The Great Ruler (Web Novel)

"Nine Calamity Thunder Prison Visualization…"

Mu Chen's eyes slowly opened, and the thunder in his mind seemed not to have completely disappeared. Then, the ancient thunder script was imprinted on his mind like a brand.

Although he did not take a closer look at the so-called, "Nine Calamity Thunder Prison Visualization," for some reason, he was able to faintly feel a sense of rage and oppression in his mind.

Such a technique was bound to be unusual.

When Mu Chen opened his eyes, the Sky Array Emperor looked at him in amazement and then slowly said, "I didn't expect you to have such a high degree of compatibility with it."

"Master, what are the origins of the Nine Calamity Thunder Prison Visualization?" Mu Chen asked curiously. Judging from the Sky Array Emperor's reactions, it seemed that this technique had a marvellous origin.

"The Nine Calamity Thunder Prison Visualization was left behind by the Nine Calamity Battle Emperor in the ancient times." The Sky Array Emperor smiled. Though his voice was still calm, Mu Chen could see that there were some peculiar fluctuations in his voice when he talked about the Nine Calamity Battle Emperor. There seemed to be a kind of reverence in his tone.

"Nine Calamity Battle Emperor?"

Mu Chen was shocked by the prestigious title and was immediately embarrassed, because he did not know who this elder was. Could he also be a war troop dispatcher?

"The Nine Calamity Battle Emperor is a legendary war troop dispatcher who could reach the rank of Ten Million Runes in ancient times," The Sky Array Emperor said slowly. His eyes were full of yearning when he mentioned the three words, "Ten Million Runes."

"Ten Million Runes?"

However, Mu Chen did not understand his yearning at all and had a headache because he found that he was completely unfamiliar with the terminology that belonged to the war troop dispatcher. What in the world was a rank of Ten Million Runes?

"Looks like you are really an ignorant youth who knows nothing about being a war troop dispatcher."

The Sky Array Emperor saw how bewildered Mu Chen was and was also a little speechless. He could only shake his head exasperatedly. He said, "Since you can condense the Spirit of Fighting Intent, then you should also understand that the strength of the Spirit of Fighting Intent has obvious differences in class, right?"

Mu Chen hesitated before asking tentatively, "Does it differ in the number of battle runes?"

He did not know anything about being a war troop dispatcher, but after all, he had successfully condensed the Spirit of Fighting Intent for the five armies and was aware of it. It seemed that the more battle runes there were, the more powerful the Spirit of Fighting Intent would be.

The Sky Array Emperor nodded and said, "In ancient times, the number of battle runes was used to distinguish between grades of war troop dispatchers. They were differentiated into four grades, 10,000 Runes War Troop Dispatcher, 100,000 Runes War Troop Dispatcher division, Million Runes War Troop Dispatcher, and Ten Million Runes War Troop Dispatcher."

When Mu Chen heard the distinction of ranks, his lips twitched. The war troop dispatchers were lazy enough that even the hierarchy was so roughly aggregated and straight to the point.

However, although the grades were so rough and simple, Mu Chen had to admit that it was very easy to visualize.

"However, the number of battle runes does not merely refer to the sum of the number of battle runes on the soldiers, but the integration of fighting intent, thus condensing the battle runes," the Sky Array Emperor explained.

Mu Chen was startled and instantly realized it was like how when he had been in control of five armies, each of the Spirits of Fighting Intent had thousands of battle runes, which if added up, would have exceeded 10,000, but that did not mean that he had reached the rank of the 10,000 Runes War Troop Dispatcher, unless he could condense the fighting intent of the five armies into one Spirit of Fighting Intent. If this Spirit of Fighting Intent possessed tens of thousands of battle runes, then he could be regarded as a true 10,000 Runes War Troop Dispatcher.

"It is more difficult to condense battle runes the further you advance." Beside him, Zhantai Liuli said softly, "The Liuli Army I command has 30,000 battle runes, but the battle runes I can condense adds up to only about 9,000, and there is still some distance from attaining 10,000 battle runes."

Here, a touch of self-confidence flitted across Zhantai Liuli's beautiful face, and she laughed. "But that's because of the limitations of my mind power. After I cultivate the Technique of Mind Power that Master has left me, it should not be difficult for me to attain the rank of a 10,000 Runes War Troop Dispatcher."

When he took control of the Nine Nether Troops, only 4,000 battle runes could be condensed with 5,000 soldiers, while Zhantai Liuli, with 30,000 soldiers in the Liuli Army, could only condense 9,000 battle runes, which showed that the larger the number of battle runes, the more difficult it would be to condense.

However, according to Mu Chen's estimates, if he could control an army as powerful as the Liuli Army, he might be able to condense 10,000 battle runes, because he could see that his mind power, perhaps due to him being a Spiritual Array Master, was stronger than Zhantai Liuli's.

"The condensing and refinement of the battle runes depends on two factors. One is the quantity and quality of the army, and the other is the strength of your own mind power."

The Sky Array Emperor continued to explain to Mu Chen, an ignorant youth who knew nothing about the war troop dispatcher. "The army represents the fighting intent, which is indispensable to a war troop dispatcher. The fighting intent is the fundamental foundation to condense the battle runes, and the strength of the mind power represents whether you can make full use of the fighting intent."

Mu Chen nodded. The army's fighting intent was the equivalent of a Divine Artifact to a war troop dispatcher, and mind power was the strength that would give one the power to control the artifact. The stronger the mind power, the more powerful the artifact would be in one's hands.

"In addition, for a war troop dispatcher, 10,000 battle runes marks a certain phase. Once the Spirit of Fighting Intent you condense possesses 10,000 battle runes, then its power will undergo earth-shaking changes.

"Once the Spirit of Fighting Intent can condense 10,000 battle runes, it shows that its fighting intent has reached a certain degree of success and maturity, and at this point, the Spirit of Fighting Intent is able to further evolve to a Battle Seal."

"Using fighting intent to evolve into a Battle Seal?" Mu Chen's face was full of shock and bewilderment, clearly unfamiliar with this concept.

Zhantai Liuli explained, "Battle Seals are an advanced method of stimulating the fighting intent, which is like a Divine Art in cultivating spiritual energy, and it can unleash the ultimate strength of the fighting intent. Of course, 10,000 battle runes are also the most basic baseline for the layout of a battle array. Only by achieving this step, would it then be possible to develop a battle array. That will greatly increase the strength of fighting intent and form more attacks."

Mu Chen nodded with an astonished expression, as he never expected that the fighting intent could be employed in such a way. He thought back to the way he used to manipulate fighting intent and sighed at how mediocre it had really been.

"Generally speaking, once the Spirit of Fighting Intent can condense 10,000 battle runes, it is comparable to a Seventh Grade Sovereign, and if it can reach 50,000 battle runes, even an Eighth Grade Sovereign will fear it. One hundred thousand battle runes can fight a Ninth Grade Sovereign head on," the Sky Array Emperor said nonchalantly.

Mu Chen's eyes narrowed as shock poured out from their depths. With 100,000 battle runes, a Spirit of Fighting Intent could even deal with a Ninth Grade Sovereign, so how terrifying was a Ten Million Runes War Troop Dispatcher?

That Nine Calamity Battle Emperor, was he a terrifying existence who could clash with the Heavenly Sovereign?

"Million Battle Runes is comparable to an Earthly Sovereign… and a Spirit of Fighting Intent that possesses Ten Million Battle Runes... even a Heavenly Sovereign would avoid a confrontation with it. That terrifying power can obliterate an extraterritorial clan with a snap of a finger," the Sky Array Emperor stated solemnly.

"Obliterate an extraterritorial clan…"

Mu Chen's thoughts flickered. When he felt the so-called "Battle Array of Mind" in the past, the image he saw seemed to be an endless nine-headed hydra. As it hissed, it had obliterated a large number of extraterritorial clans hidden in a lower plane.

At that time, Mu Chen hadn't paid much attention, but now that he thought about it, the nine-headed hydra Spirit of Fighting Intent seemed to have innumerable battle runes, and that number was likely to have reached the rank of Ten Million.

"I didn't expect the Nine Calamity Battle Emperor to be such a legendary existence," Mu Chen exclaimed. This kind of existence, even in those ancient times, must be at the top of the level of the heavens and earth, and considered as a giant of the Great Thousand World. It seemed that he had gained something so valuable despite seemingly losing another precious object. Although he had not obtained the Sky Array Emperor's inheritance, he had gained the legacy of such a legendary terrifying existence.

"But you must not be complacent because of this. The Nine Calamity Thunder Prison Visualization in your hands is not complete. There are only the first four calamity practices. The last five calamity practices have long been lost, but even so, if you can complete the first four, it will not be difficult for you to condense hundreds of thousands of battle runes. If you have a high degree of compatibility with it, you may even have the chance to get to a Million Runes," the Sky Array Emperor reminded him.

"Hundreds of thousands of battle runes…"

Upon hearing that, Mu Chen felt a small sense of pity, but he was not disappointed. If there was an opportunity in future, he could try to obtain the final five calamity practices. According to his estimation, it was absolutely impossible to complete the training of the first four calamity practices successfully in a short period of time.

"Thank you for Master's guidance."

Mu Chen bowed respectfully to the Sky Array Emperor, clasped his fists, and thanked him sincerely. Although he did not receive his inheritance, the latter opened the door for him to becoming a war troop dispatcher and gave him an opportunity containing great potential, which was enough to make him grateful.

The Sky Array Emperor waved his hand and said, "It is also due to you that I was able to find a successor in the time before I pass. Giving you an opportunity is only right."

With all this said, the Sky Array Emperor's face seemed to become a little weary, and Mu Chen could perceive that the light in his eyes had become much dimmer, which made him realize that the Emperor could not hold on for much longer.

"I will not be able to hold on for long, and I will give both of you a gift before I completely dissipate." The Sky Array Emperor smiled at them weakly, and with a wave of his hand, the stone army beneath them was shaking, and then silhouettes rose into the sky and finally turned to ashes, falling into the Emperor's hands.

In his hands, it seemed that there were two stone chess boards, and the stone guards had turned into delicate stone statues, falling onto the chessboard like chess pieces.

"This Divine Chessboard of Fighting Intent is indeed very dangerous. Tens of thousands of soldiers in my stone army could only produce two thousand chess soldiers."

The Sky Array Emperor looked at the stone statues on the two stone chess boards, sighed lightly, and then shot them at Mu Chen and Zhantai Liuli. "Each of these chess boards has a thousand stone troops. If there is a critical moment of life and death, you can activate them. Their fighting intent will help you through the difficulties, but remember, this item can only be used once. After using it, it will then turn into ashes."

The two of them were shocked, and then carefully accepted the ancient stone chess boards, finally bowing respectfully again towards the Sky Array Emperor.

As they bowed, the Sky Array Emperor smiled and nodded, and as soon as his body slowly leaned against the stone pedestal, the light in his eyes began to fade gradually until it was completely gone.

When the light in his eyes disappeared, the body of the Emperor began to gradually petrify and finally turned into a stone statue, sitting quietly on the stone pedestal.

When Mu Chen and Zhantai Liuli looked up, they saw that the Sky Array Emperor had transformed into a stone statue. Both of them sighed softly, as they knew that the master who opened the door to their road of becoming war troop dispatchers had disappeared completely from the world.