Chapter 417

Chen Tianyi watched the young man walking toward him, his spirit taut with tension, filled only with regret and anguish—had he not, over the past hundred years, suppressed his aura to its absolute limit, yet still been detected?!

Qin Wu Hou?!

When did he arrive?!!

Li Guanyi lowered his gaze.

He had arrived long ago; this Chen royal family expert was certainly not a battlefield general, at least not one among the top ten—if he were, he would know how razor-sharp top generals are within an army.

Li Guanyi had been following behind all along.

But regarding Chen Wenmian's matter, Li Guanyi could not intervene directly; otherwise, given Chen Wenmian's temperament, future interactions would carry resentment, so Li Guanyi merely waited outside, refraining from eavesdropping.

And the old man's furious haste upon leaving made Li Guanyi understand Chen Wenmian's choice; relieved, he grew curious about the old man's purpose here, so he decided to play along, observing from outside—and discovered someone had begun to suspect General Pojun's scheme.

But it doesn't matter.

General Pojun's scheme targets human nature.

Not those inherently suspicious and sharp-witted individuals.

Chen Tianyi's mind raced for strategies; before him stood merely an eighth-layer cultivator, grievously wounded, yet he felt an inexplicable pressure pressing upon him—pressure as if the entire heavens and earth were crushing him.

He had once observed Li Guanyi from afar.

Back then, Li Guanyi had not yet fought Jiang Su; his eighth-layer foundation, slaying enemy generals within ten thousand formations, sealing Mount Juxu—he was indeed a famed general, his exploits etched in history—but even then, Li Guanyi had not possessed this aura.

This man has grown further within the battlefield.

Chen Tianyi refused to accept this thought.

Yet as the young general paced, Chen Tianyi glimpsed another figure—equally composed on the battlefield, equally radiating the sense of commanding the entire warzone, calm and dignified.

The War God!

This was Jiang Su's aura during his War God era!

What Master Tai had lost, now slowly nurtured itself within his opponent.

A new War God? An invincible legend?

Chen Tianyi felt cold sweat bead on his forehead; under this pressure, thoughts surged uncontrollably—his old-generation resentment, and panic at how swiftly events had outpaced his judgment.

"How could Li Guanyi have acquired Jiang Su's War God aura?"

Just a few years ago, he was only a second-layer Jinwu Guard.

Back then, when Li Guanyi browsed Wu Gong texts in the library, Chen Tianyi and his elder brother looked down upon the youthful Li Guanyi with indifference, dismissing him as a mediocre fool who had wasted his cultivation time.

Even when they learned the truth behind Tai Ping Gong's death, they did nothing to stop it; even during Li Guanyi's escape years ago, they offered no aid to Chen Dingye.

This was partly because Chen Qingyan had drawn her sword to block the path.

But the old man's self-righteous detachment and condescension were also reasons.

Yet only a few years have passed, and now their positions are reversed.

Chen Tianyi secretly gathered strength, then smiled: "Several years ago, Your Lordship was merely a fourteen-year-old boy; when you first came to the library, you couldn't even reach the upper floors, only browsing the first level—time truly is merciless."

"In the blink of an eye, Your Lordship has become a formidable figure."

"While this old man grows ever more aged."

Chen Tianyi spoke of past events, hoping to buy time.

Li Guanyi extended his hand; golden light coalesced in empty air.

A divine weapon with a dark-gold hilt and heavy, dense texture appeared in his grasp; with a casual spin, the weapon—now restored to its normal weight—rotated effortlessly, its tip resting on the ground: "More words are pointless."

Qin Wu Hou lifted the heavy divine weapon with one hand, pointing it at Chen Tianyi:

"Since you've come, you might as well rest a while longer."

"Shall I personally invite you?"

Chen Tianyi's expression hardened, then suddenly burst into loud laughter, lunging forward—yet his body dissolved into afterimages, retreating swiftly as he laughed: "The world is in great upheaval; my old bones still have use in this nation—no need to trouble Your Lordship."

"I shall remember today's events."

"When we meet again, I shall repay you!"

"Farewell!"

His movement was ethereal, clearly reaching the pinnacle of martial arts—such ninth-layer skill, nurtured by the depth of Chen, a great Central Plains nation, could not be compared to ordinary cultivators.

Even thicker in foundation than the Supreme Elder of the Yin-Yang Wheel Transformation Sect that Li Guanyi had encountered years ago.

He bore the responsibility of delivering the truth behind Li Guanyi's battlefield schemes back to the state—national survival, border wars, life-or-death crises—all surged simultaneously within his mind, piling layer upon layer.

Under this pressure, Chen Tianyi displayed ability beyond his limits.

His movement became utterly ethereal, invisible to the naked eye.

Even his soul could not track it.

In that instant, Chen Tianyi grasped a faint trace of the supreme realm of martial movement—he felt the wind rushing toward him no longer as an obstacle, but as a force embracing him, making his movement even more composed, more refined.

At this most perilous moment, he seized the sliver of opportunity for breakthrough!

Hahaha! Between life and death lies great terror—so this is how battlefield breakthrough feels!

Sixty years of arduous cultivation, and today I've found the key to shatter the barrier! From now on, retraining my skills will surely carry me to a higher realm—even if I cannot reach the legendary heights of martial arts, I shall attain the level of a Scholar Palace Master.

Thrilling! Thrilling!

Chen Tianyi felt immense joy within his chest—sixty years of dust swept away in a single moment!

The vast heavens and earth now belonged to—

A battle halberd.

Chen Tianyi's expression froze; before him, Li Guanyi stood calmly, eyes holding a trace of indifference, as if the entire heavens and earth were collapsing and contracting toward this young divine general.

Li Guanyi raised his battle halberd and brought it down calmly.

The technique was plain, unadorned.

Chen Tianyi's transcendent movement, as if seeking death, rushed forward perfectly—placing himself directly beneath the Tiger Roars Heaven halberd.

Boom!!!

Chen Tianyi was struck straight to the ground.

The heavy battle halberd nearly shattered his sinews and bones; in the following strikes, each one more brutal than the last, this elder of the Chen royal house could barely resist—his Wu Gong foundation and internal cultivation level were unquestionably higher than Li Guanyi's.

But his lifespan had stretched too long; his physique and vital energy had decayed, and he had never reached the legendary realm.

Fighting Li Guanyi felt like facing a young tyrannosaur.

Chen Tianyi unleashed many arcane Wu Gong techniques, yet they were shattered by the warrior's plain, unadorned battle halberd; in desperation, he stirred his divine aura and unleashed his Law Form—ripples surfaced in the void, and the winged tiger Qiongqi appeared.

It raised its head and roared.

But before that sound had faded,

it was cleaved down by a Tiger Roar to Heaven Halberd strike, delivered with gathering, ferocious momentum.

Precisely at the moment the Qiongqi Law Form was about to fully manifest, this vertical slash was exquisitely timed—it didn't just shatter the Qiongqi Law Form, but as the ripples of the Law Form scattered and Chen Tianyi staggered backward, Li Guanyi stepped forward.

The Fire Qilin-patterned battle robe flared, smashing through the tiger; behind the shattered Qiongqi tiger's body stood the peerless warrior of the age, his hair flying, nearly crashing into Chen Tianyi's line of sight, filling his entire vision.

In a daze, time itself seemed to slow; Chen Tianyi could not help but stare, transfixed by this vision.

He suddenly understood—his voice cracked: "A Wu Dao legend?!!"

An eighteen-year-old Wu Dao legend?!

The new military god of the School of War?!

But Li Guanyi did not answer him—he gripped the Tiger Roar to Heaven Halberd with both hands, burst forward in speed, the momentum of the halberd unslowed, striking Chen Tianyi's shoulder with terrifying velocity and force, unleashing an overwhelming surge.

Chen Tianyi grunted, collapsing to one knee.

Li Guanyi held the halberd in his right hand, raised his left, and calmly pressed it against the halberd shaft, pressing downward with a calm, domineering posture; Chen Tianyi saw behind the divine general the Bai Hu and Red Dragon watching him calmly, the pressure growing ever heavier.

"In my camp, you think you can come and go as you please?"

"How bold."

This old man, who had walked the world so long his sense of time had blurred, finally realized now that the one he faced was no longer the boyish Gold Guard who could not even ascend the second level of Chen's library.

But a contemporary warlord, a top-tier divine general.

Crack—

Chen Tianyi strained to resist Li Guanyi's pressure, but his knees could not hold—shattered.

He crashed heavily to his knees.

His entire cultivation was smashed apart; Li Guanyi's Tiger Roar to Heaven Halberd sliced vertically into his shoulder, blood gushing out—Li Guanyi stepped back, the halberd's blade nearly scraping across Chen Tianyi's shoulder.

Chen Tianyi's vision went black; he nearly fainted outright.

Li Guanyi spun his weapon—the halberd's butt end became a spearhead, striking hard against Chen Tianyi's dantian; Chen Tianyi was flung backward by a torrent of force, collapsing into unconsciousness, his last thought before darkness:

I'm done…

Li Guanyi raised his halberd, exhaled a deep breath, and the slowed world around him returned to normal—this old man moved fast; if not for the aura of a Wu Dao legend, would I have needed to deploy a battle formation to capture him?

Ninefold Heaven, plus sixty years of seclusion in the Scripture Tower.

Truly extraordinary.

Almost let him slip away.

Li Guanyi looked at the old man, white-haired and unconscious, swung his halberd, and used its butt end to pierce Chen Tianyi's dantian—a gale erupted, stripping away over a century of the old man's cultivation.

Li Guanyi carried Chen Tianyi back to camp by one hand and handed him over to Po Jun.

Sometimes, this old man of the Chen royal house was more valuable alive than dead.

When Po Jun was roused from his tent, he had not yet slept.

He accepted gladly.

When Li Guanyi returned to camp, he found Chen Wenmian in white robes waiting outside—the moment he entered the encampment, Chen Wenmian knelt halfway and told Li Guanyi of Chen Tianyi's secret visit, demanding he immediately detain the old man.

Li Guanyi helped Chen Wenmian to his feet and said:

"No need for this."

He paused, then said: "Wenmian, come with me."

Chen Wenmian frowned in confusion.

He followed Li Guanyi to Po Jun's location, where he saw Chen Tianyi—his cultivation stripped, his face aged instantly—and Po Jun looked irritated; Chen Tianyi sneered:

"Young man, these tricks won't make me talk."

Then he saw Chen Wenmian—his heart jolted, and he burst into tears:

"Crown Prince, I am powerless—I failed to kill the mastermind."

"I failed to kill Li Guanyi, this traitorous minister—Crown Prince, I'll hold them off, you run!"

Chen Wenmian's expression turned stern, ready to explain.

Li Guanyi said: "The Fire Qilin went to find good fruit and hasn't returned yet—I went to look for him, and just happened to see this old man wandering in my camp, so I invited him here."

Chen Wenmian bit his lip, slowly raised his hand, gripping his sword, and said:

"Let me handle this myself."

Li Guanyi gripped his wrist: "No need."

He looked at Chen Tianyi: "You broke into my camp—by law, you deserve death. But since you share blood with him, and I owe Grandpa Chen Chengbi great debt for teaching me the Chen royal family's Wu Gong, I spare your life because you guard the Scripture Tower."

"And spare Wenmian from having to shed too much kin's blood."

Chen Wenmian's eyes flickered slightly; he bit his lip.

Li Guanyi said: "Death is forgiven, but punishment cannot be avoided."

"If you go unpunished, the troops won't be convinced."

"After all matters are settled, send him to Anxi City—for Mr. Chen Wenhao to deal with."

"???!"

Chen Wenmian opened his mouth, his expression complex, instinctively wanting to tell this uncle-grandfather—who had once taught him Wu Gong—that he should just kill himself; Po Jun also looked strangely uneasy.

Seeing his words had no effect, Chen Tianyi sneered:

"Master Wen He? Who is that?"

"You, my chief strategist, couldn't pry a word from me—what do I fear from some nameless nobody?!"

Po Jun smiled: "Indeed, a nameless nobody."

"Also known as Yan Daiqing of the Western Regions."

At this, Chen Tianyi's face turned ashen; he struggled, but to no avail.

Chen Tianyi, unwilling, was taken away by General Xiao Wuliang.

Li Guanyi needed Master Yan Daiqing to extract from Chen Tianyi details of the imperial palace layout in Jiangzhou, Chen State; he wrote a letter instructing Master Yan Daiqing not to harm his life.

The next day, Li Guanyi dispatched General Wang Shunchen, the Divine Archer, who shot a single arrow carrying Chen Tianyi's token and belongings into Zhenxi Xiongcheng; Lu Youxian learned of it, and the morale of the city's warlords grew even more unsettled.

Especially since they discovered that a Ninefold Heaven Grand Master had entered Li Guanyi's camp—and vanished without a trace—this struck the city's defenders harder than the previous night's drums and gongs that had surrounded and killed Chen Tianyi.

There was an unfathomable depth to it.

Li Guanyi also ordered his soldiers to stand every fifteen paces and shout aloud to the city's people: "General Lu Youxian, we have kept your Ninefold Heaven Grand Uncle!"

"If you're willing, send over Chen Dingye as well."

"We'll send you some valuable women's clothing in return!"

The voices rolled out; Lu Youxian's expression remained calm.

He further tightened the city's defenses.

The people were terrified; among the officials, complaints grew louder.

Meanwhile, in Ying State, Crown Prince Jiang Gao was confined alone in the Donggong.

Beside him was his cousin, Jiang Cai, a strategist from the School of Vertical and Horizontal Alliances, a figure equal to the Nine Scholars of the Imperial Academy, and the very "big sister" who had once outdebated Po Jun—and been beaten to tears by him with a long staff.

When she entered the Donggong, she saw Jiang Gao quietly reading; yet where once there had been a gentle gentleman, now there lingered a faint air of decay and numbness beneath his calm.

Jiang Cai glanced at the scrolls on the floor, picked them up, and placed them on the desk:

"You've spent another night reading—this isn't sustainable."

Jiang Gao sighed: "Big sister, if I don't hide in these scrolls, what else can I do? My younger brother, at the critical moment, returned with troops and fought until gravely wounded—his decisiveness surpasses mine."

Jiang Cai said: "With His Majesty's wisdom, he must have prepared two courses of action."

"If His Majesty secures the realm, you remain Crown Prince."

"Jiang Yuan has decisiveness and the ferocity to survive in chaos, but he is too extreme—he cannot be a ruler who preserves peace; you, though benevolent, are weak—you can let the people rest, but you cannot press forward."

Jiang Gao smiled bitterly: "Big sister, don't stab me like this."

"Still… you're right…"

Jiang Cai suddenly said: "Li Guanyi has raised his army against Zhenxi Xiongcheng."

Jiang Gao fell silent for a long while, then said: "In the past, he merely reacted to the tides of the world—but now, he has stirred up such a storm on his own… Father…"

Jiang Cai said coolly: "His Majesty and Chen State have secretly allied; both seek to block Li Guanyi. If Li Guanyi succeeds, it will be bad for both Ying State and Chen State."

"In this age of struggle for the realm, there are no eternal friends or enemies."

"Only alignment—or opposition—driven by the great tide."

The plain-faced woman whispered: "Facing Qin Wu Hou, Chen State and Ying State can no longer treat him lightly. The future he rises toward could make Chen Dingye set aside his brother's blood feud and ally with us."

"I cannot tell whether Chen Dingye—who can suppress his blood feud and come to ally with us—is more terrifying."

"Or Qin Wu Hou, a tiger crouched across the realm, about to swallow ten thousand li."

Jiang Gao smiled: "Chen Dingye is more terrifying."

"If Brother Li gains the realm, he won't oppress the people; Chen Dingye will—he grows too complacent, and his youthful blunders will resurface."

"By the way, with the situation now stabilized, have Generals Yuwen Tianxian, Qin Yulong, and Yuwen Hua returned?"

Jiang Cai heard the evasion in Jiang Gao's tone: "Qin Wu Hou did not punish them."

"He allowed them to return."

Jiang Gao said: "Brother Li truly has not betrayed me."

Jiang Cai drew a deep breath, pressed her hand on the table, and leaned close, her eyes piercing Jiang Gao:

"Jiang Gao, Qin Wu Hou's momentum is overwhelming; though only Eighth Heaven, he is so young that no one in this world doubts he will become a legend of Wu Gong."

"If His Majesty can ally with Chen State to lock down this dragon's ascent, confine him to the Western Regions, and sever his path toward swallowing the Central Plains, then our only enemy will be the decaying Chen Dingye—and we can balance each other."

"Then Ying State will face decades of recuperation."

"And one day, the throne of Ying State will still be yours."

"But if Ying State and Chen State together cannot stop Qin Wu Hou's rise, then your position as Crown Prince will truly be stripped from you!"

Jiang Cai laid out the stakes plainly.

Jiang Gao said: "I understand."

Jiang Cai said: "Then what do you wish for?"

Jiang Gao raised his head, looked at his cousin, and answered gently:

"…Ying State merely chooses not to fight Chen State—it is Brother Li's struggle with Chen State. As a friend, I hope Brother Li soars freely and fulfills his wish."

"………………"

Jiang Cai's face showed profound disappointment; she hurled the scroll onto Jiang Gao's desk. In this moment, her anger was no longer that of a strategist—it was the fury of a sister. She suddenly raised her hand and struck Jiang Gao across the face, enraged by his passivity, grieving his misfortune:

"The realm is vast, yet you remain unchanged."

"How can you envision the future realm?"

"Without the position of Crown Prince, without His Majesty's protection, even your life will be in others' hands—not just yours, but all your courtiers in the Donggong will suffer with you."

"You must change."

"Gentle as jade, one cannot rule in chaotic times; a gentleman's nature is wrong for a monarch."

Jiang Gao sat quietly; Jiang Cai turned and strode out, deeply disappointed. Watching Jiang Cai depart, Jiang Gao calmly gathered the Juan Sect records, then touched the palm print on his cheek and whispered:

"Only this way can you leave me behind and keep your lives."

"Only this way can our Great Ying state avoid internal chaos and ruin."

As Jiang Cai stepped out, she met Yuwen Lie and told him what had happened: "General Yuwen, the Crown Prince is still like this—what do we do...?"

Yuwen Lie's eyes, long and sharp as blades, said:

"The course of the Western Frontier war will soon become clear. If Li Guanyi takes Zhenxi Xiongcheng, change will come within a month. If he fails to take it in a month, once Chen's forces are fully mobilized, it will be impossible to take it."

"Time won't be long."

"I'll wait until the storm of the Western Frontier war settles, then I'll see the Crown Prince again."

"If he fails, there's no need for you or me to worry. If he truly takes it, and the Crown Prince is deposed..."

Jiang Cai asked: "What will you do?"

Yuwen Lie, facing away from Jiang Cai, gripped the sword at his waist and said coldly and plainly:

"The strong set the rules; the weak obey them. It has always been this way."

"In chaotic times, a monarch's rise is not merely one path within the rules."

Jiang Cai seemed to realize something; her expression subtly changed.

"!!!"

Yuwen Lie turned his head, his gaze calm: "I am loyal to Your Majesty."

Only to Your Majesty.

The hidden meaning in these words made Jiang Cai feel a faint, chilling killing intent.

………

Beyond the Western Frontier's mighty pass, Chen Tianyi, the Ninth Heaven's emissary, vanished without a sound; the atmosphere of Zhenxi Xiongcheng grew ever more tense. Outside, the aura of a million hostile troops filled the air, terrifying all; the city's civilians could no longer rest.

At this stage, Po Jun rotated its troops, sending mobile units forward to challenge the defenders, forcing the city's garrison to remain constantly on edge, unable to rest. As Chen's reinforcements neared, the city's defenders were at their most exhausted and fearful.

Among the officials, resentment toward Lu Youxian ran deep:

"Reinforcements haven't arrived. We still have only tens of thousands of armored soldiers left. Outside, a full million enemy troops—top generals of the realm. How can we fight? We simply cannot!"

"Holding firm against this wave brings only a few pieces of gold and silver, yet we'll almost certainly lose the city. Lu Youxian is a famed general—he can surrender and still become a great general elsewhere."

"But we'll almost certainly die beneath a million enemy troops."

"Even if we survive by sheer luck, we'll be prisoners. Even if Qin Wu Hou doesn't pursue us, we'll be stripped of our ranks, left with no support."

"Yes... but even if we hold the city..."

"Lu Youxian is investigating the matter of Lan Wendu that day—what about us...?"

All fell silent. The things Master Wen Qingyu had given Lan Wendu, they too had received. Lan Wendu was already dead. Lu Youxian had always intended to purge them—only time had run short.

At this moment, every one of them felt profound regret.

That money from Master Wen Qingyu.

It was truly not worth taking!

Now, holding the city meant certain death; even if they held it, there would be no reward, yet possible purge. If they lost it, the best outcome was becoming a helpless commoner under Qin Wu Hou's domain—most likely, death in battle.

One official gritted his teeth and suddenly said: "Now, holding the city means death; abandoning it means death too."

"Why not surrender to Li Guanyi?!"

All fell silent.

Zhou Pinglu, over this period, had used the hidden agents left by Master Wen Qingyu to manipulate, suppress officials, stoke tension and fear—finally, in concert with Po Jun's mounting pressure and the shock of Chen Tianyi's capture, the situation erupted.

Zhou Pinglu drank wine and deliberately said: "But what can we do?"

"We're not Ye Buyi or Zhou Liu's camp—we have no old ties to Qin Wu Hou. Why should he trust us?"

As all fell quiet, someone whispered low:

"What if we open the gates and surrender the city?"

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