Eternal Heavenly Emperor

The armies had already determined the victor, and as the losing side, Yuan Tiangang continuing the fight would only amount to a desperate resistance. In warfare, there is no such thing as bullying by numbers; it's certain that everyone would rush and beat him to death.

Yuan Tiangang was indeed fierce at the moment, but not fierce enough to fight ten opponents single-handedly, so he had no choice but to stop.

However, he felt there were still plenty of opportunities, so there was no need to kill Chu Hao immediately; it was perfect to let Chu Hao "enjoy" the taste of being suppressed by him as a massive mountain.

With the great war ended, the alliance between the Copper Valley Tribe and the Poplar Tribe had also reached its end, but they didn't immediately start fighting or allow the sacred war to end. Instead, according to the prior agreement, they each collected the spoils of war to first recover and strengthen their forces.

—Now that everyone had just experienced a great war with heavy casualties, no one was confident in securing a victory.

The so-called spoils of war were the surrendering soldiers from the two defeated tribes, among which there were quite a few at the War Venerate level. Naturally, both tribes wanted to select the strongest, inevitably leading to some squabbling.

Chu Hao returned to the camp and began his closed-door cultivation.

Through this battle, he had a sense of crisis rising within him.

Before this, he had felt his physique had reached the ultimate level before becoming a War God, and his Star-Body Dual Cultivation had also reached the peak of War King, unable to advance any further. Moreover, he had mastered Intents that not even a War Venerate could necessarily cultivate. Combining all these, he should have been invincible among his peers.

However, to his surprise, Yuan Tiangang had far surpassed him in the realm of Intents and was no less in the level of Star Force; he must be in the super Perfection of the Middle Three Realms. It was just unknown whether Yuan Tiangang had cultivated in Body Technique and what level his physique was at.

Because they had fought using war chariots, in front of the power of a War Venerate, the power of Body Techniques and physical strength was reduced many times over.

Unless they settled life and death before the sacred war ended, it would be impossible to bring the war chariots to the final ranking battle. At that time, it would be a thorough test of individual strength, and every component would be extremely important.

However, that "Supreme Being," since he could make Yuan Tiangang comprehend the Intents forcefully, on the contrary, enhancing Yuan Tiangang's physique and Body Technique a bit further wouldn't be difficult, would it?

It's like having already spent a hundred silvers on a luxurious coat; throwing in two more silvers for a belt is trivial.

He must assume the worst-case scenario, that all of Yuan Tiangang's abilities were not weaker than his, even surpassing him in Intents.

"This guy is quite lucky, to have the devoted cultivation of a Supreme Being," Chu Hao shook his head, slightly envious, but quickly adjusted his attitude. He was only slightly inferior to Yuan Tiangang in Intents, but he could compensate through other means.

"My Taiji Tianyuan has already achieved some success. Combined with Chaos Intent Realm, it could be said to be my strongest defensive technique now. Even if his Intent is stronger than mine, it might not affect me!"

"However, passive defense is not the solution; how can I achieve victory?"

"Hmm, if I could also cultivate Infinite Chaos to form, with one offense and one defense, I would have a great chance of winning, but is there enough time?"

"On the other hand, I can also try to merge the Three Great Life Springs; I wonder what kind of Ultra-Ability I could possess then. Intents are not omnipotent, and I have Intents too, which can defend. As long as my attack holds the advantage, I can also slash down Yuan Tiangang."

"Good, after the final ranking battle, whether it's Infinite Chaos or Life Spring integration, I must complete one!"

Chu Hao finally decided on his direction forward, and immediately started his cultivation tirelessly.

Gu Qingcheng, bored, propped her chin and watched, sighing, "He is really a cultivation fanatic. Following him, all I can do all day is watch him cultivate, or fight with others—completely unromantic! Cold and aloof, do you really want this kind of man?"

Su Wanyue, sitting cross-legged on the grass, was wiping the Xuan Yin Sword. Upon hearing this, she lifted her pretty face and said, "Whether I want him or not, what does that have to do with you?"

"Of course, it does," Gu Qingcheng said quite cheekily.

Su Wanyue's pretty face blushed, frowning as she said, "Don't be so vulgar!"

"Tsk, you're the prude here. After two people get married, wouldn't they do that? I'm just being honest, unlike you—cold on the outside but desperately sultry on the inside!" Gu Qingcheng huffed.

Su Wanyue's gaze turned icy, saying, "Are you trying to provoke me intentionally?"

"So what if I am? Cold and aloof, you cannot harm a single hair on me!" Gu Qingcheng flipped her hair, her black locks dancing wildly, looking charming and seductive.

This was a beauty that could evoke pity and affection with just one glance, mesmerizing even females to willingly obey her commands. Yet now, Su Wanyue felt a strong urge to smash her alluring, spring-water-like pretty face.

To provoke such a violent impulse in someone as calm as her showed how potent Gu Qingcheng's flirtation skills were.

Su Wanyue, however, hinted a faint smile at the corner of her mouth, saying, "I wasn't originally interested in him, but since you keep provoking me, I don't mind competing over it!"

"Cold and aloof, you indeed harbor dishonorable thoughts towards my man!" Gu Qingcheng shouted angrily.

"Wrong, this is mutual affection, a normal emotion for a couple in love. I'm just being honest." Su Wanyue calmly said, countering Gu Qingcheng's earlier provocation about "doing the deed."

"I'm so angry!" Gu Qingcheng jumped up, eager to make a move, but recalling that both of them bore the same mark, she knew initiating an attack would definitely result in her being sent flying. She had no choice but to forcibly suppress her anger.

"I have to admit, you're not less beautiful than me, but when it comes to power, you're leagues behind me!" Su Wanyue continued to provoke her.

Bang!

Gu Qingcheng stomped her foot hard, her hands on her hips, and declared, "I, Gu Qingcheng, swear here that I will surpass you in cultivation one day!"

"Oh, is that something happening in a hundred thousand years?" Su Wanyue said nonchalantly.

"You insufferable braggart!" Gu Qingcheng clenched her fists; she hadn't expected Su Wanyue's words to be so cutting, almost driving her mad.

"What are you talking about?" the Barbaric Girl poked her head out.

"Nothing!" both women replied simultaneously.

The Barbaric Girl shivered and said, "Both of your expressions look so fake!"

...

The distribution of the "spoils of war" lasted three days. Finally, the two great tribes decamped and fell back to the fifth checkpoint, preparing for the final battle.

Copper Valley Tribe obtained seventeen War Venerates; additionally, there were Zi and Long, the two strongest War Kings, and over a hundred war chariots, though few were still usable.

Overall, the strength of both tribes was evenly matched, the outcome depended on the tactical prowess of the commanders on both sides.

In this respect, outsiders were utterly inept. The Nine States valued individual power only; you could establish an invincible army of War Kings, but faced with a War Emperor, a single finger could turn the entire army to ashes. What's the point of such power?

The fact that both Copper Valley and Poplar Tribes had made it this far indicated that the commanders of both sides possessed excellent tactical abilities. What followed was a battle of wits between the commanders, weakening one side to a certain extent before launching the final great battle.

Chu Hao seized the time, either practicing his swordsmanship or striving to merge the Three Great Life Springs.

He had indeed initially formed a rudimentary Infinite Chaos, but it was insubstantial, the sword technique not only full of flaws but also weak in power.

Unlike the defensive Taiji Tianyuan, which allowed him to experience the flaws as others attacked him, Infinite Chaos required him to go on the offense. Since allies within the same camp could not fight each other, he couldn't exert the full power of Infinite Chaos if he controlled his strength.

This improvement could only be achieved in real combat.

He then focused on merging the Three Great Life Springs.

However, he had an intuition that if he began merging the Three Great Life Springs then, there was only one outcome—explosion of the springs, instantaneously disintegrating him into ashes, ensuring a thorough death.

A Martial Artist was able to self-destruct his Life Springs to enhance power at War King level, but three Great Life Springs blowing up together… how terrifying must that power be? Probably enough to make even War Venerates keep their distance. Wasn't that enough to kill Chu Hao several times over?

Both options had reached a deadlock.

Chu Hao panicked for a while, then soon stabilized his mentality. If he could create Infinite Chaos, that would be a Heaven-level technique. Were Heaven-level techniques so easy to create? Not to mention merging the Three Great Life Springs. Even in Ancient Times, no one dared to try that; it was straightforwardly suicidal.

He no longer appreciated military merits much, so he did not participate in the small-scale raids. He just waited for the final great battle.

However, both the Barbaric Girl and Fu Xue, the two battle enthusiasts, participated in every battle. Su Wanyue, fearing for their safety, also joined in. The three women indeed gained quite a bit of military merit.

But now, they couldn't redeem their military merits, and if Copper Valley Tribe were to lose in the final battle, all the military merits they accumulated would vanish. Naturally, they hoped Copper Valley Tribe would have the last laugh.

Time quietly passed, and as they reached the final stage, both tribes had excellent patience. Neither of them blew the horn for the final battle rashly.

Half a year passed.

The patience of both tribes was almost exhausted, as they both engaged in harassing fights. Though the damage from each harassment was limited, it accumulated impressively, and both sides were nearly at their limit of endurance.

The High Priest of Copper Valley Tribe convened the highest-level meeting to deploy strategies for the final great battle.

Chu Hao, Su Wanyue, and the Barbaric Girl, who had reached the peak of War King in her body technique over this half-year, making terrifying cultivation progress, were all invited to participate.

The High Priest, while presenting his views, also sought everyone's opinion. Chu Hao, however, appeared unconcerned, still pondering over how to merge the Three Great Life Springs. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)