Chapter 31: Tragic Atrocity, Mobilizing for Revenge!

On the screen, the Xi Tun Guan Cheng Lou was cloaked in a bleak white moonlight.

And hanging above the gate was a corpse…

And that's not all.

Next to the gate, thousands of corpses were piled densely!

At a glance, it looked like some kind of defensive structure.

Because the weather was extremely dry, the corpses were almost mummified, making them hard to distinguish, until Ning Jinli flew the Drone close and sensed something was wrong!

Such a scene was truly terrifying!

Ning Jinli's scalp tingled as she trembled and said, "It… it's a corpse, right? It seems… wearing the same armor as you…"

"Ah!!!" Duan Wu suddenly roared, his eyes seeming to bleed!

He drew the warblade at his waist, ready to mount a horse.

"General Duan!" the other five commanders hurriedly blocked him.

"No one may stop me!" Duan Wu bellowed like a madman.

Li Yao and the others all wore a look of sorrowful anger, exchanged glances, and also drew their warblades.

The five suddenly knelt before Xiao Qidi.

"His Majesty! Please grant us permission to accompany General Duan to the Xi Tun Guan! For Grand General Duan… for those soldiers who fell at Xi Tun Guan, revenge!"

"Grand General Ba Yong has gone too far! He even hung Grand General Duan's corpse above the Xituan Guancheng Lou Damen and piled the corpses of our fallen soldiers outside the gate… If we do not avenge this, we are no better than humans!"

Hearing this, Ning Jinli froze on the spot, as if an invisible sharp blade had pierced her chest.

Grand General Duan…

Was he the former commander who previously defended the western gate of Xi Tun Guan?

Duan Wu shares the same surname, and his reaction was the most intense…

So… Duan Wu is that General's son?

The moment she deduced this relationship, Ning Jinli felt as if struck by lightning, her heart aching to the point of breathlessness!

As a son, seeing one's own father's corpse hung by the enemy… how heartbreaking and enraging!

The Grand General of Yu Guo is too ruthless… inhumane!

They invaded, slaughtered so many Xuan Guo soldiers defending the border passes, seized the passes, and that wasn't enough; they even used this inhumanly cruel method to humiliate and provoke us!

To kill and still strike at the heart!

Not to mention Duan Wu and the others, even Ning Jinli now wants to shred the Yu Guo enemy troops into countless pieces!

"His Majesty!" several cried, "Please, His Majesty, grant us this!"

Xiao Qidi appeared relatively calm, yet his eyes already glowed with blood‑red light.

He drew the warblade at his waist, its tip pointing to the night sky, and shouted, "Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army, obey! Depart at once, follow me to strike Xi Tun Guan!"

At the command, a domineering aura pierced the clouds!

Two thousand five hundred freshly formed Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army immediately formed ranks!

Blades and spears emerged together, warhorses whinnied!

Murderous intent surged skyward!

"His Majesty…" Duan Wu, tears streaming down his face, "Just let a few of us go, you—"

Xiao Qidi said, "Grand General Duan and those thousands of soldiers sacrificed themselves to protect our Daxuan border pass and guard the Daxuan civilians; now they are humiliated by the vile enemy. I, the King of Daxuan, cannot stand by idly!"

Having finished, he rode a warhorse with thunderous speed.

Duan Wu and the others said no more, bowed three heavy kowtows, and then all mounted their horses.

Xiao Qidi looked at Ning Jinli, "Miss Ning, please forgive me for being unable to accompany you for now."

"Xiao…" Ning Jinli's eyes welled with tears, the words of persuasion on her lips, yet she could not speak them.

"When I return, we will all return." Xiao Qidi's tone softened slightly; after saying this, he was the first to spur his horse and charge out of the camp.

Clop clop clop…

The rapid, thundering hoofbeats rose, yellow dust filling the sky.

Six Xi Tun Guan commanders, together with two thousand five hundred Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army selected from the Xi Tun Guan soldiers, tightly followed their young king, charging headlong toward the border pass.

Ning Jinli watched their silhouettes fade into the night.

She wiped away her tears forcefully, gripped the Drone controller tightly, and turned on the voice system.

She could not fight alongside them, so she would use the Drone to lend them a hand.

……

Just as the Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army left Lin Xian Village, a Scout from Yu Guo stationed a few miles away on high ground detected them and immediately rode back at full speed to report.

Twenty li away, the fast horse galloped wildly, and it wouldn't take long.

Soon, Grand General Ba Yong, stationed at Xi Tun Guan, learned the news.

He slapped the desk in front of him with a crack, a ferocious grin spreading as he roared, "Well done, Xiao Qidi, I didn't break into Lin Xian Village, yet you dare attack me!?"

"On the Xi Tun Guan Cheng Lou gate, more Xuan Guo commanders' corpses will be hung, and outside the gate, another wall of Xuan Guo soldiers' corpses will be added! Hahaha!"

In his view, these people were simply insane, sending corpses for him to slay.

"Grand General, should we summon the soldiers stationed around Lin Xian Village?" a commander asked.

The strategist replied, "To guard against the unexpected, it's better to summon them."

Ba Yong's expression darkened sharply, his gaze sweeping the commanders before him.

"Xiao Qidi has only a meager two thousand men, all of whom are useless cavalry! I have a full ten thousand troops, half of them elite! Killing them is easier than crushing ants! No need to summon other soldiers!"

"Everyone listen! Open the tower gate, let them in; I want to kill them to my heart's content!"

Ba Yong's confidence was not without reason.

His side has several times more people than Xiao Qidi, and their equipment is better.

No matter how you look at it, Xiao Qidi is hitting a stone with an egg, a dead end.

"Yes, General!" several battalion commanders replied.

Ba Yong coldly snorted and emphasized, "Later I, the General, will personally lead the troops into battle; none of you are to go up, none are to steal kills from me; whoever dares to spoil my mood, I will kill him!"

"As you command!"

Several battalion commanders then retreated.

The military advisor steeled himself and stepped forward, "General, this matter…… is rather suspicious; you should be careful."

Ba Yong said, "What suspicion?"

The military advisor's face grew solemn, "Do you really think Xiao Qidi is someone who would recklessly throw away his life?"

Ba Yong stroked his beard, furrowed his brow, and said, "Then what do you think gives him the courage to come attack?"

The military advisor shook his head, "I really can't understand it; no matter how I analyze, even if he has some brilliant stratagem, even if he is skilled in warfare, he is surely doomed to lose…… but that is exactly what I find most suspicious. I suggest we still take some precautions."

Although Ba Yong is ferocious and hot-tempered, he is not completely brainless; after a moment's thought, he said, "Alright, you handle the precautions."

The military advisor accepted the order and retreated.

Another incense stick's worth of time passed.

Xiao Qidi led six officers and the Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army to the gate of Xi Tun Guan Cheng Lou.

Upon seeing the piled corpses of the Tunxi Guan soldiers outside, and witnessing General Duan's corpse hung on the gate tower, everyone's eyes turned red.

A gust of night wind swirling with yellow sand blew in.

General Duan's emaciated corpse swayed slightly, its drooping head seeming as if it could be strangled by the rope at any moment.

"Father… Father!" Duan Wu was overcome with grief.

A few days ago, Ba Yong suddenly led a fifty-thousand-strong army to attack Xi Tun Guan, relying on strong troops, sturdy horses, and excellent equipment, crushing everything in his path.

Duan Wu's father, knowing he was outmatched, still personally went into battle, using his frail body nearing fifty to block Ba Yong, covering the retreat of the other Tunxi Guan soldiers.

Then……

Duan Wu watched as Ba Yong hacked at his father as if toying with him, delivering over a hundred blows.

Finally, Ba Yong slit his emaciated belly, pulled out his intestines to use as a rope, and strangled the dying man……

After the massacre, Ba Yong still laughed mockingly, "Your belly doesn't even have a scrap of food; starved like this, you still want to fight me to the death?"

A horrific scene appeared in Duan Wu's mind.

He could no longer bear it, spurred his horse out of the ranks, and was the first to charge through the open gate tower.

"Ba Yong! Come out and die!"