Chapter Thirty-Five: Celestial Might and Earthly Fury

The Empire of Heavenly Fire was situated at the southernmost edge of the Continent of War. Except for the region bordering the Holy Land Empire, where the climate was temperate, the rest of the empire was perpetually scorched by intense heat, and the concept of winter simply did not exist.

Flame City, the capital of the Heavenly Fire Empire, lay atop the crimson Rol Plateau. Despite its altitude, the plateau’s southern location ensured that the climate remained sweltering. By the third quarter of the hour after dawn, the temperature in Flame City was already nearing forty degrees. One hundred and eight soldiers, including Black Iron whose injuries had only just begun to heal, stood straight as arrows, resembling one hundred and eight towering iron pillars.

The sun blazed down on them, and hot sweat poured from their faces, as if they had been drenched in oil.

Hu Mo, clad in white, stood beneath the searing sun like the others. Yet unlike them, not a bead of sweat marred his fair skin, making him stand out dazzlingly among the group of “dark warriors.” The Sacred Tree King Cauldron absorbed the essence of the sun’s true fire, and the Silken Lock emitted a chill to shield him, so Hu Mo found it difficult to sweat even if he wished.

Unexpectedly, Cang Ling, who usually trailed after him like a shadow, was absent today. Hu Mo had noticed her sneaking around the Hu residence last night, up to who knows what. He felt awkward asking her—who knew if she would douse him with cold water or silence him with a sharp retort? He could only sigh softly, lamenting his own thin skin.

Yet, without his shadow, Hu Mo felt strangely incomplete. Wherever he walked, he found himself glancing back, only to turn away disappointed. This peculiar sense of loss puzzled him.

He sighed, surveying the assembled soldiers, feeling both joy and worry. He was pleased by their vigor, which truly satisfied him; but troubled by their cultivation levels. Though their fighting prowess surpassed his own, most were twice his age—thirty or forty years old, yet only at the seventh rank of Berserker. It was rather unimpressive.

Still, Hu Mo had plans. With a wealth of battle techniques and skills at their disposal, what was there to fear about breakthroughs?

Upon his initial understanding of the Five Element Transformations—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—he discovered they each gave rise to endless battle skills and techniques. As he practiced them one by one, his astonishment only grew.

It was truly a treasure trove capable of driving the world mad! Hu Mo felt like the Many-Treasure Daoist from the “Investiture of the Gods”—with a casual wave, he could unleash a multitude of battle skills.

For now, the skills he had acquired were all of the human grade, not particularly wondrous. Still, even so, they were far superior to the same-grade techniques of this world—simple, flawless, and easy to learn.

The one hundred and eight soldiers, though from the Fire God Army, had only learned mediocre skills. This was inevitable; powerful techniques could never be widely disseminated, or else experts would be everywhere.

The hour of the snake was nearly upon them, yet Hu Mo still had not ordered them to move. The warriors of water, fire, and earth seemed indifferent, but those of wood and metal were pitiable—fire subdued metal and weakened wood, and their bodies began to smell scorched in the heat.

Yet the soldiers stood as if forged from iron, unmoving, which pleased Hu Mo greatly.

“Brothers, thank you for coming. The fact that you have taken this step means that, in my eyes, you are no longer cowards!” Hu Mo shouted, his voice rolling across the parade ground with the waves of heat.

This field had once been Hu Yihu’s idle training ground for his guards. Now, it was handed over to Hu Mo to train these zealous soldiers.

“Thank you, Young Master—!”

“Thank you, Young Master—!”

With just a single phrase, the one hundred and eight soldiers shouted excitedly, those who had been dizzy from the sun now roaring as if injected with adrenaline.

Hu Mo slowly raised his hand, signaling for silence. The soldiers obeyed, stopping their shouts, all eyes fixed intently upon him. If gazes could generate heat, Hu Mo might well have been set aflame.

“But it’s not enough that I think you are not cowards. You need the recognition of everyone! Do you know why I criticized you so harshly last time? Because I saw arrogance and pride in you—a warrior should never possess such traits. A warrior must have dignity, but never conceit or arrogance! Only by shedding that pride and walking each step steadily will you obtain what you truly desire!”

“From today, your past becomes history. You will embark on a path truly your own! I am the same—I did not bring you out just to play games, but to carve out a world for ourselves.”

“From today, I am the commander of the Star Battalion! As I said before, the Star Battalion will be divided into two teams: the Bloodthirsty Heavenly Gang and the Soul-Devouring Earth Fiends. And let me add, both teams will be ranked strictly by strength. The top two will be captains of each team; ranks three to thirty-seven will join the Bloodthirsty Heavenly Gang, and the rest will form the Soul-Devouring Earth Fiends. Today, you must determine your positions, and each squad must include all five elements. Understood?”

“Understood!” they roared in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.

“Young Master, should I participate too? Maybe I’ll just take the last place,” Black Iron asked timidly. Since Hu Mo had beaten him so thoroughly last time, his fear had grown, and he spoke with utmost respect.

Hu Mo gave him a stern look, his tone growing harsh.

“Black Iron, show some manly spirit! You’re merely injured, not crippled—what nonsense are you saying? Your position must be earned, not given. Your cultivation is the highest among all brothers, so I appoint you as captain of the Bloodthirsty Heavenly Gang. Once you recover, others may challenge you. If you lose, then you truly lose, and no one will resent you. Now, wanting the last place is far too early.”

Hu Mo’s cold glance and words left Black Iron uneasy. Everyone wondered why Hu Mo, whose cultivation seemed unimpressive, had such a powerful psychological effect on them.

With Black Iron’s position settled, after a day of fierce combat, the captain of the Soul-Devouring Earth Fiends was determined. To Hu Mo’s surprise, the man was the complete opposite of Black Iron—delicate features, slender build, fair skin, and most notably, Hu Mo was certain he had never seen him before.

Hu Mo scratched his head in confusion, muttering, “Was there such a person among the one hundred and eight? Why did I never notice him?”

“Reporting to Young Master, I actually came in place of my brother. My name is Lin Nan, my brother was Lin Hu, transferred from the Fire God Army under your command. Last night, he drank heavily and accidentally fell into a well and drowned,” Lin Nan spoke without a trace of emotion, his eyes radiating an icy glow that made Hu Mo shiver whenever their gazes met. Such cold, such formidable ice power.

“Young Master, we can all vouch for him—he truly is Lin Hu’s brother. Sigh, Lin Hu's strength was second only to Black Iron’s, but alas…”

“Very well, in that case, Lin Nan will be the inaugural captain of the Soul-Devouring Earth Fiends. I hope you perform well,” Hu Mo said with a smile, lightly patting Lin Nan’s shoulder.

Lin Nan’s face remained impassive; he nodded and replied, “As you command,” then fell silent. Hu Mo’s heart sneered inwardly, thinking, “To be so calm after your brother’s death—you think I’m a fool?”

After a day of fighting, apart from the recuperating Black Iron, the rest suffered various degrees of internal and external injuries. These soldiers truly fought desperately, especially with their positions on the line—it spurred them to even greater ferocity. It would take at least two or three days for them to fully recover.

Hu Mo looked with satisfaction at these battered warriors, his gaze lingering on Lin Nan. Unlike the others, Lin Nan bore no visible injuries, save for a white cloth wrapped around his right hand—apparently a minor wound.

Lin Nan’s strength was slightly less than Black Iron’s—a sixth-rank Berserker with water affinity. But Hu Mo could tell that should the two fight for real, the outcome would be uncertain.

Seeing this, Hu Mo smiled faintly and addressed everyone, “Alright, from today, your positions are provisionally set for three months. After three months, you may re-rank according to your strength. Today’s competition was exciting, but since it was a contest, there must be stakes. The seventy-two members of the Earth Fiends, excluding captain Lin Nan, will wash the Heavenly Gang’s laundry for three months. Of course, we can add more, like chamber-pot duty. As for the Heavenly Gang, I’ll be stricter—if someone is eliminated, not only must they wash clothes, but also… bark like a dog! Heh, do you have any objections?”

Hu Mo’s gaze swept over each of them. Though his face wore a smile, none could forget the danger lurking behind it. He was no longer the spoiled youth of old—he was their commander, the soul of their battles!

“None!” both teams replied in thunderous unison.

The thirty-six members of the Heavenly Gang wore bitter looks. This was trouble—winning was fine, but if they lost, washing clothes was humiliating enough, and barking like a dog was even more unbearable.

The Earth Fiends, on the other hand, were invigorated. Though they had grumbled about washing clothes, Hu Mo’s words ignited their fighting spirit. At least they wouldn’t have to bark like dogs if they lost—so they would fight the Heavenly Gang with all their might. That thought brought sly smiles to their faces, making the Heavenly Gang uneasy.

They had no way to resist these rules. Hu Mo’s words were military orders—orders as unyielding as mountains! In fact, anyone with foresight could see that this method was uniquely effective, and would greatly stimulate them.

“No objections then! You’re all badly hurt, so go home and rest tonight. Tomorrow morning, those who can move should come to train. Wasting time is wasting life, don’t you think?” Hu Mo chuckled, watching the eager faces of his men, feeling thoroughly pleased.

He did not rush to give them the battle skills, for the test had only just begun.

Casting a glance at the ever-cold Lin Nan, Hu Mo thought, “Let’s see what your intentions are—what must be revealed won’t stay hidden forever.”

With a serene smile, Hu Mo turned and slowly faded from their sight.