Martial Master

The million-strong army was almost completely annihilated.

Such news sent shockwaves throughout the entire Great Zhou Dynasty. In the court and among the officials, everyone was dumbfounded, rendering the place silent.

"How could this be possible?"

"The Great Wei Dynasty is so powerful, a million troops—this is not just a mere ten thousand, but a full million."

"Weren't we told that our Great Zhou army, under the leadership of Lord Pingchuan, had already taken the territories of the Great Wei? It wouldn’t be long before we even stormed the Great Wei Imperial City! How could it suddenly turn out like this?"

"It is said that even His Majesty, the King of Pingchuan, has fallen. Lord Pingchuan is our Great Zhou's god of war and a powerful Martial King. How could he fall so easily?"

The crowd was in an uproar, the entire Great Zhou Dynasty was stunned, and countless citizens who received the news were left speechless, nearly in shock.

Just a few days ago, reports of victories had come in one after another. They had heard of the conflicts between Great Wei and Great Zhou at the borders, but never did they imagine that so little time had passed, and the Great Zhou army had been completely wiped out, while the Great Wei Dynasty's forces were now at the border.

In an instant, fear gripped the hearts of the people.

Great Zhou Imperial City.

In the palace!

"Bang!"

The emperor of Great Zhou, Zhou Tianxun, slammed the Nine Dragon Jade Staff down onto the ground in fury, glaring at the many officials in the court, his expression filled with rage.

"A million troops, a dignified million troops, yet they were all annihilated overnight. Only a mere few tens of thousands managed to escape back. Even Zhou Zun died within Great Wei territory. Who can tell me what on earth happened?"

Zhou Tianxun's gaze was cold as he looked down, his body trembling in anger, nearly unable to catch his breath.

Below, the officials were silent, not one dared to speak, all finding it hard to believe.

The unfolding of events exceeded their expectations by far, leaving them unable to comprehend what had transpired.

"Your Majesty, please don’t be anxious. Your health is of utmost importance."

An elderly eunuch beside Zhou Tianxun stepped forward in worry.

"Health? Great Zhou is on the brink of collapse, and you talk of health?" Zhou Tianxun stood up from the dragon throne, angrily striding towards the officials, "Didn’t you all say that with our Great Zhou and the Great Wei's families working together, we could easily annihilate Great Wei? Why is it that none of you are speaking now?"

Zhou Tianxun was frantic, nearly frothing at the mouth with rage.

Now, with urgent pleas for support from the border, Zhou Tianxun was nearly driven mad.

The only consolation was that after annihilating the Great Zhou army, the Great Wei military did not pursue but instead gathered at the border, giving Zhou Tianxun a moment to breathe.

"Your Majesty, could it be that the Leng family intentionally set us up, deceiving our Great Zhou into walking into a trap, which led to our devastating defeat?"

An elder minister voiced his suspicion.

"The Leng family?" Zhou Tianxun snorted coldly, his face darkening, his gaze frigid, "The Leng family no longer exists within Great Wei. Not only the Leng family, but also the Wu family, Wuji Sect, and Guiyuan Sect have all been wiped out by Liu Xuanrui that old fool."

"Your Majesty, is this news accurate?"

The officials of Great Zhou were shocked, exchanging glances filled with disbelief.

The Leng family, Wu family, Wujizong, and Guiyuanzong were the top forces of the Great Wei Dynasty, equivalent to their Great Zhou's three major sects, which is why Great Zhou had acted so promptly to send troops.

Yet they never expected that within half a month, the Leng family and the other four major forces would be destroyed by the Great Wei royal family. This left the officials of Great Zhou incredulous.

To have become one of the four major forces of Great Wei, there needed to be experts at the Martial King level stationed; how could such powers be so easily wiped out?