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"Aren’t you worried at all about the battlefield over there?"

On the boat en route to the West Sea, the once Duke Qi Tian Heng, now the Sea God of the West Sea, sat next to Chen Qing and asked curiously.

"If Xu Hu loses there, the mist over Nanming Prefecture hasn’t scattered yet, and there’s a large buffer zone where we can always redeploy. By comparison, the battle situation in the West Sea has a greater impact on what follows. And besides, Xu Hu’s side is unlikely to lose."

"That confident?" Tian Heng frowned.

"It’s not about confidence; the combat strength on both sides is just so..." Chen Qing looked at him, "You’ve been here for a year now, can’t you see what the War God Army is capable of?"

Tian Heng fell silent. His agreement three months ago to finally accept Chen Qing’s imperial edict represented his complete recognition of Chen Qing’s strength.

Today’s Jiangnan, with a War God Army of one million, and over a hundred thousand fighters of rank eight and above, such strength would require at least one full dispatch of the elite Five Dragon Guards from the Imperial Court to stand a chance in confrontation!

And it was just a chance, at that. Based on his understanding of the War God Army over this period, if the Imperial Court were to use the same methods against them that they used against the northern barbarians without prior intelligence, even the strongest Flying Dragon Guard would likely suffer greatly.

This time, the Imperial Court sent fifty thousand troops for a probe, consisting of new recruits from the Capital City. In terms of overall strength, compared to Weichi Feihu’s elite Warrior Army that had been honed against living corpses for a year, there was basically no suspense.

"But there’s Weichi Peng!" Tian Heng said softly, "On the battlefield, top military generals can sometimes change the course of the battle."

"Xu Hu won’t lose," Chen Qing said, staring at the chessboard before him without lifting his head.

"You have that much faith in him?" He had met Xu Hu before; when he saw him a year ago, Xu Hu’s power seemed to have just reached the First Rank level. In contrast, Weichi Peng, who had stepped into the Super First Rank over a decade ago, had a huge advantage. As the War God Army expanded this year, Xu Hu’s strength had soared.

His energy felt like he had entered the Super First Rank, but compared to Weichi Peng, who had long been in that realm, wouldn’t the odds be against him?

After some thought, Tian Heng still voiced his concern, "Experience is also very important when top masters duel."

"Xu Hu is not lacking in experience," Chen Qing shook his head, "You shouldn’t underestimate the mundane people without bloodlines.

To survive on battlefields filled with bloodline monsters, many of those people put in several times more effort than those born into bloodline families.

Just to shorten the gap, besides strenuous physical training, they also hone their techniques.

Maybe in your eyes, those mundane efforts seem futile, which is indeed the case. .."

Tian Heng was momentarily at a loss for words.

He actually admired those mundane people who devoted themselves to martial arts, knowing full well that despite a lifetime of study they could never defeat a rank eight warrior.

Yet often the techniques they perfected always managed to impress, and many large families secretly adopted some of the mundane warriors’ techniques.

"But now it’s different..." Chen Qing finally looked up, "Here with me, their years of hard work and research quickly translate into combat power. Why can Xu Hu become a War God? Because his talent is high enough, he has an extraordinary natural gift for martial arts, and by the age of twenty-five, he had already become a martial arts master through his own research and practice. The only reason he remained unknown was that he wasn’t born into a bloodline family.

As for him now, there are only three warriors in your Great Jin who could defeat him, but Weichi Peng is definitely not among them! "

Tian Heng: "....."

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On the battlefield, the final showdown seemed incredibly slow in everyone’s eyes!

Even though the movements of the two men were so fast that not even a seasoned veteran like Weichi Honglie could see them clearly, they still held their breath and dared not blink, fearing they would miss any part of the action.

Time itself seemed to slow down because of the duel between the two men. Despite their inconceivably rapid movements, every second passed unbearably slow.

Everyone watched anxiously, wanting to know the outcome quickly, yet not wanting it to end, hoping it would last a bit longer just to savor it another second.

But the final moment eventually arrived...

Bang!

The sound of metal shattering crisply spread across the entire battlefield, as Weichi Peng’s twin blades flew apart, turning into countless metal fragments.

Xu Hu’s fist, armed with the Tiger Cannon, resoundingly pierced through Weichi Peng’s chest while blood rained down like a shower, leaving everyone instantly stunned in place!

"Peng!!" Weichi Honglie was the first to snap out of the shock, rushing forward madly!

But was firmly held back by Weichi Feihu...

In the middle of the battlefield, Weichi Peng looked dumbfoundedly at the gaping hole in his chest, his eyes filled with a hint of bewilderment.

"Tiger Cannon? You were that one... back then..."

"Oh? You remember me?" Xu Hu grinned, "Seems like those three days of sparring weren’t wasted."

Was it really him?

Memories flashed through Weichi Peng’s mind.

He didn’t know that Centurion’s name, but he remembered the man’s moves.

During those three days years ago, they sparred and practiced techniques, and he never won against the man.

Unfortunately, he was called to the front line on short notice, and by the time he returned, he heard the other had been discharged.

He felt regret for a long time.

Because he came up with a move to counter that Tiger Cannon!

Even over a decade later, it was still something he regretted.

He never thought the day would come to fight that man again, use all his strength, and just as Xu Hu unleashed the Tiger Cannon, he reacted, the countermove he had practiced countless times in his mind flashed by, and he executed it instinctively.

But he still lost!

"Your Tiger Cannon seems different from before..." Weichi Peng said coughing up blood.

"It is different..." Xu Hu said with a smile, "Ever since I knew I would fight you, I’ve been wondering if you would come up with a way to counter the Tiger Cannon. I’m pleased you took the time to think it through.

Honestly, if I had reacted just a bit slower, the outcome would definitely have been the loss of both my arms! "

"You came up with a response in the heat of the moment?"

"Yes," Xuu Hu nodded. "From the creation of this move, I was very clear about its weaknesses. A true master of martial arts will know how to adapt. If one cannot react in the moment and only knows fixed moves, what’s the difference between them and a puppet?"

"I see..." Weichi Peng’s eyes began to show a sense of emptiness, but they were also filled with immense satisfaction. "Then I have no grievances about my loss. You... really are impressive. If I had understood this earlier, maybe... I could have fought with you for a bit longer. It’s a pity..."

As he spoke, his gaze became scattered. His heart was under immense strain from activating his secret technique, and now, with his opponent punching through his heart meridians like that, it was like blowing up an engine running at full throttle, causing a rain of blood to spray everywhere and dissipating all of his strength.

I lost... There’s not even a slight chance of turning the tables.

I’ve lost... thoroughly indeed!

With a smile at the corner of his mouth, Weichi Peng felt a sense of reluctance. It seemed he had been complacent. For many years, because he hadn’t met anyone who could force him to use his skills, he had also not practiced his techniques seriously for a long time.

Otherwise, he felt he might have been able to adapt like his opponent, ready for any change...

I really want to do it over...

Exhausted, Weichi Peng closed his eyes and slowly laid down.

Xuu Hu quickly caught him and shouted to those behind him, "Azure Bird!"

The next second, a crisp bird call resonated, sounding so pleasant that it made one tingle. A streak of blue flashed across the sky, transforming into a beautiful spectrum of colors as it landed next to Xuu Hu!

"Hmm... it’s quite serious," Azure Bird commented, looking at Weichi Peng’s injuries.

"I couldn’t hold back!" Xuu Hu shook his head. "The opponent was too strong. If I had reserved any strength, I would be the one dying!"

Azure Bird nodded, a gleam of blue flashed by its beak, and a drop of green, gem-like liquid fell and flowed into Weichi Peng’s mouth.

The next second, Weichi Peng’s entire body was enveloped in blue light, and a vitality slowly bloomed from him.

From a distance, Weichi Honglie, although not knowing what was happening, clearly saw that the other side was saving a life. Thus, he stopped struggling and watched anxiously.

"How is he?" Xuu Hu inquired.

The voice wasn’t loud, but in the battlefield at that moment, it was extremely clear.

"Hmm... His life is saved, but recovery will take time."

At this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, including those from the Warrior Army.

It wasn’t that they felt pity for the other side, but rather they thought it a pity for such an impressive figure to die like this...

The Warrior Army revered strength and always had mixed feelings towards the powerful.

Hearing the words, Xuu Hu smiled and glanced at Weichi Peng, who was making an effort to open his eyes, "It’s good we saved you. You better not die too early, kid. Since you’re not satisfied with your loss, then come at me again next time. No matter how many times, I will be waiting."

"Tsk..." Weichi Peng closed his eyes on hearing this, never imagining that one day, someone would say these words to him. Wasn’t the phrase "I will be waiting, no matter how many times" something he often said to his peers who challenged him?

Xuu Hu looked at Weichi Peng, who was feigning death with his eyes closed, smiled briefly, stood up, and turned towards the battlefield of the Imperial Army and said loudly, "Those who surrender will not be killed!"

His voice, like a great bell, reminded all the members of the Golden Dragon Guard that their commander had been defeated!

For a moment, they all looked at each other in confusion.

Eventually, the first sound of a weapon being dropped was heard, and everyone looked to see that it was Weichi Honglie, the commander overseeing the battlefield.

With such an important figure taking the lead, the rest followed suit much more easily. All soldiers began dropping their weapons one after another, held their heads, and slowly kneeled down.

"Uncle..."

Weichi Feihu looked at him, wanting to say something but hesitated.

"You must be pleased with yourself, huh?" Weichi Honglie said with a bitter smile. "Impressive, isn’t it? To capture me on your very first command. Now, even if I return, I won’t have the face to lead troops anymore."

"Uncle..." Weichi Feihu replied with a smile and a scratch of his head, not knowing quite what to say.

He knew why his uncle had chosen not to resist further; if they continued fighting, the chances of victory were almost nil. And even though his side had orders to take prisoners alive when possible, in the chaos of battle, how could they not fight back to kill if it came to life and death?

His uncle’s choice to surrender at the last moment was not only because he saw no chance of victory but also because of him, Weichi Feihu...

After all... if they were truly stained with the blood of the Weichi Clan’s Personal Soldiers, it would indeed be hard to explain to the family.

And so... in the twenty-first year of the Great Jin, the Imperial Court’s military expedition to Jiangnan once again ended in defeat!

The reputation of the Great Jin suffered another severe blow in this battle, becoming yet another spark in the consequent era of warlords carving out their own domains...