Tuoba Shan froze for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter.
"Alright! That's what I wanted to hear!"
With his massive axe slung over his shoulder, he headed for the city wall.
Lu Chen called out to him. "Wait."
Tuoba Shan turned back.
Lu Chen took a small porcelain bottle from his robes and tossed it to him.
"Longevity Fruit. Two of them. One restores five hundred years of lifespan."
Tuoba Shan caught the bottle and stood there, stunned.
"You—"
"Your left arm is broken, and you've drained too much true essence. If you don't eat this, going up there is just throwing your life away."
Tuoba Shan opened his mouth, wanting to say something. Lu Chen gave him no chance; he had already turned and headed toward the city wall.
Yun Qingyue followed behind him and suddenly reached out to tug on his sleeve.
Lu Chen stopped and turned to look at her.
"You said just now," she asked softly, "that you weren't afraid of death?"
Lu Chen looked at her reddened eyes and fell silent for a moment.
"I am. But I'm more afraid of dying for nothing."
He raised a hand and gently patted the top of her head.
"Take three steps back."
Then he turned and strode toward the city wall.
Lu Chen stood atop the city wall, watching the corpse tide draw ever closer.
Five li. Four li. Three li.
Seven corpse generals marched at the very front, their steps perfectly synchronized. Every step they took shook loose gravel from the city wall. Their forms varied—some resembled humans, some beasts, while some could not even be recognized as anything pieced together. Yet every one of them stood ten zhang tall, every one was covered in thick scale armor, and eerie green flames flickered in every