Rebirth of a Stunning Beauty (Complete) - 36

~Chapter Five: Conquest, Section Five~

Zhao Ziyang tucked the hem of his robe into his belt, struck a pose like a roc spreading its wings, and leaped off the ship's side like an arrow. He took large strides about ten feet above the sea, each step creating a crystal-clear column of water over ten feet high. When his feet touched the water, each column transformed into eight ribbons, swirling and coiling as they fell back to the surface.

His move was truly impressive, clearly the result of considerable practice. When he landed on the shore, a fine layer of sweat had appeared on his forehead.

The naval soldiers naturally cheered and applauded Zhao Ziyang's performance.

Gongzi Yu smiled and glanced at the Third Young Master, saying, "Third Young Master, based on your understanding of martial arts, what do you think of Zhao Qing's performance just now?"

The Third Young Master nodded, praising, "Lord Zhao's lightness skill is truly excellent, and his tricks are very innovative. He could make a lot of money performing in a circus. "

Gongzi Yu chuckled and shook his head, saying, "Your mouth is indeed sharp." The

Third Young Master chuckled, "Thank you for the compliment, Young Master!"

Xiao Tianci and Nu Hengmei bowed to the Third Young Master, saying, "Your Highness, we, your humble servants, will take our leave first."

The Third Young Master nodded, saying, "Elder Xiao, Elder Nu, you two are pillars of the Great Qin. As for lightness skills, you are naturally beyond question. However, since my elder cousin and Lord Zhao have started this acrobatic performance, I would appreciate it if you two could come up with some more tricks!"

Xiao Tianci smiled slightly, saying, "I guarantee Your Highness will be satisfied!" "

Having said that, he drew his silver bow, nocked a ten-foot-long golden arrow, drew the bowstring taut like a full moon, and shot it diagonally into the sky. The bowstring hummed softly, and the golden arrow whooshed towards the sky.

Xiao Tianci leaped up, chasing after the golden arrow, his toes touching its tip, and rose into the air with it. Suddenly, like an immortal, the piaofeng flew towards the coast amidst the watchful eyes of the crowd. When the arrow reached its highest point, it drew a perfect arc in the air before plunging towards the ground. At this moment, Xiao Tianci drew his bow in mid-air, firing ten arrows in quick succession. Ten golden arrows shot towards Nu Hengmei.

Amidst the gasps of the crowd, Nu Hengmei laughed heartily. He soared into the sky, meeting the ten golden arrows head-on. The ten golden arrows were almost upon him..." To hit the Angry Eyebrows, Xiao Ci suddenly trembled, pulling on the silken threads attached to the arrows. The ten golden arrows immediately turned and flew back, forming a ladder-like shape in the air. Angry Eyebrows, meanwhile, used each of the ten arrows as leverage to leap into the air, nearly a hundred feet above the ground. To the sailors on the ground, Angry Eyebrows appeared shrunk to the size of a small wooden puppet.

Upon reaching its highest point, Angry Eyebrows plummeted towards the shore like thunder, emitting a thunderous roar. Xiao Ci, standing on the golden arrows, hands behind his back, his flowing silver hair, looked like an immortal untouched by worldly dust.

Only after Xiao Ci and Angry Eyebrows landed simultaneously did the sailors roar with a thunderous shout, "Good!" "A thunderous applause erupted.

The performance by the two was both thrilling and spectacular, with Xiao Tianci's archery skills drawing admiration from the naval officers.

The Third Young Master nodded in satisfaction. He turned to Young Master Yu and asked, "I wonder if the tricks that Elder Xiao and Elder Nu just performed met your approval?"

Young Master Yu chuckled and said, "Those were the most exquisite martial arts, not just tricks. Third Young Master, excessive modesty becomes hypocrisy!"

The Third Young Master said sincerely, "Young Master misunderstands. I am actually very modest."

The two looked at each other and laughed again.

The Third Young Master performed a double light-body skill demonstration, and Young Master Yu was naturally not to be outdone. Zhou Lingfei and Zuo Tianzong stepped forward and said, "Young Master, we two are willing to entertain you!" Young

Master Yu nodded and said, "Very well, then please, Minister Zhou and Minister Zuo, give us a joint performance."

Zhou Lingfei and Zuo Tianzong exchanged a glance and confidently walked towards the ship's side. Zhou Lingfei walked to the ship's side, leaped into the water with a splash, and plunged in.

The sailors were puzzled, wondering why Lord Zhou was so disrespectful, resorting to swimming, something everyone could do. Just as their doubts arose, a splash suddenly appeared on the surface of the water beneath the ship. At first, the splash was only the size of a flower bud, but it rose higher and higher, growing larger and larger until it reached a height of three zhang (approximately 10 meters), and at its peak was a flower bud the size of a water vat.

Zuo Tianzong smiled slightly and leaped towards the bud. The bud instantly opened, its petals blooming in all directions, transforming into a large water lily, and Zuo Tianzong landed perfectly on the lotus seedpod in the center.

Zuo Tianzong stood on the lotus seedpod, which was entirely made of water, yet not a ripple appeared beneath his feet.

Then the water lily slowly moved towards the shore. Zuo Tianzong stood on the lotus seedpod, hands behind his back, smiling. Together with the snow-white water lily, he possessed an ethereal, otherworldly quality.

This immediately stunned the naval soldiers, who couldn't believe such extraordinary skill existed in the world, forgetting even to cheer.

The water lily gradually disappeared only after Zuo Tianzong reached the shore. At the same time, Zhou Lingfei emerged from the flower, leaped to the shore, and after a puff of steam rose from his body, his wet clothes and hair instantly dried. The naval soldiers then

cheered and applauded.

Even the Third Young Master felt that Zuo Tianzong and Zhou Lingfei's actions possessed a certain divine grace, reaching the level of a top-tier national-level variety show performer.

Since this had become a disguised competition, not only testing lightness skills but also internal strength and martial arts prowess, it was no longer a mere contest. Taking advantage of the fact that Young Master Yu's side had too few skilled fighters, the Third Young Master laughed and said, "Young Master, Lord Zhou and Lord Zuo's performances were truly spectacular, I admire them greatly! In that case, I'll also join in the fun!"

With that, he walked to Hua Rong and the other women, gathered them together, whispered something to them, and then led them towards the ship's side. As they walked, he smiled at Young Master Yu and said, "Young Master, I'll make a fool of myself first!"

With that, the Third Young Master lightly leaped over the ship's side, striking seven palms into the water from above. Seven large sprays of water shot up from the sea, transforming into seven shimmering water roses in the air.

Song Qing, Hua Rong, Lian Zhou Luo'er, Qin Ni'er, Min Rou, Shui Muwei, and Luo Sheng Jingshen, their skirts fluttering, flew towards the seven water roses swirling in the sky and landed on them. The Third Young Master laughed heartily and unleashed another palm strike towards the water's surface. A water dragon, almost identical to a real dragon, shot into the sky.

Its tail, nearly fifteen zhang long, swirled in the water, its form majestic. The Third Young Master leaped onto its back. The water dragon opened its mouth wide, letting out a silent roar, and flew towards the sea. The seven water roses carrying the seven women swirled and danced around the dragon's back, intertwining and swirling.

The Third Young Master rode the water dragon, majestic and awe-inspiring. The seven women, adorned with water roses, were graceful and elegant. Beauties complemented the hero, and the hero accompanied the beauties; flowers surrounded the dragon, stars surrounded the moon—a truly magnificent sight.

The dragon was a symbol of imperial power. The Third Young Master, riding the water dragon, was in fact challenging Gongzi Yu! He was declaring to Gongzi Yu that he was the true Son of Heaven!

Gongzi Yu realized this the moment he saw the dragon appear.

But the naval soldiers paid no heed to this. The Third Young Master's performance was spectacular, complete with seven stunning beauties. They felt they were witnessing the most beautiful sight of their lives, shouting until their voices were hoarse and clapping until their hands ached.

Approaching the shore, the Third Young Master leaped down from the dragon's back and floated onto the beach. The water dragon bowed three times before sinking into the water. The seven women, including Hua Rong, landed beside him on water roses, which naturally blended into the sand.

This move was beautiful to watch, but it must have taken a considerable toll on the Third Young Master. Fortunately, all seven women were skilled in martial arts, and none were weak. Hua Rong, Song Qing, and even Min Rou were considered top-tier experts. They circled the Third Young Master on the water roses, which were suspended in mid-air, contributing significantly to his performance and minimizing his effort.

~Chapter Five, Conquest, Section Six~

After unloading all the troops and supplies, the fleet immediately returned to pick up the second batch of naval forces.

This first batch of 110,000 troops temporarily camped on the coast. Young Master Yu, the Third Young Master, and others were in Young Master Yu's central command camp, carefully studying a map of the Great Japanese Empire.

The dozen or so spies were also in the tent, pointing out various markings on the map.

"After pacifying Kyushu, we'll need to cross the sea to Shikoku. To conquer all four islands of the Great Japanese Empire, we'll have to cross three straits." The spies pointed to the map, carefully explaining the geography of the Great Japanese Empire to Prince Yu: "Although the Great Japanese Empire is small, its terrain is rugged and uneven, with many mountains and forests. If our army wants to sweep through and conquer the entire Great Japanese Empire, it will probably take quite a while."

Prince Yu pondered for a moment and said, "In that case, we'll only attack the influential large cities. We'll ignore the other small and medium-sized cities for now. After destroying the Great Japanese court, we can deal with the rest slowly."

After discussing the marching plan and deciding which cities to focus on, the meeting adjourned and rested.

As soon as they landed, Prince Yu had already dispatched dozens of cavalry squads to search in all directions.

The setting sun cast its last rays, and menacing crows circled above the slaughterhouse, their eyes gleaming red from the smell of blood, cawing incessantly.

A gleaming saber slashed down with a sharp crack, and the head of a man with a small braid flew into the air as blood gushed from his neck.

Men and women in coarse cloth screamed in terror and scattered in all directions. A dozen or so brave villagers, wielding makeshift harpoons, roared as they charged towards the cavalry, their armor gleaming and their weapons sharpened.

The cavalrymen laughed and charged at the villagers, slaughtering them all in a single attack.

This was the closest fishing village to Gongzi Yu's naval landing point. The cavalrymen stormed into the village, not even bothering with formalities, and began a small-scale massacre.

In no time, the village of only two hundred people was wiped out, the ground littered with corpses.

The cavalrymen, a mere twenty strong, who had killed those two hundred, carefully surveyed the battlefield before speeding off in another direction.

The same scene played out repeatedly within a fifty-mile radius of Gongzi Yu's camp. Dozens of cavalry squads slaughtered every fishing village and rural settlement they encountered along the way, killing everyone, adults and children alike.

During the massacre, the cavalry encountered some weak resistance, but the resistance of the ordinary islanders posed no threat whatsoever to Gongzi Yu's well-equipped cavalry.

As darkness fell, the dozens of cavalry squads returned to their main camp, reporting their half-day's achievements to Gongzi Yu. Besides the massacre, the cavalry also brought back all the grain, meat, gold, and silver treasures from the villages they had wiped out, for public use. Gongzi Yu rewarded them handsomely for this.

The next day, the army set off. One hundred and one thousand troops marched along the coastline towards Luliang City.

The three brothers, the Third Young Master and Young Master Yu, rode side by side. Young Master Yu pointed to a small village they were passing and said, "Last night, all the villages within a fifty-mile radius were slaughtered. However, I estimate there should be a few survivors who have already run to Luliang City to report. Perhaps we'll encounter the Great Sun Army

soon." The Third Young Master laughed, "Yesterday's cavalry were in squads of twenty. Even if some escaped, they wouldn't know how many troops we've brought. There are only thirty thousand troops on this Nine Provinces Island in total. Even if Luliang City sends troops, I estimate..." "It won't exceed ten thousand at most."

Gongzi Yu smiled slightly and said, "No matter how many come, I won't let them have a chance to reach our lines. I brought all three thousand archers from the Northern Frontier Divine Bow Camp, plus the naval archers. Hehe, with the armor of the Great Japanese army, I'm afraid they won't be able to stop our arrows."

The Northern Frontier Divine Bow Camp originally had ten thousand archers, but last August, in the battle of Dingzhou City, the Third Young Master, Hua Rong, and others broke through the pass to rescue Song Qing and the other four women. After a fierce battle, they killed most of the Divine Bow Camp's archers, leaving only three thousand.

However, these mere three thousand archers should not be underestimated. At least on the land of the Great Japanese Kingdom, these three thousand archers alone could easily defeat a Great Japanese army of ten thousand.

After traveling for half a day, a scout came to report that a black-armored army of about ten thousand had appeared twenty miles ahead, including about five hundred cavalry.

Upon hearing this, Gongzi Yu chuckled and said, "Just as I expected, Lucheng really did send troops! Only five hundred cavalry out of ten thousand men—the Great Sun Kingdom is truly pitifully poor! Very well, this first battle must be spectacular. Issue my order: the entire army must march five li and then halt. The Iron Army's Divine Bow Battalion and the Navy's Archer Battalion, prepare for battle!"

Gongzi Yu's order was loudly relayed by the messengers, and the long line of 110,000 troops immediately accelerated, raising clouds of dust as they began their forced march.

After marching five li, the army stopped. The Northern Frontier's Iron Army's Divine Bow Battalion and the Eastern Navy's Archer Battalion formed a seven-layered crescent formation, nocked their arrows, and pointed them to the ground, ready to fire at any moment.

After waiting for about half an hour, a black-armored army appeared on the plain ahead. At the forefront were five hundred cavalrymen with square flags on their collars. One rider wore armor adorned with flowers, which looked quite impressive, but experienced soldiers could immediately tell that it was all show and no substance.

The black-armored army also spotted the Central Plains army waiting in formation. The leading rider in the flower-embroidered armor drew his sword and shouted in the Japanese language, "I am His Majesty the Emperor, appointed General Guangming! Which general's army are you from?"

No one answered. For Gongzi Yu and the Third Young Master, speaking to a dying man was beneath their dignity.

The general in the flower-embroidered armor roared, "Charge!" At his command, the cavalry and infantry roared and charged forward in a swarm.

Looking at the Japanese army's charging formation... Gongzi Yu laughed heartily and said to the Third Young Master, "Look at them, their charging formation is so dense, aren't they just making us targets for our army? In the Central Plains, it's rare to find such an idiotic commander!"

The Third Young Master laughed, "The Great Japanese Kingdom is still uncivilized and doesn't understand military strategy. They fight based on sheer courage, charging in and hacking and slashing indiscriminately. What do they know about troop deployment?"

As he spoke, the Great Japanese army had already charged to within five hundred paces of the archer camp.

The archers quickly drew their bows, arrows pointing diagonally into the air. The archer camp commander silently calculated the distance while slowly raising his command flag.

When the Great Japanese army reached within three hundred paces of the archer camp, the archer camp commander suddenly waved his flag and shouted, "Release the arrows!"

Ten thousand archers from the naval archer camp simultaneously released their arrows, a dark rain of arrows piercing the air and hurtling towards the Great Japanese army.

After the arrows were released, the naval archers took a step back, while the three thousand archers of the Iron Army's Divine Bow Battalion simultaneously stepped forward. They drew their bows and released the arrows; three thousand iron arrows soared into the sky following the naval archers' ten thousand arrows.

The first volley of arrows reached its highest point, tracing an arc in the air before plunging headlong into the densely packed ranks of the Great Japanese army. A continuous, resounding thud of sharp weapons piercing flesh filled the air. Nearly half of the leading Great Japanese cavalrymen instantly fell from their horses, and large numbers of the infantry behind them also fell.

At this moment, the second volley of arrows from the Iron Army's Divine Bow Battalion arrived. Although there were only three thousand arrows, their lethality surpassed that of the naval archers; almost every arrow felled a Great Japanese soldier. The Great Japanese commander, clad in flower-embroidered armor, was pierced through the forehead by an iron arrow and fell headlong from his horse.

After firing a volley of arrows, the Iron Army's Divine Bow Battalion needed a short rest. The naval archers, however, could fire continuously. After several volleys, the entire 10,000-strong Japanese army was annihilated, the fastest advancing force nearly a hundred paces from the archers' position.

"In open field battles, the Great Japanese army has absolutely no chance of winning."

Looking at the results, Prince Yu smiled with satisfaction. "If the Great Japanese continue to send only a small force to attack us, they will be gradually whittled down by us. If they had sent 20,000 troops, those who charged fast might have had a chance to reach our lines and engage in close combat."

The Third Young Master said, "The Great Japanese armor and shields are too weak; they can't withstand the powerful arrows of the navy and iron army. If their armor and shields were better, they wouldn't have been wiped out by archers."

"They won't have that chance!" Prince Yu smiled. "Now that I've set foot on Great Japanese soil, I will not allow them any chance to return. After conquering Great Japanese, I will not give them the opportunity to arm another army. From now on, the people of Great Japanese will only be able to carry farm tools." After

this Great Japanese army, led by General Guangming in his flower-embroidered armor, was annihilated, they never encountered another organized army on their journey. Two days later, Gongzi Yu's army arrived at Luliang City.

Luliang City still had 20,000 troops remaining. Before Gongzi Yu's army arrived, Luliang City had received the news and prepared for battle.

However, this "great city," entirely built of earth and wood, was far more vulnerable than any small county town in the Central Plains in the eyes of the Third Young Master and his men.

Led by Zhao Ziyang, Zhou Lingfei, and Zuo Tianzong, the 50,000-strong army, after being first bombarded by three volleys of arrows from the Iron Army and naval archers, charged and breached the wooden city walls. In less than half an hour, all 20,000 defenders of Luliang City were annihilated, while Gongzi Yu's naval forces suffered only 3,000 casualties.

On the way to Luliang City, Gongzi Yu had not massacred any cities, but this time he ordered a massacre, turning the largest city on Kyushu Island into a ghost town in half a day.

After the massacre, the army camped outside Luliang City, awaiting the arrival of reinforcements. Within a month, after Prince Yu's reinforcements arrived, his 300,000-strong army had completely pacified the two major islands of Kyushu and Shikoku. They captured nine major cities, massacred the inhabitants of four, and slaughtered nearly 300,000 islanders. The

remaining islanders were forced to submit to Prince Yu. Prince Yu left 30,000 troops on each of the two islands to garrison them, and on November 17th, he led 240,000 troops to land on Honshu, the largest island of Great Japan. At that time, the Emperor of Great Japan had already learned of the invasion by the Central Plains army. He swiftly summoned troops from across Great Japan, gathering them in Kyoto. The people of Honshu and Hokkaido, which had not yet fallen, also enthusiastically joined the army, bringing the number of troops directly under his command to 400,000. The two assassin organizations of Great Japan, Rashomon and Kirigakure, also mobilized their entire forces, gathering under the Emperor's command. On November 19th, Prince Yu's 240,000-strong army besieged the capital, and a decisive battle that would determine the fate of the Great Sun Kingdom was about to unfold. At sunset, the Third Young Master and other experts from the Qin family gathered in Prince Yu's tent, preparing for the final battle the following day. "Young Master Qin, Mr. Xiao, and Mr. Nu will lead 20,000 soldiers, including 2,000 cavalry and 18,000 infantry, to attack the north of the capital. Young Master Qin will be responsible for opening the city gates. Second Young Master Qin, Elder Qiao, and Elder Li will lead 20,000 soldiers, also 2,000 cavalry and 18,000 infantry, to attack the south of the capital. Third Young Master, you will lead your sisters and 20,000 soldiers to attack from the west of the capital. I will lead the main force to take the east." Young Master Yu assigned the tasks one by one, and finally said, "According to information from our spies in the capital, the city now has 400,000 troops, but more than 200,000 of them are newly enlisted soldiers. They lack armor and their weapons are homemade; even sharpened iron bars are scarce, mostly consisting of sharpened wooden stakes and bamboo poles. Their strength is incomparable to ours. But we must note..." "What's concerning is that two assassin organizations loyal to the Emperor, Rashomon and Kirigakure, have already entered Kyoto. They have nearly five thousand assassins, all of whom are quite skilled, especially Tan Chang's ability to conceal his presence—you, Third Young Master, have already experienced this firsthand. If they were to cause trouble and assassinate our generals, it would be a considerable problem." The Third Young Master suddenly raised his hand and said, "I have something to say." Gongzi Yu nodded and said, "Please speak, Third Young Master." The Third Young Master said, "Kyoto is not a large city, but it has nearly a million inhabitants. Even if we storm the city, it will be difficult to deploy our forces and utilize the mobility of our cavalry. Moreover, if everyone in Kyoto fights to the death, our small force may suffer heavy casualties. Therefore, it would be better for us to besiege the city without attacking, and deploy nearly a hundred..." "With a population of ten thousand, the amount of food consumed must be terrifying, right? I don't believe that Kyoto can store enough food to feed a million people for a period of time!" Gongzi Yu laughed, "Besieging the city without attacking is indeed a good strategy, but the number of assassins from Rashomon and Wuyin Sect is too large. What if they harass our camp at night, such as assassinating generals or setting fire to our grain fields? Although our experts are stronger than theirs, their numbers are too small to defend day and night, right?" Qiao Wei interjected, "Gongzi Yu, don't you have the poison 'Dissolving Power and Weakness Powder'? Why don't we sprinkle this poison in all the wells in Kyoto? At least half of them will lose their fighting ability, and then they will be at our mercy." Gongzi Yu said, "Old Qiao is right. I have already thought of this and have already sent spies to infiltrate..." "In Kyoto, this poison has been sprinkled into all the wells. Even the water source flowing into the city from outside has been poisoned by me. Hehe, this time the dosage is enormous; all my remaining poison is used up completely." The Third Young Master clapped his hands and laughed, "So you had already thought of this, no wonder you dared to launch a strong attack tomorrow. It seems your thinking is indeed one step ahead of ours!" Young Master Yu smiled modestly, "You flatter me, Third Young Master. If I hadn't prepared in advance, how could I have launched a strong attack on Kyoto? Wouldn't that be treating the lives of my men like dirt? I would never do such a thing. Alright, everyone, that's the arrangement for tomorrow's battle. Does anyone have any further opinions?" Seeing that Young Master Yu had already considered everything, the Third Young Master and the others naturally had no other opinions. The pre-battle meeting was thus adjourned, and everyone returned to their camps to rest and prepare for the attack the next morning. Just as the Third Young Master was about to leave the tent, Young Master Yu suddenly called out to him, saying, "Third Young Master, it's said that the Great Sun Emperor possesses two divine weapons created by the Earth God of the Great Sun Kingdom. Their power is unknown. If we can capture the capital tomorrow, we might need the assistance of the Dragon's Roar and Tiger's Howl to deal with the Great Sun Emperor." The Third Young Master nodded, saying, "Don't worry, Rong'er and I will go summon the Dragon's Roar and Tiger's Howl now. They should arrive before the battle tomorrow. However, Young Master, you..." "With two ancient extraordinary skills, how could I possibly be afraid of not being able to defeat the Great Sun Emperor?" Young Master Yu laughed. "It's always good to fight hard. You know I always like to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut. If I can prevent the Great Sun Emperor from even having a chance to fight back, I'll be happiest. Third Young Master, tomorrow's battle is the decisive one. You must rest well tonight and not overindulge, or your legs will be too weak for tomorrow 's battle." The Third Young Master laughed and scolded, "You old rogue, when have I ever overindulged? Let me tell you, with my Desire Emperor True Scripture, even if I fight all night, I'll still be a force to be reckoned with tomorrow! Hehe, I'm leaving, off to have some fun." Watching the Third Young Master's figure disappear outside the tent, the smile on Young Master Yu's face froze, slowly turning gloomy. After a long while, he sighed and muttered to himself, "Why... why won't you submit to me?" " The moon was bright and the stars were few, and the camp was completely silent. In this quiet, dark night, apart from the sentries on night watch, all the naval soldiers had fallen asleep, conserving their energy for a great battle the next day."

Suddenly, more than a dozen completely black shadows silently drifted in from outside the camp fence, bypassing the sentries and sneaking into the camp.

~Chapter 5 Conquest, Section 7~

The dozen or so completely black shadows seemed to melt into the night, or perhaps they had become one with the wind. Although the soldiers on night watch were elite naval troops, with eyesight and hearing several times more sensitive

than ordinary people, they could not detect the dozen or so black shadows even as they passed behind them. After sneaking into the camp, the dozen or so black shadows split into five groups of three. Four groups infiltrated the supply depot and stables, while the other group picked up tents that were slightly larger than those of ordinary soldiers—the tents where the naval commanders lived.

The three in that group sneaked into a commander's tent. Two of them silently dealt with the sentries outside the tent, leaning their bodies against the wooden stakes used to set up the tent, while the third sneaked into the tent and slit the neck of the sleeping naval commander.

The other four groups split into two teams. One team infiltrated the supply camp, silently taking down the sentries one by one, and then sprinkling kerosene on the tents piled with provisions. The six men carried not much kerosene, but they didn't seem to care. After sprinkling the kerosene, the two teams immediately overturned the oil barrels containing vegetable oil in the supply camp and poured the oil onto the provisions.

Meanwhile, the six men infiltrated the stables and took out porcelain bottles, sprinkling a fine white powder into the troughs. The white powder seemed to have a strange smell, attracting the warhorses to the troughs, where they eagerly licked it. After

sprinkling the powder, the six men infiltrated the supply camp and began searching for the place where the gunpowder was stored.

Although the place where the gunpowder was stored was hidden and heavily guarded, the six men seemed to be very good at searching, even as if they could smell the location of the gunpowder. Soon they found the tent where gunpowder was stored and took down the twenty soldiers guarding outside.

Looking at the mountain of barrels of gunpowder, one of the men in black nodded. He said something in Japanese, and the other five whispered, "Hai!" before quickly retreating.

After the five men left the tent, the remaining man in black took out a tinderbox, lit it, and slowly approached the fuse of a gunpowder barrel.

Meanwhile, the men in black who had been causing trouble in the supply tents also took out tinderboxes, lit them, and divided into six groups, preparing to set them ablaze.

The three men in black who had assassinated the generals had already killed more than ten naval commanders.

Now they arrived at an outrageously large tent. The tent looked extremely luxurious from the outside, and a faint fragrance emanated from within.

Strangely, there were no guards outside.

The three men in black exchanged glances, their eyes filled with bewilderment. However, they couldn't resist the temptation and slipped into the tent. In their minds, such a large tent must house a very important person.

After entering the tent, the three men in black looked around and suddenly saw a young man sitting upright in the darkness, smiling at them.

The three men in black were simultaneously startled, then leaped towards the young man, three gleaming short swords flashing with three streaks of light, striking him from three strange angles with lightning speed.

Faced with this combined attack, the young man merely smiled and extended one hand.

Then the three men in black suddenly found themselves suppressed by an unusual, strange current of energy, seemingly a fusion of nine different types of power, rendering them unable to move.

It can only be said that these three men in black were very unlucky, because this was the tent of the Third Young Master and his sisters.

****

With a deafening roar, a huge ball of fire suddenly erupted from the Fuzhong Camp, followed by a mushroom-shaped cloud shooting into the sky.

The sudden, deafening roar shook the earth, and the shockwave carried the flames to the surrounding tents, causing three gunpowder-filled tents to explode in a series of explosions. The shockwave swept through neighboring tents like a hurricane, instantly deafening many of the sleeping supply battalion soldiers, some even suffering internal injuries and bleeding profusely from their orifices.

At the same time, flames suddenly erupted from the grain storage area of the supply battalion, quickly spreading and turning the supply battalion into a sea of fire!

The naval soldiers reacted with lightning speed; upon hearing the first explosion, those who slept without removing their armor grabbed their weapons and rushed to the scene. Upon discovering the fire, some quickly discarded their weapons and fetched buckets of water to extinguish it.

Meanwhile, Prince Yu rushed out of his tent and swiftly headed towards the supply battalion.

When Gongzi Yu arrived, despite the naval soldiers' frantic efforts to extinguish the fire, the chariot camp was already largely engulfed in flames. The air was thick with the aromas of grain, roasted meat, and the pungent smell of burning meat.

Gongzi Yu frowned as he looked at the scene. The busy soldiers, upon seeing him, merely gave him a slight salute before rushing off to fight the fire and rescue people. Gongzi Yu didn't seem to mind.

At this moment, San Shao, Qin Feng, Qin Lei, and others also arrived.

Seeing them, Gongzi Yu smiled wryly, "See? I wasn't wrong, was I? It's only the first day, and the Great Japanese Emperor has already begun his actions.

" San Shao nodded, saying, "I just captured three assassins from the Great Japanese Kingdom. They killed thirteen generals and infiltrated my camp, but I caught them. I got something out of their mouths."

Gongzi Yu asked, "Oh? What did they say?" "

Third Young Master said, "They are assassins from the Misty Hidden Gate and the Rashomon Gate, and their positions are very high. There were fifteen of them this time, led by Rashomon Gate's leader, Rashomon Ryu, and the Misty Hidden Gate's leader, Misty Hidden Raizo. The remaining thirteen are all experts from these two gates. Their purpose is to burn our army's provisions, poison our warhorses, assassinate our generals, and create as much chaos as possible. Young Master, I'm afraid they've already poisoned quite a few warhorses in the stables!" Young

Master Yu nodded and ordered Zhao Ziyang to check immediately. Before long, Zhao Ziyang returned with news that over two thousand warhorses in the stables had been poisoned.

Gongzi Yu sighed inwardly, saying, "What a vicious method! Third Young Master. How did you manage to extract information from those three assassins? As far as I know, the assassins of the Great Sun Kingdom are all extremely resolute individuals, preferring death to surrender."

The Third Young Master smiled slightly and said, "Those three assassins were three women. Any woman who falls into my hands, I have a way to destroy their will and extract all the secrets from the depths of their souls!"

Gongzi Yu asked again, "Where are those three assassins now?"

The Third Young Master said, "To achieve a quick result, I used the most extreme methods to completely destroy their will. Now they have become idiots and I have killed them."

At this moment, the deputy commander of the Axle Heavy Battalion, shirtless, ran to Gongzi Yu with a knife in his hand, knelt down, and presented the knife to Gongzi Yu with both hands. The deputy commander said, "My lord, I failed to properly guard the supply depot, allowing the enemy to detonate all our gunpowder, burning most of our provisions. I beg you, my lord, to punish me with death!"

Gongzi Yu glanced at the deputy commander, noticing his charred hair and countless blisters on his body. Knowing he had done his utmost to extinguish the fire, he slowly said, "You are only a deputy commander; this dereliction of duty should be borne by your battalion commander. Where is your commander?"

The deputy commander replied, "Our commander was engulfed in flames while fighting the fire. He is already…

" Gongzi Yu nodded, saying, "The enemy who attacked our camp were all highly skilled; this matter is not your fault. However, if I do not enforce military law against you, I cannot command respect."

The deputy commander resolutely said, "I am willing to bear this responsibility!"

Gongzi Yu sighed and said, "I will take good care of your family. Men, take him away and behead him before the battle tomorrow."

Several naval soldiers stepped forward and took the deputy commander away. Gongzi Yu remained silent for a long time, then said coldly, "The Great Sun Emperor underestimates me. He thinks that burning my supplies, killing my generals, and poisoning my warhorses will throw my army into chaos and force me to retreat… Hmph, he doesn't know that this will only incite my navy's fighting spirit! The Great Sun Emperor has already risked the lives of a million people in Kyoto! Once my soldiers are enraged and want to massacre the city, even I cannot appease them!"

The Third Young Master sighed. "Nearly a million people," he said, "there's no need to kill them all. Besides, it would be too time-consuming and laborious."

Gongzi Yu sighed, "It's no longer up to me. My soldiers are enraged. Look at their eyes as they fight the fire."

Following Gongzi Yu's gaze, the Third Young Master saw the naval soldiers fighting the fire and tending to their burned comrades. Although most remained silent, their eyes blazed with deep-seated hatred and a bloodthirsty red light. Especially those carrying the charred corpses of their fallen comrades; the Third Young Master clearly saw that many of them had bitten their own lips, drawing blood.

"My navy is a proud army," Gongzi Yu said slowly. "Back then, there were nearly a hundred pirate groups in the East China Sea, the largest of which had over 30,000 men. At that time, my navy only had 200,000 men and a total of only seventy-odd warships." However, in our battles against pirates, regardless of the circumstances, whether at sea or on land, my navy has never been defeated. The pirates on the rivers and seas have been wiped out by my navy. The East China Sea navy and the Northern Frontier iron army are hailed as the two iron-blooded mighty armies of the Great Qin Kingdom. With their pride, how could they tolerate being attacked by the enemy at night before the battle even began, suffering such heavy losses? This is already a major defeat; in their hearts, they consider it a great disgrace. Only by massacring the city, only with the blood and lives of the enemy, can they wash away the shame in their hearts!

The Third Young Master nodded, but still couldn't help asking, "If we massacre the city, aren't you afraid of provoking a backlash from the people of the Great Japanese Kingdom? You must know, this capital is not like the cities we've massacred before. There are now nearly a million people gathered in the capital!"

Gongzi Yu said helplessly, "Nearly a million people, at least half of them will be poisoned by the 'Dissolving Power and Softening Tendon Powder,' unable to move, making them perfect targets for slaughter. And the remaining half are also unable to resist my army." "I only hope that after killing half of the able-bodied men, the soldiers' anger will subside, and they will stop killing those who are powerless to resist!"

On November 20th, the naval soldiers, having suffered the humiliation of the raid on their camp, had already formed ranks outside Kyoto City, ready to avenge their defeat in one battle.

On the low walls of Kyoto City, the soldiers of the Great Japanese Empire, armed with rudimentary weapons and weak bows and arrows, nervously watched the neatly arranged square formations on the plain.

Prince Yu, mounted on his warhorse, was unusually dressed in jet-black armor, with a blood-red cloak behind it.

He drew his sword and shouted, "Soldiers, last night we suffered a great humiliation. What should we do now?"

The naval soldiers shouted in unison, "Slaughter the city! Slaughter the city! Slaughter the city!" ...

A mighty roar shook the earth slightly, and within it, an indescribable killing intent emanated from the naval soldiers. It rose into the air, forming a dark red cloud almost visible to the naked eye.

It was a blood cloud formed from killing intent, the sharp killing intent only a seasoned veteran, a ruthless killer, now filled with murderous rage, possessed!

The Japanese soldiers on the walls of Kyoto trembled with fear!

The thought of fighting such an army filled them with terror. Looking at their armor and weapons, then at their own, the Japanese soldiers suddenly felt utterly hopeless.

Right there, the army below the city suddenly erupted in a wild roar: "Kill!" "The thunderous sound of hooves and the dust obscuring the sky, the massive army below the city charged madly towards Kyoto in skirmish formations!

Three separate armies broke away from the main force, flanking the city from both sides of the east gate – these were the 60,000 naval troops led by the three young masters, attacking the other three gates!

'Heavens… they're using cavalry to attack the city, have they gone mad?'

A Japanese bannerman stared wide-eyed at the young master Yu riding at the forefront, muttering to himself.

'Fire arrows! Fire arrows now!'" "Another bannerman, seeing the Central Plains army charging closer and closer, roared hoarsely.

A sparse volley of arrows rained down. The arrows struck the Central Plains cavalry, their armor easily deflecting the feeble arrows. Only a few lucky ones managed to hit their exposed faces and other exposed areas. Thousands of arrows felled only a handful of riders.

Before the second volley from the Great Sun archers on the city walls could be unleashed, Prince Yu had already reached the city gate.

He raised his sword high and then slashed down.

The bannerman on the city wall who had questioned the Central Plains army's use of cavalry to attack the city finally understood why they had chosen cavalry.

He saw Prince Yu's sword strike cleave the massive city gate into pieces.

Then Prince Yu unleashed three more sword strikes, three black sword energies slashing out..." They breached three sections of the thin, earthen and wooden city wall.

The cavalry split into four groups, charging into Kyoto through the city gates and the three sections of the wall that Gongzi Yu had breached.

The massacre began on the east side.

On the other three sides, the Third Young Master, Qin Feng, and Qin Lei, each leading their respective elite warriors and 20,000 soldiers, charged to the city gates on the other three sides. Then, the Third Young Master and the others used their superb skills to open the city gates, breach the earthen and wooden walls, and lead their troops in.

The massacre also began on these three sides. Gongzi Yu's poison took effect; in Kyoto, not just half, but more than half were poisoned! Because everyone needs water, except for those Japanese who hadn't used up their stored water and therefore hadn't gone to the well or the running water source, almost everyone else was poisoned.

And the Japanese army suffered the most poisoning.

Because it was impossible for the army to... With a water reserve, the large army had to fetch water daily from the source for both drinking and cooking, resulting in almost the entire Japanese army being poisoned.

Prince Yu spared no expense, releasing all the "Power-Dissolving and Muscle-Weakening Powder" into Kyoto at once, and the returns were substantial.

After the four armies stormed Kyoto, they encountered virtually no resistance.

Everywhere lay soldiers and civilians, their limbs too weak to even lift weapons, forced to watch helplessly as the Central Plains soldiers wielded their sharp swords and spears.

Blood flowed freely, and screams echoed through the air. Wherever the naval soldiers passed, mountains of corpses and seas of blood followed.

Kyoto had enough people to satisfy their thirst for slaughter, enough to wash away the humiliation of the previous night with the blood of the Japanese.

Each naval infantryman carried two... Each naval cavalryman carried even more swords. They hacked and slashed wildly, replacing a dull blade with a new one, and when both blades were dulled, they used the tips to stab. Finally, when all the swords broke, they seized the crude weapons from the Japanese soldiers and continued their rampage.

Eventually, the naval soldiers grew weary of the slaughter. They suddenly realized that even a city massacre was incredibly tedious when dealing with these poisoned Japanese people who couldn't even lift their limbs or escape.

It was less interesting than slaughtering pigs.

So the naval soldiers abandoned the massacre of the Japanese civilians and focused their attacks on the Japanese samurai and soldiers who had weapons but were powerless to resist. They continued killing in this way, from morning until noon, and from noon until afternoon, until nearly sunset, when the four armies finally converged and advanced to the Emperor's palace.

Before this day, Kyoto was already piled high with corpses, countless buildings destroyed, and every street stained with ankle-deep blood. The two rivers flowing through Kyoto were clogged with bodies, their waters stained crimson with blood. On

this day, the number of Japanese soldiers and civilians slaughtered reached four hundred thousand!

Kyoto was filled with the cries of despair, the suppressed sobs of the surviving Japanese islanders echoing in the twilight.

Gongzi Yu tossed aside his nicked sword and carefully wiped the blood from his hands with a silk cloth.

The Third Young Master silently watched the gates of the Japanese Imperial Palace. On the city walls, the last of the Japanese warriors looked at them with utter terror.

After wiping the blood from his hands, Gongzi Yu said calmly, "Charge in, kill them all."

~Chapter Five: Conquest, Section Eight~

The palace gates crashed down, and the warriors on the city walls, riddled with arrows, fell one after another. The remaining samurai, swords drawn, roared as they charged towards the tidal wave of iron hooves, only to be swallowed up in an instant by the metallic onslaught, leaving only bloodstains on the ground as proof of their existence.

Expressionless, but with blood-red eyes, the naval cavalry surged towards the not-so-tall main hall of the imperial palace. Just as they were about to reach the palace, a sudden gust of wind arose, and nearly a thousand naval cavalrymen at the forefront simultaneously fell from their horses, nearly a thousand heads flying into the air. Amidst the spray of blood, thousands of short, black-clad figures appeared in the air like ghosts.

"Assassins from Rashomon and Kirigakure! This is your last strength!" Gongzi Yu laughed loudly, leaping from his horse and lightning-fast towards the five thousand black-clad figures who had appeared in the air, slaughtering nearly a thousand naval cavalrymen, and now guarding the main hall of the imperial palace.

Zhao Ziyang, Zhou Lingfei, Zuo Tianzong, and the Seven Iron Guards followed closely behind Gongzi Yu, rushing forward. The Third Young Master and the others stood by and watched. This was Gongzi Yu's first time personally facing a master, and they didn't want to miss such a good opportunity to observe his martial arts.

As Gongzi Yu soared through the air, a muffled thunderous roar erupted. Two men in black leaped from among the five thousand black-clad figures, meeting Gongzi Yu head-on.

They were none other than Luo Shenglongye, the leader of the Luo Sheng Sect, and Wuyin Leizang, the leader of the Wuyin Sect! Luo Shenglongye gripped his sword with both hands, unleashing a horizontal slash from left to right. The dazzling sword light blurred into an endless expanse, turning the world white. The light was more radiant than sunlight, and the sharp sword energy seemed to create cracks in the air as it sliced through it.

Wuyin Leizang, on the other hand, slashed downwards with his sword, his blade no less powerful than Luo Shenglongye's. The two swords formed a massive silver cross, slashing towards Gongzi Yu who was flying towards them.

Gongzi Yu laughed loudly and actually punched directly at the massive silver cross, the spot where the two sword lights met!

A deafening roar, no less than a mountain collapsing and the earth splitting, resounded. The two sword lights were shattered by Gongzi Yu's casual punch. The explosion of fist and sword light trembled the ground. The shattered sword energy surged back into the group of assassins, cutting nearly a hundred assassins who couldn't dodge in time to shreds!

Luo Shenglong and Wuyin Raizo were beyond words in their shock; in their eyes, Gongzi Yu was practically the embodiment of a demon. They had never imagined that their combined attack could be shattered by someone's bare hands!

However, Gongzi Yu gave them no time to think. After shattering the blade's light with a single punch, before Luo Sheng and Wu Yin could launch another attack, he had already leaped in front of Luo Sheng Long Ye, standing almost face-to-face with him in mid-air.

Gongzi Yu smiled slightly at Luo Sheng Long Ye and punched him in the chest.

Luo Sheng Long Ye's protective inner energy shattered like paper under Gongzi Yu's fist. Gongzi Yu's not-so-large fist struck his chest. His chest suddenly caved in, his back bulged out sharply, and then a large hole opened in his back, all the internal organs and blood in his cavity gushing out at once. The gushing internal organs and blood were mixed with powerful internal force. They struck the crowd behind him, riddling dozens of assassins with holes.

Luo Shenglong also fell from the sky, his body completely empty, yet the spot on his chest where he had been punched showed no sign of injury, not even a bruise!

After striking Luo Shenglong, Gongzi Yu lunged at Wuyin Raizang. Seeing no way to dodge, Wuyin Raizang hardened his resolve and thrust at Gongzi Yu's abdomen, intending to die alongside him.

Gongzi Yu punched the tip of Wuyin Raizang's sword, and with a crisp clang, the sword shattered into pieces, starting from the tip. Gongzi Yu's fist traveled straight in, unstoppable, shattering the sword before striking Wuyin Raizang's hand, instantly turning it into a bloody mist. After the hand shattered, the punch struck his wrist, forearm, elbow, upper arm, and finally his shoulder. Wuyin Raizang's entire arm holding the sword was reduced to a bloody mist!

In the instant the two brushed past each other, Gongzi Yu retaliated with the back of his fist, striking Wuyin Raizang on the back of the head.

With a sharp "bang," Kirigakure Raizo's head was smashed to pieces. Blood, brains, and bone fragments rained down into the crowd, killing hundreds more assassins!

This series of actions, though seemingly slow, took only ten blinks from the moment Gongzi Yu shattered the blade to the moment he killed Luo Shenglong and Kirigakure Raizo.

"Impressive!" the Third Young Master and the others thought to themselves. The three brothers exchanged a glance and shook their heads. In a one-on-one fight, none of the three brothers were a match for Gongzi Yu!

At this moment, Gongzi Yu had already charged into the crowd. Relying on his high speed, he weaved left and right through the crowd, completely ignoring the attacks of the two assassins, only continuously throwing punches.

No one could withstand a single blow from him; weapons and bodies alike shattered upon contact with his fists. What was most terrifying was that Gongzi Yu's attacks weren't limited to his fists. The shattered weapons and bodies he destroyed, along with the fragments that flew in all directions, became like the sharpest hidden weapons, riddling the assassins they struck with countless holes.

Gongzi Yu's killing range was flat; although his fists could only hit one person at a time, each punch always killed around a hundred!

Zhao Ziyang, Zhou Lingfei, Zuo Tianzong, and the Seven Iron Guards—the ten experts—charged after Gongzi Yu, but they had virtually no chance to shine. The ten experts could only slaughter some assassins on the periphery who had lost their will to fight and were trying to escape; the majority of the assassins in the center were completely wiped out by Gongzi Yu alone!

In less than half an hour, all five thousand assassins had perished, the ground littered with corpses riddled with holes, and blood stained the entire square in front of the palace hall crimson.

Gongzi Yu stood amidst the mountain of corpses and sea of blood. He slowly removed his blood-splattered armor. He tore a piece of cloth from his inner robe, wiped the blood from his hands, and trudged through the blood-soaked ground towards the palace hall.

Zhao Ziyang and the others followed closely behind Gongzi Yu. The three young masters, Tie Jian, Qiao Wei, Uncle Li, Xiao Tianci, Nu Hengmei, Hua Rong, Song Qing, Lian Zhou Luo'er, and Qin Ni'er dismounted and walked behind Zhao Ziyang and the others, entering the palace together.

Because this battle might be a massacre of the Japanese people, Shui Muwei and Luo Sheng Jingshen did not come, and Min Rou naturally remained in the camp, accompanied by Shui Muwei and Luo Sheng Jingshen.

Gongzi Yu entered the hall first. His riding boots were covered in blood, each step leaving a bloody footprint, and the twenty-two men following behind him also trudged through blood,

leaving countless bloody footprints. As everyone stepped into the main hall, the once spotless imperial palace was now stained with shocking bloody footprints.

A middle-aged man with a thin face, a mustache, and a tall crown, sat upright on the tatami mat, staring at Gongzi Yu and the others.

Gongzi Yu stopped fifty paces away from the man and chuckled in the Great Japanese language, saying, "Your Majesty, I apologize. We forgot to take off our shoes and have soiled your palace."

The Great Japanese Emperor looked at Gongzi Yu with a gloomy expression and slowly said, "Why does Lord Yu want to invade my Great Japan? I remember that we were once friendly neighbors. I even provided you with a group of Great Japanese experts. Does Lord Yu intend to be ungrateful?"

Gongzi Yu waved his hand and laughed, "Your Majesty, you flatter me. How could I be invading? I am clearly 'entering' your Great Japan to spread..." " I am from the Central Plains.

The Central Plains culture is profound and has a long history. Now, I, the young master, have come personally to spread this culture and enlighten you barbarians. Your Majesty the Emperor should be grateful to me, not ungrateful!"

The Emperor took a deep breath and said, "What a fine 'entry'! What a fine 'spreading culture'! Does spreading culture require an army? Does it require massacre? Lord Yu, an invasion is an invasion. No matter how high-sounding the reason, it cannot conceal the essence of invasion!

" Young Master Yu nodded and said, "Alright, since that's the case, I won't pretend with you anymore. Your Majesty the Emperor, today I did indeed lead troops to invade you, but if I didn't invade you today, you would invade us in the future! For the sake of the long-term plan of the Central Plains, what harm is there in me being the villain? But rest assured, I will not kill all the people of your Great Japan Kingdom. I want the people of the Great Japan Kingdom to be slaves of the Central Plains." "I will make this Great Sun Empire a province of my Central Plains! Your Majesty, if you are willing to pledge allegiance to me, I might consider appointing you as the governor of this Great Sun Province."

The Emperor was furious, roaring, "Baka! The warriors of the Great Sun Empire would rather die than be slaves to you Central Plains pigs and dogs! The people of the Great Sun Empire are the most superior race in the world; we possess the noblest bloodline. You Central Plains people are merely inferior beings!"

Gongzi Yu's face darkened, and he coldly snorted, saying, "Your Majesty, it seems you're going to drink a forfeit! I heard you possess two divine artifacts bestowed upon you by your Great Sun gods. Take them out and let me see whether the artifacts created by your Great Sun gods are more powerful, or the heavenly soldiers created by the gods of our Central Plains! I will let you know that not only is the bloodline of the Central Plains people more noble than that of your Great Sun people, but even the gods of the Central Plains are more enlightened than the gods worshipped by your Great Sun Empire!"

The Emperor slowly rose to his feet, his voice snarling, "Ying Yu, don't blame me for not warning you. Once my Doomsday Armor and World-Destroying Blade are unleashed, even if you have a multitude of experts, you won't be a match for me! Even if I can't defeat your army, killing your experts is still within my grasp! Doomsday—World Destroyer—"

With his final two roars, the wall behind him collapsed with a deafening crash, and a set of pitch-black

armor flew out from it, radiating a tangible black light, slamming into his body from behind. At the same time, a long, mournful wail echoed from the ceiling, and a long, jet-black blade shot towards the Emperor like a meteor.

The Emperor's body collided with the armor, unleashing an even more intense black light. Almost the entire hall was swallowed by darkness, except for a sliver of light where Gongzi Yu and the others stood.

A cruel, violent, and despairing aura of death permeated the entire hall, slowly eroding the floor. The hall was riddled with holes, as if gnawed by termites, and the entire hall trembled slightly, with dust falling intermittently.

The Great Sun Emperor had completely merged into the darkness. His aura had become one with the despairing deathly atmosphere of the hall; he was invisible to the eye and undetectable by his presence.

Gongzi Yu frowned slightly and said, "What an evil weapon! This is no divine artifact; it's clearly a demonic weapon! Third Young Master, it's up to you!"

The Third Young Master smiled slightly and exchanged a glance with Hua Rong. The two simultaneously shouted, "Dragon's Roar!" "Tiger's Roar!"

A clear, high-pitched dragon's roar and a violent, fierce tiger's roar rang out simultaneously. A point of golden light and a point of red light lit up the hall at the same time, dispelling the darkness around the Third Young Master and the others. The golden light transformed into a five-clawed golden dragon with bared fangs and claws, circling above the Third Young Master's head for a moment. It lunged down at the Third Young Master, and those around him immediately retreated to avoid being swept away by the golden light of the dragon's roar transforming into armor.

The red light transformed into a ferocious, blood-red tiger with two wings, galloping above Hua Rong's head before lunging at her. Those around Hua Rong scrambled to avoid it.

The golden and red lights in the hall suddenly intensified. The two colors intertwined, pushing back the darkness, instantly restoring light to half of the hall, while the other half remained in darkness.

The golden and red lights gradually dissipated. The Third Young Master and Hua Rong were now clad in armor.

The Third Young Master wielded a massive broadsword, his blood-red robe billowing behind him, radiating power even without wind.

Hua Rong's wings spread wide, slowly flapping, creating eerie air currents that lifted her three feet off the ground, making her float in the air.

Once the dragon's roar and tiger's howl transformed into armor, they no longer emitted a strong protective glow. Even so, the almost all-consuming darkness emanating from the Doomsday Armor and the World-Destroying Demon Blade could no longer penetrate the half of the hall where the Third Young Master and the others were. In the entire hall, only the half where the Emperor resided remained shrouded in darkness.

"These are the celestial soldiers created by the gods of the Central Plains?" The Emperor's voice echoed from the darkness, ethereal and elusive, its tone strangely eerie, like the hoarse scream of a dying man.

The Third Young Master and Hua Rong stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder beside Gongzi Yu. The Third Young Master gazed at the darkness, his voice ringing with a metallic grating, and said, "Emperor, didn't you want to witness the might of the Central Plains' celestial soldiers? Come out and fight!"

The Emperor laughed heartily, saying, "You'll only be qualified to fight me if you find me first!"

The Third Young Master smiled slightly, saying, "Is that so? Do you think we can't see you now?"

With that, he hurled his horse-slaying saber towards a corner of the darkness. The saber, once released, transformed into a circular blade, trailing a straight, golden tail. Upon entering the darkness, it illuminated everything in its path like sunlight!

A crisp clang rang out, the hall trembled, and cracks began to appear in the roof.

The round blade flew back after the clash, landing in the Third Young Master's hand and transforming into a horse-slaying saber.

The Emperor's surprised voice followed: "You, how could you possibly see me?"

The Third Young Master sneered: "I can't see you, but Dragon's Roar knows where you are. Your aura is annoying; Dragon's Roar says it wants to kill you!"

The Emperor's voice turned solemn: "The Heavenly Soldiers of the Central Plains are indeed formidable. Since the Doomsday Illusion cannot deceive their eyes, then I will fight you fair and square! You have two Heavenly Soldiers, and I have two Divine Artifacts. You want to kill me? Dream on!"

As he spoke, the darkness that had enveloped half the hall rapidly receded, surging towards the Emperor's location, as if being sucked into him. When the darkness completely dissipated, the Emperor finally revealed himself, and everyone could finally see the appearance of the Doomsday Armor and the World-Destroying Demon Blade.

The armor looked ordinary, similar to the armor worn by the generals of the Great Japanese Empire, and the faces were covered with monstrous masks. However, every part of the armor flowed with a black light that seemed to be alive, occasionally transforming into hideous ghost faces. The World

-Destroying Demon Blade in the Emperor's hand, on the surface, was just an ordinary samurai sword, but the blade was jet black and looked as thin as paper, yet it gave off a strange feeling of being as heavy as a mountain.

"The Doomsday Armor is mainly defensive, and its strength is slightly inferior to Dragon's Roar. The World-Destroying Demon Blade is mainly offensive, and its strength is slightly inferior to Tiger's Roar. Rong'er, the two of us have him completely under our control." The Third Young Master made his evaluation of the Emperor's two weapons based on his feeling for Dragon's Roar.

Hua Rong smiled and said, "This Emperor is really stupid. He thinks he can fight us with his two lousy weapons? Isn't that just courting death?"

Gongzi Yu laughed and said, "What would happen if I joined in?"

The Third Young Master glanced at Gongzi Yu and said, "The three of us working together is equivalent to the combined power of three heavenly weapons. The Great Sun Emperor probably wouldn't be able to withstand even one move!"

Gongzi Yu nodded and said, "Alright, let's finish this quickly. This is war; there's no need to follow any rules of the martial world. The three of us will join forces and take him down!"

The three of them spoke in a southern dialect. Even if the Great Sun Emperor understood the Central Plains Mandarin, he wouldn't understand the dialect. Seeing the three of them muttering to each other for a while, he couldn't help but sneer, "Trying to escape when you're about to die? Don't even think about it. I won't give you the chance!"

The Third Young Master and Gongzi Yu exchanged a helpless glance. Gongzi Yu said, "This kind of person... is really not worthy of being our enemy! Let's kill him!"

~Chapter Six: Duel of Two Heroes, Section One~

Hua Rong flew towards the Emperor. Her graceful movements resembled a phoenix spreading its wings across the heavens. The fierce and domineering power of her previous roar vanished, replaced by an indescribable beauty.

Her wings flapped, brilliant sparks erupting from her flowing, iridescent metallic feathers, tracing incredibly beautiful arcs, like a mesmerizing dance, piercing towards the Emperor from an unbelievable and breathtaking angle.

The wings moved, and wherever they passed, the roof and floor of the palace were cleaved in two, as if an incomparably majestic giant, wielding an enormous sword, had slashed the entire palace from the sky.

Seeing the two wings hurtling towards him, the Emperor instantly judged that while these wings were powerful, they were no match for the combined power of his Doomsday Armor and the World-Destroying Demon Blade! He sneered and swung his blade, the World-Destroying Demon Blade tracing a jet-black path. The blade

's light lingered in the air, like ink painted on a canvas. The World-Destroying Demon Blade emitted a shrill, ghostly wail; the eerie sound waves caused the air to tremble, the space itself becoming a shimmering, ethereal pool.

The Emperor's blade aimed for the opening between Hua Rong's wings. Relying on his two divine weapons, he was willing to be pierced by those wings, determined to cleave Hua Rong's chest open!

The Emperor's judgment was correct: Tiger Roar excelled in offense but not defense. While Tiger Roar's attack power surpassed that of the World-Destroying Demon Blade, a direct hit would inevitably result in disembowelment.

The Emperor could use this suicidal tactic because he wore the Doomsday Armor. The Doomsday Armor was primarily defensive; while its defensive capabilities weren't as strong as Dragon's Roar, it could still withstand a single blow from Tiger Roar.

However, the Emperor forgot one thing: this was a war, not a martial arts duel. He mistakenly believed that the Third Young Master and his companions would follow the rules of the martial arts world in the Central Plains, fighting him one by one, thus allowing him to defeat them one by one and secure an invincible position.

Unfortunately, the Third Young Master and his group had not planned to follow the rules of the martial arts world from the beginning.

After the Emperor's blade slashed towards Hua Rong, the Third Young Master moved. His speed was unbelievable; even wearing the Dragon's Roar armor, he was as fast as a ghost!

He instantly appeared beside Hua Rong. Advancing alongside her, he swung his horse-slaying saber at the World-Destroying Demon Blade.

Hua Rong's speed was actually no slower than the Third Young Master's. However, she deliberately used extremely beautiful movements to advance, intentionally slowing down her speed, with the aim of luring the Emperor into a trap.

The Emperor indeed fell for it. When he saw the Third Young Master suddenly take a step and appear in front of Hua Rong, his shock was beyond measure.

A long, resounding clang of metal clashing rang out as the Third Young Master's saber clashed with the World-Destroying Demon Blade. The powerful yet eerie sound swept through the entire hall, and everyone watching, except for Young Master Yu, covered their ears and retreated at their fastest speed, instantly exiting the hall.

Several pillars and load-bearing walls shattered, the entire hall shook and groaned, countless fragments falling, on the verge of collapse.

Another long, resounding clang of metal clashing echoed as Hua Rong's wings struck the Emperor's heart and face the instant the Third Young Master intercepted the World-Destroying Demon Blade.

The World-Destroying Demon Blade's attack power was indeed only slightly less than a tiger's roar, and a little stronger than a dragon's cry. It severed the Third Young Master's saber and struck his breastplate heavily. However, it only penetrated halfway before embedding itself firmly in the breastplate, preventing the Emperor from retracting his blade!

The Doomsday Armor's defensive capabilities were only slightly inferior to Dragon's Roar. Dragon's Roar could withstand Tiger's Roar's attack, and the Doomsday Armor could withstand it for a while!

Therefore, although Hua Rong's wings struck two vital points on the Emperor, one was blocked by the breastplate, only penetrating an inch before being unable to advance further; the other was blocked by the mask, although it pierced the mask and even touched the Emperor's brow, it couldn't go any further!

When the second clang of metal rang out, the main hall finally began to collapse. Gongzi Yu made his move the instant the roof of the hall began to tilt and collapse.

He shot out like lightning, rushing to the Emperor at a speed almost invisible to the naked eye. The instant he reached the Emperor, Hua Rong swiftly retracted her wings, while Gongzi Yu unleashed two punches.

One punch struck the crack on the Emperor's face caused by Tiger's Roar's wing; a transparent golden light emanated from his fist as it struck, and the skin on his fist gleamed with a dazzling metallic sheen.

A punch struck the crack in the Emperor's chest, pierced by the other wing of the Tiger's Roar. As the punch landed, a deep blue light emanated from his fist, and jet-black sparks crackled across his skin.

Two loud booms followed, the two punches

landing squarely. With a deafening roar, the entire palace collapsed. Gongzi Yu withdrew his fist, soared into the sky, crashing through the roof and leaping into the air.

Third Young Master and Hua Rong simultaneously flew into the air, standing shoulder to shoulder with Gongzi Yu, looking down at the ruins of the Emperor's palace.

Boom—another deafening roar, a beam of black light shooting out from the ruins—the Emperor had emerged from them.

He floated in mid-air, slowly raising his right hand, the Annihilation Demon Blade pointing directly at Gongzi Yu.

Gongzi Yu smiled, hands behind his back, standing in the air, his long hair moving without wind.

"Clang!" A crisp sound rang out, and the Annihilation Demon Blade in the Emperor's hand suddenly shattered from the tip upwards, the shattering spreading inch by inch until it reached the hilt.

Then, with two more clanging sounds, the two cracks on the Emperor's Doomsday Armor—one on the chest and one on the mask—suddenly spread in all directions, gradually expanding to his entire body before shattering into countless fragments that rained down on him.

The Emperor's mask broke, revealing his face, now a dark black.

His eyes were deathly gray, and he stared intently at Gongzi Yu, opening his mouth to say something, but only spitting out a stream of black blood.

After the armor shattered completely, the Emperor's body also began to disintegrate, turning into countless deathly gray fragments that drifted away with the wind, eventually turning to dust.

Gongzi Yu, the Third Young Master, and Hua Rong landed slowly. The Third Young Master and Hua Rong removed their armor, and the Dragon's Roar and Tiger's Howl transformed into two beams of light—one golden and one blood-red—and soared into the sky.

Apart from the Third Young Master and Hua Rong, no one knew where the Dragon's Roar and Tiger's Howl had gone.

The Great Sun Emperor had finally died in battle, and the Great Sun Kingdom's armed forces had been completely annihilated. By this time, the entire Great Japanese Empire had been completely conquered. The next step was to enslave the remaining three million people of the Great Japanese Empire.

"Without the two of you, I really wouldn't have been able to kill the Emperor," Gongzi Yu exhaled, smiling at the Third Young Master and Hua Rong.

Gongzi Yu's own skill was indeed unparalleled, but the combined power of the Emperor's two demonic weapons was only slightly inferior to the combined power of the Dragon's Roar and Tiger's Howl. Gongzi Yu simply couldn't defeat the Emperor alone.

"It's nothing. Conquering the Great Japanese Empire was indeed a good thing for the people of the Central Plains," the Third Young Master said. He was more aware of the danger posed by this island nation. If the Central Plains wanted to become strong and stand tall in the world, they had to remove this venomous snake lurking beside them; otherwise, the people of the Central Plains would only suffer innocently in the future.

Gongzi Yu nodded slightly. He exchanged a glance with the Third Young Master, and a profound smile appeared on both their faces.

They both knew that the Great Japanese Empire had now been conquered, and the alliance they had maintained for two months had ended the moment the Great Japanese Emperor died. From now on, the two would revert to their former status as mortal enemies.

The situation on the scene became delicate. Gongzi Yu's group of experts began to glare menacingly at the group of experts who had come with the Third Young Master, while Gongzi Yu's naval cavalry slowly surrounded them. They

cleverly and subtly surrounded Qin Feng, Qin Lei, and the others.

The Third Young Master looked at Gongzi Yu, his heart surging with turmoil.

Undeniably, Gongzi Yu was the best opponent Third Young Master had ever faced, second only to Ximen Wudi. Gongzi Yu even fulfilled the role Ximen Wudi longed for but couldn't achieve:

Third Young Master's confidant.

Confidant and enemy!

Ximen Wudi's life was lonely, not only because his martial arts were unmatched, leaving him without rivals, but also because his heart was even lonelier. No one knew his true origins or background, and therefore no one could confide in him. That unbearable loneliness at the top tormented Ximen Wudi his entire life.

Third Young Master's only opponent now was Gongzi Yu. In both martial arts and strategy, Gongzi Yu was no less than Ximen Wudi, and Gongzi Yu was a man of this era; he had become the unparalleled hero he was today entirely through his own genius.

Third Young Master didn't know if he would still have an opponent after killing Gongzi Yu, or even if he could find one at all.

Fortunately, Third Young Master had Song Qing, who knew his origins, so he wasn't worried about lacking a confidant. But without an opponent, life could be incredibly dull and boring.

The Third Young Master is now quite helpless because Gongzi Yu is destined to die. If Gongzi Yu doesn't die, the Third Young Master, and even his entire family, will perish.

The Third Young Master knows Gongzi Yu's ambition all too well. He doesn't just want the Central Plains; he wants to conquer every place the sun shines on, to unify the entire world.

How could someone as ambitious as Gongzi Yu tolerate the existence of a powerful but disobedient Third Young Master? "Those who don't submit to me will die." This is Gongzi Yu's consistent principle.

Because of this principle, the Third Young Master must ultimately fight Gongzi Yu to the death, because the Third Young Master's character is such that he will never submit to anyone.

A true man should be supreme!

Gongzi Yu looks at the Third Young Master, his mind also churning with thoughts.

He is lonely; he has been lonely since childhood. He is a prince born of a concubine, with no status in the Qin Emperor's palace. His mother was originally just a palace maid who, after being favored by the Holy Emperor Ying on a whim, conceived him and was only barely granted the title of concubine.

His mother had no status, no connections, no powerful backing, making him an insignificant figure.

The Holy Emperor Ying never cared for him, leaving him to fend for himself in the Forbidden City. The other princes and princesses bullied him, never taking him seriously.

As a child, he was lonely because he had no friends.

However, he was exceptionally talented. Using only the "Seven Emotions of Ruthless Heaven" mantra found in the Imperial Treasury, he mastered it and became a top-tier martial artist. Later, he was taught the ancient martial arts "Golden Crow Profound Skill" and "Sunflower Water Divine Thunder" by Zuo Yuanfang. With his intelligence and the characteristics of the Seven Emotions of Ruthless Heaven, he successfully fused these two conflicting martial arts, becoming the number one martial artist in the world!

In fact, four years ago, his martial arts were already comparable to, or even surpassed, Ximen Wudi's. However, to cultivate his power and win over the Demonic Sect, he had to feign strength, portraying himself as an ambitious but powerless fool, thus eliciting no suspicion from Ximen Wudi.

It could be said that he had spent the rest of his life acting, but not truly being himself.

His martial arts were unparalleled, his wisdom unmatched. Even figures like Ximen Wudi were manipulated by him. Hua Rong was easily defeated, and even the Third Young Master nearly fell to him.

How could someone like Gongzi Yu not be lonely? His position was too high, so high that he could only look down upon others. No one was worthy to stand shoulder to shoulder with him.

Only during his time with the Third Young Master did he slowly realize that the Third Young Master's wisdom was no less than his own; it was just that the Third Young Master was generally too lazy to scheme so much. He also discovered that the Third Young Master's martial arts skills were only a matter of time and age. If the Third Young Master reached his age, he was certain that the Third Young Master would achieve the same level of success.

Furthermore, some of the Third Young Master's thoughts coincided with his own; they even fell in love with the same woman!

Sometimes, Gongzi Yu couldn't help but feel ecstatic, thinking he had finally found a confidant who could be his rival. But now, to his regret, this confidant could not be used by him and instead opposed him.

This world was destined not to have two heroes standing side by side, nor two dragons coexisting. One of them, him or the Third Young Master, had to fall.

Now, their common goal was gone, their cooperation had ended, and what followed was a decisive battle to determine who would reign supreme.

However, for now, it seemed they could still have a good drink together. Both

Gongzi Yu and the Third Young Master thought this simultaneously.

Then, they smiled slightly at each other and extended their right hands.

"Mission accomplished! Leave the cleanup to our men; let's throw a grand victory banquet!" Gongzi Yu said with a chuckle.

The Third Young Master walked hand in hand with him towards the palace gates. The experts from both sides stood in two distinct columns behind them, eyeing each other warily.

"Hehe, a victory celebration banquet inevitably involves women, and I, this young master, have plenty. It's just a pity about you... ha... you'll have to remain a virgin for over a year, what a loss!" The Third Young Master said,

patting Gongzi Yu on the shoulder. Zhao Ziyang and the others watched the Third Young Master's hand nervously as he

patted Gongzi Yu's shoulder, fearing a sudden attack. They could see that Gongzi Yu hadn't even activated his protective qi when the Third Young Master

patted him. Zhao Ziyang and the others underestimated both the Third Young Master and Gongzi Yu. The Third Young Master would never attack Gongzi Yu at this time, and Gongzi Yu knew this even better.

Neither of them would act without absolute certainty. And the place where absolute certainty lay was at sea, on the boundless ocean, where Gongzi Yu had a better chance of defeating the Third Young Master, and there was no need to worry about the Third Young Master and his men escaping. The Third Young Master also had a better chance of attacking Gongzi Yu, both trapping him and rendering his army largely useless.

At this moment, both sides suddenly understood each other's thoughts. They knew their opponents had staked everything on the sea.

And indeed, only the ocean was worthy of being the final resting place of such unparalleled heroes!

****

There was wine, they drank wildly, and got completely drunk.

This was the most drunk the Third Young Master had ever been, and it was also the most drunk Young Master Yu had ever been.

The two drank countless jars of wine, and talked for an unknown amount of time.

In the end, both of them had to be carried back to their tents by their respective subordinates, completely unconscious.

As night fell, fires blazed throughout Kyoto, as naval soldiers clearing the battlefield burned the corpses. Hiding all the hundreds of thousands of bodies would be an extremely time-consuming and laborious task; burning them was far cleaner. Except for the bodies of the fallen naval soldiers, which had to be carefully collected and transported back to the Central Plains for burial, the bodies of the remaining Japanese citizens were only fit to be burned and scattered in the fertile fields.

The surviving Japanese citizens in Kyoto, after taking a small amount of the antidote for the muscle-weakening powder, regained some strength and, driven by the naval soldiers, helped them clear the battlefield and move the corpses.

The city was filled with mourning; almost everyone had relatives or friends who had died in this massacre. However, the naval soldiers showed no mercy; to them, this slaughter was merely a way to wash away the shame of the previous night's attack on their camp.

After the banquet, Qiao Wei and Uncle Li wandered aimlessly through Kyoto. Their main purpose for this trip was to search for as many beautiful women as possible to bring back to the Central Plains.

Although the land and water of the Great Japanese Kingdom were harsh, there were still more than 500,000 survivors in the capital. Moreover, when the naval soldiers massacred people, they mostly picked up men to kill, so more than half of the survivors were women. With so many women, there were naturally many beauties. The two old rogues searched for half the night and actually found more than a dozen. They immediately brought them back to the military camp and carefully distributed them, giving several to everyone on the Third Young Master's side, and even Qin Feng was given one.

Of course, Qin Feng didn't want any. The little girl, who was no more than fifteen years old, who was brought to his tent by Qiao Wei, could only sit trembling in his tent all night.

That night, everyone in the Central Plains military camp was happy and harmonious, while the capital city was filled with gloom and sorrow.

Gongzi Yu had already sobered up in the middle of the night. He sat alone in the dark tent, thinking for a long time, when suddenly he put on his clothes, got up, walked out of the tent, and walked towards the Third Young Master's tent.

However, his destination was not the Third Young Master's tent, but a small tent next to it, which could only accommodate one person.

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