NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 139: The Fish Has Taken the Bait
Boom!
A deafening explosion resounded through the air.
The shockwave rippled outward, collapsing mountains, scattering boulders into the sky, and sinking the earth into a desolate abyss. The once verdant wilderness was reduced to scorched wasteland, bereft of life.
Nothing remained intact.
High in the sky, a graceful figure staggered backward. Clad in a flowing snow-white robe, her black hair billowed in the wind. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, dripping continuously to the ground below.
“The third princess of the Great Zhou Empire—this is all the strength you possess?”
Not far away, a majestic black jade qilin pulled a golden divine chariot through the air. Radiant light enveloped the chariot, shrouding it in an ethereal glow.
Inside the chariot stood a towering figure, exuding a terrifying aura of vitality. He blazed like a sun, his presence so overpowering that it was hard to meet his gaze. His radiance illuminated both heaven and earth, like an emperor descended from the heavens, sovereign over all.
Although he was only at the peak of the Divine Power realm, many understood that if he fought with all his might, even those in the Life and Death realm would likely fall before him.
Behind the golden chariot, thousands of knights wielding halberds sat astride fierce beasts. Their presence was overwhelming, their gazes flashing with electric brilliance as their blood energy surged like a tidal wave.
Their polished armor gleamed with a chilling light under the sun, striking fear into anyone who dared look upon them.
These were the Xuanniao Elites—a force personally trained by the Champion Marquis of the Great Chu Dynasty. Though their numbers barely reached ten thousand, they were renowned along the borders of the Great Zhou and Great Chu Dynasties.
When these elites formed their battle formation and charged at full force, even an army of hundreds of thousands would find it nearly impossible to withstand their assault.
The Great Chu Emperor himself had named this army the Xuanniao Elites, a testament to their unparalleled strength.
Their appearance in Yunzhou today left many feeling deeply unsettled. Amidst this unease, some couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pity for the third princess of the Great Zhou Empire.
Facing the Champion Marquis alone was already terrifying enough. But with thousands of Xuanniao Elites behind him, her chances of survival were virtually nonexistent. Unless a Divine Palace realm powerhouse intervened, escape was impossible.
“The Champion Marquis’s reputation is well deserved,” the third princess of the Great Zhou Empire said coldly. “But my second brother’s death—I will avenge him, no matter what!”
She raised her long sword, unleashing a torrent of sword energy as vast as the Milky Way, flooding heaven and earth.
In that moment, the sword in her hand seemed to come alive, absorbing the essence of the heavens and earth. A silver-white divine phoenix emerged from the river of sword energy, surging forth in an unstoppable assault.
“Shriek—!”
The divine phoenix let out a piercing cry, shaking heaven and earth.
Facing this fearsome strike, the Champion Marquis’s expression remained unchanged. He neither dodged nor evaded. Instead, he confronted it head-on, throwing a single, devastating punch imbued with an unstoppable momentum.
The Emperor’s Nation-Stabilizing Fist!
Originally, the fist technique was exclusive to the royal family of the Great Chu Dynasty, yet here it was being wielded by the Champion Marquis.
The sound of the punch roared like a tsunami, reverberating layer upon layer, shaking the heavens. It rolled forward like waves crashing into the Ninth Heaven, its thunderous echoes almost deafening, making one feel as if their eardrums would burst and forcing blood to surge within.
Boom!
Heaven and earth quaked. The silver-white divine phoenix stood no chance against the punch. Within moments, it dissolved into radiant light, scattering into the void.
Even after the phoenix disappeared, the fist’s power did not relent, piercing through several mountain ranges in its wake.
As the dust settled, the third princess of the Great Zhou Empire had vanished without a trace, as if she had never been there at all.
“Marquis, shall I lead men to pursue her?”
A general clad in gleaming armor, radiating the aura of a Peak Divine Power Realm cultivator, urged his beast forward, approaching the Champion Marquis respectfully.
“No need.”
The Champion Marquis stood atop the golden chariot, his gaze fixed on the void, watching the direction in which the princess had fled. A cold smile played on his lips.
“The fish has taken the bait. Killing one small fish now might scare away the others.”
Retracting his gaze, the Champion Marquis turned and stepped back into the golden chariot. Sitting down, his indifferent voice echoed from within.
“How goes the formation setup?”
“Five formation masters have joined forces and completed about 80% of it. It should be finished in three days,” the general replied gravely.
If it were a standard formation, one formation master would have sufficed. But the Marquis had exceptionally high requirements. He wanted a formation that could kill, trap, and defend—one capable of withstanding a full day of assault from a Divine Palace realm expert and kill even a peak Life and Death realm cultivator.
Such a formation rivaled the protective arrays of major sects. Even with five masters working together, it couldn’t be completed quickly.
“Too slow. I want it done within two days.”
The Champion Marquis’s tone was calm but carried undeniable authority.
“Yes!”
The general didn’t dare to argue, immediately bowing respectfully.
He knew his Marquis was playing a grand game of chess. If the plan succeeded, the entire younger generation of the Great Zhou Empire would be buried.
After all, Fa Zhao’s allure was far too great. Even the Great Zhou Crown Prince and Third Princess couldn’t resist. How could the other sect geniuses stay away?
Once they arrived, the Champion Marquis was confident he could keep them all in Yunzhou.
Burying the entire younger generation of an empire in one fell swoop—such a feat wouldn’t just shock the Great Zhou and Great Chu Dynasties but would send ripples through the neighboring powers.
The name of the Champion Marquis would become legendary.
And in a few centuries, when the Champion Marquis reached his full potential, the Great Zhou Empire, left with no successors, would be as good as meat on the chopping block—helpless before him.
The Champion Marquis could deal with it as he pleased.
“By the way, Marquis…”
The general hesitated, as if recalling something.
“I recently received word that Eagle Count is dead.”
“Oh?”
The Champion Marquis let out a soft sound of surprise, his voice still calm. “Who killed him?”
“Within the borders of the Great Zhou Empire—Li Xun of the Profound Sun Sect,” the general replied solemnly.
“An insignificant nobody, not worth worrying about. Once Yunzhou’s matter is resolved, if he’s still alive, I’ll personally take his head. My men’s blood won’t be spilled in vain,” the Champion Marquis said nonchalantly.
To him, the current plan took precedence over everything else. Until it was complete, all other matters could wait—even the death of a Count.
“I understand,” the general replied respectfully before turning to leave.
But just as he was about to step away—
Boom!
A torrent of blood energy erupted from the golden chariot, soaring skyward and obscuring the sun.
The Champion Marquis, who had been calm and composed, suddenly transformed into a figure resembling a wrathful demon. His eyes locked onto the direction of Blackstone City, and his voice rang out coldly:
“How dare you!”
Before his words had fully settled, he personally drove the golden chariot, transforming into a golden streak of divine light that shot swiftly toward Blackstone City.