Bombarding the Valley, A Thunderous Start

Outside the valley in the western suburbs, the night was pitch black, the wind howled, and murderous intent surged like the tide.

Over a hundred thousand troops stood like an ancient behemoth lying dormant in the darkness. Every sound was suppressed, and even the warhorses were gagged with bits. The only noise was the violent flapping of the banners in the wind.

Wang Hao stood at the peak of the high slope, his black dragon robe billowing in the cold wind. Behind him, the head eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial and the military commanders of the Imperial Guards of the Great Zhou Dynasty—Sun Li, Wei Zhongxian, Yu Huatian, Hai Dafu, Cao Shaoqin, Wei Jing, and Pei Jingzhe—stood in a solemn row.

They had been standing there for the duration of a burning incense stick, their eyes locked onto the mist-shrouded valley below. Pei Jingzhe's Brocade Guards had already cleared out the surrounding hidden sentries; Wei Zhongxian and Yu Huatian's five thousand operatives lurked on the flanks like shadows; and the six divisions of the Imperial Guards, personally supervised by the Duke of Zhenguo, Wei Jing, had deployed exactly eight hundred runic cannons in a fan formation. The pitch-black muzzles gleamed with a chilling metallic coldness under the moonlight, while the cavalry of the four divisions of the Imperial Guards stood guard around them.

Wang Hao stood with his hands behind his back, the Emperor's Sword resting at his waist, his fingertips gently stroking the hilt. He looked at the peaceful valley below, recalled the arrogant words he had heard Ye Chen spout while lurking earlier, and shook his head:

Where did you learn such incredibly low-level empty promises? From some third-rate trashy web novel? I am here ruling the Great Zhou with utmost diligence, and you want to play a sneak attack decapitation strike against me? You probably don't know this, but not only have I read the script, I am also the one who can tear it up and feed it to the dogs at any time.

You want to play the desperate counter-kill? You want to break through in the heat of battle? You want your protagonist halo to erupt at the last moment? I am sorry, but I have absolutely no intention of giving you a chance to show off today.

Wang Hao slowly raised his right hand. His voice was not loud, but it echoed like thunder in the silent night sky:

Fire.

These two simple words seemed to declare the end of a certain destiny.

The next second, the dead silence was completely shattered!

Boom! Boom! Boom!!!

Eight hundred runic cannons roared simultaneously. The blinding flashes of fire instantly illuminated a radius of several miles as bright as day. Artillery shells trailing runic light screamed through the sky. Because of their sheer speed, the sharp whistling of the compressed air almost pierced people's eardrums.

Looking down from high above, it looked like eight hundred angry crimson fire dragons plunging simultaneously into what was supposed to be a bustling valley.

...

Inside the valley, the headquarters of the rebels.

Ye Chen was sitting on a large chair draped with a tiger skin, holding a golden cup in his hand. Surrounding him were over a dozen bandit leaders with ferocious faces and fanatical eyes.

Brothers! Ye Chen was speaking with spit flying everywhere, brainwashing these people. That little brat Wang Hao is still playing financial warfare. He could never dream that we have already planted a sharp knife at his throat! As long as we storm the imperial palace the day after tomorrow, the Great Zhou's empire will be ours! When that time comes, the noble ladies of the capital and the treasures of the national treasury will all be shared among you brothers!

One bandit leader laughed loudly: Brother Ye is wise! That little emperor is probably still dreaming in his bed. Little does he know we are coming for his life!

Hahahaha!

Maniacal laughter echoed inside the camp tent. Ye Chen complacently took a sip of his wine, calculating in his mind: According to the deductions my master gave me, I am the reincarnation of a true dragon, and victory in this battle is assured. As long as I kill Wang Hao and seize the destiny of the Great Zhou, I can use it as a foundation to achieve supreme martial arts...

His grand plan to ascend the throne had not even reached the stage of selecting concubines when a sudden change occurred!

BOOM!!!

An unprecedented explosion erupted right above their heads. The entire main tent was instantly torn to shreds as if by an invisible giant hand.

Ye Chen only felt an apocalyptic shockwave rush at his face. The golden cup was instantly shattered, splashing spicy wine all over his face. His entire body was sent flying thirty feet away, crashing heavily against a rock wall. His internal organs were almost displaced in that moment.

What is going on?! An earthquake?! Ye Chen scrambled up, covered in dirt, and roared in shock.

But no one answered him.

Because the next moment, an even denser barrage of roars followed.

The originally orderly camp instantly turned into a living hell. As the runic shells landed, tent after tent was reduced to ash in the flames. Those rebels who had just been boasting about wealth and glory did not even have time to scream before they were torn apart by the massive shockwaves.

Where did this artillery fire come from? Where did this heavy firepower come from?! Ye Chen clenched his fists tightly, his pupils shrinking to the size of pinpricks. Looking at the apocalyptic scene before him, his mind buzzed and went completely blank.

He roared frantically: Impossible! This is absolutely impossible! The main force of the Great Zhou's Imperial Guards is tied up. Runic artillery of this scale would require mobilizing at least several hundred cannons! Where did that incompetent tyrant Wang Hao get the guts to empty out his entire arsenal? Is he not afraid of a mutiny in the capital? How could he possibly have found this place?

Big brother! Save me!

My leg! My leg is gone!

Where is the enemy? We cannot even see the enemy!

Screams, explosions, and the sound of cracking rocks intertwined. Those rebels who styled themselves as daredevils were as fragile as a colony of ants doused in boiling water in the face of absolute firepower. They originally thought this would be a blood-pumping cold weapon melee, but their opponent refused to even play on the same track.

Ye Chen watched his usually fiercely loyal brothers rolling in the sea of fire, trembling with rage. He felt a certain order collapsing once again—the world that was supposed to be played in the palm of his hand had suddenly and unreasonably struck back.

On the high slope outside the valley, Wang Hao looked down indifferently at the sea of fire below.

He could not hear Ye Chen's roars, but he could guess how desperate the other party was right now.

An army of a hundred and fifty thousand surrounds but does not attack, while eight hundred cannons deliver a saturated strike. Even if I have to blast this valley three feet flat today, I will absolutely not let slip a single chance for you to activate your protagonist halo. Aren't you a great fighter? Aren't you tough to kill? Come on, try going head-to-head with my runic artillery shells.

Your Majesty, Wei Zhongxian leaned in, his face full of flattery, the first volley is complete. The rebels in the valley have likely suffered more than half their numbers in casualties. Shall this servant take men to charge in and capture that Ye Chen?

Wang Hao turned his head and looked at Wei Zhongxian as if he were looking at an idiot:

Charge in? Wei Zhongxian, have you gone senile?

Wei Zhongxian froze, his smile stiffening on his face: Your Majesty means...

Charging in at a time like this, what if that rebel leader makes a dying counterattack and injures my elites? Wang Hao pointed forward self-righteously. Did we run out of gunpowder, or did the cannons explode? Tell Wei Jing to keep firing! Do not consider the cost of ammunition. Plow every inch of land in that valley for me! And after plowing it once, plow it two more times.

Wei Zhongxian shuddered, cold sweat dripping down his back. He had always thought he was ruthless enough, but compared to His Majesty's mindset of leaving no way out and completely ignoring the rules of the martial world, he found himself to be as pure as a little white flower.

This servant... this servant will go deliver the decree immediately! Keep firing! Do not stop!

The roar of the artillery reached a new crescendo.

Yu Huatian stood to the side, looking at Wang Hao's profile, waves of shock surging in his heart.

His Majesty had changed.

He was no longer the cautious youth in the deep palace, but a tyrant who truly understood the essence of war and power—or rather, a hunter with a mindset far ahead of his time.

Down in the valley, Ye Chen was on the verge of madness.

The elite force of thousands he had painstakingly assembled was now decimated, with less than a tenth remaining. The survivors were frightened out of their wits, cowering in the crevices of the rocks like lambs waiting for the slaughter.

"Wang Hao! You coward! If you have the guts, come out and fight me one-on-one!" Ye Chen roared at the sky, his voice piercing through the artillery fire, carrying endless venom.

He finally felt it. Even if he was the Child of Destiny, in the face of a large-scale, organized military strike, his martial arts cultivation seemed utterly ridiculous. It was like a strong grasshopper facing a high-speed heavy tank—there was no other possibility but to be crushed.

"Big brother, let's flee... through the small path at the back of the mountain..." a bandit leader with a severed arm crawled to Ye Chen's feet, his face full of pleading.

Ye Chen gritted his teeth so hard they nearly shattered, a look of absolute resolve flashing in his eyes. He was unwilling to accept this, truly unwilling! His grand hegemony hadn't even begun; he hadn't even touched the walls of the capital. Was it all going to turn to nothing in this inexplicable artillery bombardment?

"Let's go! As long as I am alive, I will be the nightmare of the Great Zhou!" Ye Chen abruptly hoisted the bandit leader up. Using the smoke and dust of the explosions as cover, his figure turned into a blur, fleeing madly into the depths of the valley.

Up on the high slope, Wang Hao seemed to sense something, his gaze suddenly turning sharp.

"Pei Jingzhe, have your Brocade Guards completely sealed off the back of the mountain?"

Pei Jingzhe immediately knelt, his voice resolute: "Reporting to Your Majesty, this subject has laid down three layers of hidden crossbow arrays. Not even a fly can escape!"

"Excellent." Wang Hao looked back at the valley, which was soaring with flames. "Since the fish wants to leap over the dragon gate, we shall go to the back mountain... and personally crush this so-called dragon gate with our own hands."

He gripped the hilt of his sword and slowly walked down the high slope. Every step fell in perfect rhythm with the explosions, making him look like a grim reaper patrolling his territory.

The first phase of the carpet bombing was drawing to a close, but the true hunt was just beginning. Wang Hao knew Ye Chen wasn't dead yet; after all, that radiant golden lotus of destiny was currently rushing toward the back of the mountain.