In May, as the rainy season arrived, the shadow of war loomed over the entire Kingdom of Lu. Three neighboring nations had formed an alliance to invade, pressing directly toward the capital. The need to deploy troops was imminent.
As the Martial Arts Alliance Leader, the largest conflict Leng Jing had ever witnessed was a chaotic brawl between sects involving tens of thousands. This was the first time in his life he would experience the momentum of a million-strong army. The Queen of Lu personally led the expedition, bringing along the newly appointed Divine Dragon, Leng Jing. Leading a million soldiers to suppress the foreign invaders, a grand legend of conquest was about to begin.
On the eighth day of the fifth month, the capital's army assembled in the square outside Zhengyang Gate. The ranks were orderly, a vast sea of shimmering armor and blades.
Leng Jing was clad in ornate robes and silver armor, a precious sword hanging at his waist. Mounted on a snow-white steed, he led the way at the front of the army, looking spirited and commanding. His elegant beauty was comparable to a celestial general. This was a blessing ritual before the campaign, intended to boost morale. Consequently, the general leading the ritual had to be the most handsome man in the country; thus, Leng Jing had been chosen.
As expected, countless young women and men watching from the roadsides grew excited. Their eyes followed Leng Jing, their cheeks flushed and hearts fluttering. Who knew how many souls were intoxicated by the peerless grace of Leng Jing?
The Queen, however, showed no joy in her eyes. She was a heroine who had survived many battlefields and knew well that the situation was not as optimistic as the propaganda suggested. Could Leng Jing, who had never seen real combat, truly shoulder the heavy responsibility of assisting the army? A fellow like him really only needed to serve as a deterrent to the enemy.
In truth, she hadn't placed much hope in him to begin with.
As the army prepared to pass through the city gates, Leng Qingqing, the Big Bear, and the white mink stood atop the gate tower, waving and shouting their support. Leng Qingqing was thrilled beyond measure; seeing his son’s heroic bearing, he danced with excitement, screaming, "Xiao Jing will surely win! The Leng family is invincible!"
The white mink followed suit, squeaking loudly while incessantly tossing prepared fresh flowers down below.
Leng Jing, seated on his horse, reached out to catch a flower and curled his lips into a faint smile toward Leng Qingqing in the distance. Under his lead, the massive procession of men and horses followed, escorting the imperial carriage out of the city.
He rode at the very front, leading the army away with effortless grace. Leng Qingqing stood tall upon the city wall, his robes fluttering, his face filled with a mix of solemnity and deep affection.
As the sun set, a loved one headed west on a campaign with no certain return, leaving behind boundless parting sorrow. Yet, for the sake of the country and its people, personal feelings were small compared to national duty.
There was only a heart full of sincerity! *I pray for your early return, I pray for your early return!*
On the city wall, the beautiful gentleman in white raised his sleeves high, scattering flowers imbued with blessings—a gesture of infinite longing and prayer for his far-traveling beloved. Anyone who saw such a moving scene would have been touched.
That said, Leng Jing, who had been galloping at the head of the army on his tall horse, hadn't even traveled two miles before a groom caught his reins and bowed. "Your Highness, please return to the carriage to rest."
Leng Jing dismounted without a word. He had fulfilled his role as the army's "image-building project."
The Queen summoned Leng Jing to her luxurious carriage. Having shed his armor and changed into simple court robes, he entered the spacious interior. The carriage was quite opulent, divided into three compartments. The Queen was reclining on a couch reading a book. Seeing him, she said directly, "Leng Jing, when the armies clash, I need you to transform and assist the battle. You must lead the charge. Do you have any objections or difficulties?"
Leng Jing replied, "Transforming to kill on the battlefield is a great taboo for spiritual beasts. Each transformation consumes a vast amount of my Primordial Essence. I fear I will fall into a coma from exhaustion before the dragon form can be maintained for long."
"No matter. I guarantee your safety," the Queen said, her cold face expressionless. In truth, she had no certainty of victory herself; she said this merely to steady Leng Jing’s resolve.
"Fine, then. This is my protective Dragon Pearl. When the time comes, you must find the place where I land and bring me back, as I will likely be unconscious. As long as this pearl returns to my side, I have a chance of waking up." Leng Jing then handed a brilliant, shimmering pearl to the Queen.
The Queen carefully examined the pearl, which emitted a faint halo. It seemed to contain a faint dragon-shaped mark—clearly a rare treasure of the world.
In reality, it was a bead formed from Leng Jing’s dragon qi mixed with lightning. What the Queen did not know was that she was playing with an immense energy capable of destroying a nation.
By then, the three-nation alliance had already reached the Qin Plain, three hundred miles away. It was an ancient battlefield, vast and boundless. Legend said that too many vengeful spirits of those who died in ancient wars gathered on the Qin Plain, making the land barren and sparsely populated—a true wilderness. This wasteland, stretching for a hundred miles, was a shortcut to the capital of Lu. The allied forces had chosen a forced march, intending to drive straight in, and the Queen was determined to intercept them there. Her trump cards were Leng Jing’s dragon transformation and the peerless formation previously laid out by Prince Ling.
After several days of marching, the trees by the road grew sparse as the Qin Plain drew near. Leng Jing looked out from the carriage and found that he could see the dark mass of enemy troops and banners on the flat horizon. The two armies were already so close. Only then did the Queen order the camp to be set, beginning the arrangement of the Five Elements formation. If successfully deployed, it could allow one man to stand against ten. However, the formation took too long to set up; once battle commenced, they would need Leng Jing to transform into a dragon to buy time.
As for Leng Jing’s life... the Queen scrutinized the Dragon Pearl, which had been fashioned into a wearable ornament, her gaze shifting uncertainly.
In just one month, the allied forces had captured over a dozen cities in the Kingdom of Lu with incredible speed. The national defenses Lu had built over many years were useless. Even the far-sighted Prince Ling had been caught off guard, and none of the secret agents he sent out had returned.
It was truly terrifying. This sudden invasion by the three nations had come without warning or sign, as if they had appeared out of thin air. The capital only received the preliminary news when the alliance was nearly at the Qin Plain.
Even stranger was that the lands invaded by the alliance were now completely isolated from the outside world. Not a single refugee could be found, and the scouts sent out continued to vanish without a trace.
This was a bizarre occurrence unheard of by military strategists throughout history!
The army stationed itself on the eastern side of the wasteland, facing the enemy from afar. Curiously, the enemy’s ranks were perfectly orderly and did not change for an entire day. From a distance, they were simply a vast, dark mass.
The envoys sent by the Queen to request peace talks did not return either. It was as if the dark army spanning the horizon had crawled out of hell.
In contrast to this was a strange phenomenon in the western sky where the enemy was located: it was perpetually covered in dark clouds. The churning clouds seemed ready to swallow the Divine Land, and what little sunlight remained was almost entirely blocked.
Leng Jing sat in a chair before his tent, observing this peculiar sight.
In reality, the so-called million-strong army of Lu consisted of only a hundred thousand troops—all gathered from the vicinity of the capital. Looking at the enemy’s posture of overwhelming pressure, it truly seemed as though they had a million men.
"Your Highness, it looks like it's about to rain. You should head inside the tent," a servant boy kindly advised him.
Leng Jing looked up at the sky and said, "It’s fine. I want to sit here quietly."
The servant had no choice but to bring a blanket to cover his legs.
Leng Jing sat before the tent for about an hour before suddenly letting out a sound of surprise. The servant, who was nearly dozing off, hurriedly responded, "Your Highness, is something wrong?"
"I need to see Her Majesty," Leng Jing said.
"Then I’ll push you there." The servant grabbed the handles of the wheelchair behind Leng Jing, intending to wheel him away.
Leng Jing turned his head and asked, "Is a wheelchair the only thing to sit on in this army?"
The servant nodded. "Your Highness, we left in such a hurry during the march, how could we have time to bring the grand armchair you wanted? It’s only because I heard your health was poor that I insisted the soldiers bring this wheelchair for transport."
"Who told you my health was poor?" Leng Jing asked.
"It was Young Master Qingqing from the palace. He repeatedly urged me to take good care of Your Highness," the servant said with a great sense of responsibility.
"Then push me," Leng Jing said, leaning lazily against the back of the chair.
The servant indeed pushed Leng Jing into the royal tent. The Queen was currently meeting with several guests, and Leng Jing’s sudden arrival caused everyone to fall silent.
Seeing a wheelchair enter the tent, carrying a peerlessly beautiful young man, everyone was startled. The Queen, unfazed, introduced him: "Prince Jing, this is the Western Vassal King who has come from afar to assist our country. Come and pay your respects."
The leader of the guests was the Western Vassal King, a sturdy man with a thick beard. He sized Leng Jing up, seeing that although the youth appeared crippled in his legs, his aura was as steady as a mountain and his brow held a majestic dignity. He was clearly an extraordinary person. The King laughed heartily. "So this is the legendary Protector Prince of Lu! I have long admired you and was just hoping to make your acquaintance!"
Leng Jing gave a shallow bow in return before saying, "Your Majesty, I have something to report. Please step outside the tent to observe."
Thus, the group followed Leng Jing out of the tent, looking toward the enemy army three miles away.
After watching for a while, the Queen’s expression suddenly turned grave. She said in shock, "This... how can this be?!"
The enemy had been three miles away in the morning, but now they appeared to be only two miles away. The most eerie part was that the enemy didn't seem to be conducting a large-scale march; instead, they were advancing slowly, bit by bit. It was like a black tidal wave lined up, slowly pushing and pressing toward them!
The Western Vassal King was also speechless with shock. He had never seen such a massive and bizarre legion. According to his impression, the three neighboring nations shouldn't have such power!
Leng Jing, sitting in his wheelchair, said calmly, "Your Majesty, how did you learn that the enemy was an alliance of the three nations?"
The Queen replied, "The enemy came from the direction of those three nations, and they are so numerous. If not an alliance, what else could they be?"
"Then, if we assume those three nations were also wiped out by this eerie army, where do you think this troop comes from?" Leng Jing asked again.
"Impossible! The three nations are backed by a vast, uninhabited desert. There are no other large neighboring countries! Where would the army come from? It couldn't possibly be from... hell..." The Queen’s voice began to tremble.
The Western Vassal King also said in surprise, "If that army really wiped out the three neighboring nations, then it truly might be from hell!"
"The world mortals perceive is only a small part of reality." Leng Jing looked up at the sky. "At this rate, the two armies will engage in hand-to-hand combat by dusk. The consequences then will be unthinkable."
"I must set the formation immediately!" the Queen said, gritting her teeth.
"It's too late," Leng Jing shook his head.
"Then what should we do?" Before the Queen could finish her sentence, everyone present felt a violent dazzle—a silver light flashed intensely. When they regained their senses, a majestic white dragon was already spiraling into the air. The Western Vassal King collapsed directly to the ground—he finally understood. The handsome youth in the wheelchair was actually a white dragon! He had transformed and taken to the skies! The legend that the Kingdom of Lu had a Guardian Divine Dragon was true!
The white dragon circled the camp twice, and the soldiers cheered and shouted with excitement. After observing the terrain, the dragon returned to hover above the Queen. "Do not forget to use the Dragon Pearl I gave you."
"I know!" the Queen’s hair whipped wildly in the gale brought by the dragon. She shouted, "How long can you hold out?"
The white dragon did not answer her. Instead, it flew half a mile away and, with an earth-shaking roar, addressed the approaching black army: "I am the White Dragon Leng Jing of the Azure Sea Valley! I wish to meet the commander of your army!"
The soldiers of Lu behind the dragon all covered their ears—why was the Dragon God still so polite even after transforming?! And why was he so loud?!
"Hahahaha... you ignorant little dragon, are you in such a hurry for me to pull out your dragon tendons?" A ghoulish, clear voice echoed from within the enemy ranks.
In the next moment, the hundred thousand soldiers of Lu witnessed a terrifying spectacle—the dark mass of the enemy army slowly dissipated. The black mist permeating the air finally condensed into a concrete form—it was a gargantuan, boundless monster. It had a gaping, black-hole-like mouth like a carp, while its head resembled a wrinkled old man. Its body was as long as a dragon's, but it had two rows of short, withered arms along its torso. It must be said that the proportions were horrifying—the majestic Dragon God looked three times smaller in front of it.
What they had previously mistaken for a million-strong army was, in fact, its pitch-black, endless tail.
"Prince White Dragon! Don't lose to the monster!" The servant boy, overcome by terror, began to scream.
All the soldiers also began to cheer for the white dragon, their voices rising like a tide! The Western Vassal King also danced about, shouting along, "The White Dragon will prevail!"
The Queen felt like she was on the verge of a breakdown. She never expected she would have to face such a bizarre demon!
The white dragon let out a cold laugh—a dragon laughing was a strange sight indeed.
When his low laughter faded, everyone discovered that the white dragon had vanished!
Had he... fled?!
The Queen’s face turned deathly pale—no, Leng Jing! Had he run out of strength?
She hurriedly pulled out the Dragon Pearl Leng Jing had given her.
At that moment, the monster let out a wicked cackle. It twisted its massive body and charged straight toward the main camp. For a moment, the Lu camp fell into chaos as soldiers began to flee in terror.
The Queen bit her lip, suddenly grabbed a war blade, leaped onto a warhorse, and charged out alone.
"Your Majesty!" the Western Vassal King called out. He shouted, "Ah! Forget it! Am I to be less than a woman?!" He too mounted a horse and charged out.
Their frantic actions inspired many generals. Many soldiers, swearing to die for their country, also charged out in a desperate attempt to block the monster.
***
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