From the Valkyrie to the Endless

Chapter 75: The bloody battle begins

The reason why spiritual ore is called spiritual ore is that it is completely different from ordinary iron.

Some of the sacred irons that exist in the world today are actually a type of low-level spiritual ore that can be used to carve spiritual formations and refine magical instruments.

Compared with materials, what is more important is the spirit formation. A powerful spirit formation can even fundamentally change the level of a magical weapon, turning decay into magic.

Every spiritual pattern in the spiritual array is a treasure carved out by the spiritual array master based on his understanding of the ultimate principles of heaven and earth. Even the lowest-level spiritual array is the result of the hard work of a spiritual array master.

High-level spirit array patterns are basically not passed on to outsiders and are only in the hands of some powerful spirit array masters. Therefore, the status of spirit array masters is quite extraordinary no matter in which era.

The introductory guide to weapon casting only recorded three types of low-level spiritual patterns, which had the effects of reinforcement, sharpening, and amplification.

During the days of melting the spiritual ore, Shen Qing looked at it over and over again, but he only understood the two types of spiritual formations: reinforcement and sharpening.

The structures of these two formations are not complicated, with only a dozen spiritual patterns. The amplification formation pattern is composed of more than 120 spiritual patterns, which are entangled with each other. Shen Qing feels a bit overwhelmed when looking at them. It will take more than ten days or half a month to sort out.

Shen Qing sat on the ground with his sword across his knees. In his hand, there appeared a finger-long carving knife. He began to carve spiritual patterns on the blade according to the spiritual array in the general outline.

The carving knife is also considered a magical weapon. It needs to be driven by true energy to leave a mark on the knife blank. It is not easy to use.

Shen Qing had carved less than half of the reinforcement array pattern when his true energy began to run out. He had no choice but to take out a Condensing Yuan Pill and swallow it before he could continue.

If she relies on absorbing the vital energy of heaven and earth, it will take at least half a month for her to recover, and the quality of her true energy will decline a lot.

It took nearly a day and three Ningyuan Pills for Shen Qing to carve the first level of reinforced spiritual formation.

Although the blade did not change much, Shen Qing tried it with the Earthly Evil True Fire. If he wanted to completely melt the current blade blank, it would take at least twice as long as before.

After being engraved with the spirit array, this sword has undergone a qualitative change in terms of its sturdiness.

After regulating his breath for a while, Shen Qing began to carve the sharpening formation pattern again, and in the blink of an eye, another day had passed.

After the array pattern was engraved this time, the sword changed obviously, as if it had been carefully polished in an instant. The back of the sword was nearly as wide as a finger, but the edge was as thin as a cicada's wing.

Its sharpness was even more astonishing. It broke through Shen Qing's true energy defense just like tearing a layer of thin paper, effortlessly.

The silver sword with two more spiritual patterns also looks heavier.

Magical instruments are divided into three grades: qualified, fine, and top grade.

If one magic array is engraved, it can be considered a qualified magic weapon. If two arrays are engraved, it can be considered a top-quality magic weapon. If three arrays or above are engraved, they are the best.

For Shen Qing now, a high-quality magic weapon is more than enough.

After packing up a bit, Shen Qing left the cave, climbed up the Jiutian Mountain, practiced for a few days, restored his condition to its peak, and then embarked on the return journey.

Use one less Ningyuan Pill at a time, so save as much as possible.

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The next day, noon.

The royal capital of the Moro Kingdom.

In the spacious parade ground, in a temporary tent, nearly a hundred generals gathered together. Most of them were surrendered generals from the Northern Territory countries. They were not familiar with each other and stood in groups of three or five. At a glance, there were many hills.

When there are too many people, people will feel confused. This is inevitable.

Zhao Yu sat at the desk with a calm expression, no longer tense as before. He seemed to have gained some skills in cultivating his energy and was not alarmed by anything.

A figure slowly stepped into the tent, wearing black armor, with a silver face and a silver long sword hanging behind his waist. There was no scabbard, and the blade was sharp. An aura of terror that was so powerful that it was outrageous filled the entire military tent, suppressing all restlessness.

There was silence in the tent for a moment, and all the generals looked at Zhao Yu, waiting for her to speak.

"From today on, December will serve as the chief general and command the three armies."

Zhao Yu stood up. His voice was not loud, but the information contained in it was extremely shocking. The position of the commander-in-chief of the three armies was of great importance.

Only Hao Yun, Zuo Jun, and several high-ranking generals from the Great Xia Army showed no signs of surprise. The moment Zhao Yu finished speaking, they knelt on one knee to greet him:

"See General."

Except for Hao Yun and Zuo Jun who knew the inside story, the others had all seen Shen Qing wearing a mask. They all had some vague guesses about her identity, but they did not dare to say it out loud.

The surrendered generals from the northern countries looked at each other for a while, then all knelt down to pay their respects.

They were conquered by force. The power displayed by Shen Qing was strong enough. To them, having more commanders was nothing more than having more people giving orders. There was not much difference.

Shen Qing said nothing more. He walked slowly to the geomancy map in the tent, pointed to a point hundreds of miles away, and gave the order directly:

"Order the army to assemble and march out tomorrow to raid the Tianchan Kingdom."

Tianchan Kingdom is the most powerful country within a thousand miles, with a population of nearly ten million and master-level experts in charge.

Shen Qing had no intention of wasting time. She wanted to directly integrate all the forces of the countries in the Northern Territory to fight back to Qianzhou and compete for the Central Plains.

Many generals were a little surprised and suspicious when he made such a big move right after taking office. But seeing that Zhao Yu said nothing and the leading generals bowed and accepted the order, they did not say much and just accepted the order and left.

The next morning, after making a fire and cooking, the 40,000-strong army marched out in full force, traveling light. Among them, 20,000 cavalrymen went ahead, and in just one day they covered more than 300 miles and attacked the Tianchan Kingdom directly.

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"kill--"

The deafening roar echoed above the battlefield. The city walls were stained with blood and the base of the walls were covered with broken limbs. From time to time, strong winds blew across the battlefield, bringing with them gusts of bloody wind.

The clanging sounds of swords clashing were endless, and all the soldiers were fighting to the point of madness.

More than ten miles behind the battlefield, Shen Qing reined in his horse and looked at the battlefield in the distance, without a trace of emotion in his eyes.

For her, taking action in such an environment is also a big burden. Her true energy is very precious and should not be wasted in such a place. Unless there are irresistible variables, she will not take action.

It is enough to have a few generals with perfect innate abilities leading the way.

In just one hour, the city gate was knocked open and the city was ceded to the new owner in an instant.

Only when the sounds of fighting on the city walls gradually subsided did Shen Qing ride his horse into the city.

The city was in a mess, with cries of grief everywhere. The army that entered the city instantly seemed to have turned into mad beasts, wreaking havoc in the city, venting the violence left over from the battlefield.

"After entering the city, all those who committed arson, murder, looting and rape, regardless of military rank, will be beheaded and their heads will be hung on the city walls for three days."

Shen Qing gripped the reins tightly, looked at the tragic scene in the city, and gave orders indifferently.

"This……"

The expressions of the generals following her changed. After the city was captured, everything in the city became the spoils of the army. This was almost an unwritten rule.

"Now I am the commander-in-chief of the three armies. What I say is the military order. Anyone who disobeys will be killed."

Shen Qing looked at the hesitant expressions on their faces, leaving no room for maneuver, and his tone remained cold and hard:

"I want an army, not bandits. Without severe punishments, there is no army."

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 76 December, Silver-faced Rakshasa

The sun is high.

As summer approaches, the weather becomes increasingly hot. The human heads hanging on the city walls flutter in the wind, and have become somewhat shriveled under the scorching sun.

During this entry into the city, more than a hundred people were beheaded. Such a severe punishment made the army silent for a while, but dissatisfaction also began to grow.

In previous wars, after a city was captured, everything inside the city became spoils of war, and looting had become an unwritten rule.

If there is no profit, no one will be willing to be at the front, which will undoubtedly be a huge blow to morale.

There have been many criticisms in the camp regarding the new commander Shen Qing, but no one dared to speak out.

A general who had entered the innate realm was beheaded by Shen Qing with a single blow just because he said a few words of dissatisfaction. Such a brutal method was undoubtedly frightening.

The lobby of the government office in the city.

The atmosphere in the hall was somewhat depressing. Many generals gathered together, but there was no trace of joy after the victory on their faces. Most of them had gloomy brows.

Shen Qingjing stood at the head of the crowd, saying nothing.

Zhao Yu stepped into the hall, walked slowly to the wooden desk and sat down. A thin book had been placed in front of the desk. It was the cashier's account book of the treasury. With the account book in hand, he could already know most of the basic situation in the city.

Zhao Yu briefly flipped through the account book, glanced at the generals, and said in a deep voice:

"The first person to climb the tower will be rewarded with 100 gold coins and promoted two ranks. All the gold and silver in the city treasury will be used to reward the three armies. Soldiers will receive 5 taels, sergeants will receive 10 taels, centurions will receive 20 taels, lieutenants will receive 100 taels, and lieutenant generals and above will each receive 500 taels."

In a casual manner, hundreds of thousands of taels of silver were spent, which was undoubtedly a shocking amount of money.

The generals were stunned, and then overjoyed. The dark clouds on their brows dissipated a lot, and they all bowed and saluted:

"Thank you, Marshal, for your grace!"

Zhao Yu remained calm, looked up at Shen Qing, and continued:

"In this war, in December, without my permission, he executed 153 people from his tribe. He acted presumptuously and should have been severely punished. However, considering the current situation of the war, I will allow him to make meritorious contributions while serving his sentence and temporarily punish him with a one-year salary."

"From now on, we will clearly establish military rules. After entering the city, it is strictly forbidden to burn, kill, and loot civilians. Announce this to the entire army. If anyone breaks this rule again, they will be executed immediately!"

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"The Marshal has given out the reward!"

Boxes of silver were moved out of the treasury, and what Zhao Yu said was spread throughout the three armies along with the silver.

With the huge amount of silver, the previous resentment in the army was diluted a lot, but there were still many people who were dissatisfied with Shen Qing. They were all happy to hear that she was punished.

In the eyes of most soldiers, this was a reward from the commander-in-chief and had nothing to do with Shen Qing.

Shen Qing was happy to see this happen.

In an army formed by a bunch of guerrillas, an absolute devil is needed to suppress the three armies. Without ruthlessness, one cannot establish authority, and without cruelty, one cannot hold power.

This role is perfect for her.

As long as they can clearly distinguish between rewards and punishments and give ordinary soldiers hope of climbing up the ranks, the army's morale will not be shaken. By inheriting the flag with the word "Zhao" from the Duke of Daxia, they will be able to stand firm.