Piercing Cries of Agony

Zhi Bai was a youth from Hua Gang City, another stronghold within the territory of Xi Shan.

His family had a long tradition of farming, and his generation was no different. However, their fortunes had recently plummeted; a locust plague the previous year had wiped out their entire harvest. No harvest meant that their money, time, and effort had all vanished into thin air, leaving them buried in debt. His father fell gravely ill, and with creditors hounding them daily, his mother could no longer bear the burden and fled, leaving him behind with his sickly father and young siblings.

Zhi Bai had once thought of following his mother’s lead and simply leaving, but he could not bring himself to do it. Looking into the innocent eyes of his younger siblings, he could not be so heartless. He remembered his childhood; though his father worked from dawn till dusk in the fields, he always remembered what Zhi Bai liked. There was even a time when his father had skipped meals and worn tattered clothes for who knows how long, just to buy Zhi Bai the toy he had begged for.

Zhi Bai looked at that toy, still kept on the shelf, and gritted his teeth to keep the tears from rolling down his cheeks. He walked to his father’s side and knelt, kowtowing.

"Father, this unfilial son cannot share your burden. I will enlist in the Xi Shan army to earn money for your medicine," Zhi Bai said, his eyes rimmed with red.

Zhi Bai’s father lay on the mat, lacking the strength to move or help him up, but tears of agony streamed from his eyes—tears of poverty and resignation.

"Father, please wait for me. Siblings, please take care of Father for me."

When the day of enlistment arrived, Zhi Bai had nothing left in his house. He brought only himself, a bit of dried food for the journey, and his gardening hoe. He waved goodbye to his young siblings, having left a small amount of savings with an aunt to look after the family.

Zhi Bai had joined the Xi Shan army to earn money for his father’s treatment, but now, his face was pale as he watched a group of fierce Dai Le soldiers swinging their long sabers and spears, aiming to dismember him.

"Ah!" Zhi Bai fell back in terror, his hands flailing wildly as he shut his eyes tight, not daring to face the approaching death.

After a moment, feeling no pain, Zhi Bai suddenly thought that death was perhaps not as painful as he had imagined. A smile of liberation touched his lips. *Father, I couldn't do it. I'm sorry. Siblings, I'm sorry.*

"What are you doing?"

But a powerful shout suddenly rang out, causing him to look up. Before his eyes stood a youth of similar age, his face resolute and devoid of fear. The youth gripped a brilliant red spear and sat atop a green ox.

"Stand up and fight with me! I am Zheng Donglan, and I will never abandon you!" Zheng Donglan smirked, reaching out a hand toward Zhi Bai.

Zhi Bai dazedly took Zheng Donglan’s hand. From the other's palm, he felt a surge of warm energy that soothed the fear that had long occupied his heart.

Every time Zheng Donglan’s brilliant red spear swept out, it left Zhi Bai speechless with shock; no one survived beneath that spear. Not only he, but many others in the Xi Shan army were being saved.

Zhi Bai clenched his fist, his nails digging into his flesh until blood seeped out. He stared intently at Zheng Donglan’s figure, wanting to follow this youth, to kill Dai Le soldiers alongside him, or even just to follow him would be enough to satisfy his heart.

"I am Zhi Bai!" Zhi Bai roared, hurriedly picking up his hoe, fearing that Zheng Donglan might not hear him.

"Charge, Zhi Bai!" He saw Zheng Donglan turn to look at him, speaking softly.

"Yes!" Within Zhi Bai, a source of power that had been suppressed for so long seemed to awaken, and he let out a great shout.

"Donglan, well done!" Li Ge broke through the encirclement to reach Zheng Donglan’s side, praising him as he saw Zhi Bai’s soaring morale.

"It is only what needed to be done," Zheng Donglan replied.

Zheng Donglan did not know how his casual act today had changed the destiny of a man, nor what Zhi Bai’s fate would eventually become.

...

The massive army of Dai Le seemed endless, charging out wave after wave. Most Xi Shan soldiers came from farming backgrounds and found it difficult to resist.

"If we face them head-on, we cannot win. Every squad of five, surround one giant! Those at the Fifth Grade, step forward to kill them!" a Xi Shan Heavenly General roared.

A group of five surrounded one giant. Due to its massive size, the giant moved slowly. The Xi Shan soldiers were small but agile, dodging the giant's attacks.

While the giant was busy attacking one person, the others in the squad would attack from behind, infuriating the giant, who felt like he was being gnawed at by ants without being able to do anything.

"Good!" The Xi Shan soldiers cheered, confidence rising in their hearts.

But even a small mistake in movement was enough to break the formation, and in a battlefield crowded with people, mistakes were the most likely thing to happen.

One Xi Shan soldier, while dodging, accidentally bumped into another, causing both to freeze, looking up in horror at the giant.

The giant seized the opportunity, a massive mace sweeping down. Both soldiers exploded into a cloud of fresh blood, and the formation shattered instantly.

"Reform the array!" The Xi Shan Heavenly General, who was engaged with an enemy general, saw this and roared, his eyes sparking with fury.

"I am here!" At that moment, Ding Boling stepped forward to save the day. His long saber was enveloped in Tai Xuan True Qi, expanding by a margin as it slashed toward the giant.

The giant possessed keen senses, perceiving things ordinary people could not. As the Tai Xuan True Qi appeared, its primal instincts told it to be afraid, to flee.

"What are you doing?" It was the enemy Heavenly General's turn to roar, seeing the giant turn and run, he was beyond furious.

"Get back here!" the Dai Le Heavenly General bellowed.

"Stay here and fight, your opponent is me!" The Xi Shan Heavenly General, seeing his opponent's fury, shouted with excitement.

"Move!" the Dai Le Heavenly General glared.

"If you're so capable, make me move!" the Xi Shan Heavenly General said disdainfully.

"You seek death!" The two Heavenly Generals clashed, their weapons throwing off countless sparks.

With a single strike of his saber covered in Tai Xuan True Qi, Ding Boling sliced five giants in half at once, their blood pouring out like a small river.

"Follow that brother!" The Xi Shan troops, seeing Ding Boling’s divine prowess, swung their weapons and cheered.

Ding Boling turned his head to look at them, nodded, and led the crowd as they slaughtered the enemy.

"There are only ten giants left in the Dai Le army!" a soldier shouted.

"Good, let us kill them all together!" Ding Boling nodded.

Following Ding Boling were soon over a hundred soldiers, all of whom had voluntarily joined him because of his bravery.

Ding Boling fought three giants alone, blocking most of the enemy's strength. The other hundred soldiers played dirty, ganging up on a single giant. Like a swarm of ants killing an elephant, the giant could only stare in wide-eyed injustice as it died.

"Haha!" The hundred Xi Shan soldiers laughed loudly, feeling immensely gratified. They had endured these giants for far too long.

"Thank you, brother!" The hundred men looked at Ding Boling and spoke sincerely.

"Continue!" Ding Boling’s saber did not stop, taking the lives of four more giants in one stroke.

The hundred elite soldiers continued to gang up on another, growing more spirited as they fought. One of them, out of sheer spite, swung his leg and kicked the giant in the groin.

"Agh!" The giant, kicked in its vital spot, roared in rage.

"What are you screaming for? Kick him in the groin, brothers!" A soldier sliced through a tendon, causing the giant to collapse to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. The first soldier who had kicked the groin raised his hand and shouted.

"No!" the giant cried out piteously as it was kicked repeatedly in the crotch by a crowd of Xi Shan ruffians. Its groin throbbed and buckled as if trampled by a band of bandits, until it finally died from excessive blood loss.

Its agonizing shriek echoed across the battlefield, causing everyone on both sides to involuntarily pause for a beat, trying to find the source of the cry.

"What was that?" Zhi Bai, carrying his hoe, ran forward and couldn't help but turn back in surprise.

"Probably a bird crying," another soldier scratched his head and said foolishly.

"A bunch of bastards!" The Dai Le Heavenly General’s eyes nearly popped out as he spoke in fury.

"That is called a tactic, do you understand?" The Xi Shan Heavenly General, seeing the giant's pathetic state, burst out laughing.

"Hmph!" The Dai Le Heavenly General swung his long saber at the Xi Shan Heavenly General, who retaliated in kind, their strengths evenly matched.

The Dai Le Heavenly General found it difficult; killing the enemy before him was no easy task.

"Do you know what else is needed on a battlefield besides a strong general?" the Xi Shan Heavenly General suddenly asked.

"What?" the Dai Le Heavenly General asked in surprise.

"Having strong comrades," the Xi Shan Heavenly General smiled.

Behind the Dai Le Heavenly General, Ding Boling appeared. His Tai Xuan True Qi was fully unleashed, layers of earthy-yellow True Qi enveloping his great saber as he leaped into the air to strike at the opponent's head.