"Old Tian, you really are here!"
A rough and powerful voice came from afar. Tian Heng then saw a tall man riding Dragon Horse and leading dozens of elite cavalry galloping towards them. It was none other than Meng Hao, the Marquis of Loyal Valor, one of the deputy generals of the Duke of Qin!
He was also the strongest deputy general under the Duke of Qin. His strength was almost on par with that of the dukes. However, his family bloodline was too low, making it difficult for him to break through the final limit. Although he was also born into a low-level bloodline family, his bloodline mutated halfway through his life. He awakened his ancient dragon bloodline from ordinary Flood Turtle bloodline and became Baxia Dragon Turtle bloodline, thus leaping into the ranks of dukes.
"How's the western front?" Tian Heng was slightly pleased to see that it was the other party and quickly asked.
The western front was the entrance line for the army to defend the West Sea. Originally, it was to prevent monsters from suddenly emerging from the West Sea and was the front-line red line. Now, it seems that it will become their retreat route!
"I'm being squeezed terribly!" Meng Hao didn't even dismount, and said anxiously, "I've come for help, Old Tian! The imperial court has gone mad! They've joined forces with demons and monsters, turning the Golden Dragon Guard into monsters!!"
"It might not be the imperial court," Tian Heng shook his head. If it were a scheme set up by the emperor, he would have been the one to make the move just now, not the princess who risked her life to secretly imitate His Majesty's Flaming Blade.
I never imagined that such a valiant and heroic woman would turn into such a madwoman!
But it's pointless to investigate the cause now; the most urgent task is to save their soldiers as much as possible!
"Let's not talk about that. Do you have a safe evacuation route?"
"This..." Meng Hao hesitated, "They're under heavy attack over there. Several of the zombie monsters are skilled martial artists of the Above First Rank. Although their attack methods are limited, their physical strength is extremely high. The West Sea line has already been largely lost. I've come here to request reinforcements. If we're going to use that area as our defensive line, we need to be extra careful not to be attacked from both sides!"
"By the way, Lao Tian, where are your soldiers?"
Suddenly, Meng Hao sensed something was wrong. This was the enemy's military camp, but why was there not a soul in sight?
"Uh, we'll talk about that later." He really didn't have the face to tell his lieutenants that his troops had been led astray by a mere brat, so he could only say, "The southwest line has almost completely collapsed. We can only retreat from your side. What about the southeast? Have you sent anyone to ask for reinforcements?"
Upon hearing this, Meng Hao's face immediately darkened. "I just came from the southeast front. They've basically collapsed there. By the way, where are the other dukes?"
" The Duke of Hong and the Duke of Chu were killed in a sneak attack. The Duke you're looking for is only me."
"How is this possible?" Meng Hao was immediately incredulous.
"The Eldest Princess and the Ministry of War plotted a sneak attack!"
Upon hearing this, Meng Hao's eyes widened. This time, he believed it. If it was the Eldest Princess who made the move, in conjunction with the Shen Family's most powerful sorcerer, and it was a sneak attack, it really was possible!
"So what do we do now?"
"Retreat to the West Sea!" Tian Heng decisively declared. "The southeast and southwest fronts have collapsed, two dukes are dead, and the entire Black Dragon Guard is leaderless. Their zombie-like nature suggests they're targeting our own bloodline. Gathering the remnants is impossible now. We must enter the West Sea to remind Mr. Black Cloud that we must preserve the last Black Dragon Guard!"
"Alright!" Meng Hao spurred his horse around and said, "Duke, please mount your horse. We'll go ahead and open a breach!"
"Alright!" Tian Heng didn't hesitate upon hearing this. He immediately mounted the other man's Dragon Horse and turned to his lieutenant behind him, saying, "You all follow the Marquis of Marquis of Loyal Valor's troops and hurry over here!"
"Yes, sir!" The men nodded in agreement, but their expressions changed drastically the next second. "Sir!!"
Tian Heng also turned his head stiffly, staring blankly ahead.
On the Dragon Horse, Meng Hao, who was riding with his back to him, had a jet-black arm pierce through his chest, along with his chest!
Meng Hao possesses the bloodline of the ancient Iron Demon Ape. Although it is not top-tier, his arms are as fine as refined meteorite iron. Even someone with a highly defensive bloodline like myself would not be able to defend against it without prior preparation!
But why?
"You"
"I didn't want this either, Your Excellency." At this moment Meng Hao's eyes had turned bloodshot, and his voice carried a metallic, gloomy coldness. "But the road ahead in this world is too narrow. I am not you, lucky enough to have my bloodline mutate. If I don't seize the opportunity, I'll only ever be a subordinate for the rest of my life."
Tian Heng: "."
"General!"
The lieutenants, their eyes bloodshot with rage, rushed forward to his aid. Behind Meng Hao, however, the group of subordinates stared blankly at their unfamiliar superior, unsure of whom to help.
Tian Heng, whose heart had been pierced, looked at his old friend's familiar yet unfamiliar face. He didn't know if it was because his blood was flowing too fast, but he felt extremely cold all over.
You are right, the human heart is truly terrifying, Your Lord King of Qin.
"Young Master, it's dangerous! You mustn't go!!"
Wei Gongyan back Yuchi Feihu, who was about to rush into a fight with red eyes!
"Why are you stopping me? Can't you see how urgent the situation is outside? Get me my knife!" Yuchi Feihu shouted angrily, but the other person was holding his wound, making him unable to exert any strength for a moment due to the pain.
"You can't go!" Wei Gongyan desperately pulled the other man back. Although he had considered persuading the young master to find a way to gain merit on the battlefield, this was not the case. He had just seen the situation outside. The terrifying monsters were everywhere, and their combat power was simply ferocious. The direct troops under the banners of several major dukes were being routed.
Especially when he ran back just now, he saw with his own eyes a guy who was all blue and looked a bit like a member of the Yuchi Household, who tore a duke's deputy in half. His terrifying combat power was probably not much different from that of the master. The key point is that there was more than one such monster!
If the young master dared to charge over there with his meager skills, he probably wouldn't even make a splash!
"Get out of the way!" Being a pure-blooded Flying Peng, the anxious and angry Yuchi Feihu kicked Wei Gongyan away. Enduring the sharp pain in his buttocks, just as he was about to look for a weapon, he suddenly felt a numbness in the back of his neck, as if something had pierced his neck!
Yuchi Feihu turned around and threw a punch, but when he turned around, he saw that it was his former deputy Wei Gongzhan!
He quickly withdrew his strength, but the punch still dented Wei Gongzhan's face, sending him flying several meters away!
"What are you doing?" Yuchi Feihu touched his neck, pulled out a silver needle, and immediately felt dizzy.
"You"
"Young Master, your brother is right, you can't go, you'll die!"
"You bastard!" Yuchi Feihu was furious, but he was getting weaker and weaker. He collapsed to the ground, staring at his opponent with eyes that seemed to want to devour him!
"Brother, what are you still standing there for?" Wei Gongzhan didn't look at his young master, but instead looked at Wei Gongyan was staring blankly behind him. "Are you waiting to die? Aren't you going to help the young master walk?"
"Oh, okay, okay!" Wei Gongyan nodded hurriedly upon hearing this, and stepped forward to carefully help Yuchi Feihu up. He was very careful as he went forward, afraid that he would end up like Wei Gongzhan, whose face had been slapped so badly.
"Where are you headed, brother?"
Wei Gongzhan's soft voice came from behind, startling Wei Gongzhan, who had just helped up Yuchi Feihu. In his memory, his younger brother, a son born out of wedlock, was far inferior to him in cultivation, but the skills he displayed when attacking the young master earlier seemed to contradict this. This kid knew how to hide his true abilities; he was just as dishonest as Wei Gongcheng.
However, he was now hesitant to provoke this guy. This man was so crazy that he even dared to attack the young master, and might actually dare to attack him if things didn't go his way.
So he honestly replied, "Naturally, we should retreat towards the West Sea. His Highness the Duke of Duke of Lu is there, along with an army of 100,000. It should be the safest place!"
"If even 200,000 Black Dragon Guard stationed here aren't safe, why should the West Sea be? If this place can be targeted, won't the West Sea be attacked as well?"
"Then what do you suggest we do?"
"Retreat towards Jiangnan!"
"Why go to Jiangnan?" Wei Gongyan sneered immediately, "Do you really expect anything from that Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review?"
"Some hope is better than no hope at all!" Wei Gongzhan said coldly, "These dukes can't even protect their own deputies, and they haven't shown up for half a day. They've probably met with danger. The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, though young, is a top-tier sorcerer in the world, and he also has the inheritance of the Evening Elephant from the Duke of Song. Such a person, since he said he could protect the young master, will not go back on his word!"
That makes sense. Having someone to protect them is better than having a few outsiders come to them for help. The West Sea was sent to provide support because of the crisis, and these monsters might also enter the West Sea to attack Duke of Lu's group later. If they rush there, it might not be as safe as going to Jiangnan.
Most importantly, Wei Gongzhan seems a bit dangerous. If I disagree, he might actually attack me!
"I'll listen to you this once, but I warn you, if anything happens to the young master, you will be held responsible to the death. Also, under no circumstances should you have attacked the young master on your own initiative. This violates the Wei Household rules, and you will be punished according to family discipline when you return!"
"Alright!" Wei Gongzhan lowered his head and didn't say much. A subordinate injuring his master is an act of insubordination, no matter the reason, and must be severely punished. Even if the young master doesn't hold it against him this time, he's afraid he won't be able to stay by the young master's side.
Well, as Mother said, as long as you live with a clear conscience, that's enough. No matter how many times it happens, he would have done the same thing just now.
And so, the two of them, one on each side, supported the weak Yuchi Feihu under his furious gaze, and headed straight towards Jiangnan.
In the twentieth year of Emperor Tianwu of the Great Jin Dynasty, the two most powerful armies of the Great Jin Dynasty, the Golden Dragon Guard and the Black Dragon Guard, two of the Five Dragon Guards, lost most of their forces tonight in the Nine Heavens Mirror Valley incident. This battle also marked the beginning of the decline of the once incomparably powerful young dynasty of the Great Jin Dynasty!