Chapter Twenty-Six: The Command at the Parade Ground

The blood-red armor seemed as if it had formed naturally, with ripples of watery spiritual energy emanating from the Crimson Blood Xuanwu Armor. Crimson Blood Xuanwu Armor: a ninth-grade magical treasure, enhances water-attribute attacks, increases counter-damage, forged from a fragment of Xuanwu's shell, possessing astonishing defense.

Zhang Xiao put away the Crimson Blood Xuanwu Armor. It was not yet time to refine it; everything would have to wait until after the muster at the parade ground. Now, with the strange fire and the intact Xuanwu shell fragment in Han Meng’s possession, plus the Crimson Blood Xuanwu Armor, all was ready except for the final spark. As soon as he cultivated the Seven Transformations of Xuantian to the first stage, he would be able to slay even Nascent Soul experts with ease.

Returning to the hall, Bai Qi led Zhang Xiao out of the Military Merit Pavilion and continued to stroll through the camp. Nearing noon, a procession of grand carriages entered the camp, accompanied by five thousand soldiers marching in orderly ranks.

Zhang Xiao and Bai Qi had received word of Qin Shi Huang’s imminent arrival and stood early outside the military tent awaiting him. Besides Zhang Xiao, many other generals were present, all contemporaries of Bai Qi, most of whom Zhang Xiao did not recognize. Walking alongside Bai Qi was Meng Yang, the Left General of the Imperial Guard, son of Grand General Meng Tian. Zhang Xiao and Meng Yang were similar in age but shared little conversation, so neither felt much impatience.

The generals stood outside the tent without going forward to greet the arrival, instead waiting in place. This was the customary rule of the Qin army: generals could not leave the camp without orders, not even for Qin Shi Huang himself. As the carriage convoy came into view, Bai Qi led Zhang Xiao and the other generals forward, bowing deeply and declaring, “This subordinate Bai Qi, accompanied by the Left and Right Generals, twelve division commanders, and twenty-three battalion commanders, welcomes Your Majesty.”

As Bai Qi finished, Qin Shi Huang stepped out from the carriage, dressed in imperial robes embroidered with golden dragons and mountains, a jade crown with pearl curtains upon his head, his expression calm. He said, “There is no need for ceremony within the camp. Rise.”

“Understood.” In ancient times, the Qin Dynasty had fewer strict formalities. Upon hearing Qin Shi Huang’s words, all stood upright. Bai Qi accompanied Qin Shi Huang to the observation platform, with Zhang Xiao and the other generals following obediently.

Upon entering the platform, Qin Shi Huang signaled Bai Qi with his eyes. Bai Qi turned to the assembled generals and barked, “Activate the formation! All soldiers hold the perimeter! No one is permitted within three hundred meters—violators will be executed without mercy!”

With Bai Qi’s command, aside from Zhang Xiao and Meng Yang, the remaining thirty-five generals, all late-stage Golden Core cultivators, drew their blades and spread out three hundred meters away. A layer of light shielded the platform, making it impossible to see inside from the outside, though those within could observe every corner outside with ease.

“Haha, Zhang Xiao, have you been well lately?” Qin Shi Huang asked, smiling as all arrangements were completed.

Zhang Xiao strode forward, sitting carelessly beside Qin Shi Huang, showing none of the deference expected of a subordinate, and said, “Your Majesty, you went through all this trouble to meet me—surely it’s not just to ask about trivial matters?”

Qin Shi Huang was taken aback for a moment before bursting into hearty laughter, pointing at Zhang Xiao and scolding, “You rascal, you saw through it so quickly—did Gongsun Qi let something slip?” He glanced back at Bai Qi, but both Bai Qi and Meng Yang wore expressions of calm indifference, like wooden statues.

Qin Shi Huang shook his head helplessly. “Gongsun, I’ve told you, when there aren’t many people around, don’t be so stiff. It’s been over two thousand years; what haven’t I seen? Come, sit together—Meng Yang, don’t just stand there.”

Yet Bai Qi and Meng Yang remained unmoving, ignoring Qin Shi Huang’s invitation. Qin Shi Huang could only turn to Zhang Xiao with resignation, “Their minds are still rigid—after so many years of reform, not a bit of progress.”

“Pfft!” Zhang Xiao nearly choked, spraying the tea he had just sipped onto the floor. It was no wonder; such words hardly seemed fitting for someone from two millennia ago.

Smiling wryly, Zhang Xiao said, “Your Majesty, who taught you that expression? It’s rather wicked.”

Qin Shi Huang replied, “No one taught me. Though I died, I’ve been in the Underworld for two thousand years. I’ve seen everything that happens above, especially in the past twenty years since the Underworld halted the Six Paths of Reincarnation. I know quite a few friends there!”

Zhang Xiao recalled Qin Shi Huang mentioning his time in the Underworld upon his resurrection, so it was not surprising. But the Six Paths of Reincarnation halting for twenty years was news to Zhang Xiao. Just as he was pondering this, his eyes widened in shock. “The Underworld stopped the Six Paths of Reincarnation twenty years ago?!”

Qin Shi Huang nodded. “Yes, it halted. The souls cannot reincarnate; they remain in the Underworld. As for the reason, I do not know. It seems related to the Heavenly Dao.”

At these words, Zhang Xiao’s teacup slipped from his hand and crashed to the floor. Twenty years ago—the souls of his parents must still reside in the Underworld!

A sudden surge of emotion flared in Zhang Xiao’s heart, the urge to rush into the Underworld to see his parents overwhelming him. Recalling their loving care during his childhood, his nose stung with grief. Nevertheless, his advanced cultivation allowed him to swiftly regain composure. Knowing his parents had not reincarnated, yet uncertain how to enter the Underworld or if he could meet their souls, Zhang Xiao refrained from acting impulsively and asked Qin Shi Huang, “Your Majesty, do you know how to enter the Underworld?”

Qin Shi Huang, a veteran of two millennia in the Underworld, easily saw through Zhang Xiao’s thoughts and shook his head. “If you have relatives in the Underworld and wish to see them, it’s impossible for now. Besides, with the Six Paths closed, the Underworld is completely sealed—you cannot enter. You must wait until the Six Paths reopen.”

Calm once more, Zhang Xiao was nonetheless filled with hope at the prospect of seeing his parents again. Qin Shi Huang glanced at the time, his face growing serious. “Enough, let’s discuss business.”

Zhang Xiao straightened his posture, listening attentively. The two conversed for half an hour. When Zhang Xiao emerged from the platform, his expression was gloomy, his heart roiling with turmoil. The scheme laid by Qin Shi Huang was vast, and Zhang Xiao was now enmeshed within it. He knew he must accelerate his growth in strength; otherwise, when chaos erupted, lacking the power to protect himself, his fate would be grim.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!” Deafening drumbeats resounded. Clad in bronze armor, Zhang Xiao strode behind Bai Qi toward the muster platform. Of course, this was not the Crimson Blood Xuanwu Armor he had just acquired—he had not yet refined it. The armor he wore, a fourth-grade magical treasure, had been lent by Bai Qi for appearances.

Ascending the platform, Zhang Xiao saw below a dense mass of people stretching beyond sight. All the disciples drawn from the nine great sects were present, numbering nearly two hundred thousand, each clad in armor and wielding spears or blades.

Bai Qi waved his command banner, and twenty generals stepped forward, marching to the platform and announcing, “Reporting: the Grand General’s troops have arrived on time.”

Their voices, though only twenty in number, rang out with the force and unity of two hundred men, powerful and resolute. Zhang Xiao glanced at the platform, recognizing several among them—including Shang Ziqiu, the chief disciple of Dragon Tiger Mountain, with whom he had once dueled in Hundred Herbs Valley, and Zhu Cong of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect. However, these men had yet to notice Zhang Xiao, for his face was concealed by a mask, revealing only his eyes.

Upon confirmation of arrival, Bai Qi flipped his banner, and the two hundred thousand sect disciples sprang into action. The vast parade ground erupted with wind and clouds, myriad spells crisscrossing and exploding in the sky, forming a spectacular scene. Despite being mixed from nine sects, each with different techniques, the disciples operated like a precise war machine, running swiftly and without chaos.

Bai Qi waved his banner eastward, and various defensive spells appeared. He then unfurled the banner again, and a separate legion of one hundred thousand soldiers charged out from the mountainside, their synchronized footsteps shaking the parade ground.

“Kill! Kill! Kill!” The murderous aura surged skyward, almost tangible. Zhang Xiao’s face changed; this legion was Bai Qi’s true battle-hardened force. He could see that every soldier seemed to have crawled out of a bloody hell, their murderous energy thick and palpable. Bai Qi smiled at Zhang Xiao and whispered, “These are my elite Imperial Guards.”

With another wave of the banner, the two hundred thousand sect disciples unleashed countless spells, overwhelming the one hundred thousand soldiers with a force that could shatter mountains and rivers. Zhang Xiao turned pale at the spectacle, realizing that if he were caught in such an onslaught, he would surely be obliterated.

Yet the one hundred thousand Imperial Guards, mostly Foundation Establishment cultivators, did not flinch. Raising their spears, they shouted, “Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!” A fierce killing intent burst forth, scattering the incoming spells, and many sect disciples suffered backlash and fell.

With a drumbeat, the Imperial Guards charged, dispersing the sect disciples’ formation in an instant. The intense killing aura enveloped every sect disciple. Though most were Golden Core experts, in this kind of massed battle, their individual prowess was limited.

Bai Qi struck the brass gong at his side, and the scene shifted. The Imperial Guards withdrew from the parade ground in perfect order, leaving the sect disciples in chaos. Bai Qi turned to Zhang Xiao with a grin, “Hahaha, brother, your task is done—you can head back. After I finish training these sect disciples, I must report to His Majesty. I won’t keep you.”

Zhang Xiao looked at the wounded, defeated disciples below, his expression troubled. After all, he too came from a sect, and seeing the nine great sects’ disciples so easily routed made him reluctant to stay longer. He clasped hands in farewell to Bai Qi and the other generals, then transformed into a streak of rainbow light and flew toward his residence.

Author’s note, not included in the word count: Qin Shi Huang’s portrayal may surprise some, perhaps seeming inadequate or amusing. But my purpose in writing him this way is simply to entertain. If you dislike it, please forgive my shortcomings. Qin Shi Huang’s early appearances are limited, so please do not dwell on it. In the later stages, he will reveal the grandeur and dominance befitting the greatest emperor of all time. Please stay tuned. Thank you for your support.