Chapter 256: Total Annihilation (Please Subscribe, Please Support)

In Wang Qiang’s eyes, the mission to crush the Sky Ascension Tower was nothing short of a golden opportunity. After all, the Sky Ascension Tower was a newly emerged power, having existed for only half a year. Though the Black Armored Army was not the most elite force under Qin, it was battle-hardened. A mere ten thousand soldiers could have flattened the tower easily, but His Majesty the Emperor demanded the task be completed swiftly, which is why fifty thousand Black Armored soldiers were deployed.

Wang Qiang was envied by many generals for leading this assault. The wealth of the Sky Ascension Tower was renowned across the land. Although the bulk of the spoils would go to Ying Zheng, secretly pocketing a few treasures would go unnoticed. The eighth and ninth floors of the Sky Ascension Tower were off-limits even to Ying Zheng himself; the treasures there must be priceless. The thought of securing just one such relic made Wang Qiang increasingly eager, longing to storm Qingyun City and ascend the tower immediately.

“Entire army, quicken the pace! Advance on Qingyun City!” Wang Qiang shouted loudly, as if he could already see the treasures within the tower beckoning to him.

On the city walls of Qingyun, Murong Feng peered through his telescope, closely observing the movements of the Qin army. Seeing their accelerated march, he sneered, “In such a hurry to die?”

Half an hour later, the fifty thousand Black Armored soldiers were only three kilometers from Qingyun City, a dark, oppressive mass exuding a palpable aura of slaughter.

“All troops, listen up! Divine Might Cannons, General Divine Might, aim and fire!” Murong Feng ordered as soon as the Black Armored Army entered range.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Two hundred and one cannonballs thundered simultaneously, like deadly meteors hurtling toward the Qin formation.

“What’s that?” Qin soldiers stared in disbelief at the projectiles launched from Qingyun City.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Explosions rocked the battlefield as cannonballs detonated amid the ranks of the Qin army. The devastating fire from General Divine Might’s cannon alone claimed nearly ten thousand lives.

Under the relentless bombardment, limbs and blood flew through the air, smoke and the scent of gunpowder mingling with the stench of flesh. Over thirty thousand of the fifty thousand soldiers perished outright; among the survivors, nearly ten thousand were severely wounded—missing arms, legs, or worse. Only a few thousand escaped with light injuries, but the horrific scene around them nearly broke their spirits.

Comrades who had stood shoulder to shoulder just moments before now lay unrecognizable, some missing entire bodies. The living bore traces of flesh and blood on their uniforms, and the mingled scent of gunpowder and burning flesh was enough to shatter even the toughest warrior’s mind.

Even the soldiers atop Qingyun City swallowed hard at the grim spectacle. Death in ancient times without a whole corpse meant no chance of reincarnation. Here, not even a complete body remained—those struck directly by the cannonballs were reduced to mere fragments.

Murong Feng watched the carnage with a hint of pity. Now he understood why the young master had said these cannons carried a heavy malice. One blast could leave behind a remnant corpse only if luck favored the fallen.

But sentimentality aside, the battle had to continue. Murong Feng raised his right hand and shouted, “Reload the cannons! Prepare to fire again! Aim! Fire!”

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

More deafening explosions echoed as smoke cleared. The fifty thousand Black Armored soldiers would never advance beyond Qingyun City’s outskirts.

“This battle is ours!” Murong Feng waved his hand triumphantly and declared loudly.

“We’ve won! Victory is ours!”

“We’ve won…”

“Wonderful! We’ve won!”

Joy radiated from every face. The people of Qingyun City trusted Xiao Xie more than Ying Zheng. In this era, apart from the Qin citizens, the populace of the other six states lived in hardship. Since Xiao Xie took control of Qingyun City, their lives had reached a modest prosperity—food and drink were never a worry, and every household had surplus grain. Hearing that Ying Zheng intended to assault the Sky Ascension Tower, they wished for the tower’s victory; without it, they feared a return to precarious, unstable days.

The common folk were simple in their loyalty: they supported whoever could provide for them, not because Ying Zheng was emperor. Now, hearing the Sky Ascension Tower had triumphed, the entire city erupted in celebration, hats were tossed in the air, and joy spread through the streets.

Meanwhile, Xiao Xie accompanied Shi Lan riding the little black horse, wandering the back mountains for several hours. After a final call to the horse, they headed back to Sanghai City.

On the bustling arched bridge of Sanghai City, Xiao Xie noticed a crowd gathered nearby. Pulling Shi Lan along, he approached to see what the commotion was about.

At the center of the bridge, a thug blocked the path of a man. The man wore a worn, patched cloth shirt and carried an old sword strapped to his back. Beneath his messy, unkempt hair gleamed a pair of sharp, unyielding eyes.

“Not an ordinary man,” Xiao Xie thought, noticing the fierce gaze.

The thug, lounging with casual arrogance, spat the grass from his mouth and pointed mockingly at the man opposite him. “So? If you have the guts, draw your sword and kill me.”

The onlookers shook their heads and sighed; being targeted by such a scoundrel was simply bad luck.

“That guy’s causing trouble again.”

“That young man’s got bad luck crossing him.”

“Yeah, yeah…”

The thug, seeing the man ignored him, continued to taunt, “How about it, kid? Dare or not?”

“I have no quarrel with you. Why would I kill you?” The man in the tattered shirt replied calmly, his expression unruffled.

“Look at you, pretending to be a swordsman with that sword on your back. But you don’t have the courage to draw it. That makes you a coward! I’ve known all along you’re a loser! I know all your dirty secrets. Ha! You’re a waste—never earned a dime, hated wherever you go, living off your mother. When she dies, you won’t even be able to build her a proper grave. Yet you still brag about building her a tomb a thousand times grander. What a joke!” The thug’s arrogance swelled as he hurled insults, convinced the other was a coward.

“Is that true?”

“That young man is hopeless!”

“Alas…”

The crowd murmured again.

“Soon no one will feed you. You’ll be stuck fishing by the river in a broken shack, never catching a thing! You, a man, starving yourself—that’s an accomplishment! Ha ha…” The thug mocked mercilessly.

“Such a shame—young and able-bodied, yet refusing to do honest work,” a passerby shook his head.

“The old woman who washes yarn felt sorry for you and shared her food to keep you alive. Yet you, a waste, brag about repaying her with gold. Even she wouldn’t believe that,” the thug sneered.

“I will not forget my promise,” the man finally spoke.

“Hahaha, with your skills? All talk and no action!” The thug scoffed.

“I just want to cross this bridge,” the man said quietly.

“Pfft, crossing the bridge, huh? Fine. You’ve got two ways: draw your sword and kill me, then step over my body; or kneel and crawl under my legs,” the thug said confidently, sure the man lacked the courage.

The crowd despised the thug’s arrogance, but no one stepped forward to intervene. They merely watched, uneasy yet silent.