Chapter Fifty-Five: Strange Events of the Past

Chapter 55: Strange Events of the Past

On the Mirror of Worldly Reflection, the image of King Martial Prestige in his youth gradually took shape. Wu Hong’s body trembled, his heart surged with joy—it turned out this mirror was activated by channeling inner energy, not by mere touch of the hand.

Images flickered rapidly across the surface of the mirror.

King Martial Prestige and a woman in white roamed the world together, and in time became acquainted with the young Yang Guang, who was not yet emperor. Later, King Martial Prestige and Yang Guang became sworn brothers, plotting a great undertaking together. At that time, the realm was in chaos, warlords rose on all sides, and as a scion of the former royal family, Yang Guang’s call to arms was answered by many. He led a rebellion in the south.

King Martial Prestige became Yang Guang’s foremost general, renowned for his campaigns north and south. His fame resounded across the land. Not only was he unmatched in martial prowess, but he was also deeply versed in the art of war—victorious in every battle, unstoppable in every siege. He seemed a god of war.

The images in the mirror shifted swiftly. An ordinary person would have been dazzled, but not Wu Hong. Though he had not yet reached the marrow-refining stage, his mind was always suffused with the sacred brilliance of the Great Sun Tathagata’s True Explanation, his wisdom opened. He was nearly at the point of perfect recall.

Since birth, Wu Hong had no memory of his mother, but he saw that the woman in white was always with King Martial Prestige. It was clear she was his lawful wife—Wu Hong’s mother.

Scene after scene unfolded—all drawn from the experiences and perceptions of King Martial Prestige. Wu Hong watched from the side, as if witnessing the glorious life of his father. At last, the Emperor Yang Guang, accompanied by King Martial Prestige and a million troops, attacked the capital.

There, King Martial Prestige faced a formidable opponent—a fearsome giant, towering over three meters, with the form of a man but the presence of a beast. He wielded a colossal spiked club, and on the final battlefield, he and King Martial Prestige engaged in fierce combat.

Both had reached the marrow-refining stage. Sword energy flashed in all directions, but King Martial Prestige fought without any weapon, his sleeves swirling, a single finger unleashing invisible sword qi like silken strands. Wu Hong recognized this as the Heavenly Silkworm Divine Art.

Soldiers on both sides beat their drums in encouragement. The two combatants exchanged a thousand blows without a clear victor.

But this was the final battle—the outcome would decide everything, for if no victor emerged, the morale of the army would falter. Emperor Yang Guang, with King Martial Prestige’s forces, had besieged the capital for three months. If their general fell short in this duel, their soldiers’ spirits would waver.

Even Wu Hong, strong as he was now, watched the duel with bated breath. At the time, both fighters only appeared to be at the early stage of marrow refinement, yet in sheer martial power they were not inferior to Wu Hong himself.

It became clear that while level of mastery was important, the techniques practiced and one’s natural talent and understanding of the martial path also determined one’s strength—everything had to be considered.

Take Wu Hong himself: now, even when facing an expert who had perfected marrow refinement, he could still put up a fight, and likely win. But if the opponent’s mastery was superior and he possessed remarkable techniques, Wu Hong might well taste defeat.

The giant, as ferocious as a wild beast, radiated black, blazing inner energy. Each blow unleashed waves of energy dozens, even hundreds of meters long.

Wu Hong knew he was witnessing his father’s past, but the peril of these struggles made him break out in a cold sweat for King Martial Prestige.

The two men were perfectly matched—true rivals.

They fought from dawn till dusk, both growing exhausted. At last, the giant’s strength waned, and he revealed an opening.

King Martial Prestige’s grasp of the martial path was exquisite, each move measured to perfection. Among masters, a single lapse could mean the difference between life and death.

Bang—bang—bang! Seizing upon the giant’s lapse, King Martial Prestige’s figure suddenly accelerated, his palms trailing endless threads of energy, striking the giant’s chest again and again. The giant spat blood, his body hurled dozens of meters away.

“Kill! Kill! Kill!” The soldiers cheering for King Martial Prestige burst into thunderous shouts at the sight of their champion’s triumph, their morale soaring.

King Martial Prestige finally relaxed, walking slowly toward the giant who lay prone in the distance, preparing to behead him and strike terror into his foes.

The enemy soldiers seemed paralyzed with fear—none dared step forth to challenge King Martial Prestige anew.

“Brother Wei, beware!” Suddenly, the woman in white, who had always accompanied King Martial Prestige into battle, cried out in alarm. In a flash, she stood before him.

Startled, King Martial Prestige realized too late—the giant, though mortally wounded, was not truly vanquished. As King Martial Prestige let down his guard, the giant suddenly released a blast of black energy from close range.

Confident in his own strength, King Martial Prestige had thought the foe utterly defeated, but fate had other plans.

With a spurt, the woman’s slightly rounded belly was struck by the black energy. Blood sprayed from her lips, and she collapsed to the ground.

Seeing his attack fail to kill King Martial Prestige, the giant gave a strange smile and fell dead, no breath left in him.

King Martial Prestige was stunned, standing motionless as his face twisted with anguish. After years of war, he had never shed a tear, but today, for the sake of his love, he wept.

His soldiers, shocked by this outcome, were momentarily stunned.

But then, without waiting for King Martial Prestige’s command, all of them roared and charged into the enemy ranks.

Their most valiant general was dead—a man of special significance to their cause. That giant had been the emperor of the Great Li Dynasty, the predecessor to the Great Qian. He had personally led his troops to defend the capital. Now, with their emperor fallen, the will to fight left his soldiers.

The two armies collided, but the outcome was already decided—the Great Li’s forces crumbled.

King Martial Prestige paid no heed to the fate of kingdoms or the bloodshed surrounding him. His face was filled only with bitter sorrow. He gently lifted the woman in white, raised his head, and let out a cry so thunderous it seemed to shake the very earth, rallying his own troops to even greater fervor.

He drew out a dagger, caressing its patterned blade—her token of love to him, a weapon he had never used in battle, so precious did he hold it. This dagger was clearly a legendary weapon, gleaming coldly. Suddenly, King Martial Prestige turned it upon his own chest.

“No!” Wu Hong, witnessing all this, could not help but cry out, utterly immersed in his father’s world.

A cough from the woman in white halted King Martial Prestige’s suicidal act—the dagger had already pierced half an inch into his chest. Had she been a moment later, he would have left this sorrowful world behind.

Wu Hong let out a sigh of relief.

In the mirror, King Martial Prestige’s expression turned from wild joy to near despair as he saw the woman in white cough blood, staining her clothes. Instantly, he channeled his inner energy to envelop her.

At that moment, a figure appeared at King Martial Prestige’s side, his expression strange at first, then joyous—a man in a yellow robe, none other than Emperor Yang Guang.

A military doctor soon arrived with several soldiers to carry the woman in white away.

King Martial Prestige, caring for nothing else, followed her closely, sending a steady stream of inner energy into her body.

The war soon ended. With King Martial Prestige’s victory, Yang Guang’s troops entered the capital, and Yang Guang ascended the throne.

The woman in white survived her ordeal, and within a few days, with ample medicine, she recovered. Still, King Martial Prestige never left her side—not even for Yang Guang’s enthronement, despite being the greatest hero of the campaign.

Several months passed. King Martial Prestige cared for her with utmost devotion. In recognition of his achievements, Yang Guang conferred upon him the title of Grand Marshal and King Martial Prestige. The world knew him as King Martial Prestige.

A few months later, the woman in white gave birth to a child. Due to complications, she died after gazing once upon her son.

King Martial Prestige was plunged into grief. This woman had rendered countless services to the Great Qian Dynasty, yet her name went unrecorded—every honor ascribed to King Martial Prestige alone.

Yang Guang held a grand funeral in her honor. King Martial Prestige always cradled the sickly, yellow-faced child, as if the boy embodied the memory of the woman in white herself.

“Wu Hong, now you understand why you were born unable to cultivate the martial path, why you were so lacking, so weak, yet your father loved you so dearly!”

After the funeral, Emperor Yang Guang rewarded King Martial Prestige with a grand mansion. Servants and maids gradually filled its halls.

The young Wu Hong, now a year old and barely able to walk, suffered each month on the night of the full moon, his small body wreathed in black energy.

King Martial Prestige, seeing the sinister black aura coiling around his son, was filled with sorrow. He summoned over a hundred doctors, but all shook their heads in helplessness.

Never giving up hope, King Martial Prestige posted notices, seeking famous healers across the land, but to no avail.

Months passed. All the servants in the mansion would gather outside Wu Hong’s chamber on the full moon.

Wu Hong’s tiny body was wrapped in black energy, his face twisted in agony. King Martial Prestige’s own expression mirrored the pain.

Suddenly, a stream of light flashed into the room, but King Martial Prestige seemed oblivious. The light entered Wu Hong’s body.

King Martial Prestige, unaware, only sensed the black energy on Wu Hong growing stronger and stronger.

He could do nothing but stand by, as if encouraging his son to fight against the darkness within himself.