This frontier battle ended with a minor victory for the Great Heaven.
In fact, Great Heaven suffered more casualties in this battle, losing thirteen Saints, three Great Saints, and one Quasi-Emperor.
The losses among those at the Heaven Mending Realm were even more numerous. Those at the peak of Heaven Mending Realm were mostly destined to die on this battlefield, only able to make minimal contributions.
The Dark Remnants' side suffered about thirty percent fewer casualties than Great Heaven's forces.
Why was it considered a minor victory for Great Heaven?
Because Chen Xia alone beheaded a Great Emperor from the Dark Remnants' side.
When Chen Xia brought back that Great Emperor's head, the outcome of this battle was already decided.
Chen Xia became the hero of the left battlefront during this period.
Cultivators said that Chen Xia traded half his life for a Great Emperor's life, and he was the first person since the Martial Emperor who dared to chase and fight within the Dark Invasion.
Great courage, even greater ability.
Many Great Saints puzzled asked: "Does he not fear death?"
Naturally, there was no answer.
After this battle, the Great Emperor's head that Chen Xia brought back was mounted on the formation-crafted wall at the frontline's edge, marking the ninth Great Emperor slain on the left battlefront.
Afterward, Chen Xia returned to the logistics department to recuperate, receiving the finest pills and healing treatments.
Later, Tian Sen the Great Emperor came to visit Chen Xia, and seeing him limping, he called out hurriedly.
"Brother Chen, Brother Chen!"
Chen Xia paused his steps, turned his head, and seeing it was Tian Sen the Great Emperor, gave a slight smile as a greeting.
"Brother Chen, I heard about you slaying the Great Emperor. The news has spread widely across the entire frontline, saying that a newly arrived Great Saint on the left battlefront chased into the Dark Invasion and killed a Great Emperor - frighteningly fierce!"
Chen Xia nodded and said, "Let them praise more, I enjoy hearing it."
"Of course, of course. Brother, you've accomplished such a great deed, it deserves to be praised and celebrated." While Tian Sen the Great Emperor nodded in approval, his eyes were studying Chen Xia, flickering with a hint of lingering fear.
Fortunately, when he had descended upon the Blue Sky Sword Sea back then, Brother Chen hadn't struck to kill, otherwise his head might not have remained attached.
Actually, it wasn't that Chen Xia hadn't wanted to strike fatally; mainly, he hadn't yet retrieved the Blue Sky Sword Sea at that time and didn't have the emperor-slaying divine sword in hand. Otherwise, Tian Sen the Great Emperor's fate would have been uncertain.
The two walked and talked, stopping beside a rocking chair. Chen Xia limped over and lay down, then gestured to Tian Sen the Great Emperor with a smile.
"Don't stand on ceremony, sit."
Plants sprouted to form a low chair, and Tian Sen the Great Emperor sat down, propping his head up as he smiled and said.
"After this incident, the Great Emperors should be considering giving you authority, letting you lead the Saints into battle."
"No thanks." Chen Xia quickly waved his hands and shook his head, "I'm used to charging in alone. Don't make me lead others - I can't exactly take them with me into the Dark Invasion, can I?"
"That's true indeed." Tian Sen the Great Emperor nodded in agreement, then suddenly asked.
"By the way, Brother Chen, why did you dare to charge into that Dark Invasion? What happened in there - aren't you afraid of death?"
Chen Xia waved his hand dismissively and replied.
"Nothing much, just got surrounded and attacked by three to five Great Emperors. As for death, I'm not afraid. I have many trump cards - if things really got ugly, no one would come out well."
Tian Sen the Great Emperor shook his head regretfully: "It's a pity that time is too short to let you become a Great Emperor before coming to the frontline. Having another Four-Way Great Emperor like you would be an enormous boost to the entire battlefront - it might even directly secure victory."
Chen Xia lay back lazily, waving his hand carelessly.
"Well, let's take it slow then. We still have many years ahead, right? Who knows, I might become a Great Emperor by then?"
"Let's hope so." Tian Sen the Great Emperor laughed heartily, then without further chat, returned to the frontline.
According to the Great Emperors, the Dark Remnants' major attacks against them generally occurred once every few decades. There would be minor skirmishes at other times, but nothing significant.
Besides fighting the Dark Remnants, another major task was resisting the Heavenly Dao Reckoning.
The Heavenly Dao Reckoning was now mainly handled by the Great Emperors, as only they were qualified to shoulder it and slow down its descent.
This was the main occupation of the Great Emperors.
Chen Xia's current task was to heal. Pills were fed to him as if they cost nothing, and he had to critique their taste after eating them.
Medical Saints specialized in healing came to examine him, not just one, but a group.
A group of Quasi-Saints and Saints specialized in medicine surrounded Chen Xia, checking his meridians, heart lake, blood essence, and other aspects. They didn't dare to be negligent, after all, the person before them was someone who could rival a Great Emperor.
No, he was even more frightening than a Great Emperor, as he had actually slain one.
Being surrounded by a group of Saints examining him, Chen Xia grew bored and asked the elderly leader: "Old brother, do you know how to play Chinese chess?"
The Medical Great Saint was slightly startled, then quickly nodded: "I know a little."
"Knowing a little is perfect!" Chen Xia smiled excitedly. He loved playing chess with those who only knew a little, especially those whose skill level differed from his - that made it interesting.
Creating a chessboard with divine abilities, Chen Xia received treatment while inviting the Medical Great Saint to play a game.
"Then I'll make a fool of myself before you." The Medical Great Saint smiled gently, preparing to start the game.
Chen Xia had his strategy. He didn't move his horse at the opening but played normally with the Medical Great Saint first to gauge his chess skills.
Having played Chinese chess for so many years, Chen Xia had certainly improved, though he usually played casually without much serious thought.
Now he began to play seriously, thinking extremely rigorously, engaging in a back-and-forth game with the Medical Great Saint. Finally, the Medical Great Saint won by a single piece advantage. He wiped his forehead and humbly said to Chen Xia.
"A narrow victory, just barely won."
"Another game?" Chen Xia suggested.
"Good, good." The Medical Great Saint nodded, planning to go a bit easier on Chen Xia this round, so it would be one win and one loss, allowing Chen Xia to save face.
The Medical Great Saint had good intentions.
But his dreams were shattered at the opening.
Because he heard a loud shout.
"Your horse is gone, haha!"
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
