Chapter 206: Chapter 203 Marquis Guan Dao Fruit
July 30th.
The Red Eyebrow Army fought and won consecutively, sweeping through the entire Tianshui County.
There were also a large number of people in various places who, due to water and food problems, resorted to banditry; some truly joined the Red Eyebrow Army, while others borrowed its name, causing the western five counties to be engulfed in the flames of war.
A large number of civilians fled, some to Fufeng County neighboring another state, others migrated west, and with the help of people from the Buddha Country, they crossed the border; but even more died on the way, or were coerced by the Red Eyebrow Army to become part of the bandit army.
August 3rd.
The State Mansion dispatched troops, with Ji Chengye, the Heir of Prince Lu, as the general, leading 6,000 cavalry and 30,000 foot soldiers to meet the enemy in the west.
August 4th.
The vanguard of the Red Eyebrow Army’s front forces died in battle before Ji Chengye of Prince Lu, and the official army won its first battle.
August 5th.
Several leaders of the Red Eyebrow Army died mysteriously without cause, the official army pursued their victory, their momentum like a bamboo splitting apart.
August 6th.
Under the leadership of Ji Chengye, the Heir of Prince Lu, 3,000 cavalrymen carried out a thousand-mile raid, and with the help of local righteous men, they conquered four cities in succession, their fame spreading far and wide.
When Jiang Li heard about the mysterious deaths of the Red Eyebrow Army’s leaders, he knew Cheng Ye had "opened" it.
The Red Eyebrow Army’s support from the Taiping Sect was suspected, and while not everyone in the army was an expert, they were definitely all cultivators, and they were not so easily killed mysteriously. This situation could only mean that Lord Cui had made a move, directly reducing the lifespan of those individuals with the Book of Life and Death.
The war was unequal from the very start, with a vast gap in strength between the two sides. If the Taiping Sect were truly to rebel, there would have been a chance for a fight; even the entire Yong Province might have been at risk of falling if the court didn’t shift personnel.
However, the Taiping Sect did not choose to break open hostilities and never contemplated that the Red Eyebrow Army could truly accomplish anything significant.
This chaos was only a tactic used by the Taiping Sect to shake the court’s credibility, not a direct confrontation with the court with drums and gongs.
Thus, this was destined to be just a slaughter.
From east to west, Ji Chengye led the army on raids, invincible wherever they went, unconquerable in every battle. The enemy’s leaders mysteriously died before battles, and even the lower ranks fell like wheat before a scythe; Ji Chengye only had to charge through them.
In such circumstances, the Red Eyebrow Army continued to suffer defeats.
...
...
In the dark and gloomy great hall, a pale hand flipped through the pitch-black pages of a book, with blood-red letters continually appearing.
Every time a line of text materialized, it represented the death of a person, and the pale hand’s owner occasionally added a few strokes, actively modifying the text to harvest lives.
"The Red Eyebrow Army has been crushed, and the bandit chief Xu Xiangyang has also fallen to my hands. Yet there’s still no sign of the Taiping Sect’s experts making their move, it seems the Taiping Sect has no real intention of entering the fray," the man with a pale, beardless face, wearing a red robe, said in a cold voice.
Opposite him sat a middle-aged man with a complexion as pale as golden paper, dressed in splendid attire, gasping for breath, who was the seriously wounded and dying Prince Lu.
"The majesty of Great Zhou cannot be matched by any mere sect," said Prince Lu weakly, "If Zhang Zhixuan is not insane, he would never think that he could oppose the court with just a bunch of peasants. Tell me, how many Yin Souls have been collected?"
"160,000."
Lord Cui flipped through the book in his hand and said: "The Awakened and Karma Tathagata suffered more than 200,000 casualties in their great battle in the past, but actually less than 100,000 residual souls remained; the rest were obliterated by the aftershocks. Now as Your Highness ascends, with the Yin Law Department gathering souls, the casualties across Yong Province have also surpassed 200,000, of which 160,000 are usable. The quantity, it should be enough."
"Not enough."
Hearing this, Prince Lu shook his head and said, "King Zhuanlun was once a Great Arhat of the Buddha Country and was known to have the stature of a Three Grade Great Master, far surpassing myself. He sacrificed himself for the salvation of ten thousand souls, not in a state of near-death, and was indeed in a much better state than myself. Were places swapped, I do not believe I could succeed in ascending as he did."
"In that case, we will add more," Lord Cui said dispassionately, "King Zhuanlun needed to save ten thousand souls, and the quantity of Yin Souls is not the more the better, but King Yanluo indeed needs Ten Thousand Ghosts for the tide, forming the Ghost Gate; the more, the better the effect."
Prince Lu gestured with his hand and said, "Add another forty thousand to make it a total of 200,000. If there are not enough bandit soldiers, then fill the number with peasants."
"Yes."
Behind Prince Lu, an individual respectfully agreed, slowly retreating.
This was to go instruct the Heir of Prince Lu to continue harvesting.
They needed forty thousand souls, but perhaps more than that would die. If Lord Cui used the Book of Life and Death, the consumption would definitely not be small; it would be better to have Cheng Ye handle it directly with his troops.
That individual left the room and met a bull-headed man who stood nearly ten feet tall guarding the outside of the hall. He immediately gave the order: "By Prince’s decree, add another forty thousand."
The bull-headed man nodded: "Understood."
After speaking, he called out in a deep voice, "Big White Ox Cart."
The white ox, pulling the cart, slowly appeared. The bull-headed man boarded the cart, closed his eyes for a moment to sense the surroundings, and then with a wave of his steel fork, he and the cart began to speed up gradually, becoming ethereal, as if entering another world.
...
...
Yong Province, Anding County, Qi Mountain.
Along the mountain path, soldiers clad in armor and wielding sharp weapons stood firm and resolute. From the foot of the mountain to the peak, an aura of Soldier Evil lingered heavily in the air, clearly belonging to warriors who had long been accustomed to slaughter.
Even if all their battles had been one-sided domination, the air about them after taking lives was decidedly different.
At the top of the mountain, a wooden ritual altar was under construction.
Ji Cheng Ye, wearing light gold Bright Armor and holding a battle sword honed from solid rock, leaned on it beside him. The scholar’s aura he once bore was wiped clean, replaced by the seasoned and determined presence of an old soldier from the battlefields.
Great Zhou did not adhere to a bifurcated system of civil and military officials. Any court officers who met the standards in both literary and military achievements could switch roles freely between commanding armies and holding court positions.
Even the Imperial College did not teach only the literary arts, but made sure to cover all Six Arts of Confucianism.
Like Ji Cheng Ye, the Dao Fruit he contained at Eighth Rank was that of a Puppet Soldier, expertly versed in the Six Arts of Confucianism, particularly the Manipulation Technique. His familiarity with horses and chariots was no less than that of military commanders.
Or rather, he had always harbored designs on army and military power, which was why he chose the Dao Fruit of a Puppet Soldier. Furthermore, the Marquis Guan Dao Fruit he was about to be promoted to also posed no conflict with his own nature.
"Soon now."
Watching the Ritual Altar nearing completion, Ji Cheng Ye revealed an uncontrollable frenzy, "Senior Brother Ming, do you know what Dao Fruit I’m about to be promoted to? It is the unique Marquis Guan in this world. Once I’ve been promoted to this Dao Fruit, even in the face of Zhong Shen Xiu himself, I shall not be afraid."
Ming Yang, whom Ji Cheng Ye had kept by his side, was still bound by golden ropes, his power completely sealed, and in a poor state. However, his spirits appeared much improved from his previous demeanor of utter hopelessness.
Hearing Ji Cheng Ye’s words, Ming Yang showed a look of disdain, "Someone like you, as insignificant as a mouse, dares to contend with Senior Brother Zhong? Free me, and I will teach you a lesson on behalf of Senior Brother Zhong."
"A lesson?" Ji Cheng Ye laughed heartily, "Senior Brother, you wish to perish together with me, don’t you? Having known you for years, how could your thoughts escape me? Unfortunately, Senior Brother, your trump cards are all exhausted. Even if I were willing to release you, you wouldn’t be able to kill me."
Long before, Ji Cheng Ye had prepared himself for a falling out with Ming Yang, deliberately allowing him to exhaust all his life-saving tricks to ensure an easy victory should they become enemies.
The development of events had proceeded far more smoothly than Ji Cheng Ye had initially anticipated. Not only was Ming Yang easily subdued by him, but he could also be used as a bargaining chip to threaten Zhong Shen Xiu.
While they conversed, the simple altar was swiftly completed.
As Ji Cheng Ye was about to ascend the altar to perform the Sacrifice to Heaven, a faint disturbance arose by his side. A white Ghostly Bull Cart rushed out, with the Bull-headed figure standing atop it, saying, "Heir, the Prince has decreed to add another forty thousand."
"Forty thousand? But the captives are less than thirty thousand..."
Ji Cheng Ye first furrowed his brow, but then he relaxed and said, "Send people to search the surrounding villages and towns to make up the numbers. Perfect, I also want to see if my Senior Brother Zhong will still be able to restrain himself upon seeing the killing of innocent people."
He knew the reason why Zhong Shen Xiu had not yet taken action was that Zhong needed Ji Cheng Ye to perform the charade of suppressing the rebellion.
Without Ji Cheng Ye’s participation, the Red Eyebrow Army wouldn’t be so easily quelled, leading to even greater losses.
Now that the Red Eyebrow Army had been routed, with only the remnant soldiers fleeing in all directions, it was time for Senior Brother Zhong to appear.
After giving the order and seeing his soldiers carry it out, Ji Cheng Ye strode onto the ritual altar. He took the long incense passed to him and proclaimed loudly, "As the Heir of Prince Lu of Great Zhou, I, of the Ji Family named Cheng Ye, have defeated the enemy’s forces, beheading over ten thousand. Within ten days, the great chaos was quelled. I hereby report this to Heaven, hoping for the clear judgment of Heaven and Earth to showcase my achievements."
The altar was rudimentary, and the sacrificial words simple, but what mattered was not the ritual itself, but the completed thousand-mile raid and the military achievements enough to warrant nobility.
A Blood Light burst forth from Ji Cheng Ye’s body, rising and taking form in the sky, conjuring images of Golden Spear and Iron Horse, the deeds of slaying the enemy and defeating robbers. Blood-colored auras, like flowing water, converged into a sphere that suddenly plunged towards Ji Cheng Ye’s brow.
"Boom!"
He suddenly released a powerful aura, his Essence, Qi, and Spirit wildly surging in an instant. Overwhelming power filled every corner of his body, giving him a feeling of invincibility.
[Sixth Grade Dao Fruit: General Cavalry·Champion Marquis]
[Category: Human]
[Fitting Conditions: Establish military achievements enough for nobility before the age of eighteen]
[Promotion Ceremony: Traverse a thousand miles in a great battle, leading to a grand victory]
[Ability: Thousand-Mile Raid, Courageous Crown of Three Armies, Talent Envied by Heaven, Sealing Langju]
Within these, [Sealing Langju] allowed him to transform the battle outcomes of the Promotion Ceremony into strength that would augment his own body. The greater the victory, the stronger the force.
Although Ji Cheng Ye had cheated, he truly possessed ample military success, enabling his Three Elements to surge dramatically, with his Qi Element and Essence Element even doubling.
"This is the Uniqueness Dao Fruit; this is power."
Ji Cheng Ye laughed maniacally, "With this Divine Power, what fear do I have of others? Zhong Shen Xiu, Jiang Li, they are all inconsequential and will eventually become my defeated foes."
As the long-conceived plans materialized, the profound joy Ji Cheng Ye felt couldn’t be restrained, and he displayed an exuberant bravado.
Simultaneously, cries of anguish resounded; these were the screams of captives being slain, as a chilling Death Qi spread, blanketing the sky and causing the daylight to dim.