Chapter 373: Three sins
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Chen Feiyu was so excited to face off against Nangong Hao with 50,000 soldiers as his witness. To be defeated in a single round was quite the tragedy.
More importantly, he did not even see how he was defeated. To say it was a tragedy seemed to be an understatement.
However...
No matter how depressing it was, he was still defeated. The question that bugged all the candidates had also been answered.
Four years ago, Nangong Hao was talented, the brightest star in the empire. Four years later, he could only be described using a single word.
Terrifying!
He was sharp and domineering. He gave off the vibe that he was peerless.
Nangong Hao had only attacked once. However, this strike had struck fear and awe into the hearts of the other candidates.
All of them looked at each other in aghast. They were at a loss for words to describe what they had just seen.
When Nangong Hao had attacked, all of them thought that it looked too ordinary despite its speed.
However, when the blade pierced through the wall of blue surrounding Chen Feiyu, all of them began to question their belief.
In that instant...
It felt as though time had stopped.
The moment Nangong Hao's blade came into contact with the shield, it seemed to disappear. To be more precise, it teleported.
That being said, all of the candidates knew that no matter how powerful Nangong Hao was, he could not teleport.
After all, in order to tear apart the very fabric of space was a huge exertion for even the strongest Rebirth State cultivators.
There was no way Nangong Hao could have teleported.
However, when Nangong Hao's blade pierced through Chen Feiyu's shield, Nangong Hao seemed to disappear into thin air.
The impossible happened.
There could only be one possibility.
It had fused with the shield.
In the moment the blade came into contact with the shield, it fused with it. In that moment, Nangong Hao and the shield were one.
The fusing was flawless. That was the only way to fool Chen Feiyu's Torrential Rain. The shield would never attack itself.
"You can control everything, but so can I!"
All of the candidates thought about what Nangong Hao had said. They understood exactly what it meant, even Chen Feiyu himself knew what had happened.
However...
They did not believe it. They refused to believe it!
He fused with Dao!
How ridiculous was that?!
When one thought of stunning scenes, one would think of vast mountain ranges or raging rivers. However, what they just witnessed was far superior to all of that.
The answer to the question in all their minds, "What is Nangong Hao like four years later?" had been answered. The answer floored them all.
"Did you get a clear look?" Yan Xiu finally spoke. He did not praise Nangong Hao's strengths or point out Nangong Hao's weaknesses. Neither did he ask Fang Zhengzhi what his next course of action was.
He asked quite an ordinary question.
Even so, Fang Zhengzhi understood what Yan Xiu meant instantly.
"I still have many soldiers behind me and plenty of time. If I want to take a closer look, I have many ways of doing it." Fang Zhengzhi shook his head lightly.
He knew what Yan Xiu was thinking, but he was not going to accept it.
"If my guess is correct, you probably can't use the soldiers behind you. At the very least, you won't be able to use them to defeat Nangong Hao." Yan Xiu shook his head and asserted.
"Why?" Fang Zhengzhi did not understand.
"Because Nangong Hao exited the Icy Monkey Settlement alone!" Yan Xiu explained.
This was not a clear explanation, but Fang Zhengzhi understood it immediately. Would such a talented individual do something if he didn't have the confidence he was going to succeed?
Clearly not.
Nangong Hao had travelled far to come to the capital. His high profile participation was definitely not just to get a good ranking.
The fact was he had come.
The reason for his participation was to cleanse the Nangong Family of its shame.
With this in mind, he still decided to walk out alone in the face of a vast army.
This only meant one thing.
Nangong Hao was very confident. He knew that he was going to win. That being said, he couldn't face 50,000 soldiers alone.
One vs 50,000?
That bordered on the impossible. All the legends about a single punch killing thousands were merely just that, legends.
After all, even if 50,000 of them stood still for him to kill, he would take many nights to kill them all. Furthermore, these people knew how to run, jump, and fight.
Fang Zhengzhi knew what Yan Xiu was saying, but he had no idea how Nangong Hao planned to cause his army to defy him.
A military order?
Or the Emperor's personal order?
Fang Zhengzhi had a sudden realization. He had known all along that the combat examinations was a cover for something greater. It was a cover for the army they were bringing.
That being said, he had no idea how the soldiers would be deployed.
However, just because he didn't know didn't mean that Nangong Hao was in the dark.
It seemed like he was back where he started. To be more specific, everything that had happened was all part of an elaborate plan.
These were all Fang Zhengzhi's guesses. Yan Xiu shared the same sentiment. However, he wouldn't know unless he tried.
"General Li, take 1000 men and surround Nangong Hao!" Fang Zhengzhi would not order his entire army forward. That would do no good.
"Yes!" General Li answered immediately when he heard the order. It was almost as if he had received no other conflicting orders.
Obedience.
Such obedience from his deputies was strange. This caused Fang Zhengzhi to wonder if he and Yan Xiu were mistaken.
The 1000 strong force was quickly assembled.
300 shieldbearers, 300 spearmen, 300 swordsman and 100 archers.
This was the most appropriate lineup. The shieldbearers would be in front, the spearmen in the middle, and the archers at the back. The swordsmen would guard the flanks. They would surround Nangong Hao...
"Kaboom!"
1000 men stepped forward in unison. They marched towards Nangong Hao, an aura of death rising from their midst.
The candidates all looked on, slightly confused.
They all felt that the most honorable way was for both generals to fight it out. This was the combat examination, and it was a test for the generals.
That being said, Nangong Hao was much more powerful than Fang Zhengzhi. For Fang Zhengzhi to use his vastly superior army was not surprising.
They would have done the same.
Chen Feiyu stood rooted to his spot. He had no idea if he should return to Fang Zhengzhi's army or be a prisoner of war in the Icy Monkey Settlement.
Nangong Hao stood still. However, he was much more stable than Chen Feiyu. Not a single muscle of his moved during the entire time.
The 1000 strong army moved quickly. Before long, they were right in front of Nangong Hao and began to surround him.
Fang Zhengzhi turned to look at Yan Xiu.
Yan Xiu's gaze was fixated on the gate of the Icy Monkey Settlement, almost as if he was waiting for someone to appear.
"There are others in the Icy Monkey Settlement?" Fang Zhengzhi asked.
"I'm not sure." Yan Xiu shook his head.
"Mm, then we shall wait and see." Fang Zhengzhi nodded.
Maybe Fang Zhengzhi's words were too accurate, or maybe Yan Xiu's gaze was magical. Whatever it was, a figure did appear at the gates of the Icy Monkey Settlement.
It was a youth riding a huge green stallion. He wore armor, but it was different from those of the Great Xia Dynasty soldiers.
On his breastplate was a intricate pattern. There was a silver word in the middle.
"Order!"
This meant that this soldier was one of the messengers.
For a messenger to reveal his identity so audaciously meant that the intended recipient was here.
"This is an order from the Crown Prince!"
A resounding voice echoed out. At the same time, the messenger retrieved a black token with a silver dragon inscribed on it.
The soldiers about to surround Nangong Hao stopped in their tracks.
All of them looked to each other. General Li, who was in charge of the 1000 men, subconsciously looked to Fang Zhengzhi. Then, he dismounted and fell to on one knee.
Fang Zhengzhi, Yan Xiu, and all 50,000 soldiers all knelt. They knew what the silver dragon represented.
This was a military order!
It had to be obeyed!
All of the candidates all looked at each other, unsure if they had to obey the order as well. Regardless, they had to obey the silver dragon token.
The silver dragon represented the Crown Prince.
And the Crown Prince...
Was the Chief Invigilator for this examination.
In other words, in the absence of the Emperor's own orders, the orders of the Crown Prince were the highest there were. They were not to be questioned.
All of the candidates fell to one knee respectfully.
As for Fang Zhengzhi, he did not quite recognize the orders. However, from the reaction of those around him, he could guess what the token was for.
However, he was rather disappointed.
He had expected that Nangong Hao would have secret orders from the Emperor. However, he never expected that it would be the Crown Prince who would give the orders.
Even though the Crown Prince was the Chief Invigilator, he could not meddle with the details and happenings within the examination. He had to go by the rules and could not strip Fang Zhengzhi of his command.
Unless...
They were about to declare war on the Southern Mountain Range.
Only under such extenuating circumstances was the combat examination to be stopped. It would resume in its current state after the battle was over.
That was how they maintained fairness inside the combat examination.
Were they about to fight a war?
Just as Fang Zhengzhi was thinking about it, the messenger tugged on the reins and the stallion trotted forward. His gaze scanned across the entire army before finally resting on Fang Zhengzhi.
"The Crown Prince's orders are as follows! Fang Zhengzhi had the audacity to be absent from the results announcement. That is his first sin! His second sin was not reporting to the Crown Prince upon entering the Southern Mountain Range. His third sin was not reporting the results in a timely manner. He has compromised the integrity of the examination. The Crown Prince has ordered for Fang Zhengzhi's to be temporarily disqualified. He will be reinstated after an investigation has cleared him of guilt!"
The messenger's voice was loud. All of the candidates, deputies, and the 500 silver horned wolves all heard it clearly.
However, they were all stunned by what they heard.
"Temporarily disqualified?!"
"Did I hear that wrongly? Fang Zhengzhi is disqualified?!"
"Are our losses wiped clean then?"
All of the candidates looked on wide eyed. They were all stunned by what they heard. The first thought was, "If Fang Zhengzhi is disqualified..."
Then, they were all back to square one.
For Wu Feng and Chen Feiyu, they would be un-eliminated. Furthermore, they could get a large share of Fang Zhengzhi's army.
This was great news for them.
Of course, amidst all the joy, they all looked at Fang Zhengzhi 'regretfully'. They were waiting for him to react to the news.