Heavenly Jewel Change
chapter-152-1

Chapter 152 Highest Level of the Demonic Change State! (1)

However, it wasn’t long before Long Shiya and Duan Tianlang were given the surprise. The first was the sheer offensive capabilities and killing strength of the Peerless Battalion archers.

Seeing row after row of Consolidated Bows shooting out arrows at lightning speed, how could Long Shiya not understand that almost the entire force of thousand soldiers of the Peerless Battalion were all Jewel Masters!

To a Heavenly Emperor powerhouse like him, an ordinary Jewel Master was almost nothing, pretty much like an ordinary person, a mere ant when compare to him. However, with over a thousand ordinary Jewel Masters gathered together, the sheer combined forces they could bring into play was definitely startling. The rain of arrows they were showering upon the Swift Wolf Regiment was indeed proof of that.

The next surprise that came to them was the tactics used. The trench of fire that had been prepared, able to efficiently block the enemy’s charge while taking down the officers’ mounts. Zhou Weiqing’s ferocity and how he had actually managed to block a nine-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master… all of that was totally out of Long Shiya’s expectations. Originally, he did not really like the fact that Zhou Weiqing had Stored so many Skills, but when he truly saw Zhou Weiqing in action with his full power, only then did he realise that with the help of the Demonic Change State and his own proper usage and compatible integration, Zhou Weiqing was able to make full use of the advantage of his many Attributes. Making use of his opponent underestimating him, he was able to bring the surprise and unleash his greatest power in a short period of time.

Even at that point, Long Shiya still did not believe that the Peerless Battalion would succeed to the end. After all, the Wolf Cavalry Soldiers still numbered more than eight thousand and were starting to route around the fire trenches. Once they reached melee range, even if all the Peerless Battalion soldiers were Jewel Masters, they were mostly at a single Jeweled cultivation, with maybe a few at two-Jeweled. Facing the charge of the powerful Wolf Cavalry soldiers, it was doubtful they could hold their ground.

Yet, once again, Long Shiya was quickly proven wrong. When he saw the three hundred Peerless Battalion Air Force soldiers appear in the skies, there was only shock and admiration left in his eyes. What kind of unique thinking that was to bring out the latent potential in such an army troop! Instantly, Long Shiya knew that Zhou Weiqing definitely had the support of some Consolidating Equipment Masters, otherwise how could he possibly get so many Consolidating Equipment Scrolls to create such an army.

The Peerless Battalion Air Force, their arrows and the javelins, not only were they extremely efficient in killing, they were also able to buy enough time for their allies to retreat safely. In the end, the Swift Wolf Regiment did not dare to pursue them and had to retreat, licking their wounds with a terrifying forty percent loss.

Total Victory. No other term could describe it. This was a true victory belonging to an unheard of, fully ranged army troop. Tactics, Strategy, Personal Strength. In this entire fight, it could be said that all three had played their own major roles, and the Peerless Battalion had made use of their strengths to perfection, defeating their opponents in a crushing fashion.

Long Shiya knew from Zhou Weiqing that he had only been in the northern borders for about half year. In half a year, being able to form such an army and having them grow to such a height… if he was really given sufficient time, what would this Peerless Battalion end up becoming? Would they become even more disgusting? All of a sudden, Long Shiya felt as if he had a fresh feeling of anticipation, something that he had not felt in over several dozen years. More importantly, this Peerless Battalion Battalion Commander was his own disciple!

All his life, Long Shiya had been a lone ranger, learning, fighting and living on his own out in the world. Yet, when he witnessed Zhou Weiqing’s Peerless Battalion fighting together on the battlefield, he suddenly felt as if commanding a troop in battle was actually an interesting thing after all. As such, he did not mind aiding his disciple in improving the Peerless Battalion and making them stronger.

“With only five to six thousand men, will it be too few? After all, you will be facing one of the first rate Empires in the entire Mainland. Although the Bai Da Empire is not comparable to the top end Empires like the ZhongTian Empire, its army still numbers at least five hundred thousand or more, and the amount of powerhouses they have cannot be underestimated. With just the few thousand men you plan to have, I’m afraid it’s not enough to fight against an entire Empire like that.” Long Shiya said.

Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily and said: “If my aim was to conquer them, it is naturally not enough. However, if we are just trying to damage and hurt them, I feel it is more than sufficient. Indeed, they have many men, but what use is a ragtag band no matter how much they number? No matter how many rabbits swarm an adult male lion in his prime, they cannot kill it. The greatest advantage of our small numbers is our speed and flexible movements. You have already seen for yourself how my Peerless Battalion is mainly ranged combat… and the true reason I plan to give them all the Consolidated Wings is just so that in case we meet any foes we cannot fight, we can easily run away. At the same time, we can easily choose where we want to fight, able to switch battlegrounds at our will. In a single day, we can appear in various different places to fight just from our sheer mobility. In such a case, as long as the Bai Da Empire does not have any troop like us, it will be impossible for them to stop us and wipe us out.”

Long Shiya said: “So… how do you plan to continue training these men in the future?”

Zhou Weiqing replied: “That Legion Commander Shen Ji already promised to send me the rest of the northern army Ruffian Battalions, and I estimate that it will bring our total numbers up to more than four thousand, maybe five thousand. That is a sufficient number, just right by my calculations. What comes next will be to go all out in forging them into not individual fighters, but a great unit. I need to ensure that all their interests are linked to mine, and also to constantly improve their personal strength. Once their teamwork and morale is up to speed, and they are able to fight together, then our main focus will be to improve everyone’s personal strength. If one day, all my Peerless Battalion soldiers can reach the pinnacle of their Physical or Elemental Jewels, then I can easily sweep through any Empire.”

Long Shiya examined Zhou Weiqing closely for a moment, but in his eyes, Long Shiya did not see any vast ambition, just a strong fighting spirit. Indeed, Zhou Weiqing was not a man with much ambition, but all he wanted to do was to revive him Empire. Yet, someone like him, if he truly accomplished what he had just set out to achieve, then perhaps he would become a Legend and a Myth in his own right…”

“Little Fatty, just go ahead according to your plan, teacher will support you. In this world, as long as you dare to think and try, there will always be opportunity and chances that arise. Who knows… perhaps in a few dozen years time, you will create the Sixth Great Saint Land in the mainland.”

Great Saint Land? Upon hearing those words, Zhou Weiqing started. He had not expected that his teacher would look so highly upon him. Seeing Long Shiya’s smiling face, he couldn’t help but grin and say: “Heh heh, Master, if I were to really create a new Great Saint Lands, then you would become the Grand Founding Forefather!”

“Hahaha!” Long Shiya might not have spent a lot of time with Zhou Weiqing, but compared to many of those who had been with him for a long time, he actually understood this little rascal very well.

“Buttering me up like that, are you trying to con me again? Don’t even think about it! When I said I will support you, it is morally and spiritually, not materially. Little brat, I have already given you my entire life fortune, you better not splurge it all at once. Upkeeping a huge army with that may be impossible, but to sustain your five thousand men for a few dozen years should not be a problem.”

Zhou Weiqing was slightly embarrassed, saying in an abashed tone: “Teacher, I’m not asking you for money, you have already given me more than enough. However, as you see, though my Peerless Battalion’s overall strength is still alright, but we just lack true powerhouses. Now, I have a few Heavenly Jewel Masters who have just Awakened, but they are still at the single-Jeweled stage. However, their latent potential would be the highest amongst the entire Battalion… if Teacher can give them a few pointers, then they would benefit greatly from it for life.”

Long Shiya said exasperatedly: “I just knew you little brat would not be so good. Still, although those men are Heavenly Jewel Masters, they are much older than you, and their Heavenly Jewels are only just Awakened. There is definitely no hope for them to break through the Heavenly King Stage. Are you trying to make me waste my effort?”

Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily and said: “Just some simple pointers… even if you really wanted to teach them seriously, I would be the one who would be unwilling! I can be a jealous disciple!”

Long Shiya couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Alright alright, I get it. Simple pointers, do you really need me? What are you for then? Also, there is that Heaven’s Expanse Palace little girl, you two are more than enough to teach them.”

As he spoke up to that point, Long Shiya suddenly grew very serious and he said solemnly: “Weiqing, there is one thing I have to warn you. By creating such an army, you will definitely run into problems… that is jealousy.”

“Jealousy?” Zhou Weiqing started. “What do you mean, teacher? Why jealousy?”

Long Shiya said solemnly: “Do you know the true reason why the Heavenly Demon Sect has always been discriminated against and suppressed so hard by the other Great Saint Lands? Do you really think it is because they are unable to control their Demonic Change State or are inherently evil? In this world, there is one rule that always remains constant. The victors are the good guys, and the losers are always the evil side. So what if a power tends to the evil side? Does it mean a person with the Evil Attribute cannot do good? Or vice versa? The true reason why the Heavenly Demon Sect has always been suppressed to such a degree, that they have become the weakest of the Great Saint Lands, and never been able to grow past that…… it is because the Demonic Change State is just too powerful, so powerful that all the other four Great Saint Lands were jealous of it. Not just jealous, but also afraid that if the Heavenly Demon Sect would grow to surpass them and stomp them below their feet.”

“This same principle can apply to your current position. By forming an entire army of several thousand Jewel Masters… do you really think you will not strike fear and jealousy into others’ hearts? As soon as your men grow past a certain strength, it will be certain to invoke jealousy in some others’ hearts, and it will only grow stronger and stronger. In fact, there is only one single way to solve this problem.”

“What method?” Hearing Long Shiya’s words, fear gripped Zhou Weiqing’s heart. His teacher’s words struck true to the heart, and he knew that this was the voice of experience speaking, and this was something very real that he had not thought about previously.

A bright light gleamed in Long Shiya’s eyes and he said: “As the saying goes, only a useless person will never evoke jealousy from others. That solution is simple, but not easy. You, as the leader and main dominant force of the Peerless Battalion… must be powerful, sufficiently powerful enough. Only when one day your personal power reaches my level or beyond, then can your Peerless Battalion truly become a Great Saint Lands.”

Zhou Weiqing grinned and said: “Why not Master takes the lead then, and be our figurehead and powerhouse, and you can be the leader of the Great Saint Lands too!”

Long Shiya looked at his little disciple with a bit of a headache. “You think too much. I have already seen through you, little brat, you do not have any whit of ambition in you. If not for the fact that your home, your Empire, and your family had such a terrible thing happen to them, I would guess that at most you would only cultivate and train by yourself, and not attempt to build up such a force.”

Zhou Weiqing scratched his head sheepishly and said: “It is as teacher said… though I do hope that I can strengthen my homeland Empire to a sufficient degree.”

Long Shiya said: “Alright, you already understand all the underlying principles and dangers, and I do not need to talk too much anymore. The reason why I mention all this to you is to let you work harder, and improve as fast as you can. Before the age of thirty, you must definitely break through the Heavenly King Stage. Only then do you have enough time to handle to difficulty of cultivation which you will face after reaching the Heavenly King Stage.”

Zhou Weiqing quickly agreed.

Long Shiya continued: “From now on, you will train under me for sixteen hours, and the remaining eight hours will be for you to rest or handle your Peerless Battalion matters.”

“Sixteen hours!?” Zhou Weiqing stared at Long Shiya with his jaw agape, thinking to himself that it was absolutely too much. After all, it was not just simple meditation and cultivation if he was learning from his master. Although he already had previous experience in such tough training methods when he went through the Three-Thousand Tempering Training, that previous time was because his hand was forced. Yet, it seemed like his teacher was saying that he would have to do this from now on for the foreseeable future.