Chapter 77: The Heavenly Map Crown Prince
On the dragon pillar, Qin Mu looked up and saw the thunderclouds spreading wider and wider, constantly expanding outward like a massive vortex. Countless bolts of lightning and thunder continuously struck down, yet they still revolved around this vortex.
The thunderclouds were moving, heading toward the vanguard of the Yan Kang Kingdom's forces. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck the ground. Where it hit, sparks and electric light scattered wildly in all directions like golden snakes, accompanied by an earth-shattering roar.
Then, countless lightning bolts seemed to find their target, crazily striking down from the sky. This scene looked like enormous plows descending from heaven, plowing toward the Yan Kang army from the front!
Boom, boom, boom—
Countless thunderbolts made contact with the Yan Kang vanguard. In less than a single breath, massive beasts were charred crispy on the outside and tender inside. Crack, crack—lightning struck the giant beasts, and some were split open as if cut by a sharp sword, their bellies ripped apart.
The giant beasts wailed in agony, fleeing in all directions, even charging backward, trampling countless soldiers to death along the way.
Rolling thunder followed closely into the army, plunging everything into chaos. No one knew how many officers and soldiers were struck by lightning and died on the spot.
A tower ship was hit by several thunderbolts and immediately burst into blazing flames. The alchemy furnaces at the ship's core exploded, and the raging fire turned the alchemists and apprentices in the alchemy chamber into human torches.
The violent medicinal power from the furnaces rushed out of the alchemy chamber and surged into the central furnace. Before the central furnace could convert this terrifying power, it exploded with a thunderous roar. The giant vessel split apart in midair, disintegrating on the spot!
Other tower ships had their furnace cores destroyed, losing all power. They dragged thick plumes of smoke as they slid diagonally down from above, crushing countless soldiers who had no time to escape.
Originally, the Yan Kang army's momentum had pressed down like a city. Now, all that momentum was gone, replaced by nothing but chaos.
"General Lu, this thundercloud is strangely suspicious, as if it's targeting our Yan Kang army!"
A scout rushed to report, arriving at the central command and kneeling on one knee, cupping his fists: "The thundercloud covers an area of eighty li in radius. Beyond eighty li, there isn't a single cloud!"
General Lu, burly and imposing, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes, said in a deep voice: "Deploy the Wind Marquis Army to disperse the thunderclouds!"
"Yes! Transmit the general's order: Wind Marquis Army, perform the ritual to scatter the thunderclouds!"
At the rear, soldiers in a certain unit wore strange, unusual clothing, each carrying a large gourd half a person's height on their backs. They all opened the mouths of their gourds, and streams of black wind shot up into the sky.
The soldiers of this unit activated their primal energies, pointing their fingers. The black wind roared and expanded, turning into gale-force winds that merged together and blew toward the thunderclouds above!
At that moment, in the city's bookshop, the Deaf Man had already finished his second painting. It depicted a scene of tornadoes and sudden rainstorms. With a flick of his brush tip, the tornado and rainstorm image soared into the air, drifted into the sky, and vanished.
The Wind Marquis Army had just begun their ritual. The black wind stirred the thunderclouds when suddenly a drastic change occurred. From within the thunderclouds, dozens of massive tornadoes, like divine dragons, dropped their tails down and plunged into the midst of the countless soldiers.
There were not just one or two tornadoes, but dozens. They swept up the Wind Marquis Army's black wind, merging it into themselves and increasing their power. Countless soldiers were swept into the air, flailing their arms and legs.
Even more terrifying was that as soon as these soldiers were tossed into the sky, countless thunderbolts and lightning strikes rained down, charring them into charcoal in midair!
Whether they were martial artists or cultivators of supernatural powers, they were helpless against such forces of heaven and earth!
The sky roared with wind and thunder. Torrential rain poured down from the heavens, drenching the Yan Kang army to the bone. Lightning bolts struck the soaking wet soldiers and the waterlogged ground, further amplifying the thunder's power!
Countless people trembled and twisted in the lightning, turning into charcoal.
"Demons and monsters, how dare you act so recklessly! Xuanwu Army, raise shields!"
General Lu flew into a rage. He slammed both hands heavily downward, launching himself into the air and charging into the thunderclouds. He moved back and forth, smashing tornadoes apart with his bare hands.
Bolts of lightning struck toward him, but before they reached him, they were deflected by the light radiating from his armor, unable to hit his body.
Below, the Xuanwu Army soldiers roared in unison. Their primal energies transformed into massive shields that rose into the air, floating more than ten zhang above the heads of each unit, blocking the pouring rain.
The falling thunderbolts were also stopped by the Xuanwu shields. The army's morale steadied. The commanders of various units quickly reorganized, executing deserters and restoring order.
In Xianglong City, another large painting soared into the sky. It was a painting of a hundred demons.
The hundred demons painting gradually faded into the air and disappeared.
Then, from within the thunderclouds, a host of ferocious, hideous demon gods emerged, surrounding General Lu in battle. General Lu's scalp tingled as he fought desperately. At that moment, another painting flew out of Xianglong City. General Lu stole a glance at it and was scared out of his wits.
It was a meteor painting, depicting countless meteors falling from the sky!
"Retreat!"
General Lu had just shouted these words when the sky suddenly changed. Huge meteors, trailing long tongues of fire, streaked across the heavens and crashed down toward the Yan Kang army below.
"One man painting can hold back a million mighty troops. This reminds me of someone."
At the border between the Yan Kang Kingdom and the Great Wasteland, at Yanbian Pass, on the city wall, a middle-aged man with phoenix-like eyes and willow-leaf eyebrows stood there, behind him a host of generals. This middle-aged man was none other than the Yan Kang Kingdom's National Teacher. He watched the Yan Kang army fall into danger, yet remained expressionless, speaking unhurriedly: "Back when the Heavenly Map Kingdom still existed, the Heavenly Map Crown Prince was peerlessly elegant, with unmatched talent. He was the foremost handsome man of the Heavenly Map Kingdom, and also the one with the greatest aptitude. But he was obsessed with painting and calligraphy, once saying he would not listen to worldly affairs, only devote himself to the sages' books. When the Rong Wolf Kingdom invaded, intending to destroy the Heavenly Map Kingdom, the kingdom could not resist. Yet this Heavenly Map Crown Prince remained engrossed in his painting. By the time he awoke from his art, the Rong Wolf Kingdom had already breached the capital and was slaughtering his people. His father, the Heavenly Map Emperor, had also been killed. A soldier was parading around with the emperor's head, showing it off."
Behind him, the Yan Kang generals listened silently, not uttering a word. One general's waist sword suddenly flew up, turning into a streak of light that shot far away, heading straight for the dense clouds, thunder, and demonic spirits!
"Then the Heavenly Map Crown Prince went mad."
The National Teacher with phoenix eyes and willow-leaf brows gazed deeply, continuing: "He had ignored worldly affairs, leading to his kingdom's destruction. What use were these ears? He was an extreme man. In the middle of the street, he wept loudly, then cut off his own ears and pierced his eardrums. He used the blood of the fallen people to paint, painting a hell. He painted the eighteen levels of hell."
"Then, the Heavenly Map Kingdom's capital vanished, turning into a bottomless abyss. The Rong Wolf Kingdom's million-strong army fell into the dark abyss, becoming part of hell, devoured by hell's demons. Some powerful ones tried to escape, but were captured by the demons of hell and dragged down into it."
"After that battle, both the Heavenly Map Kingdom and the Rong Wolf Kingdom were finished. Not long after, both nations were destroyed, and this Heavenly Map Crown Prince disappeared. I visited the ruins of the Heavenly Map Kingdom's capital, jumped into the dark abyss there, and walked through the eighteen levels of hell. I saw his eighteen hell paintings and deeply understood the prince's inner grief and despair, while also pitying his talent. That's why I submitted a memorial to His Majesty, requesting the establishment of the Painting Sage Pavilion. In truth, the Heavenly Map Crown Prince would have been the most suitable Painting Sage for that pavilion."
"I thought I might never see the Painting Sage again. Unexpectedly, I could meet him in this remote corner of the Great Wasteland. Unfortunately, he has become an enemy of my Yan Kang."
As he finished speaking, the thunderclouds, lightning, hundred demons, tornadoes, and rainstorm above the Yan Kang army all disappeared. A stream of ink flowed down from the sky.
This sight chilled the hearts of the Yan Kang soldiers below. Those terrifying phenomena that had caused so many of their deaths were nothing but ink!
"City Lord, there is a sorcerer causing chaos in the city!"
In Xianglong City, Qin Feiyue saw the scene in the sky and immediately burst into the City Lord's Mansion, seeking out Granny Si. He said, "This sorcerer is using his arts to block our Yan Kang army. His strength is extraordinary. He is hiding in the city's bookshop. Please, City Lord, slay this sorcerer!"
Granny Si's face darkened. She said coldly, "There is actually such a sorcerer? How dare he cause trouble in my territory! Such audacity! General Qin, rest assured. I will go and behead him right now!" With that, she stormed off, heading straight for the bookshop.
Qin Feiyue followed closely behind. When they reached the bookshop, it was already empty.