In League with Wolves

Father and Mother Li looked at the hypocritical clansmen before them, fury filling their hearts.

If those people hadn't stood by and refused to help back then, their son wouldn't have been forcibly taken away.

Now that they'd heard Li Xuancang had become a Squad Leader, they had come scrambling to curry favor. Their disgusting faces were truly revolting.

Father Li wanted badly to drive them out, but out of consideration for clan ties, he couldn't directly lose his temper. He merely responded coldly.

The crowd sat in a circle around Father and Mother Li, warmly making small talk, every sentence praising Li Xuancang for having made something of himself.

They spoke of clan affection and shared blood, probing and hinting at their true intentions between the lines.

"Brother, now that Xuancang has become a border Squad Leader, our entire Li Clan will be depending on our worthy nephew to look after us."

"Yes. These are chaotic times—taxes are crushing, bandits and demons run rampant. If Xuancang could put in a word, help our clan reduce some taxes, and secure military registration protection for us, the whole clan would remember his great kindness."

"We're family to begin with. Now that Xuancang has prospered, he should naturally lead the clan to enjoy prosperity with him. From now on, the clan will follow all of Xuancang's arrangements. We only ask our worthy nephew to offer the clan a little protection."

"..."

Every sentence they spoke revolved around Li Xuancang. Not one of them worried for him; all they thought of was how to gain benefits from him.

They spoke over one another, their hearts filled with thoughts of using Li Xuancang's authority to seek advantages for the clan, utterly forgetting how they had abandoned the Li Family and stood by while they suffered.

Listening to their fawning words, Father Li's expression gradually turned cold as he spoke in a deep voice.

"Xuancang is fighting bloody battles at the border. Every bit of his merit was bought with his life. We can't make decisions for him."

The smiles on everyone's faces instantly froze.

Father Li paid no heed to their feelings and said bluntly, "As for the clan, since you already disowned our branch back then, there's no need for you to come here again now."

With one sentence, he left the Li Clan elders and relatives looking awkward and ashamed, their intestines green with regret.

Some of them hated Father Li to the bone, yet they didn't dare show it and kept smiles piled across their faces.

"Dahai, one stroke can't write two Lis. We share the same clan and the same roots; even if bones are broken, the sinews remain connected. What happened before is in the past, so don't keep nursing a grudge."

"Yes, Dahai. Xuancang is a member of the Li Clan. Now that he's made something of himself, he ought to look after the clan."

"Dahai, you must be magnanimous!"

"..."

Several clan elders leaned on their seniority. Their words made Father and Mother Li tremble with rage, their eyes bloodshot.

"Get out! My Li Family doesn't welcome you. Get the hell out!"

Father Li completely lost control, pointing at them as he cursed. He no longer cared about any shared clan ties.

The crowd hadn't expected Father Li to turn hostile so suddenly, and every one of them darkened their faces.

"Li Dahai, don't you dare be insolent."

"Li Dahai, is that any way to speak to clan elders? Do you still have any respect for the clan?"

"Li Dahai, are you trying to forget your ancestors?"

"..."

When soft tactics failed, they turned to hard ones, trying to use clan rules and ritual propriety to force Father Li into submission.

Father Li swept his icy, furious gaze over them and threatened sharply.

"Get out, all of you. Otherwise, I'll report you to the authorities right now and have every last one of you thrown into prison."

At those words, the people who had been loudly berating Father Li moments ago all went pale and trembled.

They had been too enraged and had forgotten that the Li Family was no longer what it used to be. They were not people the clan could afford to provoke.

With the Li Family's current status and position, if they reported this to the authorities, the entire Li Clan would lose a layer of skin even if they didn't die.

"Dahai, they spoke without thinking. Don't take it to heart."

"Dahai, we'll leave first. We'll come visit another day."

"Dahai, we're all members of the Li Clan. Please, don't report us to the authorities!"

"..."

Cold sweat streamed down their faces. They didn't dare utter another hard word and fled the Li Family as though escaping for their lives.

Only after watching the crowd leave in a fluster did the Li Family's anger gradually subside.

After leaving the Li Family, the panic on their faces slowly vanished, replaced by deep resentment.

"Li Dahai, you think you've soared to greatness, so now you refuse to acknowledge the clan."

"Just wait! A petty man who forgets his ancestors like this will surely suffer heaven's punishment."

"The battlefield ahead is a place where nine die out of ten. When Li Xuancang dies on the battlefield, let's see how he can stay so arrogant!"

"..."

Not only had they failed to gain any advantage, they had instead left covered in dust and looking utterly miserable.

Their rage burned fiercely, and they even cursed Li Xuancang, who was far away at the border.

Li Xuancang knew nothing of what had happened in Azure Creek Village. He was eagerly awaiting the coming battle.

"Boom, boom boom boom..."

As dawn broke and the horizon had only just turned the pale white of a fish's belly, a hurried, murderous drumbeat resounded throughout the camp.

"This is bad—the Assembly Drum! Hurry to the Drill Ground!"

Upon hearing the drums, every soldier, no matter what he had been doing, dropped what was in his hands, donned his armor, grabbed his weapon, and rushed toward the Drill Ground.

Li Xuancang also led his own squad swiftly to the Drill Ground.

Within moments, all three thousand Battle Soldiers and more than five thousand men of the Conscripts' Camp had assembled.

The atmosphere was murderous. Even the air seemed to thicken, unbearably oppressive.

"The Barbarians are attacking! The entire army, prepare for battle! Hold the pass to the death!"

The army's commanding general, Zhou Xingzhan, stood atop the command platform in heavy armor, command flag in hand. His voice rang through the entire camp.

A faint current of air swirled around him, and his aura was astonishing.

"So this is the Astral Qi Realm?"

Li Xuancang stared intensely at Zhou Xingzhan on the high platform, ambition blazing within him.

As long as he had enough time, the Astral Qi Realm wouldn't be his endpoint, nor would becoming a captain commanding thousands of men.

"Follow me."

At Wang Xuanshan's command, he led Lakeside Station's five hundred Battle Soldiers away, rushing toward the defensive line.

Li Xuancang clenched his fists, excitement stirring in his heart as he quickly entered the defensive line.

Before long, the Barbarian army appeared in a vast black mass, carpeting the wilderness beneath the ridge.

Once an army numbered over ten thousand, it stretched without edge or end, densely packed as far as the eye could see.

Battle flags snapped in the wind. The roars of Demonic Beasts and the savage howls of Barbarians intertwined, Sha Qi shaking the heavens as it bore down upon the Human Race's army.

"The Barbarians and the Demon Race have joined forces. They're truly hateful beyond measure."

"The two great enemies are in league with wolves. We're in danger."

"This battle looks grim. I only hope we can hold back the Barbarians' attack."

"..."

Watching the Barbarian army of over ten thousand advance, with Demonic Beasts mixed among their ranks, the defenders felt heavy-hearted.

The Barbarians feared no death, while the Demonic Beasts were even more vicious. Both were great enemies of the Human Race.

Now they had become birds of a feather flocking together. This battle would be difficult.

Zhou Xingzhan stood at the very front of the defensive line, spear in hand, his cold gaze fixed on the charging army. There wasn't the slightest trace of panic on his face.

Beside him stood ten Thousand-Man Commanders with surging vitality and blood, every one of them in the Blood Condensation Realm.

Battalion Commanders like Wang Xuanshan, who were in the Bone Forging Realm, held down different sections and led their troops into battle.

As everyone looked at Zhou Xingzhan standing firm on the battlefield, steady as Mount Tai, the fear and unease in their hearts gradually faded. It was as though, with Zhou Xingzhan there, they could never be defeated.

All three thousand defenders were deployed, forming ranks along the pass walls and mountain road choke points, blades and spears bristling, arrows nocked on bowstrings.

Every soldier wore a grave expression. They knew full well that today would be a battle of life and death.

The five thousand men of the Conscripts' Camp trembled uncontrollably. Some couldn't even hold their weapons steady.

They were ordinary commoners, seized because they couldn't pay their taxes. When had they ever seen such a massive scene? Every one of them was scared out of his wits, his heart and liver trembling.