Lu Xingzhou had no interest in Jin Wang’s ultimate fate. He had thrown a wrench in things, and now he could care less.

He hurried for a day, finally reaching the edge of the battlefield.

Luckily, he had brought Huo Zhang along, which made the journey remarkably comfortable. Whenever they encountered cities or passes, Huo Zhang’s face was enough to ensure they were waved through without question. The group simply flew over them, as if they were returning home.

Northern Xinjiang was still Huo Xingyuan’s territory, a decade in the making, and Huo Zhang moved through it with ease.

Huo Xingyuan had led his main army directly north, a much shorter route than Lu Xingzhou’s to meet Si Han in the northwest before heading east. Yet, Lu Xingzhou’s small group of a hundred-odd people, flying all the way, arrived even a little sooner than Huo Xingyuan.

Lu Xingzhou didn’t have time to worry about Huo Xingyuan’s whereabouts. His gaze immediately fixed on the distant horizon, where immense power surged and battle cries shook the heavens, indicating an intense offense and defense.

“That’s Guiyuan City,” Huo Zhang said, looking pleased. “It seems it hasn’t fallen yet. We’ve arrived just in time.”

He hadn’t expected the portly city lord to be so resilient. He had underestimated him. Huo Zhang had never been so satisfied with his choice of personnel.

Lu Xingzhou offered no comment, merely stating, “Then he’s lucky. We’ll save this city first.”

He had never intended to get involved in Gu Zhanting and Long Qinghuang’s main battlefield. He neither wanted to help Gu Zhanting nor offend Long Qinghuang too deeply. The reason he had so eagerly rallied people to join the battle was entirely for a certain “brother.”

But everyone lacked information. Lu Xingzhou didn’t know where Guamei was—whether she was trapped in the main battlefield or out on a scout mission. Logically, although Guamei was quite responsible, she also had a touch of the renegade; she wasn’t the type to blindly perish with a city. Scout missions were flexible, so if she happened to be out at the time, there was a good chance she would have fled.

He hoped to find out she had already returned to the capital; he would be happy even if his trip proved unnecessary.

Saving a city first was also intended to consult with local generals to understand the situation; any city would do.

However, as they approached, Lu Xingzhou caught sight of the main general on the city wall and was instantly dumbfounded.

The setting sun was like blood. The female general, clad in armor, with her cape fluttering, still had bloodstains on her face, and her eyes were weary but resolute.

The already heroic young woman was now utterly striking.

The scene was beautiful to the point of death, but the protagonist was wrong.

Guagua, what are you doing, Guagua? How are you the main general of this city? When did the scout camp and intelligence camp start doing this kind of work?

Seeing the battle situation, Lu Xingzhou grew more anxious. He popped a pill to replenish his energy from days of continuous flying and sped up again: “Quick, save her!”

Before his transmigration, watching Nezha in the cinema, Lu Xingzhou had once complained about how in a cultivation world, offense and defense involved mutual sword-slashing on city walls. What was the point of city walls? Wasn’t it hard to just fly in and wreak havoc?

As it turned out, it really was fought by slashing, because cities had their own anti-flight formations, and enemy generals couldn’t fly; they had to scale the walls. So, the scene looked exactly like a war in the mundane world.

“Clang!” A long spear shot out like lightning. Sheng Yuanyao held her saber in front of her, using its flat side as a shield against the spear. A tremendous force surged, and Sheng Yuanyao stumbled back as the enemy general ascended the city wall.

Sheng Yuanyao didn’t even have time to catch her breath. She paused for a moment before springing back, slashing her saber towards the enemy’s head.

If she hesitated for even a moment, the soldiers beside her would suffer casualties.

The opponent was a fierce general who had just entered the Third-Rank. She, a half-step Third-Rank, could barely hold her own with the city’s formation bonuses, while others were no match for a single blow.

The enemy demon general parried the strike with his spear, speaking with a hint of respect: “Young lady, with the formation’s bonus, your strength is not far from mine… but you lack understanding of power. You’re constantly taking hard blows, accumulating internal injuries. If you continue, it might damage your foundation. Even if we retreat, you might never advance further. You clearly have a promising future, with the Third-Rank within reach. Why bother?”

Sheng Yuanyao remained silent, her saber strikes growing faster with each blow.

Lack of understanding? Isn’t that what one gains on the battlefield?

Fleeing was not an option. The former city lord, who had packed his belongings and secretly fled the city, now had his head hanging at the enemy camp’s entrance.

What could she do besides resisting? Surrender?

Sheng Yuanyao could flee, but she could not surrender.

Although this battle had somewhat surprised Sheng Yuanyao, the enemy wasn’t brutal. The siege even had a touch of chivalry, which nearly shattered Sheng Yuanyao’s perception of the demon race.

Were the man-eating demons she saw in Dongjiang Xia Prefecture truly the same race as this dignified demon before her?

In fact, similar conversations had occurred frequently over the past two days. The opponent, never tiring, reiterated, “These border cities were originally part of our demon domain. They were seized by Huo Xingyuan years ago, and we are merely reclaiming them. The humans living here were originally under our rule, and we never intended to massacre our former subjects.”

Sheng Yuanyao initially couldn’t believe it.

But the premise of his words was at least correct. This hundred-li border region had indeed been expanded by Huo Xingyuan in previous years; before that, these areas were indeed demon territory, and the flags had only changed a few years ago.

Of course, there weren’t so many cities originally; many satellite cities were built by Huo Xingyuan. But Guiyuan City wasn’t one of them; it was originally one of the demon race’s border cities, where humans and demons lived mixed. After the war, all the demons retreated, leaving only humans, making it look like a human city.

Two days ago, when the enemy demon general first mentioned this, Sheng Yuanyao even specifically asked the elders in the city that evening. The answer she received surprised her even more.

The elders believed that after being occupied by Huo Xingyuan, they were treated worse than by the demons.

The elders said that the demon race consisted of many different groups, and their ways of thinking varied greatly, even more so than the differences between humans and demons. Among them, the Dragon Clan proclaimed itself the true orthodoxy, even claiming to be the imperial orthodoxy of all living beings. Therefore, during the Dragon Clan’s rule, they treated all races very well.

The current demon race was also ruled by the Dragon Clan.

After all, they were dragons; many humans even called themselves dragons. They weren’t some chaotic creatures, and Sheng Yuanyao did believe this point.

But no matter how good you sounded, the Sheng family wouldn’t surrender. Never mind your demon race; even if you were a human enemy nation, it wouldn’t be acceptable.

“In fact, many humans have always lived in the demon domain, and even now, many humans still work beside His Majesty. If you surrender, young lady, you will surely be appreciated by His Majesty and become a regional general. Why endure this… You’re not even the city lord, are you? You’re just a temporary officer who took over power and defended the city. Truly admirable and ridiculous… Is this how humans use talent?”

Sheng Yuanyao merely said, “Even if you praise me to the skies, there are no surrenderers in the Sheng family.”

The demon general sighed, “For enemy talent, if they cannot be used, they certainly won’t be allowed to live. Don’t you truly understand, young lady?”

Sheng Yuanyao, who was clearly nearing her limit from injuries and exhaustion, instead felt a surge of heroic spirit: “You’re not confident you can defeat me, otherwise why babble so much. Even if I truly die here, it’s only because my skills are inferior, why say more!”

The demon general shook his head helplessly, his good intentions mistaken for ill will.

He truly felt this young woman was extraordinary. With the main general having fled and the army lacking fighting spirit, she had single-handedly taken on the city’s defense, forcefully rekindling the will to fight in a disorganized army. A lone city with merely a thousand troops had held them off for three days.

The demon general estimated that His Majesty would particularly like someone like her and intended to bring her back to His Majesty. Yet, this young woman didn’t appreciate his good intentions and was determined to die.

But wasn’t that precisely why she was so admirable? It truly made the demon conflicted.

Alas, she was ultimately not a Third-Rank. Relying on formation buffs was not a long-term solution. It was clear she was at the end of her tether, almost unable to hold on.

The long spear transformed into a rainbow, striking again at Sheng Yuanyao’s heart.

Sheng Yuanyao raised her saber to parry, and just as she was about to counter with a swipe, a sharp pain shot through her abdomen, causing her to lose strength. The counter-strike failed to materialize.

She knew the demon general’s earlier words weren’t empty threats. The internal injuries she had accumulated over the past few days were beginning to take their toll.

Her movements faltered. How could her opponent miss such an opportunity?

The spear tip gleamed with cold light, instantly before her eyes.

Sheng Yuanyao seemed to squint, blinded by the dazzling cold light, and saw the lingering sun in the sky.

Round and red, like a melon.

Perhaps she would never be able to eat melon again… There would be no one to appear suddenly, like in Qingyao Garden, to carry her away and roll, avoiding Ye Wufeng’s fatal sneak attack.

“Whoosh!” The spear tip, which she thought would be fatal, did not pierce. The demon general seemed to encounter some strange problem, his expression changed drastically, and he swiftly swept his spear backward.

With a “bang,” the long spear that had troubled Sheng Yuanyao for three days suddenly turned into ice, then shattered into pieces.

Ti Shuang Guozhu Si Han.

Only his peak First-Rank strength could have threatened the demon general from afar, forcing him to retract his spear for self-preservation.

The next moment, a figure darted over, embracing Sheng Yuanyao and lunging sideways.

Several other demon soldiers’ blades whizzed past from left and right.

Sheng Yuanyao was thrown back with great force, her back hitting the merlon heavily, but her eyes were momentarily lost in a daze.

How was this possible?

How could Lu Xingzhou appear here, having traveled so far?

Lu Xingzhou had no time to entertain her dazed gaze. He immediately executed a roundhouse kick, sending several demon soldiers behind them tumbling off the city wall.

The next moment, shadows flickered, and a hundred strong cultivators descended into the air.

The demon general and the demon capital were stunned: “Si Han!”

Though few in number, these were the elites of Ti Shuang Guo. Si Han, a peak First-Rank expert, could contend with the Demon Emperor with the help of his bone dragon.

He alone could wipe out their siege army!

How could such a terrifying force appear in this small, dilapidated city? If you came for a surprise attack, shouldn’t you be on the main battlefield facing His Majesty?

Si Han looked at Lu Xingzhou, signaling for instructions on how to handle this demon army.

Lu Xingzhou’s face was angry: “They bullied my Guagua… Yuanyao! Chop them all down!”

“Wait!” Sheng Yuanyao awoke from her stupor. “Spare their lives, capture them first.”

Lu Xingzhou was startled: “What? He was trying to kill you just now.”

“On the battlefield, it is to be expected. I do not resent him.” Sheng Yuanyao’s gaze remained fixed on Lu Xingzhou’s face, her words almost a dream.

The setting sun shone, and silence reigned above and below.

Three days and nights of offense and defense suddenly paused here, the person in her heart, like a divine soldier descending from the heavens, appearing before her… so much like a dream that could end at any moment.