Chapter 917 - A Sense
Translated by: Berrrybunz
Edited by: TN and DeAndreR
After Xie Yu An reported his duties to the Master, he left the commander post with a calm expression, yet his heart was filled with suspicion.
He had received the order from the highest command, and did not find it strange. Although he was recently placed in the rear, regardless of being in charge of recruitment or constructing delay lines to slow Mo Xin, he had completed them to perfection, and had outstanding military service.
The very first thing that people did when they saw the orders were to congratulate him, they saw Xie Yu An as an outstanding military general that was bound to be promoted. Master Xie Yu An's promotion was a matter that everyone looked forward to, in the eyes of the majority, nobody's contribution were as big as Master Xie Yu An.
He had long become the idol of the Southern Region.
Xie Yu An was not affected greatly, after the bloody war, he had become much steadier, the medals he carried were soaked in the blood of his comrades, and to him, felt extremely heavy.
And he knew that the highest command had ordered him to return was not to promote his position, but because the war had entered a new phase.
From Gou Cheng WenDao's severe losses from occupying the Shang Continent, to the success in delaying Mo Xin and Qiu Xu Hua, they had dug a deep hole for the Honorable Martial Continent.
But the true reason that led to Southern Alliance holding the advantage of being the first mover was the internal strife for power in the Honorable Martial Continent. Xie Yu An never expected that an internal strife would actually occur in the Honorable Martial Continent at such a crucial moment. The Honorable Martial Continent's internal strife was so sudden and intense that the amount of rumors and gossips flying everywhere were overloaded.
The internal strife in Honorable Martial Continent was the node of the war, and was the node in which the Southern Alliance turned from defense to offense.
Both parties of the war had realized that the balance of the battlefield had started to tilt towards the side of Southern Alliance, causing a huge transformation of the morale. The Southern Alliance's morale was greatly boosted, and their fear towards the Honorable Martial Continent was completely swept clear, and were optimistic towards the victorious future. The favourable Southern Alliance's prestige became as high as the noon sun. Their enemy was the Honorable Martial Continent, the powerful Temple, and the boost in the Southern Alliance victory made it known that they were equally strong.
Although the battle had not ended, but news of the Southern Alliance had already spread throughout the entire Southern Region. The initially unconsolidated Southern Region, under the incite of the war, finally understood that only by bonding together could they resist and fight against the infiltration of Honorable Martial Continent, and all of them joined the Southern Alliance.
Compared to the rising morale of the Southern Alliance, the morale of Honorable Martial Continent's armies were at an all time low.
Any Honorable Martial Continent army that encountered ambushes or resistance realized that the intensity far surpassed that compared to when the war had just begun, they felt as if they were situated in quicksand. The battle became even more difficult, and if this was not enough for them to lose their morale, then the news of the internal strife within Honorable Martial Continent made their hearts turn cold. Qiu Xu Hua and Mo Xin were the most affected, the Qiu Family and the Mo Family's actions put the two in extremely awkward positions.
They were hesitant, did not know what they should do, and became even more worried for their futures. If the Southern Alliance won, it would not matter to them, but if Temple won, they would be executed without proper burials.
Gou Cheng WenDao's worries were completely opposite.
In a span of one night, a wide gap that they could not close or guard against had formed between the Three Great Generals
Xie Yu An
saw it, they no longer had any enemies behind them, and the focus of the following battle was shifted to the Shang Continent. That was the true reason the High Command had mobilized him back, since there was no longer any rear, for Xie Yu An, a powerful Military General to be idle, it was truly a waste.
Xie Yu An was glad, as a pure military general, he believed that he always had to be in the battlefield, because the battle was extremely important.
~It is just that….~
Thinking about what he caught previously, the joy in his heart lessened.
When he had reported to Master Bing, he realized that Master Bing had a faint trace of worry on his face. Although Bing had hidden it well, but Xie Yu An realized it. Xie Yu An was extremely worried, ~The situation is good, why is Master still worried?~
Inside the meeting room, smoke lingered about.
Bing's poker face was vaguely visible within the smoke, with ashes all around his feet. He stared at the map on the wall and maintained this stance for a long time without moving. His eyes that looked as though they could penetrate through everything on the map was filled with worry.
His connection with Tang Tian had been cut.
It was not the first time, when Tang Tian landed in the Sin Domain, their connection was abruptly severed. At that time, he was not as worried, and thoroughly managed and developed the Southern Alliance, because he felt that Tang Tian had a way to return to Sacred Saint Galaxy.
~But it's different this time.~
Tang Tian had met him two days prior, and he listened to Tang Tian's report of the Honorable Martial Continent. Bing felt that the news of the internal strife inside Honorable Martial Continent was an extremely good opportunity, and through the power of the Southern Alliance, they had spread the news far and wide. Even Gou Cheng WenDao and the rest were informed through Bing's channels.
Bing also knew that the decisive battle for Tang Tian and the rest was close, and for the connection between him and Tang Tian to be severed so abruptly at such a crucial moment, Bing immediately sensed danger.
Temple's unfathomable depths and concealed power made people fear them. Bing and Temple had fought for so long, and his knowledge towards Temple and their means surpassed that of others. Regardless if it were Temple's Armies or the Great Generals, every single one of them were extremely outstanding, reflecting Temple's system in grooming talents and building armies surpassed that of other powers.
Even the beasts of the forests would struggle on their deathbed, for a monstrosity like Temple, how could they ever wait to be captured?
The fiercer the beast, the more intense its last struggle. The Southern Alliance had posed a direct threat to Temple, and Bing believed that if he had seen it from miles away, the higher ups of Temple would be much clearer on it, and their counterattack would be far fiercer than imagined.
With his fastest reaction, Bing sent out a large number of scouts in an attempt to gain clarity on the matter. But he also knew that the problem there could not be dealt with so quickly, he needed time, the sudden change in situation left Southern Alliance no time to react, it was beyond their influence.
Bing could only work hard to speculate and ponder, the possible techniques Temple might implement, and how else he could help Tang Tian and the rest. Tang Tian, Qian Hui and the rest could only depend on themselves with the internal strife in the Honorable Martial Continent, Bing could not do much. ~But on the main battlefield, am I able to support Tang Tian?~
That was what Bing was pondering deeply about.
~I need to do at least something~ Bing set the resolve in his heart. The sudden change made him feel a strange treachery, something he had not felt for a long time.
And when the last Pillars of Punishment soared into the sky, the Saint
Saint Continent's sky completely turned golden. There were no longer any sun or clouds, only the golden Holy Flames flowing incessantly and silently.
The soldiers on the ground all panicked, there were people who had tried flying into the sky, but were instantly disintegrated by the Holy Flames. The sky was completely sealed, the Holy Flames located at the estuaries had become denser, where a gold grade warship tried to ram its way through, but upon reaching close to the Holy Flames, the ferocious flames spat out a devilish flaming tongue that struck the warship. The gold grade warship that was hailed for its defense persisted for twelve seconds, before exploding into a gigantic fireball.
The divine and golden Holy Flames burnt every inch of the deck, the expensive, precious and outstanding materials burnt like paper in the face of the Holy Flame. All the crew members, regardless of those who hid inside the ship or tried to jump, were all burnt by the flames.
The miserable screams and wails only stopped after the last inch of meat was disintegrated.
When the last thread of flames dissipated from the sky, the faces of the people who witnessed the scene were void of blood.
It was too cruel!
"What is Temple trying to do now?" A fat Family Head wiped his perspiration and complained: "We have always followed Temple's orders and never betrayed them before."
Disdainful glares came out from the sides, the fat man was an opportunist, he only waited for benefits and strived to obtain profits from both sides.
But many people agreed: "That's right, why is Temple treating us as the enemies? We have always been loyal to them without a doubt."
Almost all of the family heads were rejoicing in their hearts, although they were ambiguous with their loyalty, they had never publicly severed their relation with Temple. Since they did not do so, they assumed that Temple could not take them down. Furthermore, there were so many families, they reckoned that Temple would not slaughter all of them.
No one believed that Temple would do such a thing.
Temple's victory was in sight, and everybody were trying to perform outstanding services, all of the quick witted family heads understood that the time to reveal their loyalty had come, and they had to standby.
They all felt uneasy, even if they knew that Temple could not destroy every single family, but they could kill one as an example for the rest, Temple had held the absolute advantage, and if they did not kill off a few families, how could they control the crowd? Every family head was praying that they were not chosen, they discussed in soft voices, how to be able to showcase their loyalty to Temple, how to prevent their families from being the examples.
The Great Clan Elder gazed into the distance. When the last Pillar of Punishment was erected, he kept quiet.
~Everything has been laid out, it is time for the harvest.~
He did not feel joy at all, but instead, an extreme weight in his heart. He knew that he would be the ultimate victor, he knew that Temple would be reborn as new, but the current him held no joy in winning.
The price he had paid for the victory made him grieve.
All of the Clan Elders, all of the Banner of Knights, had become the bargaining chips for the gamble. Temple had spent blood, sweat and tears on every single one of them, how far had they been nurtured till? After the end of the war, none were left. He did not know how many Great Generals would remain. He also knew that how much it took for the Prestigious Families to grow to where they were, how many talents they had, how much resources they owned.
But everything would be paid to the flames, and burned to ashes.
These ashes would turn into the most fertile soil, where Temple would use to produce new life.
~It has to be like this!~
The Holy Flame around the Great Clan Elder surged.
In the
/> In the darkness, Sophie had her chin rested on her hands, as she gazed into the distance while at a loss, as though she was staring into darkness. She did not know why it had turned out like that, like how she could not understand why Sacred Son Charles would had suddenly died, and did not even had the chance to say goodbye.
Another light aura inside a cocoon gradually dimmed, the figure inside the light struggled for his life, but Sophie knew that it was futile. Inside, she watched as all of the lights gradually dimmed down, losing all thread of life.
Every single cocoon that lost its luster meant that one life had been lost, and the chance for it to become a spirit general had disappeared.
Sophie felt cold, as grief overwhelmed her heart. She already knew of the consequences, but so what? ~Could they have survived, no, will they even survive?~ For some reason, the grief in Sophie's heart grew. She could give everything up for Temple, she did not lack the determination to fight for Temple, but not in such a manner.
She could not hate the Great Clan Elder, he was her creator, and he was like a father to her, who gave her warmth and love.
No one knew, deep in her heart, there was an intense struggle with the complex emotions, and fear.
The moment when she had awoken, she felt as though her life was filled with misconceptions. It was as though her life was just a bubble, it reflected the beautiful colors, but it was nothing inside, and after the wind blew through a bubble, nothing would remain.
~Maybe the spirit generals created do not belong to this world.~
Holding the indescribable fear, she suppressed her own feelings, she maintained a distance with the world, where she never crossed the line in her heart, even for Charles. ~Maybe my life is just a bubble, but I will live this bubble, and hold on for as long as I can.~
She always felt that what she did was right.
Until Charles' death, when it made her realize how her self control was a joke.
When the Great Clan Elder wanted the Honorable Martial Banner of Knights, every single one of them who were personally trained by her, to turn into spirit generals, the only emotion left in her heart was sorrow. For the longest time, she had been worried about the Great Clan Elder's creation of Spirit Generals, whose life would always be grey without a future. Who knew that her worry had come to fruition. It was her first time refusing the Great Clan Elder's order, but like her life and fear, it was all futile.
~Temple's last glory actually requires a group of Spirit Generals to uphold, alright, maybe this is our fate.~
She did not hate the Great Clan Elder.
~When the darkness swallows the light, it also signifies a new day.~
Regardless of whether it was the dark or the light, it made no difference to her.
***********
Mace Field Tradings had quieted down, Sadra and the rest no longer cared about Tang Tian, as they focused on consolidating their strength. They knew that after being imprisoned, what awaited them would be Temple's fury. For that, Temple had paid a huge price, causing everyone to be speechless. No one doubted the terror of the killing technique prepared from the huge sacrifice.
The intense fear caused Sadra and the rest to pull back their armies, which was the only way that could let them feel safer.
Compared to them, Tang Tian was much calmer. Although Sadra and the rest wanted to seize power back from Temple, they still held fear in their hearts towards Temple and the Great Clan Elder. But Tang Tian did not, in his eyes, Temple was his enemy, no matter how powerful Temple was, they were not invincible, and he had never looked to Temple optimistically.
Furthermore, he had the God Armor Army with him, Qian Hui, and Ah Xin. His own fighting strength, along with Qian Hui and Ah Hui and Ah Xin's mind made him extremely confident.
But who would had known that the first to discover something was not Qian Hui, or Ah Xin, but the almost non existent Xiao Ran.
"Young Miss, there's something wrong…." Xiao Ran spoke to Qian Hui softly, she had a strange expression on her face, and her tone uncertain. She glanced at everyone, ~Why doesn't anyone sense it, could it be my misconception?~ She was not confident.
In any ordinary day, aside from protecting Qian Hui, her task was to be in the vanguard and to assault enemies. She had more confidence in her fighting strength, but in other aspects, she knew of her inferiority. There was no need to compare with Qian Hui, in her heart, Qian Hui was the Goddess of War. Even Ah Xin, who was usually skiving, held an acute intuition for battle, his mind worked extremely quickly, outpacing her by multiple times.
At the start, she felt discouraged, but then she got used to it. She was used to waiting for Ah Xin who would seek out the problem, and Qian Hui to give the order, at which she would assault ferociously to resolve the battle.
~But this time, no one else seems to sense it….could it be that I'm wrong?~
So, when everyone's eyes were fixed on her, she became uncomfortable, and anxiously blurted out: "It might be my mistake…."
Qian Hui encouraged her gently: "Xiao Ran, don't be anxious, even if it's a mistake, tell us."
Tang Tian was bewildered, Xiao Ran never had a prominent existence by Qian Hui side, aside from bullying Ah Xin, he did not see her much. Ah Xin was even more surprised. He revealed a sneer, and if not for the Young miss being present, he would have disturbed her.
Seeing Ah Xin's expression made Xiao Ran panic even further.
Luckily for the Young Miss' encouragement, she became braver: "I feel that my strength, has grown."
~Strength has grown?~
Everyone was startled, even Ah Xin, who had a mischievous look on his face, was stunned.
"Yes, for some reason, I feel that the Holy Flame in the sky is extremely warm. It is a very comfortable feeling, like…..like how it feels to bask under the sun." Xiao Ran tried her best to explain her feeling, but she did not know how basking in the sun felt like, for she had been a Spirit General for too long.
Spirit Generals were not fond of the sunlight.
"Initially, I didn't sense it, but after that, I became worried if there were any hidden dangers." Xiao Ran gradually calmed down, and her words became more fluid: "Then I scrutinized my own body, and realized that my strength has indeed grown."
With that said, Xiao Ran swung the Zanbato in a vertical slash agilely, and a void tear flashed in the sky.
Everyone's eyes lit up, they immediately understood what Xiao Ran meant by being stronger.
Xiao Ran's slash did not produce any sound, and was extremely silent. The usual Xiao Ran could do it, but not as easily and relaxed.
Qian Hui's eyes flashed with a strange light, she suddenly said: "Xiao Ran, go check on everybody."
Xiao Ran was startled, but immediately reacted, she instantly turned and ran off to the Spirit General Army. Qian Hui had experienced countless of battles from the ancient battlefield, and was the Spirit General Army's General, after the long experience, the number of them who followed was reduced to a few hundred.
All of these spirit generals were sieved through a careful selection, every single one was chosen out of a hundred, and were extremely powerful.
After gaining clarity from Xiao Ran's words, Ah Xin checked on himself. His strength had grown, but it could only be realized when commanding an army in battle, his control over his own body could not be compared to Xiao Ran, who was a Spirit General proficient in personal strength.
He suddenly raised his head, his eyes flashed with light: "I think we have found what Temple's killing technique is."