When the Strength Legacy had been passed on to him, his biggest regret was not being able to nurture any one of his disciples into a God Tier Master to continue passing down Strength Legacy. It could be said that if Zhou Weiqing were to become a God Tier Master, it would have a very unique meaning to Duan Tianliang.
Zhou Weiqing nodded and explained the process of him becoming a God Tier Master in simple terms.
Duan Tianliang's temperament had always been very gentle. When he had finished hearing Zhou Weiqings explanation of the process of becoming a God Tier Master, he could not help but curse, "F*ck! This is so unfair. Do you know how much effort I've poured into becoming a God Tier Master that year? This is so infuriating! Big Fatty Long, the biggest regret of my life is that I couldn't take Zhou Weiqing from your hands. At that time, I only thought that one who possessed six attributes was truly hard to come across. I myself had disciples as well, so I gave him to you. Zhou Weiqing's consolidating talents aren't inferior to his cultivation at all!"
Big Fatty Long laughed to the extent that his eyes could not be seen.
At this moment, noisy footsteps sounded from the outside.
'Weiqing," the voice had reached before the person. Next, a white shadow barged into the tent, paying no attention to the people around, and dove head first into Zhou Weiqing's embrace. "Isn't this Tian'er?" thought Zhou Weiqing.
It had been a year since they last met, but time had not left any traces on Tian'er, instead, she looked more attractive. However, her pretty face right then was filled with tears, like a pear flower with raindrops on it, arousing the sympathy of others.
Zhou Weiqing had left for one whole year! How could she not miss him? She clung to his waist tightly, as if was afraid of losing him.
Right after Tian'er, Shangguan Xue'er and Shangguan Fei'er also walked in. Shangguan Xue'er had her usual cold demeanor whereas Shangguan Fei'er pouted, staring at the scene of Tian'er hugging Zhou Weiqing. It was apparent that she was a little envious.
After them, Mu En, Hua Feng, Ming Yu and the other upper echelons of the Heavenly Bow Empire came. Zhou Weiqing had returned, and all of them immediately dropped their current tasks and rushed over.
Within a short span, Duan Tianliang's tent was fully occupied with people.
Under the gazes of the crowd, Tian'er had finally loosened her hug for Zhou Weiqing, and two shades of blush appeared on her lovely face.
However, Zhou Weiqing did not give her any mercy and said something soothing by her ear with a low voice.
Tian'er's pretty face turned even redder but still nodded at him. Zhou Weiqing's face was instantly filled with elation and joy.
Shangguan Fei'er walked over, pulled away Zhou Weiqing, and took Tian'er into her embrace, "Watch it, you bastard. Tian'er is our key target to be protected, you're not allowed to hug her too tightly."
Zhou Weiqing had just asked if Tian'er was pregnant. After obtaining her affirmation, knowing that he would be a father soon, it would be weird for him to be happy.
Ming Yu glared at Zhou Weiqing menacingly, and said, "You know how to find your way back, don't you?!"
Zhou Weiqing laughed out loud, stepped forward, and gave him a really big hug.
Helplessness could be seen on Ming Yu's face. He gave him a light punch of his fist on the back and smiles finally appeared on his face. No matter what, it was good to have Zhou Weiqing back. He was the spiritual pillar of the entire Heavenly Bow Empire! The upper echelons of the Heavenly Bow Empire were almost built up by himself. If he did not return, although there no problems with Ming Yu commanding the army, but there were far more other matters that were not under his control. Everything was different without the name of Zhou Weiqing!
After he had hugged Ming Yu, Zhou Weiqing turned toward the Shangguan sisters, gave them each a hug, and then proceeded to give a bear hug to each person in the tent without missing anyone out.
When we had walked to a person hiding in the corners, he was stunned momentarily, but still speared his arms in the same manner, "Sister Ruse, you've worked hard."
This person was Xiao Ruse, but she did not look well and seemed to be a little pale. Nevertheless, she still stepped towards Zhou Weiqing's embrace.
Zhou Weiqing heard her mumble faintly, "I've yet to exist when you were born, and you were old when I was born." Those were ten simple words, but it made Zhou Weiqing's heart shudder violently. Although he knew that he should not get himself into too many romantic affairs, he could not help but feel great pain now. Numerous memories of him following Xiao Ruse flashed in his heart.
Although it was over in an instant, Zhou Weiqing still felt that his initially high spirits have plummeted. Hugging Xiao Ruse hard, he behaved out of her expectations by saying in a low voice, "Time is never a problem, age is never a limit."
Xiao Ruse's eyes shone but dimmed quickly; she retreated from his embrace to the side.
Xiao Ruse indeed was much older than Zhou Weiqing, but she was now past her thirties. On the other hand, Zhou Weiqing was only in his twenties. The battles and adversities all those years resulted in her no longer being the beauty of the same rank as the Shangguan Triplets and Tian'er. It was no wonder that she was ashamed of herself.
As the tent was so crowded at that moment, it was only natural that Zhou Weiqing did not pursue her. He turned his body to face the people, and gave a deep 90-degree bow, "Everyone, you've worked hard. I thank you from the bottom of my heart."
It was such a simple sentence with only a few words, but it reddened the eyes of the people.
Ming Yu's feelings struck deep. He signed internally, 'The one with the talent to become an Emperor! This guy was definitely made to become an Emperor!'. Although he thought of himself to be greatly talented, he had not been able to become the General. Zhou Weiqing may not be his match in terms of talent, but his charisma was far greater than that of his. Thus, he was able to garner the support of so many people.
Zhou Weiqing may seem to not have done much in the process of the Heavenly Bow Empire's fall until today. All the things he had done were the really important matters — he was the soul of the Heavenly Bow Empire!
Ming Yu coughed and said, "Let's continue our chat somewhere else, so as not to interrupt Master."
Duan Tianliang chuckled, and said, "I don't mind the interruption. It's just that my place here is quite small. Weiqing won't be able to get close to anyone, hehe."
The crowd could not help but laugh.
Exiting Duan Tianliang's room, the crowd arrived at the big tent of main military force. Ming Yu had Zhou Weiqing sit on the primary seat, but Zhou Weiqing objected and signaled for Ming Yu to have the seat instead. Eventually, the primary seat remained vacant, and there were two more chairs at the bottom.
After a brief greeting session, it arrived the discussion of important matters. Zhou Weiqing naturally did not have to tell everyone his experiences. Summarized by a few sentences, the discussion quickly moved to the current situation of the Heavenly Bow Empire.
Ming Yu's explanation was far more detailed than Kou Rui's, and it included his own opinions and interpretations. According to Ming Yu's words, the Heavenly Bow Empire may appear to be in a good standing at the moment, it was in a dangerous situation in reality. There was no problem with the latter, but the concern was, for an army of hundreds of thousands to face the Bai Da Empire behind the Kalise Empire, could they really withstand it? At this point, Ming Yu had no confidence as well. They could only give their best in everything they were about to do until the very end.
The most pressing issue was the fight which could break out anytime soon. Heavenly Bow Empire must take an offensive stance, especially if it were to rescue the royalties of Heavenly Bow Empire and Zhou Weiqing's family. However, this was the biggest challenge at the moment. A forceful invasion would be impossible, even with Zhou Weiqing's family out of the picture, no warrior of Heavenly Bow Empire would be willing to risk the annihilation of the empire's royalties and attack the Heavenly Bow Empire. If the order were to be implemented by force, morale would be receiving a strong blow.
"…, Weiqing, you must make a decision as soon as possible," emphasized Ming Yu, after explaining their current situation.
Zhou Weiqing nodded lightly, and inquired, "How's the enemies' military assembly near the Heavenly Bow City?"
Upon his questioning, Ming Yu's face turned sour, "Those bastards from the Kalise and Bai Da Empire… the tactic they are utilizing is to strengthen their defenses to the point that it's close to invulnerable as Heavenly Bow City itself isn't too huge and isn't able to fit too many troops. They're targeting Heavenly Bow City as the center, clearing the Star Forest surrounding Heavenly Bow City, and have set their base at Heavenly Bow City as the center. A large number of Star Trees have been cut down and transported away. Their current military assembly consists of approximately fifteen regiments, but their real force could never match ours. These fifteen regiments include the ten regiments which the Kalise Empire had been gathering for two years, while the rest were sent from Bai Da Empire. As of now, they show no signs of reinforcing their troops. It's obvious that their current purpose is to hold us back here, and will await the Dandun and Bai Da Empire to make a move before we strike. "
Zhou Weiqing squinted his eyes but did not voice out his opinions. His few close friends who knew him best could tell from his dark demeanor that Little Fatty was really enraged.
To have his home being invaded was a great shame to Zhou Weiqing. These invaders had even destroyed his homeland, destroyed the Star Forest, and used his family to threaten the troops from advancing. One could imagine how furious Zhou Weiqing could be.
There were countless people in the meeting hall, but it has turned to a pin-drop silence. Everyone's gaze fell on Zhou Weiqing, waiting for his decision.
Zhou Weiqing had been silent for five minutes until he lifted his head, eyes shining, "Admiral Ming Yu, if we were to launch our attacks, how much time do you need for the preparations?"
Ming Yu answered without hesitation, "All is ready. We can launch our offense any time."
"Alright," Zhou Weiqing exclaimed. He stood up abruptly, with rage in his eyes, and all of a sudden, everyone in the meeting hall could sense the strong aura radiating from him.
"Since things are what it is now, I'll give you one last day for the preparations. Tomorrow night is the time we'll act, as for the actual operation plans, we'll discuss now."
Admiration flowed from Ming Yu's eyes. As indecisiveness would lead to trouble, for Zhou Weiqing to be able to make a firm decision within such a short duration was an essential aspect that a successful, high-ranking individual ought to have.
Ming Yu excused the officers for the time being. Only several people of the core ranks were left, and with Zhou Weiqing, they discussed the detailed plans of the battle.
Just like what Ming Yu himself had said, to take back Heavenly Bow City and to revive Heavenly Bow Empire, he had been preparing for a few months' time, they could move out any time. The attack methods of each aspect had long been finalized.
The group had discussed for the whole four hours until they ended the high-ranking meeting.
Shangguan Bing'er was pulled away by Shangguan Xue'er and Shangguan Fei'er, Zhou Weiqing was left with Tian'er by them, from Bing'er, they could similarly know what had happened to Zhou Weiqing. Furthermore, before they had departed for Mysterious Heavenly Mainland, Tian'er had given Zhou Weiqing to Bing'er. No matter what, they would have to repay her kindness. They all would be living together for their whole life, therefore, it was beneficial to all to improve their relationships.
Tian'er pulled Zhou Weiqing's hand and led him back to where they stayed. She could clearly feel Zhou Weiqing's gloominess at the time being.
'Little Fatty, we can definitely succeed," said Tian'er after she closed the door, and immediately threw herself into Zhou Weiqing's embrace.
Zhou Weiqing hugged her gently as if he was afraid of hurting her, and caressed her long hair, "I'm fine. I too believe that we'll succeed. Tian'er, will you promise me one thing?"
Tian'er shook her head, "If you're going to forbid me from joining the battle tomorrow, you can stop. I must join. If not, how am I going to face your parents in the future?"
Zhou Weiqing smiled bitterly, "Tian'er, you're wrong, if I happen to let my father know that you've gone to fight while pregnant, he'll never forgive me! Listen to me, my dear Tian'er, please don't be involved in this battle. Are you still worried if I have Master with me?"
Tian'er pouted and complained in his embrace, "No, I must go. Xue'er, Fei'er and Bing'er are all so amazing; they all want to rescue your parents with you. If I don't go, what will your parents think of me? Don't you know that the first impression is really important? Dear husband, just let me go with you. Please, I beg of you, even my father says that I'll be fine."
While Tian'er had called him dear husband, half of Zhou Weiqing's body had turned numb. If he was not worried about the possibilities of his family's life being threatened by the Heavenly King-tier powerhouses in Bai Da Empire, he might very well be making love to Tian'er right there and then.
"Tian'er, what did father-in-law say when you were back in the Heavenly Snow Mountain? Zhou Weiqing had not been able to head to the Heavenly Snow Mountain with Tian'er, but he was concerned about Xue Ao'tian's opinions. Never mind the other matters, Tian'er had been bearing his child when they had yet to be married - this was no small matter! Tian'er was the only daughter of Xue Ao'tian, the Mountain Lord of the Heavenly Snow Mountain. However, judging from the fact that Xue Ao'tian had allowed Tian'er to come back, he was not really angry.
Upon hearing her father being mentioned, Tian'er stuck her tongue out, and said, "Father had been quite furious. I was close to not being able to return; it was my first time seeing anger and helplessness plastered on father's face at the same time. However, he could not stand my constant coaxing and pestering, and hence, I'm back. However, father mentioned that if you're not going to see him after you've returned to the mainland, he will come and meet you himself."
Zhou Weiqing's facial muscles twitched. He could perfectly imagine the expressions of Xue Ao'tian clenching his teeth while he was uttering these words.
"Regarding this, my dear, as you know, I really can't leave. After I've rescued my parents, I'll pay father-in-law another visit for sure, and to fix our dates as well."
Tian'er said softly, "I know. You have important things to attend to, even if father really came, he can't do anything to you either. After all, we already have our child." While saying, she caressed her abdomen which was still flat at the moment, radiating with happiness.
Zhou Weiqing immediately asked, "What did father-in-law say about our child? When will the baby be born?"
Looking at Zhou Weiqing's expressions of anticipation, Tian'er chuckled and said, "It's still early; at least another three years. I've recalled correctly, giving birth to a baby will take a long time due to our Divine Heavenly Spirit Tiger Bloodline. On top of the protection of Essence Bloodline and Saint Energy now, father said that our child's defensive abilities will be far stronger than ours. My stomach is invulnerable."
"Umm…, things like this exist?" Zhou Weiqing stared at her, stupefied.
Tian'er said proudly, "Of course, it's only natural for us to have our own means of survival since the inheritance of our Divine Heavenly Spirit Tiger Bloodline ages ago. Once the females of our Divine Heavenly Spirit Tiger Bloodline are impregnated, the bloodline will transform into a unique energy and fuse with the child into a single entity, effectively protecting him or her. In addition, I have Saint Energy. Father said that under the nurture of our bloodline powers and the protection of Saint Energy, the child's defense is so strong to the extent that he or she can't be harmed even by my father's attacks. What else is there for you to be concerned? I must go tomorrow. Don't you forget, I'm the mother of the child. Will my love for our child be any less than yours? Without any assurance from my father, I'll never raise such demands."
Zhou Weiqing stared at the stubbornness and persistence in Tian'er's eyes, and said in defeat, "Alright, but without my permission, you must never attack haphazardly, okay?"
"Okay!" said Tian'er in giggles and joy, seeing that he had agreed.
Zhou Weiqing said, "Regarding the matters of the Nether Realm, what did father-in-law have to say?"
The smile on Tian'er's face disappeared a little, and said,"Father is also worried about this. The reason why he wants you to meet him is also to talk about this issue other than our matters. Father did not say much about the situation in Nether Realm; he just asked me to share with you that my mother had not been by our side because she had to guard the entrance of the Nether Realm. As for my mother's cultivation, it's nothing more than a vassal of the true guardians."
Upon registering Tian'er's words, Zhou Weiqing's facial expression changed. He knew very well that the Entropic Nether Tiger Phelia was a Heavenly God-tier powerhouse, and compared to the Mountain Lord of Heavenly Snow Mountain, Xue Ao'tian, she was only slightly weaker. For a Heavenly God-tier powerhouse like her to be a mere vassal, how much stronger would the true guardians of the Nether Realm's entrance be? His guess was the pinnacle of Heavenly God-tier.
Under such tight security of the group of powerhouses, it had indirectly testified the existence and horrors of the Nether Realm. It seemed that what the family of huge dragons had encountered, as he had expected, was the Nether Realm's conspiracy. In addition, it was highly possible for the Nether Realm to be associated with some of the powers on the mainland. Judging from the current situation, all the traces had been pointing to the Blood Red Hell. The Destruction Attribute they had demonstrated in the Heavenly Jewel Tournament was obvious to all. Furthermore, the sudden aggression of Dandun Empire displayed their ambitions. The only thing was this - was everything really this simple?
If it was only the Dandun and Bai Da Empire that's involved in a conspiracy under the support of the Blood Red Hell, then would the Zhongtian Empire, Heaven's Expanse Palace, Wan Shou Empire, and Heavenly Snow Mountain remain seated at the sidelines? Zhou Weiqing had known all along that there was never such a thing as permanent enemies in this world — there were only permanent benefits. Once the existence of the Blood Red Hell threatened the survival of the entire mainland, it was not impossible for contact between Heaven's Expanse Palace and Heavenly Snow Mountain to be established!
The truth would never show itself that easily. The Blood Red Hell alone would not prompt anyone to make a move on a whim. However, if there were to be contact between the Nether Realm and the Boundless Mainland, there might be even more situations. And all of these would only be apparent due to the sudden movements of the Blood Red Hell and the Dandun Empire, but things have just barely started.
It seemed that no matter if it was for Tian'er or the mainland's sake, it was necessary for him to pay another visit to Heavenly Snow Mountain, at the very least. The war waged by the Wan Shou Empire on the Zhong Tian Empire must be halted, and things must be clarified before any further action was taken.
After organizing his thoughts, Zhou Weiqing did not accompany Tian'er any longer. He had just returned and there was another major operation the next night, so there were many things which had to be dealt with.
Throughout the rest of the day, Zhou Weiqing barely had any rest. He had been meeting up with the upper echelons of the Heavenly Bow Empire without a break, and have taken care of the preparations for the battle tomorrow night with Ming Yu. At the same time, their plans were confidential and their enemies must never get hold of the information.
Regarding Zhou Weiqing's influence since his return, Ming Yu had the deepest thoughts. Everybody in the upper echelons, regardless if they were re-established from the disbanded army of the Heavenly Bow Empire or not, from the Peerless Regiment or if they were gathered by Zhou Weiqing, each and every one of them had a one-to-one meeting with Zhou Weiqing.
Of course, news of the attack was only known by the few people of the highest ranks, Zhou Weiqing had only told these officers that they would be launching their final round of offense in the near future. At the same time, he had also guaranteed that the royalty of the Heavenly Bow Empire would be rescued during the attacks.
The time he had spent meeting each person was different. Nevertheless, Ming Yu noticed that every officer who had been consoled by Zhou Weiqing would show absolute trust toward him. For most of the officers, although they greatly admired Ming Yu, he was still considered an outsider. On the other hand, Zhou Weiqing was different; his position in the Heavenly Bow Empire had always been essential. The godson of the Emperor, and the relative of the Admiral. On top of that, everything that the Heavenly Bow Empire had achieved to this date could be considered as the contributions of Zhou Weiqing. His parents were trapped in Heavenly Bow City, and he would never take his parent's lives as a joke. Therefore, these men naturally trusted him completely.
Within half a day's time, Zhou Weiqing had completely resolved the issues of the army's morale. As for the rest of the military tasks, they were naturally assigned to the officers.
After the most pressing issue had been resolved, Zhou Weiqing brought the Shangguan Triplets and Tian'er back to his room and quarantined them temporarily after lunch the next day. At the same time, they were also waiting for the last moment. On the other hand, Ming Yu had become the busiest, relaying countless military orders from the tent of the Heavenly Bow Commander.
Ming Yu realized that he was starting to grow fonder of his partner, Zhou Weiqing. Yes, he had always seen Zhou Weiqing as his collaborator and partner who fought together, while the Heavenly Bow Empire was his platform to demonstrate his talents.
Although Zhou Weiqing rarely appeared and seemed irresponsible, Ming Yu realized that he could not be without him. Zhou Weiqing's long-term vision and charisma, combined with his abilities in military affairs, were the key to the rise of the Heavenly Bow Empire. And what satisfied Ming Yu the most was that Zhou Weiqing would never comment on how he commanded the military, as he trusted him completely.
The most important battle of the Heavenly Bow Empire since its revival was about to begin, no explanations were needed for the importance of this battle. Both Zhou Weiqing or Ming Yu would not allow failure.
The skies gradually darkened, and the Heavenly Bow Empire was showered in a faint layer of red under the afterglow illumination.
Heavenly Bow City had been one of the most beautiful cities of the mainland. It was also the only city which stood amidst the woods, but now, it seemed a little defeated.
Around Heavenly Bow City, large areas of Star Trees had been cut down and transported to the Kalise and Bai Da Empire, resulting in a vast piece of empty land around the city. At the very least, looking outward from within the city, there were no covers of any sorts within ten miles. This had effectively prevented assaults.
The inside of Heavenly Bow City seemed depressed; the northern gates and the cities were all filled with armies. The city gate had long been shut. The population in the city was not even one-third of what it was during the ruling era of the Heavenly Bow Empire as those who were capable of escaping had all escaped. Especially after the armies who had recovered the lands while reviving the Heavenly Bow Empire, many citizens of Heavenly Bow City had chosen to escape, making their way to the new areas which the Heavenly Bow Empire had just seized.
Facing the heavy outflow of citizens, Kalise Empire had no choice but to close the gate, not allowing any citizens of Heavenly Bow City to leave so easily. Even with that, the people in Heavenly Bow City now stayed indoors, resulting in an empty and lonely city. It could only be hoped that all the civilians of the Heavenly Bow Empire were secretly anticipating the recovery of the armies of Heavenly Bow outside the city.
The palace of the Heavenly Bow Empire seemed lonely under the afterglow. The main hall of the palace, concurrently the biggest hall which contained the Heavenly Bow Empire's main hall, was engulfed by absolute darkness.
In the darkness, there was a faint layer of red blood light. It was only during the times with the strongest sunlight that one could see the looming outlines of the palace.
Right in front of this palace, there stood three people, all donned in Chinese costumes.
Among the three, the one standing in the center was an old man, donning a long black golden silk gown with dragon patterns, exuding a cold demeanor, while his eyes were full of arrogance.
The two other elderly people at his side looked older. However, they slightly resembled each other, so it was obvious that they were brothers. Both of them wore fire-red long gowns, but their manners toward the elderly in a black gown in the center were very respectful.
The old man in a black gown asked flatly, "How are the arrangements?"
The red-gowned old man to his left said in respect, "Reporting to Heavenly Emperor, everything has been arranged. The news we've released was that only a Darkness Heavenly King had come, if those people from the Heavenly Bow Empire dared to touch us, they won't be going anywhere."
The red-gowned old man to his right chuckled, and said, "Heavenly Emperor, rest assured, I really don't understand how can we bother you to make your appearance. Although the military standards of the Heavenly Bow Empire aren't bad, they don't really have any exceptional abilities, they're not to be part of our concerns. We've bothered six Heavenly Kings, and you, a Heavenly Emperor to personally sit in - it's overkill."
The old man in the black gown said, "You can't be careless too. At this frontline, we only have these armies for now, while the bigger armies have all been assigned to the southern front. For the overall plans of the Empire, we can't allow any problems here. Otherwise, though those in the Heavenly Bow Empire's armies may not be large in number, they can focus their men in a single area. Once the Kalise Empire has been wiped out, and the Bai Da Empire takes fire, the whole battle will be affected. On our side, we'll just have to defend. What other dissatisfactions do you have with such a simple mission?"
"None, none at all." The two old man quickly bowed and said.
The black-gowned old man turned his body and looked at the huge palace behind him and slightly furrowed his brows, "A mere tiny Ninth Jewel like this dares to activate a skill like the Fate Denying Seal? It'll be problematic even for me to attempt to release the seal. On the other hand, this seal is also beneficial as it's a way to hold back the Heavenly Bow Empire. Otherwise, before we've secured most of the control of the mainland, we still can't make our moves as we please against the normal armies."
This man in a black gown was Meng Gui or Heavenly Emperor Meng Gui as people called him. He used to be an independent cultivator, the same as Long Shiya, one of the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperors. The only difference was that Long Shiya was more active in the north while the Heavenly Emperor Meng Gui hustled in the south. His Darkness Energy had been trained to excellence, and he was a famed figure in the world of independent cultivation as well. However, nobody knew when he had joined Dandun Empire.
The two old figures in red gown were indeed brothers, who came from Blood Red Hell. Named Huo Li and Huo Mei respectively, they were strong opponents nurtured by Blood Red Hell.
Other than them, there was each a Heavenly King-tier powerhouse on guard in the four directions around the huge palace of the Heavenly Bow Empire. It be could be said that the defense right here was as solid as metal walls and moats of boiling water.
According to their investigations, there was at least another Heavenly King-tier powerhouse residing in the Heavenly Bow Empire, and that person was God Tier Master Duan Tianliang. The assassin had actually been sent by Blood Red Hell to kill Zhou Weiqing so that the Heavenly Bow Empire would fall on its own. By then, their defense at the western front would no longer mean anything. Although the Fei Li Empire was a big country, there were the constraints by the Wan Shou Empire in the northern regions. As long as they did not launch their attack first, the Fei Li Empire would not dare to advance as well. Furthermore, on the Heavenly Bow Empire's side, they possessed more than two hundred thousand military forces during their peak. Even if Fei Li Empire made any moves, they would not result in anything much.
However, who would have imagined for the assassination to fail? After Ming Yu had led the Heavenly Bow Empire's armies to grow stronger, it resulted in the sharp decline in army forces on top of the exhaustion by the battle in Xuan Yue City. Their overall powers had even fallen to the extent that they might be no match for the Heavenly Bow Empire now.
Of course, to these few powerhouses above Heavenly King Tier, they did not bother much. If it were not for the limitations imposed by the Mainland Heavenly Jewel Master Agreement, with their combined forces, they had no reason to be afraid of the Heavenly Bow Empire. As to why they were stationed here, one of the factors was that they had taken the whole situation into account. Another being that they did not wish to surprise the Heaven's Expanse Palace and the faraway Heavenly Snow Mountain. It was still not the right time for them to expose all their cards.
At this moment, the old man in a black gown who had been staring at the palace engulfed by the Fate Denying Seal raised his head all of a sudden and looked toward the sky. Two rays of cold light shot from his eyes like lighting. He shrieked, "Get your ass out here."
"The word 'ass', do you have the rights to say that to me?" A voice sounded from the air in disdain. Within an instant, the space above the palace lit up, and six dazzling colors exploded like fireworks and descended from the sky, enveloping the Fate Denying Seal within it.
Midair, a big fat person stepped out, and arrived above the palace, both his arms gesturing to pressure the rest, and shrieked, "Get all of your asses out here."
The six colors suddenly expanded and simultaneously pressed toward each direction, but the strange thing was that these light rays seemed to have eyes. The buildings were not damaged at all.
Four silhouettes shot out like four streaks of lightning toward four different directions, with the addition of the two brothers, Huo Li and Huo Mei, leaping onto the sky, the six of them surrounded the big fat person in the air.
Meng Gui's iris contracted instantly, "Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor Long Shiya. Big Fatty Long, you dare to stand against the Blood Red Hell?"
The big fat person who had appeared out of nowhere was Long Shiya. Upon hearing Meng Gui's words, Long Shiya said with disdain, "What about the Blood Red Hell? Who do I fear? I've even made frequent visits to that fellow Xue Ao'tian in Heavenly Snow Mountain. Meng Gui, you're also an independent cultivator with Heavenly Emperor-tier cultivation. To be someone's lackey at your old age, aren't you ashamed?"
Meng Gui took one step forward. The next instant, he had come to an approximate of twenty meters in front of Long Shiya in the air, standing opposite him in a confrontational manner.
Looking at the eleven circling Heavenly Jewels beneath and above Long Shiya, he continuously released his own aura to withstand the pressure flowing from Long Shiya.
"Big Fatty Long, others may fear you, but I'm not bothered. That Six Ultimate Heavenly Path Formation of yours may be fascinating, but on your own, you won't be faring well here. What about your old partner Duan Tianliang? Why don't you call him out?"
Upon Meng Gui's appearance in the air, the surrounding six Heavenly King-tier powerhouses felt a sharp decrease of pressure, and secretly let out a breath of relief. Long Shiya had been addressed as The Mightiest below the Heavenly Gods, and that name was not without reason.
Long Shiya said scornfully, "Why would I need the additional appearance of old Duan just to deal with an old man like you and the rest of you? You think too highly of yourself."
Meng Gui grunted but showed no changes in his facial expression. "There's no meaning for you to debate with me here. It's been some time since I've dealt with your Six Ultimate Heavenly Path Formation. We shall see today if you've improved in these years."
While saying that, his side of the sky darkened abruptly, and forcefully pushed back part of the six colors of light rays which Long Shiya had released in the air. The absolute darkness was mixed with a concentrated aura of insanity.
"Eh? So I was right. I've been thinking how the Blood Red Hell have been engaging you; it's this damned Destruction Attribute." Long Shiya was not really surprised. With both his arms folded behind him, his demeanor remained the same even if he was surrounded by that many powerhouses.