Whoosh~
A cool westerly wind swept up countless ancient banners.
In the gathering place where ten thousand people had assembled, two figures faced each other from afar.
Ye Jingtang took his spear from the horse's side, raised a hand slightly to signal Yunli to stay back, and walked before the royal banner. Unhurriedly, he undid the spear cover, revealing its ink-black point.
In the deathly silence, even Sima Yue's breathing faltered. But as a Great Grandmaster of Northern Liang and the former Grand Marshal of the Northwestern Royal Court, he still possessed the courage of a lifetime spent at war. He understood full well that the kind should not hold power, nor the merciful command troops. What did it matter if he had lost benevolence and righteousness? In a commander's eyes, there was only one rule: the victor became king, the defeated a bandit!
Thus, after a moment's silence, Sima Yue regained his majesty and indifference. He raised his right hand, accepted a crescent glaive engraved with qilin patterns from a Clan Elder, and descended the steps.
Thud, thud~
His heavy footsteps tugged at everyone's heartstrings. Before he even approached, an overwhelming aura like an army of thousands surged skyward.
Ye Jingtang held his spear at an angle, its point aimed at the ground. Though he knew Sima Yue was no ordinary opponent and this might well be a bitter battle, his gaze remained as calm as ever, without the slightest intention of avoiding the fight.
After all, he had not fabricated the letter on the banner.
That morning, he had been looking for evidence against Sima Yue, while Meng Jiao had led a team to deal with Du Tanqing and the others. She had handled things more thoroughly than he expected, capturing Du Tanqing alive to take him back