"General..." Xiao Zhan's Adam's apple bobbed, and the lining beneath his armor had long been soaked through with cold sweat.
His voice was full of agitation and guilt, as though only at this moment had he truly realized his mistake.
He remembered that when he had still been a squad leader, Lin Bingchun had dug out his broken right leg from a heap of corpses.
Back then, Lin Bingchun had been like a lifeline to him, giving him hope of being reborn.
He also remembered the night he was promoted to commander, when the general laid his sword across Xiao Zhan's shoulder and said, "Where the sword points, it should be for the common people."
Those words had been like a bright lamp, illuminating his military career and making him understand his mission.
He remembered even more clearly the secret order, and the military supervisor's words: "Wanze City hides the secret behind Lin Bingchun's disappearance."
And now, Lin Bingchun stood right before him. What reason did he have to continue?
His heart was filled with remorse and self-reproach. He felt that he had betrayed Lin Bingchun's trust.
The sharp clatter of Xiao Zhan's discarded saber and stripped-off armor striking the ground was like a signal opening the floodgates.
In an instant, the crisp crash of a hundred thousand Magic Artifacts hitting the ground gathered into a tide that shook the heavens, as a hundred thousand cultivators lowered their heads in unison.
The scene was like a grand surrender ceremony, yet also like repentance for the mistakes of the past.
Swords and sabers forged from black iron burst into sparks against the bluestone slabs. Talisman scrolls rolled into the dust, and even the spiritual treasures floating in midair fell like kites with their strings cut.
The spiritual energy surging across the