Chapter 215: Chapter 142: Struggle for the Great Dao, I Alone am Supreme

CLIP-CLOP-CLOP!

The west wind was fierce. Wild geese cried under the frosty morning moon.

The clatter of countless hooves echoed.

The grand army continued its advance.

Yet, one Gold Medal after another arrived, each more urgent than the last.

The cultivation of the messengers who brought the Gold Medals also grew higher and higher.

Until the last one, who was in the Spirit Embryo Realm.

Seeing that Wang Xiao remained completely unmoved, this messenger rebuked him angrily,

"Ninth Prince, His Majesty has issued twelve Gold Medals ordering you to withdraw your troops and return to the capital! Why do you remain indifferent? Do you intend to defy a direct imperial edict?!"

Wang Xiao said nonchalantly,

"When a general is in the field, there are times he cannot obey his sovereign’s command. The battlefield is ever-changing. It is understandable that His Majesty, residing in the rear, does not grasp the current situation. The conquest of the Witchcraft Gu Country is imminent. Once it has been broken, I will naturally lead the army back."

The messenger’s expression changed slightly upon hearing this.

Returning now and returning after conquering the Witchcraft Gu Country were two completely different matters.

He remembered the Third Prince’s warning.

The messenger narrowed his eyes and snorted coldly. "The overall situation is already decided. Marshal Xu can command the battlefield. What does it matter if you’re not here? Or are you saying this army can’t function without you?!"

Wang Xiao looked at Xu Zhenshu, who was standing to the side. "Marshal Xu, what do you think?!"

Xu Zhenshu glanced at the messenger, then gritted his teeth and said, "Lord Messenger, the strategy and route for this offensive were entirely planned by the Ninth Prince. Without the Ninth Prince’s command, I fear the army would be unable to advance a single step. I hope you can be understanding, Lord Messenger, and allow us to first conquer the Witchcraft Gu Country and serve the nation before discussing other matters."

What he said was half-truth, half-lie.

The lie was that the strategy and route for the offensive were, of course, not planned by Wang Xiao alone.

The truth was that without Wang Xiao, the army might very well be unable to advance a single step.

Over the past ten years, himself included,

every single high-ranking general in the army had received some favor from Wang Xiao.

It was either the grace of being taught the Dao or the grace of having their lives saved.

Most of the elite troops within this million-strong army had also been personally trained and promoted by Wang Xiao.

They now essentially knew only Wang Xiao, not the dynasty.

If Wang Xiao were to be recalled now, it was highly likely to cause a mutiny unless he personally placated the troops.

The messenger’s expression changed involuntarily upon hearing this.

For Xu Zhenshu to say such a thing now clearly meant he had already chosen a side. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

He was secretly horrified.

’What great Magic Power does this Ninth Prince possess, to make a Marshal willingly step forward and defy the sovereign’s command?!’

The messenger looked at Wang Xiao, his chilling voice squeezing out word by word from between his clenched teeth:

"Good. Very good. The Third Prince was right. You truly harbor a wolf’s ambition."

"Since you defy your sovereign’s command, you must be plotting rebellion! I have no choice but to apprehend you and take you back to be dealt with by His Majesty!"

ROAR!

With a tiger’s roar,

the Spiritual Power around his body suddenly surged, forming a phantom tiger that lunged fiercely toward Wang Xiao.

Xu Zhenshu’s expression changed drastically as he felt this powerful aura.

He felt the qi and blood within his body stagnate.

He had thought his progress over the years was considerable; he was even on the verge of breaking through to become a Peak Body Cultivator.

However, facing this Spirit Embryo Realm Cultivator, he still felt a sense of powerlessness.

’Is this the gap between a mortal and a Cultivator?!’

An intense unwillingness welled up in Xu Zhenshu’s heart.

Shangguan Xiyue, mounted on her horse beside Wang Xiao, wore a cold expression.

Just as she was about to act, she suddenly felt the surrounding temperature plummet, as if she had been plunged into an ice cellar.

Immediately after,

it was as if a chain of icebergs had materialized.

The next moment,

the phantom tiger shattered into pieces.

The messenger spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward.

Liu Yuzhen descended from the sky. Looking at the messenger, she snorted.

"Where did this dog of a lackey come from, daring to act so presumptuously before me? The army is on the verge of conquering the Witchcraft Gu Country, yet you want to arrest the Supreme Commander? If you cause us to miss this military opportunity, can you bear the responsibility?!"

When the messenger saw Liu Yuzhen, all the rage in his heart was instantly extinguished.

This Sixth Princess’s status in the Vast Immortal Sect was faintly even higher than the Third Prince’s.

She was not someone he could afford to offend.

He immediately dropped to one knee and said, "Your Highness the Princess, I am also acting under orders. His Majesty personally issued twelve Gold Medals demanding the Ninth Prince withdraw his troops and return to the capital. He refused to comply, so I was forced to resort to this method to ’invite’ him back."

Liu Yuzhen said coldly, "I don’t care what my father thinks. Lao Jiu cannot return right now. Everything can wait until after the Witchcraft Gu Country is conquered!"

Upon hearing this, the messenger naturally didn’t dare try to seize anyone again. He cupped his fist and said,

"Since Your Highness the Princess has spoken, I can only return and report the situation truthfully."

Liu Yuzhen snorted coldly.

"You dog-like slave, are you trying to threaten me? Go back and tell your master to stop scheming. Now, get lost!"

The messenger’s face alternated between green and purple, but he dared not lash out. He immediately summoned his Magical Artifact Flying Ship and sped away.

Only after the messenger had left did Liu Yuzhen look at Wang Xiao and say,

"Lao Jiu, did you see that? That’s the difference between a Cultivator and a mortal. A mere Spirit Embryo Realm Cultivator dared to try and arrest you, the Supreme Commander of a million-strong army, right in front of them."

"What’s more, behind him is our third brother, who is in the True Form Realm. I’m afraid Third Brother has the support of more than just one True Disciple. Without my help, once this war is over, you’ll be walking a path to certain death when you return!"

Wang Xiao’s expression was calm.

"Sixth Sister, if you True Disciples really fight amongst yourselves for the throne, won’t the Human Immortals—or even the Earth Immortals—above you intervene?!"

An Earth Immortal is equivalent to a Tier Six Life form that has condensed a Dao Fruit.

They were also the beings that Wang Xiao was currently wary of.

Any Immortal Sect capable of establishing itself must have an Earth Immortal presiding within it.