“What happened? Why did we not hear of anything until now, even though the Tangshui Pass was attacked on September 16th?” Standing up, Cheng Yuan bellowed.

The messenger replied while panicking, “The entire force was trapped in the pass, as the enemy came without any signs. Not only that, but the enemy took all of the surrounding provinces. We did not have any chance to report.”

“Then why were the provinces near the region unaware of anything? How could they allow the war to drag on to such an extent?”

The messenger cautiously lifted his head up and stole a glance at Yan Xun. After a moment of hesitation, he quietly explained, “That region was Shangshen Highlands. Not only did most of the officials leave with Master Chu, but those who had remained heard that those enemies were there to rescue Master Chu. If they had not tried to conceal the enemies, that would already be praiseworthy. None would come to report. Even the local officials were tied up by the civilians.”

“What?” Cheng Yuan exploded in rage. “What do they want to do? Rebel? Where is the army? Where are the soldiers? Are they all dead? How could they not bother when they saw their officials tied up?”

“About that, this subordinate heard some rumors. The local forces helped the enemy to attack. Not only that, but they provided a detailed defense layout of the Tangshui Pass. If not for that, such a fortified city could not be so easily sieged.”

“How ridiculous!”

“So what is going on now?” a deep voice suddenly resounded.

Cheng Yuan spun his head around only to see Yan Xun questioning emotionlessly, “So the Tangshui Pass has been conquered. What is happening now?”

The messenger’s head was full of sweat. He trembled and delivered another shocking statement, “By the time this subordinate had been ordered to deliver the message, the Tang Navy had somehow received news about the siege, and was already lying in wait beyond the Pass. The moment the gates were opened, the Tang forces landed, and is now heading to Longyin Pass.”

“Who is their commander?”

“He was…the Emperor of Tang.”

“How big are their forces?”

“At least 100,000.”

Yan Xun could hear Cheng Yuan taking a deep breath in shock. Yan Xun narrowed his eyes, and instantly recovered his aura of an emperor, as though he was looking upon all life from above.

Li Ce? Had he come himself? “Gather the troops? The First Army and Second Army are to gather at once! We will head to Longyin Pass!” Yan Xun declared

After merely six hours, the entire formation gathered at the foot of Huihui Mountain. Situated at the border of the Shangshen Highlands, they were not too far from both Tangshui Pass and Longyin Pass. Riding on his war horse, Yan Xun’s black robes fluttered in the winds. Following slightly behind him, Cheng Yuan quietly asked, “Your Majesty, are those who attacked on September 16th also from the Tang Empire?”

“No. That could not be.” Yan Xun shook his head. With his gaze staring into the distance, he quietly stated, “The Tang Empire is far from Yan Bei. If the fact that AhChu and I had fallen out reached Li Ce’s ears on the day itself, he could not have possibly rushed to Tangshui Pass by 16th. I believe it was another power who had received the information first before passing it to Li Ce, and attacked Tangshui Pass to open a path for the Tang Empire.”

Cheng Yuan frowned and asked, “Then who could it be? The Xia Empire? That would be impossible.”

“Who?” With his gaze frozen up, Yan Xun slowly replied, “Who else could so easily enter and leave Yan Bei territory?”

Cheng Yuan was stunned at Yan Xun’s hypothesis, as he cried, “The King of Qinghai?”

“The King of Qinghai.” Yan Xun slowly spat out those words. “Finally, we will be meeting soon.”

As the stars gave way to the light of the sun, a new day arrived.

“Your Majesty!” A scout shouted from afar and loudly reported, “About five kilometers away, we discovered unknown forces!”

“How many people are there?”

“The enemy stretched from south to north over a formation of over five kilometers, and had sealed the advance of our forces. We estimate that they have 13 infantry divisions, eight cavalry divisions, at least another 17 formations of heavily armored melee infantry, and including archers, shield bearers, and other support forces. They are at least 150,000 strong.”

At that moment, everyone took a deep breath in disbelief. Such a powerful force had appeared within the Yan Bei borders. If they did not encounter this foe today, who knew what kind of disaster it could lead to?

Yan Xun did not have the same worries as the rest. Yan Xun knew that the only reason that this entire army showed up was to intercept the Yan Bei army, so that Li Ce could make a retreat.

Somehow, Yan Xun had already guessed his enemy’s identity. Although he was rather surprised, he also felt a sense of joy. Yan Xun admitted that he had been taken aback, but as an enemy, he expected the other party to stand out and fight face-to-face. After all, he could release his own woman, but he would never allow someone else to save her from the dilemma he created for her!

The morning fog covered the entire land. In the mist, the gargantuan army finally appeared, and slowly spread out like an ocean. Wearing his black robe, Yan Xun’s eyes were emotionless and firm as he walked out of his formation. Almost simultaneously, a figure appeared from within the opposing force. Even though they were far away from each other, Yan Xun could immediately tell who the other party was. Their gazes met, and Yan Xun lightly chuckled. He said, “Long time no see.”

Chu Qiao was rudely awoken in the chaos. The sound of horses galloping had come and gone like the thunder, appearing before she could even react. After three days of starvation and enduring of the coldness, Chu Qiao was already on her last leg. In her hurry, she grabbed her sword and dashed out of the tent. Lightheaded and feeling hot, she could only see a blurred mess of torches. With the rumbling of the horse hooves growing louder, it was as though enemies were drawing nearer.

She heard someone shouting at her, so she turned around, only to see He Xiao and his bloodshot eyes. His mouth opened and closed. He was fighting with someone. He was covered in blood, and she could only pray that he was not injured. Chu Qiao’s head was buzzing, and she could not even tell what she herself was thinking. She wanted to carefully listen to He Xiao’s words, but she could never seem to hear clearly.

This was the fourth time that Zhao Yang had raided the camp. The Xia Army had gradually lost their patience. Surrounding her, she could only hear the sounds of death as her guards fell one after another. More and more enemies charged up, as the enemies broke the formation, and each soldier began fighting by themselves. The Xiao army was like a flood, washing away their shaking defense. As an arrow flew over, a guard jumped over to shield her. The arrow pierced through his skull, appearing on the other side. The tip was pointing straight at Chu Qiao’s nose, as blood dripped down.

“Protect Master!” someone shouted. Yet, the soldiers from afar could no longer get close. Surrounded by bodies, Chu Qiao’s entire view seemed to be painted a bright crimson. With the winds blowing, the snowstorm continued. Facing this desperate situation, Chu Qiao thought, It seems like this is the end. This is fine. She lightly nodded, and quietly, hoarsely said, “This is fine, this is fine.”

A row of ballistas was fired, as countless arrows flew, howling as it cut through the air. Lifting her head, Chu Qiao looked at the lethal rain heading her way, a million thoughts flashed through her head. She thought that perhaps she would die, as time seemed to come to a standstill. Her entire life flashed before her eyes. In her orphanage, she had been selected by her country, and after going through over a decade of training, she was selected to go to a prestigious military academy. Upon graduation, she was posted to Military Intelligence, and after countless assassination and infiltration missions, she gave her life for the country. Following that, she came to this era of chaos, and once again, she lived a life that very much resembled her first. Suddenly, an intense sense of fatigue overwhelmed her. As the wind blew towards her, she had this faint wish that she merely wished to give up all of her determination and struggles. All these years, no matter what kind of desperate situation she was faced with, she had never given up hope on life. Yet, she suddenly felt like she did not want to continue fighting. She was really too tired. This would do, and she would finally get some rest this way.

“Master!” He Xiao shrieked in despair as he saw Chu Qiao merely standing, facing the hail of arrows, like a frozen statue. He felt as though his heart had been torn apart. Maddened, he swung his blade again and again. Lightning fast, his blade left a shining afterimage in the air as two heads flew up into the air, with fresh blood tainting He Xiao’s body. Yet, the flood of enemies quickly took the position of their fallen comrades. He Xiao was trapped in combat as he saw the arrows approach Chu Qiao.

The Yan Bei soldiers atop of Longyin Pass had also witnessed this scene with their very eyes. A young soldier’s face was completely pale, as his knees weakened. He looked at the pale face of that lady in the fire as he cried out in sadness, “Master Chu!” He was a soldier who grew up in Shangshen. His entire family had been released from slavery by Chu Qiao, and not only that, but his family had been given land. Yet, he was a coward. When Xiuli Army was fighting outside, he dared not speak out. When the Xia Army repeatedly raided the Xiuli Army, he dared not speak out. When the snowstorms ravaged the Xiuli Army’s tents, he dared not speak out. Even when the civilians cried under the walls, he dared no speak out. Yet, at this moment, his mother’s words suddenly echoed in his mind, as he witnessed his mother, whose hair had already turned white, kneeling on the lands that had been given to his family, telling him, “We must never forget our gratitude to Master Chu.”

Even on the city walls, a chaotic wave of crying could be heard, complemented by the rustling of the tall grass in the highlands and the falling of the massive snow storm. In the past half a month, Yan Bei witnessed the loyalty of an army, and at this moment, the entire heavens witnessed the sadness of a lady.

As the arrows flew up, it reached the highest point in a parabolic trajectory, before curving down and falling with the utmost momentum. Before everyone’s widened eyes, Chu Qiao’s clothes fluttered along with the air as she squinted her eyes, her messy hair waving in the freezing winds. Her mind was blank, yet she seemed to see a certain pair of eyes yet again, looking at her, telling her: Live on, live on.

She gently smiled, her lips curling up very lightly.

I am ultimately unable to hang on anymore. Can I go and look for you?

All of a sudden, the sounds of things cutting through the air could be heard. It was then they saw a patch of black shadows jumping off the mountain situated to the west of Longyin Pass. Holding onto ropes, they swung down, and with impeccable accuracy, their countless blades struck the flying arrows. In that moment, the entire battle quietened down, taken aback by surprise. All of the intruders wore dark green leather armor, and were extremely fast and agile, much like the beasts one could see in a jungle. With their face illuminated by the fire, each of them had a dark maroon tattoo on their face. With their sharp gazes, they pounced towards the Xia Army who was still recovering from their surprise attack.

Before the Xia Army could react, a cacophony resounded from the Southwest. Kicking up a cloud mixed with dust and snow, thousands of horses trampled on the tundra, sounding like a rumbling war drum. The elite shock cavalries charged into the Xia Army flanks. Such spirit and organization could only be seen in a well trained army. Upon closer inspection, it appeared that they were all Tang Empire’s soldiers.

Wearing silvery armor, the young Emperor charged into the main camp and grabbed her. He used so much strength that it seemed as though he wanted to squeeze her to a pulp. His chilly armor felt like knives to the touch, and his heavy breath made huge patches of white clouds in the air. The sounds of killing gradually faded into the distance, and the surrounding sounds fated to mute. With thousands of torches around, she felt as though she was basking in the warmth of the summer sun.

As they distanced from the battles, Li Ce’s deep and calm voice could be heard. There was a slight tinge of panic within his words, as he lightly repeated, “All is well, all is well, all is well…”

Chu Qiao did not want to cry, as she still felt rather confused, as though everything around her was merely a figment of her imagination. Yet, her tears fell beyond her control, dripping down onto Li Ce’s armor and flowing down the outlines of the metal. Closing her eyes, she seemed to see a scene where the apocalypse had arrived, where ground gave way to magma, stars fell from above, and the ocean was covered in an unending conflagration while flowing into a bottomless abyss.