Chapter 129: The Frenzied Ascension Technique, Fleeing at the Sight of the Wind

"A direct confrontation is indeed a dead end. The only hope for a turnaround lies in my luring the desert insect swarm once again."

"Brother Han, was the divine object you presented to the First Prince yesterday truly capable of dispersing the insect swarm? But didn't you say yesterday that you only obtained two pieces? Could it be that you still have more of this divine item?"

"Haha, it is naturally true. How could I have brought them all out at once?" Han Chong smiled faintly. Fortunately, after discovering this 'Jinu Wood,' he had felled quite a bit more and stored it in his storage bag; in the Northwest Desert, this item was a rare and precious treasure!

The next morning, Han Chong and his two companions each took fifty thousand light cavalry and departed from the north gate. However, after traveling a hundred miles outside the city, Han Chong merged his right-wing army into Lei Wanshan’s vanguard command, and Xun Kang also combined his forces with them. He himself set off alone, speeding toward the direction of Anxi.

Before a single day had passed, he encountered the beast-riding forces of the two enemy nations. That was not all; behind them, hundreds of miles away, billows of dust rose, with an estimated army of several hundred thousand following closely. The beast-riding troops of the two nations were too fast, only slightly slower than the insect swarm, making it impossible to lure the swarm to cover and annihilate them entirely.

Han Chong lay quietly behind a rocky outcrop, waiting for the beast-riders to pass so he could draw the insect swarm to assault their rear guard. However, once he bypassed the beast-riders and reached the front of the enemy's rear guard, he discovered that over ten thousand civilians from the Feng Dynasty were being held captive in the middle of the army!

It seemed the princes of the two nations already knew he was not dead, and were using the northwestern civilians as hostages. Once he triggered the swarm, it would lead to a massacre, forcing him to hold back out of fear for the innocent. The situation was critical; if the enemy beast-riders encountered Generals Lei and Xun, the one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers under their command would be slaughtered to the last man. This dilemma was truly unsolvable; the lives of over a hundred thousand people now rested entirely upon him.

Watching the enemy army advance rapidly toward the east, Han Chong felt his heart burning with anxiety, yet his mind remained a blank. If he used essence-based techniques, it would only attract more exotic insects—what was to be done?

"Got it! If there were a technique that could rapidly relocate the civilians among the enemy army to another place, they could be spared from the swarm!"

Han Chong’s eyes lit up. He hurriedly searched his system, remembering a technique akin to the legendary divine ability, "Universe within the Sleeve," which could collect all things!

*Pot Heaven:* It is said that the cave-heaven within a pot contains its own universe; it can even open up spaces or immortal realms and store all things.

Confirming the cultivation, Han Chong immediately felt a stir in his heart. Raising his hand and waving it, a void space about a zhang wide formed before him. Its inner walls were misty and gray, while the center was as empty as the inside of a storage bag! But this space was far too small, capable of holding at most ten people.

Consuming skill points, Han Chong continuously upgraded the technique. The space grew larger and larger: three zhang, nine zhang, eighteen zhang, twenty-seven zhang, forty-nine zhang! After spending five skill points in succession, the space of forty-nine zhang in radius was barely enough to hold the ten thousand people!

Han Chong felt the consumption of essence in his dantian was immense. Simultaneously, countless exotic insects from the desert sand in all directions rose at the scent, rushing toward Han Chong in a frenzy!

He hurriedly withdrew the divine ability and switched to the "Godly Travel Technique" to lure and gather them. Within half an hour, he had formed a million-strong insect swarm, which rushed toward the enemy army tens of miles away.

The rolling swarm immediately caught the attention of the four enemy marshals, all of whom turned pale with shock!

"It’s that brat again! Does he not fear annihilating the Feng Dynasty civilians along with us? Where is Daoist Xiao Ling?" one of the marshals from the Bilu Kingdom asked, terrified.

"Who knows? Run!" The four marshals fled toward the east first. The six-hundred-thousand-strong army, like bees whose hive had been destroyed, abandoned the ten thousand captives and scattered in all directions. Some, in their blind panic, even fled toward Han Chong’s position.

The ten thousand civilians, their hands bound by ropes, had nowhere to run and gathered together, weeping. Seeing the bronze-armored general who had led the swarm charging toward them, they watched as he waved his sleeves repeatedly. The ten thousand civilians felt the world spin. When they opened their eyes again, they found themselves in a narrow, gray space, unaware of where they were. Could this be the underworld?

Han Chong felt his essence depleting with every breath, and he fled rapidly toward the south. A hundred miles later, his essence was nearly bottomed out, and he hurriedly waved his hand to dispel the Pot Heaven technique. Without a moment's hesitation, he doubled back, using the Godly Travel Technique to lead the pursuing swarm away.

The ten thousand civilians, having escaped death, felt as if they were in a dream. Seeing the back of the bronze-armored general speeding away, they mistook him for a heavenly warrior descended to earth and knelt to thank him for his great kindness. Meanwhile, the six-hundred-thousand-strong army of the two nations vanished forever into the Northwest Desert, consumed by endless terror.

The four marshals, trembling with fear and eyes bloodshot, shouted as they fled, finally drawing the attention of the two princes ahead.

"What is happening? Why have you four abandoned the army, and why are you in such a state?"

"It’s a disaster, Your Highness, Seventh Prince! That Feng army brat truly triggered the insect swarm. Most of our army has been buried in the insects' bellies!"

"What!"

"With over ten thousand Feng civilians as hostages, that brat is absolutely insane—he actually struck with such ruthlessness!"

"Where is Daoist Xiao Ling?"

"Reporting to Your Highness, the moment the swarm approached the army, Xiao Ling disappeared without a trace."

The two princes were devastated. Their two nations had truly failed this time; a million-strong army had invaded the Feng Dynasty for less than two months, and not a trace remained. They did not know how they would answer to their father, the King, upon returning home!

"Where are you running, enemy forces!" A loud shout came from afar. The two princes saw Han Chong approaching from the west using the Godly Travel Technique, followed by a million-strong swarm. They were terrified out of their wits.

"Retreat! Retreat!" The two beast-riding armies fled north and south. The swarm could not catch them, so Han Chong took out the Jinu Wood and dispersed it.

...

"Brother Xun, do you think Brother Han's trip will be auspicious or ominous?"

"Auspicious, of course!"

"Oh? How can you be so certain?" Lei Wanshan asked, surprised.

"Because whenever Brother Han encounters a crisis, he always turns bad luck into good. I have already grown accustomed to it," the latter replied with a wry smile.

"I think, to be safe, we should first find a mountain ravine to hide the army and wait for Brother Han's return. I’ve had a lingering sense of foreboding!"

"Look, someone is coming this way!" a subordinate general shouted.

"It’s Brother Han!" Lei Wanshan was overjoyed.

They saw Han Chong stop before them. Though he was pale and dusty, he wore a smile, looking as relaxed as if he had been bird-watching or flower-viewing.

"Brother Han, are you injured?"

"My essence is a bit depleted, but I have already led the insect swarm to annihilate the six hundred thousand enemy troops."

"Hiss!" A collective gasp of shock filled the air. The officers stared with wide, disbelieving eyes, unable to process the news for a moment. Six hundred thousand—this was a six-hundred-thousand-strong army! If commanded properly, they could have swept through dozens of counties in the Northwest of the Great Feng. And just like that, they had all perished!

"General Han, you aren't joking, are you?"

Though Xun Kang had already become numb to Han Chong's earth-shattering feats, he still felt his mind struggling to keep up.

"In a matter of such importance, how could I be joking? It is absolutely true. The beast-riding armies of the two nations have also fled. We can pursue our victory and take the Anxi Protectorate directly!"