Chapter 405: In Times of Chaos, Kings Must Kill Kings

Boom!!!

Violent airwaves surged outward; Jiang Su's divine steed let out another agonized cry and collapsed, dead. On the battlefield around them, generals could not approach—only the two men clashed, as Li Guanyi's battle halberd slashed down and struck the Divine General Jiang Su.

Flames flew in all directions.

In an instant, the Divine General's defense shattered; Li Guanyi's all-out strike crashed down with crushing force. Jiang Su, looking down with disdain, raised his divine weapon and sidestepped the blow.

But he couldn't block it!

A force multiplier of nearly tenfold in troop numbers, reinforced by the Nine Cauldrons, aligned with the tide of fate.

Coupled with the Fishhook Guest's aid, this was more than enough to fight.

The invincible aura defending Jiang Su crumbled layer by layer.

Jiang Su's weapon was forced downward; his aura erupted, losing the effortless, carefree composure that had once let him defeat enemies single-handedly or overwhelm multitudes as if strolling through a garden.

He glared fiercely at Li Guanyi before the Fire Qilin roared.

The Divine General's mount dead, he stood firm on the ground, feet sinking deep. Li Guanyi and the Fire Qilin roared together, their battle halberds thrust forward, forcing the Divine General back a full hundred zhang.

Even the Divine General's might could not withstand this surge—after Li Guanyi had flanked and cut through Jiang Su's forces under near-tenfold numerical superiority—step by step, under the gaze of all, he retreated.

But this meant the shattering of Jiang Su's invincible image.

Each step back weakened the Divine General's invincibility by a fraction.

Each step back eroded the unshakable morale of the Ying army by an inch.

Retreat—until there was no more ground to retreat!

Li Guanyi's heart pounded at a speed beyond its limit.

The vast military might fortified his body.

He felt his Immortal Life Unbroken Body had reached its limit.

The constraints on a Divine General's rank: one is command ability, the other is personal strength—whether one can withstand such reinforcement. Now, with the Fishhook Guest's aid, his command ability barely broke through the limit.

Jiang Su's hand trembled; the butt of his divine spear, Annihilation, spun backward and stabbed into the earth, exploding into thunder. The ground cracked, the spear bent—yet it barely held the blow.

He did not let Li Guanyi and the Fire Qilin shove him like a football.

Jiang Su roared: "How audacious!!!"

The Fire Qilin cursed: "F*** your mother!!!"

Seeing the old bastard so close, Li Guanyi, for reasons unknown, surged with even greater aura—the Fire Qilin's hatred for Jiang Su exploded in an instant.

The old grudge from Tai Ping Gong Li Wanli, and the earlier insult when Jiang Su had charged into the volcano and nearly choked on fruit—all blamed on this old bastard.

On the Fire Qilin's body, water and fire appeared together; it opened its mouth and spat.

Water and fire burst into violet thunder, striking hard and drowning Jiang Su.

Jiang Su's three-chi Unbreakable Divine Aura was severed; though the violet lightning could not injure him, it left him utterly humiliated. "You vile beast!"

The Fire Qilin retorted with a curse: "Old bastard!!!"

Jiang Su spun his divine spear, Annihilation, and tore through Li Guanyi's divine form—but with the military might supporting him, Li Guanyi summoned the Crimson Sky Sword. Both weapons combined force and blocked the Divine General's counterattack.

The blade of the divine spear, Annihilation, hovered just an inch from Li Guanyi's throat.

But it was blocked!

Li Guanyi's two divine weapons trembled—but he, as a battle general, had 【personally】 halted the Divine General—

The invincible legend, ended here.

Li Guanyi knew he could not hold out much longer; his halberd erupted with power, cleaving the divine spear, Annihilation, apart. He shouted: "General Yue Qianfeng, Chen Wenmian—cut and divide Jiang Su's army, pick them off one by one."

"I'll handle the Divine General!"

"Swallow his entire army!"

"I'll make him flee the Western Regions alone!"

The Fishhook Guest instantly shifted the formation; General Yue Qianfeng swallowed his blood, knowing this battle had passed beyond his domain—he laughed loudly and replied:

"Good!!!"

"General Yue Qianfeng, obeying the Lord's command!"

"Gong Zhenyong, follow me—charge!"

The Qilin Army and the Tian Kehan Alliance moved as one; under Yuan Zhi and Fan Qing's coordination, they began cutting tactics against the Ying army. Jiang Su immediately unleashed his techniques—but Li Guanyi held him fast.

Halberd pressed to the ground, sword raised, Li Guanyi's pupils glowed faint gold; blood flowed across his skin. "Divine General, your opponent is me."

Jiang Su looked at Li Guanyi: "If our forces were equal."

"You are no match for me."

Li Guanyi smiled lightly: "What a stubborn old fool's answer."

"Don't you have these troops?"

Jiang Su said: "True. You used strategy to split my forces—that's your skill. Today, let us fight to our hearts' content. Let's see how long this state of yours can last!"

He saw Li Guanyi's weakness.

Li Guanyi replied calmly: "Until you die."

Halberd pressed to the ground, heart pounding, blood rushing through his body—Li Guanyi raised his halberd, pointing at the Divine General standing on the earth. For the first time, he bore a faint echo of the Divine General's regal bearing:

"My father and the Yu Langwang together only held you beyond the city gates, letting you lead your troops away in peace. Today, you will leave your invincible name—and your entire army—here!"

Jiang Su said: "Arrogant fool!"

Li Guanyi said: "You'll soon find out if I'm arrogant!"

The two clashed fiercely; Jiang Su unleashed his techniques—but his army was now pinned by greater numbers of elite generals, constantly split and fragmented. The military might supporting him crumbled, yet Li Guanyi grew fiercer with every strike.

His body somehow endured the power of this level.

The Immortal Life Unbroken Body from Zhang Ziyong, the Qing Robe Immortal, merged with the faint echo of the Yu Langwang's legend, amplified by hundreds of thousands of troops. One drained the body severely; the other rapidly restored vital energy.

Before Li Guanyi's own energy was fully depleted, he would not exit this state.

And the foundation of his Qi was none other than the Elixir of Immortality left behind by the sorcerers of the ancient Witchcraft Plague, yet even the Qi of the Elixir of Immortality was being consumed at a terrifying rate.

Boom!!!

Another strike—Li Guanyi's lips bled, but General Jiang Su could not break through his defense; Li Guanyi stood like an impregnable wall, blocking the tide of fate, his battle halberd unleashing power rivaling that of a sovereign.

His eyes, deep and heavy, fixed on Jiang Su; his voice, low and gravelly:

"I said it: today, you leave your invincible legend here."

Jiang Su, his hair white as frost, swung his Spear of Annihilation once more, striking directly against Li Guanyi.

The spectral form of the Crimson Dragon roared through the left flank of the army.

With each swing of the halberd, General Yue Qianfeng pierced clean through the left wing of the Ying army.

Meanwhile, the Eight Gates Golden Lock Array rotated, slicing apart the right wing.

The allied horde of the Western Regions Khans weaved between the rear and center, while legendary generals of this age rode the battlefield, all aiming to shatter General Jiang Su's formation swiftly.

Jiang Su's final spear thrust pierced through Li Guanyi's armor.

The Divine Spear of Annihilation tore through Li Guanyi's breastplate, emerging from his back; Li Guanyi's halberd came down—this General, though never wounded by Li Guanyi, could never pass him. Jiang Su finally lost his calm composure, eyes blazing with fury.

Li Guanyi reached out, gripping the spear embedded in his body, his gaze icy as he stared at the General before him. This time, banners behind him stood like a forest; this time, the tide of fate surged, the entire world laid bare before him.

The military tide of the Art of War cannot be reversed by a lone warrior.

At this moment, the General, too, is but a frail, aging man!

Li Guanyi raised his halberd, pointing it at the General—this time:

"You have not lost. The legend of the invincible has not fallen."

"But the Grand Tutor of Ying has lost."

"Utterly."

The army closed in, cutting and dividing. Jiang Su stared at the young man before him, his murderous intent surging—but Li Guanyi, now wrapped in the momentum of a fallen kingdom, the Son of Heaven's aura, and the strength of countless troops—

In the end, he simply could not kill him.

"Damn it! Damn it!"

"One day, each of us leading a million troops—we shall settle this in final battle!"

The Grand Tutor of Ying suddenly roared, driving his battle spear deep into Li Guanyi's body, then yanking it free—blood stained Li Guanyi's armor. Jiang Su locked eyes with Li Guanyi, choosing the path of the martial legend—

Jiang Su turned.

Explosive power, the peak of a martial legend, erupted from his body—he charged forward, his Divine Spear shattering every enemy in his path. As the Whale Fisher had said, even against Jiang Su's entire army, he had the confidence to extract Li Guanyi unharmed.

Jiang Su's individual Wu Gong was sufficient to break free from the battlefield.

But this was an extreme disgrace.

For three hundred years, his name had been invincible and undefeated—now, a young officer in the encircled army cried out: "Has the Grand Tutor abandoned us?!"

Jiang Su's steps paused.

Two hundred years ago, he would have charged back without hesitation to die with his comrades. One hundred years ago, he would have chosen to break out with them. But here, now, stood the General facing the surging tide of the world.

He spoke coldly: "The Great Ying Kingdom will remember you all."

Then his divine weapon slashed left and right, carving a bloody path through the enemy ranks. Though the army was vast, none could stand before him. After General Jiang Su departed, the Ying army lost all will to fight and was swiftly subdued.

The great battle was over—the Western Regions campaign was finished.

The battlefield fell silent.

Only the sound of labored breathing, the creak of horses shifting their weight, and the wind's mournful hum against the weapons remained. Even a hero like General Yue Qianfeng felt disbelief, a dazed numbness.

General Jiang Su had shattered all before him.

For three hundred years, none had matched him. Even Tai Ping Gong and Yu Langwang, joining forces, could only force him to abandon his swift conquest of Chen's capital by overwhelming force—and even then, he withdrew.

At that time, Jiang Su's retreat had been calm, unhurried, like a forest in stillness.

How could it come to this—this ruin?

Someone whispered: "Did we… win?"

"Defeated Jiang Su? The General who led the army?"

The sensation of shattering a legend carried an overwhelming unreality, laced with a faint daze.

Those who stand against a legend often become the next legend.

Even with logistics, the Western Regions had committed nearly ten times the force—yet this was General Jiang Su, the invincible force of the past three centuries. When Tai Ping Gong and Yu Langwang Chen Fubì had joined forces with their armies to drive Jiang Su back, they had earned their fame across the land.

Yet what had just occurred was an undeniable defeat.

All eyes turned to one direction: the Fire Qilin paced, emitting a low roar. Clad in black armor and crimson civil-military robes embroidered with Qilin cloud patterns, his dark hair pinned with a jade hairpin, the battle array surrounding Li Guanyi dissolved.

Cracks, faint but numerous, appeared across his body. Even the Elixir of Immortality's body could no longer hold—this was the cost of confronting a martial legend at his peak with every weapon he possessed.

Li Guanyi felt that if he closed his eyes, he would collapse instantly.

The edges of his vision were dimming, slowly yet inevitably, sinking into darkness.

His grip on the divine weapon had nearly vanished.

Yet he stared at the battlefield before him.

Li Guanyi clenched the divine weapon, then, with his last will, his last strength, raised it high—the Tiger Roars Heaven Halberd, its blade sharp and cold, pointed at the sky, where clouds rolled vast and boundless, unfolding in layers.

A moment of deathly silence.

Then—roars of triumph erupted into the heavens.

"Da Feng!" "Tian Kehan!"

"Invincible!"

"Ten Thousand Victories!"

A new legend, forged on the most indisputable of victories, stepped onto the annals of history.

The supreme general of the realm, Jiang Su, raised an army of two hundred thousand to campaign against the Western Regions, shattered the Khans, defeated Yu Langwang's forces, severed Xiao Wuliang's arm—his blade was sharp, all before him shattered; days later, he marched to battle Qin Wu Hou beyond the pass.

Fought for one day.

The army was utterly defeated, barely escaping with their lives.

Along the way, they gathered over ten thousand remaining soldiers and returned to Ying.

———— *The Chronicle of the Heavenly Kehan* · Sa Atandi

In the historical records of the Ying state, this battle was described in meticulous detail; the Shi Guan, furious and indignant, recorded every cause—within the court, beyond it, across the nation—writing vast, sprawling essays.

Yet on Li Guanyi's side,

such a monumental victory was reduced in history to but a single sentence.

Yet it was enough to turn the tide of an era.

In Anxi City,

Yuwen Hua, Yuwen Tianxian, Li Zhaowen, Qin Yulong, and other Ying state generals were all here, unable to lead troops out. At this moment, even Li Zhaowen, who had been close friends with Li Guanyi since youth, felt deeply awkward within Anxi City.

They were generals of the Ying state, yet also guest generals of Anxi City.

Now, Li Guanyi charged across the battlefield, his opponent being the Grand Tutor of Ying, Jiang Su.

No matter which side they supported, they could not act fully; they even felt that no matter whom they aided, they could never earn the full trust of the army. Li Guanyi himself was open and unshakable, but his subordinates and soldiers could not match his composure.

"The winds of the world rise everywhere, yet I remain so idle."

"In this chaotic age, such peace is not something anyone can enjoy."

Qin Yulong wore no battle robe, only loose garments, his hair tied with a blue cord, slowly playing chess. Opposite him, seated cross-legged, was the Breaker General Mr., who smiled and said:

"If you wish, General, you may enjoy this peace forever."

Qin Yulong laughed heartily: "Ha! What nonsense, Mr."

"My wife and children still reside in the capital of Great Ying. The Crown Prince himself once made a pact with Qin Wu Hou: once the world stabilized and matters settled, we would be allowed to return home. He cannot renege on that promise."

The Breaker General chuckled: "Of course. But tell me—when will it be considered 'all settled'?"

"Your very presence here hinges on the Crown Prince's throne."

"As long as he does not ascend, nothing is truly over."

The Breaker General had pierced Qin Yulong's secret thoughts. Qin Yulong smiled, saying only: "Mr. Breaker General, you are far too perceptive."

The Breaker General played chess calmly.

Yet he had not anticipated that Jiang Yuan, too, had undergone a transformation. He had assumed Jiang Yuan might merely trouble Jiang Gao—but he never imagined the situation would shift so drastically.

Qin Yulong said: "Still, this battle is Qin Wu Hou facing our Grand Tutor, the Divine General Jiang Su. Even if Qin Wu Hou's Wu Gong and momentum are formidable, he cannot stand against our nation's pillar."

"Of course, with Qin Wu Hou's methods, surviving this battle will not be difficult."

"But the Divine General will leverage his victory over Qin Wu Hou to gain momentum, then retreat in order, rally his forces, and rush to meet the nation's crisis—intercepting the Wolf Wang Chen Fubi. The great change across the world will ultimately be halted."

"At that time, the state will need capable generals, and with shifts among the nations, perhaps Qin Wu Hou will find a chance to rest and recover. Then we may return to our homeland, and you and I need not stand so opposed."

The Breaker General said: "The tide of the world remains uncertain."

This statement held half truth, half stubbornness.

The legend of the Divine General Jiang Su was too mighty, too gloriously etched in history. To him, Li Guanyi was far too young—in achievements, in Wu Gong, in army strength—all were inferior.

With the conversation exhausted, the game grew dull. They stopped playing, merely staring at the sky. The Breaker General was powerless before the frontlines; his talents lay not in battlefield formations.

What is my lord doing now…

Facing Jiang Su, is there still room to turn? Even if he fails, it is no great loss.

Return safely, and with all of southern Jiang in full strength, there is still a chance to rise again. Do not emulate the folly of the overlord from eight hundred years ago.

At that moment, Master Yan Daiqing's voice rang out: "Breaker General! Breaker General!!!" The Breaker General's spirit tensed instantly—he knew that only battlefield reports could make Master Yan Daiqing's voice tremble.

Holding his tea, he leapt up in an instant; the tea sloshed violently in the cup, nearly spilling. He instinctively reached to steady it—then utterly ignored it, clenched his fist beneath his sleeve, his hand trembling slightly, and strode forward, flinging open the door.

Master Yan Daiqing was already there—but so was Wen He, the foremost strategist, his face flushed red, no longer his usual calm demeanor. The Breaker General's heart lurched—a terrible premonition surged within him.

"What's happened?!"

"Battle report from the front!"

They shouted in unison. Master Yan Daiqing exhaled sharply, withdrew from his sleeve the battle report—accessible only to core members of the Tiance Prefecture—his slender fingers trembling as he bowed: "Nearly annihilated."

The Breaker General's face tightened.

"Has my lord been harmed?!"

Master Yan Daiqing said: "... He won. He won! The enemy was nearly annihilated."

"What?!"

The Breaker General's mind froze. Then he saw the report—his vision blurred as he read the words: clashed with the Divine General Jiang Su, fierce battle, Jiang Su fell into the trap, barely escaped with his life, regrouped the shattered troops, and withdrew. His soul returned.

He staggered, nearly collapsing to the ground.

"Won… won…"

The Breaker General burst into wild laughter, bending forward and backward, utterly exhilarated. Finally, he threw himself back, arms spread wide, chest heaving, whispering: "Good… good…"

"The tide of the world has now opened!"

"My lord—his destiny is forged!"

"Ha, hahaha…"

Suddenly, he rolled up and kicked open the door, shouting:

"Qin Yulong! Qin Yulong!"

"Stop sleeping—aren't you awake?!"

"Hahahaha! Your Divine General is defeated! Hahaha! My lord!"

"Do you have a lord like this?!"

"Have you ever seen a lord like mine? No, you haven't—hah!"

The Breaker General—refreshed, invigorated!

Yan Daiqing and Wen He exchanged a glance, their taut spirits finally beginning to relax.

On the front lines, barely as the battle ended, Li Guanyi, barely holding on, sat atop the Fire Qilin to steady the troops, then returned to camp—before he could speak, he tumbled off the Fire Qilin and sank into utter unconsciousness.

His entire body was drenched in blood, horrifying to behold.

The Whale Fisher personally treated his wounds, his face taut:

"Every part of his body has developed cracks at different levels—this is only because of Zhang Ziyong's martial foundation; otherwise, standing directly at the front, under the combined momentum of hundreds of thousands of troops, fighting Jiang Su one-on-one, he would have been beaten to death on the spot."

"Even so, he's already showing signs of death."

"This kid… sigh, enough, enough!"

"If anything happens to you, my daughter will surely weep herself to death."

"I don't want her to understand sorrow as her first emotion…"

The Whale Fisher hesitated, muttered curses, then pulled from his waist the Fire Essence Fish he had fished from the Five Lotus Volcanoes—a gathering of primal fire qi, one of the methods to break through the Sixth Heaven and reach the Master realm.

He clenched his five fingers, compressing the primordial energy, plucked out one fish, pried open Li Guanyi's mouth, and shoved it inside.

"You're lucky, kid."

"There really is something here that can refill your primordial energy—but for every bit you gain, nine-tenths leaks away; only that tiny remainder can be used to repair your injuries."

"No destruction, no renewal."

"How much benefit you reap from fighting the Divine General depends on you, kid!"

The silver-haired Whale Fisher looked at Li Guanyi, who had collapsed from exhaustion, still gripping his weapon tightly even in unconsciousness, and his expression finally softened: "Regardless, you've done your utmost—now the tide of the world no longer concerns you."

"You did well, kid."

"No—it was excellent. Exceptionally excellent!"

He spoke only now, as Li Guanyi slept:

"Only with you can I rest easy, entrusting my daughter to you."

"Sleep deeply now. When you wake, see this world!"

………………

The legendary invincibility of the Divine General Jiang Su, upheld for three hundred years, was utterly shattered in the Western Regions; all his plans failed. He gathered only about ten thousand remnants and fled straight toward the heart of Ying State. Lu Youxian withdrew, refusing to engage Jiang Su directly, and Jiang Su had no interest in lingering outside.

With only ten thousand routed troops, he crossed Xiyicheng—but soon, most of these soldiers could no longer follow him, so Jiang Su, relying solely on his legendary martial prowess, raced swiftly to the front to intercept Chen Fubì.

Yet the grand tide of the world had already been forged.

Under the time Li Guanyi bought, the Wolf Wang Chen Fubì led his army forward. Though suffering losses, he retained only over ten thousand elite troops—but they had already pierced through layer after layer of defenses and now stood before the capital of Ying State.

The Second Imperial Prince Jiang Yuan fought to the death and was gravely wounded, falling unconscious.

He Ruo Qinhu donned his armor once more—and nearly died in battle.

Meanwhile, across Ying State, nearby cities and towns all dispatched troops to reinforce the capital. When these armies arrived, they would meet the same fate as Jiang Su's forces in the Western Regions—but unlike Jiang Su, Chen Fubì had been granted far more time by Li Guanyi's efforts.

Before those troops arrived, he still had the might to fight one final battle.

He raised his blade, gazing ahead.

Upon the city walls stood an elderly man with white hair, clad in golden battle armor, radiating majestic aura.

Jiang Wanxiang himself had taken the field to defend the city.

This frail, aged man was forced to step onto the most perilous and brutal battlefield—even a great victory would drain his fortune; at his age, even illness shortened his life, let alone such a battlefield.

Thus, Chen Fubì's strategic objectives were fully achieved.

From the perspective of military grand strategy, when the Wolf King stood upon the heartland of the Central Plains, he was already 【Invincible】; what followed was merely his final act of unrestrained freedom.

In the winds of the Central Plains, the Wolf King gripped his blade, mounted his warhorse, and gazed at the Emperor, laughing loudly: "Emperor of Ying, long time no see—can you still don armor and ride into battle?!"

Emperor Jiang Wanxiang replied: "The might of the Divine Martial King remains as ever."

The Wolf King roared with laughter: "You certainly know how to speak."

"But to me, you look like a candle flickering in the wind—ancient, near its end."

Both armies fell silent, in this chaotic age.

King has met King.

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