Primordial Emperor
Chapter 363: The Army Approaches

Chapter 363: Chapter 363: The Army Approaches

"What happened, how did you end up in such a sorry state?"

Watching Tu Changkong lead his men onto the Flying Boat in a disheveled retreat, the man clad in black from the Tu Family couldn’t help but frown and ask.

Tu Changkong had followed him through numerous battlefields for many years and had never suffered such a defeat.

And of the twenty thousand troops previously dispatched, only just over two thousand had returned—could it be that the rest had all perished in battle?

"To report back to the Young Master, we encountered a large army outside Divine Sun City. Our forces were completely defeated, and those who didn’t return have... all perished."

"This subordinate is incompetent, please punish me, Young Master."

Tu Changkong approached the black-clad man and immediately knelt with his head bowed, his body trembling slightly— he was well aware of what the consequences for mission failure could be.

Yet he harbored no thoughts of fleeing, for the consequences would be more painful than death.

"Defeated my twenty thousand troops? How many soldiers did the opponent have?"

Upon hearing Tu Changkong’s words, the black-clad man from the Tu Family slightly furrowed his brows, squinted his eyes, and looked in the direction of Divine Sun City, realizing he had underestimated the strength of the Martial Artists within.

"The opponent... the opponent had only four thousand men!"

Facing the black-clad man’s questioning, Tu Changkong dared not conceal the slightest detail and responded.

In front of the black-clad man, he didn’t dare to deceive at all, or else his fate would be just as unbearable as if he had fled, living in a state worse than death.

"Four thousand troops?"

"Could it be that the enemy has many Reverting Void Realm experts?"

The black-clad man was deeply shocked by Tu Changkong’s explanation.

Yet, a force of merely four thousand troops had defeated their large army of twenty thousand.

To achieve such a feat, there must have been many Reverting Void Realm experts on the opposing side; otherwise, it would be impossible.

From this, it seemed that conquering Divine Sun City would not be so simple after all.

"Among the enemy’s four thousand, there are no Reverting Void Realm experts!"

Tu Changkong’s clarification once again shocked the black-clad man.

If the enemy’s four thousand had many Reverting Void Realm experts, their defeat of his twenty thousand would be understandable.

Yet they were defeated without the enemy deploying a single Reverting Void Realm expert — eradicating eighteen thousand of their troops.

Such military accomplishment could truly be deemed a humiliation.

At this moment, upon hearing Tu Changkong’s report, the man with the surname Tu instantly displayed an angry expression, his face turning ashen.

"A bunch of trash!"

The black-clad man roared in anger, and suddenly, a green Flame flashed in his hand. With a wave of his hand, the Flame fell upon Tu Changkong and the leading Martial Artists behind him.

Sizzle—

When the Flame touched them, it instantly ignited their bodies, and Tu Changkong and his men died a miserable death, their ashes not even left behind.

The others watched this brutal scene unfold before the black-clad man, fear inevitably rising in their hearts.

Tu Changkong had been an old soldier following his father, yet an error, a mission failure, still inevitably led to his execution.

Jiang Qibai’s lips curled into a cold smile, looking at the black-clad man with an appearance that thoroughly reveled in the disaster.

"Who was it that said earlier, there’s no need to take personal action, that simply sending any subordinate would suffice to easily conquer Divine Sun City?"

"Tsk tsk... Divine Sun City has not only failed to be captured, but also suffered heavy losses," a voice mocked. "Losing twenty thousand troops just like that, if this gets back to the Hall, I doubt your Incense Master status will last very long."

Jiang Qibai looked at the man in black, blatantly kicking him while he was down with his ridicule.

Upon hearing Jiang Qibai’s words, the man in black clenched his fist. Although he was extremely angry inside, he had no way of handling Jiang Qibai, because everything Jiang Qibai said was the truth.

The decision made before was a result of his carelessness.

The black-clothed man knew all too well the capabilities of his subordinates.

There must be something extraordinary within Divine Sun City; otherwise, it would have been impossible for mere four thousand troops to annihilate a twenty-thousand-strong army.

And the fact that the other side didn’t even have a Reverting Void Realm expert was nothing short of a miracle.

"Tu, I don’t mean to look down on your Tu Family Army, but among those four thousand troops in Divine Sun City, let alone Reverting Void Realm experts, I fear there aren’t many Heaven-reaching Realm warriors."

"The glorious twenty thousand Tu Family Army was defeated by a mere force of four thousand, mostly comprised of Spirit Gathering Realm and Body Tempering Realm martial artists. It’s truly laughable."

Jiang Qibai continued to provoke as he watched the man in black turn the color of liver, as if he were one of Divine Sun City’s own.

The man in black glared at Jiang Qibai with a deathly stare, his fists clenched, yet helpless to respond.

Indeed, the failure of his subordinates had turned the Tu Family Army into a joke.

"What’s the matter, Tu, cat got your tongue?"

"Who was it that made a wager with me before? Hand over your Golden Leaf Fan immediately."

Jiang Qibai couldn’t hide his glee seeing the man in black so deflated.

Upon hearing this, the black-clothed man named Tu glanced at the Golden Leaf Fan in his hand. Although extremely reluctant, he had lost the bet and would become another laughing stock if he welshed now.

Whoosh—

With a grunt, the man in black tossed his Golden Leaf Fan toward Jiang Qibai.

Seeing the man in black conceding the bet, Jiang Qibai didn’t press him further.

After the man in black handed over the Golden Leaf Fan, his internal rage had nowhere to vent, and he directed all his hatred towards Divine Sun City.

"Pass down the command, all forces regroup and advance directly on Divine Sun City!"

Provoked to extreme anger by Jiang Qibai, the man in black named Tu had lost all composure.

No longer entertaining the thought of toying with the warriors inside Divine Sun City, he now only wanted an overwhelming military force to approach and wipe out Divine Sun City completely.

With the hundred thousand troops he had brought, exterminating Divine Sun City should be a breeze.

As the forces from Red Soul Hall began their march on Divine Sun City, Xu Ma’an and his men, having already received news of the Outer City being attacked, had arrived to assist.

"You’ve all done well, here’s your reward!"

Xu Ma’an looked at the soldiers defending the city with a surge of pride in his heart.

With a grand wave of his hand, countless elixirs and Spirit Stones flew towards the two thousand soldiers who had bravely held their ground and survived, as a reward for their bravery.

"Thank you, Sect Master!"

Holding their awarded elixirs and Spirit Stones, the soldiers felt immensely joyful, realizing that their efforts were indeed rewarded.

In the past, even if they had fought and bled strenuously, at most they would receive a few words of hollow praise from their superiors.

However, Xu Ma’an’s approach was different. As the Sect Master of Jade Cauldron Sect, he offered tangible rewards.