novelraw Chapter 110 : The Annihilation of the Kingdom of Jingjue, and the Unification of Anxi
Chapter 110 : The Annihilation of the Kingdom of Jingjue, and the Unification of Anxi
Chapter 110: The Annihilation of the Kingdom of Jingjue, and the Unification of Anxi
Yuchi Sheng bellowed fiercely, and the Jingjue Royal Guards who heard the order were about to move— yet it was already too late.
The Soldier Altar hummed and trembled; in an instant, thousands of figures burst forth from its mouth.
They landed steadily upon the palace square, blocking the Jingjue Royal Guards who were charging forward.
These figures were of strange shapes; most of their bodies were half-transparent, shrouded in soul-light, exuding a chilling aura of death and coldness.
The Lunar Dao Soldiers, depending on their refining materials, were divided into three types:
The first were the Dark Nether Dao Soldiers, created by casting a complete corpse along with its matching soul into the altar for refinement.
Because of their high degree of soul-body compatibility, if the original being’s cultivation had not surpassed the Myriad Phenomena Realm, these Dao Soldiers could almost perfectly inherit most of their original power, even their combat memories and instincts.
The second type were the Corpse Puppet Dao Soldiers, refined from corpses alone, possessing bodies without souls.
Such Dao Soldiers moved stiffly and mechanically, capable only of carrying out the simplest orders, lacking adaptability.
The third type were the Soul Dao Soldiers, refined solely from pure souls, without any physical vessel.
These Dao Soldiers specialized in spiritual attacks, capable of soul destruction and possession; however, they lacked physical means of assault and feared forces of extreme yang and firmness—such as Blood and Qi.
The half-transparent soul bodies and hollow eyes of the Soul Dao Soldiers emanated a bone-chilling coldness.
When had the Jingjue Royal Guards ever seen such eerie beings?
In just that brief instant of stunned silence, countless Soul Dao Soldiers had already lunged forth like phantoms.
The unprepared Jingjue soldiers were instantly invaded by those icy soul bodies.
In a flash, the square was filled with shrill screams and muffled groans.
The possessed soldiers’ faces twisted hideously; their eyes flickered between terror and madness as they fought a battle between man and spirit within, many turning upon each other in bloody slaughter.
The King of Jingjue and several ministers watched the hellish scene before them, utterly horrified and thrown into panic.
At that moment, Yue Fei, Lilian, Wan Donglai, and Sangjie Jiacuo—the four Golden Body Realm experts—struck simultaneously.
「Illusory Sea of Descent!」
Lilian’s clear voice rang out, and the vast illusion array she had secretly prepared activated in an instant.
The scene before the King of Jingjue and his ministers distorted and transformed in an instant.
The Grand Preceptor and several officials’ eyes glazed over; their faces revealed expressions of obsession or fear—they had already sunk deep into their own heart-demons and illusions.
The King of Jingjue and his three Golden Body Realm generals, though of deep cultivation, also felt their spirits quake and their senses blur, their strength greatly diminished.
「Go!」
Yuchi Sheng reacted the fastest; he grabbed the King of Jingjue’s arm, spiritual power surging throughout his body, and transformed into a streak of light, attempting to burst through the palace dome and flee.
Jiduo and Fumiluo roared in fury and, instead of retreating, advanced— their auras surging under the blessing of the Royal Palace’s great array.
They charged at Jiang Zhaoming and the others, intent on covering their king’s escape.
「Lilian, Grand Priest—follow me. General Yue, General Wan—capture those two!」
Jiang Zhaoming’s words were swift as lightning.
In the instant the command was given, he, Lilian, and Sangjie Jiacuo vanished from sight, pursuing the fleeing King of Jingjue.
Boom——！
Almost simultaneously, a deafening explosion erupted within the main hall of the Royal Palace, leveling the entire structure to the ground.
The battlefield of four Golden Body Realm experts had become a whirlpool of destruction.
Meanwhile, deep within the palace ruins, the King of Jingjue and his son fled madly for their lives.
But a graceful figure suddenly rose from the ground before them, blocking their path.
Lilian lightly extended a jade-like finger; chains of violet-black runes manifested out of thin air, sealing the space ahead.
The two men were terrified, turning to flee— but behind them, the air rippled as Sangjie Jiacuo appeared, staff in hand, firmly locking onto them.
Their escape was cut off completely.
Despair and resolve flashed in the King of Jingjue’s eyes. He suddenly shoved Yuchi Sheng forward, crying hoarsely in grief:
「Sheng’er! Go! As long as you live, Jingjue——still has hope！」」
Yuchi Sheng was pushed forward by his father. He turned back to look at his bearded, wild-eyed father, throat tightening, unable to speak through the bitterness.
Buzz——！
The ground trembled slightly. Jiang Zhaoming’s figure quietly emerged from beneath the earth veins, appearing beside the father and son.
His gaze was cold as ice; in his right hand gleamed the Zhu Xie (Demon-Smiting) Sword, golden light dazzling. In his left, the Monument of Heroic Souls pulsed with a mighty, mountain-heavy aura of soul force.
Yuchi Sheng’s eyes immediately locked on Jiang Zhaoming.
Capture the king first to capture the thieves!
As long as this man died, perhaps the desperate situation could yet be reversed.
That thought burned in his heart like venomous fire; the power of the Golden Body Realm boiled forth.
But before Yuchi Sheng could move, Jiang Zhaoming had already swung the Zhu Xie Sword, slashing down with blazing sword energy.
Yuchi Sheng’s eyes were full of venomous hatred; a twenty-zhang-tall golden phantom appeared behind him, throwing a punch at the searing sword aura.
The sword qi shattered, and the golden phantom dimmed slightly.
「Peak of Myriad Phenomena Realm—and even with a Sacred Treasure, still not enough?」
That exchange showed that Jiang Zhaoming was still a bit weaker, proving the gap between him and a true Golden Body Realm expert.
Jiang Zhaoming shook his head, and Yuchi Sheng prepared to strike again— but a glowing spell mark suddenly lit up in midair, and a green spike shot out, shattering Yuchi Sheng’s golden phantom instantly.
Lilian smiled as she stepped forward, and the battle’s outcome was sealed.
A stick of incense later.
The Jingjue Royal Palace had completely become a pile of shattered ruins. Not a single living soul remained among the debris.
Behind Jiang Zhaoming stood four figures in silence.
Though they resembled humans, thick Yin fiend energy coiled about them; in the depths of their pupils flickered cold soul flames.
They were none other than the four Peak Myriad Phenomena Lunar Generals, transformed from the King of Jingjue and his three Golden Body Realm generals.
At the same time, amidst the ruins, shadows flickered faintly— over a thousand blood-soaked, strange-looking “Jingjue soldiers” stood upright.
Their movements were faintly stiff, their hollow gazes carrying a murderous glint, like ghosts wearing human skin.
They were the Soul Dao Soldiers refined by Jiang Zhaoming from powerful spirits drawn from the Monument of Heroic Souls, all once strong cultivators above the Divine Power Realm.
In life, these spirits had possessed formidable power.
How could ordinary Jingjue soldiers, unprepared, resist such soul possession?
Though Jiang Zhaoming had come with only five people, under the heaven-defying power of the Lunar Soldier Altar, he now commanded an army of fearless ghostly soldiers.
「Go. Exterminate every noble in the Royal City of Jingjue. Remember—do not harm the innocent commoners.」
Jiang Zhaoming’s voice was cold as frost as he ordered the four Lunar Generals behind him.
Expressionless, the four bowed and led the thousand Soul Dao Soldiers forth.
Like a black tide breaching a dam, they surged out from the ruins, rushing toward the great mansions across the Royal City.
At that moment, outside the palace ruins, tens of thousands of Royal City troops had already surrounded the place.
Their commander, Yuchi Sheng, was dead; now the two Myriad Phenomena Realm vice-commanders led the troops.
Their hearts were filled with unease as they stared fixedly at the deathly-silent ruins.
Suddenly, heavy, synchronized footsteps echoed from within.
A “military force” emerged.
At its forefront stood the King of Jingjue and the four commanders—Yuchi Sheng, Jiduo, and Fumiluo.
Only now their appearances were terrifying beyond measure.
Blue soul fire burned within their eyes; with each step, their joints clicked softly, movements stiff yet radiating an inhuman strength.
The soldiers behind them looked even more dreadful— their eyes hollow, lips curled in faint, stiff smiles, their whole bodies exuding an unsettling cold.
「Y-Your Majesty? Great General?!」
The two vice-commanders, upon seeing them clearly, nearly lost their souls, thinking they’d seen ghosts.
The four before them had not a trace of life left.
At that moment, the King of Jingjue’s stiff throat scraped out a hoarse, grating voice, like sandpaper on bone:
「Submit——or——·die？」
That sound pierced bone like an icy awl, freezing the vice-commanders to their cores; terror bound them where they stood.
Just then, a figure slowly stepped forth from the shadows of the ruins.
Clad in a dark robe and jade belt— it was none other than the Prince of Anxi, Jiang Zhaoming.
「The Mandate of the Kingdom of Jingjue has ended.
This land now returns to the Great Zhou, restored as the territory of Anxi. You are all subjects of this Prince. Lay down your weapons. Those who surrender shall be spared their lives.」
Jiang Zhaoming’s voice resounded clearly across the battlefield, carrying an unquestionable authority.
As soon as these words fell, tens of thousands of Jingjue Royal Guards erupted into chaos.
Shock, confusion, and fury surged among the soldiers.
Many dropped their weapons with a clattering “kuang dang,” choosing surrender over death.
But there were still some whose eyes burned scarlet, gripping their blades tightly as they glared hatefully at Jiang Zhaoming, wishing nothing more than to charge forward and perish together.
「All troops—form ranks! Follow me and kill!」
A vice-commander, overcome by grief and rage, roared hoarsely.
He tried to invoke the power of the military formation in one final struggle.
Tens of thousands of Royal Guards instinctively formed ranks, and the vast power of Blood and Qi began to converge, surging toward that vice-commander as his aura climbed higher and higher.
At that critical instant—
Yuchi Sheng, who had already become a Lunar Dao Soldier, suddenly took a step forward, standing in front of the Jingjue formation.
His eyes, burning with soul fire, swept over the soldiers as he let out a roar that carried the authority of his life before death—yet now was steeped in eerie otherworldliness.
「This Marshal stands here. We have already surrendered—will you still persist in your delusion and bring about your own destruction?」
That roar exploded like thunder.
The soldiers forming the array froze in mid-motion.
Countless doubtful and wavering gazes immediately focused on Yuchi Sheng’s figure.
The commander… had surrendered?
Could that be true?
「Lay down your weapons! Kneel and submit at once!」
Yuchi Sheng barked again, his voice rolling like waves, imbued with a pressure that brooked no defiance.
Many soldiers, cowed by the authority he had built in life and shaken by the unnatural sight before them, felt their hands go weak— and with a series of “qiang qiang dang dang” sounds, their weapons clattered to the ground.
「Do not listen to his deceit! That’s not the Great General—it’s sorcery! Hold the formation!」
Another vice-commander, eyes bloodshot, shouted at the top of his lungs, trying to steady his men.
Yuchi Sheng’s stiff face seemed to twist into a cold smile. He suddenly raised a command token.
It was none other than the exclusive military token of the Jingjue Royal Guard Commander.
The token in his hand burst forth with dazzling radiance.
As the light swirled, the sensing crystals embedded in the soldiers’ waist badges beneath him began to hum in resonance.
「Buzz——！」
That strange hum rang out, spreading clearly across the battlefield.
The unique radiance of the token’s resonance was the ultimate proof of the commander’s identity and the key to controlling the formation’s core—absolutely impossible to forge.
With the command token as proof, and the light as witness— combined with the grim reality that the royal palace was destroyed and all upper ranks annihilated— the last shred of resistance within the soldiers collapsed completely.
Like an avalanche, the gathered power of Blood and Qi rapidly dissipated and disintegrated.
Countless soldiers blankly dropped their weapons.
The two vice-commanders, feeling the strengthening aura upon them vanish, turned deathly pale, despair filling their hearts.
They knew—the tide had turned.
Under the gaze of tens of thousands of Jingjue soldiers, Yuchi Sheng, the King of Jingjue, Jiduo, and Fumiluo—the four Lunar Generals—moved simultaneously.
Four terrifying attacks, wrapped in heavy Yin fiend energy, erupted at once, striking the two vice-commanders squarely.
Before even a scream could escape, the two Myriad Phenomena Realm commanders were slain before the crowd’s eyes.
Yuchi Sheng’s soul fire flickered violently; he raised the command token high and roared in that hoarse, ghostly voice:
「By order of the Prince of Anxi— Exterminate the traitors! Follow me——pacify the rebellion!」
After a brief silence, part of the remaining Jingjue Royal Guards, numbed completely, chose to obey.
Another part, lost in fear and confusion, was swept along with the tide, turning their blades around— and, alongside the eerie ghostly soldiers, stormed the mansions of the resisting Jingjue nobles.
That night, the inner city of the Royal Capital of Jingjue was wracked with turmoil, as blood, fire, Yin souls, and the living intertwined.
When dawn broke the next day, faint light pierced the gloom that had shrouded the Royal City.
The commoners of the outer city finally pieced together a vague understanding from the fragments of rumors that had spread wildly overnight.
Within the palace, something earth-shattering had occurred.
Household doors were shut tight; the streets were silent.
Only an uneasy air lingered in the morning wind, pressing heavily on every heart.
When that massive gate—separating the inner and outer city, symbolizing royal authority and solemn order— creaked open slowly with a deep “gaa—gaa” sound in the dim dawn light, those bold enough held their breath and peered through cracks and gaps.
They saw squads of soldiers wearing the armor of Jingjue Royal Guards filing out in orderly lines, their movements stiff and their silence unnatural.
They moved toward the city walls and market bulletin boards, posting freshly written proclamations.
The literate ones, trembling, stepped forward to read—and saw the shocking words written upon them:
「From this day forth, the Kingdom of Jingjue is abolished. The land of Jingjue returns to the Great Zhou, forever under the rule of the Prince of Anxi!」
A few short sentences announced the end of a nation’s mandate— and sent waves of shock rippling across the Western Regions.
Far greater than when the Anxi Prefecture first subdued Jingjue in the past, this tremor swept through the lands with unstoppable force.
Most people were left utterly bewildered, unable to fathom what cataclysmic event had transpired within a single night.
Fear gave birth to countless bizarre rumors, spreading like wildfire through alleys and markets.
Some claimed that the royal family of Jingjue had become man-eating ghosts overnight.
Some said that the Prince of Anxi was the Ghost King of the Nine Nether, descending with his Yin army to sweep across the mortal world.
Such absurd legends, though wild, would linger long after the integration of Anxi— a haunting memory among the common folk of that blood-red night.
And at this very moment, the wheel of history rolled inexorably over the dust of the past.
After cleansing the last resistance within the Royal City of Jingjue, Jiang Zhaoming and his powerful subordinates did not pause for a single moment.
Under their thunderous methods, the remaining forces of Jingjue were swiftly subdued— those who resisted were mercilessly destroyed, while those who submitted were quickly reorganized.
The Anxi Prefecture— that vast western domain which had been mired in a century of turmoil since the fall of its first Prince, Jiang Zhaolin— finally, in the winter’s end of Shaosheng Year 412, welcomed the long-awaited return of its glory.
The thirteen counties of the Western Prefecture, after a century of chaos and self-proclaimed kingships among various races, had their final traces of division erased, their lands fully restored to the map of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
This monumental tide stirred not only the lands of Anxi, but sent ripples through the Great Zhou itself.
At Lake Haoyue, across the many western nations scattered like stars around its shores,
people collectively held their breath.
Countless gazes—fearful, speculative, greedy, or reverent— pierced across the waters, all focusing upon the former territory of Jingjue, where the flag had already changed.
And far to the north, within the lands of the Great Jin, Wanyan Lie finally turned his gaze toward that distant Anxi— where a magnificent rising tide now stirred.
The sight of that momentum forced even this Northern Wolf to regard it with deep, solemn scrutiny.