After some time, the people standing atop the city walls of the Blazing Phoenix City, were finally able to see the outline of the enemy soldier formation far away. They were advancing slowly but steadily, coming towards the city gates while at the same time, externalizing their auras to build up some momentum.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
As they advanced, the earth shook, making the ground tremble even inside the Blazing Phoenix City.
There were ten thousand men marching forward, following the leadership of two people. One of them was the commander in charge of the whole operation and the other was Wu Shaohui, the second prince of the Wu Martial Kingdom.
Inside the city, the soldiers started to run everywhere, taking their posts respectively. However, the time they took to position themselves correctly was so great, that the army approaching was able to cover a great distance before they were on their spots.
There was a huge problem happening on the Blazing Phoenix Sect side. The leadership figures seemed to be missing and only the lieutenants were giving minor orders here and there. None of the elders have appeared yet and Huo Shihong's silhouette was nowhere to be seen.
Wu Shaohui signaled for his army to stop while they were a thousand five hundred meters away and advanced alone towards the frontline. When he was at a distance where his voice enhanced with Mana could easily reach the city walls, he started to talk.
"Where is Huo Shihong? Tell him that Wu Shaohui is demanding for his presence right now."
The lieutenant in charge of contacting the elders quickly operated the formation responsible to do that.
Some minutes later an elder appeared on top of the city walls while saying: "I'm the First Elder of the Blazing Phoenix Sect and I would like for you to withdraw your army from my country."
His words didn't pass that much confidence, not even for the people from his own force.
"The First Elder? You're not worthy of talking with me! Where is Huo Shihong? Bring him out!"
The First Elder was put in very complicated situation. If he said Huo Shihong was nowhere to be found, his own army would lose momentum and the enemy would have the advantageous position. However, he could not make Huo Shihong appear as well.
That dilemma started to consume the First Elder from the inside and he unconsciously got anxious, making him act strangely.
"There is no need to talk with him, Young Master Shaohui, you can say it here." The First Elder couldn't make eye contact and he started to perspire a lot.
Everyone hearing his words felt something was off. In a tense moment like this, where two kingdoms were about to clash with one another, the First Elder was treating the enemy with respect? What the fuck was with that "Young Master Shaohui"?
Wu Shaohui felt something was off too, but he kept his stance.
"I want to talk with Huo Shihong. If he doesn't come here, then we won't be merciful..."
"No! Please, wait a bit, Sect Master Huo will be here soon."
In the peak of his anxiousness, the First Elder even said "please" for an enemy, showing he was completely unprepared to face a scenario like this. His mind was trying to find a way out of this situation while the pressure from the whole environment obliged him to give an answer he wasn't prepared to give.
Wu Shaohui realized that something was really wrong, but even though he had just stumbled upon and opportunity to destroy the enemy thoroughly, he wasn't able to grab it. He was still young and inexperienced. If it were the commander assuming the negotiations on his place, he would've come back and immediately order the attack.
However, fate wouldn't let he grow to become that much experienced.
"I want to..."
Shaohui was about to say something, but suddenly he stopped in the middle. A purple light passed through his eyes, making him abruptly stop what he was doing. The world before him turned completely purple and a single second later he stood still like a statue.
Inside his soul, the Soul Trap suddenly started to show signs of activation. The purple orb of darkness started to move there as if it had gotten alive all of a sudden.
Ninth Shadow was observing everything from the shadows and felt that now, was the perfect time for him to execute his evil plan.
Wu Shaohui suddenly started to tremble like he was being electrocuted. The Soul Trap started to release that purple energy inside his soul, filling every single place with darkness and making him feel an unbearable pain.
His eyes were shining with a purple light and he felt that he was being filled by a huge amount of power, a quantity he was not able to handle at all. His mouth opened up, letting out a fearful voice that came from the depths of his lungs.
"Nooo! Stop!!!"
After he screamed those words, he didn't even have time to turn around, before the Soul Trap completely released the energy stored inside it, making a huge blast happen inside his Soul.
Wu Shaohui's body stopped moving and fell down on the floor. There was blood coming out of his eyes, mouth, nose and ears. He died after having suffered a blast inside his soul. His consciousness was exploded by the Soul Trap and it happened right before everyone, but no one knew what was the real cause, only Ninth Shadow.
A silence suddenly took place on the whole area. Every single person that witnessed it, was in complete shock. Most of the Elders from the Blazing Phoenix Sect were present already, since they decided to come after they couldn't find their Sect Master, even though they searched for him everywhere.
They were speechless by what had just happened. None of them had any idea on how this would turn into a disaster for them.
The Commander of the Wu Martial Kingdom army came running towards Wu Shaohui's body. He let him go to the front since he needed to acquire experience and everyone knew that there was an unspoken rule for not killing negotiators. However, after he approached Wu Shaohui, he realized for the first time, someone breaking that rule.
"Young Master! Young Master! Talk with me, Young Master Shaohui!" The commander got near his body and started to shake it, as if trying to awaken him from his slumber. He expected that what was happening was just a joke and that his young master would wake up at any moment.
That would be the best-case scenario, else, everyone would be doomed. The Queen of the Wu Martial Kingdom would never tolerate a result like this and not even the lives of every single soldier present on both armies would serve to appease her anger.
He kept trying to wake him up until he got tired of doing that same action. He stood up and did nothing, staying there just like he was paralyzed. The Commander knew that there was only a single option left... And that would be to kill every single person on the enemy's side. That's the only possibility for him to stay alive when facing his king and queen.
Suddenly, he released his Mana Perception peak-stage Realm of cultivation, going back towards his army while bringing Wu Shoahui's body alongside.
After getting there and putting his young master body on the ground, he said: "I want you to bring me the head of every single person standing behind those city walls. This is not only my desire, but the desire of our king. Give up the idea of returning to your homes before thoroughly destroying the Blazing Phoenix Sect."
After everyone saw the body of Wu Shaohui lying down on the floor before them, they knew that their Commander words were true. There was no turning back now. The situation has gotten out of control, turning into a very complex scenario.
BAM!
Everyone released their auras together, getting ready for the war. At the same time, a feeling of rage started raise in their hearts. What the Blazing Phoenix Sect had just done was unforgivable. They did something that should never be done.
"CHARGE!"
The commander bellowed and everyone suddenly started to run forward at their maximum speed.
The elders atop the city walls were thoroughly lost until now. Everything had escalated so quickly that the situation got completely out of their hands in less than five minutes.
Right now, they were witnessing how ten thousand practitioners were running towards them with fury, ready to destroy their homes and families.
At their side, there were fifteen thousand soldiers and disciples inside the city, ready to battle the enemy till the very end. The Blazing Phoenix Sect was at a numerical advantage, but their spirit was completely lost, wandering aimlessly, while their enemies' spirit was seething in rage.
Fifteen thousand practitioners and soldiers using normal equipment and handling formations at a disordered state, while on the other side there were ten thousand enemies using the best gear provided by the Lion's Pride Golden Palace.
The distance between them was still one and a half kilometers, but it seemed to be almost non-existent now.
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