Chapter 143: Encountering the Miasma Formation, Wang Man's Beast Transformation

Watching Tie Niu leave, Tie Shilin sat on the ground with a face ashen as death, watching his old father's departing back. A myriad of complicated emotions churned in his heart, leaving him entirely at a loss as to what he ought to feel in the present situation. It seemed that pondering anything was completely useless, for the person he had provoked wielded a power far greater than that of his own father.

Lord Gong walked up to Jiang Pingchuan and cast a cold glance down at Tie Shilin, who was still seated on the ground. Though he could not fathom why Tie Shilin's father had displayed such palpable fear toward Jiang Pingchuan, in Lord Gong's eyes, Tie Shilin had simply brought this disaster upon himself. What manner of man was Jiang Pingchuan? One who never suffered a loss; how could he possibly be willing to accept the intimidating posture struck by a mere nobody like Tie Shilin?

"How shall we deal with this brat?"

Lord Gong looked down at Tie Shilin on the ground, then surveyed the thousands of border patrol soldiers present. The entire frontier patrol camp before them was currently in a foul and chaotic state.

"Deal with all of them according to military law. Strip Tie Shilin of his rank as general, and send him along with all thousand of these soldiers to the front lines as conscripts. Select one thousand men from the elite guard battalion to remain here at the patrol camp, and when Duo Ze arrives, command of the camp shall be handed over to him."

Jiang Pingchuan gazed at Tie Shilin and the thousand-odd soldiers. Tasked with the duty of patrolling, these men were astonishingly lazy and lax. In Jiang Pingchuan's view, such individuals belonged on the front lines of battle.

"What about Long Heng's side? The scouts sent ahead have not yet returned. Should I go and take a look?"

Lord Gong asked with a hint of worry, not merely concerned for the safety of Long Heng and his party, but more importantly because Long Heng was escorting all of their provisions and grain. Should the supply train be intercepted, it would inevitably spark panic among the border troops, and once a riot broke out, no one would be able to stop it.

"I will go inspect it myself. First, throw Tie Shilin into the dungeon, and deal with him when I return."

Jiang Pingchuan said coldly. With a subtle gesture to Wang Man standing beside him, the two mounted their horses and galloped furiously toward the lower route. Lord Gong led his soldiers to cast Tie Shilin into the patrol camp's dungeons, while the remaining thousand soldiers were all reassigned to the front lines.

Jiang Pingchuan looked at the composed Wang Man riding beside him and smiled. Wang Man's appearance had left Jiang Pingchuan deeply perplexed yet profoundly comforted. It was a decision fraught with immense danger yet laden with powerful temptation, its advantages and disadvantages finely balanced.

"Wang Man, do you suppose the Barbarian King somehow knew that I would place all our provisions along the lower route, and therefore concentrated his heavy forces there instead?"

Jiang Pingchuan asked with a cheerful smile, his tone tinged with helplessness. Upon hearing this, Wang Man let out a chuckle and shook his head.

<div>"Since Pingchuan-xiong previously guessed the Barbarian King's intentions, the Barbarian King might likewise have anticipated yours. However, I believe the Barbarian King would never station his troops along the lower route. People in the Northwest are deeply superstitious; they believe that taking the lower route brings bad luck. Therefore, I doubt the Barbarian King would deploy forces to intercept the grain supply there."</div>

Wang Man looked at Jiang Pingchuan with earnest sincerity. As he spoke, Jiang Pingchuan felt as though Wang Man were capable of stepping with remarkable precision into the Barbarian King's shoes to analyze the situation. Noticing Jiang Pingchuan's strange, assessing gaze once he finished speaking, Wang Man offered an embarrassed smile.

"I fear I am making a fool of myself before Pingchuan-xiong."

Wang Man rubbed the back of his head and chuckled sheepishly. Though clad in coarse linen short garments, Jiang Pingchuan could sense an aura within him that was difficult to conceal. Despite Wang Man's meticulous efforts to hide it, Jiang Pingchuan still managed to capture a trace of something extraordinary.

"Wang Man-xiong's analysis is not without reason. It was my own oversight; I had no idea that armies marching in the Northwest held such a taboo against the lower route."

Jiang Pingchuan smiled and cupped his fists in salute to Wang Man. The two men fell silent. Jiang Pingchuan lightly nudged the flanks of his Tingyun Horse. A faint azure light flickered from the creature's eyes as it surged forward, leaving Wang Man far behind in an instant.

Wang Man watched Jiang Pingchuan's receding figure with a smile, gently stroking the mount beneath him. The warhorse seemed imbued with boundless strength.

With a fierce, explosive neigh, it bolted after Jiang Pingchuan. Before long, Wang Man was once again riding shoulder-to-shoulder with him. In this manner, racing and chasing one another, the two men charged all the way to the fork dividing the upper and lower routes.

"Stop! Quickly, stop!"

Wang Man shouted urgently as he watched Jiang Pingchuan's figure about to vanish ahead. Hearing the cry, Jiang Pingchuan hurriedly reined in the Tingyun Horse and turned to look at Wang Man. With a tense expression, Wang Man rode up beside Jiang Pingchuan and stared down the lower route before them.

Imperceptibly, mist had begun to drift across their path. When Jiang Pingchuan looked back, their rear had likewise been swallowed by a thick, creeping fog, until nothing remained in his field of vision save for a vast, blinding whiteness. Beyond ten paces, not a single feature of the surrounding landscape could be distinguished.

"Miasma?"

Jiang Pingchuan asked, glancing at Wang Man beside him. Wang Man nodded gravely, dismounted from his warhorse, and vigilantly scanned the surrounding fog. The miasma had arrived with astonishing speed; there had been no sign of it when they first charged in, yet after lingering for merely a few breaths, they found themselves completely encircled.

"There is an ambush. A Northwest miasma formation. Apart from being poisonous, the miasma suppresses the inner Qi within one's body. Hidden within this formation are nether-soldiers. Pingchuan-xiong, be careful."

Wang Man spoke in a low voice as he walked over to Jiang Pingchuan. Recalling the warning, Jiang Pingchuan attempted to circulate his inner Qi and indeed felt a slight resistance. The hindrance was not yet severe, indicating that he had not spent long within the miasma array and thus suffered minimal harm.

Noticing that the complexion of Wang Man—who stood right beside him—was turning somewhat ashen, Jiang Pingchuan swiftly reached out and grasped Wang Man's wrist. Startled, Wang Man looked up at him.

Just as he was about to speak, he felt a wave of cool, refreshing energy surge directly into his body. Seeing Wang Man's color gradually return to normal, Jiang Pingchuan let out a breath, only to be struck by a sudden wave of dizziness.

"You possess inner Qi."

Jiang Pingchuan smiled bitterly as he looked at the man before him. Wang Man nodded in response. Jiang Pingchuan had long suspected that Wang Man harbored a hidden strength, but Wang Man's physical constitution was so overwhelmingly powerful that whenever he struck, Jiang Pingchuan could only perceive mighty physical prowess, while his inner Qi remained elusive, appearing and disappearing like a phantom.

"Why didn't you tell me from the beginning?"

Jiang Pingchuan's expression shifted abruptly as he fixed a cold, piercing gaze on Wang Man. Wang Man wore a look of tense, helpless distress.

"I was afraid that if you knew I possessed inner Qi, you would harbor suspicions against me and be unwilling to let me join your campaign."

Wang Man spoke awkwardly, a blush of shame coloring his rugged features.

"Though, looking at it now, it seems you scarcely trust me at all."

Wang Man looked at Jiang Pingchuan with helpless resignation. It was the truth; he had concealed so much from Jiang Pingchuan. Had Jiang Pingchuan readily trusted him upon discovering the truth without sufficient reason, that truly would have been the strangest thing of all.

"Roar......"

"Watch out......"

Just as Wang Man waited for Jiang Pingchuan's reply, a massive beast suddenly burst out from the thick fog behind Jiang Pingchuan. Its entire body was rotting, exuding a heavy, nauseating stench. Its eyes burned a furious crimson as it let out a savage roar, flung open its blood-drenched maw, and thrust forth razor-sharp claws toward Jiang Pingchuan.

With a tense expression, Wang Man shoved Jiang Pingchuan aside and threw a powerful punch straight at the lunging beast. Jiang Pingchuan spun around, intending to strike, only to feel a violent blast of wind rushing at his back.

Clenching his fist, Jiang Pingchuan wheeled about and drove a fierce blow into the beast attacking him from behind. He glanced sideways at Wang Man, who was locked in combat with another creature. These were no mere nether-soldiers; ten nether-soldiers could not compare to even a single one of these ferocious beasts.

Though Jiang Pingchuan was initially able to handle the onslaught within the miasma array with ease, as his inner Qi steadily drained away, compounded by the debilitating effects of the miasma, his combat effectiveness began to plummet noticeably.

Wang Man's situation was even more perilous. Despite his formidable strength, facing wave after wave of endless beast attacks left his body covered in wounds.

Back to back, Jiang Pingchuan and Wang Man stood surrounded by a dozen massive, foul-smelling beasts. They were watched with unblinking fixation, like a pair of lambs awaiting slaughter.

With one hand gripping Wang Man's wrist, Jiang Pingchuan slowly formed a fist with the other, generating a surge of tyrannical energy. With a swift sweep of his arm through the empty air, a violent tremor pierced the miasma array as a dark shadow flashed rapidly.

Jiang Pingchuan snatched the dark shadow from the air and jerked it downward. A dragon-patterned aura instantly coiled around it. The beasts that had been slowly closing in abruptly sensed something terrifying, halted in their tracks, and retreated a few steps, watching the transformation with wary eyes.

Curiously, Wang Man glanced at Jiang Pingchuan's right hand. The dark shadow had revealed its true form within Jiang Pingchuan's grasp: it was none other than the Asura Spear, its entire length wrapped in intertwining dragon patterns.

Ever since Jiang Pingchuan infused the Asura Spear with the Dao Crystal Soul, he had established a direct connection with the weapon. Whenever he manifested his Qi into the shape of a spear, the Asura Spear would sense it and fly swiftly to his location. The weapon before them had precisely responded to his summons.

"Roar, roar, roar......"

Catching sight of the black-shrouded Asura Spear in Jiang Pingchuan's hand, the beasts suddenly raised their heads and let out a prolonged howl, as if rousing their own fighting spirit. Their crimson eyes began to blaze with raging fire. Wang Man pulled his wrist free from Jiang Pingchuan's grip and looked at him, his eyes flashing with a light that suggested he had made a difficult choice.

"Pingchuan-xiong, do you trust me?"

Wang Man asked earnestly, his voice deep and grave. Jiang Pingchuan shot him a puzzled look. What time was this to be bringing up such topics? Lives were on the line! Seeing Jiang Pingchuan's confounded expression, Wang Man managed a wry, bitter smile.

"Transfer all the remaining inner Qi within your body to me. If you trust me, do as I say. If you do not, our only chance is to leave it to fate and see if we can break through this miasma array."

Wang Man said, turning his back to Jiang Pingchuan. After a brief moment of deliberation, Jiang Pingchuan thrust the Asura Spear forward, driving it toward the nearest beast.

The creature let out a miserable yelp and scrambled backward, though its injuries were non-fatal. The Asura Spear possessed immense momentum, yet when it struck the beast, it proved to be all thunder and no rain.

Jiang Pingchuan could feel that his remaining inner Qi was nearly exhausted. Every single swing of the Asura Spear required infusing Qi into the strike to inflict substantial damage upon the beasts—which was precisely why his energy had depleted so rapidly.

Gazing at Wang Man's back, Jiang Pingchuan raised his hand and pressed his palm firmly against Wang Man's spine. As the Qi flowed from his palm into Wang Man's body, a smile touched Wang Man's face, though it instantly twisted into an expression of ferocious agony.

Wang Man began to arch his back. Once Jiang Pingchuan had transferred every last drop of his mobilizable Qi, a wave of darkness swept over his vision. Leaning heavily on the Asura Spear for support, he watched as Wang Man, doubled over and pressing himself flat against the earth, took on a terrifying visage.

Dense, intricate black-and-cyan markings spread across Wang Man's face. Immediately afterward, his body began to expand. His complexion flushed crimson as he pressed his entire frame to the ground, abruptly raised his head, and let out a earth-shaking roar. A flash of red light swept over him, transforming Wang Man entirely.

In the exact spot where Wang Man had vanished now stood a divine beast bearing a striking resemblance to a Qilin. Flames billowed across its entire body, and two long tentacles drifted freely through the air. Jiang Pingchuan looked at the Qilin-like divine beast, whose eyes regarded him with a hint of a smile. He knew instantly that this divine beast was none other than Wang Man.

Demon Transformation!

Beast Transformation!

Though not overly massive—appearing somewhat smaller compared to the surrounding monsters, marking it as a youthful divine beast—its presence was undeniable.

The divine beast cast a glance at Jiang Pingchuan, raised its head to let out another sky-shaking roar, and slammed its claws violently against the ground, unleashing a wave of terror that cowed the surrounding beasts.