The city walls lay in dead silence, broken only by the distant sounds of fighting and wailing.
The civil and military officials lowered their heads. Some secretly wiped away tears, while others clenched their fists tightly, yet no one dared to object.
"Your Majesty!"
An elderly minister with graying hair and beard spoke in a trembling voice to Xue Ye:
"If we leave, what will happen to you?"
Xue Ye gave a bitter smile, his laughter filled with sorrow.
"I inherited this crown from my father at eighteen and defended Heaven Dou City for forty-three years. Now that the city has fallen and the nation is ruined, I cannot leave."
Xue Ye raised a hand and stroked the cold city bricks, as though feeling the pulse of the city, then continued:
"I will live and die with Heaven Dou City."
Then Xue Ye no longer looked at the others. He gave an order to a burly military commander among the crowd:
"General Zhang, take twenty thousand Imperial Guards and escort the Crown Prince through the secret passage! That area is Spirit Hall territory. They have just withdrawn, so you may be able to break through the encirclement!"
A military commander clad in dark armor dropped to one knee, his forehead striking the pool of blood beneath him.
"This subject swears to protect the Crown Prince with his life!"
He knew that this journey meant almost certain death, but this was the sovereign's final command.
Qian Renxue lowered her head, concealing the complex emotions in her eyes.
Supported by General Zhang, she followed the twenty thousand personal guards toward the North Gate.
Seeing this, the Spirit Hall forces on the walls stopped entangling themselves with the Sun-Moon Empire's three Title Douluo. After feinting once, they swiftly withdrew and closely followed Qian