Chapter 564: Li Guanyi

Though said to be a million troops, the Qin Emperor arrived from afar with only fifty million combat soldiers; the rest were rear logistics forces, while Jiang Su had gathered eighty million elite troops, of which thirty million were dispatched, leaving only fifty million troops behind.

Both sides’ forces surged forward, their armies stretching endlessly like tidal waves.

They faced each other at the very heart of the world’s storm.

The sound of hooves, the neighing of warhorses, and the faint fluttering of banners merged into a single roar—like ocean waves—the tide of this age, as the Qin Emperor and the General Divine locked gazes.

Each bore the weight of destiny, yet neither moved immediately.

They advanced slowly, their qi subtly pulling at one another, almost taking tangible form, on the verge of explosion—yet both halted at the threshold where their qi’s edge was sharpest, yet had not yet broken.

Jiang Su stared at Li Guanyi, then spoke softly:

“I never expected the Qin Emperor would come so swiftly to deliver himself to death.”

Li Guanyi said: “In matters of the world, speed is paramount in warfare; if not so, how could one battle decide the fate of heaven and earth?!” He raised his battle halberd, and beneath the sunlight, the divine weapon Jiuli Bingzhu faintly shimmered with a dark golden glow, cold and deadly.

The divine weapon pointed directly at Jiang Su’s vital point, and Li Guanyi said:

“Words are useless.”

“The grudges and karmic debts of these years are due for settlement, Jiang Su.”

Jiang Su lifted his Void Annihilation Divine Spear, its tip also aimed forward: “As you say, grudges must be settled—but in truth, all grudges and karmic debts amount to nothing more than mutual slaughter. Come!”

A surge of fierce, valiant energy exploded as Jiang Su charged toward Li Guanyi; this time, the Grand Preceptor took the initiative, and the golden-armored divine warrior manifestation roared into being, swinging his divine weapon down in a crushing slash.

In an instant, the aura of martial legend manifested.

Jiang Su commanded the spirit of his troops, his dragon steed nearly transforming into a great azure dragon; this white-haired General Divine appeared as a deity riding the dragon, his might radiant, his divine power blazing as he slashed toward the Qin Emperor.

Li Guanyi spun his divine weapon and charged forward in response.

His mount roared, its martial legend aura surging skyward, igniting into flame; the armies stood locked in formation, not advancing in that moment, merely watching their two commanders clash—the collision of martial legend aura rang like thunder.

Void Annihilation Spear versus Jiuli Bingzhu—they traded blows, each displaying their might.

Fierce energy scattered, carving deep, grotesque scars across the earth; ripples and waves of void surged and crashed—within the range of their duel, even famed generals of the world could not remain unscathed.

A deafening, deadly roar!

Li Guanyi’s divine weapon clashed with Jiang Su’s; a dragon’s cry pierced the heavens, light flared and trembled along their blades, then exploded outward.

BOOM!!!

The earth beneath their clash erupted into jagged fissures.

The fissures spread outward, tearing the ground into terrifying gashes, then the earth collapsed into a massive crater; the generals advanced to look and saw the Qin Emperor and the General Divine’s weapons locked together.

They were locked in a struggle of strength.

The momentum of their armies bolstered them; now their power surpassed their former selves, faint light flaring, colliding, energy swirling like terrifying thunder.

Jiang Su’s pupils contracted sharply.

This boy…

He realized the power emanating from Li Guanyi’s weapon exceeded what he had felt during their prior standoff.

In these past three years, the Qin Emperor’s realm had undergone another transformation and ascent.

Had he been suppressing his true cultivation all along?!

Clever little brat.

Jiang Su assessed inwardly, raised his weapon in a sweeping arc; their powers erupted simultaneously, then they pulled apart, having already dismounted during their clash, now retreating to opposite sides, wary and alert.

Jiang Su felt his chest churn with turbulent blood, his expression tightening.

Li Guanyi’s bloodline, his physique.

It had grown even more formidable than when he first entered the realm of martial legend.

Even the reborn Overlord could not surpass this!

Li Guanyi’s blood surged, a faint flush rising on his face; he swiftly channeled his technique, gradually suppressing the violent upheaval of his qi. Both still stood before their opposing armies, wary and poised.

A stalemate.

Both were of the martial legend realm, both commanded armies whose martial essence could annihilate nations in peacetime, surging forth with absolute resolve not to retreat, and with unyielding visions for the future.

Both were supreme commanders of the military arts.

Top-tier legends.

To easily determine life, death, or superiority on the battlefield was inherently impossible—and both the Qin Emperor and Jiang Su now understood this.

The wind howled.

As before, the two divine generals stared at each other; the entire world seemed to expand—mountains, rivers, seas, lands—all transformed into a vast, crisscrossing chessboard, the momentum of the entire world crashing together.

Jiang Su and the Qin Emperor stood face-to-face in the summer of the fourth year of the Qin Emperor’s reign.

Clash—no resolution.

Each withdrew ten li, establishing camps and facing off; their martial aura soared to the heavens, layers of lethal energy stretching hundreds of li; even a thousand years later, those who told tales of fox spirits and ghosts claimed that anyone who entered this place vanished without a trace.

Any evil spirit daring to enter this ancient battlefield was instantly shattered, soul and spirit scattered.

The lethal aura of weapons—unprecedented.

………………

Beneath the banner of the Qilin Army, the Qin Emperor, clad in armor, strode into his camp; the terrain map slowly unfurled upon the table, with Li Guanyi, Pojun, Yaoguang, Yuan Zhi, and other strategists present; crimson lines spread across the map representing the world’s situation.

Li Guanyi pointed to a location and said gravely:

“Our armies face each other here; neither side possesses the strength to immediately devour the other. Tens of thousands of combat troops, plus logistics forces, stretch too widely across the battlefield.”

Pojun said: “Use the orthodox to meet, the unexpected to win.”

“This time, His Majesty is the [orthodox], confronting Jiang Su directly—but the scale of this battlefield is too vast; even you and Jiang Su are merely one corner of it.”

“This battlefield—”

Pojun’s eyes glowed faintly purple; his finger traced the entire vast terrain map, sweeping slowly: “Is the entire world.”

Li Guanyi pointed to Zhenbeixiongcheng:

“Marshal Yue’s army has broken through from Zhenbeixiongcheng into Ying Guo.”

“They’ve succeeded in tying down the enemy; we’ve held Jiang Su here—now, we wait to see how each side’s stratagems unfold across the entire battlefield.”

The Qin Emperor gazed at the vast terrain map, as if seeing the whole world; his eyes reflected a crimson line that, beneath candlelight, seemed to twist and stretch forward.

Stretching, stretching, stretching to the horizon’s end—broadening, becoming a vast, sweeping road.

BOOM!!!

Hooves thundered across this road, stamping tiny craters into the earth; soil rose with each powerful stride of the warhorses, falling like a light duststorm.

The massive dark-blue banner, embroidered with a dragon pattern, hung like a cloud-sea draped upon the ground.

Two large characters were inscribed upon it.

【YUWEN】!

Yuwen Lie, clad in black armor and a great black cloak, gripped his heavy spear; on either side stood Yuwen Tianxian, Yuwen Hua, and Yuwen Tianlei, leading twenty thousand troops; leveraging their cavalry’s high mobility, they had split from the main Ying army a hundred li back and circled wide.

They aimed to exploit the advantage of fighting within Ying Guo’s territory for rapid maneuver.

Then cut off the Qin Emperor’s logistics.

The Qin Emperor’s logistics were an absolute weakness.

Yuwen Lie’s gaze was cold and calm.

In past times, an army of over one hundred thousand would have been a major war, drawing the world’s attention—but now, it was merely a basic military maneuver.

In such a grand war, even an army of tens of thousands was but a local theater—and the outcome of such local battles could only be one link in the chain of the final victory, incapable of altering everything.

In this ultimate war—

Even a mighty general like him, a top-tier divine commander, was merely one part; the Yuwen army’s goal was clear: sever the Qin Emperor’s logistics, or at least disrupt them to some degree.

Military strategy is not merely about armies facing off.

“Hua, Tianxian—I know your ties to the Qilin Army.”

“But on the battlefield, there is no friendship.”

Yuwen Hua and Yuwen Tianxian exchanged complex expressions, yet both replied: “Yes.”

In this chaotic age, all were swept along, forced into positions they never wished for, compelled to turn their blades against one another.

Yuwen Lie’s expression was solemn; he had reached his designated position.

The air rippled; the Bai Hu’s roar pierced the heavens—he spotted the Qin logistics column—but just as he prepared to accelerate and cut it off, the Bai Hu manifestation beside him emitted an unnatural roar.

A killing intent gripped his chest.

Had the Bai Hu manifestation malfunctioned?

Yuwen Lie’s pupils contracted sharply—

No—it was the Bai Hu manifestation.

But… it was not his own!

His divine steed reacted instantly; white tiger divine light erupted from Yuwen Lie’s body, his heavy spear swept sideways—suddenly, a violent explosion erupted, followed by violent ripples.

Banners flapped violently.

Yuwen Lie’s gaze was sharp, yet showed no surprise; he slammed his palm forward, and the light of arrows scattered upon the ground, crumbling slowly into shimmering light that rose upward.

The Bai Hu’s roar carried deadly pressure.

Ahead, the supply convoy suddenly transformed; the grain carts emitted a deadly hum, and dozens of Mojia mechanical crossbows emerged; Grandmaster Gongsun Huai stood atop them, eyes blazing red, laughing wildly:

“You brats—Grandpa’s here!”

“Eat my Hundred-and-Eight Form Modified Poisoned Mechanical Crossbow—Reincarnation Reborn!”

“AHAHAHAHAHA!”

Master Pan Wanxiu of the Mo School could only desperately hold back this madman of mechanical warfare; even their own lethal aura had been shattered by this Gongsun family lunatic—when, from the dissipating smoke, a refined, carefree voice rang out:

“Deep mountains and towering peaks conceal a mighty wind—Star Lord incarnate.”

Dressed in a snow-white cloak with silver fur, his eyes glowed like piercing beams. Clawed hands and steel fangs, a mighty physique—his roar halted mountains. Through forest and wilds he raced; a hundred birds trembled at his might.

To be here, now, on this battlefield.

Still bothering to put on such a show.

Even if you scoured the entire Qilin Army, you’d find no second candidate.

Guan Shier, Pan Wanxiu, and Gongsun Huai Zhi twitched their foreheads.

Even Gongsun Huai Zhi, the madman of mechanical battle arrays, turned his head and stared fixedly at Guan Shier.

As if asking.

What the hell did you install on him?!

Why does his entrance require a poetic chant?

Fuck, how pretentious is he?!

From that refined voice emerged a black war halberd, piercing through swirling dust, then sweeping aside as the figure stepped forward with calm, unhurried strides—the Tiger Roars Heaven Halberd, the Shatter-Cloud Thunderbow, his battle robe billowing, armor grim and deadly, all accompanied by the steady rhythm of footsteps.

The verse’s spirit shifted abruptly, turning grim and icy.

“Recalling when I chased the dragon of the realm, unrivaled and free—my spirit could not be tamed.”

“Alone I stood in this world, unchallenged, guarding five hundred springs and autumns.”

“In silent annals, my form unchanged, my heart still vast and mighty.”

“Through a thousand ages, the world reveres my extraordinary soul.”

Yuwen Lie coldly stared at the divine general before him, wielding a divine weapon atop a strange beast. His gaze shifted to the ripple-spreading White Tiger manifestation behind the man—a qi aura, faintly touching the legends of martial cultivation from the Ninth Heaven, began to unfurl.

The Tiger Roars Heaven Halberd lifted, pointing forward.

Xue Shenjiang’s voice was calm, stripped of its usual jesting, merely murmuring: “Indeed, the White Tiger Sect excels in swift, sudden strikes. Had I been in your place, I’d have chosen the same. On any battlefield, the orthodox meets, the unexpected wins.”

“The White Tiger Sect belongs on the most critical point of the battlefield.”

“Too bad, you’re not the only White Tiger Sect here.”

“So it seems my decision to intercept here was correct.”

Yuwen Lie shook his heavy spear, refusing to yield an inch, and spoke slowly:

“In this age, only I.”

“The old generation should return to history—why come out now?”

Behind Yuwen Lie stood Yuwen Hua, Yuwen Tianxian, Yuwen Tianlei.

Behind Xue Shenjiang stood Fan Qing, Qibi Li, and Phoenix Li Zhao.

Xue Shenjiang could not sustain his full power on the battlefield—he must deploy another top-ten divine general to assist.

Fan Qing and Yuwen Hua locked eyes; both faces were solemn.

Yuwen Hua raised his hand and lightly tapped his chest, then grinned.

He performed the gesture once common among the three thousand of the Qilin Army. Fan Qing’s stern, resolute face showed a flicker of complex emotion, then he nodded and gripped his weapon tightly.

They still remembered each other.

But they also knew each other’s resolve.

The old comrades, bound by their ideals, their identities, their convictions, had finally walked onto different battlefields—but now that they stood here, there was nothing more to say.

Let us fight!

Even if we are old friends, we must raise our weapons, uphold our resolve and past, and ride to the end of our own paths.

Weapons raised.

The Tiger Roars Heaven Halberd and the Heavy Spear of Burning Fury pointed at each other.

The roar of the White Tiger shook heaven and earth; above, the seven stars of the White Tiger constellation blazed fiercely—even in daylight, they seemed to solidify, pouring down from the southwest heavens.

On the western front, Yuwen Lie’s army of two hundred thousand was blocked by Xue Shenjiang.

Their advance halted.

The campaign strategist Feng Xiao, a young man, his eyes bright, his sleeves carrying the scent of wine even as the wind blew—still drinking, even now, yet his gaze grew clearer, sharper.

He watched the banners crackling in the wind and exhaled.

He whispered within:

“The subtlety of warfare lies in anticipating where the enemy must strike—and blocking their momentum.”

“Lord, our role of diversion has been fulfilled.”

“We will fulfill our duty: holding back the Divine Might General Yuwen Lie until the main front decides victory.”

“As for the other directions…”

Feng Xiao’s eyes reflected the roaring White Tiger manifestations facing each other.

“We leave them to you.”

………………

Qin Yulong’s army surged forward; leading one hundred thousand troops, he thrust into the eastern flank, aiming to coordinate with Yuwen Lie’s advance, further restraining the Emperor of Qin’s forces, and aiding Jiang Su in delivering a fatal blow to the Jiangnan region.

But at that moment, a howl of the Crimson Wolf echoed.

Qin Yulong gritted his teeth. At the edge of his vision, crimson-gold light flared; the dragon’s roar rose, and then came Yue Qianfeng—the world’s foremost divine general, bold and heroic—charging onto the battlefield.

“Hahahaha, Qin Yulong! Come on!”

“I, Yue Qianfeng, have been waiting for you here on the orders of Master Po Jun!”

Yue Qianfeng held a war halberd in each hand, his eyes blazing like fire.

“Let’s fight eight hundred rounds again!”

To Yue Qianfeng’s left stood Chen Wenmian, newly entered the Eighth Heaven; to his right stood Xiao Wu Liang, another divine general eligible for the top ten. The campaign strategist was Zhou Pinglu. In an instant, Qin Yulong realized something was wrong.

“...So they’ve chosen me as the breakthrough point?”

Qin Yulong’s gaze lowered slightly; he gripped his divine weapon. Behind him stood other famed generals of the Qin state—but facing this formation, he felt outmatched. He didn’t know: had Jiang Su miscalculated?

Or had Jiang Su deliberately sacrificed his hundred-thousand-strong force to tie down the Emperor’s top general—exchanging a low-tier horse for a high-tier one? If it secured ultimate victory, Grand Tutor Jiang Su would not hesitate.

But for his country, Qin Yulong still resolved to fight.

Though facing mighty foes, his heroic spirit remained unshaken—he simply said:

“Come!”

Zhou Pinglu, the Qilin Army’s campaign strategist, exhaled.

True strategy knows no “weak defeating strong.” It merely means dispersing the enemy’s forces, always striking their weak points with superior strength, accumulating advantage until the final [weak defeats strong, few defeats many].

“Lord, our diversion and breakthrough mission has entered its next phase.”

“Yue Qianfeng’s force has reached its combat position.”

“The rest—we leave to you.”

Fighting raged on all sides; the entire world seemed to plunge into chaos in an instant.

Eight hundred years of the Red Emperor’s glory, three hundred years of chaotic grandeur—drained the heroic spirit of this world. This was the age of countless heroes, when heroes and valiant men shone in history, leaving behind legends.

Generals, strategists, heroes, the bold—all rode across the battlefield.

With this body, with this benevolence, with this martial might.

To manifest their great vows and convictions.

The heroic spirit of generals and strategists became like countless chess pieces, advancing across the tangled world. Hooves thundered like rolling thunder, dust rose to the heavens, forming a single chess piece.

The chess piece held in the monarch’s hand, slowly pushed forward.

Pressing the front lines and the situation forward.

The chess piece fell—sound crisp.

Po Jun’s expression was calm. He watched the Emperor of Qin, Li Guanyi, delicately placing chess pieces one by one onto the battlefield map, revealing the current front lines. Po Jun gazed at the battle, knowing he watched the fate of the entire world.

Even this proud strategist.

At this moment, his heart pounded wildly—but Po Jun crushed it down, his face outwardly serene.

He watched the Emperor of Qin, Li Guanyi, his expression solemn and deadly.

Po Jun spoke slowly: “Lord, the battle remains locked…”

“Marshal Yue’s southern advance met He Ruo’s Tiger-Catching Army; they fought for two days. He Ruo held firm. Yuwen Lie sought to strike our supply lines, but was intercepted by Xue Shenjiang—the two armies now face off in the west, both suffering losses.”

“Though Qin Yulong’s strength falls short of our General Yue Qianfeng, his forces are greater. Though showing signs of weakness, he cannot be broken within one or two days—his army cannot be scattered quickly.”

This battle’s scale, the number of participating armies and generals, was exceedingly rare in world history—unprecedented.

Excluding mythic wars like the ancient clash between Jiuli and the primordial sovereigns, this was the greatest battle the world had ever seen.

The front lines were too long, the soldiers too many, the generals too numerous. Each local battlefield was evenly matched; victory could not be decided in days—but neither could it last long.

Now, the situation had settled into a brief, fragile balance, for the core confrontation was between Li Guanyi and Jiang Su. As long as neither made a mistake, victory would hinge on the local battles.

The moment any one local front broke, the entire long line would tilt irreversibly. Po Jun watched the Emperor’s profile and realized he could no longer read his lord—he said:

“Lord.”

The Emperor of Qin lifted his gaze: “What is it?”

Po Jun whispered: “What are you waiting for?”

Everyone believed “the orthodox meets, the unexpected wins”—that the Emperor, the Divine Strategist, was the orthodox, while the other generals fought across the four directions, merely to balance and distract.

Then what was the true force, the weight on the scales, that would tip the outcome?

What?!

The Emperor of Qin said: “I am waiting.”

He gazed outside; the sun glowed in his eyes, reflected as a flame.

Jiang Su’s gaze was grim and sharp as he studied the battle map: “‘The orthodox meets, the unexpected wins’—but all these fronts, whether I, Yuwen Lie, He Ruo, or Qin Yulong—we are all merely the ‘orthodox,’ merely the anchors holding the enemy.”

"The turning point of victory lies in time."

"In heritage and logistics."

"I am waiting!"

General Jiang Su and Emperor Li Guanyi are both waiting.

Yet what they see is different: one sees the myriad forms of a hero, the other sees something else.

What one waits for is time—waiting for Emperor Li Guanyi’s heritage and logistics to be exhausted, unable to sustain the horrific consumption of this million-strong army, until the army collapses from within.

What the other waits for can only be answered by time itself.

Three days later, as the world’s situation grew increasingly deadlocked, a message arrived.

Emperor Li Guanyi suddenly burst into loud laughter, turned, and in his eyes blazed a fierce fire—a grandeur as overwhelming as a surging tide—that made even Pojun instinctively hold his breath. The military intelligence from the grassland auspice was simple.

But it was precisely what Emperor Li Guanyi had been waiting for.

"The final force capable of changing the chaotic age."

"The people’s hearts are shaken; the realm yearns for change."

"Dou De and Shan Xiong lead—"

"The [Rebel Army] unfurls its crimson Qilin cloud-pattern banner!"

"Charge onto the battlefield!!!"

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? It was hard to write, so it’s late—the outline is now clear; I’ll push forward quickly.