~~~

Liu Jin stands in front of the Grand Storm. Murong Bang and General Nie Dan are on his right and left side, respectively. Behind them are several thousand men. Of all those people, the only ones not staring at Liu Jin’s back are the ones who are too far behind to see him. Everyone is waiting for him to undo the Grand Storm so the attack on the Storm Dragon Palace can begin.

Liu Jin is still not sure if he can do that.

When he asked about it, Murong Bang laughed, slapped his back so hard he nearly knocked him over, and said that Liu Jin merely needed to shout his name really loudly and demand entrance. General Nie Dan rolled his eyes and said that merely touching the Grand Storm would do it.

Liu Jin is inclined to believe the latter.

Despite that, he has yet to make a move.

There is something humbling about standing in front of the Grand Storm. Now that he is but a few steps away from it, Liu Jin can appreciate how fierce the storm is. It should be impossible for him to not feel even the slightest gust of wind, but that is the reality. The immense power of the storm is perfectly contained within a set boundary, and it feels as if trying to cross it would result in him being instantly shredded by the winds.

Of course, that will not happen. Not to him. As everyone keeps reminding him lately, he is of royal blood. That single fact means he can do what others cannot. No matter how he feels about it, it is an undeniable truth.

Liu Jin takes a deep breath and sticks out his hand.

The Grand Storm howls.

It is like hundreds of thunderclaps going off at once. A roar reaching into the heavens. The power of the Grand Storm unleashed can be no less. However, that is also all it is. There is no shockwave. The army is not suddenly buffeted by the fierce winds and rain contained within. The Grand Storm does not actually explode.

It merely fades away,

It is no different from dirty glass being cleaned. Before Liu Jin even realizes it, there is nothing blocking his sight anymore. For the first time, he lays eyes on the Storm Dragon’s Palace and finds it familiar.

The large army standing in front of the palace is also familiar, albeit for different reasons.

About one-third of the army is made of soldiers of the Storm Dragon Empire. There have to be thousands of them. While Murong Bang and General Nie Dan’s armies were fighting their way here, General He Bin must have recalled all the soldiers stationed elsewhere for this battle.

The other two-thirds of the army is made of monsters.

There are, Liu Jin supposes, more than a few normal Spirit Beasts in the opposing army. Large lions with powerful claws and boars with tusks that can pierce grown men through their armor. However, that’s a relative minority. By large, the enemy army is made up of the creatures of the Death Fashioning Scripture.

Some of the creatures tower over the whole army. Big shapes whose shadows turn day to night as they pass. There are also smaller monsters. Little critters all standing so close to each other that they look like a sea of flesh that wiggles and shivers every other second.

Though General Nie Dan and Murong Bang’s soldiers have done their best to burn and destroy any corpses on their path, that has clearly not done as much to deprive the Fleshcrafter of resources as they would have liked. General He Bin must have been gathering corpses for him. Depending on how far back his alliance with the Death Fashioning Scripture stretches, he could have been doing it for years. All in case a moment like this ever arrived.

No one moves.

No one breathes.

For a single moment, there is a nearly perfect stillness. With the Grand Storm gone, the armies stare at each other for the first time. Soldiers on both sides gulp and tense up, waiting for an unspoken signal.

Murong Bang gladly gives it to them.

The man leaps to the front, making the earth tremble as he does, and unleashes a torrent of flames. The fire rages across the field, heading directly towards the palace gates. Man and beast alike are reduced to cinders the instant those flames touch them, and the earth is left as molten rock. Hundreds die in the blink of an eye.

However, Murong Bang’s attack never reached the palace. Before his fire can get close, a new Qi rises and smothers Murong Bang’s flames with the same ease someone would use to put out a common candle. Though Liu Jin is certain the Storm Dragon could have done that if he wanted to, this is not his work. This Qi is different.

This must be General He Bin’s Qi.

Rather than getting angry at the ease with which his attack is dealt with, Murong Bang laughs. He probably expected that outcome. The attack that easily killed hundreds was likely no more than a greeting. Not even close to his full power.

“Well?” Murong Bang roars. His Qi carries his voice across the land. “What are you waiting for? Go kill!”

“Soldiers! Engage!” General Dan orders at the same time.

Embolstered by Murong Bang’s attack, the men advance. A breath later, General He Bin’s army rushes to meet them head-on. The roar of the soldiers and the clanging of steel makes noise that will not lose even to the Grand Storm.

Liu Jin knows a lot of thought was put into this battle. Perhaps not from Murong Bang, but he knows for a fact that General Nie Dan spent several days strategizing, and General He Bin likely put in a similar effort. Their armies have likely memorized a wide variety of formations. If Liu Jin were to look at the battle from above, he’d probably be able to appreciate the strategic manner in which their armies try to position themselves.

However, Liu Jin is not flying high up. He is on the ground, and on the ground, it’s all chaos as far as the eye can see. It’s hundreds of bodies mashed into each other to the point it’s hard to tell where one army begins and the other ends. It doesn’t help that none of the three generals deemed it necessary to make too many changes to the base armor worn by their soldiers.

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There are shouts and screams. Fire and lightning. The critters of the Death Fashioning Scripture swarm over the field, immediately killing hundreds of soldiers from both sides while the giant creatures slowly lumber forward. The muddy ground is soon stained with red, and the air is heavy with the scent of blood and smoke.

How utterly pointless.

Murong Bang or General Nie Dan could end this farce in an instant. However, they’re still trying to force General He Bin to act first. Rather than them, it’s cultivators like Colonel Peng and Mud who quickly take to the field to fight the giant monsters of the Fleshcrafter.

“You do not seem to be enjoying yourself.”

Liu Jin glances at Bright Sword. The Heaven Realm cultivator is standing next to him, looking at the battle with the same interest one would feel for a trail of ants.

“I do not see how anyone can enjoy himself in a situation like this,” Liu Jin replies, warily inching away from Bright Sword.

It is pointless, of course. Bright Sword is Murong Bang’s strongest fighter. Liu Jin can be on his guard all he wants. It won’t make a difference if Bright Sword decides he wants to hurt him, not that Liu Jin thinks he will. For now, they are on the same side.

Bright Sword just happens to be the person who killed Xiao Nan.

Yun Han’s words are still loud and clear in his head. It is not as if he suddenly wishes to take revenge on Bright Sword. Even saying he harbors any hate towards him would be a bit too much. Many people dear to Liu Jin died when Eastern Port City fell. Bright Sword being the one who killed Xiao Nan does not make him special.

And yet…

“As valid a point as any, I suppose,” Bright Sword says. “Everyone has their own tastes, and not everyone enjoys carnage as much as General Murong does. I certainly do not.”

There are many things Liu Jin wants to say to that, but he bites his tongue. It’s bad enough that Bright Sword is speaking to him so casually while thousands kill each other hundreds of yards away. Liu Jin refuses to humor him by engaging in conversation. The only reason why Liu Jin has yet to walk away is because he has no choice in the matter.

After all, Bright Sword is in charge of his safety.

Liu Jin being of royal blood is the only reason why an attack on the Storm Dragon Palace is even possible. If he were to die, the Grand Storm would resume and expel them out. Thus, for everyone’s sake, it is best if Liu Jin stays back. At least until they have cleared the way to the palace, and what better person to keep him safe until that time than the strongest fighter Murong Bang has to offer?

Liu Jin is not amused by this.

“Congratulations on killing Han, by the way,” Bright Sword says. “I can sense your cultivation has improved greatly. It is not often someone so young has such a well-defined Dao.”

Liu Jin feels a heavy weight in his stomach.

“Can you… tell what it is?” He asks with no small amount of hesitation. He still remembers Elder Xun’s warning.

“If you cannot, how could I possibly do so?” Bright Sword replies. Something tells Liu Jin that Bright Sword is telling the truth, but he also suspects he chose to phrase it in an annoying way on purpose. “Amusing as it would be to speculate, it would not do to get distracted.”

Bright Sword lazily points to the side, and one of the monsters that had been sneaking underground is immediately killed.

“You are, after all, a wanted man,” Bright Sword finishes.

“I had that,” Liu Jin says. “But thanks.”

“It is my job,” Bright Sword replies. “According to the generals, you will be untouchable as soon as we enter the palace. However, no such protection exists right now, and the disciple of the Death Fashioning Scripture is so very angry with you.”

As if to punctuate Bright Sword’s statement, one of the creatures loudly shouts his name, Qing Jin, at that exact moment.

“He sounds like a babe pried away from his mother’s breasts. It’s impressive, really,” Bright Sword says, rubbing his chin. His gaze shifts over to the dog next to Liu Jin. “Almost as impressive as your ability to subvert their arts. I imagine that’s why he is so angry at you.”

Not trusting himself to say anything, Liu Jin merely nods.

“It’s only natural. There is not a single person who likes to be outdone by an amateur,” Bright Sword says. “However, it does present us with an exciting opportunity. It would be a waste not to take advantage of it, wouldn't you agree?"

Before Liu Jin can ask Bright Sword what he means by that, the older cultivator grabs him by his robes and throws him over his back like a sack of rice. Liu Jin’s dog barely has time to bite onto his clothes to avoid being left behind as Bright Sword leaps into the fray.

“What are you doing?” Liu Jin yells.

“Oh? Is it not obvious?” Bright Sword asks. “The Fleshcrafter makes up the bulk of the enemy forces. The Fleshcrafter also clearly wants to kill you. That being the case, using you as bait seems to me like the most logical choice.”

Bright Sword blurs across the battlefield as he speaks, taking down scores of men whenever he passes.

“If the Fleshcrafter is focused on killing you, he will not be as effective fighting us, and we’ll be able to break into the palace much sooner,” Bright Sword continues. “And if I manage to get you inside the palace while fighting him, all the better. No one ever said we had to wait for things to be settled out here.”

As many issues as Liu Jin has with that idea, Bright Sword’s plan quickly proves effective. Wherever they pass, the Fleshcrafter’s creatures soon begin to give chase.

“Qing Jin!”

“Qing Jin!”

“Qing Jin!”

Within seconds, there is a veritable horde after them, all of them screaming his name. It might be killing anything in its path, but Bright Sword is also successfully leading it away from where the bulk of the fighting is taking place.

“There is no possible way a single cultivator can control thousands of bodies at once with anything resembling precision,” Bright Sword says as he cuts down a large bag of flesh that explodes into worms. “In fact, with so many bodies, it’s impossible for the controller’s inner thoughts and feelings to not bleed into the surface. In this case, his hatred for you.”

And how does he know all that?

Liu Jin is about to ask when a giant worm leaps out from underground. Liu Jin waves his hand and manifests a giant snake that eats the worm and then rushes toward the horde to take down as many as it can.

The sky turns dark.

One of the Fleshcrafter’s massive creatures has finally reached them. It is a multi-headed thing with far too many tusks. Something that looks like a head swings in their general direction, aiming those tusks at them. Bright Sword quickly moves out of the way in time and runs up the beast’s leg with Liu Jin on his back.

Once he reaches the top of the creature, Bright Sword stomps.

The creature is cleaved in half. There is a moment of stunned silence before both halves fall over, making the earth tremble from the sheer weight of the animal and crushing anyone who fails to get out of the way in time.

Despite that, the creature is not dead yet. The pieces of its body start moving and reshaping themselves. Hundreds of bug-like creatures rise from the dead flesh and swarm towards them.

A wall of ice blocks their way.

Big Sister Bai floats down in front of them, and though Liu Jin cannot see her face, he knows she is glaring at Bright Sword.

“I do not approve of this,” she says.

“I was wondering how long it’d take you to abandon your silly attempts to hide, disciple of the Divine Frozen Palace,” Bright Sword says as he adjusts his grip on Liu Jin. “However, what do you plan on doing? Do you think you can fight me in the middle of a war? That would be rather counter-productive.”

“Make no mistake. If I thought I had to, I would kill you where you stand,” Big Sister Bai says. “However, that is not what this situation calls for.”

The wall begins cracking. The creatures of the Fleshcrafter have grown fangs and claws that they use to dig into the ice.

“Rest assured, I will not let any harm come to you,” she tells Liu Jin as she moves to stand next to Bright Sword.

The ice breaks.

The horde advances towards them.

“Let’s end this quickly,” Bright Sword says. "The palace awaits."

~~~