NOVEL NEXT Ch. 10
Chapter 10: Fortune Advancement
Half an incense stick’s time later.
The bandits had already fallen into despair.
They discovered that no matter which direction they charged toward, they would inevitably be intercepted and slaughtered by the armored cavalry.
Even more terrifying was that those Black-Armored Riders seemed to grow fiercer the longer they fought.
The bloody net formed by their military formation grew increasingly solid and unbreakable.
“Fight them to the death!” a bandit leader roared hysterically.
Hundreds of desperate outlaws gathered together and launched a suicidal charge toward a section of the cavalry’s defense line.
Just as the formation was about to be breached—
“Boom!”
A bolt of lightning suddenly descended from the sky, directly blasting the charging bandits into the air!
Everyone instinctively looked up.
They saw a white-robed figure hovering high above the canyon, surrounded by dazzling arcs of lightning.
“It’s General Yan!” The Black-Armored Cavalry erupted in thunderous cheers.
Yan Chen stood with his hands clasped behind his back, coldly overlooking the bandits below in the canyon.
As a cultivator in the Divine Power Realm, he had long transcended the limits of mortal martial arts. Every gesture could stir the power of heaven and earth.
“You’ve run long enough. It’s time to end this.”
He slowly raised his hand, spreading his five fingers.
Instantly, the clouds above the canyon began to churn violently as countless electric serpents danced within them.
“Descend—lightning!”
With those two softly spoken words, countless bolts of lightning poured down like a torrential rain!
Each strike landed precisely upon the heads of the bandits, yet somehow avoided every single cavalryman.
“Ah—!”
Screams echoed one after another.
The bandits fell in waves—some turned into charred corpses, some covered in smoke.
Those lucky enough to avoid being struck were terrified out of their wits, collapsing to their knees and begging for mercy.
Yan Chen gracefully descended, lightning automatically parting before him.
That move had been brewing for quite some time and had nearly exhausted all his strength.
He looked toward the blood-soaked Zhang Feng and slightly nodded. “General Zhang, the rest is up to you.”
Zhang Feng nodded back and shouted, “Kill them all!”
At his command, the Black-Armored Cavalry began their slaughter of the utterly broken bandits.
Those beasts who had tormented countless citizens of the Great Zhou were now beheaded amidst their screams of terror.
In the end, only a few of the bandit leaders were kept alive—for Jiang Zhaoming’s interrogation.
The canyon was a scene of devastation—scattered limbs and fragments everywhere, the lush pasture stained with filthy bandit blood.
Zhang Feng spat on the ground and commanded, “Clean the battlefield and escort the prisoners back to camp.”
It took two full days for the Black-Armored Cavalry, working together with Duwen County’s militia, to complete the cleanup.
Watching all this, Yan Chen couldn’t help but feel a growing fondness toward the Black-Armored Army.
The task Jiang Zhaoming had assigned them merely required the cavalry to eliminate the enemy; he hadn’t asked them to help with the aftermath.
Yet Zhang Feng and his soldiers had voluntarily stayed to clean up the battlefield.
Thanks to their warhorses hauling materials, the militia saved a great deal of time.
After everything was settled, the Black-Armored Cavalry departed Duwen County amidst the cheers and farewells of its citizens, having perfectly completed their mission.
On the way back, Zhang Feng looked at the soldiers behind him.
In his limited memories of the Saint Tang Plane, he had never witnessed such a tragedy—so many civilians slaughtered.
Since the formation of the Black-Armored Army, they had rarely seen large-scale civilian casualties.
But here in the Great Zhou, they had witnessed the brutality of the bandits and the helplessness of the people.
Although dozens of their brothers had fallen in this battle, seeing the villagers’ smiles made Zhang Feng feel that it had all been worth it.
At the same time, within the Prince’s Manor, Jiang Zhaoming felt a stirring in his heart and took out the dragon-patterned jade pendant.
【Exterminated ten thousand bandits, aided Duwen County in restoring peace, earned 12 Imperial Destiny Value, to be recorded in next month’s Dragon Ranking】
Besides that record, Jiang Zhaoming also noticed that the contribution from the Black-Armored Army joining his forces had increased from 6 to 15 Imperial Destiny Value.
This brought his total Imperial Destiny Value to 37.
However, he frowned slightly, wondering how his father, the Emperor, managed to monitor all of this.
Even the expansion of the Black-Armored Army had been known to him.
As he pondered this, his consciousness sank into his mind to check whether his fortune had changed.
【Remaining Fortune: Blue *1, Green *8, White *13】
【Your recognition level in Duwen County has reached Level 2, gained White Fortune *2】
【Your recognition level in Duwen County has reached Level 3, gained White Fortune *5】
【Your recognition level in Duwen County has reached Level 4, gained Green Fortune *1】
【Your army annihilated ten thousand bandits, gained Green Fortune *1】
【You have accumulated 13 portions of White Fortune — Fortune Advancement function unlocked】
【Fortune Advancement: You may combine 10 lower-tier Fortunes to elevate them into 1 higher-tier Fortune】
Jiang Zhaoming’s eyes lit up as ten strands of White Fortune appeared in his hand.
He followed the method of Fortune Advancement, merging them together.
Ten clusters of white light intertwined, and gradually, a shade of green emerged within them, condensing into a glowing green orb.
【Remaining Fortune: Blue *1, Green *9, White *3】
Jiang Zhaoming’s face filled with delight. He had once thought White Fortune to be rather useless—
yet unexpectedly, it could be elevated!
This was indeed a pleasant surprise.
After calming himself, Jiang Zhaoming began to plan his next steps.
Killing enemies, gaining recognition, and earning the approval of powerful figures—all could bring him Fortune.
Currently, the situation in Anxi Prefecture was dire: public morale in chaos, rebels rampaging across the land, and the faith of the Great Zhou on the verge of collapse.
In such a time, as long as Jiang Zhaoming could save the people from suffering, he would surely gain tremendous devotion—
and his Fortune would flow endlessly.
He then pondered: what was most urgently needed in Anxi Prefecture right now?
After considering the conditions of each county, Jiang Zhaoming realized that they all faced a common problem—
Food!
Anxi was not like the Great Zhou’s heartlands; fertile green valleys like Yili were few and far between.
Most of Anxi’s terrain consisted of barren wastelands, grasslands, or even harsher snow mountains.
Thus, every autumn’s end, aside from a few counties such as Yili, the rest had to purchase large quantities of grain.
In previous years, Anxi Prefecture could rely on the Great Zhou’s grain routes to import high-quality food from within the borders.
But now, with war ravaging the land, that route had long been cut off by refugees and bandits.
“If I can secure enough grain before winter arrives, I can seize control over Anxi Prefecture’s lifeline.”
Having realized this, Jiang Zhaoming picked up his fishing rod, gazed at the River of Fortune, and took out his last Blue Fortune.
Moments later, his eyes gleamed as he flicked the rod—
a large blue fish transformed into auspicious light.
【Wonder · Black Soil Hills】: A land blessed by the legacy of Shennong, its soil dark as ink, smooth and moist to the touch, stretching for a hundred miles in length and twenty miles in width. Clear streams crisscross through the hills, and the grain grown from its fertile black soil is far superior to that of ordinary fields.
Looking at this newly obtained wonder within his repository, Jiang Zhaoming was overjoyed.
With the Black Soil Hills, not only could he resolve this season’s food crisis, but also ensure sustainable farming for the future.
Anxi Prefecture’s main water sources came from the Burial Dragon Mountain Range and the southern Tianwu Plateau.
However, with little rainfall, the rivers alone could not nurture fertile lands.
Thus, apart from a few oases, most of Anxi was unfit for cultivation.
Yet even as he held such a miraculous wonder, Jiang Zhaoming felt hesitant.
The Black Soil Hills, unlike the Black-Armored Army, would surely attract great attention once manifested—it spanned a hundred miles, after all.
Such a phenomenon could only be caused by those of immense power.
Across the Great Zhou, only a handful of such figures existed.
If a new mountain range suddenly appeared in Anxi Prefecture, it would inevitably draw investigation.
After a moment of contemplation, Jiang Zhaoming decided not to overthink it.
With firm resolve, he began choosing where to place the wonder.
After careful consideration, he decided to set the Black Soil Hills within Yili County—
specifically, on a pasture fifty li west of the prefectural city.
That grassland had long degraded due to overgrazing—making it the perfect place for the wonder to appear.