War, was nothing short of hell.
The Ninth Imperial Princess wept from the start of the first battle to the next as she witnessed hell unfold before her eyes. Xia Ji finally could not take her tears and stood up to walk out of the tower. He picked a vat of hard liquor and approached the sidelines of hell.
The sky above the Imperial City was iron-grey and clouds accumulated over it in dense pressure, much like an ink painting of low-hanging mountains being bound mid-air between the great powers of heaven and earth.
This time, the Imperial City's defense managed to hold up once again, but the number of casualties was now incalculable. Both doors of the city gates had deep indentations and spear holes. The doors could be barely shut tight. Many random heavy objects were placed haphazardly against the doors to obstruct them and prevent the exotic tribes from conducting a sudden attack.
Xia Ji knocked open the vat of liquor sealed with soil. His fingers grabbed onto the cool side of the vat as he swirled the aromatic fine liquor and brought it to his lips.
He lifted his head.
He drank his fill.
The alcohol warmed his insides.
It was like a quiet fire burning within him.
…
There was a grim expression on Deng Jue's face as he walked toward the tower. He had lost the sharpness and vigor from the days before and now looked especially old and frail. He was suffering from extreme fatigue and his body was covered with bloodstains. Some of the blood was his own but most of it was from the enemies of his fellow soldiers.
There was a sudden commotion from below the city once again. Deng Jue turned to look and saw another superior general from Guifang approaching from afar while riding on a gigantic wolf. He stood below the city and gave his ghost-headed saber a swing. He laughed uproariously while shouting out, "Are you Shang Dynasty people that worthless? You can't defend your city and can't even win a one-to-one fight. Who else dares take up my challenge? Hahaha!!"
Deng Jue recognized this man. This was the Guifang superior general who had consecutively beheaded a total of nineteen of his generals and swordsmen, Chi Kui.
It was unheard of for an army not to take up such a challenge from the enemy during battle as this would result in the army's morale to plummet, but Deng Jue no longer cared for this. Was there even any morale left?
Everyone was still standing their ground not because of morale, but because of their basic instinct to endure, and all will end once they have endured this to the death.
Deng Jue walked to a corner and saw the Imperial Prince in black armor drinking liquor. Emotions welled up within him. He had heard that this Imperial Prince had been imprisoned deep within the palace for two years. For those past two years, he had been studying Buddhist scriptures. There was indeed an air of serenity about him. Besides that, there was also a sense of heroic spirit within him.
As Deng Jue was thinking about this, he had already walked to the side of Xia Ji. He stood at the same spot as Xia Ji and peered down below the city, suddenly saying quietly, "Seventh Imperial Prince, you have kept your promise to guard this place without leaving. I am truly impressed but the capital can no longer stand. Your Highness, you should… just leave."
Xia Ji did not reply. All he did was hold on to the vat of liquor as he continued drinking ferociously. He finished the last drop and threw the vat aside casually, letting it break into pieces, before replying, "Okay."
The next moment, Deng Jue watched disbelievingly as he jumped off the city wall in one leap and reached out with his right hand at the same time. The dark halberd, which was leaning against the wall, flew toward him. It sailed through the sky and fell into Xia Ji's hand. High above the skies, the Imperial Prince's dark hair fluttered wildly, the look in his eyes calm as a deep lake.
Bam!!
He fell below the city heavily.
The frozen soil of the earth cracked within inches as it bore the impact of the great power. It was like meteorites had struck the face of the earth.
Up above on the city walls, Deng Jue's mind buzzed and went blank. Did the prince's 'okay' mean doing this??
Below the city, Chi Kui was also shocked by the way Xia Ji had appeared and was taken aback by the bravado that came with it. He could not help asking, "Who… Who are you?"
Xia Ji replied, "Xia Ji."
Before he could even say the word 'Ji', a mighty thundering could be heard coming from the earth at each of his steps.
As the Rays of the Nine Suns shone magnificently within him in an unending cycle, his figure had turned into a bright shadow made of light, combining with the circling dark energy of the demonic halberd as it stood out horizontally.
Chi Kui had killed nineteen people in a row. His killing had scared his opponents so much that none would take up his challenge. This boosted his confidence tremendously. Even though he was shaken from the shock, he was not about to run off at this first meeting. Even though he was thinking curiously, 'Who is this Xia Ji and why didn't he announce his identity earlier? When did the Shang Dynasty have such a powerhouse?'
He reacted swiftly when he saw the other party rushing toward him.
A vicious look flashed in his eyes as his thick legs covered in armor held on tight to the gigantic wolf he rode. He firmly gripped his ghost-headed saber and rode swiftly toward the new opponent.
Rat tat tat…
The two figures clashed at each other at a great speed, much like two lightning strikes crashing into each other, colliding heavily.
Xia Ji did not use any particular technique. The dark halberd flashed with the Rays of the Nine Suns as the burning knife of the halberd came down with a booming sound. Chi Kui roared as an aura of bloody rage appeared on the ghost-headed saber while it sliced through the air to meet its opponent!
The halberd struck downward.
The saber shattered.
The halberd sliced through the space where Chi Kui was.
Xia Ji walked right through the superior general of Gui Fang and continued onward. His arms extended outward as his long halberd appeared with its full eighteen feet of glory. The blazing light and dark energy intertwined like double dragons.
Behind him, a line of blood appeared on the body of the unconquerable Guifang general who stood at the battlefront. The same line of blood extended to the back of the gigantic wolf. The scene paused for two seconds before the bloody line exploded into a thicker line and the two fell, sliced into perfect halves.
Chi Kui, his giant wolf, and the ghost-headed saber all fell onto the snowy ground. The look of shock could still be seen on the halved face of Chi Kui.
Upon the walls of the Imperial Capital, within the towers, numerous pairs of eyes were focused onto this Imperial Prince in the black armor. Many had yet to realize that the fight had ended.
Deng Jue was still standing at the railings as his old, tired eyes stared below the city. The shock in his eyes had mixed emotions. His hands were unconsciously digging into the crevices of the brick wall.
Xia Ji had walked further away.
The Guifang army formation and base were six or seven miles away where millions of refugees were kept captive.
Numerous eyes stared at the figure of the Imperial Prince in black armor. It was silent, but very soon, roars erupted from Guifang as they raged against the Imperial Prince in black armor.
Xia Ji walked between the two armies as he waved his dark halberd and pointed at the vast infantry and horses, saying lightly, "Next."
A tall, stalwart, strong-looking man immediately appeared from Guifang's base camp. He was riding a giant wolf as he glanced coldly at the black-armored general who did not even have a mount, and sneered coldly.
He held a giant ax as he suddenly sped up and rushed toward Xia Ji, going for the kill. The daunting momentum heightened about him as he sped toward Xia Ji on his giant wolf. An exploding shout came out of him when he arrived in front of the Imperial Prince in black armor. His imposing manner climaxed as his giant ax slashed through the windy snow.
"Good!"
The dark halberd in Xia Ji's right hand drilled into the ground. He did not even need to use the Hundred Form as his figure rushed forward. His right palm faced toward the front and during this process, an image of the eighteen levels of hell appeared on his hand. It was the form of the Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts. His hand expanded into a giant palm.
The giant palm sailed through the air and went through the giant ax as it grabbed the strong man from Guifang in one move.
The stalwart, vicious-looking strongman was shocked, but he could not react. He flew through the air as the giant hand struck him and crumpled hard onto the ground along with the giant wolf beneath him.
Bam!!!
They were like two mosquitoes filled with blood that had exploded from a slap of the hand. Fresh blood splattered all around them. The giant wolf and strong man had shriveled up.
The fresh blood flowed into Xia Ji's black armor and once again, it turned into a blood snake as it slithered around the dark halberd, like water absorbed by a sponge, as it was consumed.
"Too weak."
Heaven and earth were silent as the wind and snow billowed around the man.
Xia Ji did not hold onto the halberd. He opened up his arms and continued walking forward in the raging wind and snow, his cold voice saying, "Next."
He had just said this when another bearded Guifang general, who was more than two meters tall, came forward. He frowned as he stared intently at Xia Ji for a moment. He was clearly trying to figure out Xia Ji's weakness. His eyes suddenly brightened as he gripped his sword and commanded his horse to rush forward for the kill.
When he closed the distance to Xia Ji, the tall and foreboding general suddenly leaped from his horse. The huge sword in his hand gave a cold ring as it slashed downward menacingly in an unavoidable attack.
Xia Ji looked at the vibrating blade. His expression did not change as his head moved to the side. Two fingers on his right hand pressed casually to the side and a blazing light flashed from his fingers. There was a golden explosion amidst the electrical energy as it pushed against the saber that was rushing down to meet him.
The saber was vibrated away by the swift action!
Xia Ji took the opportunity to take a step forward as he grabbed the skull of the burly man. He gave a forceful twist and flung the man's head onto the ground casually.
His movement was too quick and the mighty horse behind him was still galloping forward with the headless corpse on it. It continued running for a hundred meters before the corpse fell to the ground.
Xia Ji shifted his gaze to the Guifang army in the distance and shouted, "Are there any more?!"
It took a short while after his shout before another stalwart, vicious-looking general from Guifang came roaring from among the crowd. The Guifang soldiers opened up a path for him when he passed them. It was clear that this person was someone of considerable status in Guifang.
He had no weapon on him, but came raging forward like an agitated brown bear as he made a mad dash toward Xia Ji. He gained furious momentum as he came, his muscles tightening around him like tree roots. His entire body tensed up like a strong bow being stretched to the limit. When he got within striking range, he raised his fist for a punch.
The punch broke through the windy snow and boomed like a clap of thunder on a windy night, as if firecrackers had been set off.
Xia Ji stood steadfast where he was and waved his right hand as he opened up his palms. Five blazing suns rose from his five fingers while four suns remained within his palms, burning brightly with life.
He clenched his fist and his five fingers held on viciously tight on the nine suns. He did not even bother to evade the powerful attack and met the punch head-on.
Fist against fist.
Bam!!
He released his vigor path!
The vitality of the nine suns drove into the body of this warrior from Guifang, like a delicate leather hose connecting to a powerful water pump.
All of a sudden, the brute's body expanded by a few times. His skin could no longer endure the expansion as he painfully held on for a few seconds before exploding in a bloody splash. His blood and flesh splattered, falling onto Xia Ji's face. However, it was burnt off by the inner vitality of the Nine Suns and was quickly absorbed by the demonic armor as the flesh and blood fell upon it.
The snow fell.
The blood rose.
Xia Ji stood between both army formations as his right hand grabbed a piece of burning flesh that had fallen onto the armor on his shoulder and he flung it away nonchalantly before waving his hand toward the distance.
The Guifang warriors appeared one after the other on their wolves, each exploding to their deaths by Xia Ji's crude and cruel fashion.
This massacre triggered thoughts of the last ancient generation's way of killing, which had the bloodiest and most savage methods.
As the figures upon the walls of the Imperial Capital watched dumbfounded, they slowly regained their morale.
It would be soon.
The snowy ground in front of Xia Ji was completely colored red by blood. The scene looked like a butcher who was just done with cutting up meat and had dropped remnants of his trade all about. Many places even had flesh and blood piled up into little hills.
Chi Kui had slain nineteen, but now, Xia Ji's extreme kills had far exceeded this number.
There were birds in the North that stayed hidden within the tall mountains. They had magnificent feathers and did not fly nor sing for three years, waiting for the right moment of wind and cloud to form.
When the winds and clouds arrived, these birds would immediately fly straight up into the sky despite never flapping their wings in the air. They may appear mediocre, but it was only until the fat lady sings.
The Imperial City and Guifang watched the Imperial Prince standing in the middle of the dance floor. He had been studying Buddhist scriptures for more than three years but was now like a demon gone mad.
For a moment, heaven and earth were silent.
There was no longer anyone rushing out from the Guifang army's camp. The battlefield was like a meat grinding machine that had now fallen into a dead silence.
Xia Ji casually tossed a human head aside as he said with a calm expression while circulating his inner vitality, "Next."
However, no one answered him again and there was no enemy appearing from the army.
This Shang Dynasty Imperial Prince waited for a long moment before his lips suddenly broke into a smile. He lifted his head and started laughing madly as the sound pierced the ears of both armies amidst the snowstorm.