Chapter 23: The War Begins

After obtaining the Po Zong Dan, Yunshan gave Yun Leng some instructions and then retreated to the back mountain to go into seclusion, aiming to break through to the Dou Zong level.

After a month of seclusion, Yunshan, who had been stuck at the Nine-Star Dou Huang realm for many years, finally broke through to the Dou Zong realm with the help of the Po Zong Pill.

The news of Yunshan's breakthrough to the Dou Zong level was not kept secret, so it quickly spread throughout the Jia Ma Empire.

When Yao Ye learned that Yunshan had indeed broken through to the Dou Zong level, she was genuinely surprised. She never imagined that Yunshan, who had remained at the Nine-Star Dou Huang level for many years like her great-grandfather, would actually break through to the Dou Zong level just one month after her great-grandfather's death!

Her feelings were very complicated. She didn't know whether she should be happy or unhappy.

On one hand, she was happy because Yunshan's breakthrough to the Dou Zong level strengthened the alliance between the Yunlan Sect and the royal family, increasing their chances of quickly winning the battle against the Snake People, which would greatly reduce the casualties of their soldiers.

On the other hand, she was unhappy because Yunshan's breakthrough to the Dou Zong level meant that, after the war, the Yunlan Sect would pose an even greater threat to the Jia Ma royal family, especially since Jia Xingtian, the guardian of the royal family, had died.

Yao Ye had always believed that they could win the war against the Snake People even without the Yunlan Sect's involvement. But now that Yunshan had broken through to the Dou Zong level, there was no reason to delay any further.

Yunshan quickly gathered the elders and disciples of the Yunlan Sect to prepare for war with the Snake People.

Three days later, under the command of Yunshan and Yao Ye, the army appeared in the Tagor Desert in a mighty formation, and they stationed themselves twenty miles outside the Snake People's city walls.

The Snake People had already begun preparing for this war, and their tribal leaders and strong warriors had gathered in the city.

On top of the tall, towering city walls, the elders of the Snake People and the leaders of the eight tribes, all of whom were powerful warriors above the level of Dou Wang, stood watching the allied army of the Yunlan Sect and the royal family.

One of the tribal leaders looked at the forces gathered outside the city wall and asked worriedly, "Great Elder, will Wang Fu really take action?"

If the queen were here, they might not be so worried. Although Jiang Xing was set to marry the queen and become their future king, he was a foreigner, and this made them feel somewhat uneasy.

Moreover, Jiang Xing had not shown up until now.

"Yes, Mr. Wang promised me some time ago, and he will not break his word."

The Great Elder had had many interactions with Jiang Xing and knew that Jiang Xing was not the type to break promises lightly.

Additionally, the Great Elder had met Lin Shan, the powerful individual who had recently appeared beside Jiang Xing.

Originally, Ji Feng had been the one protecting Jiang Xing, but since Lin Shan arrived, he had taken over that role. Given Ji Feng's attitude towards Lin Shan, the Great Elder was certain that Lin Shan was even stronger than Ji Feng.

With two Dou Zuns protecting him and such a powerful background, Jiang Xing had no reason to deceive them.

Indeed, the Great Elder had concluded that Lin Shan was a Dou Zun more powerful than Ji Feng. In his mind, Dou Zun was already the peak of power in the Douqi Continent. He had never considered, nor dared to consider, a realm beyond Dou Zun.

The tribal leaders were relieved after hearing the Great Elder's confident response. They knew that there was a Dou Zun by the king's side. As long as the king agreed to take action, they had nothing to worry about.

The next day, in the vast desert, yellow sand raged. After a loud and urgent horn sounded, the allied army, which had been stationed outside the city for a day, began to march.

Normally, the two armies should negotiate before engaging in battle. If an agreement could be reached, fighting might be avoided.

However, the Snake People had killed not just a few ordinary Dou Wangs, but their clan leader and the royal guardian. There was no point in negotiating this matter.

Without any negotiations, the two armies faced each other directly in the Tagor Desert.

The Snake People's Dou Wang and Dou Huang warriors transformed their Dou Qi into wings and hovered above the city walls.

Counting them, there were fifteen warriors flying in the sky.

The Snake People had survived in the Tagor Desert for so long without being destroyed by the Jia Ma royal family, so their strength was certainly formidable.

The eight tribal leaders were all Dou Wangs, plus Hua She'er of the temple and a promising young Dou Wang warrior of the Snake People, along with the four Dou Huang elders of the Snake People clan.

Although three of the elders, apart from the Great Elder, were too old to fight effectively, they still came out to boost morale.

The last person was not using Dou Qi to form wings but was instead floating in the sky.

That person was Ji Feng.

Jiang Xing had promised the Great Elder that he would let Ji Feng take action, but Ji Feng, who hadn't fought in a long time, felt the itch to get involved.

The Snake People on the city walls felt a surge in morale when they saw Jiang Xing stepping into the air.

The powerful Snake People warriors, armed with spears, stood ready on the city walls, prepared to attack as soon as the allied army approached and they received the order.

On the side of the allied army, nineteen strong warriors and a dragon led the charge.

Among them were eighteen Dou Wang masters and one Dou Zong master.

That dragon was the guardian beast of the royal family of the Jia Ma Empire—the Dark Sea Flood Dragon.

The Dark Sea Flood Dragon was the Jia Ma Empire's royal family's guardian beast, originating from the Dark Sea. It was a dragon that had lived for hundreds of years, and its strength had reached the level of a seven-star Dou Huang. The Jia Ma Empire's royal family had maintained its power for so many years not only because of Jia Xingtian but also because of this dragon's presence.

The Dark Sea Flood Dragon had followed Jia Xingtian on his conquests since he was a young man and had made great contributions to the Jia Ma Empire. However, it had also suffered from a serious hidden injury during those conquests. Yao Ye had initially not planned to let it join the battle, but the Dark Sea Flood Dragon insisted on coming, saying that it wanted to avenge Jia Xingtian.

As the allied army approached, the Great Elder in the sky immediately issued an order.

"Spearmen, prepare to throw!"

Following the Great Elder's command, the Snake People on the city walls quickly threw their venom-coated spears toward the approaching allied army.

Even though the strong warriors flying in front of the allied army used fighting skills to block these flying spears, some spears still penetrated their defenses and killed nearly a hundred soldiers behind them.

As the defenders, the Snake People had a significant advantage, so they stayed on the city walls and attacked the approaching allied army with spears, bows and arrows, and long-range fighting skills.

After several rounds of attacks with flying spears, bows and arrows, and fighting skills, the allied army had already lost more than a thousand soldiers before they even reached the city walls.

Seeing their comrades fall, countless soldiers roared in anger and charged forward with determination.