Chapter 126: Western Xia Takes Action

Standing atop a rockery, Sun Meng watched the system notifications repeatedly announce the deaths of the contestants at his hands, and he couldn't help but blink in surprise.

"I didn't even use any powerful abilities! So many of them died from simple internal energy-infused arrows; this isn't just a matter of level suppression! Did these people fail to take any defensive measures at all, just throwing their lives away?"

Sun Meng glanced at the Houyi Bow in his hand. It seemed that next time he faced Tier 2 enemies, he might not need it. While the bow's effect ensured that the arrows would strike their targets, as he had noted before, even a light touch counted as a hit, which was why he had added the explosive effect. However, if an opponent put up a defense, even one at the late Tier 2 level could mitigate eighty percent of the blast. Thus, his wide-area attacks were primarily a form of intimidation; after all, anyone would be terrified to see their defensive measures so easily breached.

"Since it works so well, let's just finish them off," Sun Meng said. He took out an arrow, visualized the images of the remaining contestants in his mind, plotted their trajectories in an instant, and fired.

On the ground, those who had survived the previous rain of explosive arrows had drawn their weapons, preparing to face a counterattack from the Vulture Palace. In their minds, that previous volley must have been the opponent's final trump card. Though their main combat mechs had been destroyed, they believed they still held the advantage.

However, the appearance of an arrow wreathed in red light brought them total despair. Their defenses could not block it, and their physical toughness was no match for the Tier 3 arrows Sun Meng had specifically crafted.

Without the slightest ability to resist, and before they could even use emergency stimulants, eighty percent of the survivors were killed. The few who remained alive did so only because Sun Meng had aimed for their heads, and their vital points were not located there. Even for a contestant with supposedly powerful vitality and regenerative abilities, when an arrow pierced their head, the attached internal energy simply vaporized their brains.

Once consciousness was extinguished, even if the body recovered, the system judged them dead.

In truth, if the attack had been of the same level, an arrow through the brain wouldn't necessarily have ended him, as his regenerative ability was immense. Because his consciousness was integrated into his cellular structure, he could recover even if only a tiny piece of tissue remained.

Of course, that was a matter for the future. With only Tier 2 strength, he could not achieve such a feat. While he could maintain his physical form as long as his consciousness remained, his consciousness did not share the same regenerative capabilities as his body.

Sun Meng flew above the remaining contestants. By this time, Kokalalu and the people of the Vulture Palace had already dispatched the Western Xia nobles and had them surrounded.

The remaining contestants fell into despair. They stood no chance against Kokalalu, let alone the even more powerful Sun Meng. Their mission had failed, they would receive no points, and now their only priority was survival. Those who had already died were the ones who had truly lost.

"We surrender! We concede! Just let us go, and we are willing to admit mission failure!" a green-skinned, bald, and ferocious-looking contestant shouted, raising his hands.

The others quickly followed suit, terrified that any movement might displease Sun Meng and lead him to wipe them out as well.

"Your mission was to destroy the Vulture Palace?" Sun Meng suddenly asked.

"Uh, honorable powerhouse, our mission was to help the Western Xia nobles become the rulers of the Western Xia Kingdom," the green-skinned bald contestant replied, seemingly realizing something.

Sun Meng smiled faintly and turned to Murong Shi and Duan Nianyu. "The Vulture Palace is under my jurisdiction now. Any objections?"

Before Duan Nianyu could speak, Murong Shi replied, "Senior Sun, we are only responsible for guarding this part of the Vulture Palace's heritage; we have no authority to make such a decision. However, we are willing to follow your orders."

Because of Sun Meng's earlier intervention, although Xuzhu had not survived, his daughter had. She was now the one in charge of the Vulture Palace. It was precisely because of this that she felt such disdain for the Western Xia nobles, as her grandmother had kept the entire nobility of Western Xia under her thumb.

"If you want the Vulture Palace, you'll have to beat me first!" A woman's voice rang out, followed by two long dragons made of transparent ice shards.

Sun Meng’s body shimmered with starlight; wherever he passed, the ice shards turned into droplets and dissipated.

"Half-step Tier 3. At this level, you haven't made any progress in a long time, have you?" As Sun Meng spoke, his aura shifted, and a scorching red light erupted, causing the temperature around them to rise sharply.

A golden-red firebird made of internal energy flew toward the woman, colliding with a rain of plum blossoms.

The plum blossoms were endless; each collision weakened the firebird's aura, but its momentum remained undiminished as it continued toward her.

An ice-blue palm appeared to meet the firebird. The bird sank halfway into the palm before it was finally halted. The next moment, flames erupted, and the ice-blue palm was blasted into fragments.

A figure left a trail of afterimages in the air, finally landing above the Vulture Palace crowd, standing face-to-face with Sun Meng.

"How could you possibly break through the world's limitations?!" the woman exclaimed in shock after seeing Sun Meng's face.

She was the same woman Sun Meng had seen in the imperial palace during his last visit. Because of that encounter, he had remained in her mind. She had used all the forces at her disposal to track him down, but all clues had vanished in the capital of the Song Dynasty. Even after taking control of the Vulture Palace, she had not found a single trace of him.

Now, seeing Sun Meng reappear and having broken through a realm that even the geniuses of her father's generation could not reach, how could she not be astonished?

Sun Meng smiled slightly. "Long time no see. Can I give you the answer now?"

"How did you break through? Even the cultivation techniques you gave me couldn't break the limitations of heaven and earth!" The woman seemed not to have heard him, continuing to press her question.

Sun Meng said, "The Vulture Palace is under my jurisdiction. Yes or no?" He looked at the woman, his divine sense pressure enveloping her.

"You...!" The woman's expression changed. She gritted her teeth, forming a protective barrier with her internal energy. "If you tell me how you did it, I will agree to have everyone in the Vulture Palace follow your orders!"

Sun Meng's only response was to concentrate his pressure further.

The people of the Vulture Palace around the woman retreated repeatedly; they could barely withstand the ripples of her scattering internal energy.

"I... I agree! The Vulture Palace is yours!" The woman spat out a mouthful of blood, and the pressure finally dissipated.

"Very good." Sun Meng looked toward the Western Xia nobles and said to Kokalalu, "Pick one of them and make him emperor. The Vulture Palace and the Western Xia royal family will be at the same level, both under my command." Sun Meng looked at the remaining contestants. "If you are willing, you can choose to help us with a major undertaking; there will be plenty of mission rewards for you."

"Yes! That's great!" the green-skinned bald man said with a smile. "Thank you, brother! As long as you don't send us to our deaths, we'll do any mission!" Just moments ago, they had received notifications that their previous mission was complete. Although Sun Meng said he needed their help, they trusted he wouldn't ask them to do the impossible. As long as there were missions to earn points, they wouldn't be at a loss.

If they could seize this opportunity to cling to a powerhouse like Sun Meng, that would be even better! Look at Kokalalu—he must have latched onto Sun Meng early on, and now he was a Tier 3 expert!

With the situation in Western Xia resolved, Sun Meng reviewed the detailed data of the Vulture Palace's affiliated forces. He had Li Qingmeng instruct all the martial artists under the Vulture Palace to choose one of three missions.

The first was to infiltrate the Liao Kingdom to scout their military and city defenses, assassinate Liao generals when necessary, and burn their grain supplies.

The second was to infiltrate Tibet and the grasslands to hunt down their respective martial arts factions.

The third was to return to Western Xia and stand by, ready to assist the Song Dynasty in defending against attacks from the northwest once the war began.

Li Qingmeng asked, "The power of martial artists cannot compete with armies head-on. What exactly is your plan?"

Sun Meng smiled faintly. "You'll know once you break through."