Half a month later, Wind-Splitting Gorge County.
Atop the city walls, the blood had yet to dry completely, and wisps of black smoke rose between the ruined battlements.
Black battle flags bearing the red characters "Miao-Conquest Army" filled the ramparts.
Beneath the flags, every defender wore a grim expression, gripping his weapon tightly, eyes like blades as they swept back and forth across the city they had just taken in a bloody battle.
Just then, a streak of azure light suddenly tore through the distant sky.
The light moved incredibly fast. At first glance, it was still far away on the horizon; in another blink, it had already reached the city.
An overwhelming spiritual pressure descended without the slightest concealment. Every soldier on the walls felt his heart sink, his breathing turn labored, and his legs nearly give way.
The azure light receded, revealing a flying boat that looked as though it had been carved entirely from azure jade;
A man stood at its prow with his hands behind his back, dressed in a Jinlan battle robe. His handsome face carried an innate air of authority. It was none other than Tie Ming, the Iron Household Young Master.
Having broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm, he no longer wore a faceplate.
Behind him, several hundred personal guards stood in solemn silence, each with a fierce, powerful aura and eyes gleaming with spirit. One glance was enough to tell they were elites tempered by a hundred battles.
"Open the restriction and welcome General Tie," Qing Chen's voice rang out from within the city.
At his command, a gap opened in the curtain of light above the walls. The azure-jade flying boat slowly descended, landing in the square before the former county office.
Qing Chen was already waiting there.
He still