Yiyang Prefecture, Dragon Locking Pass.

Upon the high platform, civil and military officials received their commands and departed.

In the boundless expanse of night, Zhuang Gaoxian soared into the sky, his body radiating clear light, his eyes like those of a god.

He stood high in the firmament, overlooking the land.

His voice was majestic, shaking the battlefield.

“Han Yin! On this auspicious festival, at this propitious hour. The armies clash, heaven and earth resonate. You are the Lord of Yong, I am the Sovereign of Zhuang. Why not battle in the heavens, to rally the three armies! A New Year’s greeting for you!”

The Zhuang army cheered in unison, “Han Yin! Come forth and meet your death!”

The thunderous roar echoed through the cold night.

Upon Dragon Locking Pass, a burly figure rose, treading upon the illusory image of a golden dragon, its roar shaking the heavens, its majesty resplendent.

“Long ago, the traitor Zhuang Chengqian begged for mercy, weeping blood in the Qichang Mountains, and only then did I spare his dog’s life. Tonight, on this New Year’s Eve, this little whelp Gaoxian comes to congratulate me, and I am overjoyed!”

Han Yin’s voice was authoritative and deep, rolling like thunder: “Your sentiment, I accept! Your head, I shall claim!”

Upon Dragon Locking Pass, the morale of the soldiers soared, and they shouted in unison: “Kill!”

Faced with Zhuang Gaoxian’s challenge, Han Yin did not hesitate.

He had experienced countless wars in his life and was acutely aware of the current situation. Yong’s situation appeared stable, but in reality, it had reached a critical juncture.

Zhuang was not strong enough to annex Yong, and Luo was merely a clown, but the appearance of Jing’s Crimson Horse Guard was of a completely different significance. Jing was a powerful nation. Yong had been defeated by Jing and later lost even the qualification to contend with it. Whether they admitted it or not, the soldiers and people of Yong found it difficult to shake off their fear of Jing.

That was why he had sent State Chancellor Qi Maoxian to personally oversee Jing’an Prefecture, as it was the root of all instability in the country.

But that was not enough.

Yong had not lacked ambition over the years, but it had been constantly surrounded and suppressed by Jing, making it difficult to recover. Earlier in the year, he had instructed the ruler of Yong, Han Xu, to initiate a four-way meeting and unite with Zhuang and Luo, setting a non-aggression pact in Bu Shu City, to stabilize the southwestern border and focus on defending against Jing while expanding northwest.

The so-called non-aggression pact was, of course, only a temporary measure. No alliance could truly end war. Only force could stop the advance of troops.

But he never expected that the one to break this agreement would be Zhuang Gaoxian.

It was Zhuang and Luo who joined forces, taking the initiative to challenge Yong!

At such a time, he had to stabilize the hearts of the people in order to control the situation.

He had to blatantly display his strength to restrain the greed of those restless forces and boost the confidence of his own troops.

After all, at this moment, Dragon Locking Pass was surrounded, the Lan River Water Mansion was in danger, and Jing’s Crimson Horse Guard was knocking at the gate… the people were indeed panicking.

That was why he personally rushed to Dragon Locking Pass to personally repel the enemy.

Otherwise, it was difficult to say whether those powerful nobles in the country would have other ideas.

That was also why he could not hesitate at all in the face of Zhuang Gaoxian’s challenge.

On the contrary, he needed extreme confidence, extreme flamboyance, and to show an invincible aura.

It was not that he did not need to be cautious, but the enemy was at the gates, and there was no room for caution!

Of course, he had absolute confidence in dealing with Zhuang Gaoxian.

Even though he knew that the other party wanted to hold him back, he went willingly.

The other party had only just reached the True Cave realm, while he had been a Real Man for hundreds of years. There was no reason for him not to win. At most, Zhuang Gaoxian would hold him back and then use the advantage of the army to break through the city. But Yong had one Duke and eight Marquises, nine God-level experts! How many did Zhuang have?

The absolute advantage in top-level combat power was enough to help Yong defend Dragon Locking Pass. Once the various armies from within the country surrounded them, they would leave Zhuang’s 300,000 troops behind in an instant.

Moreover, could Zhuang Gaoxian really hold him back?

Han Yin did not believe it!

The opponent came, stepping on the illusory shadow of a golden dragon, majestic and flamboyant.

Zhuang Gaoxian waited in the high sky, his eyes cold, and spat out a loud voice: “A usurper, dare to call yourself ‘朕’ (Zhen, imperial ‘I’)?”

That Zhuang Chengqian, the Grand Ancestor of Zhuang, had kneeled and begged for mercy was, of course, a fabrication. If Zhuang Chengqian had lost back then, even if he begged in all sorts of ways, Han Yin would never have let him go. It was precisely because he had firmly held the Qichang Mountains in front of Han Yin that Zhuang had this foundation.

It was just that Han Yin was now relying on his long life and high seniority to arbitrarily fabricate the events of the past, and no one could refute him. After all, Zhuang Chengqian had been buried for many years, which was perfect for attacking the morale of the Zhuang army.

How could Zhuang Gaoxian show weakness?

Therefore, he immediately replied: “Looking back at Emperor Yongming, Han Zhou, he was truly a great ruler! And the crown prince was wise and virtuous, with worthy successors. Who would have thought that overnight, Han Zhou would die, the crown prince would be murdered, Yong’s hegemony would be empty, and it would decline again and again. Han Yin, do you really think no one remembers the story of that time?”

“You!” He pointed his halberd at Han Yin: “In collusion with Jing, you secretly harmed Han Zhou. You murdered the crown prince, provoked the three royal brothers to fight for the throne, causing unrest in the world. When the country was in turmoil, you jumped out to fight for power and profit, falsely pretending to be kind and benevolent. On one hand, you advised the three imperial nephews to cease fighting, but on the other hand, you suddenly sent troops and defeated them one by one, personally beheading them in battle! You are truly a shameless scoundrel, a degenerate of humanity!”

“Yellow-mouthed brat!” Han Yin stepped on the dragon and slapped over, his domineering aura soaring to the sky: “Your mother was still in her womb back then, what madness have you fallen into! You dare to speak nonsense about those days!”

The essence of the True Cave realm lies in the word “True”.

The God-level realm was called “immortal” in ancient times, but it was only a pseudo-immortality that the physical body would not decay before death. Real Men were to return to their origin and see true immortality, moving from pseudo-immortality to true immortality, which was called True Cave!

When Han Yin slapped over, a huge palm print condensed in the air, growing larger and larger, from bottom to top, as if to overturn the sky.

The entire night sky was shaken. The vast dark clouds were scattered by this palm, revealing a clear night sky with ten thousand miles of stars and boundless moonlight!

Zhuang Gaoxian, who was standing in the night sky, remained motionless.

The palm directly slapped past him, but it had already slapped “past” him, without any impact on him. The clouds were dispelled behind him, and the starlight and moonlight clearly illuminated him.

His loud voice did not stop: “Han Yin! None of your brother’s dozen or so imperial sons and daughters survived. Why?”

“Poor Han Zhou, a generation of heroic rulers, personally brought Yong to its peak, looking down on the Western frontier, but in the end, he ended up with no descendants, just because he had a despicable and incompetent younger brother like you!”

“You murdered your brother and nephews in order to gain the throne. Since you took power, what commendable achievements have you made? Has Yong expanded its territory by even an inch? Did you repel Jing back then, or did you reach a deal with Jing, buying Jing’s retreat with the death of Emperor Yongming and a huge amount of wealth? Do you think no one in the world knows?”

Zhuang Gaoxian cupped his hands towards the horizon: “The Grand Ancestor of our dynasty sensed your wolfish ambitions and received Emperor Yongming’s dying mandate to preserve the bloodline of Emperor Yongming, fighting a bloody battle in the Qichang Mountains. Although he did not succeed, his loyalty was clear! You shameless and incompetent rat, what face do you have to slander his reputation?”