Chapter 301 - 278: Unexpected Incident
Merit Pavilion, second floor.
After Chen Ming killed all twenty Wei Martial Soldiers, a flash of golden light appeared before him, and he was transported to a new place once again.
He remained as before, first hiding to take time to understand the situation in this location.
This place was a small town ravaged by war, everywhere were remnants of walls, and those still standing bore the marks of fire.
Within the small town, there were about two hundred enemies, composed of ten squads like the ones earlier.
"The difficulty of this second trial has increased too much, hasn’t it?"
After roughly grasping the situation, Chen Ming found it somewhat troublesome.
The sheer number was overwhelming; even if they were two hundred chickens, it would take considerable time to kill them. Not to mention, these were two hundred martial artists.
Just those ten Third Grade generals alone would take some effort to kill.
How could the difficulty increase like this?
The number increased tenfold, and the difficulty was more than just ten times harder.
He had realized earlier that these soldiers were well-versed in battle formations, forming ranks to strike together could unleash power far exceeding their own capabilities.
Should these two hundred soldiers form a battle formation and unite their power, its might would far surpass First Grade.
There is a vast difference between fighting on the battlefield and the martial world. This is the reason armies exist in this world.
Back then, the founding ancestor of Great Jin swept the world with a cavalry of a hundred thousand, invincible wherever he went, making even the Five Great Clans and Nine Great Sects submit.
Thus, a quick victory was essential, leveraging the environment here to engage in street combat, preventing them from forming a grand battle formation of over a hundred men.
Having made up his mind, Chen Ming did not hesitate and began his attack.
To capture bandits, first seize their leader; his primary targets were those ten Third Grade individuals. Once they were all eliminated, the remaining soldiers would be insignificant.
...
Meanwhile, in the Qianyuan Hall.
On the gigantic screen in the center, twenty names continuously changed, with the values of battle achievements alternately rising, exceeding a thousand in an instant.
The top three names were Wang Jinhu, Duan Sijue, and Ling Qingying, leading by a large margin.
This reflects that the strength of these three indeed far surpassed the others.
From time to time, frustrating sighs were heard, coming from the families of those who failed the trial.
The first floor of the Merit Pavilion was easy; everyone passed through effortlessly.
But the difficulty increased significantly in the second trial, with people exhausting their strength and dying. This signified a failure in trial.
"That’s odd, it’s been so long since they perished, why haven’t they come out of the Merit Pavilion?"
After a while, people began to murmur.
No danger supposedly exists in the Merit Pavilion trial; after a trialer’s "death," they would be immediately transported out.
But now, quite a few have died, yet no one was sent out.
Finally, someone could not hold back and kneeled before the throne, asking, "Your Majesty, why has my grandson not been transported out half an hour after his death?"
"Oh?"
The Emperor’s attention was on a wager with the Empress and Eldest Princess, not noticing the situation, and said immediately, "Do not worry, let me inquire. Someone, please summon the Heavenly Master."
The Merit Pavilion has always been managed by the Heavenly Master Mansion.
The Mid-Autumn Night Banquet was naturally hosted personally by the Heavenly Master. However, the Heavenly Master loved tranquility and did not sit with everyone, alone in the quiet room behind the hall.
After a while, the eunuch who went to summon came rushing back, "It’s bad, Your Majesty, the Heavenly Master... has attained eternal rest."
What?
These words caused astonishment among all gathered.
The contemporary Heavenly Master, a Yang God, how could he suddenly attain eternal rest?
The Emperor’s expression changed drastically, realizing something was wrong.
If the Heavenly Master has attained eternal rest, what becomes of those trapped within the Merit Pavilion, the noble and ministerial offspring?
These were the most outstanding hundred-plus young talents of the Great Jin Dynasty. If they were all lost within, the consequences would be unthinkable.
As he could foresee, others also realized this. Immediately, disorder descended upon the Qianyuan Hall.
Their most promising offspring were in the Merit Pavilion; could they not feel anxious?
"Silence!"
Suddenly, a commanding voice pressed below all other sounds, causing a shiver to run through all present hearts and instinctively bringing them to silence.
A decrepit eunuch, hidden behind the Emperor, spoke. Previously unnoticed by anyone.
Upon speaking, he controlled the situation.
The Emperor thundered, "My dear ministers, do not worry. I will immediately send someone to the Heavenly Master Mansion for assistance."
Several old men began to beg tearfully, "Your Majesty, he is my only grandson, it is crucial to ensure nothing happens to him!"
"Your Majesty..."
"..."
The Emperor, facing such circumstances, was somewhat at his wits’ end. He could only comfort them while anxiously waiting for aid from the Heavenly Master Mansion.
...
At Duke Jingguo’s seating, Gu Haichuan’s gaze sharpened as he spoke gravely, "Such an unforeseen occurrence in the Merit Pavilion trial, I wonder if it will affect the final number of places in the Immortal Mansion."
Young Lady Gu Yurong frowned and said, "Xiaoqi’s life or death is uncertain, and Fifth Uncle is only worried about the Immortal Mansion placings, somewhat inappropriate."
Gu Haichuan knew he misspoke and said, "Fear not, that lad is slippery; even if everyone else perishes, he might still be alright."
"Let’s hope that’s the case."
Gu Yurong continued watching the illuminated screen.
As the eldest miss of the Duke Jingguo’s mansion, her fortunes were intertwined with that of the mansion. With Xiaoqi showcasing such talent, he was surely destined to make a name for himself across the world, bringing glory to the entire Duke Jingguo’s mansion.
Naturally, she valued this newly risen seventh brother. She absolutely did not want him to perish in this trial.
...
"He... he won’t be in trouble, will he?"
Nobody was more worried about Gu Xianyu than Xia Mudan. When the change occurred, her face turned pale instantly.
She kept a close eye on Gu Xianyu, who was currently battling those Great Wei martial soldiers, her eyes filled with tension and unease.
This matter is extremely strange. For five hundred years, the Hall of Merit has never encountered a problem.
Moreover, even the Heavenly Master passed away.
What kind of person was the Heavenly Master? Among the cultivators, he was deemed a supreme powerhouse. Would he perish without rhyme or reason?
And that too, inside the Imperial Palace.
All of this feels like an invisible hand is orchestrating a mighty conspiracy.
And those who entered the Hall of Merit trial are just pawns in this conspiracy.
The more Xia Mudan thought about it, the more alarmed she became, unable to stop worrying about Gu Xianyu inside the Hall of Merit.
...
Chen Ming was unaware of the external changes; he was currently killing.
No, not people.
The feeling when his "Taiyue Sword" struck those soldiers was not of real figures. It was more like the spirits within the "Qingwei Heaven."
These Great Wei martial soldiers weren’t real people, nor could they be mere phantoms, because each time he obliterated one, he gained corresponding experience points.
Therefore, they could only be spirit-like entities.
One must admit, the Great Jin ancestor’s means were incredibly ruthless, imprisoning such a vast number of Great Wei soldiers’ spirits in the so-called Hall of Merit for five hundred years, denying them reincarnation even after death.
It was said that the Great Jin ancestor harbored deep hatred for Great Wei, employing extremely brutal methods to cleanse former officials and soldiers. Evidently, it was true.
Chen Ming spent some time and finally managed to assist the souls of these two hundred Great Wei soldiers in passing on.
Only dying by his hand was truly death, which for them, could be considered a form of liberation.
These martial soldiers could be described as fearless, battling to the last man without fleeing.
Perhaps as spirits, they were influenced by the Hall of Merit’s control.
Then, golden light flared once again.
Chen Ming was transported to the third level.
...
"Two thousand people? Isn’t that a bit too ridiculous?"
As was customary, Chen Ming scouted around and discovered that the number of martial soldiers in this third level had increased tenfold to two thousand, forming one hundred squads of twenty.
Although there was no second-grade martial artist to lead them, it was impossible to form a thousand-man level battle formation. But this number was too exaggerated; after slaying them, his arms might be too sore to lift.
"Why so slow?"
Suddenly, a voice somewhat familiar echoed from the side.
Chen Ming turned his head to see, surprisingly, the lady Ling Qingying, asking in wonder, "How come you’re here?"
Ling Qingying had no blood stains on her at all. She glanced at him and said, "Don’t be absurd; this third level requires several people to work together to pass. It looks like it’s just the two of us for this level."
Perhaps the Hall of Merit determined their strength was too formidable, allowing two to challenge this level.
Chen Ming thought, that seems reasonable.
Two people, each resolving half, which felt much more manageable.
"Don’t hold back when the time comes."
Having said that, Ling Qingying suddenly flew out, heading alone with sword toward the military camp in the distance.
Seriously?
Charging alone into the camp?
Has she always been this reckless?
Chen Ming internally sighed. Never mind her; he flashed and vanished from his spot.
Everyone has their own rhythm. Since she did not want to cooperate, they would handle their own parts.
After Ling Qingying entered the camp, she quickly felled dozens.
However, these Great Wei martial soldiers were indeed elite, swiftly forming several hundred-man battle formations, stabilizing their positions.
Though Ling Qingying was strong, confronting such hundred-man battle formations consumed too much, and temporarily, she was embroiled within, unable to extricate herself.
Moments later, one of the hundred-man battle formations suddenly dissolved.
Her pressure lessened greatly, taking the chance to withdraw from the combat group.
She watched as Chen Ming entered the formation like it was an empty field, slaying each third grade with one strike, causing several formations to scatter within moments.
"Such terrifying body technique!"
Ling Qingying’s pupils contracted slightly. Witnessing this person’s methods for the first time, she had to admit he truly possessed the capital to stand alongside her.
"Leave some for me."
Suddenly, she re-entered the camp.
Soon, everyone would be slain by Chen Ming. These heads were all merits after all.
With the death of the third-grade martial generals, these soldiers were leaderless, unable to resist, slaughtered mercilessly.
Ps: Eight hundred thousand words, asking for guaranteed monthly votes.