"In the third year of Zhenming, at the Northern Borderlands of Lingnan. The Sui army marching south pursued the routed troops of the Chen Kingdom and encountered them here. Both sides drew up their formations and began to fight!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Amid the cries of battle, the soldiers had long since gone red-eyed. They swung their weapons, collided, and hacked at one another, every blade biting into flesh! Essence Origin and Qi and Blood, rising like smoke from beacon fires, spread across the field and seeped into the Sui and Chen soldiers, driving them into ever greater frenzy! Much of it rose into the air, where it intertwined and shifted, forming two ferocious beasts that fought without end!
Gradually, the Sui formation began to crumble. Its line kept falling back, on the verge of defeat.
Yet the Sui commander, campaign marshal Wei Guang, breathed a sigh of relief at the sight. He told a trusted aide beside him, "If we prove no match for the Marquis of Linru County in open battle, we can withdraw and regroup. Even if our superiors blame us, at worst we'll be dismissed and investigated. No one will be able to seize the chance to attack us and make a great affair of it."
His deputy listened and nodded with a wry smile. Under the circumstances, this probably was the soundest course. After all...
"Who could have imagined that this seemingly insignificant detachment was led by the Marquis of Linru County himself?" Wei Guang's face showed both lingering fear and bitter frustration. "Even His Majesty treats an Earthly Immortal like him with the utmost courtesy. For years, the princes and generals repeatedly asked to campaign south, but His Majesty would never allow it! He only dared send troops to test