Not everyone has both Dual Cultivation Divine Skill and Rejuvenation Law; for an ordinary person, needing several months to recover from injuries is completely normal. Zhao Changhe's urgent northern expedition was timed not only before the revival of the Longevity Heaven's deity but also before Bo'e's recovery from his injuries.

This former second on the Heavenly List, who should have ascended to first place as the "closest to the divine" after Xia Longyuan's death, couldn't display his full abilities in these months, neither brief nor long, and as a result, failed to keep up with the general breakthrough wave. Now, he could only have a draw when solo dueling with Huangfu Qing.

Before he was injured, Huangfu Qing was merely on the Earth List, not even having broken through the Third Layer Secret Treasure... Now they stand as equals, one can imagine how aggrieved Bo'e feels.

He took a deep breath and said coldly, "Vermilion Bird Venerable still has the leisure to chat idly with me in the air, yet your camp is unset, and the soldiers are ravenous, eating temporarily; aren't you afraid they'll be wiped out at any moment?"

Huangfu Qing smiled slightly: "I don't mind."

Bo'e was momentarily stunned, defending against the Vermilion Bird's swift and fiery attack while glancing downward in his spare moment.

The flood from his side was a mere three to five miles away from the unfinished Han camp, almost upon them in a blink, and many warriors had already drawn the bows and arrows from their backs, ready to shoot from afar.

Gazing into the Han camp, he saw Xue Canghai rummaging to take things out from who knows where, and Bo'e watched in disbelief as one black cannon after another stood within the camp.

Looking far and wide, there were at least thirty to forty of them.

Sadly, he did not know what these were.

"Boom!"

Before the strong bows and crossbows under Bo'e's command could even reach halfway range, dozens of cannons thundered in unison.

The Northern Hu cavalry at the forefront were instantly thrown from their horses, becoming mere pulp. Spinning shrapnel continued to dance wildly, spraying blood in every direction.

Bo'e was momentarily stunned, nearly skewered by the Vermilion Bird's swift spear. He quickly dodged, shouting in dismay, "What is this!"

What is this!

This was the very question resounding in the hearts of countless grassland warriors, seemingly freezing the entire grassland.

Even the terrifying Demon God's fire of the Vermilion Bird had been intercepted by the Great Shaman for everyone, but what were these?

Deafening thunder, like the wrath of Longevity Heaven, blazing lights reaching the sky like the punishment of the divine. The interweaving of thunder and fire, both in the firmament and upon the earth.

Is this a divine punishment!

Why has the divine punishment of Longevity Heaven descended upon the grassland warriors, have they not been devout enough, where did they offend Heaven?

Bo'e's shout now echoed across the land: "Do not be bewitched by the opponent's sorcery, this must be some application of the Vermilion Bird Fire! It cannot be infinitely replenished! The divine will see your devotion, bestowing you with endless power! Charge!"

"Boom!" The second round of cannon fire roared once more.

The Longevity Heaven deity, raising an axe to deliver a grand strike, reluctantly took time to provide protection.

As if confirming Bo'e's words, this time the knights struck by the blasts were briefly illuminated, the impact knocking them off their horses, ultimately shaken to death, but the wildly flying shrapnel no longer splattered to injure others. Compared to the previous round where both men and horses were pounded into pulp, it was already a much improved sight.

This was indeed a protective intervention from the overworked Longevity Heaven deity, though many still died, yet the grassland cavalry appeared even more fervent in their eyes.

This is a divine sign! All the opponent's tricks lay exposed before the respectable deity!

People's fear lies solely in the unknown, so long as it is not an incomprehensible divine punishment, what fear do the lion-hearted warriors of the grassland have of slightly advanced enemy weapons?

Bo'e finally exhaled a breath.

Seeing the torrent continue its charge, the Vermilion Bird also sighed somewhat helplessly. It can only be said that Zhao Changhe's side is still not sufficiently potent, actually allowing the Longevity Heaven deity still some energy to watch over His clan. This too is unavoidable, in the domain of the Longevity Heaven, He is united with the land and is the strongest, even Xia Longyuan couldn't kill Him in His own domain, otherwise, why has this stalemate lasted so many years.

To have the effect limited to only this much protection, Zhao Changhe and the others' involvement has been extremely effective... yet who knows what form Zhao Changhe's fight currently takes.

To defeat the Longevity Heaven deity, everyone actually cannot achieve this presently, His physical form is complete, more powerful than a Tao Venerable with only a residing divine soul. The only method to weaken Him is to massively slaughter His clan, shaking His Qi veins and faith which essentially is akin to Xia Longyuan's descent in realm back then.

This is the greatest significance of the northern expedition!

The victory or defeat of the ethnic war indeed can affect the outcome of the Imperial Realm battle.

In other words, the core of this northern expedition battle has always been the Hu-Han war, not the result of the Imperial Realm. Zhao Changhe has always been clear on this, needing everyone's, every soldier's utmost effort to achieve the desired outcome.

"Boom!" The third round of cannon fire struck once more.

The deputy general in the army was issuing orders on behalf of Huangfu Qing: "Cannons only serve to constrain, never decisive! Where are the archers!"

"Swish, swish, swish!" Arrows flew like locusts, blotting out the sky.

The cannons are not enough to rely on, yet their use lay in dragging the time until the camp could be fully established. At this moment, the Han camp's chevaux-de-frise and caltrops were neatly arranged, while on the opposite side... all were cavalry.

Suddenly, the roles of attack and defense reversed, the war regaining the rhythm most familiar to the Han army.

But wasn't this rhythm just as familiar to the Hu people? For so many years, it has always been this way.

To the south, cavalry dust clouds could be seen, from a tribe they had thought "vanished," actually always trailing them, waiting until they fell into a trap for a counterattack from both sides.

However, Huangfu Qing's encampment was set against the mountain, rear protected by a semi-circle of mountain, front by another half-circle of camp walls, where comes the two-sided attack... only the final showdown of strength and courage on a narrow path.

Huangfu Qing's bold and commanding voice spread across the battlefield: "Let's not be like the ignorant barbarians who only know to kneel for the Longevity Heaven's protection! We of the Great Han do not believe in such a thing, in the past I believed that our efforts could aid in the Emperor Ye's descent; now I believe that the victories in our hands can tilt the divine's balance!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.