Chapter 121: Fight This Battle!

"Damn it, damn it all!" Zhu Yao roared in a fury.

Had Fang Qingyun really just left like that? It was as if this were all child's play!

Wang Meng stood to the side and said indifferently, "He doesn't owe you anything. Why shouldn't he leave?"

Zhu Yao remained silent.

Wang Meng watched calmly in the direction Fang Qingyun had departed, adding, "He was born to the human race, his parents died for the human race, and he himself has rendered great service to the human race. He truly owes the humans nothing; why should he endure such grievances here?"

What had the human race given Fang Qingyun? A dozen years of quiet upbringing? Ha!

With that, Wang Meng turned around, faced the crowd from the Northwest Military Academy, and barked, "What are you all standing around for, stunned? Get back to your business!"

The teachers exchanged glances and silently dispersed. The students, however, were clearly restless. It was evident that they could not accept Fang Qingyun's departure—especially not for such a reason. Was he really to be branded a traitor to humanity? How could they stand for that? Many students had eyes burning with rage, a tension that felt ready to explode. Most of them had witnessed today's events from start to finish. They could not accept this outcome. Their very faith seemed to be collapsing.

*Sigh. Very well. There is still hope for you,* Wang Meng thought silently to himself. *Don't end up like those of us who are teachers—in the end, we lost the courage to resist and can only linger in this school, teaching while watching student after student charge onto the battlefield.*

"Do you see?" Wang Meng whispered into Zhu Yao's ear. "If you had dared to order an interception of Fang Qingyun just now, the volcano that is the Northwest Military Academy would have erupted completely."

Zhu Yao remained silent. He had realized this naturally; otherwise, how could he have stood by and watched Fang Qingyun and Zhao Junhong walk away?

"Teachers, take the students away," Xi Liuan commanded. He looked at Zhu Yao and said, "You should report this to the Snake King. Of course, the big shots have likely already heard about what happened here. We naturally have no right to interfere with their decisions."

Fang Qingyun had been a hot topic lately, and many influential figures had begun to pay attention to him. Moreover, as a front-line institution, the Northwest Military Academy held a critical position and continuously funneled talent to the Beacon Fortress. How could it not have been infiltrated by the chess pieces of those powerful figures? Many teachers had likely already secured their next positions.

Xi Liuan wore a mocking smile. Should one call it an honor that a school, especially one on the front lines, was so valued and manipulated by so many powerful figures?

Jiang Huai also ordered the Black Tooth Military Academy students to take Hu Shisong back for treatment. He forbade any discussion or dissemination of what happened today. Total silence was demanded.

However... Jiang Huai glanced at Hu Shisong. Fang Qingyun was truly ruthless! He had broken one of Hu Shisong's legs and an arm, gouged out an eye, sliced off an ear, and cut his tongue in half. He had even ripped away half of his face, damaging the bone underneath. He had essentially turned Hu Shisong into half a man. How could such injuries be treated? They could only repeatedly inject him with medicine to sustain his life while waiting for a more skilled physician.

*Hm?* At this thought, many looked up and realized they could not find Qin Xiangjun anywhere.

"Did she leave too?" Xi Liuan's expression changed.

If Fang Qingyun and Zhao Junhong left, the Snake King would handle it, and at most, a few big shots from the military department would intervene. But if Qin Xiangjun left, the Imperial House itself would take action. With the limited capabilities of youngsters like Fang Qingyun, they might not even last three days. The Imperial House represented the entire human race; besides the demons and monsters, what individual power dared to confront them? Even those pillars of the human race would hesitate!

"Report it!" Wang Meng said immediately. "If something really happens to her, it's not something we can handle. Let the higher-ups have the headache!"

"Agreed!" The decision was met with universal approval.

As expected, the events at the Northwest Military Academy began to spread to the outside world at a rapid pace. Many were shocked. Others sneered. Some felt sympathy and pity.

*Two children throwing a tantrum!* This was normal. Children who had just left their ivory towers would always have such dreams. Once they were slapped hard by the monster known as reality, they would immediately understand what they had to do.

The Snake King, who was in a meeting at the Beacon Fortress, received the news, stood up without a word, and left. Xiang Tian remained silent, continuing the meeting. All the officers in the room, regardless of rank, acted as if they had seen nothing, as if they had not noticed the Snake King's departure.

...

"Roar!" Fang Qingyun rode on Little Black, with Zhao Junhong behind him.

"You're really just following me like this?" Fang Qingyun teased. "If you stayed with the humans, given your status as a noble, becoming a Marquis in the future wouldn't be a problem. You might even be able to make it hereditary."

The threshold for a Duke was too high; many didn't even dare to dream of it. Their power was so immense that they formed duchies subservient to the Human Empire, ruling over vast territories. That required a massive family and generations of effort. For an individual, a Marquis was the pinnacle of dreams. A Marquis was also a high-ranking noble, with a relatively lower threshold—only a high-level General rank, or seventh-rank and above. With Zhao Junhong's talent, it wouldn't be long before he reached the high-level General rank, and then, after achieving enough merit in battle, he could be ennobled. He had already caught the eye of the Snake King and become one of his direct subordinates; it would be no difficult task to earn merit later.

Giving up a glorious future to follow Fang Qingyun was an extreme choice. Fang Qingyun was actually a bit moved.

"You're overthinking it," Zhao Junhong scoffed. "I just didn't want to live a pathetic life. Damn, I've been pathetic my whole life—damn it!" He cursed bitterly, seemingly recalling something.

"Can you tell me now how you increased your power?" Fang Qingyun asked curiously. "I feel like there is a very powerful force in your body, constantly flowing through you. Perhaps it won't be long before you break through again."

"Sigh!" Zhao Junhong sighed helplessly. "You noticed so fast. I thought I could hide it for a while longer. Fine, I'll tell you."

"My family had an evil art."

Just hearing the first sentence made Fang Qingyun's breath hitch. *An evil art!* A practice not recognized by the human race. Practitioners were either executed immediately or became wanted criminals. The demons and monsters wouldn't show mercy either. In short, practicing an evil art meant certain death.

"Don't worry," Zhao Junhong sighed. "I'm fine, and I haven't practiced that evil art. The one who practiced it was my grandfather. Otherwise, do you think the Snake King would have kept me among his direct subordinates? He would have killed me long ago."

"I don't even know the name of this evil art!" Zhao Junhong said helplessly. "I only know that after practicing it, one can transfer their entire life's cultivation to their bloodline descendants, at the cost of their own life and soul."

Fang Qingyun shivered, looking at Zhao Junhong in horror. He recalled what Zhao Junhong had once said.

Zhao Junhong spoke with bitterness, "Do you see now? That madman, my grandfather—in order to restore the family's glory, he secretly practiced this art. At the right moment, he used it to consume our entire Zhao family, and then, using himself as the core, he condensed a blood bead and passed it on to me."

"Over ninety percent of my current power doesn't belong to me. It belongs to my father, my mother, and my entire clan!"

"That old madman!" Zhao Junhong seemed lost. "I can't understand what he was thinking. Is the glory of a noble really worth that much? He sacrificed himself and all his loved ones just to push the Zhao family to an unprecedented height."

"What is the point of a Zhao family that consists only of me?"

What he couldn't accept even more was that his parents had actually cooperated with the old man. They had spent that period doing everything they could to boost their power. This resulted in the blood bead, condensed after the old man devoured them, being exceptionally powerful. One high-level General and several ordinary Generals—their power and souls had all been poured into Zhao Junhong. Although a fair amount was lost to ensure the purity of the power, the remaining strength was still astonishing.

Zhao Junhong estimated that if he progressed step by step and absorbed all this power, he would eventually reach the peak of the General rank—a peak General even stronger than Hu Shisong, just one step away from a Divine General.

Fang Qingyun sighed. "It's no wonder the human race wouldn't accept such a technique. Anyone would find it unacceptable."

Zhao Junhong hadn't explained clearly, but how could Fang Qingyun not understand? Voluntary sacrifice was one thing, but this was clearly forced devouring. Who would want to become someone else's food? There were so many people in the Zhao family; were they all truly willing? Absolutely not.

Therefore, the old man Zhao had been well-prepared. He told his grandson nothing, not even letting him know such an evil art existed, simply letting them accept it passively. Once he died, the technique would vanish. Even if the authorities wanted to investigate, they could only trace it to Zhao Junhong, and he genuinely knew nothing. Surely the humans wouldn't kill a young genius who might become a Divine General?

It seemed Zhao Junhong had gained countless benefits, but in reality? Was he truly willing? As a noble, he had once had a large family, parents, relatives, goals to strive for, and things to protect. In the blink of an eye, it was all gone. He had become a rootless duckweed. Even if someone gave him a dukedom now, what would it mean?

"Sigh, forget it. Let's go!" Fang Qingyun shook his head repeatedly. The people were dead; even if they wanted to blame the old man, they couldn't. Perhaps that was also part of the old man's plan. He gave him the power, and given the current situation of the three races, the outbreak of war was only a matter of time. As long as there was war, Zhao Junhong would have to go to the battlefield, perform meritorious deeds, and his rank would naturally rise. His goal had been achieved.

"That's my story," Zhao Junhong exhaled a long breath. "Actually, I've accepted it now. I have no choice. At first, it was like being hit by a sledgehammer; my whole mind was blank."

Fang Qingyun remained silent.

"I've told you my story, what about yours?" Zhao Junhong looked at Fang Qingyun strangely. "You used to have decent talent, but it wasn't high enough to reach this level, right? You took down a peak General. My god, all three races are going to be shaken."

"It's not that exaggerated... Uh!" Fang Qingyun smiled and was about to speak when suddenly, his expression hardened. His gaze became sharp as he looked ahead.

Before him, a thin figure stood quietly. He seemed to have merged with heaven and earth, as if he had always been standing there.

"Go!" Fang Qingyun didn't even think; he commanded Little Black to change direction and keep running. But as they turned, they were shocked to find that the thin figure had appeared in front of them again. He brought with him that same strange feeling once more.

"Damn it!" Fang Qingyun's expression turned grim. "Little Black, attack!"

Zhao Junhong drew the blood-stained great blade. Ever since Fang Qingyun had snatched this thing from Murong, he had been the one using it. It had to be said, it suited him well!

"Roar!" Little Black let out a low growl and slowly approached the figure. In the process, Fang Qingyun also drew his weapon—a heavy sword.

However, as the two neared the figure, they couldn't help but shudder.

"The... the Snake King!" Both were dumbstruck. They had anticipated pursuers, but they never expected the Snake King to come in person.

"Haha!" Fang Qingyun couldn't help but laugh. "Are we already so valuable that the Snake King has come out personally?"

"Your value is even greater than you imagine," the Snake King's voice was as indifferent as ever.

"We should be proud!" Zhao Junhong grinned ferociously, his aura swelling.

The Snake King couldn't help but take an extra look at him. He hadn't come entirely for Fang Qingyun; Zhao Junhong was a significant factor. He was destined to become a peak General and possessed a special constitution. Many were speculating whether he could break through the natural barrier once he reached the peak of the General rank and utilized a berserk state. If he broke through, it would mean the human race had gained another Divine General. How long would it take for Zhao Junhong to reach the peak General rank? Three years? Five? And what about Fang Qingyun? His current utility was already not far behind that of an ordinary Divine General. Therefore, the human race would absolutely not let such individuals go.

"Let's fight!" Fang Qingyun stared at the Snake King, his eyes filled with provocation. He was no longer the person he used to be. When he first met the Snake King, he could only tremble. Though only a few months had passed, in those months, Fang Qingyun's power had increased more than tenfold. In human history, many were younger than Fang Qingyun but stronger; however, in terms of the rate of power growth, he was undoubtedly the strongest.

"Fight?" The Snake King's cold smile held a hint of amusement. "Truly ignorant and fearless! Have the victories of your recent battles really made you lose yourself? If so, let me be the one to wake you up!"

The Snake King stepped forward. It was a simple step, yet he arrived instantly beside Fang Qingyun.

*Snap!* A crisp sound rang out. The Snake King's half-closed eyes widened slightly. Fang Qingyun had raised his arm to block the blow. Though he was trembling, he had managed to hold it steady.

"Heh!" Fang Qingyun gave a strained smile. "Don't underestimate anyone. That's a lesson in every textbook."

*Whoosh!* Fang Qingyun retreated repeatedly, rubbing his arm. *The old man's strength is terrifying!* With his own constitution, his immense power, his speed, and his refined spirit, he had still been suppressed in an instant. He had almost been swatted away.

*A Divine General!* Was this the power of a Divine General?

"Awoo-roar!" Little Black let out a furious roar and charged at the Snake King. Zhao Junhong rolled up his sleeves and charged with his great blade. There was no point in talking about courage on a narrow path! Just fight! So what if he was the Snake King? Fight him first and worry about the rest later! Maybe they would actually win!