This preposterous news must be a fabrication.

At such a crucial juncture, who would be so foolish as to concoct and spread a rumor that could be so easily shattered?

Furthermore, this general of the Divine Martial Army is one who attends the Wu Wang year-round. To a certain extent, he represents the will of the Wu Wang, Si Jiao.

While the battle of Qi and Xia, of such immense scale, has, on the rule level, locked down distant communication, a paramount peak expert of the Wu Wang’s caliber possesses his own means of maintaining contact with the outside world.

The battle of Jing and Mu, in particular, is news that grips the entire Xia Kingdom. The populace of Xia, to a great extent, has wagered the outcome of the Qi-Xia war on the victory of Jing.

They have fought to the death, resisting with all their might, waiting precisely for the result of the Jing-Mu conflict.

One could say that Si Jiao has been paying attention to the progress of the Jing-Mu battle every single moment, practically itching to rush to Sheng Kingdom to assist.

It was only upon learning of the turning point in the Jing-Mu great war that he, for the first time, ordered the news to be spread throughout the cities.

Facing the Qi people is far more difficult than anyone could have imagined. The vast majority of the Xia populace, from top to bottom, had already exerted their utmost effort.

Yet, they could only swallow the bitter fruit of step-by-step retreat. The situation had deteriorated to such an extent that even Xi Meng Fu had to step forward and personally lead the implementation of abandoning the eastern front—a strategy destined to leave a tarnished name for ten thousand years.

However, the news of Jing Kingdom’s great victory over Mu Kingdom arrived even faster than imagined!

Perhaps it was due to the influence of Jing Kingdom’s westward expansion war; both Jing and Mu had become more open and aggressive in their combat sooner than anticipated.

It is only a shame that the message delivered by this Divine Martial Army General is overly simplistic. The specific details of the situation remain unknown. How did Bei Gong Nan Tu perish in battle? Does Ying Jiang Hong still possess fighting strength? What of the Western Heavenly Master, Yu Xi? How long will it take Jing Kingdom to complete the mopping-up operations and free its hand to descend south?

Liu Xi Yi’s heart itched with impatience. He immediately turned to Xi Meng Fu and said, “You stand guard here for a while longer! This old man will return to relieve you—”

Before the words had even finished, the Da Xia Guo Shi, who rarely responded to him, had already leaped down from the city tower, vanishing in a puff of smoke.

“Damn it!” The Da Xia Guo Xiang kicked the corner of the tower.

Bei Gong Nan Tu, also known as the Grand Priest of the Sleeping Divine Way, was the chief custodian of the Cang Tu Divine Palace.

It could be said that his position in the entire Da Mu Empire was second only to that of the Mu Kingdom’s Female Emperor.

Even this notion of being “under one person” is not entirely accurate. As Mu Kingdom is a political-religious unified country, the only hegemonic nation in the current world that believes in the Divine Way, the divine light of the Cang Tu God covers the grasslands, and Bei Gong Nan Tu acts as the divine will itself.

His position is unimaginable!

On many occasions, he could even sit as an equal with the Female Emperor, He Lian Shan Hai.

His departure from Qiong Lu Mountain this time, personally leading the army south, held extraordinary significance and fully demonstrated the determination of the Cang Tu God to spread his faith beyond the grasslands.

Yet, such a crucial and important figure.

Perished in this war, even being slain by the Nan Heavenly Master, Ying Jiang Hong!

There is also the greatly renowned Iron Floating Slaughter, ranked sixth among the world’s top ten cavalry armies, two positions higher than Qi Kingdom’s Zhu Feng Army, yet it suffered a devastating defeat on the battlefield of Sheng Kingdom…

Although there is no news of Jin Tan Du’s demise, if the Iron Floating Slaughter has been shattered, then Jin Tan Du, the master of the Iron Floating Slaughter, even if not dead, is surely heavily injured!

In a single night, the winds and clouds have suddenly shifted.

Two True Monarch level experts on the Mu Kingdom’s side: one perished in battle, the other led his mighty army to ruin.

This war, which aimed to redraw the boundary between the central domain and the northern domain, can already be declared at an end.

Now, it only remains to see how far Jing Kingdom can push, and how far it intends to push!

And the influence of the great battle between Jing and Mu, does it extend only within the territory of Sheng Kingdom, only within the central domain and northern domain?

For the entire Qi-Xia battlefield, the news it brings may very well be of decisive influence!

If Wu Wang, Si Jiao, could receive the message, then True Monarch Zuo accompanied Yan Ping could, of course, also receive it.

Thirty-three years ago, the Qi Army pressed upon Gui Yi City. The Yi Tian Guan rose from the ground, and the breaths of countless experts from Jing Kingdom’s Three Dao Pulse Sects suddenly descended… The Qi Army was forced to withdraw its troops home, even retreating directly from the southern domain.

The entire Qi Kingdom, from the Qi Emperor down, fought to the death, the entire nation bathed in blood in the name of striving for hegemony, nearing the final victory. Yet, Jing Kingdom effortlessly reaped a large portion of the harvest and set boundaries, forbidding the Qi people from descending south again.

This story is not unfamiliar to the Qi people.

This kind of suppression, the Qi people have remembered for many years!

In the battle of Star-Moon Plain, Qi Tian Jiao defeated Jing Tian Jiao, and Jing Kingdom was forced to dismantle the Yi Tian Guan located within Xia Kingdom. How many Qi Kingdom people wept with joy.

After Cao Ji, under the guise of replacing the Mu Kingdom general, slew Qi Hong and seized Li Yuan, assisting the Mu Kingdom soldiers out of the grasslands, it led to this time’s campaign against Xia.

This time, Qi Kingdom is united from top to bottom, monarch and ministers working in concert, and they have achieved continuous victories.

Yet, at this very moment, news spreads that the Jing-Mu war has already been decided!

Although no formal war report has arrived, and the current conflict is still ongoing within the domain of Sheng Kingdom.

But with the Grand Priest of the Sleeping Divine Way, Bei Gong Nan Tu, having already perished in battle, and the Iron Floating Slaughter having been routed, everyone can see that this war has already entered the mopping-up stage.

Jing Kingdom can already free its hand.

Qi Kingdom must make a decision!

If they decide to retreat, then they must start preparing from now on. How to complete the withdrawal in a steady and orderly manner while trying to preserve the existing gains is also something that severely tests a commander’s ability.

“The current message is as such.”

Within the tall Rong Chong Lou carriage, Cao Ji sat on the commander’s seat, his expression still calm.

The death of Bei Gong Nan Tu, such world-shaking news, actually could not stir a ripple in his pupils.

He merely sat upright, slowly asking, “What thoughts do you all have? Feel free to express them.”

At this moment, within this not-so-spacious room, sat Yan Ping, Ruan Qu, Chong Xuan Chu Liang, and Li Zheng Yan.

Apart from Chen Ze Qing, who was still leading the army outside Tong Yang City, the highest echelon of the entire central route army was gathered here.

The death of Bei Gong Nan Tu once again proclaimed the might of the central empire.

Declaring to the world—that even in this age, Jing Kingdom is still the strongest nation in the world. Its every move is sufficient to shake the world.

Dare one ask the vassal states, who would dare ignore it?!!

“Militarily, the Great Commander naturally makes the decisions,” Yan Ping said in a slow voice. “However, with the Grand Priest of the Sleeping Divine Way having perished, in five to seven days at the most, or two to three days at the least, the Jing-Mu war will conclude. What course of action we take then, Great Commander, you should consider early.”

Ruan Qu, on his excessively young face, also showed some signs of sighing.

His trip was solely to disrupt the communication system of Xia Kingdom, using the power of stars to break the rules of distant communication, and to provide True Monarch level fighting strength. He had no intention of offering insights on military matters.

But upon suddenly hearing of the major turning point in the Jing-Mu war, he could completely understand the implications.

Having been by Cao Ji’s side during this period, he knew just how meticulously Cao Ji had planned for this war. He also knew how much the entire nation, from top to bottom, had paid for this day.

And also within this period, he had witnessed the courage of too many Da Qi warriors.

The Son of Heaven bestowed absolute trust upon Cao Ji. Fierce generals like Chong Xuan Chu Liang also fully supported the Commander of the campaign against Xia. Cao Ji himself was steady as a mountain with every step.

Everything was developing in a positive direction.

The Qi Army’s momentum was like a broken bamboo, and destroying Xia seemed almost certain. After quickly breaching Xia Kingdom’s protective national array, the northern and eastern fronts had also made breakthroughs. Just a few days ago, Cao Ji had even said that if no accidents occurred, all war matters could be concluded before March.

However, the accident has now occurred…

Who could have thought that the clash between two great hegemonic nations would produce a result so quickly?

As a grandmaster of Star Occupying Dao, he vaguely felt the sigh of Heaven’s will toying with mortals.

In this Jing-Mu great war, among the five True Monarchs of the current world who participated, based on past performances, Bei Gong Nan Tu was undoubtedly the strongest. Yet, he was the first one to perish, his Dao vanishing.

Although it is said that in a war between hegemonic nations, the death of a True Monarch is not rare, a strong individual like Bei Gong Nan Tu, who on the grasslands was almost the incarnation of the Cang Tu God, his death is truly unexpected!

The specifics of how he perished in battle are temporarily unknown.

What kind of victory Jing Kingdom will achieve in the aftermath is also not yet known.

But with the death of Bei Gong Nan Tu, Mu Kingdom has undoubtedly declared complete failure. The next stage of the war will only be to see how humiliating their final defeat will be.

“I can only calculate fortune and misfortune; right and wrong must still be judged by you generals,” Ruan Qu said in a formal tone. “The national situation is intricate; I have no place to exert force.”

Cao Ji did not speak.

“My decision now would definitely not be rational enough,” Li Zheng Yan said. “So I abstain. You can discuss; no matter what the final military council’s result is, I will accept it.”

Having fought until now, the Zhu Feng Army is the branch with the heaviest casualties among the three branches and nine elite troops.

Outside Tong Yang City, cavalry armies clashed. Over thirty thousand valiant Zhu Feng warriors perished forever.

How could he possibly accept retreating now?

But if he were to offer an opinion not based on the level of war, but on the deaths and injuries of his subordinates, on his own emotions, it would undoubtedly be irresponsible to this war.

Even if his analysis now were completely correct, it would be difficult for him to say that he was not influenced by his emotions, so he abstained.

At such a moment, restraint is the mark of a famous general.

Everyone had finished speaking.

The slightly plump, seemingly harmless Chong Xuan Chu Liang then spoke: “How is it possible to retreat now?”

His gaze swept around, openly displaying his will: “This opportunity to destroy Xia is one in a thousand years. If we miss this one, we may never have another opportunity in this lifetime.”

“To me, it’s…”

He exhaled, appearing to draw a frosty blade: “The time to destroy Xia Kingdom is now!”

His entire statement did not contain a single word of killing, and his demeanor was not at all fierce.

Yet, this kind of sharpness and sternness benefited everyone!

Cao Ji lightly nodded: “General Chong Xuan’s words… match my intent greatly.”

“The more the Xia people see a ray of hope, the more we must shatter their illusion and drive them to a dead end!”

“I will not retreat.”

He supported himself on the table with both hands and repeated, “Unless His Majesty’s imperial decree reaches me, I will absolutely not retreat.”

He stood up and said very calmly, “Prepare for the decisive battle.”

Completely different from the atmosphere of the military council on the east bank of Lian Jiang.

Within Tong Yang City, at this moment, there was a hubbub of noise.

The civil and military officials of the Da Xia Empire could hardly suppress their excitement.

Since November 7th of last year, when Qi Kingdom formally declared war, the dark cloud that had always hung over people’s hearts seemed to have finally scattered! Just like the bright sky of this time.

No, how could that dark cloud have only spanned from last year to this year?

It had begun in October of Dao Li 3919, after the end of the Star-Moon Plain war. The Yi Tian Guan, which Jing Kingdom had established on the border of Xia Kingdom, was dismantled overnight.

Xia Kingdom was thus abruptly forced to face the eastern domain’s hegemon, Qi Kingdom, alone.

War was not the choice of the Xia people in the Divine Martial Era. Although the court always spoke of advancing east, the true high-level officials of Xia Kingdom all knew that they were never prepared from the beginning.

But who would give you time to prepare?

After the end of the war for hegemony in that year… the beginning and end of wars on this vast land were already unrelated to Xia Kingdom itself!

It had always been a matter between Qi Kingdom and Jing Kingdom, hadn’t it?

This time, Qi Kingdom and Mu Kingdom mutually borrowed strength, actually harboring a kind of implicit joint threat.

And Jing Kingdom was still strong. Once it showed the spirit of fighting against two enemies, it actually first used the Star-Moon Plain war to test the quality of Qi Kingdom.

Qi Kingdom first won the Star-Moon Plain, then turned around and helped Mu Kingdom steal Li Yuan City, thus sparking the year-long rotating war between Mu Kingdom and Sheng Kingdom—Jing Kingdom and Sheng Kingdom’s gaze at that time were all fixed on Mu Kingdom’s renowned generals. No one expected that it would actually be Cao Ji, who was confined in Lin Zi, who would take down Li Yuan.

Upon reflection, it was truly a move that viewed the world as a chessboard, stealing from Heaven and changing the day.

The tacit understanding between the Qi Emperor and the Mu Kingdom’s Female Emperor was evident in that maneuver.

Frankly speaking, although the vast majority of the Xia Kingdom’s populace entrusted the outcome of this Qi-Xia war to Jing Kingdom, the final hope of the entire nation fighting a prolonged war was precisely pinned on the time when Jing Kingdom would descend south.

But no one had thought that the large-scale war between Jing and Mu unfolding in Sheng Kingdom could be concluded within three months.

After all, it was a clash between two great hegemonic nations. After all, it was Mu Kingdom that had first provoked the war, and the spirit shown by that Female Emperor, intending to trample the central domain with her cavalry, how could she not have a trump card to determine victory or defeat?

Objectively speaking, Jing Kingdom, as the strongest nation in the central domain that officially opened the era of the national system, had a long history of hegemony, was as old as the new era, and its foundation was immeasurably deep.

Jing Kingdom’s sudden initiation of the westward expansion war also greatly accelerated the pace of the Jing-Mu war—who doesn’t know that the northwest five-country alliance also had Jing Kingdom’s support in the dark?

Otherwise, how did those small countries in that desolate place initially manage to train strong armies?

Those five countries almost paid only the cost price for the powerful weapons they purchased from Jing Kingdom each year. When did such benevolence exist between nations?

However, Jing Kingdom’s support for the northwest five-country alliance was still somewhat veiled. Their support for Xia Kingdom, on the other hand, was open and aboveboard. Their protection of a Dao-affiliated country like Sheng Kingdom was grand and proper.

With the world situation as it was, the high-level officials of Xia Kingdom had long been aware of their status as chess pieces.

The more they viewed Qi Kingdom as an enemy, the more they could gain Jing Kingdom’s support. Thus, the voice of advancing east never ceased in the court.

Although there were always voices saying that Jing Kingdom was rotten at its roots and decaying, like an old tree about to wither, this ancient and great central empire,

Once again, used this Jing-Mu war to announce its power!

And the result of the Jing-Mu war, for Xia Kingdom, was completely like the clouds parting to reveal the bright moon!

In such a joyful situation, Xi Meng Fu, who hurried into the discussion hall, felt just a little… out of place.

People looked at him.

The civil and military officials of Xia Kingdom, who stood guard on the front line at Tong Yang City, who had the awareness to die for their country, could not hide their strange gazes towards him—

Not long ago, this Da Xia Guo Shi had led and executed the strategy of abandoning the eastern prefectures of Xia Kingdom.