571 Vow of Alliance (1/2)
”No...impossible!”
Cao Qiu lowered his head and stared incredulously at the two swords embedded in his chest.
His own sword had been destroyed in the clash of the three swords. The two divine swords had thrust themselves into his body and were eroding his insides.
”Cough cough…”
He struggled and spit out a few mouthfuls of visceral blood. Suddenly, he thought he could see a human figure and immediately understood.
”This...is not...your power! You will face retribution for utilising these unorthodox objects. You will never...attain the highest level of sword dao...”
After Cao Qiu had spat out his curse, his eyes closed forever.
Once the Sword Sage, one of the most famous swordsmen in the world, Cao Qiu now lay dead on the floor. Nevertheless, he had faced his end bravely.
”The highest level of sword dao? Pooh!”
Hei Zhong spat in indignance. He was a barbarian and had never intended to devote his life to sword dao. The more reactive the divine sword was, the happier he would be.
Ge Nie, however, stared pensively at the sword of water, which radiated a blue chill from its blade.
Not too far away, Mo Ge peeked out from the ground and looked at this scene with horror.
'Impossible...Cao Qiu is one of the foremost swordsmen of his generation and yet he couldn't match the sword moves of these two servants?'
At this point, he no longer dared to push through with the assassination attempt and left immediately.
The Five Elements Escape Technique was his speciality and was a definite lifesaver in situations like these. Without Cao Qiu to drag him down, he shot away from the army camp to the outside world at the speed of lightning.
”Kaboom!”
Suddenly, Mo Ge felt a violent tremor. It was like a dragon had flipped on its back.
A strong sense of danger assailed Mo Ge's senses and cause him to shudder.
All at once, the fluid soil layers around him had turned into steel plates. He could feel the pressure closing onto him from all directions, making him feel like an insect trapped in amber.
'Impossible... how could my Five Elements Escape Technique fail me? '
Although he could not move his mouth, he let out an internal scream.
Unfortunately, no one would ever answer his question.
Mo Ge was trapped in the darkness. He could no longer gauge the passage of time, nor see and hear anything from the outside world. He could not even move his hands and feet.
This was the kind of torture that was more than capable of driving a person insane.
Mo Ge would never get the chance to ask for mercy.
”Step! Step!”
Fang Yuan stamped his feet on the ground.
”That's another bug dealt with...even after hundreds and thousands of years, no one would ever know that there is a person buried here. Indeed, no matter how good you are at something, take burrowing for example, accidents do happen!”
It was Fang Yuan who had intervened by activating the swords to save the life of Prince Pan.
Hei Zhong and Ge Nie were a long way from being able to tap on the power of the swords of water and fire, much less face Cao Qiu in a fight.
”This was supposed to be a close shave for Prince Pan, Nevertheless, thanks to assistance from the War God Chi, there was no doubt that he would have survived that!”
Fang Yuan looked at the dark energy of destiny gathering within the Shang army camp. It was taking the shape of a flying bird with a body that shimmered like the stars.
”The aura of the Shang army is skyrocketing. The Dongyi coalition is in trouble!”
Fang Yuan nodded quietly as he observed the scene. Suddenly, he looked towards the northwest.
Fang Yuan learnt a lot from just one look with his Fiery Golden Eyes.
”Prince Pan must defeat the Dongyi tribes quickly and regain his strength. Otherwise... the imperial capital will be plunged into a crisis! Chaos would reign!”
...
Western Zhou.
The Marquis of Western Zhou was ruddy-faced and in high spirits. The sword formed from the penta-coloured rock hung from his waist as he received the feudal lords who had come forth to offer their congratulations.
Ever since he had acquired the god-given sword and armour while the phoenix appeared over Qi Mountain, the Marquis had launched a successful propaganda campaign to spread the word about his miraculous encounter throughout the neighbouring states.
Now, the Marquis planned to convince the feudal states to join his anti-Shang cause by invoking the heavenly will.
The feudal lords sat on a high tower and watched the military procession take place below. Many of these lords grew uncomfortable as the chariots and soldiers moved past them.
After all, the Marquis of Western Zhou had spared no expenses in putting up this show as a display of strength.
Western Zhou's military strength could only be matched by the Shang Dynasty's. The other feudal lords shuddered to think about what might happen to their territories if they did not agree to an alliance with Western Zhou.
”My lords, do you think my soldiers are strong?”
The Marquis drained his wine vessel and asked suddenly.
”They are!”
The feudal lords feared his wrath and could only agree.
”What about my weapons? Are they sharp?”
”They are…”
Some of the feudal lords had already guessed at the Marquis's intentions and they felt a chill in their bones.
Sure enough, the Marquis stood up and unsheathed his sword in the next moment.
”The Shang Dynasty has become immoral, with the Shang King persisting in his cruel and lustful ways. The Shang King has also been oppressing the feudal lords and the populace have suffered under his rule for a long time. Now, the Western Zhou state has received the heavenly mandate and possesses a powerful army. The time has come for us to crusade against tyranny. My lords, will you join me in my fight against the despotic Shang Dynasty?”
The Marquis had placed all his cards on the table!
At that moment, nearly all of the feudal lords were regretting their decision to accept the Marquis's invitation. They had all wanted to see the sword made out of the penta-coloured rock for themselves.
Some of the feudal lords were trembling as they looked at the heavily armed soldiers around them.
”Yes!”
One of the feudal lords stepped out and bowed down to the Marquis.
”I, Earl Lu, pledge my allegiance to the Marquis of Western Zhou!”
”Please rise, Earl Lu!”
The Marquis helped Earl Lu to his feet cheerfully.