An Unexpected Ending

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After all the famous generals perished in Lihuo City, there were very few discerning people left in the Western Wasteland. At least the King and Crown Prince Mang Zhan did not have much keen judgment and never thought that Southern Li, which was on the verge of destruction and had finally caught its breath, would not lick its wounds but would launch a counterattack so quickly.

Just as the entire nation was breathing a sigh of relief at the withdrawal of the Daqian army and hoping to recuperate for a period of time, the massive invasion of Southern Li shocked the Western Wasteland Wilderness.

This completely unforeseen misjudgment resulted in the Western Wasteland reacting extremely slowly and failing to organize any decent defenses. The Southern Li Army advanced with unstoppable momentum, breaking through cities along the way in just a few days and heading towards the Western Wilderness Capital.

Only then did Mang Zhan finally gather his defeated troops and assemble them in the capital for the final defense of the city.

Standing atop the city wall, looking down at Li Qingjun, who stood ready with her spear drawn, Mang Zhan's eyes were somewhat dazed. Just a few days ago, he was leading his army to besiege her, imagining how he would capture and humiliate her on the day the city fell... But in just a few days, the tables had turned, and she was now leading a large army to the Soldiers Arrive.

Mang Zhan was merely an average person; in both strategy and martial prowess, he paled in comparison to his nemesis, Li Qinglin. Even when he was sent as an envoy to Southern Li, he was easily knocked off his spear by Qin Yi, who hadn't yet broken through to the Innate Realm—his prestige was truly lacking. It should be said that while Mang Zhan considered Li Qinglin his nemesis, in Li Qinglin's eyes, he was practically nowhere near Mang Zhan's level; their strategic acumen was simply not on the same level.

However, Mang Zhan was not an incompetent and brainless spoiled brat. He was indeed a seasoned general who had fought on the battlefield, having participated in numerous invasions of Southern Li. He was also politically astute, a stable and reliable Crown Prince who outshone his brothers. After the deaths of generals like Mang You in Lihuo City, Mang Zhan became the last pillar of the Western Wasteland.

Even a centipede with a hundred legs doesn't die easily, and with such an opponent holding out for the last Capital City, this battle will not be easy.

This is a war for the fate of the National Luck. If the city is breached, the Western Wasteland will perish. If they cannot break through, the Southern Li itself will also collapse.

"Woo..." A deep bugle call sounded, and the sound of war drums resounded through the sky. The Southern Li Army, carrying ladders and braving arrows, reached the city wall. From a distance, one side of the wall was covered with people, like a dark swarm of ants. Logs and boulders rolled down from the wall, and some soldiers screamed and fell, but those behind them continued to climb fearlessly.

Some of the more skilled generals, using the ladders and the shoulders of their soldiers, managed to climb the city walls in just a few steps.

Firelight and black smoke were everywhere, making it seem as if the two worlds had merged into one under the swirling snow.

Qin Yi watched from afar, always feeling a sense of detachment.

It was as if human lives were no longer human lives; the "ant swarm" tactic truly treated human lives like ants. For a fleeting moment, I could understand Minghe's thoughts when she looked at people—they looked at the soldiers, Minghe looked at them—weren't they almost the same...?

He glanced at Li Qingjun expression was cold and stern, showing no sign of weakness or sympathy.

Qin Yi knew this was only natural.

Over the past two months, her naivety should have been worn away long ago. Her glamorous attire was locked away in the closet, replaced by a blood-red battle robe and cold iron armor. The current Li Qingjun is a rapidly growing general.

She possessed this talent from the start, just like the spearhead that rushed towards the Spider Demon in the wind and rain.

In such a massive battle involving thousands of troops, Qin Yi couldn't offer much help on the battlefield. Although he had some area-of-effect (AoE) skills, their range was small, they couldn't be used many times, and they were prone to accidentally injuring friendly forces.

But he can play some very special auxiliary roles.

On the city wall, Mang Zhan was forcing back a Southern Li a guard beside him suddenly cried out in terror, "Your Crown Prince... from heaven..."

Mang Zhan turned his head and looked over, his eyes widening in surprise.

Hundreds of elite Southern Li, stripped of their armor and dressed only in close-fitting clothes, flew down from the sky and headed straight for the city walls...

"What the hell is this thing? Can the people of Southern Li fly now? What's the point of fighting then?!"

It wasn't that the people of Southern Li could fly; it was just that Qin Yi had hastily made one hundred Levitation Talisman and controlled their direction of flight. His limit was only one hundred, and even that wasn't very fast.

Even so, it had already brought utter destruction to the defenders of the Western Wasteland.

Several elite troops from the Southern Li were shot down in flight, and most of them fell into the city, where they hacked at anyone they saw and headed straight for the city gates.

If things change inside the gate, the trouble will be huge. Mang Zhan hurriedly sent people down the city wall to deal with it, while Li Qingjun made her move over there.

Taking advantage of the chaos on the city wall, she led her last personal guards, charging straight towards the city gate.

Before the man even arrived, the powerful spear tip had already pierced heavily into the gap in the city gate.

The city gate shook violently.

With a loud crash, Qin Yi swung his stick and broke the iron chain by the door.

Under attack from both inside and outside, the city gates were finally opened.

As thousands of troops swarmed in, Li Qingjun, her expression neither sad nor happy, charged straight at Mang Zhan with her spear in hand.

Qin Yi breathed a sigh of relief. This should be a success...

Just then, Liusu's voice echoed in his Sea of Consciousness: "A powerful being is approaching, be careful!"

Qin Yi was startled. In the distance, a sandstorm rose, with sand and stones flying everywhere. The snow that filled the sky was scattered and fell in all directions, and a vortex shape was formed in the air. Someone was rapidly approaching.

In the blink of an eye, the newcomer had already reached the top of the city wall, floating in the air and coldly watching the battle below.

This was a burly man who looked like a savage, with his upper body bare, his large feet bare, a tiger skin around his waist, a necklace of bones and teeth around his neck, a wooden cane in one hand and a curved knife in the other.

An extremely terrifying aura enveloped the battlefield, and even the soldiers engaged in fierce combat were unconsciously intimidated by the Sha Qi and slowly stopped fighting.

The battlefield was deathly silent.

Li Qingjun and Mang Zhan exchanged blows, and Li Qingjun unconsciously retreated, both of them filled with surprise and uncertainty.

Mang Zhan didn't know who the newcomer was, nor did Li Qingjun, but it was clear that this unexpected turn of events was advantageous to the Western Wasteland. Moreover, their appearance resembled that of a tribe in the early stages of the Western Wasteland's rise... Could they be some kind of reclusive great shaman living in the Western Wasteland?

Mang Zhan exclaimed in surprise, "Senior... you seem to resemble the portrait in my This King shrine..."

"Ancestral hall..." the visitor began, his voice booming like a bell, "Your surname is Mang?"

Mang Zhan said, "That's right, my name is Mang Zhan, the Crown Western Wilderness Crown Prince."

"Crown Prince... such a vulgar Central Lands title is unbearable. It's one thing for those people in Southern Li to adopt it, but why does our Great Wilderness have any need for such a thing?"

Mang Zhan: "..."

The newcomer said coldly, "It seems that it was you who disturbed my meditation by praying and offering sacrifices to my ancestors. It's truly laughable that you're going to be wiped out by the Southern Li people."

Mang Zhan was both surprised and delighted. "It really is... it really is the Ancestor? The Ancestor is really alive?"

Qin Yi and Li Qingjun felt a pang in their hearts at the same time.

There really is an ancestor in the Western Wasteland who practices witchcraft and lives a long life.

This is troublesome...

The newcomer said coldly, "More than ninety years ago, if it weren't for my secret assistance, your ancestors would have been wiped out in a tribal war. How could you have turned the tables, unified the tribes, and established the Great Wilderness?"

Mang Zhan was overjoyed, pointing at the Nanli Army: "These traitors have invaded my homeland..."

Qin Yi abruptly interrupted, shouting, "Fellow Daoist, can you bear to watch this?"

A fragrant breeze wafted through the arena once more, and a stunningly beautiful female Daoist priest appeared. "Could you be Mount Mang Venerable? Minghe from the Celestial Pivot Divine Palace greets you."

Qin Yi breathed a slight sigh of relief.

For high-level cultivators to interfere in the human realm's battles is truly going too far. Minghe usually just observes from the sidelines, but with other cultivators involved, it's no longer just a human matter. Shouldn't Minghe at least show some consideration...? After all, she claimed to owe a favor because of the sword formation...

This turn of events was truly unexpected. If this Mount Mang Venerable is so powerful, how could he have allowed the Southern Li and Western Wasteland to be locked in a tug-of-war for a hundred years?

Then, Mount Mang Venerable glanced at Minghe and revealed his first smile since appearing, "Celestial Pivot Divine Palace, it seems you still come from the First Palace, not bad, not bad. Please give my regards to my master."

It seems he treats Minghe much better than he treats his own descendants...

Minghe bowed respectfully. "Your Excellency is very kind."

Mount Mang Venerable smiled slightly, "Your Celestial Pivot Divine Palace is on the side of the Southern Li people?"

Minghe shook her head and said, "This junior is merely an observer. Human affairs should be left to human affairs to be resolved in the human realm. It would be against the rules for you and me to interfere."

"Who said I was going to interfere..." Mount Mang Venerable suddenly pointed at Mang Zhan.

Before everyone could even scream, Mang Zhan exploded into a pile of mangled flesh.

Minghe frowned, puzzled. "What does Your Excellency mean by this?"

"I have been pondering for a long time why I have been stuck in the Shining Sun Realm for a hundred years without taking a single step forward," Mount Mang Venerable said calmly. "Only today, after receiving your prayer, did I suddenly realize the truth. I thought that by staying away from the world and never concerning myself with the affairs of future generations, I had achieved a state of complete freedom of thought. But a tangible entanglement still exists. If a prayer is answered immediately, then it is merely self-deception. This is the root cause of my stagnation on the Great Dao."

Minghe: "..."

The Mount Mang Venerable took a step in the air and arrived directly at the Western Wasteland Royal Palace: "Then let this mistake be put to rest, and let everything return to tranquility."

A colossal footprint descended from the sky, reducing the entire Western Wasteland Royal Palace to ruins. Amidst the desolate smoke, Mount Mang Venerable strode away, never glancing back in this direction again.

Qin Yi stared wide-eyed in the direction the man had gone, still unable to process what had happened.

This is...

Did he personally slaughter his own descendants?

"Is this the Dao?" he couldn't help but ask Minghe.

Minghe was silent for a moment. "Our paths are different, but this is indeed the way."