The Li family’s official martial art is named ‘Feibai’.

Feibai refers to the dry brushstrokes made when writing with an ink brush, where the ink is nearly exhausted from the tip, resembling light clouds obscuring the sun in their beauty.

At this moment, Li Xuan’s emaciated body surged with strength from an unknown source. Each of his sword strikes was so fast it left afterimages, identical to the dry brushstrokes of Feibai. In mere moments, he advanced over ten paces, cutting down enemies. Clad in black armor, he stood like a reef, staunchly resisting the torrent of the Tiance Army. Unwilling to clash head-on, the Tiance Army was forced to part around him.

Meanwhile, Chen Ji, with Zhang Xia following him, galloped and fought his way towards Zhang Zheng’s position. The Tiance soldier guarding Zhang Zheng saw Chen Ji’s horse spear thrusting towards him and immediately swung his saber at its wooden shaft, intending to sever it. No matter how tough the wood, it was still just a piece of timber.

But just as the soldier’s blade was about to strike the shaft, Chen Ji suddenly flicked both hands. The eighteen-foot horse spear vibrated into a spear flourish, not only dodging the blade but also, like a viper’s tongue, bypassing the broadsword to sever the soldier’s throat. Horse spears are heavy, and for an ordinary soldier, merely wielding one proficiently is difficult enough. Who would have expected such a weapon to be capable of a spear flourish?

The Tiance soldier bled profusely, dying with wide-open eyes. Chen Ji seized the opportunity, severing the ropes on Zhang Zheng and commanding, “Take his horse, and fall back behind me!” Zhang Zheng quickly pushed the dead Tiance soldier off the horse, mounted it himself, and retreated towards Chen Ji.

There was only one person left to rescue: Chen Wenzong. Chen Ji abruptly turned, his gaze, sharp as a blade, sweeping over the Tiance Army before locking onto the soldier holding Chen Wenzong. But before he could spur his horse to attack, that soldier, noticing Chen Ji’s gaze, actually threw Chen Wenzong to the ground. Xiaoman, quick-eyed and nimble-handed, darted over, picked up Chen Wenzong, and immediately moved away. Chen Ji, Zhang Xia, Zhang Zheng, Xiaoman, and Chen Wenzong were finally reunited.

“Go!” Chen Ji shouted. He ignored Chen Liqin and the others. No matter how Chen Wenxiao shouted, Chen Ji did not spare them a single glance. Chen Ji turned to look at Li Xuan’s back, seeing that he had fought his way deep into the chaotic army, now more than twenty paces away from Chen Ji, and still eighty paces from Yuan Zhen. Zhang Xia said from behind him, “He’ll likely be exhausted before he can reach Yuan Zhen. He’s at the end of his tether, just holding on by a thread.”

Chen Ji knew that if no one came to his aid, Li Xuan would surely die. How should he choose? Should he go to meet him and help him get out? Or should he fight his way in alongside him? He watched silently for two breaths, then finally turned his horse around, leading everyone to fight their way out, moving in the opposite direction from Li Xuan.

Outside the battle lines, Zhou You watched from afar and whispered, “I didn’t think Li Xuan was so formidable before. I just assumed the Li family’s ‘Feibai’ was an empty reputation.” Hu Junxian said indifferently, “Before, it was just for show. Now, it’s the real deal. It’s completely different.” Zhou You asked, “I think this person is quite capable. Should we try to recruit him into our Guyuan Border Army?” Hu Junxian silently gazed at Li Xuan for a long time before saying, “This person is brave but lacks strategy. Let’s talk about it if he survives.” Zhou You grinned and scoffed, “Old Hu, Guyuan needs precisely brave but unthinking individuals like him and me. Those with too many thoughts can’t be retained.”

He then looked at Chen Ji, who was breaking through the encirclement, and asked, “What about this kid? Mr. Wang specifically sent a letter, saying we must keep him in the Border Army, as he will surely become a pillar of Guyuan in the future.” Hu Junxian casually glanced at Chen Ji. “He’s the kind of person Guyuan can’t keep.”

“Enough idle talk,” Hu Junxian said. “Today, we will annihilate the main force of the Tiance Army, ensuring they cannot recover for five years!” He issued military orders, directing the Guyuan Border Army and the Elephant Armored Guard to press in from every alleyway, filling every gap with human lives, trapping the Tiance cavalry so they could neither move nor escape. However, the Tiance Army were elites among elites. Even if trapped, they could still act like a millstone, grinding the charging Guyuan Border Army into dust.

Zhou You murmured to himself, “If only someone could kill Yuan Zhen in this chaotic battle. Capture the leader, and the rest will follow. Once Yuan Zhen dies, the Tiance Army will naturally fall into disarray, and the Border Army could save many lives.” Many others shared his thoughts. The Border Army infantry, while fighting fiercely, occasionally glanced at the figure still pressing forward, as well as Chen Ji and the others who were breaking out of the encirclement. The difference in their actions seemed immediately apparent.

The resistance for fighting inwards versus fighting outwards was naturally different. After fighting for only a short while, Chen Ji broke free from the Tiance Army’s encirclement. In the midst of the battle, they were the only ones retreating. As the Border Army infantry passed them, they cast silent glances before continuing their advance. Chen Ji paid no attention.

But then, a thought struck him. If the Guyuan situation was a meticulously planned stratagem by White Dragon, laid over many years, then given White Dragon’s style, he would never leave any room for the enemy once he made his move. White Dragon had arrived, so why had none of the other Zodiacs appeared? Chen Ji looked around but saw none of the familiar figures, as if this time, White Dragon had truly come alone.

Wait! Chen Ji suddenly looked up!

Li Xuan was tired. He felt the path to Yuan Zhen was endless, with the layered Tiance Army like a stairway to heaven, each step weighing a thousand jin. The courage and strength he had just mustered were gradually exhausted. Li Xuan looked around blankly. A long spear thrust at him; he instinctively parried it and, with a backhand strike, severed the warhorse’s front leg. The massive horse could not stop its fall, and the Tiance armored soldier tumbled, as if offering his neck to Li Xuan’s blade. But after killing one, there was always another; they were endless. Li Xuan murmured silently. He wanted to rally again, but human strength is finite, and he was beyond his limits. The cruelty of war is that it makes everyone on the battlefield understand one truth: sometimes, no matter how much you struggle or how impassioned you are, you can only die with regret in the end.

Li Xuan gasped for breath. What, then, was his own regret? He looked around, and the Tiance Army recoiled from his gaze. Li Xuan let out a hearty laugh. His sword still dripped blood, surrounded by enemy corpses. Clad in armor, wielding his sword, he guarded the border.

“Three feet of Feibai sweeps through the border, one man once held off eight million!”

No regrets!

Li Xuan shook the blood from his sword and roared, “Come again!”

At this moment, a meteor suddenly streaked across the dark sky. Li Xuan suddenly looked towards the meteor’s origin and saw a figure, clad in snow-white robes, standing in the wind on the eaves of a majestic building. The brilliant meteor, dragging a long comet tail, illuminated the night sky and shot directly towards Yuan Zhen’s face! It was Heavenly Horse, one of the top three Zodiacs of the Directorate of Ceremonial!

Beside Heavenly Horse, Golden Pig, wearing a bamboo hat and straw cape, watched everyone on the battlefield from afar with a smile. In an instant, the meteor, dragging its comet tail, arrived before Yuan Zhen. Yet, Yuan Zhen remained perfectly still, watching the meteor approach him head-on. “Foolish overconfidence,” he sneered. With a bang, just as the meteor entered within one step of Yuan Zhen, it dissolved into brilliant stardust and vanished. The hope that had just risen in everyone’s hearts was extinguished once more.

The bow in Heavenly Horse’s hand and its arrows were formed from vital energy, still falling within the realm of “techniques.” Yuan Zhen held a second-rank official position and also possessed a sacred decree personally written by the Jing Dynasty Emperor, rendering even Heavenly Horse powerless against him.

Golden Pig exclaimed in surprise, taking off his bamboo hat. “You’re just a step away from entering the Divine Dao realm, and you still can’t break the imperial aura on him?” Heavenly Horse calmly signed, “A step away from entering means not having entered.” Golden Pig scratched his head. “What now? Do you want me to go for close combat? I’m not going!” Heavenly Horse simply surveyed the battlefield in silence.

The next moment, he drew his brilliant longbow again and fired an arrow. But this arrow was not shot at Yuan Zhen; instead, it was aimed at Li Xuan. A meteor was seen descending from the sky. As the meteor fell, Li Xuan, due to exhaustion, happened to stumble back a step, creating an opening. A charging Tiance soldier was perfectly struck through the chest by the descending meteor. The heavy armor relied upon by the Tiance Army was nothing before the meteor, which carried with it a spray of blood mist!

Li Xuan was startled. He turned his head to look at the eaves of the majestic building. Heavenly Horse signed, and Golden Pig translated, “Fight forward! If you can’t get in, it’s on me; I’ll pay with my life!” The voice wasn’t loud, yet it echoed across the sky. Li Xuan roared, “Kill!” Heavenly Horse, on the eaves, drew his bowstring and shot furiously, unleashing meteors that burst forth from his hands, piercing through over ten Tiance soldiers in front of Li Xuan in a matter of breaths. While a second-rank official position repelled all evil, the Li family’s Feibai technique was not a ‘technique’ in that sense. Heavenly Horse was determined to forcibly carve out a bloody path for Li Xuan, sending him directly to Yuan Zhen! A meteor shower drifted across the night sky, covering the Tiance Army as if defying all logic, and Li Xuan advanced another thirty paces!

Standing on the eaves, Heavenly Horse patted Golden Pig and signed for him to translate, “Jade Rabbit, if you don’t act now, Heavenly Horse will surely kill you afterward.” From the railing below the eaves, Jade Rabbit was heard giggling, covering her mouth. “Lord Heavenly Horse is so imposing! I never said I wouldn’t act; I just didn’t want to steal your thunder.” Golden Pig, expressionless, simply said, “Noisy.”

“Alright, alright, no more joking,” Jade Rabbit said, sitting cross-legged on the floor. “Cloud Ram, protect me!” Cloud Ram took a stack of paper-cut shadow puppets from his sleeve and scattered them around. Jade Rabbit then cut her brow with a fingernail, and a black figure surged forth from the spot. What was seen was a figure of Jade Rabbit, as dark as ink, clad in armor, holding a Green Dragon Crescent Blade inverted in her hand, a weapon taller than herself. Jade Rabbit said with a smile, “Your humble servant will help you fulfill the boasts Lord Heavenly Horse has made.”

As her words fell, she leaped several zhang high, landing on a distant rooftop. This “Yin God” incarnation was so light it seemed weightless, each step covering three zhang, as if a single stride could cross mountains and seas. Jade Rabbit bent slightly at the waist and dragged her blade as she moved. Behind her, where the Crescent Blade dragged, it churned up waves of roof tiles, like a gray river surface being sliced open by a blade. When she reached the long street where the Tiance Army was, Jade Rabbit leaped up again, raising the Green Dragon Crescent Blade high above her head. As her figure landed in front of Li Xuan, the long blade also descended! With a boom, the long blade struck the open ground, and enormous smoke and blade energy sent the Tiance Army tumbling, men and horses alike.

“Lord Li, keep up, I’ll clear a path for you!” Jade Rabbit declared. Wielding the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, she charged into the formation. Her long blade, like a whirlwind, cut down Tiance soldiers one by one from their horses. Wherever the Crescent Blade passed, Tiance soldiers were slain on the spot! A petite figure, a slender waist, and an unmatched, domineering Crescent Blade! Divine archers fired cold arrows from afar, but Heavenly Horse provided support from a distance, crushing the Jing Dynasty’s divine archers one by one, leaving the Tiance Army helpless in their haste. For a time, Jade Rabbit truly led Li Xuan another forty paces forward, cutting through the enemy lines!

Yuan Zhen coldly watched the two almost reach him. He looked at the human wall of the Border Army in the distance and calmly ordered, “Attack from the north, break through the Tiger Armored Cavalry!” The Tiance Army, protecting him, fought north. Half of the Imperial Guard Camp suddenly sped up, like the iron vanguard of a war chariot, intending to clash head-on with the Tiger Armored Cavalry! The two black torrents suddenly collided, and the Imperial Guard Camp’s experts shattered the vanguard of the Tiger Armored Cavalry in an instant.

A sudden change occurred: the Tiger Armored Cavalry behind them took out “fire inch sticks” from their waists, lighting the leather pouches hanging from their saddles as they charged. Explosions boomed! Flames shot skyward! The firearms carried by the Tiger Armored Cavalry shattered them. These Tiger Armored Cavalry had no emotions, no fear; they single-mindedly sought to drag the Tiance Army into a battle to the death! Amidst flying flesh and blood, fragments of yellow paper talismans drifted down from the sky. Someone in the Tiance Army exclaimed in shock, “Could it be controlled by an anathema art?”

Yuan Zhen fell silent, looking up to gaze at the scholar in green robes on the distant battlement. The scholar remained calm and composed, with victory assured. Yuan Zhen then turned back to look at Jade Rabbit and Li Xuan, who were still fighting their way towards him. For some reason, he smiled. “An arrogant army is bound to be defeated. This loss is not unjust.” A trusted aide beside him anxiously urged, “Commander, surrender! The military strategist will surely find a way to get you back!” Yuan Zhen cast a sidelong glance at him. “No need,” he said.

At this moment, Li Xuan had once again fought his way to Yuan Zhen. He was heavily gasping for breath, feeling as if his heart was about to burst from his throat. He couldn’t go on. He couldn’t move anymore. But when he looked back, he saw the long path he had traveled! On the bloody path, another fast horse galloped forth. A youth on the warhorse, holding a horse spear, passed him and roared passionately, “Go! Today, you’ll be famous throughout the land!” Li Xuan suddenly turned around and roared, “Kill!”

Chen Ji on the warhorse thrust his horse spear at the chiliarch, but the chiliarch grasped the spear with bare hands and, astonishingly, used it to lift Chen Ji clean off his warhorse, throwing him far away. Chen Ji, after all, was only at the Innate realm, and in a test of strength, he could only be thrown against the nearby wall. But it was precisely at this instant that the meteor shower arrived, blocking all of the chiliarch’s retreat paths and piercing him through, alive, at the front of the formation.

Amidst the splendor of the meteor shower, Jade Rabbit had already bypassed the chiliarch and arrived before Yuan Zhen’s horse. A Grand Marshal from the Imperial Guard Camp, disguised as an ordinary armored soldier, made his move. As the Green Dragon Crescent Blade in Jade Rabbit’s hand came down, this Marshal suddenly charged forward, drew his saber, and horizontally slashed in one fluid motion. This strike concentrated all of the Marshal’s essence, spirit, and vitality; it was unavoidable. With one saber strike, Jade Rabbit’s Yin God incarnation dissipated into black smoke.

In the instant the black smoke dissipated, a flash of sword light suddenly appeared from behind it, like a dry brushstroke across paper. The Imperial Guard Marshal watched Li Xuan emerge from the black smoke, feeling a sudden chill at his neck as blood splattered. He watched with wide eyes as Li Xuan passed him, leaped with all his might, and swung his sword at Yuan Zhen on horseback!

Yuan Zhen looked at the long bloody path and the flying sword light, and suddenly sighed in his heart. Guyuan, oh Guyuan.

The sword light flashed, and a head fell to the ground!