Chapter 371: With This Flame, I Play the Board of the World!

The mild and harmless young strategist set down the object on his back against the city wall, gazed at the vast Wang Cheng, confirmed the wind direction, then found a safe spot—any strategy must first ensure one's own invincibility.

In other words, at least one must be able to escape.

This city had existed five hundred years ago, later repaired by the Tuyuhun Khan, continuously expanded through successive dynasties, and in these centuries, endured countless wars, civil conflicts, sometimes abandoned, sometimes seized by others.

Though overlords changed, this city stood firm throughout.

"The Tuyuhun Khan and Master Siming were close friends."

"If Master Siming designed Chen's Beicheng, then this great western city must also be his work—westerners are poor at building cities, so during expansions, they surely followed the master's original blueprints."

"Thus, even if inferior to Beicheng, this must still be an extremely difficult city to breach."

"Pity, pity indeed."

The young strategist sighed in regret—the most heartbreaking thing in the world was a great general cast into obscurity; the city gates, capable of withstanding siege engines and even army-level cultivation techniques, had suffered not a single attack.

This, the greatest city of the Western Regions, had been opened from within.

Noble clans welcomed the royal army with open arms.

Even Wen He found it absurd.

Brilliant—truly brilliant.

These great nobles brought their private troops, swords and spears gleaming, and offered gold and silver to welcome the outside army into the city; already, more than one force had ridden into Wang Cheng.

Wen He watched iron-clad troops surge through, banners of different tribes flapping in the sky, and murmured: "Then, how far my strategy will go depends entirely on your own choices."

"I am not a heartless, cruel man."

"Like that Breaker General, I too have three strategies: upper, middle, and lower."

"Half-dead, nine-in-ten-die, or total annihilation."

"It's up to you."

Then he saw the tens of thousands of troops storm into the city—and without hesitation, he immediately shifted his own forces to seal the gates shut, reinforcing them, fearing that troops behind might enter and compete for control of the city.

Each faction forged the city's major gates into impassable fortifications, then laughed and ordered roughly one hundred thousand troops to enter.

It was like fish crossing a river—dense, swarming, spreading everywhere.

This land of the Western Regions teemed with primal ambition.

Yu Langwang saw this.

He ignited the warlords' ambitions with his throne and the dream of building his own nation.

Yet these warlords were, in truth, the great nobles of the Western Regions.

They knew this better than anyone.

They stormed the city to become kings of the chaos, leveraging Yu Langwang's unmatched might to forge their own renown; but their soldiers cared nothing for who was Tian Kehan or who was Da Wang.

So, how would they stir their own troops?

"Hahaha, come, come!"

"Three days in the city—swords stay drawn, plunder freely!"

"Kill, kill!"

"Hahaha, beauty, I'm coming!"

"Help her family, try your hand before her husband—how exhilarating!"

Chaotic shouts, clashing blades, thundering hooves—all blended into the wind and reached Wen He's ears.

The strategist's eyes lowered slightly; his smile grew warmer, gentler.

Wen He watched the hundred thousand troops surge into the city, then relentlessly smash into civilian homes.

Simply deploying one hundred thousand troops would be difficult—but driven by their own desires, frantic to seize gold and beauties first, they quickly filled every corner of the city.

The city, of course, had no civilians left to plunder.

These soldiers burst into courtyards, slashed open houses, smashed chests and cabinets, found no people, grew furious, and began smashing and wrecking the civilians' homes.

Anger must be vented—they swung weapons, splitting open wooden wardrobes, tearing apart cloth and garments they couldn't carry, scattering them everywhere.

Some found valuables; others felt cursed—splitting open a chest and exploding a cloud of strange powder over themselves, or being drenched in murky oil, cursing as they stumbled out.

Thus, oil, coal dust, and incendiary powder.

Naturally scattered throughout.

Amid thundering hooves and spreading chaos, the young strategist whispered: "Fan Qing said success requires harnessing the masses—truly, he was right. Human hearts are like tides—useful indeed."

Distributed porridge and oil to the people.

Naturally, the oil spread throughout the entire city.

The people, unable to carry the oil, hid it well.

But soldiers, driven by lust for slaughter and plunder, now met only frustration—this humble scholar gave them an opportunity; yet from start to finish, the so-called three strategies were but one.

He understood human nature better than anyone.

"My lord uses gold and silver as swords to break the chains of men's hearts—but I am different. I am merely an ordinary strategist. Seeing my lord's worries, I must share them—if these cavalry alliances carry off all the gold and silver, where in the Western Regions shall we find more?"

"We cannot carry it away. Nor shall you."

"Fan Qing, your method works well."

Wen He said calmly:

"This strategy—you yourselves chose it. You have severed all paths to survival."

"Though it slightly offends the Dao."

"Only a little offends the Dao."

"Yet it harms not a single bit of Wen He's moral virtue."

"Perfect."

"Hmm, about done recording."

Wen He lazily tossed the jade tablet in his hand, using it to record all of this, planning to use it later to silence his lord and Wen Lingjun's crowd—he was a man who planned for himself, and naturally prepared everything in advance.

Meanwhile.

Boom!!!!

The Tiger Roars to Heaven Halberd and the double-bladed long-hafted battle axe crashed together in a fierce strike.

The roaring gray wolves and the low-growling Fire Qilin slammed into each other with murderous aura; Li Guanyi gripped the halberd with both hands and forcibly blocked Yu Langwang's slash—this time, Yu Langwang's forces were no longer fifty thousand elite Gray Wolf Cavalry.

And Li Guanyi's forces were no longer those twenty thousand ragtag troops.

Though Yu Langwang's personal Wu Gong was stronger, the might of the seven thousand 【Bei Wei】 surpassed Yu Langwang's battle-hardened heavy cavalry in both number and condition.

Added to this, the Fish Hooker's intervention.

Placed Li Guanyi's command of military formations on par with the top ten Divine Generals.

The two sides' conditions were strangely balanced to nearly equal levels.

Li Guanyi bore immense destiny, gripping the Tiger Roars to Heaven Halberd with both hands and pressing downward; this time, Yu Langwang could no longer suppress Li Guanyi with one hand—he could clearly sense the change in Li Guanyi's aura.

How long had it been? Just one or two months.

Last time, the Fire Qilin child could only rely on the momentum of Tangwang's death to force him to retreat; this time, the Fire Qilin's claws and fangs had sharpened to this level—could he now fight Yu Langwang toe to toe?

Yu Langwang said: "Did you break through since last time?"

Li Guanyi replied: "Thanks to Uncle's blessing."

Li Guanyi felt the terrifying murderous aura still striking him, but it was neutralized by the 【Bei Wei】 formation—his own military momentum was even stronger; he gripped the Tiger Roars to Heaven Halberd and pressed his technique downward.

The Fire Qilin growled low in its throat, spewing golden-red Qilin fire.

Yu Langwang was forced to retreat, tearing through the murderous aura with his blade, cleaving open the Fire Qilin's flames—but the next instant, with the Bai Hu's roar, Li Guanyi's halberd thrust forward violently.

The Fire Qilin and Li Guanyi's coordination was flawless.

Yu Langwang raised his hand, pressing the butt of his weapon into the ground to lock the Fire Qilin's fangs and claws, while his blade blocked Li Guanyi's halberd; his left hand extended, armored palm gripping Yue Qianfeng's halberd directly.

Yue Qianfeng, one with his steed, was forcibly suppressed by the aged Wolf King.

Murdurous aura surged skyward; the aged gray wolf raised its head and roared, front paws gripping the Taigu Chilong as it pressed down, jaws clamping onto the Bai Hu—fighting, fighting!

"I'll give you a taste of my wrath!!!"

The Fire Qilin poured all its strength into blazing flames.

Li Guanyi strained his arms, gripping the divine weapon; Yue Qianfeng gritted his teeth as the murderous aura tore and clashed around him; the Taigu Chilong reared and roared, the Bai Hu snarled with fury—even the manifested phantoms, the gray-haired gray wolf's eyes burned crimson.

【Bei Wei】 cavalry, Gray Wolf Elite Cavalry.

Keep fighting!

Former comrades, brave warriors who once fought side by side under the same commander, now turned their blades against former allies beneath the same banner.

The Bai Hu's roar surged to the heavens.

Yu Langwang's pupils contracted.

Did Li Guanyi also carry the destiny of a fallen kingdom?

More than one Divine General stood within a war of kingdom's destruction!

The white-haired Wolf King gripped his weapon with both hands.

This time, he could no longer stroll through battle as easily as before.

He was forced to unleash his full strength.

Yan Xuanji rode in, his large banner also a weapon, swung like a horse spear from behind, stabbing toward Yu Langwang's chest as he cried out: "Under Tai Ping Gong, Yan Xuanji, pays respects to the Wolf King!"

Yu Langwang suddenly roared.

A shockwave erupted into the sky, the gray wolf's roar thundering upward.

Summon forth fierce valor!

His long-hafted battle axe swept horizontally, forcing back the Fire Qilin, Yue Qianfeng, and Li Guanyi.

He plunged the axe into the ground, anchoring himself against the force, then raised his fist and slammed it forward with full force—his phantom erupted, shielding his body as it clashed violently with Yan Xuanji's strike.

Boom!!!

The shockwave tore through the surroundings; the earth seemed to crack open. Yan Xuanji spat blood and retreated; Yu Langwang's aura flickered—a moment of opportunity vanished in an instant; Li Guanyi swallowed the blood in his chest.

The Fire Qilin, trained by the Laoqilin Sect, felt no fear, only roared.

Li Guanyi and the Fire Qilin pressed forward again!

Breaking through the ranks of generals, he gripped the divine weapon with both hands and slashed downward.

Yu Langwang gripped his blade with both hands, raised it—Ninth Heaven realm—but he had once been stripped of his Wu Gong, left crippled; to regain his peak, he practiced Chen Kingdom's forbidden martial arts, and his body was no longer at its peak.

Boom!!!

Yu Langwang felt his body sink—he saw the Fire Qilin roaring ahead, Li Guanyi clad in Central Plains general's armor, crimson Qilin-patterned martial robe swirling like waves, dark-gold mask in place, yet his eyes still gleamed with piercing sharpness.

Different from before.

This time, Li Guanyi gripped the weapon with both hands and pressed downward.

What bearing! What bearing!

Yu Langwang was momentarily dazed, as if seeing an old friend.

He saw that battle of long ago.

The Prince Puyang Wang, who had deposed and reinstated Emperors multiple times, gradually descended into cruelty; Tai Ping Gong personally defeated him—but Prince Puyang Wang survived, while Tai Ping Gong died. Yu Langwang stared at the dark-gold mask, at the Fire Qilin, at that proud, spirited appearance.

Li Guanyi exhaled sharply.

He pushed his divine power further.

The Tiger Roars to Heaven Halberd slashed down with full force.

Yu Langwang retreated.

Leading his shattered troops, facing Li Guanyi's army, he still fought alone against top-tier opponents including Li Guanyi, the Fire Qilin, Yue Qianfeng, and Yan Xuanji—Yu Langwang's strength was plain to see.

Li Guanyi borrowed the Fire Qilin's might, relying on the nature of the Longevity Imperishable Body.

Keep fighting!

General Yue Qianfeng and Yan Xuanji lacked Li Guanyi's regenerative power; they merely provided flank support and bolstered the battle array, so the armies halted, becoming a duel between the two commanding generals, each backed by their own battle array.

Li Guanyi at the peak of the Seventh Heaven Realm, the Fire Qilin at the peak of the Seventh Heaven Realm.

With the combined might of nearly double the army's momentum, bolstered by General Yue Qianfeng and Yan Xuanji, and leveraging the Longevity Imperishable Body's nature, he held his own against the Wolf King—back and forth, neither yielding. Li Guanyi's blood churned violently, yet the old Wolf King's physique suffered equally.

The strength of a Divine General lies in their terrifying command.

The Wolf King's greatest traits and reserves were never fully unleashed.

Yet such a scene was already shocking enough. Li Guanyi swung his battle halberd downward with force; the Fire Qilin roared. The old Wolf King gasped for breath, and at his age, he too felt his blood churning—then he burst into loud laughter:

"Come, Li!"

The wind of memory howled.

"Come! Let us kill each other!"

"Li Wanli!"

"COME!!!"

He cast aside his ambitions, his obsessions, the fact that tens of thousands of troops still stood behind him—even with white hair, the man remained a boy, still remembering their youthful meeting.

Even such a warlord has moments of reckless abandon, of irrational impulse.

Enemies to each other, friends to each other, entrusting their lives to one another.

All past memories condensed into one final obsession, one final fixation: the aged Wolf King still wished to raise his weapons, to fight once more beside his old comrade on the battlefield—whether as enemy or friend.

In that year.

The Wolf King had his Wu Gong stripped and was exiled to the frontier.

Tai Ping Gong came to see him off.

Li Wanli said that when the world finally knew peace, he too would lay down his armor and return to the fields; then he would ride his horse, journeying through the lands they had conquered and pacified, to visit him, bringing the finest wine in all the realm.

At that time, they would live as neighbors, tilling the soil together, drinking tea together.

Then they could still reminisce about the past.

Then he came.

Bringing cold news of death.

Bringing poison wine and court conspiracies.

The Fire Qilin, suppressing the Wild Wolf's nature, fell within the palace, yet the world remained in chaos. The wolf, whose claws had already been sheathed, drained the wine, placed the two cups on the table he had made himself, picked up his weapons again, and stepped back into this chaotic world.

"Come! Fight!!!"

The Wolf King roared and slashed with his blade, shattering the past; the Wild Wolf's fangs tore apart the Bai Hu and the Crimson Dragon. Blood surged into Li Guanyi's mouth, his eyes nearly bursting, and as he let out a long howl, the Fire Earth Auspicious Qilin manifestation appeared—his halberd clashed with the Wolf King's weapon.

BOOM!!!

The Fire Qilin's aura erupted, linking with Li Guanyi.

Dao Sect's ultimate technique: Fire Heaven Da You.

【Fire above heaven, great abundance; the noble person restrains evil and promotes good, follows heaven's will to fulfill destiny.】

【Fire Heaven Da You, follows heaven's will to fulfill destiny.】

The Fire Qilin's power at the peak of the Seventh Heaven Realm, Li Guanyi at the Seventh Heaven Realm.

The two energies merged, forcibly breaking through the Seventh Heaven barrier.

The power unleashed by this technique reached beyond the Eighth Heaven Realm.

Army momentum amplified, all strength expended.

Li Guanyi gripped his halberd and slashed downward; the Wolf King raised his long-handled double-edged battle blade.

Ultimate strike against ultimate strike!

The Wild Wolf and the Qilin met again on the battlefield.

BOOM!!!

The shockwave exploded, as if the earth itself cracked open a vast chasm spreading to either side. Li Guanyi's arm muscles tore, his internal organs struck with violent, uneven force—but his eyes blazed, and he clung tightly, pressing his weapon downward.

The Wolf King's helmet flew off, his beard and hair wild, blood streaming from his lips. He looked at the Divine General riding the Qilin, wearing the dark-gold mask, and whispered:

"Every time, it's you who stops me…"

The Wolf King twisted his weapon and clashed again with Li Guanyi's halberd.

Both retreated.

The Qilin held firm, refusing to fall as it had before, as the younger version of itself had done over a decade ago—its body trembling yet still standing, eyes blazing, gathering flame once more in its mouth.

What is a Qilin? What is a divine beast?

It is that even in the most desperate moments, it still inspires everyone.

That is true auspice!

Li Guanyi, blood dripping from his mouth, raised his weapon, pointing at the Wolf King—the Divine General still mounted on the Qilin—said: "Wrong, Prince Prince Puyang."

"Your opponent is me."

The Divine General on the Qilin removed his mask; beneath the dark-gold mask was a face similar, yet utterly different:

"Li Guanyi."

The Wolf King fell silent. That dreamlike battle returned to reality. His beard and hair were white; the heroic general before him was not the man of old—but the Wolf King felt no despair, only a fiercer, more exhilarating laugh: "Good, good, good!"

"Each generation produces its own talents."

"This is good. Very good."

"Qin Wu Hou, well done."

The wounded Wolf King lowered his eyes slightly and smiled gently: "Today's battle stirred my heart once more. One more regret in my life has been lessened. Too bad. Too bad."

"You ultimately cannot keep me."

The Wolf King of the Ninth Heaven could abandon everything to fight Li Guanyi, yet he could also withdraw—Li Guanyi gripped his weapon, watching the Wolf King, the martial aura growing ever heavier, more oppressive, yet no longer changing at all.

Even General Yue Qianfeng and the Wolf King had realized one problem.

As long as there were enough troops, Li Guanyi possessed the qualifications to stand against the Wolf King.

And the issue of command…

The Wolf King stared at the silver-haired army commander and said:

"Truly a great enemy…"

At this moment, Li Guanyi of the Seventh Heaven and the Seventh Heaven's Fire Qilin could already threaten the Wolf King, even gain a slight upper hand—then one day, if Li Guanyi himself reached the Ninth Heaven…

The aged Wolf King smiled faintly at the corner of his mouth: "Enough, enough. Today's fierce battle has untied my knots—I have let go. Old man has no interest in fighting you here."

"As you did before, today counts as your minor victory."

"Yet this great momentum still lies in my hands."

The highest form of warfare attacks strategy.

Li Guanyi pressed his lips together, facing off against the Wolf King; across the entire world, stalemates held—only the Western Regions remained an active board, and the Wolf King's momentum had already taken shape: the allied army entered the city and seized its core zones.

Under such surging momentum, under such border suppression of the Wolf King…

It must not affect the grand picture.

Unless Li Guanyi could kill the Wolf King here—but Li Guanyi knew clearly: the Wolf King led his forces to fight him head-on, and Li Guanyi could suppress him with troop strength and martial momentum, with his Immortal Life cultivation body—but if the Wolf King chose to flee, Li Guanyi could not stop him.

The great momentum had already taken shape.

In this grand scheme of the world, Li Guanyi and the Wolf King were merely individual points—within the Wolf King's army, Xiao Wuliang's expression was solemn, his eyes fixed tightly on the map spread across the table.

Chen Wenmian did not know why, but felt some unease.

In Xiyicheng, He Ruo Qinhu's gaze was calm, Li Zhaowen's eyes slightly narrowed.

On the border of the Chen state, Lu Youxian silently prepared for the situation.

Warriors galloped across the battlefield, generals followed their desires and ambitions, strategists unraveled the situation, clashing with one another, monarchs gripped weapons and stepped into this world, maneuvering with brilliance, like pieces on a chessboard, blades fully exposed.

Focused on one point.

The great momentum had already taken shape!

A single spark suddenly rose.

But at this very moment, the Wolf King suddenly sensed a surge of flame—he froze, pupils contracting violently—in the distant city of Dacheng, the air suddenly twisted, and the next instant—

A crimson flame erupted violently, surging toward the sky.

Crimson-gold fire.

The ambition to burn all!

Li Guanyi's face slowly went slack, the Wolf King could not believe it—the entire city of Dacheng in the Western Regions, symbolizing centuries of dignity and grandeur, the jewel of the earth, had for centuries carried symbolic meaning across the Western Regions.

All legitimate overlords entered this city.

Some in the Western Regions said the region's overlords, each relying on their brute strength, were like rough men, while this ancient city was the most beautiful woman of the entire Western Regions—the overlords claimed legitimacy by seizing this city.

Their hunger for dominance was like a mighty man's pursuit of a beautiful woman.

Yet the historians of the Central Plains modestly compared this city to the Crimson Sky Sword.

A being endowed with legitimacy.

And now, this jewel of the Western Regions had fallen into roaring flames—centuries of oppression, centuries of history, became but one corner of the fire; the generals stormed in, sealing the gates shut, yet now could not escape.

They looted the people, smashed open their homes, dragged their belongings onto the ground, carried oil and coal dust everywhere—now every corner echoed with screams; the great nobles tried to flee but could not, the fire catching up to them.

Some soldiers tried climbing the city walls—but alas.

The nobles had earlier poured precious oil over the walls to prevent civilians from escaping—now it became a wall of fire; someone dove into a pond and collapsed screaming: "The water—the water is poisoned!!!"

"Cough cough cough… No water? Why is it all wine?"

"Ahhh!!!"

"Front! There's a narrow path ahead!"

A volley of arrows.

"Aaaahhh! Who set up this arrow array here?! So cruel!"

One hundred thousand iron-armored troops, their armor stained with blood, became the cruelest instruments of punishment—the young strategist's sleeves fluttered as he suddenly recalled long ago, the men who had died in these Western Regions.

"Let this be your farewell."

He gave a slight nod to the old era.

The Wolf King stared in disbelief at the blazing city—the sky itself burned red—his strategy, his tactics, his great momentum—all severed at the final step by the most absolute, most ruthless means!

Before the Wolf King now stood, before the blazing city, a humble scholar with a gentle expression, gazing toward him—behind him roared the burning city, the ambition of the world—this plain strategist carried an awe-inspiring, terrifying aura.

His sleeves trembled, the scholar bowed respectfully from afar.

His eyes opened, expression serene.

All knew the Tiance Prefecture's Breaker, Wen Lingjun, possessed the talent of a royal minister.

General Yuan Zhi commanded one hundred thousand, the Eight Gates Golden Lock.

Who knows me—Master Wen Qingyu?!

I was meant to remain hidden—but for my lord, enough, enough.

This evil reputation cannot be borne by my lord.

Must not offend Heaven's harmony.

So the humble strategist smiled, sleeves trembling, eyes alight with flame, calm and composed, dignified and grand, his voice ringing clear:

"Under the command of Qin Wu Hou of the Tiance Prefecture, a scribe."

"Yan Daiqing of the Western Regions."

"Greetings, Yu Langwang."

"I offer my respects!!!"

?? Controlled my schedule successfully, everyone, please vote for monthly tickets~

? Also, Yu Langwang commands five thousand heavy cavalry—I made a mistake in the previous chapter and have corrected it.