Chapter 955

Blood splattered in all directions, and the aged body fell rigidly to the ground with a heavy, muffled thud.

The ministers were grief-stricken, weeping on the spot, and many of them even cried themselves into a faint!

On this day, the dragon departed for the heavens; the king had fallen!

In the days that followed, the entire nation mourned!

Upon learning this tragic news, the common folk wailed and wept bitterly for three days and three nights!

And the death of National Preceptor Su Xiaofeng likewise stirred up a tremendous uproar among the populace!

Countless commoners donned mourning clothes for him, burning paper money to commemorate the National Preceptor and the Qian King.

Many officials, too, were overcome with sorrow and subsequently chose to die for their country!

By the time the Cangling army reached the Great Qian border pass, they saw the city gates already open, with all of Great Qian's civil and military officials gathered there to respectfully welcome the arrival of the Cangling army!

The two forces made contact.

As commander-in-chief of the Cangling army, Jiang Xuanji soon learned of the various upheavals that had taken place within Great Qian.

Upon learning that the Qian King and the National Preceptor had both taken their own lives, even Jiang Xuanji, as their adversary, could not help but be moved and felt deep respect!

That Great Qian possessed such a wise sovereign and National Preceptor—no wonder it was able to rally the forces of noble houses and sects for its own use.

No wonder its troops on the battlefield were united in purpose, with extraordinarily high morale, and never surrendered.

Facing such a formidable opponent, the fact that Great Qin could win was itself a rare thing—truly, it was no injustice to lose......

Afterwards, Jiang Xuanji used the Cangwu Token to transmit the frontline battle report to Jiang Shan, who was in the rear.

The Cangling Dynasty.

Wang Cheng, Wang Gong.

Jiang Shan sat high upon his throne, gazing at the Cangwu Token in his hand, and fell into deep thought.

After a long silence, he suddenly let out a sigh.

"The Qian King, Su Xiaofeng—these two could truly be called figures of note, true heroes of our age......"

The moment these words were spoken, the ministers below immediately exchanged uncertain glances, falling into confusion.

The Prime Minister Yuwen Feng, who stood at their head, seeing this, promptly inquired: "My King, has something happened?"

Jiang Shan put away the Cangwu Token and recounted the affairs of Great Qian in detail.

After hearing the full account, the ministers suddenly understood—no wonder their king had uttered such a sigh of admiration.

Yuwen Feng, however, wore a complicated expression.

Great Qin and Great Qian had been enemies for many years, so his relationship with that Su Xiaofeng was naturally not a good one.

But this was solely due to the difference in their camps' positions, and had nothing to do with any personal grudge.

In fact, to a certain extent, the two even shared a mutual admiration.

Were it not for the enmity between their nations, they might well have become closest of friends.

But now........

"Brother Su, you are still as obstinate as ever."

Yuwen Feng smiled helplessly, but the smile carried a trace of bitterness.

He had originally thought that once the great army pressed upon the border and Great Qian surrendered, the other man could set aside old grievances and become a colleague, sharing the burden of the king together.

He never expected that the choice the other man made in the end would be so utterly unexpected.

A great cultivator with the prospect of attaining the Primordial Spirit realm and several thousand years of lifespan—choosing to end his own life just like that.

Such unyielding conviction was exceedingly rare even across the entire Eastern Domain.

How could it fail to move one?

His thoughts churned.

Yuwen Feng drew a deep breath and collected himself.

He looked back toward Jiang Shan, bowed, and said: "My King, now that Great Qian has surrendered, shall we bestow posthumous titles upon the Qian King and Su Xiaofeng?"

Jiang Shan waved his hand: "Those two were unwilling to submit to our Cangling, and both died for Great Qian. Such conviction is worthy of reverence and lament. In death, what need have they for a foreign sovereign's posthumous honors? To them, I fear this would not be a glory, but rather a humiliation......"

Yuwen Feng was suddenly moved: "Your Majesty is wise!"

Wise?

It was merely respect for a true adversary.

Jiang Shan shook his head, looked toward the ministers, and said in a deep voice: "From this day forth, heavy troops must be dispatched to guard the Great Qian royal tombs. Do not let any petty villains disturb the spirit of the Qian King. If anything untoward befalls the Great Qian royal tombs, this king will hold someone accountable to the end!"

His voice was like thunder, echoing through the hall, reverberating without end!

The ministers' expressions changed.

They understood the gravity of the matter—it must not be taken lightly.

They hurriedly knelt and paid homage, crying out in unison: "We obey the decree!!"