understood his intent.
Lilian’s arms trembled lightly; a sacred white radiance spread across her form as her divine robe flowed over her body, suffused with a pure holy aura.
It was her “Divine Envoy” attire—instantly recognized by many of the people below.
She and Sangjie Jiacuo stood respectfully to Jiang Zhaoming’s left and right, like the most loyal guardians.
Then, under countless stunned gazes from below— the two figures who had held the highest status in the hearts of the people of the Kingdom of Yutian—“the Divine Envoy” and “the Great Priest”—
sank to their knees in midair, bowing deeply toward Jiang Zhaoming at the center.
Sangjie Jiacuo’s voice, amplified by spiritual power, thundered across the entire City of Sunlight like rolling lightning.
「Praise the great Prince of Anxi! He is the son of the God of Sunlight, the incarnation of the Divine Kingdom upon the mortal world!」
Lilian’s voice followed immediately: 「The Divine Kingdom has revealed its will—Prince of Anxi is our new sovereign!」
This sudden declaration was like a splash of cold water into boiling oil.
Below, the kneeling commoners and soldiers erupted in an uproar.
The collapse of faith and the descent of a new god—under the personal recognition of the two highest representatives of divine authority— the impact was devastating.
「The Divine Envoy and the Great Priest have both knelt!」
「An oracle! It’s an oracle from the gods!」
After a brief, stunned silence, the crowd broke like falling dominoes.
First, scattered soldiers dropped their weapons and prostrated themselves toward Jiang Zhaoming.
Then, waves of commoners followed—bowing and worshipping like a field of wheat bending in the wind.
The sound of their unified cries and kowtows surged like a tidal wave, engulfing the entire City of Sunlight.
The thousand-year foundation of faith collapsed completely at that instant.
Only those of the inner city—the nobles and elders dressed in finery and bearing ancient insignias— were left as stranded souls upon an island.
Their faces turned pale, their bodies trembled, eyes brimming with terror and despair.
Their king had not appeared, yet the gate of the Divine Kingdom was shrinking, slowly closing—
「No! This cannot be true!」 a noble screamed in despair.
「Guards! Vulture Riders! Protect the royal court! Kill those traitors!」
Some shouted hysterically for the last of their armed forces.
Yet as Sangjie Jiacuo’s cold, commanding gaze swept across the inner city like a tangible force— those elite riders mounted upon massive vultures, and the armored Rock-Goat Cavalry holding giant shields, all lowered their heads.
Their weapons fell from trembling hands.
The ones they served were now kneeling in the heavens.
Stripped of their final support, the nobles of the inner city fell into chaos.
Some collapsed weakly to the ground; others tried to flee amidst the confusion—the scene descended into total disorder.
Without needing soldiers, Lilian took a single step forward.
An invisible wave of spiritual energy, like a tide of quicksilver, spread across the entire inner city.
Her overwhelming soul-calming power, mixed with illusions, swept precisely through the terrified nobles.
These lofty elites—at best in the Divine Power Realm or early Myriad Phenomena Realm—
were like lambs before slaughter in the face of Lilian, a powerhouse in the late Golden Body Realm.
They could not even muster resistance—eyes glazing over.
Some collapsed unconscious; others fell into delirious hallucinations, flailing in madness.
In moments, every resisting noble of Yutian was subdued by unseen power.
The Vulture Sky Cavalry Legion and Rock-Goat Mountain Cavalry, the strongest military forces of Yutian, both submitted under Sangjie Jiacuo’s crushing aura.
Thus, with the final closing of the Divine Kingdom’s gate— Yutian’s end was sealed, its legacy reduced to dust upon the river of history.
Jiang Zhaoming hovered high above, gazing down upon the ancient city below.
Its mottled walls and towering temple spires whispered of bygone glory and desolation.
He ordered Yue Fei and the others to handle the postwar affairs, then found a quiet chamber within the royal palace.
Drawing forth the Dragon-Patterned Jade Pendant, he infused it with spiritual power,
linking directly to his father, the Emperor, far away in the imperial capital.
Imperial Capital, Imperial Garden—
Stepping from the shimmer of teleportation light, Jiang Zhaoming saw his father standing alone among the flowers.
Soon, the Emperor sat upon a greenstone bench and gestured for him to come forward.
Jiang Zhaoming obeyed, sitting by his side.
「Show me his jade pendant,」 the Emperor said quietly.
Understanding at once, Jiang Zhaoming took out Jiang Zhaolin’s pendant and handed it over.
The Emperor received it, fingers gently tracing the delicate carvings upon its surface.
A faint, almost imperceptible sorrow flashed through his eyes.
Jiang Zhaoming watched his father carefully, realizing that Jiang Zhaolin had likely left some message within the pendant.
After several moments of silence, the Emperor finally spoke.
「A-Ming, your progress is swift. By the end of this month, you will be ranked seventh on the Dragon Ranking.」
Jiang Zhaoming was momentarily stunned. He had expected mention of the Kingdom of Sunlight or Jiang Zhaolin— not this sudden shift of topic.
In the end, his father offered only a few words of encouragement, and nothing more.
Jiang Zhaoming could only activate the pendant again, returning to the City of Sunlight.
The Kingdom of Yutian’s destiny had ended—its armies were now unified under Jiang Zhaoming’s command.
Infantry and cavalry from the plains had already been reorganized—numbering 1.6 million in total.
Among them, eighty thousand were at the Blood Refining Realm, the rest mainly at the Tempering Bones Realm.
Their individual strength was not weak; their prior defeats stemmed chiefly from poor formations.
This matter was entrusted to Yue Fei and the veteran generals of Anxi for retraining.
Yutian’s two elite forces—the Rock-Goat Mountain Cavalry and Vulture Sky Cavalry Legion—
also fell smoothly under Jiang Zhaoming’s control.
The Rock-Goat Cavalry numbered 210,000, each mount wielding the strength of Tempering Bones Realm, Eighth Layer, their riders mostly Eighth or Ninth Layer, with over 50,000 Blood Refining experts among them.
The 70,000 Vulture Riders, skilled aerial cavalry, were largely Seventh or Eighth Layer, while their riders mostly stood at the Blood Refining Realm.
Both forces would serve as strong reinforcements for Jiang Zhaoming.
Due to terrain constraints, the Rock-Goat Cavalry remained stationed locally, while the Vulture Sky Cavalry Legion was recalled to the Anxi Royal Mansion, integrated into the Anxi Central Army.
Once Yutian’s remnants were reorganized, only one rebel faction remained in the Western Prefecture—the Kingdom of Jingjue.
Upon hearing of Yutian’s downfall, and the Great Priest Sangjie Jiacuo’s surrender— along with his formidable legions joining Anxi—the Kingdom of Jingjue fell into panic.
Most of its active forces defected instantly, causing Anxi’s military power to surge.
According to Jingjue’s intelligence, Anxi now possessed four top-tier powerhouses: Yue Fei, the Great General of Late Golden Body Realm; Lilian, the Divine Envoy of Sunlight; Sangjie Jiacuo, the Great Priest of Yutian; and newly ascended Wan Donglai, who had recently broken through into the Golden Body Realm.
Thus, Anxi had four Golden Body Realm experts, backed by legions of elite soldiers and fierce generals.
The Kingdom of Jingjue, still unable to locate Yuchi Duoduo, fell into chaos.
Yet despite its panic, Jingjue retained three Golden Body Generals and several formidable armies.
If Jiang Zhaoming sought to conquer Jingjue through open war, the Anxi Army would surely suffer heavy losses.
Therefore, Jiang Zhaoming devised a special plan— to test whether he could reclaim Jingjue through other means.
If that failed, then war would follow.
Half a month later—within the Jingjue Royal Palace.
Under mounting pressure from Jiang Zhaoming’s envoys demanding the whereabouts of Yuchi Duoduo, the King of Jingjue had no choice but to convene another council.
Just as the gathered ministers hesitated, unsure how to respond— the three Golden Body Generals of Jingjue suddenly paled, their expressions darkening.
Before the King could even react— several figures had already appeared outside the royal palace.
They were Jiang Zhaoming, Yue Fei, Lilian, Sangjie Jiacuo, and Wan Donglai.
Startled, the King of Jingjue immediately activated the Royal Palace Grand Array,
while palace guards rushed into action.
In response, Jiang Zhaoming casually flicked his hand— a small stone monument expanded to ten zhang in height, manifesting a vast gate above the Jingjue Palace.
Before the stunned eyes of all present, countless souls drifted out from that gateway.
Many of these spirits radiated such overwhelming power that even the three Golden Body Generals felt a chill of dread.
Then, Jiang Zhaoming threw another object—a black altar—that soared into the air, swelling rapidly in the wind.
It was none other than the Divine Artifact · Lunar Soldier Altar, which Jiang Zhaoming had spent several days rediscovering within the River of Fortune.
【Divine Artifact · Lunar Soldier Altar】: A Divine Artifact from the Nether Plane, drawing upon the Nine Nether Yin Fiend to refine and forge battle spirits.
By absorbing corpses and souls, it manifests Lunar Dao Soldiers whose strength corresponds to the integrity of their forms— capable of reaching up to the Myriad Phenomena Realm.
Before the stunned eyes of all, the Lunar Soldier Altar drew in every unknown soul from the Monument of Heroic Souls.
Seeing this, Yuchi Sheng shouted: 「All troops, stop him—now!」
But it was too late. As his command rang out, the Lunar Soldier Altar erupted—countless figures leapt forth from within.
They were the Lunar Dao Soldiers born from the altar’s creation.