SWISH!
The chilling battle blade shot out horizontally. A gleam of cold light sliced through the sky, unleashing a terrifying sharpness that made everyone instinctively shield their eyes.
Chen Xin, who already sensed grave danger—even impending doom—shouted desperately, "My brother is Chen Jian! He's fighting hard on the front lines! How can you do this to at a ti like this? Aren't you afraid of breaking his spirit?"
"He has already broken the spirit of the entire nation with his repeated defeats," Wu Xing said coldly. "For your wanton bullying, he, Chen Jian, bears an inescapable responsibility."
Chen Xin was speechless. He had heard whispers of the grudge between his brother and this Forr Chief Military Commander, which ant that today…
"Please, just let live! I'll never do it again, I swear!" Chen Xin raised his head, his face a ghastly mix of pale and red. He forced a smile that looked worse than a sob. He knelt before everyone, kowtowing incessantly, not stopping even as his head began to bleed. He only wanted to live. That was all.
Chen Yang lowered his gaze, gave Chen Xin a single glance, then turned and walked away, leaving Qiu Yu to handle the aftermath. Sun Ziru and the others respectfully saw them off, walking with them to the courtyard exit.
"Have you been staying with these two Elders this whole ti?" Chen Yang asked softly, taking Qin Qiu's small hand as they walked.
Qin Qiu nodded.
"Why don't you all return to Lingjin City?" Chen Yang suggested.
Lingjin City... After being away for so long, I really do miss it. I miss all my old friends there.
But Qin Qiu shook her head. "I'm not going."
The only reason is that I want to be closer to you. That's all.
"I'll be back soon," Chen Yang said, ruffling her hair with a look of pure tenderness.
In truth, whether it was Qin Qiu, Wu Xing, or Chen Yang himself, they all knew this expedition was fraught with imnse danger. Intelligence reports indicated that the Barbaric New Sovereign, Heiqi, was imnsely powerful. Yet, in the last two battles, this new sovereign hadn't even taken the field. It was clear the Barbarians' current strength exceeded all imagination.
With his back to the others, Chen Yang got into a comrcial vehicle, which gradually drove off into the distance.
Dark clouds gathered overhead as the wind grew as sharp as a knife, and the temperature plumted.
"I'm afraid a snowstorm is coming," Jin Zheng murmured, his fists clenched tightly behind his back. Humans are born with a fear of death, but there will always be those who, when the critical mont arrives, step forward without a second thought.
***
THUD. THUD. THUD.
The wind howled, and their footsteps thundered like drums. The desolate, withered wilderness, recently filled with the assembling Martial Guards, echoed with the relentless sound of marching. A solemn, murderous aura soared skyward.
A strong gust of wind swept past. Yang Hu, battle blade in hand, instinctively turned. One by one, more and more n turned their gazes in the sa direction. The intensity of their brilliant stares electrified the air.
It was a man. His figure was tall and imposing. Head held high and chest out, he walked toward them in silence. He was clad in a battle robe magnificently embroidered with golden thread, depicting a Python Sparrow Devouring a Dragon.
"General Yang Hu greets the Commander!" After a year, seeing Chen Yang once again in the Python Sparrow Devouring Dragon battle robe, Yang Hu's eyes shimred. He gritted his teeth, straightened his back, and roared with profound respect.
"General Ning Kun greets the Commander!"
"Greetings, Commander!"
Ning Kun and the rest of the Martial Guards saluted in perfect unison, their voices thundering like a tidal wave.
"It has been too long," Chen Yang said, his gaze sweeping over the crowd as he offered them his highest salute.
These n had returned to ordinary lives. So were even on the verge of marrying and starting families. Yet, at the call of a single recruitnt notice, they had resolutely left everything behind to return to the battlefield. They weren't saints. Like all of us, they were people of flesh and blood, with their own feelings and lives.
But their vow remained, etched into their very blood: If there is a war, they must answer the call!
Without a country, how can there be a ho?
Gazing upon these resolute faces, Chen Yang's eyes grew moist.
Have you not seen, when the wolf smoke of war beacons rise,
young n step forth to ask for the long tassel of command?
Have you not seen, as spears point south,
the light cavalry of a distant land stirs the clouds of war?
Have you not seen, at the call of a single notice,
an army of 800,000 tigers and wolves takes up their armor once more,
forging an iron wall with their flesh and blood,
to protect these vast lands from the Barbarians' trampling hooves.
The cold wind cut like a knife, whipping up snow like goose feathers.
Chen Yang stepped to the forefront, letting the wind and snow lash his face. He lifted a jar of wine and slapped away the clay seal. "After this drink, we'll teach them a lesson!" he bood. "They swept through ten nations and shattered our National Defense in two battles, and now they really think they're an invincible, undefeated army?"
Imdiately after, a voice like muffled thunder roared across the plains. "Martial Guards! Let this era, let this mortal world, witness the unmatched glory of our 800,000 Hanyun Valley Martial Guards!"
It was the impassioned cry of Yang Hu.
Chen Yang looked up toward the gates of Hanyun Valley as the wind howled in his ears.
WHOOSH!
A single signal arrow shot into the sky, exploding into a brilliant firework. Countless heads tilted back to watch the dazzling burst of light, their hands tightening around their battle blades, their fighting spirit surging.
Could there be any scene in this magnificent age more stirring, more heart-pounding than this?
A single Cloud-Piercing Arrow, summoning a mighty army!
> A general fights a hundred battles, body and na broken,
> ...
> The Yi River whispers, the west wind blows cold;
> the assembled nobles, their robes white as snow.
> The brave warrior's lant is not yet finished.
What does it matter to die a hundred deaths to protect our ho and country?
Chen Yang lifted the wine jar, which brimd with the fiery spirit of humanity. Fragrant liquor splashed into a row of porcelain bowls. One after another, resolute, fierce faces turned to Chen Yang, their gazes sharp and their expressions solemn. Half of them were young n in their early twenties, their faces varied, but their explosive battle intent was identical.
The twelve deputy generals stepped forward in unison, each one like a dragon, their presence soaring to the heavens.
Chen Yang raised his porcelain bowl. "Drink!"
BOOM!
The twelve deputy generals held their bowls of strong liquor high and roared as one, the sound crashing down like a tsunami. "DRINK!"
Years pass and seasons turn, but the fire in their blood never cools.
Chen Yang tilted his head back and drained the bowl without spilling a drop. His stalwart figure and resolute face displayed the full splendor of a man.
Recalling the past, this once-young lad had enlisted at eighteen. Forged in the crucible of war and tempered by the world's suffering, he stood now, with his nation on the brink of ruin, still upholding the oath he swore when he first took up arms.
"I, Chen Yang, have lived this life with no regrets toward mankind or heaven and earth."
He swept his gaze over the 800,000 Martial Guards, the strong wine burning in his gut, his blood boiling.
The second cup was for everyone present.
The third, for the countless valiant spirits of the fallen.
Finally, sweeping his battle robe aside with one hand, Chen Yang fell to one knee.
"Commander, you mustn't!"
Yang Hu and Ning Kun lunged forward. Flanking him, they grabbed his arms to stop him from kneeling, their stance firm and unyielding.
The Supre Martial Commander, the War God of the State... How could he possibly kneel?
Chen Yang's expression was glacial. He said nothing.
Yang Hu and Ning Kun exchanged a look, each seeing the profound complexity in the other's eyes. Then, they stepped back.
THUMP.
Chen Yang knelt on one knee. "For the rest of our lives, even if it ans making an enemy of the world, I, Chen Yang, will clear your nas! I will make sure your stories are told for generations to co!"
The imperial family, the powerful factions... I will sweep them all away. By what right do you trample upon the magnificent lands we shed blood to protect? There is no justice in that!
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