At dawn, before the sky had fully lightened, the gates of North-Rejecting City opened.
They hadn't been breached. They had been opened deliberately.
The Seventh Prince stood atop the city wall in a moon-white robe. His face was still pale, but his back was straight as a spear. Beside him stood a gray-robed elder who looked to be in his early sixties. His hair was white, his face lean, and his eyes shone with startling brightness.
The elder stood with his hands behind his back, his presence so well concealed that he seemed like an ordinary man. But Li Jinshui only had to glance at him to feel an invisible pressure.
The Origin-Opening Realm.
And his aura was even more profound than the pressure the Seventh Prince had displayed before.
An hour earlier,
everyone at the Inner Strength Realm or above had been urgently summoned to the main hall of the General's Mansion.
The Seventh Prince sat in the seat of honor, with the gray-robed elder standing motionless behind him. The old man hadn't even lifted an eyelid.
"Gentlemen." The Seventh Prince's voice was weak, but still clear and forceful. "Today's battle concerns the survival of North-Rejecting City, and the prestige of Great Zhou."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across everyone present—Zhao Zheng, Yun Ruoxi and the other four guest retainers, the Camp Commanders and Squad Leaders from each battalion, and men from the Personal Guard Battalion like Li Jinshui.
"The enemy has two Origin-Opening Realm experts—Huyan Zhuo and Huyan Lie, who hasn't yet recovered from his severe injuries." The Seventh Prince spoke calmly. "Though Huyan Lie is badly wounded, if he fights to the death, he'll still have the strength of an Origin-Opening Realm expert."
The hall fell deathly silent.
Two Origin-Opening Realm experts.
On their side, the Seventh Prince was still injured and couldn't fight.
Zhao Zheng stepped forward and cupped his fists. "Your Highness, our Origin-Opening Realm expert..."
The Seventh Prince's lips curled slightly as he glanced at the gray-robed elder beside him.
The elder remained hunched over, showing no reaction.
But everyone understood.
Zhao Zheng's eyes lit up. He cupped his fists and bowed to the elder. "May I ask your name, senior..."
The gray-robed elder finally spoke. His voice was hoarse and low, like sandpaper scraping against stone. "This old man's surname is Chen. I've followed His Highness for decades. Some time ago, I was lured away and nearly got His Highness killed. This time, I won't leave again."
As he spoke, he didn't even lift his eyelids, but the faint killing intent he gave off lowered the temperature in the hall by several degrees.
Li Jinshui's heart tightened.
Lured away?
In other words, someone had deliberately drawn away the Seventh Prince's protector before the attack.
The traitor's reach was frighteningly long.
The Seventh Prince waved a hand and continued. "The enemy has two Origin-Opening Realm experts. Huyan Lie is badly wounded and can only bring out half his strength at most. Elder Chen is enough to handle them both. Your task is to hold off their Pulse-Opening and Inner Strength experts."
He looked at Zhao Zheng. "How many Pulse-Opening Realm experts does the Di Army have?"
Zhao Zheng's expression was grave. "Our scouts reported at least twelve. Five came with Huyan Zhuo, while seven are subordinates of Huyan Lie, the former commander of the Di Army. Including Huyan Lie himself, that makes thirteen."
Thirteen Pulse-Opening Realm experts.
And on North-Rejecting City's side—
The Seventh Prince was badly wounded and couldn't be counted as a fighter. The five guest retainers were all at the Pulse-Opening Realm. With Zhao Zheng, that made six.
Six against thirteen.
They were at a disadvantage.
The Seventh Prince's gaze swept across the five guest retainers. "Each of you must hold off at least two. Any objections?"
The four male guest retainers' expressions shifted, but none dared speak.
Yun Ruoxi said coolly, "I can handle three."
The Seventh Prince's gaze settled on Li Jinshui and the others at the Inner Strength Realm.
"Inner Strength Realm against Inner Strength Realm. Don't let the Di People slaughter our ordinary soldiers."
Li Jinshui stood among the crowd without a word, only giving a slight nod.
The Seventh Prince's gaze paused on his face for a moment, then moved on.
"One more thing." The Seventh Prince rose to his feet. He swayed slightly, but managed to steady himself. "Today, North-Rejecting City will open its gates and meet the enemy in battle."
The hall erupted in an uproar.
Open the gates and fight?
Against tens of thousands of Di troops, they would abandon the advantage of the city walls and fight in the open?
"Your Highness!" someone cried. "This..."
The Seventh Prince raised a hand to quiet the debate, his voice turning cold.
"The Di People are at our gates. If we hide behind the walls and refuse to come out, what will become of Great Zhou's dignity?"
His gaze swept over them as he spoke each word distinctly.
"Today's battle isn't about defending the city. It's about breaking their morale and letting them know that Great Zhou isn't to be bullied."
"Open the gates and meet them in battle!"
After the meeting, everyone filed out one after another.
As Li Jinshui left the hall, he glanced back—
The Seventh Prince was still seated in the place of honor, with the gray-robed elder standing beside him, stooped like a statue.
The five guest retainers hadn't left. They were gathered around the Seventh Prince, seemingly discussing something.
Li Jinshui turned away and strode off.
Only six people remained in the hall.
The Seventh Prince, Elder Chen, Yun Ruoxi, and the four other guest retainers.
Once the door closed, the Seventh Prince's face crumpled. He leaned back in his chair, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
Yun Ruoxi stepped forward and supported him. "Your Highness, your injuries haven't healed. You shouldn't be exhausting yourself like this..."
The Seventh Prince waved a hand to show her he was fine.
He looked at Elder Chen. "Elder Chen, the enemy has two late-stage Origin-Opening Realm experts. How confident are you?"
Elder Chen lifted his eyelids. "Completely."
The Seventh Prince was taken aback.
The Seventh Prince nodded and fell silent for a while, then suddenly asked, "Have there been any messages from the Imperial Court?"
Yun Ruoxi shook her head. "Not yet. But after the news of the attack on Your Highness got back, several princes joined forces to investigate. There's no direct evidence, but everyone knows whose claws have reached too far."
The Seventh Prince gave a cold laugh. "What good is knowing if we have no evidence? We can't touch them without it."
He paused, a flash of murderous intent crossing his eyes.
"But even if we can't get to the root, we can start by chopping off their claws. Send word back and have Third Uncle look into those old cases from back then. Reopen the ones that should be reopened and arrest those who should be arrested. Don't be afraid of alerting the snake. Only when it's startled will it show its flaws."
Yun Ruoxi nodded. "Yes."
He brought up the panel and took one last look:
[Name: Li Jinshui] [Realm: Inner Strength Realm (middle stage)] [Arts: Evergreen Art (minor mastery 12/500), Rock Body (minor mastery 60/200), White Tiger Blade Technique (great mastery 0/300), Iron Thread Fist (minor mastery 0/100), Inch Step (minor mastery 0/100), Marching Step (minor mastery 0/80), Iron Shirt (perfection), Wolf Killing Seven Forms (perfection), Tiger Walk (perfection)] [Points: 0]
That was enough.
He raised his head and looked toward the opposite side.
It was a quarter past the hour of the Dragon, and the sun had fully risen.
The gates of North-Rejecting City slowly swung open, and the drawbridge came down.
Rank after rank of Zhou soldiers poured through the gates and formed up outside the city.
Li Jinshui stood in the ranks, gripping the new military saber he had been issued as he watched the sea of Di troops across the field.
The two armies stood three hundred paces apart. Their banners blotted out the sun, and killing intent soared into the sky.
He glanced back at the city wall—the Seventh Prince stood atop it, the gray-robed elder behind him. Yun Ruoxi, the other four guest retainers, and the commander had come down from the wall to stand at the front of the Zhou ranks. Their auras were fully unleashed, and the pressure from the six Pulse-Opening Realm experts blended together.
The Zhou soldiers' morale surged.
The Di Army had already formed its ranks, a dark mass stretching across the entire horizon.
At the very front, two figures stood suspended in the air.
The one on the left was powerfully built and bare-chested, a savage scar across his chest—the mark left by the Seventh Prince. His face was still somewhat pale, and his aura unsteady, but his ferocity was still enough to make people's hearts tremble.
Huyan Lie.
The one on the right wore a blood-red cloak and rode a massive black wolf. His face was sinister, his eyes sharp as an eagle's.
Huyan Zhuo.
Two Origin-Opening Realm experts.
Behind them stood more than a dozen Pulse-Opening Realm experts, suspended in midair. Beyond them were densely packed soldiers at the Inner Strength and Body Forging Realms.
An army of thirty thousand stood ready for battle.
Huyan Zhuo's gaze landed on Elder Chen. He narrowed his eyes, then sneered.
"An old relic with one foot in the grave dares to stand in my way?"
Elder Chen lifted his eyelids and looked at him without a word.
But that one glance made Huyan Zhuo's smile freeze for an instant.
He gave a cold snort and raised his hand.
War drums thundered.
The Di Army began to advance.
Five thousand paces, three thousand paces, one thousand paces—
"Kill!!!"
A deafening battle cry rang out as the two armies surged together like raging torrents and slammed into each other!
Li Jinshui charged at the very front. He unleashed the White Tiger Blade Technique at full force, his blade flashing like snow as he cleaved down the Di soldier rushing straight at him!
[Killed Northern Di soldier, points +1]
He didn't stop, but continued charging forward.
He wanted to kill more people.
He wanted more points.
Because only points could keep him alive.
Just then, two figures shot up from the Di ranks!
Huyan Lie and Huyan Zhuo!
Elder Chen moved as well.
He pushed off with one foot, his whole body shooting into the sky like a streak of gray light!
"Boom—!!!"
Three figures collided in midair, and a violent shock wave swept outward. The people below were shaken so badly they could barely stay on their feet!
Li Jinshui looked up. He could only make out three blurry shadows colliding furiously, each impact erupting with a thunderous boom.
Then he looked away and continued killing the enemy.
Because he knew he couldn't interfere in a battle of that level.
All he could do was kill.
Kill until they fell—or until he fell.
Kill!
~~
Two surging forces collided in the air, and the shock wave swept across the battlefield below, sending ranks of fighting soldiers tumbling!
The three separated at once, then lunged at each other again, locked in fierce combat!
Elder Chen's palms were like blades, each strike carrying enough force to split mountains and shatter rocks. Huyan Zhuo's saber technique was fierce, his blade energy stretching dozens of yards in every direction.
They fought from the sky to the ground, then from the ground back into the sky. Everywhere they passed, rocks shattered and trees turned to ash!
The five guest retainers also engaged the Di People's Pulse-Opening Realm experts, pairing off to fight!
Across the battlefield, the Pulse-Opening Realm fights shook heaven and earth, the Inner Strength Realm clashes were brutally bloody, and Body Forging Realm soldiers fell in swathes like ants.
Li Jinshui charged at the very front.
White Tiger Blade Technique: Tiger Pounce!
His blade came down, cleaving the Di Squad Leader in front of him in half, man and weapon together!
[Killed Northern Di Squad Leader (early Inner Strength Realm), points +10]
He didn't slow down. He unleashed Inch Step, shifting three feet to the side in an instant to dodge a spear thrust from his flank, then swung his blade in a counterattack—
Tiger Sweep!
His blade flashed across, cutting three Di soldiers in half at the waist!
[+1] [+1] [+1]
He was like a sharp blade, plunging deep into the Di Army's formation.
With the White Tiger Blade Technique at great mastery, every swing carried solid blade energy. Anyone below the Inner Strength Realm died in one strike. Early Inner Strength Realm fighters took three at most.
With the Evergreen Art at minor mastery, his internal force was as deep as rivers and seas. The more he killed, the more energized he became, showing no sign of exhaustion.
His Rock Body was more than halfway through minor mastery. The Di soldiers' blades only left white marks on his skin, unable to even break it.
He was a killing machine that never stopped.
A Di Centurion spotted him. At the middle stage of the Inner Strength Realm, he charged over with a pair of hammers, roaring furiously.
Li Jinshui neither dodged nor retreated. He charged straight at him!
As the twin hammers came crashing down, he darted sideways. Inch Step brought him instantly within arm's reach of the centurion—
Iron Thread Fist!
His fist slammed into the centurion's chest!
"Pfft!"
The centurion spat out a mouthful of blood. His chest caved in, leaving a deep hollow, and his whole body flew backward!
Before he hit the ground, Li Jinshui's blade was already there—
White Tiger Blade Technique · Tiger Roar!
His blade qi became a tiger's roar as he cleaved the centurion's head from his shoulders!
[Slain Northern Di centurion (mid-stage Inner Strength), points +15]
He picked up the head and raised it high, letting out a long cry!
Seeing this, the Zhou Army soldiers around him were greatly heartened, and their cries of battle grew fiercer!
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