The rustling of wings.

A bird leaped from a slanting branch, flapping its wings, not looking back as it departed.

This was an unnamed azure peak, particularly silent in the biting cold wind.

Beasts and birds were mute, only the sound of rushing water could be faintly heard.

It shouldn’t be far from the vast, eight-hundred-li Clear River.

On a sloped hillside, amidst a thicket of weeds, a figure was curled up, unmoving.

It was a youth who had already lost consciousness, his face frozen in an expression of agony.

Curled up like an infant, stripped of all protection. Yet, even in this senseless stupor, his muscles remained tense, as if still battling in his dreams. His left hand clutched a half-dissipated hand seal, his right hand tightly gripped a sword, frozen like a statue.

Black mist roamed inside and outside his body, and strange black patterns spread from his neck to his face. The black patterns resembled wriggling insects, appearing to squirm at first glance, a truly horrifying sight.

The gentleness and resolve that once appeared on this face were gone, replaced by a sense of malevolence. As if harboring hatred for everything in the world, even in pain, he was brewing some sinister scheme.

The black mist was profound and spirited, rising and falling, submerging the youth.

In his unconscious state, only three areas of the young man remained untouched by the encroaching darkness.

One was his forehead. His tightly furrowed brows seemed to channel a certain unwavering will, like two mighty fortresses staunchly intercepting the assault of the black patterns, guarding his spiritual sea.

Another was his sword-wielding right hand. Incessant, subtle, Sanskrit characters leaped from the sheathed longsword, resolutely plunging into the black mist, like fish leaping into a “black sea,” one after another, relentlessly.

The final point was at the juncture of his spine and cervical vertebrae, where a crimson-fire white lotus bloomed. It exuded both scorching heat and chilling indifference, emitting distinct rays of red and white light, yet both fought against the encroaching darkness.

He had been unconscious here for a long time.

A protracted and arduous war continued within his body.

Everything outside was temporarily irrelevant to him, even though the winds and clouds had been stirred because of him.

“The tyrant Han Yin is dead!”

The two “Blazing Suns” in the sky had already been extinguished. The true sun had not yet fully set, stubbornly releasing its afterglow in the west.

Under the bleak rays of the setting sun, rain was falling in this sky.

A rain that was previously rare and unlikely to be seen again in this land.

Blood-colored rain.

A blood color that even the setting sun could not tint in the slightest, an extremely pure, sanguinary hue.

A True Immortal had fallen, and Heaven and Earth grieved!

Zhuang Gao Xian, with Han Yin’s corpse in one hand, descended above the Lock Dragon Pass, shouting in a booming voice, “The victory is decided! Those who surrender shall be spared!”

His voice was like the roar of a dragon, the bellow of a tiger, roaring and surging.

He unreservedly released his flamboyant spirit, his overbearing aura.

He was a monarch who, having just ascended the throne and not yet grasped power firmly, dared to personally lead a weak nation to attack a stronger one.

His forceful and sharp nature surpassed even the founding Emperor.

Concealing his injuries, hiding in the depths of the palace, recuperating for many years.

He remained still to soar. He did not cry out only to shock the world with a sound.

How many years had he spent biding his time, enduring hardship.

Once he acted, he ascended to the Cave True Realm, becoming a True Immortal of the age, flipping his hand to slay the great general of Mo, forcefully seizing ten cities of Mo.

His second move was to wage war with the entire nation, using weakness to strike strength, personally fighting and killing the hero Han Yin!

His bearing as a mighty sovereign had been established. From now on, Zhuang Gao Xian would no longer need to hide his edge!

As Zhuang Gao Xian’s booming voice rolled out, blood-colored rain poured down from the sky.

The two Marquis of Yong, who were jointly besieging Huangfu Duanming, stopped fighting without hesitation, turning and fleeing in disarray. Yet, in all the world, they did not know where to go! Even though they were dignified Divine Proximity cultivators, Marquises of Merit, they could not dispel their confusion!

Han Yin was dead! A hero of his time, a True Immortal of the age, a man who had held power in Yong for hundreds of years!

If Han Yin could die, who could not?

Marquis Fenge flew at full speed, just arriving outside the Lock Dragon Pass when he felt a dampness on the tip of his nose. Looking up, he saw a sky filled with blood-colored rain, heaven and earth grieving together.

He thought that Lord Zhuang had fallen. But Zhuang Gao Xian’s voice shattered his illusion.

He had come urgently, but he didn’t even have time to look at the Lock Dragon Pass before turning around and fleeing for his life.

With the death of the True Immortal Han Yin, even if Marquis Fenge had nine lives, it would not be enough to explain himself here.

Yong was finished!

He felt an immense grief, and his eyes were uncontrollably sour. A dignified Divine Proximity cultivator, like a stray dog, fled while weeping!

Everything was within Zhuang Gao Xian’s sight.

But he did not pursue anyone, not intending to keep one or two Marquises of Yong.

He stood in the sky above the Lock Dragon Pass, only turning to look at Li Ying, Marquis Chengde of Yong: “Go back and tell Han Xu, immediately release Prime Minister Du. If so, this battle will cease. North of the Lock Dragon Pass, I can promise not to take an inch!”

This was to redraw the national boundaries and determine the fruits of victory.

Zhuang wanted the land already occupied south of the Lock Dragon Pass, including half of Yiyang Prefecture and the entire Lingbei Prefecture. Moreover, the entire Qichang Mountain Range, rich in monster beast resources, would henceforth be assigned to Zhuang territory.

This was actually a condition he had already agreed upon with Han Xu, but he had to give the bloodied and fiercely fighting soldiers a reason. They had risked their lives to capture the Lock Dragon Pass, and before them was the fertile land of Yong, how could they stop here?

Ordinary soldiers would not think about whether Qin, Jing, and Jing, the powerful countries of the age, would allow Zhuang to swallow Yong in one battle. They could not see that far, could not feel those pressures. They only knew that they had shed blood and sweat, and could not simply stop when told to.

Having defeated Yong, the morale of the Zhuang soldiers had swelled unprecedentedly. Now, even if they were told to continue north, or even to confront Jing, they would probably not be afraid.

But Zhuang Gao Xian himself could not be reckless.

In the intricate situation of the Western Territory, a sense of proportion was particularly important in the absence of absolute strength.

If he crossed the Lock Dragon Pass now and engaged in a desperate battle with Han Xu, the outcome aside, even if he eventually broke through Tianming Prefecture and occupied the entire territory of Yong, could he really hold it?

There would be no time to digest it before immediately facing the attack of Jing. It should be known that the Crimson Cavalry of Jing was still outside Jing’an Prefecture.

And as the overlord of the Central Domain, would Jing still provide support?

Jing absorbed Zhuang as a Dao-aligned state in order to place a nail in the Western Territory, to hold down Yong and also to prick Qin. But how could they be willing to raise another fierce tiger in the Western Territory?
Therefore, weighing the situation, if we stop here. Firstly, the Zhuang Kingdom itself will gain tangible benefits. Secondly, with Lord Yong, Han Xu, stationed in the remaining territory of the Yong Kingdom, he will still be the first to face the pressure from the Jing Kingdom.

This point alone can form a sufficient strategic buffer for the Zhuang Kingdom, allowing it time to properly digest the gains of this great war without worrying about disturbance. Truly advancing from an independent small state towards a regional power.

These strategic considerations will naturally not be explained to the soldiers. As the ruler, Zhuang Gao Xian needs to give the generals and soldiers who fought bloody battles a reason. At this time, the beloved Prime Minister Du Ruhui, who is still fighting valiantly, is the best choice.

He is willing to give up more territory for the sake of Prime Minister Du Ruhui, what an admirable bond between ruler and minister!

For Han Xu, his goal is to truly seize power and become the Yong Lord in name and reality. Han Yin, who has held power alone for hundreds of years and has never shown any intention of letting go, is the biggest problem.

He has been the ruler for over a hundred years, and a puppet for over a hundred years.

On the matter of killing Han Yin, Han Xu and Zhuang Gao Xian reached a consensus. But at the same time, for the Yong Kingdom of the Han Xu era, the Zhuang Kingdom is still a strong competitor.

That is why Marquis Chengde, Li Ying, acted ruthlessly, severely injuring the two top Outer Building experts of the Zhuang Kingdom who were most likely to break through to the Divine Descent realm, killing one and crippling the other. It is obvious that if there was an opportunity, Han Xu would certainly not mind killing the pillar of heaven and the golden beam of the Zhuang Kingdom before the ceasefire.

Zhuang Gao Xian’s words at this time are both an indication that he will keep his promise and a warning to Han Xu. If Du Ruhui dies in battle, he will not keep his promise.

Even if Han Xu is very clear that Zhuang Gao Xian does not dare to occupy the entire territory of the Yong Kingdom at this time, as that would overwhelm the Zhuang Kingdom. But Han Xu himself is even more afraid to gamble. The Yong Kingdom after “severing its wrist” and “mutilating its body” especially does not have the qualifications to take risks.

“This humble subject will definitely convey the message.” Li Ying took a deep look at Zhuang Gao Xian and turned to fly away.

As Han Xu’s absolute confidant, the Yong Marquis who struck against Han Yin at the last moment, Marquis Chengde, Li Ying, fundamentally agrees with Han Xu’s decision.

In his opinion, Han Xu is a ruler a hundred times stronger than Han Yin, but he has been unable to display his talents.

Han Yin is a True Person of this world, and until his death, there will be no problem of aging, but his spirit is already old.

He simply does not have the ambition of Emperor Yongming, Han Zhou, back then. He has been suppressed by the Jing Kingdom for hundreds of years, and in fact, he has already succumbed in his heart. No matter how flamboyant and domineering he appears, he cannot hide the weakness in his heart.

Han Yin has always wanted to surpass his brother Han Zhou, but deep down, he never felt that he could defeat the Jing Kingdom, because that was something that even Han Zhou could not do!

Han Yin has no confidence in doing anything that Han Zhou could not do!

He tried his best to erase the traces of Emperor Yongming, but after hundreds of years, he still could not wipe them clean. He lived in Han Zhou’s shadow his whole life.

Such a ruler, seemingly powerful, with strategies, methods, and strength, but the Yong Kingdom in his hands will only slowly rot and stink. Han Yin has been in power for hundreds of years, and the Yong Kingdom has not expanded an inch, and its influence in the entire Western Border is getting smaller and smaller, which is clear evidence.

The Yong Kingdom has reached a time when it must be broken to be established, and must be reborn in fire.

However, Han Yin is too strong and has ruled this land for too long. Relying only on those who are loyal to Han Xu, they are simply unable to overthrow him.

That is why they need to introduce external forces.

Li Ying has always been very sure that he is doing the right thing, but after personally meeting Zhuang Gao Xian, he could not help but feel a trace of doubt.

In the future strategy of Han Xu and his ministers, the first step is to use the crisis of national destruction to arouse the people’s shared hatred and enmity, and in a controllable state of war, allow Han Xu to quickly truly control the national military and political power.

The second step is to nurture the strength of the country, and when the time is ripe, counterattack the Zhuang Kingdom, defeat Zhuang Gao Xian, recover the lost territory, and establish absolute authority surpassing Han Yin…

But will such a Zhuang Gao Xian really be easily defeated?

Carrying an unspeakable shadow, Li Ying left this place.

And inside Suolong Pass, Yong soldiers are kneeling all over the ground!

ps: How should I put it about the book reviews these past two days… I didn’t expect you to have so little confidence in me. Han Xu hasn’t even appeared yet, and a group of people are saying that he’s brain-dead. A person who has endured for over a hundred years and can scheme against a hero like Han Yin, would he be brain-dead?

Saying it’s collapsing, saying it shouldn’t be written, saying all sorts of things.

Gentlemen, ask yourselves, I have written four volumes, 1.6 million words, have there been any perfunctory plots? From sixty subscriptions to now, relying on my savings from writing physical books in the past to live, but in this nearly one year, have I ever been perfunctory to readers?

I remember that at least hundreds of people said that the Opening Meridian Pill left by Zuo Guanglie was poisonous, but after filling that pit, I didn’t see a single person apologize to me. Is it that those hundreds of people haven’t looked at the back anymore? Or is it that in this era, criticism is inherently easier to express than praise.

The people who criticize you after a bad plot will always be more than the people who encourage you after writing a wonderful plot. I ask myself that I have never been perfunctory. Considering that I have always been so attentive, when you feel something is unreasonable, can you wait a little longer before saying it? The dragon is right there, I just haven’t dotted the eyes yet.

That’s it.

I originally didn’t want to say anything.

Writing is inherently facing all kinds of voices, I should have long been accustomed to this kind of thing.

But I just can’t get used to it.

My poetic side makes me very fragile sometimes.