Chapter 135: I Do Not Wish to Marry the Glazed King

The one-hundred-man squads from the nine nations surrounded a pack of beasts from nine different directions, beginning their slaughter from the perimeter and gradually tightening the circle. These beasts had been starved for a day or two; seeing food right before them, they fought with desperate ferocity, making the skirmish all the more bloody, perilous, and lethal.

The soldiers of various nations fought like tigers against the beasts. One particular hundred-man team, dressed in ink-colored garments and black armor, quickly tore an opening through the western side. While they did not leave a trail of corpses in their wake, the team moved with uncanny synchronization; every maneuver, every strike, and even their positioning followed a strict, rhythmic order. Defending effectively while advancing steadily, they deployed long blades in the front, spears in the middle, and archers at the rear. Their seamless coordination ensured that every beast that lunged at them met its end.

It was not merely their coordination that drew attention, but the way they constantly shifted their formation—a tactical array so ingenious it forced onlookers to take notice. On the high platform, the dignitaries turned their heads toward the Yu Kingdom’s monarch, Yu Yangxing, who remained quiet yet wore a constant, faint smile.

"I never expected the Yu Kingdom to apply tactical arrays to combat. It is truly marvelous," Nan Fenghe remarked, though his eyes held an unreadable darkness. While he had seen records of such arrays in ancient texts, few truly understood the intricacies of deploying them, let alone using them on a battlefield. Previously, only Ji Mucang of the Yan Kingdom’s "Six Lesser War Gods" and the late Duke of the Chu Kingdom had demonstrated such prowess. That the Yu Kingdom, a nation of similar standing, possessed such profound military formations was not a good sign.

"I hear the Yu general, Xing Tian, is a genius in the art of war. Could this formation be his invention?" Wei Qi asked, looking thoughtful.

Yu Yangxing nodded, a flash of pride and intriguing tenderness in his eyes. "Indeed, this is a formation devised by Xing Tian, known as the Bagua Liangyi Formation. Its brilliance lies in its unpredictable nature, splitting one into seven."

Jin Xingye and Qi Qianying looked toward the hunting grounds. Studying the Yu squad closely, they truly felt as if they were seeing countless illusions, especially with the swirling yellow dust, making the unit appear elusive and impossible to pin down.

Ji Junyue noticed the peculiar expression in Yu Yangxing’s eyes and turned her gaze toward Yu Tianli, who sat quietly to the side, watching the slaughter below. Qin Lanzhi, sitting beside Ji Junyue, had been watching her the entire time and did not miss her contemplative look. A faint smile curled his lips as he whispered two words: "It’s her."

The bystander could not understand this cryptic remark, but Ji Junyue understood perfectly. She tilted her head slightly to look at Qin Lanzhi and smiled contentedly. "She is truly a talent." To understand how to apply arrays to an army and execute them with such precision, combined with her sharp intellect and strategy—if allowed to soar, she would undoubtedly become a powerhouse capable of ruling a region. This made Ji Junyue look forward to the day Yu Tianli would invade Southern Song; it would surely be a magnificent spectacle.

Ji Yixia sat nearby and heard their conversation, as did Chu Yunyue, whose internal energy allowed him to hear clearly. Although they did not know who the pair was referring to, it confirmed that Qin Lanzhi and Ji Junyue were acquainted with Xing Tian. Chu Yunyue was not overly concerned; compared to them knowing Xing Tian, the unfathomable power the two possessed was far more shocking. In that context, even if they were to conquer the entire world, he would not be surprised; he would simply find it inevitable.

Ji Yixia watched their tacit understanding, his eyes narrowing, but he said nothing, turning his attention back to the hunting grounds.

A hundred-man Red Armor unit fought with murderous intent, unstoppable and bloody. The sight of their spears sweeping, tearing beasts apart, showcased the brutal savagery of these Red Armor Dragon Soldiers. On the other side, the Black Iron Army moved with sharp, biting blade-work, sweeping forward. While not as bloodthirsty as the Red Armor, they were just as lethal; the hundred men seemed to transform into cold, thin blades, constantly reaping lives.

Just as the crowd was about to exclaim in awe, a team in the east swept through like a tornado, turning the ripples of excitement into tidal waves of shock. This team moved with such speed and efficiency that they acted like a harvester, mowing down every living thing in their path. From a distance, one could not see their expressions, only their uniform movements in the yellow dust—so sharp, so brutal, so swift that with every flash of a blade, a life was extinguished. Despite being a hundred-man team, they moved with such identical precision that they felt like a single entity.

"That... which country's team is that? They are so..." The person speaking trembled, unable to find the words.

A neighbor added, full of shock, "It’s the Qin Kingdom’s new Northwest Army!"

"This... how is this possible?"

"A harvester. I don’t feel like I’m looking at men; I’m looking at a life-reaping machine..."

The ministers from the various nations were horrified, staring in stunned silence. They recognized the unit’s origin, which only added to their terror. Three months ago, these men were nothing but raw recruits. Everyone knew the Northwest Army had been sacrificed in the wars against Yan and the Hu tribes, and that the current soldiers were all newly drafted. They had heard the Qin Emperor was sending these new recruits to provide escort—which meant this unit was composed entirely of novices.

It was bone-chilling. In just three short months, these recruits had been forged into such brutal, humanoid killing weapons.

The monarchs on the high platform were equally stunned, their eyes fixed on the scene, unable to look away. Only Ji Junyue wore a satisfied smile, her long, dark phoenix eyes crinkling with amusement as she looked at Qin Lanzhi. "A-Xue, are you satisfied with these humanoid killing weapons?"

This was the first time Qin Lanzhi had seen the new Northwest Army in battle. Watching them sweep forward, leaving nothing but animal carcasses in their wake, and seeing them clash head-on with the Red Armor Dragon Soldiers—forcing them back with their clean, lethal movements—he felt a surge of adrenaline. Even he felt a flicker of blood-pumping excitement.

He tightened his grip on Ji Junyue’s hand, looking into her laughing, soul-captivating eyes. "You always bring me surprises. In this whole world, only you could achieve this."

He knew this team had not undergone secret training. If they were this impressive now, the two thousand soldiers who *had* undergone secret training would be even more terrifying. Once that bloodthirsty legion was unleashed, the Nine Heavens Continent would tremble.

Ji Junyue squeezed his hand back, her smile bold and dazzling.

Beside them, Ji Yixia watched his Red Armor Dragon Soldiers begin to falter, forced into a defensive retreat. The sight of his elite troops being suppressed caused a layer of blood-red intensity to fill his pale eyes. "This new army is truly unexpected. General Ji has impressive means."

Ji Junyue did not look at him, her gaze fixed on the field. She saw the sharpness in the eyes of Peng Xunyi and his men, the icy, iron-blooded aura they exuded. They moved with a cold, metallic precision. Whether fighting as a group or individually, they were sharp and ruthless. Even when facing the experienced, blood-hardened Red Armor Dragon Soldiers, they were unstoppable. Every strike of their blades drew blood, instantly incapacitating the enemy; they ignored their own wounds, focused only on taking the opponent's life.

"Every gain requires a sacrifice; this was bought with their blood and tears," Ji Junyue said. She had merely given them the opportunity. What made them shine as such formidable warriors was their resilient, indomitable spirit—their refusal to accept defeat and the grit to trample over every hardship.

Ji Yixia glanced at Ji Junyue, observing her exquisite profile. The smile on her lips was blinding, yet one had to admit, it was also radiant. In that moment, he felt a flash of her confidence—a霸气 (dominating spirit) as if she held the world in the palm of her hand. This innate aura of a ruler, one that seemed to have been tempered by countless battles, left Ji Yixia secretly alarmed. Such presence should not belong to the son of a prefect...

A dark shadow crossed Ji Yixia’s eyes. Once the seeds of suspicion were sown, they only grew deeper.

"Their movements look simple, yet every strike is intended to kill. They are agile, and despite having no internal energy, they are impossible to guard against," Chu Yunyue remarked, watching the team. "After today, I fear the Northwest Army will be added to the list of the Nine Heavens Continent’s invincible forces."

The Red Armor Dragon Soldiers were not the only ones suffering; the nearby Xiliang team had also been decimated. It was clear that many teams were now actively avoiding the Northwest recruits like snakes or scorpions. Only the Red Armor Dragon Soldiers remained stubbornly defiant. As for the Chu Kingdom’s team, Chu Yunyue had already warned them to steer clear of the Qin forces; seeing the savagery of the Northwest Army now, he suspected they were secretly relieved.

The other dignitaries remained silent, too stunned to speak. If all two hundred thousand of the Qin Kingdom’s new Northwest Army were like this hundred-man squad, the consequences were unthinkable. The other nations would be nothing but fodder.

When the final war drums sounded, the hunting ground was littered with corpses—not just of beasts, but of men. The once-invincible Red Armor Dragon Soldiers were in retreat, their numbers halved, while the Northwest Army had not lost a single man! This realization was terrifying: each one of these recruits was worth five or six of their own.

When the fences opened and the inspection teams entered, the hundred-man squad walked out, their bodies covered in blood, yet their spines remained straight and proud. The onlookers’ attention was glued to them. As they drew closer, the sharpness in their eyes became clear—like unsheathed swords, too piercing to face directly.

The teams lined up in an open space to await the results. The monarchs on the platform waited in silence, though they already knew the outcome. When the results were tallied, Eunuch Qi walked onto the platform and bowed respectfully to Ji Yixia. "Your Majesty, the results are in."

Ji Yixia said calmly, "Read them."

Eunuch Qi lowered his eyes, his expression neutral, and turned to the crowd to announce the result of the first exchange match of the Nine Nations Alliance. "In the first exchange match of the Nine Nations Alliance, the winner of the hunt is..." He paused, his voice steady, "...the Qin Kingdom."

Though they had guessed it, the crowd was still stunned. Their first thought was that the Qin Kingdom had just won ten cities!

The hundred-man Qin squad, standing in the open field, turned in unison toward the high platform. They knelt and shouted in unison, their voices ringing with power: "The Northwest New Army has not failed its mission! We have won ten cities, slaughtered two hundred and fifty-seven beasts, and killed two hundred and thirty-two enemy soldiers!"

The sound echoed to the heavens, shocking everyone present. The surrounding Northwest Army troops, already sharing a tacit bond, raised their blades and roared in excitement: "Qin! Qin! Qin!"

The sound was earth-shaking, filled with pride and blood-pumping fervor. Even the skeptical ministers and onlookers found themselves swept up in the adrenaline. Regardless of their shock or disbelief, they had to admit—this was a triumphant moment. Setting aside their status as rivals, they were, first and foremost, people of the Qin Kingdom, and the victory was something they could not help but celebrate.