Chapter 12: Blazing

Chen Ming watched the lights in the distance. Those were the torches of the enemy, that grew in number as time went by, lighting up the night like a sea of stars. The lights were moving towards them like an unstoppable wave.

The generals looked at each other while holding their saber with shaky hands.

Wang Meng looked at how unwavering Chen Ming was and wondered where all his confidence came from. Even if Chen Ming was at the Dao Initiation realm, he still couldn’t kill all of them by himself.

Chen Ming looked at the messenger on a platform as he held two torches for sending orders, “Tell the Relentless Tiger Guards to stand by and the rest to hold their ground and await my command.”

He climbed on the thirty feet tall platform to overlook the enemy troops. What did a hundred thousand troops mean? If it were daylight, the shock would be less since the trees hid them. But since it was night, the torches looked like a sea, a sea of weapons.

The messenger was shivering.

Chen Min was waiting for Ye Ying. But he would only wait until the enemy was five li away before he gives the signal to start the fire.

A quarter of an hour later, a group of people dressed in black and a white cloth on their hands came out of the forest. Chen Ming smiled, The enemy is ten li out, let’s see where they will run to now, when the river will be blocking their escape.

Chen Ming ordered, “Leave no one alive!”

The messenger was dazed, Wouldn’t we be massacred when they get to us?

He wasn’t the only one, as all the generals had the same thought.

I’m done for. I put my life in Prince’s hand and my pure and delicate wife will run off with another man.

Then Chen Ming said, “Use the catapults to launch the fire oil and light up Jing Wang Tomb.”

Wang Meng cupped his hands, “Prince, you mustn’t! This forest goes on for miles, taking up a fifth of Yan Empire’s lads. If you use ignite it, then the forest will become a sea of fire. The death count will be unimaginable, with millions of people dead. And it will also make this area a wasteland. This is too cruel!”

Chen Ming shook his head, “Only Jing Wang Tomb will burn. Did you forget about the lines of trees that were cleared? How can it burn without trees?”

Wang Meng was confused, How can it burn without trees?

The river circling the Jing Wang Tomb won’t burn, and the only thing that could, was the corridor, but there was now a line separating the mouth of the corridor from the forest.

This convinced Wang Meng, “Prince’s divine strategies are something this low servant can’t understand.”

Ten catapults launched jars of burning oil, igniting large area each time they landed. The fire soon spread to the trees, turning into tens of zhang high flames and burning everything in its path.

In mere moments, a sea of fire surrounded Jing Wang Tomb.

With the river and the deforested line blocking the fire, the only place it could go to, was Jing Wang Tomb.

The fire burned brightly, turning night into day. In an area such as this, with trees close together, the fire continued to rise and with it, its temperature. It was even high enough to ignite the trees in the water.

Only now did the generals understood Chen Ming’s plan. They never expected for him to used fire, since it was the best and worse tactic. It would destroy the enemy but also a fifth of the empire if it went out of control.

They had no such worries now, since the fire wouldn’t reach them in a place devoid of trees.

And by the time it reached their area, only embers remained.

One by one, the generals were getting impatient for battle, eager to gather military contributions, as they waited for the enemy to meet their doom once they came out of the fire.

Their thoughts shifted from worrying if their pure and delicate ran away, to how many contributions can they garner.

Chen Ming pulled out Lustrous King Sword from his back, and jumped on it, flying towards the fire, “Where are the Relentless Tiger Guards?”

The thirty Relentless Tiger Guards flew on their swords behind Chen Ming as he shouted, “With this fire, even if they are a hundred thousand men, they would still die. We now need to handle the Dao Initiation realm cultivators stopping the fire from spreading. For victory and glory, will you men dare to follow me in battle??”

The men were moved and roared together, “Where Prince’s sword points, blood will be spilled!”

“Good, kill any who stands in your way!”

Chen Ming took the lead and flew inside the blaze. He didn’t even use his spiritual power to fend off the heat, as he wanted to test how effective was this Nine Nines Mysteries Art hardship cultivation method.

The fire spread along his body but the power in his blood protected him from injuries.

Chen Ming was delighted, as he no longer needed to squander spiritual power to insulate him from the heat like his enemy. He would have no problems handling an exhausted 4th stage of Dao Initiation realm cultivator!

Many dying shouts reached his ears, yet he was having the time of his life.

Chen Ming flew on his sword, as the firestorm twisted around him. He was like a fire lord, causing his men and generals to feel reverence towards this white figure gliding among the flames.

Who dared go through fire, cutting anyone in his path? No one but our Prince!