Breaking Army - Chapter 1

On the day of the Prince’s wedding, a celestial phenomenon appeared.

A flower demon paused in the mortal realm, tilting its head to admire the sky.

The twilight clouds this evening were exceptionally brilliant, a rare sight where purple mist filled the sky, spreading in layers. The flowing radiance gilded the clouds with gold. People in the mortal world mistook it for a divine omen, a lucky sign unseen for a hundred years. Many began to pray fervently, hoping the gods high above would hear their wishes and grant them peace and prosperity.

The flower demon wore a look of intoxication, as if dazed by the magnificent scenery, yet its eyes were hollow and devoid of light. That smile did not reach its eyes, making the creature look inexplicably crazed. It murmured obsessively, “Mortal weddings have ten miles of red dowry, but today the Nether Lord welcomes his bride with ten thousand miles of purple clouds. This is far more than a once in a century event. Ah, soon there will likely be a sky full of silver stars from the Milky Way to celebrate the union of the Star Lords. Star Lord, Prince Po Jun…”

The demon sighed repeatedly, its voice filled with a desolate, mournful beauty. It raised a hand like a loyal believer in prayer. The tone was like the playful chiding of a lover, even slightly flirtatious, but the words it spoke were chilling.

“My Prince,” it whispered with a light sigh, withdrawing its empty hand, “why won’t you just die?”

Xiao Chen, the Po Jun Star Lord who was cursed a thousand times a day, was currently dressed in ceremonial robes, sitting inside a celestial phoenix carriage. He was one of the two main characters responsible for today’s celestial spectacle: today was the day of his wedding to the Nether Lord.

The Lord’s name was Rong Yuan. Since both Xiao Chen and Rong Yuan were men, there was no need to argue over who was the bride or groom. The ceremony was held in the Netherworld because Xiao Chen hailed from the Star Realm, a place no one but the Star Lords could enter. As for the grand procession of a thousand immortals from the Heaven Realm, it was forced upon him by the Heavenly Emperor, who felt guilty. The carriage he sat in was surrounded by auspicious clouds, pulled by twelve soaring celestial phoenixes using spiritual power, not to mention the procession was so long the end was nowhere in sight. The extravagance was immeasurable.

If the Heavenly Emperor hadn’t provided this escort, Xiao Chen probably would have needed the Wen Qu and Qi Sha Star Lords to carry him all the way to the Netherworld. He was originally a martial star, yet now he could barely support the weight of his ceremonial robes. He was bloodless and pale, looking more like a denizen of the Netherworld than the locals themselves, a bit of early immersion. He carried a lethal poison in his body that was constantly devouring his internal organs, and he relied entirely on others to infuse him with spiritual power while the other Star Lords maintained a life-preserving array to keep him breathing.

Celestial music drifted into his ears. The Wen Qu Star Lord held his hand, channeling spiritual power, before letting go a moment later. Both opened their eyes. Wen Qu supported him, asking, “Can you still hold on?”

Xiao Chen coughed lightly, “I won’t die just yet.”

With the spiritual power Wen Qu had just provided, and the cough bringing a flash of color to his lips against his pale cheeks, that faint tint was unexpectedly vivid. It brought a spark of life to his dying frame, looking piercing yet strangely beautiful.

The Po Jun Star Lord presided over slaughter and had earned the reputation of a war god across the three realms. It sounded fierce, but he happened to have a face that could charm anyone. His features were delicate, and when quiet, he looked even more scholarly and refined than Wen Qu. When he smiled at you, it felt like a warm March breeze, with peach blossom eyes that could drown a person. Those who had never seen him kill could not imagine him covered in killing intent; those who had only seen him on the battlefield could not believe this killing star could actually radiate such warmth.

The killing star was getting married today, and to someone he had never even met.

The iron-willed war god had become a fragile invalid. Those who had died by Xiao Chen’s hand in the past would surely wish they could rise from their graves just to witness this sight.

Xiao Chen managed to sit up on his own. He adjusted his breathing, feeling that lasting until the end of the ceremony wouldn’t be a problem. Just as he sat straight, a cold snort came from beside him. There were two other people in the carriage: one was a refined-looking man with a zither on his back, the Wen Qu Star Lord, named Xiang Zhi, who had just given Xiao Chen spiritual power. The other was dressed in sturdy martial attire, sitting casually with one leg hooked up and a hand on his knee. His eyes were particularly striking because they were heterochromatic, one of them as red as blood, an eerie crimson. This was the Qi Sha Star Lord, named Geng Xie.

The carriage was draped in cloud silk, making the interior invisible from the outside while allowing those inside to see out clearly. Geng Xie stared through the curtains, his expression sour, “I told you long ago not to bother with the chaos of the three realms. You should have just let them kill each other. Even if the other five realms were destroyed, it wouldn’t have touched the Star Realm. Now look at you, burdened with killing karma, unable to go home, and poisoned on top of it. To get the cure, you have to marry someone you don’t even know. What a mess!”

The more he spoke, the darker his face became. Geng Xie retracted his gaze and said icily, “This isn’t over.”

Indeed, Xiao Chen’s marriage was a desperate measure for survival. Otherwise, after ten thousand years of cold detachment, why would he suddenly marry a stranger?

The story began long ago.

As everyone knew, there were six realms: Heaven, Demon, Mortal, Demon-Beast, Netherworld, and the Star Realm which existed outside the others. Only Star Lords could enter the Star Realm. Although there were billions of stars, only about a hundred Star Lords had been born to date. They governed the stars, and upon death, their divine souls dissipated without entering reincarnation. The Star Lords were even more like unreachable deities than the immortals of the Heaven Realm. Though few in number, they were incredibly powerful. For instance, at his peak, no one in the Heaven, Demon, or Demon-Beast realms could defeat Xiao Chen.

Five hundred and thirty years ago, the three realms fell into great chaos. The Demon King incited conflict, leading to endless wars. Order collapsed, and there was no peace. Corpses littered the ground and blood flowed like rivers. Every step you took was into a pool of blood; there was simply no sanctuary. The war spilled over into the Mortal and Nether realms. The mortal world, with its thin spiritual energy, suffered from natural disasters and widespread plague, leaving the people in misery. The Netherworld, which governed reincarnation, was overwhelmed by a constant influx of fallen souls. The ghosts of those who died in battle continued to fight each other upon arrival, creating a chaotic mess. The people of the Netherworld were exhausted. For a time, every place except the Star Realm was in total upheaval.

Xiao Chen could not bear to see the endless war and the suffering of living beings. He descended to intervene. Countless people who were tired of the long struggle followed him. Xiao Chen recruited an army, regardless of race, seeking only those who shared his goal. With Xiao Chen at the lead, the alliance spent thirty years suppressing the chaos, using killing to stop the killing. The Demon King of that time had his physical body destroyed by Xiao Chen, and his soul was suppressed in the hells of the Netherworld to atone for his sins. Peace and clarity finally returned to the world.

However, according to heavenly law, even on a battlefield, there are innocent people. Xiao Chen had killed his way through the war, and his killing karma was too heavy. Those with excessive karma cannot pass through the gates of the Star Realm. Xiao Chen had a home he could not return to, so he had to wait for his karma to dissipate. After the war, the three realms honored Xiao Chen as the War God, but he didn’t care for the title. He only wanted to find a quiet place to live temporarily until his karma cleared so he could return home.

He wanted peace, but others wouldn’t allow it. There were too many conspirators wanting to use him, and the friends and families of those he had killed on the battlefield hated him to the bone, wishing him dead. Whenever Xiao Chen stayed in one place for too long, these people would soon find him.

Out of necessity, Xiao Chen had to keep moving between the Heaven, Demon, and Demon-Beast realms. You might ask why he didn’t go to the Mortal or Nether realms. The Mortal realm’s spiritual energy was too thin, which was not conducive to clearing karma, and the Netherworld’s dark energy was too thick, offering no benefit to anyone who wasn’t a local or a ghost. Xiao Chen’s martial power was genuinely high, and he was clever, so while there were constant plots and hidden attacks, no one could touch him. He changed residences simply because he didn’t want to be bothered.

Five centuries passed this way. Just as his karma was nearly gone, Xiao Chen finally stumbled, he was poisoned. It was a lethal, unique poison with no name and no known antidote. Given time, he might have found another way to cure it, but time was not on his side. The poison was too aggressive, if he didn’t find a cure soon, he was finished.

Since he couldn’t find a direct antidote, he had to look for other means. There was one treasure in the world that could cure a hundred poisons: the Nether Purple Lotus. The Purple Lotus grew from the divine soul of the Nether Lord and was naturally in his possession. The problem was, the Nether Purple Lotus was only given to a Daoist companion.

If you want to live, get married on the spot. That was why Xiao Chen was currently on his way to the Netherworld.

The incident had happened in the Heaven Realm, so the Heavenly Emperor felt deeply guilty. He took it upon himself to hunt for the culprit and arrange the wedding, doing his best to help. However, at this moment, Xiao Chen did not easily trust anyone except his fellow Star Lords, including his soon to be husband, Rong Yuan.

News of Xiao Chen’s poisoning spread quickly, given his fame, and it reached the Netherworld. Going into a marriage purely for the purpose of a cure felt incredibly mercenary to Xiao Chen, and he didn’t know how to bring it up. If he went to ask for the marriage, wouldn’t it be obvious he was using Rong Yuan? This was a marriage, it shouldn’t be treated so lightly, and he doubted Rong Yuan would agree easily.

However, before Xiao Chen could even think deeply about it, a message arrived from the Netherworld, it was a formal marriage proposal.

Rong Yuan had actually taken the initiative to propose, willing to play the part of the fool.

Every piece of this situation felt suspicious and extremely strange.

Geng Xie tapped his hand on his knee, “Be careful once you reach the Netherworld. If Rong Yuan saves you, we will owe him a favor, but if he just wants us to owe him so we can help him with something, that’s fine. I’m just afraid he might have something to do with the poisoning himself, you’ll have to judge for yourself.”

“I know,” Xiao Chen said, having thought it through. “Even though my suppression of the chaos helped restore order to the Netherworld, I don’t consider it a massive favor. I’ve had no previous contact with Rong Yuan. He became the Lord after I ended the war. As you said, if he clearly asks for something in return, things would be simpler.”

Everyone knew why Xiao Chen was getting married, and Rong Yuan surely knew as well. If the proposal was a transparent transaction, it wouldn’t be so mysterious, but if he had hidden motives, they were likely significant.

A poison that even Xiao Chen couldn’t resist, and one that the Heaven and Star realms were helpless against in the short term, forcing Xiao Chen to turn to the Netherworld—they had every reason to be suspicious of Rong Yuan.

Xiang Zhi, the Wen Qu Star Lord, brought his zither forward and suddenly said in a low voice, “Rumor has it that Rong Yuan is hideously ugly with green skin and fangs, so he never shows his true face. And he has a strange temperament, the most exaggerated rumors say he eats malicious ghosts raw.”

Geng Xie suddenly glanced at Xiao Chen’s face and said with a strange expression, “I didn’t think of it before, but is it possible… he’s after your looks?”

 Xiao Chen was speechless for a long time before speaking in disbelief, “Am I some world-renowned beauty? Why would he want my looks?”

“If you didn’t have the reputation of a War God, you’d probably be famous for your beauty. You’re not exactly ugly. Besides, didn’t you hear Xiang Zhi? Rong Yuan is known for being ugly. Getting a good looking partner while gaining a favor from the Star Lords, why wouldn’t he want that?”

“He is the Lord of a Realm, after all.”

Geng Xie was dismissive, “What does being a Lord have to do with it? Can’t he want to get married? He solves both the interest and the companion problem, I think he’s being quite thorough.” He added seriously, “When you get there, be clear with him. Ask him what he really wants. You just want the Purple Lotus for the cure, there’s no need to actually have a wedding night, right? Each takes what they need, then you part ways as soon as possible.”

Xiao Chen thought the same. For a lifelong bachelor like him, he had never truly considered that sort of thing, and… he didn’t know how. He was well read and proficient in many cultivation methods and martial arts, and he had even read about proper dual cultivation methods, but he had absolutely no experience with the “unclothing” type of dual cultivation. Xiao Chen had no interest in it and felt it was unnecessary.

Xiang Zhi held his zither. Compared to Geng Xie, he had been very quiet on the journey. He had endured it all the way, but finally, he couldn’t hold back the bitterness in his heart, and his eyes turned red, “You care so much for the world, yet you’ve pushed yourself to this point. When you wanted to descend back then, I supported you, but now, now…”

“Hey! Why are you crying?” Xiao Chen quickly reached out to wipe his tears. “Heavens, I can’t stand this.” As he wiped the tears, he said with a headache, “Why did Zi Wei send you two of all people?”

Normally, if there were other options, Zi Wei wouldn’t have sent these two. Their personalities were very problematic: Qi Sha was unstoppable; anyone who tried to block him would either be talked in circles or beaten into submission. Wen Qu was someone you didn’t dare block; he looked refined, but he was stubborn. If you tried to stop him, the little ancestor would hurt himself just to make you feel guilty.

Xiao Chen assumed the other Star Lords were busy with the life-preserving array and were short-staffed, which was why these two were let out. But Xiang Zhi wiped his face and said with a compliant look, “Oh, he didn’t let me come. Zi Wei was afraid I’d cause trouble and kept me locked up. I snuck out.”

Geng Xie nodded, “Yeah, I helped.”

Xiao Chen: “You sound quite proud of yourselves.” You two didn’t come to heal me, you came to give me internal injuries, right? Knowing Geng Xie, he had to ask, “Who was supposed to come? Where are they?”

Geng Xie crossed his arms, “I tricked Gou Chen away, and I knocked Lian Zhen unconscious and left him by the Star River. He’ll wake up eventually or someone will find him.”

Great, both were runaways, and they had sabotaged the others. Lian Zhen had been knocked out cold. Xiao Chen scolded him, “You’re a martial star, why are you bullying Lian Zhen?”

“To be fair, which of us ‘literary’ types is actually weak?” Geng Xie pointed at Xiang Zhi, “Him? He could smash someone’s head in with that zither. As for Lian Zhen, he’s a bit weak at fighting, but he loves aiming for people’s hair. Tell me that’s not out of line. He was wary of me, and when my first sneak attack failed, he tried to shave my head. Luckily my martial skills are high enough that he didn’t leave me bald.”

Xiao Chen imagined Lian Zhen trying to shave Geng Xie’s head by the Star River, and as he thought about it, he couldn’t help but laugh out loud. He laughed, but Geng Xie and Xiang Zhi did not. Geng Xie’s hand on his knee slowly tightened into a fist as he listened to the laughter, and Xiang Zhi’s eyes reddened again. Xiao Chen’s laughter eventually faded.

“I haven’t been home for five hundred years,” Xiao Chen said. The image of the Star Realm appeared in his mind every day. For centuries, he had dreamed of going back. Once he returned, he would stay quietly in the Yao Guang Palace and never step into the secular world again.

Descending to stop the war had been his own decision. Many had advised against it, but he had insisted. To this day, he didn’t regret the choice. He never cared for fame or glory. If the three realms called him a War God, that was their business. When he descended, he only wanted to save. Gratitude or hatred, he could carry it all. It didn’t matter; he could shoulder as much as they gave him. It was only when he gazed at the starry sky that he felt a sense of melancholy: the people he saved could live in peace, and he too wanted to go home.

“It’s been five hundred and thirty years,” Xiang Zhi corrected him. “Thirty years of war, five hundred years of clearing karma.”

Po Jun wanted to go home, and everyone was waiting for him, yet now, Xiao Chen was not on the road home, but on the road to the Netherworld.

The wedding procession reached the end of the Heavenly River and stopped. The gate to the Netherworld had arrived.

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