Incessant Sun Essence fell from the void, absorbed by Zhang Chen, making it so that even under the blazing sun, the area within a hundred feet around Zhang Chen remained cool, without the slightest feeling of scorching heat.
The donkey cart moved slowly amidst the yellow sand, with Chengyu sitting inside the carriage, carefully studying the book in her hand. Behind the cart, Mrs. Zhang and the two little ones walked relying on their strength, practicing the Dragon Form.
Time passed bit by bit. Another half month went by, and in the distance, figures came into view, as Zhang Chen recognized the familiar procession of refugees.
The number of refugees wasn’t large, only a few thousand people. They walked together in groups and clusters, without any escort teams or family contingents, just sporadic vagabonds walking together on their own accord.
"Shall we follow them?" Chengyu asked Zhang Chen.
After a brief hesitation, Zhang Chen nodded, "We don’t know the road south, and following the larger group heading south has many advantages."
Zhang Chen didn’t know the way south, nor had Mrs. Zhang and the three little ones ever traveled far from home, so they naturally didn’t know the route. These days, the family could only press ahead aimlessly, relying on the direction of the larger group.
Moreover, joining with the larger group would also increase their sense of security.
Silently, Zhang Chen’s donkey cart came to the rear of the procession, attracting countless gazes, as that big black donkey was sleek and shiny, and the combination of an orphan and a widow always stood out wherever they went.
The eyes of the vagrants flickered; after just a few glances, each lowered their head, pondering something unknown.
Zhang Chen drove the donkey cart at a leisurely pace trailing at the back, when the conversations from the distant crowd reached his ears. A thin, scholarly-looking man spoke, "Have you heard? Prince Pingbian signed a peace treaty with the Demon Race? They ceded the White Bone Great Wall, permanently handing it over to the Demon Race."
"What? The White Bone Great Wall is a stronghold of our Human Race. How can Prince Pingbian cede it to the Demon Race?" A muscular man exclaimed in a furious tone.
"Really? You’re not just making this up, are you? The Human Race and the Demon Race are mortal enemies. How could Prince Pingbian cede land for peace?" Another person shouted indignantly.
"This was said by a classmate from my academy. It’s said that after one of Prince Pingbian’s masters was severely injured while subduing some exotic mystery, the Demon Race seized the opportunity, leading to the cession of land and an annual tribute payment," the scholarly man sighed softly.
"Thank goodness we escaped from Prince Pingbian’s territory, or we would have been finished! Everyone would have suffered misfortune!"
"Prince Pingbian, that cowardly fellow, is a disgrace to our Human Race! He has been supported by the Northern Land folks for hundreds of years, and yet he dares to cede them away, such treachery to the Old Prince and the ancestors of the Prince’s Mansion!"
"I wish we could swallow this vile being alive or light him as a lamp!"
"He deserves death! Deserves death!"
...
The refugees cursed incessantly, resenting Prince Pingbian to the core, angrily reprimanding him for his incompetence in allowing the Demon Race to enter, causing them all to flee and wander the world.
Listening to the discussions from afar, Zhang Chen’s face under the conical hat showed signs of contemplation but he did not interject. Instead, he continued to drive the donkey cart indifferently; the scholar carried a Mysterious Power, clearly not an ordinary person.
After continuing for half a day, the scholar’s pace slowed, showing much fatigue, occasionally stopping to massage his legs. Passing by the scholar, Zhang Chen reined in the donkey, saying to him, "Sir, could you come over and have a word?"
Though Zhang Chen’s voice was soft, it pierced through the crowd’s jumble, reaching the scholar’s ears distinctly. The scholar turned to glance at Zhang Chen’s group, then made his way through the crowd to the donkey cart, saying, "I am Zhu Ziqing. May I know your esteemed name?"
"Surname Zhang, given name ’Chen’. Sir, feel free to ride on the donkey cart as we speak," Zhang Chen pointed to an ear-like part of the donkey cart.
"That would be delightful!" Zhu Ziqing appeared pleased and unreservedly sat on the cart’s ’ear’, his eyes curiously scanning the trio following behind the donkey cart, inquiring, "Why aren’t they riding but instead walking behind the donkey cart?"
"They are practicing," Zhang Chen candidly replied, having nothing to hide, especially after cultivating seven Blood God Child strands, he was brimming with confidence and composure.
"I see," Zhu Ziqing nodded, taking a deep gaze at Zhang Chen’s party. Involving practice matters, they were no ordinary individuals; no wonder orphans and widows like them could navigate these chaotic times.
"Earlier you mentioned Prince Pingbian ceding land to the Demon Race, could you elaborate?" Zhang Chen asked.
Zhu Ziqing nodded when he heard this, "I heard someone say that behind Prince Pingbian there are experts from the Yellow Heaven Dao supporting him, originally able to go head to head with the experts of the Demon Race, with both sides unable to gain an upper hand. But who would have known that an Exotic Treasure emerged in the Northern Land, capable of absorbing the boundless grievances of the Northern Land, growing infinitely. This Exotic Treasure is a growth-type treasure, and in just a few months, it has already obtained power comparable to the Yang God realm. So the three Great Zhenren of the Yellow Heaven Dao teamed up to try to acquire this treasure, only to find that a Ghost King was nurtured within it. The treasure’s original form was a flagpole, and the Ghost King wielded a banner, battling fiercely with the divine beings of the Yellow Heaven Dao. In the end, the Zhenren of the Yellow Heaven Dao were severely wounded, and the banner vanished mysteriously, disappearing into the void. With the top experts under Prince Pingbian suffering losses, they naturally lacked the strength to contend with the Demon Race any longer, and could only cede territory to seek peace."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen was lost in thought, recalling the skull that was consuming Yin Souls in the Northern Land, called: the Yama Banner.
It can devour endless ghosts to strengthen its Origin, and ultimately can evolve into a world of the Underworld, with power comparable to a Twelfth Tier treasure, so naturally, Prince Pingbian was tempted.
Unfortunately, the treasure’s power is boundless, and it likely already has a master, beyond Prince Pingbian’s reach.
Zhang Chen could understand Prince Pingbian’s thoughts as he had lost this biggest territory of Zhang Shicheng, now it could be said that both internal and external troubles beset him; internally, the Human King eyed him covetously, while externally, the Demon Race was scheming against him. His situation was extremely unfavorable, and without the support of the Yellow Heaven Dao, he would have already been completely engulfed by the Demon Race, becoming a part of them.
"So that’s how it is." Zhang Chen suddenly realized in his heart.
Zhu Ziqing looked Zhang Chen up and down, noticing Zhang Chen wearing a straw hat, and curiously asked, "Brother, did you also come from that city?"
"Wannian County," replied Zhang Chen.
"I came from Changyang County, and the Northern Land is really in a miserable state now, with chaos everywhere, countless civilians unable to survive, outright rebelling, and raising banners to start looting. Some people are heading inland, while others head to the major aristocratic territories nearby. The entire Northern Land may have millions of chaotic troops, and even Prince Pingbian’s Mansion is helpless against them, unable to suppress and can only let the drifters cause chaos," Zhu Ziqing said.
Zhang Chen sighed lightly upon hearing this, realizing the chaos in the Northern Land could not be separated from Prince Pingbian’s Mansion’s instigations behind the scenes.
"I heard people say that the banner recognized a master, and its master raised a great banner in the Northern Land, forming an army, and many have already responded," Zhu Ziqing said.
"Hmm? The banner has a master now?" Zhang Chen was a bit taken aback, that is no ordinary treasure, but it has a master? And even formed an army, surely Prince Pingbian would have a headache over this.
The carriage trudged on during their conversation, when suddenly a thunderous roar came from afar, with shouts of killing resounding through the skies. Zhang Chen was stunned and turned his head towards the distant battlefield, while Zhu Ziqing, too, showed a change of color, with a trace of panic in his eyes:
"There’s a battle ahead! Let’s take a detour immediately."
The drifters weren’t foolish either, noticing the distant shouts of killing, they too immediately took a detour.
Zhang Chen silently urged his donkey forward, but after running for half an hour, he suddenly looked into the distance and sighed softly: "It’s too late!"
Time rewinds to a quarter of an hour earlier, when Zhang Chen was speaking with Zhu Ziqing and noticed the distant slaughter, he had already dispatched the Blood God Child, which made its way to the battlefield and saw hundreds of thousands engaged in battle from afar.
One faction was dressed in rough hemp clothing, ragged and tattered, while the other wore leather armor, wielding sharp weapons; it was actually the army of Prince Pingbian’s Mansion.
With the battle waging, the battlefield turned into a river of blood.
The Blood God Child quickly summoned the Sea of Blood, beginning to traverse underground, channeling the battlefield’s blood while secretly observing the situation.
"The ones in rough hemp clothing seem to be the rebels made up of drifters." Zhang Chen’s Blood God Child had a thoughtful look in its eyes.
At this moment, he seemed to have realized a great secret, that the rebels’ gathering could actually form a destiny, competing with the Dragon Qi of Prince Pingbian’s Mansion.
At this time, there were Bloodline Practitioners participating, with both sides safeguarded by their respective Dragon Qi, neither suffering backlash.
The rebels held a numerical advantage, numbering over 80,000, while Prince Pingbian’s army was barely 10,000. However, Prince Pingbian’s army was well-trained, combined with superior equipment, causing the 80,000 troops to be slaughtered, with their numbers continually decreasing.
As both sides fell like wheat being cut, the rebels’ numbers quickly dwindled to less than 5,000, when their leader suddenly pulled out a black banner from his bosom. The banner fluttered, and in an instant, Yin Wind surged up, with 3,000 evil spirits flying out of the Yin Wind, immediately possessing the rebels in rough clothes. The rebels, as if injected with adrenaline, were enveloped in a Mysterious Power, reversing the situation, causing Prince Pingbian’s warriors to be utterly defeated.
"That’s the Yama Banner! The rebels are wielding the Yama Banner, summoning 3,000 evil spirits to reverse the situation, although being possessed by evil spirits demands a great cost, with mild consequences being severe illness, and severe cases leading to immediate death. That Yama Banner has recognized a master?" Zhang Chen’s Blood God Child shrunk to the size of a thumb, standing on the battlefield, observing the battle with a pensive look in its eyes:
"Those 3,000 evil spirits, at least have the strength of the third tier. Moreover, these 3,000 evil spirits use the Essence, Qi, and Spirit of 3,000 strong men as Primordial Qi, to form a great array, which can be used to hunt down the opponents’ strong individuals, suppressing their Bloodline Practitioners and Divine Dao Cultivators. That great array is ferocious, akin to the Night Parade of Hundred Demons, even I cannot fully see through it."