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Chapter 271: Chapter 271:Heaven’s Law! Wind Ripper!

The First Regiment was a disciplined and elite force; even the lowest rank held a cultivation level of the Golden Core Stage. Satisfied with his review, Zhong Shan discarded the papers and rose to address the twenty thousand soldiers before him.

"Zhao Chuan," Zhong Shan called out sharply.

"Present," replied Zhao Chuan, stepping forward with a salute.

"Conduct a headcount," Zhong Shan ordered in a voice that brooked no dissent.

"Yes, sir!" Zhao Chuan responded, turning to the regiment. "All units, conduct a headcount!" he commanded.

The officers immediately sprang into action, rallying their troops for the count. Zhong Shan waited patiently, observing the proceedings with an unyielding gaze.

After a short while, Zhao Chuan approached with a furrowed brow, looking somewhat apprehensive.

"What's the count?" Zhong Shan asked in a stern tone.

"Five men missing," Zhao Chuan reported.

"Five men missing from the First Regiment of the Grand Xu Army?" Zhong Shan's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Yes, General. It's General Li Feng and his four subordinates. General Li Feng is related to the Fourth Princess Consort," Zhao Chuan said, glancing at Zhong Shan with a troubled expression.

As Zhao Chuan finished speaking, the entire regiment turned their eyes towards Zhong Shan, awaiting his judgment. The tension in the air was palpable. How would he handle this?

"According to military law, what is the punishment for abandoning the camp?" Zhong Shan asked, his voice as cold as steel.

"The punishment is death. However, General Li Feng is related to the Fourth Princess Consort, and this isn't the first time he's done this. He's likely in Grand Xu City, indulging himself again," Zhao Chuan responded, his brow furrowed.

"So, according to military law, Li Feng should be executed?" Zhong Shan's voice rang with finality.

"Yes," Zhao Chuan affirmed, albeit reluctantly.

"Zhao Chuan, take ten officers with you and bring Li Feng to me," Zhong Shan ordered, his eyes blazing with determination.

"Yes, sir," Zhao Chuan replied, accepting the command without hesitation.

Zhong Shan returned to his seat on the dais, settling in to wait for Zhao Chuan's return. The hours dragged on—one hour, two hours, three hours—and the soldiers grew restless. Yet Zhong Shan remained patient, a pillar of steadfast resolve.

As dusk began to fall, a group finally appeared on the horizon. Zhao Chuan led the way, and beside him was a man reeking of alcohol, a sneer of disdain etched on his face. This was Li Feng, accompanied by his four subordinates, who trailed behind him sullenly.

They landed before the dais, the ten officers taking their places, while Li Feng and his men began to retreat to their positions.

"Stop!" Zhong Shan's voice thundered through the air.

Li Feng turned, a forced smile playing on his lips. "Did you call for me, General?" he asked with a hint of mockery in his tone.

"Who are you?" Zhong Shan demanded, his voice cutting through the evening air like a blade.

"Under my command is the Twelfth Division of the First Regiment of the Grand Xu Army. My name is Li Feng," Li Feng replied nonchalantly, his tone dripping with disdain.

"Li Feng, where were you earlier?" Zhong Shan asked, his voice carrying an unmistakable edge.

"Oh, earlier? I was at my aunt's place. She was hosting a banquet, and I went to attend. I forgot to mention, my aunt is the Fourth Princess Consort," Li Feng said with a smirk, clearly proud of his connections. He turned to leave.

"Did you apply for permission to leave the camp?" Zhong Shan's voice was stern, demanding an answer.

"Apply? Why would I, Li Feng, need to apply to leave the camp? Especially when summoned by my aunt? What application?" Li Feng scoffed, his disdainful smile never wavering.

"Leaving the camp without permission during a time of war is punishable by death under military law!" Zhong Shan declared, his voice booming.

"Death? Do you dare?" Li Feng's eyes widened in disbelief, filled with defiance.

"The Prince has granted me the Tiger Talisman. I am the commander of the First Regiment of the Grand Xu Army. My words are law," Zhong Shan retorted, his gaze unyielding.

"No one dares to execute me, Li Feng, least of all you. You, a mere Golden Core Stage cultivator, dare to command the First Regiment of the Grand Xu Army? Ridiculous!" Li Feng spat with contempt.

"Golden Core Stage?"

"What? Only Golden Core Stage?"

"How can a Golden Core Stage cultivator lead an army of twenty thousand?"

"General Qi Tian of the Second Regiment can summon the Heaven-reaching Great Ape. Why must we...?"

Whispers of doubt rippled through the ranks, filling the air with unease.

"Golden Core Stage? Who said I am at the Golden Core Stage?" Zhong Shan's eyes flashed coldly.

"Hmph! My aunt asked Zhao Chuan! Would Zhao Chuan dare to lie to my aunt?" Li Feng sneered, his arrogance palpable.

Deputy General Zhao Chuan's face twisted with helplessness, unable to conceal his frustration.

Zhong Shan fixed his gaze on Zhao Chuan briefly before turning back to Li Feng. An army's strength lies in its leader. A weak leader breeds cowardice among the troops, while a strong leader instills courage. Li Feng's insolence had already unsettled the army's morale. He had to die, and Zhong Shan needed to assert his authority—to command respect and fear across the ranks.

"Preposterous!" Zhong Shan roared.

"I'm preposterous? Ask Zhao Chuan! Would he dare deceive my aunt?" Li Feng shouted back.

All eyes were on Zhong Shan, waiting to see his next move.

Zhong Shan squinted slightly at Zhao Chuan, then said to Li Feng, "Very well, since you claim I'm at the Golden Core Stage, you will withstand a single strike from me. If one strike cannot kill you, you will be free to come and go from the First Regiment as you please."

"I accept!" Li Feng glanced at Zhao Chuan, then responded confidently to Zhong Shan.

"Whhoooooshhh—"

Zhong Shan drew out his massive sword, Night Terror, with a solemn expression. Li Feng, too, unsheathed his own blade, his face still filled with scorn.

Gazing at Li Feng, Zhong Shan took a deep breath and commanded, "Clear the field!"

At his command, everyone moved aside, leaving only Li Feng and his four subordinates in the center.

Heavenly Demon Body Refinement Art, Fourth Stage!

Zhong Shan's eyes suddenly gleamed as his mental energy surged into them. The world around him fragmented into pieces.

Fixing his gaze on Li Feng, Zhong Shan swung his sword. A massive blade energy, fifty meters long, slashed towards Li Feng.

Seeing the blade energy, Li Feng laughed derisively. He didn't even bother to release his own sword energy. What threat could this blade pose? They were separated by a hundred meters; what could a fifty-meter blade energy achieve?

Heaven's Law! Wind Ripper!

As the seemingly powerless blade energy headed straight for Li Feng, he stood there, full of disdain, confident in his invincibility.

As Zhong Shan's sword arced through the air, an earsplitting whistle filled the valley, stabbing into the eardrums of those with lower cultivation. Many felt a sudden, sharp pain in their ears. From the tip of Zhong Shan's sword, onlookers saw what appeared to be a tear—a rip in the very fabric of the air itself. The blade's edge seemed to part the air like tearing cloth, creating a sensation of a gaping maw in the atmosphere.

The piercing noise emanated from this strange void, as if the surrounding air had turned into a sheet of fabric, ripping apart from that point. The tear expanded rapidly, transforming into a gaping corridor through which a fierce wind roared, bursting outwards with violent force. The gale howled like a powerful wind spell, making the armor of the assembled soldiers clatter noisily.

The tear ripped through the air at an alarming speed, aimed directly at Li Feng, who was taken by surprise and barely had time to react. In that instant, Li Feng realized his mistake. His complacency had left him vulnerable. Panic flashed across his face as he tried to evade the rapidly approaching rift.

But it was too late. The rip in the air reached him in the blink of an eye.

From an outside perspective, it seemed as if Li Feng had frozen in place. In reality, he simply couldn't move quickly enough. In a desperate attempt to defend himself, he enveloped his body in a protective aura and raised his sword.

"Boom!"

But under the might of the Heaven's Law, all of Li Feng's efforts were in vain. Despite being a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, he was bisected in an instant by Zhong Shan's blade, his blood splattering into the sky.

"Boom!"

The remaining energy from the Wind Ripper didn't dissipate. It crashed into a nearby mountain, cleaving it in two with a thunderous explosion.

Heaven's Law! Wind Ripper!

"Whew..."

Zhong Shan exhaled deeply. The technique, Heaven's Law: Wind Ripper, was a breakthrough following his previous success with Wave Cutter, which sliced through water. Wind Ripper cut through the air itself, greatly enhancing his power with the help of mental force.

As Zhong Shan's mental energy returned to the red lotus in his brow, he slowly sheathed his massive sword, Nightmare.

"Thud!"

Li Feng's four subordinates quickly fell to their knees. Staring at Li Feng's bisected corpse, they immediately kowtowed to Zhong Shan, their voices trembling with fear.

"General! General, we were wrong! It was Li Feng who made us do it."

"Please, spare us, General!"

"General, we were wrong!"

Their terrified pleas filled the air as they begged for their lives.

Zhong Shan shifted his gaze to Zhao Chuan, who felt a sudden tightness in his chest.

"Execute them!"

"Yes, sir!" Zhao Chuan replied promptly.

Without hesitation, Zhao Chuan drew his sword and swiftly executed Li Feng's four subordinates.

After the executions, Zhao Chuan couldn't suppress a shiver. This commander was ruthless and decisive in his killings, showing no mercy.

The other soldiers quickly straightened up, the sight of the prince's nephew's execution fresh in their minds. If he dared to execute a relative of the Princess Consort, there was nothing he wouldn't dare to do. And his power—it was certainly far beyond the Golden Core Stage. Without a doubt.

With a single strike, Zhong Shan had instilled fear and respect in everyone. He then turned his attention back to the twenty thousand troops.

"Distribute Li Feng's former subordinates among the other divisions," Zhong Shan ordered.

"Yes, sir!" the soldiers responded loudly, their voices echoing even more powerfully than the Second Regiment's under General Qi Tian.

Looking at the troops, Zhong Shan knew that authority must be balanced with both rewards and punishments. Discipline had to be strict and impartial.

"In my army, rewards and punishments are clear. Offenders will not be tolerated, and those who achieve merit will not be neglected. From now on, we face the army of the Great Yu Dynasty. Starting now, kill or capture five enemies of your rank, and you will be promoted unconditionally," Zhong Shan declared.

"Yes!" the soldiers responded, their eyes gleaming with excitement.

Five? They only needed to kill five enemies to be promoted? This was an incredible opportunity.

"After each battle, anyone who fails to kill at least one enemy will be demoted by one rank," Zhong Shan added.

"Yes!" the soldiers shouted again.

For the lowest-ranked soldiers, demotion meant nothing. For officers, it seemed easy to kill at least one enemy. Rank was not a matter of cultivation level here.

"Good. Rest for the night. We march at dawn," Zhong Shan commanded.

"Yes!" the soldiers roared.

Deputy General Zhao Chuan couldn't help but marvel at this commander. With subtle tactics, Zhong Shan had established his authority and united the troops. How long had it taken? Just half a day to completely control the army?