Chapter 701: Great Zhou Counterattack

On the city wall of Broken Dragon City, Zhou Qing, Wei Canglan, and the others stared blankly, mouths agape, at the Great Wu army that had collapsed in an instant.

Who could have imagined that the Great Wu army, which had advanced so menacingly only half a day ago, poised to crush Great Zhou, would now collapse without a fight?

A brief silence fell over the city wall.

Countless people rubbed their eyes, as if feeling an unreality, a dreamlike state.

Was everything before them merely an hallucination before death?

Some soldiers couldn't help but slap themselves, leading to a chorus of slaps resounding on the wall, followed by cries of pain.

“It hurts so much, is it really true?”

“Ouch, why don't you hit yourself? Why hit me!”

“Uh…”

“The Great Wu army collapsed?”

“It seems so…”

A slight chaos erupted on the city wall. Everyone was now fully awake, and expressions of ecstatic joy welled up on their faces.

The next moment, deafening cheers erupted, causing the city wall to tremble.

Before this, they had all prepared to sacrifice themselves for their country, not because they didn't wish to live, but because despair had left them with no other path.

Yet, who could have imagined that amid such despair, hope would descend from the heavens like this?

“His Highness is invincible!”

“His Highness is invincible!”

Cheers, like an overwhelming tide, resonated through the heavens and earth.

Countless Great Zhou soldiers gazed with fervent eyes at the young figure on the distant river, their awe and respect so intense they threatened to overflow.

In their moment of despair, Zhou Yuan, like a god descended from heaven, turned the tide. His prestige in their hearts now likely surpassed even Zhou Qing’s.

Wei Canglan and the other generals, their eyes red with excitement, exclaimed, “His Highness truly is a Saint Dragon.”

Their hearts were similarly filled with shock. No one had expected that King Wu, who had reached the mid-stage of the Divine Dwelling realm, would ultimately be forced by Zhou Yuan to self-destruct his physical body and flee.

Zhou Qing's face was flushed with excitement, his usual composure gone. He slammed his palm heavily on the city wall, murmuring, “Good! Excellent!”

“Wu Xuan, you sought to destroy my Zhou family’s Saint Dragon. Have you tasted the bitter fruit now?!”

“My Zhou family’s Saint Dragon is not so easily destroyed by you!”

While Broken Dragon City's wall was in a state of jubilation, Zhou Yuan on the river briefly gazed in the direction King Wu had fled. Then, he moved, soaring towards Broken Dragon City's wall amidst countless fervent, awe-filled gazes.

“Father, Mother.”

He landed, his gaze immediately finding Zhou Qing and Qin Yu, and he grinned.

Qin Yu was the first to rush over, her eyes red, checking him up and down: “Yuan'er, are you hurt?”

Zhou Yuan smiled, extending his arms to embrace Qin Yu, and chuckled, “Don’t worry, Mother, I’m fine.”

Zhou Qing also strode over. He looked at Zhou Yuan, his eyes full of emotion, but in the end, he simply reached out a large hand and patted Zhou Yuan’s shoulder heavily, saying, “You’ve finally grown up.”

When Zhou Yuan left home, he was merely a young boy in the Heavenly Gate realm. Years passed, and upon his return, he had become a formidable expert in the Divine Dwelling realm.

This left Zhou Qing feeling both reflective and immensely gratified and proud.

“Great Zhou truly owes you a great debt this time.”

Zhou Yuan shook his head, smiling: “I am a Prince of Great Zhou. Protecting Great Zhou is, naturally, my mission.”

“Furthermore…”

He paused for a moment, then bared his white teeth in a grin, saying, “Father, after all these years… I have finally lived up to expectations.”

Years ago, when the young man left home, he had told Zhou Qing that upon his return, he would reclaim all the humiliation they had endured.

At the time, perhaps even Zhou Qing thought it was merely a young boy’s boast. Yet today… he had truly accomplished it.

King Wu, who had once brought endless harm and humiliation to Zhou Yuan, Zhou Qing, Qin Yu, and Great Zhou… King Wu, who had previously been seen as high and mighty, insurmountable in their eyes…

…was now, before everyone’s eyes, decisively defeated by Zhou Yuan.

The grievances and humiliations of the past were, at this moment, completely repaid.

Zhou Qing’s eyes finally turned red and moist. He nodded and said, “Though I’ve been constantly suppressed by King Wu all these years, at least one thing I’m stronger than him in is that my son is stronger than him and his son combined!”

“King Wu once asked me why I dared to contend with him. At the time, I didn’t know how to answer, but now I think… it’s simply because I have a good son!”

At this point, Zhou Qing couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Zhou Yuan also smiled and shook his head.

“Father, now that King Wu is defeated and his army has crumbled, Great Zhou cannot let this opportunity slip away.” After exchanging some lighthearted words with Zhou Qing, Zhou Yuan’s gaze turned towards the direction of Great Wu’s collapsing forces.

Zhou Qing’s expression also grew serious. “What do you intend to do?”

“Although King Wu self-destructed his physical body, he must have prepared for such a contingency. It won’t be difficult for him to recover, and in time, he will once again become a hidden danger to Great Zhou,” Zhou Yuan said slowly.

Naturally, it’s unlikely he’ll stay in Great Zhou indefinitely; the scale here is simply too small and not beneficial for cultivation. Therefore, since action is being taken, they must eradicate the root of the problem.

“My Saint Dragon Qi was split into three by King Wu. I’ve already recovered the portion that was with Wu Huang. Another portion is the national destiny of Great Wu. Only by destroying Great Wu can I reclaim it.”

Zhou Yuan stared at Zhou Qing, his voice becoming resolute: “Therefore, this time, we must destroy Great Wu, so that Great Zhou can reclaim its former glory!”

Upon hearing this, excitement instantly surged in Zhou Qing’s eyes. Clearly, he had yearned for this day endlessly.

Zhou Qing took a deep breath and said, “King Wu’s defeat will deliver a fatal blow to Great Wu’s morale. This is the perfect moment for Great Zhou to launch its counterattack.”

At this moment, he seemed to have regained the composure and dignity of Great Zhou’s lord.

He looked at Wei Canglan and the other generals, stating gravely, “General, immediately reorganize the army. Great Zhou will launch an all-out counterattack with every ounce of its strength. All that we once lost, this time, we shall take back!”

Upon hearing this, Wei Canglan’s face flushed as he excitedly clasped his fists and declared, “Understood!”

As Wei Canglan departed to carry out the order, a great commotion quickly arose within Broken Dragon City. A massive army gathered, and soon, the city gates opened. Countless warships, laden with high-spirited warriors, roared out.

Zhou Yuan stood on the city wall, watching the mighty counterattack unfold, and nodded.

“Father, this is not the time to relax yet…”

“I will immediately set off to pursue King Wu, preventing him from reorganizing his forces. As for the army’s campaign, that will be up to you,” Zhou Yuan said, turning his gaze to Zhou Qing.

He could defeat King Wu, but it was unlikely he could conquer thousands of cities alone; that would exhaust him to death.

Zhou Qing nodded, saying with concern, “Be careful during the pursuit. Watch out for that King Wu, lest he lash out in desperation.”

Qin Yu, standing nearby, also looked reluctant to see him go.

Zhou Yuan nodded, smiling at Qin Yu: “Don’t worry, Mother. King Wu was no match for me even at his peak. Now that he has lost his physical body, he’s even less of a threat.”

As his voice faded, Zhou Yuan’s figure shot into the sky, transforming into a streak of light that rapidly sped into the distance.

“Father, I’ll be waiting for you in the Great Wu capital. We’ll celebrate then!”

His figure vanished into the distance, a clear, resonant laugh echoing over the Broken Dragon River.