Chapter 1 Ming Prefecture Wang, Iron Threshold Wang

"Ming Prefecture Wang, Iron Threshold Wang, the One Coin Sect. To think that mere loaches from the pond dare to pose as dragonspawn and challenge me?"

The three armies arrived before the gates of Fierce Tiger Pass, their momentum magnificent, their killing intent overwhelming.

Behind the pass, however, watching the vast army gather before them presented a different scene. Every man's gaze was cold and sinister as they glared at the approaching troops, their faces twisted with humiliation and rage.

Since the rise of the God-Given Wang, his reputation had soared. He had experienced dozens of battles, always invincible. Wherever he went, he was met either by surrender or utter slaughter.

Never before had he been forced to this point, his city captured and besieged, insulted to his face.

He had always indulged his troops and confidants, as well as the sects and gangs loyal to him. This earned him a bad reputation among the common people, but it also ensured the extreme loyalty of his subordinates. Moreover, every battle was marked by widespread slaughter, cultivating an aura of ferocity.

At this moment, the troops, regardless of anything else, were brimming with anger, ready to explode.

"Your Majesty, should we go out and talk to them?"

Amidst the fury, there were still some clear-headed individuals who offered suggestions in low voices within the pass.

"Talk? What is there to talk about?"

The God-Given Wang, sitting on his throne, clad in black armor, slender in build, and with cold, sinister features, merely sneered.

In truth, this great battle was an undeserved calamity for him.

While sweeping through the dozen or so armies to the north, he had already learned why his well-planned alliance had turned into a situation where everyone wanted him dead.

The Tricks Sect!

They had swapped seals and stoked conflict everywhere, creating countless enemies for him in just a few days, all without leaving a trace. Who else could it be but those Jianghu tricksters?

He had heard that the ancestor of the Tricks Sect was named Zhao, but he had never offended anyone with that surname.

However, he had killed a sorcerer named Chen in Qu Prefecture.

That man had been putting on airs and acting like an expert right under his nose, talking about the state of the world and the entanglements of fate. Who had the patience for that?

He had simply ordered his men to seize him and behead him on the city wall.

It seemed that these strange and troublesome events had begun around that time.

In any case, even though he understood that someone was playing tricks, and that the three armies outside were likely provoked, the God-Given Wang had no intention of explaining himself.

Now that they had invaded Qu Prefecture, dispersed many of the troops nominally under his command, and captured several counties, the two sides were locked in a stalemate, and the air was thick with killing intent. To explain himself now would only diminish his prestige.

"Since they dare to come, then let's see what they're capable of."

As he spoke in a deep voice, the black-armored figure slowly stood up, his armor clanking.

Drip, drip, drip. Accumulated blood from the seams of his armor dripped onto the ground.

"I've always loathed alliances and intrigues, and I despise those Jianghu sorcerers who hide behind the scenes and give orders. If I have the Mandate of Heaven, then I will slaughter everyone in the world. Whoever blocks my path will have their head chopped off."

"If I don't have the Mandate of Heaven, I'll kill until everyone is afraid and no one dares to compete with me. Then I'll be the emperor just the same."

Having spent days in constant battles, hardly closing his eyes, and wearing his iron armor for days without removing it, the God-Given Wang showed no signs of fatigue. On the contrary, his killing intent was even stronger.

As he stood up, even his advisors and lieutenants felt a pang of fear in their hearts, and they retreated a few steps, kneeling on the ground with their buttocks raised high to show their respect. He simply waved his hand and said, "Open the gate."

"I'll personally go and see them and give them a grand gift."

"Tell my men not to rush to remove their armor. After we deliver this grand gift, they'll have plenty of time to rest."

"..."

"..."

"It has long been said that the God-Given Wang is brutal, slaughtering people like mowing grass and oppressing the people like a vicious tiger. How dare you have the face to include the word 'God' in your title? Today, our three armies have joined forces and come before your gates to erase the 'God' from your title and to avenge the people of Qu Prefecture!"

"You who follow the God-Given Wang are aiding and abetting evil, and your crimes are equally heinous. Why don't you surrender quickly, open the gates, and what are you waiting for?"

"You won't shed tears until you see the coffin. When we break down the gates, it will be too late to surrender!"

"..."

At the same time, before the gates, seeing the Fierce Tiger Pass built against the mountain, extremely imposing, the generals from various armies stepped forward on the open ground.

A row of banners waved in the wind. There was General Shen Hongzhi from the Grain Protection Army, Right General Zhou Liang, Vanguard Officer Zhao Zhu, the Four Stalwarts of Old Yin Mountain, Iron Threshold Wang Zhou Datong, flanked by the Left and Right Gate Guardians of the Iron Threshold Army.

On the other side were the Tiger General Sun Family Grandpa from the White Armor Army, the Master of the Serpent Soup Altar, and various underlings and vanguard officers.

Each of them possessed unique skills and had experienced battles. They stood in a line, majestic and imposing.

Having arrived before the Fierce Tiger Pass, if the enemy did not come out to fight, they would, as usual, need to engage in a verbal barrage.

Armies often had a group of people specifically trained for this purpose, who were the most skilled at cursing.

They had shown themselves and said a few harsh words. Seeing that the enemy did not react, they prepared to return to their formations to rest and let the professionals do the cursing.

"Coffin?"

But at that moment, a cold laugh was heard from inside the pass, extremely distant, yet clearly audible to everyone.

"I've never liked coffins. Killing too many people makes coffin-making too slow, and digging pits can't keep up with the burials."

Everyone was startled. Looking up, they saw that the gate had been opened. The person riding at the forefront was a man clad in black armor, riding a white horse with red eyes.

Beside him, a dense mass of troops, each of them tall and strong, seemed to possess an unyielding black aura, as if they had been immersed in the souls of the wronged for years, forming an intense baleful aura.

Whoosh!

At the same time, rows upon rows of troops, stretching as far as the eye could see, appeared on the pass, all drawing their powerful bows.

At that moment, everyone seemed to hear the faint roar of a tiger.

A fierce wind, rising with the opening of the gate and the appearance of the troops, rushed towards their faces, carrying a soul-stirring aura of resentment that made it difficult to stand firm.

"Is this the aura of the God-Given Wang, who has killed countless people?"

"Damn it, he's not a blessed general protected by ghosts and gods. He's clearly a demon who has killed so many that even ghosts and gods fear him!"

"Not only him, but each of his personal guards must have countless lives on their hands. They've killed so many that they've developed a kind of indifference, aversion, and even lost the distinction between life and death."

"..."

"..."

Even at this distance, everyone was screaming internally. Apart from those from the Shou Sui Sect (the Grave-Keeping Sect), the other generals couldn't help but retreat.

Even the red lanterns hanging in the Grain Protection Army seemed to dim slightly the moment he appeared.

"Everyone says I'm brutal, but I don't think so."

The God-Given Wang came out of the pass and stopped about fifty zhang away from the three armies. He spoke lazily, without any contrived grandeur. Instead, he gestured casually with his riding crop.

He said calmly, "I never enjoy blessings alone, so my brothers are willing to follow me, even at this point, when you have already killed my people and taken my counties and supplies."

"But I'm still willing to give you a chance."

"..."

As he spoke, he slowly pointed his riding crop towards Yang Gong's central command tent: "You!"

Then he pointed to the Iron Threshold Wang's tent: "You!"

Then he pointed to the White Armor Army, pausing slightly in front of Grandpa Sun: "And you can be included."

After pointing at the three armies, his riding crop didn't stop. Instead, it moved again slowly, as if searching carefully, and pointed towards the distant mountains.

No one else could see anyone there, but he seemed to faintly sense that Hu Ma and other recluses were overlooking the battlefield from there. He pointed his riding crop directly at them, sneering, "And you self-proclaimed extraordinary Jianghu people."

"This is the last chance I'll give you!"

"If you're willing to come over and kowtow now, I'll spare you."

"In the future, when I rule the world, you can have whatever official position you want, whatever women you want, and if you want fame, I'll give you fame."

"..."

For a moment, everything was silent. Everyone was stunned by the arrogance in his words, and their hearts skipped a beat. Countless words seemed to be stuck in their throats.

Most importantly, this arrogant statement didn't seem like a joke. It seemed real.

"You're about to die, and you're still boasting here?"

In the oppressive silence, someone finally couldn't help but speak. A junior general from the White Armor Army stepped forward, drew his bow, and shouted, "First, take my arrow!"

As he spoke, with a *whoosh*, the arrow left the string and shot through the air.

An ordinary military bow could shoot sixty or seventy zhang, but it would lose its power and be difficult to injure anyone.

Therefore, armies often faced off at a distance of fifty zhang.

But this person was from Shou Sui, and his arm strength was astonishing. He spared no expense in creating this precious bow, which could kill even at a hundred zhang. Now, feeling extremely repressed, and knowing that he could earn an immense merit by killing the God-Given Wang,

he unleashed this arrow with a loud shout.

It was unexpected, but the God-Given Wang merely sneered. His iron armor had a face mask, so his expression couldn't be seen, but his contempt was clear.

In the sneer, he suddenly grabbed a long spear from beside him. Without even seeing him exert any strength, the long spear flew through the air with a *whoosh*, the wind roaring and the air pierced through.

*Chih!*

After knocking the arrow out of the way, its momentum didn't diminish. In an instant, it reached the side of the junior general who had shot the arrow, and was about to pierce his chest.

"Not good!"

Grandpa Sun was shocked and hurriedly reached out to grab the spear. He felt an immense force on the spear. Even with his skills as a Shou Sui adept, he couldn't hold it steady, and his palm was cut and bloodied by the force of the spear.

Looking at the junior general again, his chest mirror had been pierced, and a finger-length spear tip had entered his body.

The injury wasn't serious enough to kill him, but his face was pale, and he was clearly terrified.

"I've said what I needed to say. If you insist on seeking death, I won't stop you."

The God-Given Wang simply waved his hand lazily after throwing the spear and said, "These past few days, various bandits and sects have been provoking me in the north. I just went for a stroll and killed people for a few days, and I'm a little tired."

"But I've brought back a little something, so I'll give it to you first. See what happens to those who disobey me."

"..."

As he spoke, he turned his horse around, and his troops followed, directly returning to the pass.

Just as everyone was about to speak, they suddenly saw carts passing through the army formations and being pushed to the front.

One by one, row by row, they were pushed forward heavily. With a sudden heave, the handles of the carts were flipped, and piles of dark, murky objects rolled down.

Looking closely, they were heads, one after another.

There were too many of them. Row upon row of wooden carts were pushed into the field, and in an instant, they were piled high, forming more than a dozen small mountains.

Before the shock could dissipate, they suddenly heard someone whistling from halfway up the mountain on the pass.

They hurriedly turned their heads and saw that on the mountain, wooden beams were being pulled away, and on the pass, baskets and piles of heads, held in fishing nets and wooden fences, were tumbling down.

They were densely packed, as if stones were falling from a collapsed mountain. A quick glance showed that they seemed endless. Some of the heads rolled down so quickly that they almost reached their feet.

There were men, women, old people, and children among them. Some even looked less than a year old, like blood gourds, squeezed together in a dark mass, their hair and blood, along with the gruesome wounds on their necks, all mixed together.

"This..."

Just looking at the heads was chilling, let alone in this quantity.

The dense mass had completely panicked countless people on the field.

Some even felt slightly dizzy, and they were subconsciously thinking that this filled the mountains and fields, covering the battlefield. It was probably...

...close to ten thousand?

"Is this the spoils of war that the God-Given Wang brought back from sweeping the dozen or so invading armies in the north?"

Thinking of this, everyone panicked. In normal battles, win or lose, the winner would often only execute the ringleaders, and the rest would either be incorporated or dispersed. Where had anyone ever seen every single head being cut off?

Even ten thousand laborers would be hard to gather, but here were ten thousand heads. It seemed that wherever he went, he slaughtered everyone, regardless of rank, age, or gender, indiscriminately killing good and evil...

Looking at the heads, covered in dust, blood, and tightly closed eyes, everyone felt their scalps tingle.

Flies swarmed between the heads, and the stench of blood drilled into their noses, making them even more frightened and nauseated.

Countless people wanted to say something, but they didn't even dare to open their mouths. Some troops had heads rolling to their feet, but they didn't even dare to kick them away, let alone crouch down and touch them. They subconsciously recoiled, wanting only to get away.

Saying this or that, threats, curses, none of it worked.

The God-Given Wang's tens of thousands of heads were enough to chill anyone to the bone, scaring them out of their wits.

"We...we..."

Among the three armies, there were many capable people, but now they were suddenly at a loss for what to do.

Chase after the God-Given Wang?

But the ground was covered in heads, and even the horses raised their hooves, afraid to step down. Who dared to trample over these heads and charge forward?

Shout curses?

In the face of these heads, any words were weak.

Just as the three armies were silent, they saw that the God-Given Wang had returned to the pass. On the Fierce Tiger Pass, a hunched figure wearing tattered cloth robes squinted at the battlefield and grinned.

"If you want to enter the pass, then first see if you have the ability to break our Head Array..."

As he spoke, he hopped and skipped, with disheveled hair, picked up a wooden sword, chanted a spell for a long time, and then lightly waved it, pointing outwards.

*Whoosh!*

An extremely cold wind suddenly blew down from the Fierce Tiger Pass, chillingly passing through the entire battlefield.

The next moment, all the heads on the ground were blown by the wind and shook simultaneously, and pairs of dim eyes opened blankly.

The dense mass of heads rolled on the ground at various angles, and the dense mass of eyes looked in all directions, as if everyone on the field was being stared at by different heads.

Strangely, however, none of these eyes turned to look back at the Fierce Tiger Pass.

As the heads' eyes opened, their stiff mouths also opened slightly, and a faint black aura was exhaled.

Endless black aura intertwined together, and a black wind seemed to surge on the field. A dark mist rose from the ground, slowly covering the entire area, enveloping the three armies.

"Not good..."

Someone in the three armies shouted, it was the Grain Protection Army's advisor, Iron Mouth Zi: "Retreat, retreat!"

The souls of the soldiers seemed to be awakened at this moment, and they retreated in a panic.

The black mist came quickly before the Fierce Tiger Pass, but they retreated even more urgently, retreating several miles until they were finally far away from the pass.

Looking up, the area before the Fierce Tiger Pass had formed a black mist-shrouded area. Occasionally, they could see a pale face flashing in the mist, its dull gaze coldly sweeping over everyone's faces.

"The Head Array..."

Even when the armies had retreated to a safe place, the advisor Iron Mouth Zi's heart had not settled down, "Coming to the Fierce Tiger Pass, the first thing we encountered was such a Head Array."

"Are they people, or demons?"

Amidst countless exclamations and roars, there was an unerasable fear: "Demon army, ghost army!"

"I've been fighting for many years, and I've seen many spells in the army that break demonic powers, but this is the first time I've seen demonic powers forcing back an army."

"How can this battle be fought?"

The three armies had formed an alliance, and military discipline was strict, but now an unrestrained panic had risen on the field. Countless people were pale, inhaling sharply, and saying, "Who dares to fight in this ghostly place?"

"Usually, we see various Taoists and capable people from all walks of life in the Jianghu, some are powerful, some are just trying to get by, always talking about summoning wind and rain, turning stone into gold..."

"But those Jianghu tricks, no matter which sect they belong to, compared to this Head Array, even the tricks of the local officials seem like small-scale games..."