Chapter 357: The Voice and Might Rise Across All Quarters—Who Knows My Name?

The Wolf King slightly lifted his gaze, looking at Li Guanyi, and smiled faintly. "You do possess a certain measure of audacity—worthy of your father. Let me test whether you truly have such ability."

"If you lack sufficient courage yet speak such grand words, you only invite ridicule."

The Wolf King spurred his warhorse—a mighty, majestic steed—that charged toward Li Guanyi through the gale. Though its speed was extreme, it carried an oppressive weight, like a mountain slowly descending.

Fan Qing and Qi Bi Li instinctively gathered their military formations.

Instantly.

Their formations were directly suppressed.

Fifty thousand elite Canglang cavalry simply raised their spears in perfect unison; an instinctive, terrifying aura surged into the sky. Before the two generals could even deploy their formations, it was as if an incomparable white wolf had seized them by the throat.

Qi Bi Li's pupils contracted violently; his hand gripped the hilt of his blade.

Fan Qing's stoic expression tightened.

In an instant, seasoned generals could perceive the gap between them.

Fan Qing immediately realized the level of the opposing fifty thousand—within the vast Fire Qilin Army, only one unit matched this caliber: the elite heavy cavalry directly trained by General Yue Qianfeng under Ling Pingyang's command.

In the Fire Qilin Army, only this unit possessed such disciplined, roaring martial presence.

Just five hundred horsemen.

Yu Chichi Xiong and Li Kedi, two fierce generals slower to react than Fan Qing and Qi Bi Li, still sensed that incomparable pressure in an instant.

Qi Bi Li's pupils contracted violently, staring fixedly at the eight men in general's armor at the front of the Canglang cavalry, his voice hoarse:

"Sixth-layer Battle Generals… eight of them…"

"Likely all commanders capable of leading ten-thousand-horse units."

Fan Qing looked at the thirty-six grim, silent fierce generals behind them.

"... Fifth-layer Battle Generals… thirty-six of them."

"They are Duelists."

"This is the Canglang cavalry—capable of bloodying the most elite battalions under Tai Ping Gong."

Both men fell silent; the atmosphere grew suffocating, nearly hopeless.

This was the true power of a hegemon—a force that even Emperor Jiang Wanxiang of Ying State dared not ignore. Had Tai Ping Gong returned and raised his banner again, the strength gathered would be exactly this.

But now, the Divine Archer General Wang Shunchen was not here.

The Standard-Bearer General Yan Xuanji, the Crimson Dragon General Yue Qianfeng, the Eleventh Divine General Yue Pengwu.

Xue Tianxing, ranked fifty-eighth on the Divine General List.

General Yuan Shitong, ranked fifty-fourth on the Divine General List.

Even Tiance Prefecture itself—Nang Lin Long Wang, ranked seventy-eighth; Ling Pingyang, ranked eighty-eighth; Yuan Zhi, newly promoted to fifty-seventh.

None of these generals, nor their Fifth-layer Duelists, were present.

The Wolf King had coldly, precisely seized the Fire Qilin by the throat.

Qi Bi Li felt a terrifying pressure. As a battle general, he understood: when troop quality differs by even a thread, the gap in combat becomes utterly despairing—let alone when led personally by the Fourth Divine General, the Wolf King.

Fifty thousand elite heavy cavalry, under these conditions, could annihilate their twenty thousand with casualties likely kept to around three thousand.

Li Guanyi's earlier words—his refusal to surrender or submit—were an act of defiance after witnessing this sight. The Wolf King, therefore, greatly admired such spirit; being a junior, he chose single combat.

He turned to Fan Qing, who remained silent. "General Qi Bi Li, how many Canglang cavalry can your Golden Crescent Cavalry hold?"

Qi Bi Li looked at the solemn, quiet man.

Even in this nearly hopeless situation, Fan Qing still possessed the courage to fight.

Qi Bi Li licked his lips and answered: "Their foundation is insufficient. Three thousand Golden Crescent cavalry might trade five of ours for four of theirs—but three thousand reserve cavalry would barely manage one against ten."

Qi Bi Li said: "... The prisoners in the camp wear only leather armor and have just suffered a crushing defeat."

"They cannot serve as sufficient combat force."

"All I wonder now is this: why hasn't the Wolf King simply swallowed us whole?"

Fan Qing fell silent for a long while. As an elder general of the Fire Qilin Army and Tiance Prefecture, he knew a few things. Lowering his voice, he said: "Likely because of the past friendship between your lord's father and the Wolf King—he chose this course."

"Had it been Lord Li and his men targeted, they would have been instantly annihilated."

"Does that mean Lord Li and his men have already been attacked—or…"

Fan Qing gripped his weapon tighter, whispering: "In the Wolf King's eyes…"

"Is your lord's weight greater than that of Lord Li, who holds Ying State's borderlands—so much greater that this Divine General spared Lord Li's remnants just to crush your lord?"

"The greater your lord's renown, the fiercer such attacks will come."

"To the eyes of the world…"

"A rising Fire Qilin is far more feared than that aging lord…"

Both Fan Qing and Qi Bi Li understood their situation: the Wolf King had resolved to crush the rising Li Guanyi—but this ruthless, cold general still carried a sliver of old comradeship toward his former friend, and thus refrained from charging outright.

Now, he and Li Guanyi seemed poised to settle this as Duelists—to break Li Guanyi, to utterly subdue this junior.

Just as they realized this situation—

The Wolf King and Li Guanyi locked gazes. The warhorses circled briefly, then launched—Sailu Zi and Tianlang Shou exploded forward simultaneously, leaving afterimages, thunder and storm erupting. Li Guanyi held nothing back.

The aura of a Yishen Sect master surged; the flames of Crimson Dragon and Bai Hu rose.

Amidst the thunder, he gripped the Tiger Roar Heaven Halberd in both hands.

The Everlasting Immortal Body erupted; muscles swelled.

He wielded the halberd as a sword—struck—

【SLAYING THE SERPENT】!!!

The moment he struck, his strongest offensive technique—Wolf King smiled, raised his twin-bladed long-hafted battle knife, and slashed horizontally. The two weapons clashed, unleashing a visible airwave; the wave, sharp as blades, sheared away vast swathes of earth.

The ground cracked; aura surged. The force of Slaying the Serpent was fully absorbed by the Wolf King.

Li Guanyi gripped the divine halberd with both hands; the Wolf King gripped his long-hafted knife likewise. The dragon steed neighed fiercely, hooves crushing thunder, pushing its terrifying power to its limit—but the Wolf King did not budge an inch.

Li Guanyi's sovereign-grade physique also continuously erupted.

The Yu Langwang's lead-gray pupils fixed on Li Guanyi.

He released his right hand.

With only his left hand, gripping an ordinary weapon, he suppressed Li Guanyi, who held a divine weapon; then, with effortless ease, he flicked his right hand, reversed it onto the weapon, shifting from gripping to pressing downward.

Boom!!!!

The ground cracked.

The weapon, forged personally by the Yu Langwang, pressed slowly and steadily toward Li Guanyi's neck; Li Guanyi stared fixedly at this terrifying general, sensing a familiar aura.

The extinguished national destiny, and something akin to the aura of his great-grandfather before he shattered the legendary threshold.

He recalled the Fish Whale Guest's assessment.

During a war of national annihilation, a divine general's flame is magnificent, unmatched.

Yu Langwang Chen Fubi said: "Is this all your Wu Gong is? To take an enemy general's head in a host of one hundred thousand should not be this feeble, Li Guanyi… With only such Wu Gong, such spirit, you may become a marquis—but you cannot seize the realm."

Temperature surged abruptly.

In the void, the Fire Qilin roared; it exploded into a mass of flame, faintly coalescing into its true form, opening its mouth, where golden-red flames glowed within its throat, unleashing the might of a divine beast.

The Yu Langwang released his blade's hilt with his right hand and thrust it straight toward the Fire Qilin.

He pierced straight through the flames.

He gripped the Fire Qilin's throat, applied slight pressure, shattered its true form, dispersed all its fire, then flicked his wrist and hurled the Fire Qilin away—it crashed heavily against the mountain.

"Wretched beast, my Chen family has raised you for centuries."

"Out of regard for your bond with Li Wanli, I spare your life."

"Sleep!"

The Yu Langwang chuckled and scolded.

He did not seem angry, yet his palm was stained with the Qilin's blood; his earlier move had torn through the Qilin's neck scales; his playful, furious, mocking demeanor mirrored the ancient tyrant who once razed the Southern Court's Buddhist temples and deposed emperors repeatedly—Prince Puyang Wang's true nature had reemerged.

Li Guanyi roared, and his ultimate sovereign-grade physique finally broke free of this technique.

Sa Lu Zi neighed.

Li Guanyi exhaled sharply, gripped the Tiger Roar Heaven Spear with both hands, and slashed downward; the Yu Langwang held his weapon in one hand, raised it to block, and his wrist sank slightly.

Li Guanyi spun upward and kicked toward the Yu Langwang's face with his right foot.

The Yu Langwang's left arm had already braced, absorbing the blow head-on.

The Crimson Dragon's light exploded—but proved ineffective.

Li Guanyi's kick channeled Crimson Dragon power, enough to shatter a mountain peak—but when it struck the Yu Langwang's arm, the greatest general under heaven did not so much as tremble; he merely gazed at Li Guanyi and smiled, calm and composed: "Some skill."

He seized Li Guanyi's ankle with his free hand.

The Yu Langwang swung him up and slammed him violently to the ground.

The Gray Wolf Dharma Form manifested—visibly brutal and ferocious, dominating the heavens.

A sword's hum was heard.

Chi Xiao Sword surged toward Yu Langwang Chen Fubi.

The Yu Langwang's Dharma Form dispersed.

Chen Fubi lifted his gaze slightly: "Chi Xiao Sword Master—indeed, no false claim."

Chen Fubi drove his weapon hard into Chi Xiao Sword, repelling it—but his motion hesitated; Li Guanyi spun, unfolded the Green Phoenix Dharma Form, broke free, and landed on his steed, his bloodline churning; the Yu Langwang remained motionless.

Li Guanyi's wrist trembled slightly; after a dozen exchanges, signs of fatigue were emerging.

He had traded several rounds with the Yu Langwang and was clearly at a disadvantage; his chest churned with turbulent bloodline, yet he clenched his lips tightly, forcing down the sensation—but Li Kedi and the other frontier generals stood frozen, and the fifty thousand Gray Wolf Cavalry fell utterly silent.

The Yu Langwang had swept through the Western Regions like a storm devouring sand, leaving no opponent standing before him—but after a few exchanges with Li Guanyi, he could not subdue him; the Gray Wolf Cavalry now felt a heavy, somber silence.

The Yu Langwang Chen Fubi squeezed his horse's flanks; the steed paced calmly, and the Yu Langwang gazed at Li Guanyi, then laughed loudly:

"I have never met a general like you."

"In all my campaigns through the Western Regions, I have never faced an opponent like you."

He raised his weapon, then swept it sharply to point at Li Guanyi, laughing aloud:

"My soldiers—what do you think of this man?!"

Suddenly, the fifty thousand Gray Wolf Cavalry raised their uniquely shaped gray-blue cavalry lances skyward and roared in solemn, deadly unison: "Bravo!"

"Bravo!"

"Bravo!!!"

The solemn roar was grand and awe-inspiring—even an enemy general who possessed such valor earned the recognition and admiration of this elite corps; yet this cry echoed like endless howls of gray wolves, carrying the martial might of ancient battle arrays, enough to strike terror into any general's heart.

Fan Qing gripped his lance and said: "Soldier's soul…"

A true elite corps.

The Yu Langwang's vigor, fused with his aged majesty, gazed at the young general standing firm with spear in hand, calm and composed—and seemed to see an old friend: "What a pity—if I were your age, we might have been evenly matched."

"But if you reach my age, I fear I would not be your match."

"What a pity. What a tragedy."

"This is the age of chaos: men like me, men like you, the older generation like me—men rotting away—must stand before you. Cross me… or let me crush your future."

"Because of your father, I wish to spare your life."

"But because of yourself, I wish to kill you."

"The world is truly strange—I once thought his son and my child might be brothers, or even marry; I never imagined his son would now stand in his place, blocking my path. Good. Very good."

The Yu Langwang gripped his weapon, his bearing calm and majestic as a mountain and abyss, and said plainly: "If you do not surrender today, twenty thousand elite soldiers—except you—will not live."

Li Guanyi replied calmly: "Hardly the act of one who remembers old ties."

The aged Yu Langwang said: "You may hate me, or cherish me—but child, those of us like you and me are not merely meant to be respected and loved."

"A hero is meant to be feared by his enemies."

The Wolf King looked at the calm young warlord before him, as if seeing his own past self, and smiled quietly:

"Are we not enemies?"

"Young general, you are precisely the opponent I value most."

"An opponent I would sever even if it meant abandoning Li Shude and Xiyicheng—five ten thousand Canglang cavalry riding out together is my tribute to you, successor. The future is endless. Come."

The Wolf King raised his weapon, pointing it far toward Li Guanyi.

Li Guanyi lifted his Tiger Roar Heaven Battle Spear, pointing it at the aged Wolf King.

Amidst tens of thousands of troops, the aged former Regent and the newborn Qin Wu Hou Li faced each other, weapons leveled—like time itself turning in a circle: the fierce flame once burning in the eyes of the Prince Puyang Wang now blazed in his opponent's gaze.

Li Guanyi still held his fighting spirit, saying:

"But if I were you, today I might withdraw."

The Wolf King laughed: "With twenty thousand troops, half of them second-rate, and ten thousand merely prisoners—even a man like your father could not make me retreat with such forces."

Li Guanyi said: "I have more troops."

The Wolf King asked: "Where from?"

Li Guanyi replied: "The tide of the world."

The Wolf King could not help laughing, but Li Guanyi opened his palm—and one by one, the white tiger qi, the very destiny of the Tangxi Kingdom, rose upward, saying: "Wolf King, you've been away too long. You likely don't know what just happened—the Tangxi King is dead, and the Tangxi Kingdom's destiny has collapsed."

"You shouldn't have left there at this moment."

The aged Wolf King's expression solemn.

Li Guanyi spoke calmly to himself: "This news will spread faster than any wind. The western tribes will rise up at once—and General Xiao Wu Liang alone cannot stop them once they hear it."

"And if you attack me today, the people of the Tangxi capital will know the Wolf King is not outside the city—under the pressure of these two forces, can your son hold your arrangements?"

"In your eyes, is the Western Regions and this world more important than your own?"

The Wolf King's gaze was sharp; Li Guanyi's gaze was calm.

The aged Canglang looked at him and smiled quietly:

"If I say yes, what then?"

Li Guanyi answered: "Then today, Li Guanyi will not surrender."

He raised his weapon, his aura surging again, brows wild with boldness, bearing calmness before death, and cried out loudly: "My comrades, raise your arms—today, we fight only!"

"If we win, we shall drink together in triumph!"

"If we fall, I shall die before you all!"

"There are no surrendering generals—only dead ones!"

Fan Qing raised his weapon and bowed his head: "Yes."

"If I die, I shall serve as your vanguard beneath the Nine Springs."

Khan Qibili gripped his curved blade.

The twenty thousand troops, knowing their lord intended to die with them, faced the Wolf King's army with no chance of escape—and all drew their weapons at once. A chilling, bloody aura surged into the sky. Fan Qing roared:

"Wind!"

The westerners, the central plainsmen, the seven tribal armies, twenty thousand troops—all shouted in unison to that ancient cry:

"Wind!"

"Great Wind!!!"

That spirit—the courage to draw blades even against the most heroic armies in the world—rose like a blazing fire, fierce and grim!

As the flames surged, the mountain suddenly ignited, leaving golden-red burn marks, then the entire range collapsed downward. Flames soared into the sky, and a low, fierce growl echoed—there, in the fire, a crimson-eyed Fire Qilin roared softly.

Li Guanyi said: "Even if I die today, I will cripple the Canglang cavalry."

"If I fall, the one who shall crush the Wolf King's dream of swallowing the world—must be the Tiance Prefecture!"

"Do you believe it?"

The Wolf Wang Chen Fubi's gaze was sharp.

Li Guanyi looked at the mighty warlord and said: "The Canglang of the world do not kill me—not because they wish to spare me, but because they do not wish to add another enemy beyond Chen and Ying?" The Wolf Wang Chen Fubi stared at Li Guanyi, raising his weapon.

In this situation, harming Li Guanyi would make pacifying the Western Regions far harder.

The Tangxi King's sudden death, the collapse of his destiny, the missing heir—western tribes and Tangxi nobles would surely revolt. If Li Guanyi died, the Anxi garrison, the Tiance Prefecture, and the Fire Qilin Army would storm in with nothing but vengeance.

The strategy to swallow the Western Regions would grow far more complex.

One hair pulled, the whole body moves—this is how it is.

The Wolf King was a hero who sought to swallow the world, and he knew: precisely now, at the moment of the Tangxi King's death, he could not kill this man. Even such a bold, ruthless hero slowly sheathed his weapon.

The Wolf King burst into loud laughter, sheathing his weapon: "You are far superior to Chen Wenmian. Good, good—you've convinced me. Though it's humiliating to ride out with such force and gain no victory—it tarnishes my invincible name."

"But today, it must be this way."

He suddenly shouted loudly:

"Anxi City Lord, you are far more outstanding than I anticipated."

"Among the young generation of the world, only you and that distant Jiangnan Fire Qilin, Qin Wu Hou Li, can shine together as equals, as the foremost."

Li Guanyi froze—he had not expected the Wolf King to help conceal his identity. The Wolf King's own words made it official. The aged man sheathed his weapon, then smiled faintly:

"But you made one mistake."

"Even if I defeat you, capture you—even if I know you would hate me for it—I would not kill you."

"Not ever."

Li Guanyi was stunned. Chen Fubi had already turned, mounted his divine steed, and calmly returned to his ranks. He held his weapon slanted, still composed and calm, white hair stirring slightly in the battlefield, saying: "Remember, child—a hero is not loved, not a sage."

"The greatest hero in the world is always feared by countless others."

"To forge new rules, one must shatter the old order."

"To achieve a supreme undertaking, one must be prepared to bear eternal infamy."

Li Guanyi replied: "Indeed, but it is merely shattered."

Yu Langwang burst into loud laughter: "Good!"

"Let my reputation propel you to a higher position in this world—do what you must do, become a true supreme divine general, then come challenge me for dominion over this land!"

"In this western land, only you have the stature to stand before me."

"If I cannot succeed..."

"Then you shall become the overlord of this western land!"

Yu Langwang's Wolf Riders watched Li Guanyi's forces— their lord had abandoned the disgraced Li Duke and personally intercepted this young famed general, yet failed to crush him without hesitation.

The last thread of Qiang's destiny, the sudden violent death of the Qiang ruler.

Pushed forward the surging tide of this world.

Even heroes must chase this great tide.

Yu Langwang could not linger here much longer.

He alone swallowed this western land, a mighty hero wielding his hegemonic ambition to stand against all thirty-six western tribes—Xiao Wuliang could not replace him, Chen Wenmian could not replace him; the outcome of Li Guanyi and Yu Langwang's clash lay beyond the battle itself.

Li Guanyi's grip on his weapon loosened slightly, his hand trembling.

But he forcibly clenched his weapon.

Then raised it high.

Thus twenty thousand soldiers lifted their weapons in solemn fury.

In every eye, this young famed general and Yu Langwang had met, engaged in single combat, and for some reason, Yu Langwang had withdrawn—elevating this young general's prestige even further within his own army.

In Xiyicheng.

【Anxi City】's handling of prisoners and the entire Yemenguan City's affairs had reached here; the venerable general ranked seventy-ninth on the Famous Generals List, Xia Hou Duan, suddenly sensed something amiss.

This style, this youth, such Wu Gong and strategic acumen.

He immediately thought of one person.

He hurried to seek out Li Duke; when he arrived at the Duke Mansion, the old lord was feeding his carp. Xia Hou Duan bowed deeply: "My Lord!" The old lord seemed in good spirits, gesturing for Xiahou to come closer: "Ha ha, Xiahou has come."

"Come, see my fish—they're all full of vigor."

"My Lord enjoys raising fish?"

Li Duke chuckled: "Originally I fished, but gradually found I couldn't catch any."

"Better to just feed them."

"Saves trouble."

There was an inexplicable air of melancholy.

Xia Hou Duan said: "I have urgent news to report!"

Li Duke stared at him, waved his hand, dismissed the attendants. Xia Hou Duan bowed again and detailed every discovery he had made, urgently: "My Lord, this man's conduct, Wu Gong, disposition, and strategic style—only one person in the world fits!"

"The Jiangnan Fire Qilin, Li Guanyi! His youth and deeds have been rumored in Jiangnan these past months, but never confirmed—I suspect that Tian Ge'er is Li Guanyi!"

Li Duke stared at him and smiled: "What are you saying, Xiahou?"

"How could he be Li Guanyi?"

Xia Hou Duan faltered, eager to speak further, but Li Duke waved his hand and laughed: "Ha ha, Xiahou, you talk too much—he is not Li Guanyi."

"How could he be Li Guanyi?"

Xia Hou Duan opened his mouth to speak again, but suddenly realized something—his body stiffened, he raised his head and saw Li Duke, understanding the meaning behind those words. Slowly, Li Duke placed the jade dish of fish food into Xia Hou Duan's hands, looked at him, and smiled faintly:

"He is not Li Guanyi."

"Will not be Li Guanyi."

"He cannot be Li Guanyi."

"Do you understand?"

These few words had said it all—the Jianghu, the court, the noble clans, the warlords.

Xia Hou Duan knew he was merely a general. For some reason, this lord he had known since childhood filled him with an indescribable feeling—his smile was gentle, yet it froze him, made him lower his head, unable to meet his gaze.

Li Duke handed Xia Hou Duan something.

It bore only two lines.

"【Tian Ge'er】 met Yu Langwang Chen Fubi, fought over a dozen rounds without defeat."

"Yu Langwang withdrew; the lord of Anxi City emerged whole."

Xia Hou Duan's breath froze; his pupils shrank violently.

Li Duke looked at him and whispered: "He is already at the city gates."

The next day.

Li Guanyi's forces, riding the tide of momentum.

Arrived at Xiyicheng.

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