Transformation Diagram: Starting as a Skinny Dog-Chapter 401 - 264: Charging Alone
"Destiny granted him a remarkable opportunity, obviously meant for him to achieve glory on the battlefield. Yet, he ended up slaying women, children, and innocent villagers, turning himself into nothing more than a living bandit. Although he’s got the nickname ’Contest Killing God,’ in the end, he’s just a bandit."
Chen Ku marveled at the wonders of the Killing Heart Method.
It was clearly a kind of ’mental state’ that could allow him to maintain a peak condition on the battlefield, much like when Chen Ku previously charged through the first level of the Evil Summoning Banner, where he slaughtered four to five hundred demons but could kill no more.
It wasn’t just because his qi power was exhausted, making it hard to breathe; there were also issues with his mental state, a certain numbness and fatigue.
However, if he adopted the mental state under this ’Killing Heart Method.’
Chen Ku felt as if he could entirely kill through the thousand-strong demon army on the first level of the Evil Summoning Banner.
"What a skill!"
Although Chen Ku always hoped to draw cultivation attributes of a Seventh Realm character, such as grand formations, Gang Qi, and other cultivation-related abilities, the Killing Heart Method now seemed truly marvelous.
Since he had come this far with the mission of exterminating bandits, why not put this mental state to good use?
He rode the clouds and continued toward the direction of Three Dragon Mountain.
Along the way.
Chen Ku continually employed the ’Hundred Li Tracking Technique’ during his journey, searching for the whereabouts of Liang Mountain’s Skulker ’Mr. Tianji.’
Up until he approached Three Dragon Mountain, he failed to detect that scoundrel’s trace.
Finally, he felt assured.
"Indeed, with my Electric Light Divine Walk combined with the speed of the Black Smoke Beast, even if Mr. Tianji possesses Seventh Realm cultivation, he couldn’t compete with my pace."
Just as Chen Ku arrived at Three Dragon Mountain.
As he had anticipated.
Mr. Tianji was still in a small county town 300 miles outside Qiu Dragon Mansion, unable to make much progress at all.
However, he could no longer focus on his arrangements and plans concerning Chen Ku.
Because,
After dawn, news from the Prefecture Mansion in Qiu Dragon Mansion had disrupted all his plans aimed at Chen Ku.
In Qiu Dragon Mansion.
A notice posted outside the Prefecture Mansion had already spread throughout the Inner City.
"Liang Mountain’s bandits are truly audacious to dare assassinate the Lord Prefect in the dead of night?"
"Could it be that seeing the Demon People incite rebellion in Baojiao County, Liang Mountain can no longer hold back and is preparing to respond, no longer pretending, and to actually rise in rebellion?"
Bandits are bandits; rebel warriors are insurgents; the nature of these two is entirely different.
Rebel warriors aim to expand and overthrow a dynasty with ’armed forces,’ while bandits merely hunker down in one spot.
Although, Liang Mountain’s current momentum is such that everyone knows their nature is becoming ambiguous between the two.
But still,
They have not yet descended to besiege and plunder cities, raising the flag of rebellion.
"How could this happen? How could this happen?"
Mr. Tianji watched the notice from Qiu Dragon Mansion in disbelief:
"Qing Niu Brothers...dead?"
No matter how he calculated, he couldn’t understand.
How did such a change occur?
"Qing Niu is dead; surely there’s more to this than meets the eye. As the planner of this matter, it will be extremely difficult to answer to the Heaven King."
Mr. Tianji’s face was ashen as he thought:
"Unless I can redeem myself by bringing Chen Ku up the mountain, only then might I slightly fill the gap from losing such a great general of Liang Mountain."
In Liang Mountain, the top ten seats, every Seventh Realm expert is the pinnacle of Liang Mountain’s combat power. Losing any one is an immeasurable loss.
He immediately looked at something in his hand.
If Chen Ku were there, he would know that in Mr. Tianji’s hand was a small clay figure that looked exactly like him, with his birth date pasted on it.
At this moment, Mr. Tianji looked at the small clay figure.
It turned out that his [Observing Fate] Divine Skill only needed the person’s appearance to initially judge their destiny. If he also had their birth date, he could discern even more.
However,
It was different from the previous destiny assessment he made about Chen Ku as ’either a prince in court or a hero of the Jianghu.’
Now, the small clay figure with Chen Ku’s birth date written on it.
Suddenly transformed to a new fate—Battlefield Hero
Mr. Tianji clearly understood that a person’s fate isn’t unchanging; at the crossroads of fortune, different choices and encounters can create new destinies.
But no matter how it changes, it’s always related to certain choices and actions of the person at that time.
"Battlefield Hero?"
Mr. Tianji was shocked and exclaimed:
"Could it be, he’s already started the bandit extermination at Three Dragon Mountain? How is it so fast? He was just in Qiu Dragon Mansion yesterday!"
...
Three Dragon Mountain.
Several dozen ravines crisscrossed, forming many small streams. In the streams were green lotus leaves, and frogs leapt about.
Cliffs surrounded them in all directions, not steep but rather exquisitely beautiful. The birdsong echoed among the cliffs.
Today it seemed it had just rained lightly, leaving the rocks moist. The pine trees on the mountain swayed in the wind, and many cranes perched in the trees, with monkeys inhabiting the mountain.
If someone were to come here and said this place was a land of Cave Heaven and Fortune, no one would doubt it. However, unfortunately, this place was the bandits’ lair.
The mountain path was heavily guarded, with a post every five steps and a lookout every ten steps. Towering structures with archers, and in front of the stockade were soldiers with swords and shields, each wearing bright armor with sharp eyesight.
In a grand hall atop the mountain, sat three armchairs. The Great Tribe Chief had a round head and angular face, with an old-fashioned aura. His hair and beard were like shining bristles, his eyes faintly flashing lightning, and with a proud brow, he said:
"Truly laughable, just a young brat dares to boast about wiping out our Three Dragon Mountain. I actually hope he comes quickly to see how many troops he can muster."
The Second Village Chief next to him looked like a Scholar, more beautiful than a woman, with rosy lips and white teeth. He set down a wine cup, a look of worry in his eyes, and said: "It’s said that Chen Ku was admitted as a disciple on behalf of the master by Qin Yuxian. Upon arriving at Qiu Dragon Mansion, he defeated the Little Grandmaster Zhou Li. If he brings people from the Qiu Dragon Martial Meeting to fight us, it could be troublesome."
"What does Second Brother fear?" the Third Village Chief with a chainblade on his back and a hundred-year-old tiger sash around his waist scoffed: "The Jianghu Martial World is all about solo combat, unlike the battlefield’s strategy. Our Three Dragon Mountain has stood for at least twenty or thirty years, and the government has sent troops unknown times to suppress us, all in vain. Why? Because our Three Dragon Mountain is easy to defend and hard to attack, especially One Thought Cliff, a place where a single man can fend off ten thousand foes. Even if he leads three thousand troops to attack, he’d still never reach our ’Cloud-climbing Peak.’"
The Great Tribe Chief also laughed heavily: "That’s true; else why would we have chosen this place then? Let alone him leading three thousand troops, what about four or five thousand? In warfare, it’s crucial to advance all at once and retreat all at once. Victory in battle lies in thousands acting as one, lined up horizontally and vertically, moving at command and retreating those who disobey. Three thousand elite soldiers can shake a State Mansion, ten thousand can dominate a region, a hundred thousand can contend for the world.
Over these twenty odd years, although I’m the Tribe Chief, I’ve drilled our brothers day and night according to military strategy. Though not claiming to have a thousand elite troops, everyone’s a loyal follower, and we just have to defend this Treasure Mountain. Even if ten thousand strong arrive, our stockade will remain as solid as a boulder!"
"Well said, Big Brother!" The Third Village Chief laughed heartily, raising his cup for a drink.
Second Village Chief, upon hearing this, had nothing more to say.
Dong—
Just when the trio’s cups clinked together.
"My my my my my... My Lord! It’s not good, not good..."
A soldier rushed into the hall in a panic, shouting at the top of his lungs:
"Outside, a young man claiming to be Chen Ku is breaking into the mountain with a staff!"
"What?"
The three Tribe Chiefs stood up simultaneously, their cups flying to the floor.
The Great Tribe Chief immediately demanded:
"How many men did he bring, and how far has he fought in?"
"Just—just one!"
The soldier shouted in terror:
"He came alone and has already fought past One Thought Cliff, only three miles away from Cloud-climbing Peak!"
