Li Yuan Must Die!

Mr. Mo's gaze was distant, as though it had pierced through endless years. "Forty years ago, the three great Demon Emperors of the Northern Desert joined forces, driving a million demon soldiers and monsters to assault Divine Martial Pass, intending to break through the pass in one stroke and sweep south."

"That battle lasted seven days and seven nights. The pass walls changed hands several times, and blood flowed into rivers. At the final moment, Old General Yang left the pass alone and, amid an army of thousands, slew the three Demon Emperors in succession!"

"Only then was the tide of battle turned, forcing back the demon army and preserving Divine Martial Pass—as well as the hundreds of millions of people within the pass."

He had slain three Demon Emperors in succession!

The students sucked in cold breaths, their gazes upon the old man instantly filling with shock.

What a glorious achievement. What earthshaking cultivation!

"But that battle also burned away Old General Yang's origin. He exhausted everything. From then on, his cultivation was completely ruined, his Dao foundation shattered, and he was reduced to a mortal body. Even his lifespan was greatly diminished."

Mr. Mo's voice sank, filled with boundless regret. "The imperial court wished to reward him and bring him back to Chang'an to live out his years in honor, but he refused them all."

"He said that his soul, his roots, and all his family had already remained here at Divine Martial Pass. He wanted to stay here, watching the pass walls and watching those who came after him, until the day he closed his eyes."

His cultivation gone, reduced to a mortal body, yet willing to remain at this bitterly cold and perilous frontier as an obscure old soldier...

All their sense of superiority, all their unwillingness to accept defeat, melted away completely like ice and snow beneath the sun.

In its place came overflowing shame and heartfelt reverence.

Even Shen Lian's scarlet eyes revealed solemn respect. Silently, he sheathed his blade, then bowed deeply toward the old man's back.

Chu Yunhe also put away all his arrogance, his expression grave. Wu Yu, Yu Ling'er, and the others had reddened eyes.

Perhaps sensing their gazes, the old man stopped what he was doing and slowly turned around. His eyes were somewhat clouded, yet his gaze held a power that warmed the heart.

He said nothing. He merely nodded slightly in their direction, a faint smile appearing on his face.

At that moment, every student was profoundly shaken, and a surge of warmth rushed straight to their eyes.

"Salute!" Liu Hongyan's cool voice rang out.

Whoosh—

Every student instinctively straightened their backs and saluted the white-haired old general, whose cultivation was gone, yet who stood at the frontier like a needle that steadied the sea.

It was the highest respect the youths could offer their senior.

The old general looked at them, the smile on his face deepening slightly. He nodded once more, then turned around and continued to hobble toward the next place where he was needed.

Amid the chaos and clamor within the pass, his back appeared so small, yet so towering, as though it had merged with the Wall of Fallen Heroes carved with countless names.

Liu Hongyan nodded to the old soldier. "Take care, sir. We'll be leaving now." With that, she looked at Mr. Mo.

Mr. Mo had remained silent, merely staring toward the northern city walls with a dazed expression.

"Let's go." Mr. Mo withdrew his gaze, took a sip of wine, and spoke faintly.

"Everyone, follow me! Withdraw immediately!" Liu Hongyan ordered.

The students had no choice but to turn around and hurry back the way they had come. Behind them, the horn calls grew ever more urgent.

Gripping his blade, Shen Lian turned back and stared fixedly at the city walls, his eyes full of unwillingness. Yet in the end, he said nothing and turned to follow the group.

Walking among the group, Li Yuan looked back once more. His gaze swept over the silent Wall of Fallen Heroes before turning toward the city walls, where the sounds of battle shook the heavens.

War had been so close all along.

Everyone walked in silence, yet their hearts were heavy, as though something had filled them completely—and as though something had hollowed them out.

The atmosphere in the carriage on the return journey was heavy, steeped in an almost frozen silence.

No one spoke. Even the liveliest, Yu Ling'er, hugged her knees and stared blankly at the desolate scenery racing backward beyond the window.

Wu Yu kept his head lowered, not knowing what he was thinking.

Li Yuan was silent as well.

In his previous life, as a soldier, he had seen plenty of sacrifice and understood devotion.

Yet someone like Old General Yang, and such an extraordinary choice, still struck him with immense force.

A powerhouse of the Dao Entry Realm could have roamed the world freely and earned the reverence of countless people. Yet at the height of his glory, he chose to burn himself away, protecting the ordinary people behind him. In the end, he was willing to become ordinary and stand watch in silence.

What kind of faith and conviction was that?

He touched the identity plaque in his robes, passion surging in his heart. The blood of a soldier awakened within him once more. At this moment, he was no longer lost. He had finally found the path he would take in the future.

The bronze palace in his sea of consciousness seemed to sense the tumult in his heart as well, rippling faintly.

The carriage continued onward, moving farther and farther from Divine Martial Pass. The cries of battle behind them gradually became inaudible.

Yet the weight of those pass walls was branded deeply into every person's heart.

However, at this very moment, atop a peak beyond Divine Martial Pass that was shrouded in clouds and mist all year round, several figures were watching the departing convoy.

The leader stood a full zhang tall. He was not entirely human in shape, but rather a colossal wolf standing upright. His entire body was covered in silver-white fur, each strand standing on end and gleaming with the cold luster of metal.

A single horn grew from his forehead, and his pupils were crimson as blood. A terrifying demonic aura radiated from his body. He was unmistakably a Demon Emperor!

His icy gaze pierced across dozens of miles and fell upon the carriage.

"Has the news been confirmed?" Silverblood Wolf Emperor's voice was low and hoarse. "What is the situation with the one called Li Yuan?"

"It is indeed ninth-grade..."

Beside him, a woman dressed in a thin black gauze gown spoke softly. Her figure was graceful, and her face so exquisitely beautiful that it was almost demonic. She looked no different from a human woman—if anything, she possessed several extra degrees of allure.

But her eyes were strange violet vertical pupils, with ghostly green flames dancing in their depths.

"Lightning General Yuchi Feng killed three Demon Emperors of our race. Instantaneous Splendor Ye Hongyu ruined so many of our sacred race's plans. This Li Yuan must not be allowed to grow."

"What did Dark Pavilion say?" Silverblood Wolf Emperor asked.

The black-clad woman's red lips curved into a cruel smile. "Reporting to the Wolf Emperor, Dark Pavilion has joined forces with this subordinate. We have already mobilized the most elite group of Shadow Assassins, twelve in total, all of whom specialize in infiltration and assassination."

"They have entered Chang'an in separate batches and are currently locking onto the target and gathering intelligence. Once the time is right, they can strike."

Silverblood Wolf Emperor slowly nodded, killing intent overflowing from his crimson pupils. "Very good. Tell Dark Pavilion that they are to kill this boy at any cost!"

"They may use all the wolf clan's hidden agents within Chang'an City. If necessary, they may create chaos and implicate innocents. This Emperor wants only the result."

"Li Yuan must die!"

"By your command!" The black-clad woman bowed as she accepted the order, ghostly light flickering in her vertical pupils.

"Ninth-grade talent..."

"The human race's fortune truly is disgustingly tenacious."

Silverblood Wolf Emperor looked toward the convoy, now no more than tiny black dots in the distance, and snorted coldly. His body slowly merged into the shadows and vanished in an instant.

The black-clad woman also transformed into a wisp of black smoke, dispersing into the biting cold wind atop the mountain.

The mountains stood silent, as though nothing had happened.

Inside the carriage, Li Yuan seemed lost in thought. He instinctively looked toward Divine Martial Pass, but aside from the increasingly distant outline of its walls, he could see nothing.

He merely assumed his thoughts were unsettled. He withdrew his gaze and continued to immerse himself in his earlier reflections.

He knew nothing of the fatal killing intent that was about to descend upon him.