Chapter 122: Rebellion

The commander of the Qi Dynasty hadn’t expected to encounter seven Level 7 warriors just in the inner courtyard. And these were clearly not yet Martial Sovereigns.

As he gritted his teeth, a physical enhancement Awakener swung a sword at one of them. But the strike came and went swiftly. With a sharp clang of metal striking metal, the Level 6 Awakener was slammed into the ground like a cannonball.

Without hesitation, the Qi Dynasty commander called out to those behind him, “Give me the devices!”

Two metal cylinders were handed to him. These were their trump cards prepared for this expedition—hard-won creations from the laboratory, originally meant to be used against Martial Sovereigns, but unexpectedly needed here.

“Everyone, scatter!” the commander barked, pressing down on the two metal cylinders before hurling them toward the front of the hall.

The cylinders exploded violently, releasing a thick cloud of smoke. From within the haze emerged two towering Bodhisattvas with two faces and eight arms each, every arm wielding a blade or sword. Standing over three meters tall, their faces were fierce with green skin and fangs—more demon than deity—but radiating an overwhelmingly powerful aura.

No sooner had they appeared than they unleashed a rain of blades upon the seven Level 7 monsters.

These twin eight-armed, dual-faced Bodhisattvas were creations of the Qi Dynasty’s laboratory, forged from the remnants of two catastrophe-level Illusory Monks combined with numerous disaster-level Illusory Monk fragments. Their duration lasted fifteen minutes.

They were immobile, making them ineffective against Level 7 Awakeners and wasteful against Level 6, of which Qi Dynasty had plenty. But against these monsters or strange creatures, they proved invaluable.

Sure enough, the arrival of the Bodhisattvas immediately drew the monsters’ attention, and the two sides collided with a force that shook the great hall, causing it to collapse.

The Bodhisattvas’ arms were shattered six or seven times almost instantly but regenerated just as swiftly. Before the dust could settle, the shockwaves pushed them far away.

“Attack together!” the commander shouted. In truth, no command was needed; the other Level 6 Awakeners joined the fray.

With the two Bodhisattvas and dozens of Level 6 Awakeners striking simultaneously, flames, thunder, ice dragons, sword auras, and various psychic arrows rained down, saturating the battlefield in such blinding light that observers outside could barely discern the scene.

After only a few seconds, a figure pierced through the barrage and charged toward several thunder-element Awakeners.

Several physical enhancement Awakeners met him head-on but were flung back. Everyone recognized the figure as one of the two sword-wielding monsters—this one missing an arm and bearing numerous burn marks.

It was evident that the previous sweeping attack combined with the Bodhisattvas had inflicted serious wounds.

“Kill him!” the crowd shouted, hearts lifted. Since they could seriously injure him, victory seemed near.

Indeed, as dozens of Level 6 Awakeners struck simultaneously, the monster blocked most blows with its sword but still took over a dozen hits.

Within a minute, at the cost of one physical enhancement Awakeners being severed in half, another nearly split in two, and a thunder-element Awakener decapitated, the monster was overwhelmed by countless attacks.

Yet inside its body, no swarm of insects emerged—only a half-meter-long, finger-thick green serpentine creature shot out, lightning-fast, burrowing into a physical enhancement Awakener.

Almost instantly, that Awakener was controlled and lunged at his comrades.

“Everyone, scatter! Don’t get close!” the commander gritted through clenched teeth. The group grimly crushed the possessed Awakener to pieces.

The snake emerged again but was immediately destroyed mid-flight by multiple attacks.

Turning their gaze forward, they saw the two Bodhisattvas, battered and scarred, repeatedly cleaved in half or shattered, only to regenerate again.

“Keep pressing!” the commander ordered.

Amidst their assault, a wounded man suddenly rushed to the commander’s side. “The Southern Chu forces are advancing—they’ll be here in at most three minutes!”

“Where’s Fu Yi? Where are they? Why weren’t they stopped?” the commander’s face darkened.

Fu Yi was the disciple of the Sword Master, a Level 6 Awakener. Since he hadn’t returned to report, and now the Southern Chu forces arrived, it was likely Fu Yi and his group had been captured.

“Everyone, turn around! Stop the Southern Chu forces!” the commander ordered. Most of the other monsters had been cleared; the remaining mainly Level 5 and 4 Awakeners numbered about five hundred—enough to hold back the invaders.

Additionally, he summoned four more Level 6 Awakeners.

“Make them leave Fu Yi and the others behind, then retreat! Let them decide if they can bear our retaliation!”

...

Gu Changqing’s group passed through the outer courtyard, seeing much of it in ruins, though many areas remained intact.

Leaving a few to search, the rest reached the inner courtyard’s gate.

They were immediately stopped by several Level 6 Awakeners, behind whom stood hundreds of Awakeners arrayed like an army, poised for attack.

The sheer presence sent chills through many hearts.

Most had only heard of the Qi Dynasty’s Awakener battle formations or seen them in recordings. Facing them in person was a completely different, overwhelming experience.

“Leave Fu Yi and the others behind, and leave now. Do you really want to challenge us? Think carefully if you can withstand our retaliation!” a Level 6 Awakener said coldly.

“There’s still enough in the outer courtyard for you to loot!” another added.

“We want to leave, but fear someone won’t let us!” Wei Hao sneered.

Though fighting continued inside, it was clear that at least forty or fifty Level 6 Awakeners were present, with hundreds more ready to block their way. Wei Hao immediately considered retreat.

Originally, their goal had been to explore Danyang Mountain ahead of the Qi Dynasty, not to engage in open conflict.

Now, the situation had spiraled beyond control.

He had been thinking all along of finding a chance to throw Gu Changqing out, to avoid a full-blown conflict between Southern Chu and the Qi Dynasty and the inevitable retaliation.

His words caused shock among both Zhongming and the guard Awakeners.

No one expected him to speak like this now.

Only the guard’s Level 6 Awakeners remained expressionless, having apparently been communicated with through unknown means earlier.

“Oh?” The Qi Dynasty’s Level 6 Awakeners immediately sensed something amiss, eyes filled with contempt and disdain.

Southern Chu was infighting at such a critical moment—that was laughable.

Gu Changqing bared his teeth in a savage grin, eyes filled with ferocity.

“I knew you useless fools were worthless—never imagined you’d be this pitiful, and betray us at such a time.”

The Paired Yin-Yang Sword and Blood River flew from his sleeves, followed by the Tortoise-Snake Bagua Lamp. He surged forward at Wei Hao like a ferocious beast.

“He killed Fu Yi! And others! He did it alone—we couldn’t stop him!” Wei Hao suddenly shouted, joining other guard Awakeners in launching their attack.

(The chapter ends)