Chapter 162: Conquest

Before the crossbow bolt could be fired, Ji Hao had already surged forward.

The Divine Eyes of the Golden Crow shone like the blazing sun illuminating the entire vault of heaven. Within his field of vision, even the twitch of a single grain of dust could be seen with absolute clarity.

Ji Hao did not miss a single motion of the Jia clan warrior behind Alodia, who was stealthily drawing a uniquely shaped, heavy crossbow. Even as the warrior’s finger merely hooked onto the trigger mechanism, a vast sheet of fire erupted from behind Ji Hao. The stream of flowing fire wings kicked up a flurry of afterimages, propelling him forward in a rapid flight.

The heavy crossbow discharged violently, and a bolt as thick as an infant’s arm hurtled through the air.

Ji Hao reached out his hand, his five fingers aiming precisely to grasp the middle of the crossbow bolt. However, the bolt traveled with terrifying speed, as swift as vanished time that could never be reclaimed. Ji Hao’s fingertips barely brushed the bolt, entirely powerless to stop it.

He watched helplessly as the bolt pierced straight through the Grand Elder’s chest. A streak of scarlet runes exploded upon the bolt, and a horrifying surge of destructive energy billowed forth. Subconsciously, Ji Hao rolled sideways. The stream of flowing fire wings carried his body in a horizontal spin, fleeing toward the flank at maximum speed.

With a deafening crash, the Grand Elder’s body, still bearing an expression of astonishment, suddenly detonated, his upper torso completely blasted into dust.

The terrifying explosive force raged strictly within a radius of three zhang. Beyond three zhang, not even a single blade of grass was harmed. Ji Hao escaped swiftly; the moment the crossbow bolt exploded, his lateral shift carried him precisely three zhang and six chi away. He vaguely felt the terrifying might of the explosion, and by sheer luck, managed to avoid being sucked into its vortex.

"Grand Elder!" A few warriors of the Golden-Eyed Lion tribe wailed in grief, simultaneously drawing their weapons and charging forward.

Whether in the Southern Wasteland or the Central Plains, the elder of any tribe was always the most respected and revered senior, deeply supported and cherished by all clansmen. For any hot-blooded tribal man, watching his own elder being slain by an enemy was a profound blood feud that demanded nothing less than repayment in kind!

"Bastard!" Ji Hao glared at Alodia, shouting sternly, "Alodia? What kind of creature are you, daring to claim this is your territory?"

Alodia cast a contemptuous glance at the coarse linen garments on Ji Hao’s body, his sharp gaze swiftly sweeping across the straw sandals at Ji Hao’s feet.

With a sneer of disdain, Alodia replied calmly, "You savage aborigines, uncultured and base creatures—speaking with you at any length is simply a waste of my life."

Taking a deep breath, Alodia haughtily tilted his head upward. "However, the noble Alodia is willing to bestow upon you a tiny shred of mercy. I can tell you this—because this land is exceptionally fertile, and buried deep beneath it are precious mineral veins of immeasurable value. Furthermore, there happen to be tens of thousands of slaves here who can serve as mining thralls... That is why I have come here, to conquer this place, and ultimately to possess everything within it!"

Affecting a noble demeanor, Alodia delivered this lengthy string of nonsense in a prolonged, operatic aria. Meanwhile, several warriors of the Golden-Eyed Lion tribe had already rushed close to his chariot, raising their heavy weapons to hack savagely at the triangular rhinoceroses pulling the vehicle.

The triangular rhinoceroses let out a simultaneous roar toward the sky. The scale armor on their bodies rippled and flipped layer by layer, each scale eerie in its transformation as it grew several times thicker than before, wrapping them tightly inside like a suit of heavy plate armor.

They were fierce beasts of the Great Witch rank. Generally speaking, the strength and defensive power of fierce beasts far surpassed those of human warriors at the same cultivation stage!

The Golden-Eyed Lion tribe warriors swung their weapons like madmen in a frenzied flurry of hacking and slashing. Sparks flew wildly across the rhinoceroses' scale armor, leaving large patches of scales battered to ruins. Yet the weapons in the warriors' hands also shattered and broke apart one after another.

"Foolish aborigines, do you still dare to resist the noble Alodia?"

Alodia waved a hand dismissively and said coldly, "Kill everyone who dares to resist. Their wives and daughters shall be awarded to you as spoils of war, to be enjoyed as you please. Conquer this tribe, and execute every single one of them who has white hair!"

Standing atop the chariot and guarding Alodia firmly in the center, the Jia clan warriors roared in acknowledgment. Five heavily armored warriors, standing roughly six meters tall, leaped into the air and jumped down from the chariot. Gripping heavily forged, peculiarly shaped long-handled serrated cleavers with both hands, they let out deep growls and charged forward in massive strides.

Ji Hao stared wide-eyed at these five Jia clan warriors.

Unlike the Jia clan warriors of the waning-moon legion, the aura emanating from these five subordinates of Alodia was drastically different from that of the waning-moon legionaries.

The warriors of the waning-moon legion possessed an aura of calm and precision, operating with the intricate exactitude of finely crafted machinery. Their combat techniques were terrifyingly ruthless, every strike clean and efficient—the ultimate instruments of slaughter.

In contrast, the warriors under Alodia possessed an aura of turbulent frenzy, like a raging wildfire that sought to incinerate others even as it consumed itself. Their movements were sweeping and unrestrained, akin to mad demons trapped in a state of hysteria. Every single blow was purely offensive, utterly devoid of any defensive posture.

Standing a full head taller than the Golden-Eyed Lion tribe warriors, these five frenzied combatants swung their nearly ten-meter-long massive blades in unison. With a crazed battle cry, they slashed downward together without holding back an ounce of strength. Their entire reservoir of physical power was poured entirely into this single strike; as they swung their blades, their arms instantly swelled to thicknesses even greater than their waists!

Innumerable thoughts flashed through Ji Hao’s mind. Waning moon, blazing sun—did these designations merely signify their origins and the factions they belonged to, or did they represent distinct systems of power in which each excelled?

Several Golden-Eyed Lion tribe warriors raised their weapons simultaneously to meet the enemies' colossal blades.

With a resounding crash, the weapons in the hands of the Golden-Eyed Lion warriors shattered on impact. The glowing, dazzling giant blades cleaved through the enemy weapons like bamboo splitters, descending fiercely to slash into the bodies of the Golden-Eyed Lion warriors.

Alodia smiled indifferently, deliberately raising his voice as he laughed, "This land is immensely fertile, especially the mineral veins underground. As long as there are enough mining thralls to extract the resources below, within a century at most, I will be able to build a castle of my own right here. One day, I shall become a towering Grand Administrator and return to my family bathed in infinite glory!"

While listening to Alodia’s words—for within this fellow’s speech lay a wealth of precious information—Ji Hao moved his hands into mudra seals. With a fierce snatching motion directed at the Golden-Eyed Lion warriors several miles away whose weapons had shattered and who were now completely helpless to resist, he pulled outward.

A gale rose violently from the flat ground. Swept up by the whirlwind, the Golden-Eyed Lion warriors spun rapidly as they flew backward, skimming close to the ground.

Fast as Ji Hao’s rescue was, the attacks of those Jia clan warriors had been so wild and ferocious that one warrior from the Golden-Eyed Lion tribe failed to dodge in time. He was cleaved cleanly in half at the waist by a blade, and the savage sword qi obliterated his physical form, blasting him into a mist of blood that spewed hundreds of zhang away.

"My loyal warriors belonging to Alodia, conquer this wretched aborigine nest for me!"

Alodia waved his hand with an arrogant flourish, casually pointing a finger toward Ji Hao.

"Execute this brat first... He actually dares to be even more handsome than the noble Alodia!"

*(To be continued.)*

**Translator's Note:** According to Alodia’s worldview, anyone better-looking than him must be decapitated! Well, thank goodness my appearance is thoroughly safe!