Nightwatcher-Chapter 472: Quick! He takes the head of the enemy general from amidst myriad soldiers

Chapter 472: Quick! He takes the head of the enemy general from amidst myriad soldiers

# 472. Quick! He takes the head of the enemy general from amidst myriad soldiers

Accompanied by a thunderous roar, the soldiers defending the wall were stunned.

On the ramp, soldiers and militia carrying rolling logs and crossbow bolts dropped their tasks and rushed toward the parapet.

Silver Gong Xu is going to break the formation?

More than seventy thousand enemy troops, charging with overwhelming force, slaughtering them would take three days and nights, and still not be enough. Though the soldiers revered Silver Gong Xu like a god, they were not like commoners; they were seasoned veterans who knew the limits of human strength. How could any mortal hold off seventy thousand men alone?

Even if they stood still to be killed, one would tire from the slaughter. And these were elite troops.

“Don’t stick your heads out! Do you want to die?”

A commander roared in fury at the chaos. “Defend the city! That’s your duty. Fire the cannons, damn it, all of you, fire! Don’t just stand there. Silver Gong Xu is breaking the formation to ease our burden. Even if you die, hold this wall!”

“Yes!”

A thunderous chorus replied.

Tears welled in the soldiers’ eyes, their jaws clenched.

To follow Silver Gong Xu in defence of their homeland, there would be no regret, even in death.

In ancient times, the Son of Heaven guarded the gates; now, Xu Qi’an alone shall break enemy lines. Both were feats to be remembered in the annals of history.

The morale of the army had never been so unified.

…

Boom!

That golden-glowing figure slammed into the ground beneath the wall with overwhelming force. The earth trembled violently, and the blast wave shredded the enemies within a couple dozen metres into lumps of flesh.

Shattered armour and broken blades were blasted into the air.

Xu Qi’an pressed down with his left hand, enveloping fragments of armour and weapons with his qi. Glancing at the enemies rushing in from both sides and ahead with steel sabres raised, he swept his sleeve forcefully.

Armour, sabres, spears and other weapons shot outward in all directions.

The heads of the charging soldiers exploded, arms shattered with a crack, and chests burst open with fist-sized holes... each met a different grisly end.

But this did not instil fear. The enemy still charged forward, heedless of death.

At first, Xu Qi’an swung his blade, carving through the approaching soldiers like vegetables. No one could get near him.

But he quickly changed tactics, holding back his qi, relying instead on the indestructible body granted by the Vajra technique, the precision of a Transforming Force martial artist, and the edge of the Taiping Sabre to fight hand to hand.

Surrounded by enemies, he conserved every drop of strength. After all, a Fourth Rank was still human, and humans had limits.

To break a formation alone, slaughtering tens of thousands of enemies, the greatest obstacle was not the strength of the enemy, but stamina.

Wei Yuan had once told him that during the Battle of Shanhai Pass, most high-ranking martial artists had died of exhaustion.

As his tactics shifted, in the blink of an eye, dozens of sabres slashed toward him from all directions. His martial instincts let him track every attack, but there was no way to dodge them all.

This was the reality of war: a battlefield where even masters could be hacked to death in the chaos.

Slash, stab, thrust, Xu Qi’an reaped lives one after another.

Clang!

An enemy soldier leapt, steel sabre slamming into Xu Qi’an’s head. The refined steel blade curled instantly. Xu Qi’an countered with the Taiping Sabre, cleaving the man in two at the waist.

Without looking back, he forged ahead, enduring blades, spears, swords, and halberds with his martial body.

After two or three hundred enemy deaths, they still charged with no fear, one wave after another.

After five or six hundred, their eyes turned blood-red, their savagery ignited.

After seven or eight hundred, they began to switch tactics: skirmishing, harassing, drawing crossbows instead of engaging directly.

“Move aside!”

The commander of the firearms division roared, shoving aside the gunners and kicking a heavy cannon, redirecting its aim.

He personally loaded the shell, adjusted the aim, and lit the fuse.

Twisting runes lit up along the cannon’s barrel, charging power. Then, boom!, the entire cannon kicked backward with force.

The shell tore through the battlefield, shredding soldiers in its path.

Xu Qi’an sensed the threat in advance but didn’t dodge. He swung the Taiping Sabre at the shell.

In the deafening explosion, the soldiers surrounding Xu Qi’an were torn to pieces by the blast wave.

Through the rising dust, the silver gong of Great Feng stood unmoved in his bloodstained azure robes. Apart from scorched robes, he was unscathed.

Holding his sabre, he walked forward slowly. The soldiers ahead showed fear, shrinking back, none daring to block his way.

They backed away, clearing a path.

Xu Qi’an shook the blood from his blade and laughed wildly: “So all the warriors of Kang and Yan are cowards? Not one real man among you?”

On the wall, Great Feng’s soldiers burned with passion, roaring back, faces flushed, veins bulging.

Morale soared. They threw down beams, fired arrows, ballistae and cannons with renewed vigour. Compared to the previous day, with Xu Qi’an alone breaking the formation, their burden had clearly eased. So far, casualties were minimal.

In the distance, watching from horseback, Nurhachi frowned. Beneath the walls, a monstrous brute was breaking their formation. On the wall, artillery and crossbows gave support. In less than fifteen minutes, casualties had already surpassed his expectations.

Siege warfare always came at a steep price. But if that brat kept killing, the loss of morale would be far worse than the loss of troops.

Who knew how many cards he still held...

Nurhachi looked around and shouted: “Warriors of Yan and Kang, who among you will take this head?”

“Second Battalion of the Assault Corps is willing to slay him!”

A general roared from the infantry ranks.

He wore pitch-black heavy armour and held a massive eighty pound modao. Kang’s generals all favoured such weapons.

“What’s your name?” Nurhachi asked.

“Ali Bai!” the general bellowed.

“Good. I grant you two battalions. Bring me his head,” Nurhachi called out.

Commander Ali Bai spurred his horse forward, turned, and roared to his men:

“Are you cowards?!”

Having witnessed Xu Qi’an’s fearsome might, fear had crept into the Kang soldiers’ hearts. But at that shout, their eyes flared with fury.

On the battlefield, a soldier’s blood never ran cold.

Ali Bai, modao in hand, continued to shout:

“The Great General died on the city wall. If we don’t take this city, we’re dead anyway. Break through, kill this arrogant dog from the Great Feng, and we’ll be promoted when we return!”

The soldiers’ spirits instantly ignited.

Still unsatisfied, Ali Bai roared, “The Great General died by this brute’s hand. A humiliation beyond imagining, a blood feud that must be avenged!”

The two thousand foot soldiers roared like a collapsing mountain:

“A humiliation beyond imagining, a blood feud that must be avenged!”

Seeing this, Ali Bai said no more. He squeezed his horse’s belly and charged!

The two thousand foot soldiers followed close behind, their momentum overwhelming, driven by a mix of hatred and desire for merit, forming a fearless, death-defying morale.

On the city wall, Zhang Kaitai and the other generals’ expressions shifted subtly, a surge of uncontrollable worry rising.

“I have to help him. I can’t let him break through the formation alone.” Zhang Kaitai stepped onto the wall.

His concern was well-founded.

The Church of the Warlock God’s military system wasn’t too different from the Great Feng’s. Ten soldiers made a squad, led by a Refining Vitality cultivator. Ten squads made a unit, commanded by a Refining Qi cultivator. Ten units formed a battalion. As for battalion commanders, their cultivation depended on their branch and military achievements.

In the firearms corps, which didn’t need to lead from the front, the battalion commander being in the Refining Spirit realm was enough, with Bronze Skin and Iron Bones being the upper limit.

Only the cavalry and infantry leaders prioritised personal cultivation and led from the front, making them more prone to death.

Of these, infantry was the most dangerous.

Thus, even though Ali Bai was just a battalion commander, he was a genuine Fifth Rank Transforming Force expert.

One could well imagine the level of opponents Xu Qi’an was facing, what kind of siege it would be.

And the first wave of soldiers who had been terrified by his slaughter would surely seize the chance to retaliate, competing for kills and merit.

“You mustn’t go!”

Li Miaozhen frowned and blocked the impulsive martial artist, shaking her head:

“If you go, what happens when Nurhaci leads experts to storm the city? I no longer have my Golden Core and can’t hold him back. You’ll end up having to return for support anyway.

“Besides, the enemy still has three ten-thousand-man infantry formations untouched. Their cavalry hasn’t moved either. If you go, even if Nurhaci suffers heavy losses, it’ll still be worth it to take your head.”

Xu Qi’an charging alone was already a suicidal move.

The Yan-Kang army would have been overjoyed if the Great Feng’s experts all left the city. That would save them the effort of sieging.

Li Miaozhen went on, “Why is Xu Qi’an breaking through alone? Is it to lure you out of the city? No. He’s trying to pin down the enemy below, to ease your pressure, reduce casualties. And because Nurhaci fears his trump cards, he’ll try to exhaust him through sheer numbers and force him to reveal them.

“His charge is what makes the enemy wary. Understand? He’s risking his life to reduce your losses. Don’t act on impulse.”

After a pause, she added softly, “Right now, the defenders believe he’s invincible, morale is high. If you go down, it’ll look like you’re rescuing him, and to the soldiers, that image of his invincibility will shatter.”

Hearing this, a general running from afar halted and gave up the idea of following Zhang Kaitai into battle. Li Miaozhen’s words hit the nail on the head.

She looked around at the other generals. “Just focus on defending the city. Once he’s exhausted, he’ll return. That’s when you’ll need to step up to deal with Nurhaci and the others.”

Zhang Kaitai fell silent, slowly scanning the soldiers around him. Their faces were filled with excitement and fighting spirit, hot-blooded and ready to fight alongside the man beneath the walls.

This aura of invincibility, once broken, would be near impossible to rebuild.

Zhang Kaitai was persuaded.

*You must come back…* A few of the generals suddenly turned to look at the golden figure, charging alone into the vast enemy crowd.

…

While sprinting, Xu Qi’an flung out the Taiping Sabre. The dark golden blade light shot forward in a straight line, cutting through eighteen armoured men in one breath before being knocked aside by a sabre-wielding Refining Spirit centurion.

The Taiping Sabre whirled back and landed in his hand. He dashed forward dozens of steps, then suddenly leapt, turning into a spinning sabre light, like a drill bit, slamming into the two thousand soldiers.

Splat, splat, splat!

Clang, clang, clang!

Shield-bearing soldiers were shredded along with their iron shields. Xu Qi’an carved a bloody path through sheer brute force, plunging deep into the enemy ranks.

He then spun, slashing the sabre in a circle. Rippling blade light spread out, slicing through flesh and bone, once again clearing an empty space.

The Kang Kingdom soldiers quickly scattered.

Ali Bai turned his horse, charged in, sabre edge downward, using the horse’s momentum to violently thrust his modao upward.

Clang!

With a sharp ring, the modao split in two, half the blade flying into the sky.

Two centurions launched a pincer attack, one thrusting a spear toward Xu Qi’an’s lower back, the other charging head-on, slashing at his eyes.

Tricky angles.

Even Bronze Skin and Iron Bones wasn’t truly invulnerable. There were always weaker points somewhere.

Xu Qi’an stomped on the spearhead, using it as a pivot, spun, and kicked off the centurion’s head. Then, riding the spin, he slashed the Taiping Sabre with all his strength.

The blade light flashed and vanished.

The centurion’s body split in two, entrails and organs spilling everywhere.

Behind him, several soldiers were also bisected.

Wave after wave of soldiers surged forward, slashing wildly. Sparks flew from his golden light, the sound of impacts constant.

Three squad leaders, hiding among the regular soldiers, lunged in as Xu Qi’an paused to catch his breath. One grabbed his legs, one wrapped around his torso, one clung to his sabre arm.

In that moment, a warrior’s instinct for danger seemed to fail, because there were simply too many dangers. Hundreds of sabres, dozens of spears, arrows from every direction. Everywhere, enemies.

The overwhelming threat made it impossible for Xu Qi’an to detect the three squad leaders in advance. He was instantly seized.

Whoosh, whoosh...

Over a dozen soldiers hurled ropes at him, snaring his neck and arms.

More soldiers followed suit, throwing ropes to bind him.

These ropes were made from extremely tough materials, usually used to haul siege towers or drag cannons up walls.

A warrior below Fifth Rank Transforming Force would have no hope of breaking them by strength alone.

Even a Fifth Rank wouldn’t be able to tear through a dozen at once.

What’s more, Xu Qi’an’s neck and arms were already bound.

“Taiping!”

Xu Qi’an let go of the sabre.

The Taiping Sabre howled through the air, trying to sever the ropes, but was immediately leapt on by a squad leader. Then came the second, the third, the fourth... a whole string of soldiers hurled themselves on the sabre, using their flesh and blood to suppress this peerless divine weapon.

“Twist his head off!” a centurion roared.

The soldiers abandoned their blades and pulled the ropes together. Each rope had dozens of hardened men hauling with all their might.

They were veterans, seasoned in killing martial artists of high rank. They knew exactly what to do.

Xu Qi’an’s neck inevitably tilted back, muscles bulging, his neck thickening.

He stirred his qi, clasping his hands together with all his strength. On the other end of the rope, dozens of robust soldiers clenched their jaws and battled him in a contest of raw strength.

At that moment, Xu Qi’an was grappling against more than a hundred men on three lines at once.

The soldiers ground their teeth, veins bulging on their faces as they pushed their bodies to the limit, but even so, their feet slowly skidded forward.

It was terrifying.

The strength of this man’s body was terrifying.

Ali Bai seized a sabre and poured his immense qi into it. He stared coldly at the Great Feng Silver Gong wrestling the soldiers and sneered.

“You son of a bitch, you’ve killed so many of my brothers. You, Xu, are Wei Yuan’s lackey, trying to copy him by dressing in blue? I’ll use this blade to spay you, break your Golden Body, make you a eunuch dog just like him.”

Xu Qi’an’s eyes went crimson.

He let out a deep roar, his neck swelling again, muscles surging all over his frame, straining against the azure robes as torrents of qi exploded from his body.

Snap, snap, snap... three ropes were torn apart by sheer force. Soldiers were flung away, tumbling like leaves in the wind.

In his azure robes, he grabbed Ali Bai and burst from the encirclement, flinging bodies aside as he went.

Ali Bai’s face filled with fear. He threw a punch at Xu Qi’an’s face, kicked out in desperation, fighting with all he had.

But it was useless. The man’s Golden Body was impenetrable.

“You think you have the right to insult him?”

Xu Qi’an tore off his head and held it in his hand.

Ali Bai’s eyes bulged wide, lips parting slightly. At the moment of death, he seemed to want to beg or curse, but Xu Qi’an didn’t give him the chance.

Ali Bai, commander of the assault battalion, was dead!

Most of the battalion had already been killed or wounded. The remaining soldiers scattered in panic, completely demoralised.

Xu Qi’an leaned on his sabre, panting heavily.

Behind him, atop the city wall, came the cheers of Great Feng’s soldiers.

“Silver Gong Xu, invincible!”

“Silver Gong Xu, invincible!”

“Silver Gong Xu, invincible...”

When they’d seen Xu Qi’an caught in ropes, their hearts had clenched. The fear then made the relief now all the sweeter.

He truly was Silver Gong Xu, truly the hero of Great Feng, truly invincible.

At this point, only a few spots along the walls had been breached by enemy troops. The majority remained solidly held.

There was now an unspoken accord between Xu Qi’an and the defending soldiers. As long as the man at the front line didn’t fall, those behind him would stand like a mountain.

Even in death, the line would hold.

If Silver Gong Xu could face an army alone, what reason did they have to fear death?

...

“Well done.”

The officers, while still commanding the defence, couldn’t help but show smiles of genuine admiration.

*Also a Rank Four, after such relentless battle at the vanguard, I’d have spent half my qi already...* Zhang Kaitai thought with a sigh, then stiffened. He was a veteran Rank Four himself.

“He should’ve come back by now, he should’ve,” Zhang muttered under his breath, voice tight.

Even with Xu Qi’an’s rare talent, he couldn’t be too far beyond other Rank Fours. That meant his qi should’ve been more than half spent. He should have returned by now. If not, once Nurhachi’s army pinned him down, he’d be ground to death.

At the front line, Nurhachi’s face darkened.

Rank Four. If he wasn’t mistaken, that boy had reached Rank Four.

No Rank Five could break those ropes. No Rank Five had qi like that. He’d fought Xu Qi’an before and had some grasp of his strength.

To break through to Rank Four overnight, what kind of talent was that?

Whether as the ruler of a nation or a peak dual-path Rank Four, Nurhachi had always held a pride that brooked no equal beneath Rank Three. Yet now, for the first time, he felt envy towards that rising star of the Great Feng.

His fame shone like the sun. His Golden Body was unshakable. And his talent was monstrous to the point of horror.

If not killed now, in ten or twenty years, this man would become the Church of the Warlock God’s greatest threat. He might even become another Wei Yuan of the Great Feng.

Nurhachi narrowed his eyes at the heaving chest of Xu Qi’an and gave a chilling smile.

*So you broke the line alone. But how long can your qi burn?*

*Everyone beneath Rank Three is mortal. Mortals have limits.*

*Once the soldiers wear down his momentum, he’ll be ripe for death.*

Nurhachi had abundant experience on the battlefield. In his eyes, the real battle wasn’t the siege. The key was to kill Xu Qi’an.

The morale of Great Feng’s defenders was soaring, their bravery boundless. The root of it all was that this Xu remained standing.

Kill Xu Qi’an, and you’d shatter their will and belief. Just as Ali Bai’s death had caused the assault troops to flee, spirit broken.

Just like yesterday, when Sugudu Hongxiong died and the Kang army nearly fell apart.

Nurhachi drew in a deep breath and thundered, “Whoever brings me Xu Qi’an’s head shall be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold and a fief of a thousand households. Sever a limb, and you’ll receive a hundred taels, a fief of a hundred households.”

Boom!

The army roared like waves crashing, the allied troops of the two nations erupting with excitement.

A thousand taels of gold, enough to last eight lifetimes.

A fief of a thousand households, a title just below a lord of ten-thousand-households. In Yan, it meant nobility for your descendants, riches for generations.

Great rewards call forth great warriors.

“The Formation Breaker Battalion requests to engage!”

“The Cavalry Battalion requests to engage!”

“The Modao Troops request to engage!”

“...”

The allied forces were ablaze with fighting spirit, itching to charge. That lone warrior, leaning on his blade, now seemed like meat on the chopping board. Take one bite, and glory for your descendants was assured.

Even if they couldn’t seize the head, an arm would do.

Nurhachi’s face grew grim. He waved his hand. “Approved!”

The roaring army suddenly fell silent. For a moment, they weren’t sure what the Yan King meant. Which unit would go first?

Then, the cavalry commander let out a deafening shout, “Charge with me!”

He spurred his horse forward like a shot from a bow.

The rest of the cavalry followed instantly. Riders surged like a tide, weapons glinting, their charge thunderous.

The commander of the modao division was alarmed. “What are you all standing around for? Charge!”

The soldiers of the modao division immediately understood and charged out of formation after their commander.

The next moment, all the units that had requested to fight surged forth, racing to be the first, afraid their share of merit might be taken.

The units that hadn’t requested to fight were furious and anxious, as if someone had stolen their bride.

“Twenty thousand men, let’s see if you survive this.”

A commander spat in frustration, seething with regret. That Xu brute from the Great Feng was doomed to die without an intact corpse. Why hadn’t he been quicker to request deployment? Now those bastards had snatched up the opportunity.

On the city wall, Zhang Kaitai and the other generals turned pale, looking down from above. They saw a dark mass of soldiers surging forward like a tide of rats, raising clouds of dust.

And before this overwhelming force stood a lone figure in azure, stained with blood.

The scene made the soldiers on the wall break out in gooseflesh.

*Gulp...* A guard swallowed hard and said anxiously, “Can- can Silver Gong Xu hold them off? Let’s go down and help him.”

“Silver Gong Xu will fall back...”

“If we open the gates now, the enemy below will swarm in. We won’t be able to save him.”

A soldier shouted, “But we can’t just stand by while Silver Gong Xu’s in danger. He needs reinforcements, he needs help...”

Clearly, Xu Qi’an’s overwhelming display of might had thoroughly enraged the enemy. They were determined to kill him, no matter the cost.

The defenders saw clearly that among the attacking troops were cavalry capable of smashing through any line; sabre soldiers who could cleave through man and horse with a single blow; and armoured troops with shields designed to break formations...

All elite troops.

And these elites clearly weren’t suited for siege warfare. They were aiming straight for Xu Qi’an.

Even someone like him couldn’t stand against such elite forces... The defenders were gripped with unease. No matter how much they worshipped Xu Qi’an, they couldn’t help but fear for him now.

While everyone behind worried for him, Xu Qi’an himself stood unshaken, as if calmly awaiting the enemy’s arrival.

*Blood’s gotten to his head...* Zhang Kaitai and the other martial artists all had the same thought.

This wasn’t rare. The martial system was different from others, increased cultivation brought a wilder spirit. Overcautious people could never become high-ranking martial artists.

Because of this, on the battlefield, they often became overwhelmed with battle-lust, losing all sense of caution. Many martial artists ended up trapped behind enemy lines because they’d charged too far.

Zhang Kaitai suddenly felt his heart sink, overwhelmed with dread. No longer caring to maintain Xu Qi’an’s invincible image to boost morale, he turned to the generals.

“You stay here. I’ll go save Xu Qi’an.”

“Commander Sir, we’ll go with you!”

Several senior officers objected to him going alone.

Zhang Kaitai shook his head. “You have to stay. If we all leave, Nurhaci will strike. I’ll go save Xu Qi’an. He’s a junior from our Nightwatcher’s constabulary. I must protect him for Duke Wei’s sake.”

This time, Li Miaozhen didn’t stop him. She gazed at Xu Qi’an’s back, her eyes shining. Her golden core told her he still had strength left, enough to hold out until Zhang Kaitai could reach him.

…

The enemy charged like a swarm of rats, rapidly closing the distance.

A thosuand feet, eight hundred, five, three... the leading commanders bared their teeth. Cavalry swung their lassos, modao soldiers raised their massive blades, formation-breakers lifted their shields and increased speed.

No one noticed the purple powder falling between Xu Qi’an’s fingers, scattering on the wind.

The artefact the Jianzheng had given him to suppress his fortune, he had just crushed it with his own hands.

Now, nothing could block his vast fortune, and nothing could interfere with his connection to the power of the people.

Xu Qi’an slowly sheathed his sabre, collapsing all his aura and withdrawing all emotion.

Using the sword-nurturing technique taught by Chu Yuanzhen, he drew on the power of all beings, an insight he had gained from duelling the Buddhists.

The essence was to nurture his blade’s intent with the will of the masses.

The spirit of invincibility formed by the ten thousand Great Feng soldiers behind him now flowed completely into his body.

*You really think I, Xu Qi’an, is but a lamb to the slaughter?*

Then, Xu Qi’an opened his eyes.

*Clang!*

One Blade from Heaven and Earth!

A dark golden blade light swept across the world.

The charging cavalry lost their lower halves, their torsos tumbling down with their horses’ heads.

Shield-bearing infantry collapsed uncontrollably, their legs continuing to run while their torsos fell back, colliding and toppling.

The modao soldiers famed for cutting both rider and mount in one blow, were themselves obliterated in one strike.

Under that single slash, a third of the twenty thousand elite troops were annihilated.

Seven thousand war souls rose into the air.

It was a battlefield of tens of thousands, yet now, silence fell. Not a sound was heard.

Moments later, the frantic sounds of reins being pulled echoed, cavalry, sabre soldiers, and formation-breakers alike halted their charge, then turned and fled in terror.

Gold, rank, glory, all turned to illusions.

That one strike had broken their courage. Fear exploded in their hearts.

Further back, chaos spread among Nurhaci’s rear troops.

First surge, second falter, third collapse. Now, the allied armies’ morale had utterly broken, scattered by a single Great Feng warrior.

*Third-rank... third-rank?! So he really had a trump card left...* Nurhaci’s pupils shrank violently, his heart pounding with fear, with pain, and with fury that burned to destroy everything.

That single slash had wiped out elites that the two nations of Yan and Kang would need years, even decades, to build.

Nurhaci’s face darkened as he formed hand seals.

Not just the allied troops, even the soldiers atop the city wall stared wide-eyed at the scene.

No cheers, no applause. They seemed to have lost the ability to speak, stunned into silence.

Li Miaozhen’s eyes widened in a daze.

Zhang Kaitai stood frozen, halfway through his leap off the battlements, turned into a statue.

Suddenly, Zhang Kaitai snapped out of it. His face changed drastically, and he bellowed, “Quick, save him!”

He remembered now. He remembered Xu Qi’an’s ultimate move.

One Blade from Heaven and Earth.

With one slash, the enemy dies, but so does the self.

Li Miaozhen trembled all over. At last, she felt fear and dread. She screamed, “Go save him!”

…

At the front lines, Nurhachi stopped moving his fingers.

The divination showed: supreme good fortune.

He immediately summoned the giant bird's phantom, which hooked onto his shoulders and lifted him into the air.

The Yan King's beard and hair flowed as he shouted in the sky, "Xu Qi’an, today I shall grind your bones to dust to honour the fallen soldiers!"

He looked down from on high. The aura of the man in azure below rapidly waned, his gaze dim and lifeless.

At this moment, the Yan King was utterly certain, his opponent's cards were spent.

The warrior’s danger sense gave no feedback. The divination showed supreme good fortune.

And with his near-invincible cultivation just below Third Rank, slaying this young Silver Gong of the Great Feng was almost a certainty.

An immense wave of pressure fell from the sky. Though the Yan King had not yet arrived, the dreadful aura made it hard for Xu Qi’an to even stand straight.

Xu Qi’an lifted his head to look at the dual-system peak Fourth Rank master charging at him with killing intent and fury. He smiled.

*Did you really think I broke your ranks just to stall for time?*

Hiss… the last page of paper burned, a clear aura wrapped around him, and Xu Qi’an whispered:

“My state… has returned to its peak.”

In an instant, as if spring returned to a dead tree, a mighty energy burst forth from his exhausted body.

Xu Qi’an sheathed his sabre, collapsed all his qi, and reined in all emotion. It was as if a vortex had formed within him.

*Danger! Danger! Danger!*

The Yan King’s expression changed dramatically. The warrior’s danger sense finally responded, every cell roared danger, every nerve urged him to flee.

At that moment, he felt himself locked onto by a will, tightly and inescapably.

*But my divination clearly said supreme good fortune. Why is the Refining Spirit sense giving such a warning…* The Yan King couldn’t understand. The two systems were contradicting each other.

This had never happened before, at least, never with a martial artist.

The giant bird’s phantom vanished. The Buddhist monk's phantom switched in seamlessly. The Yan King extended both arms, palms facing Xu Qi’an.

“Put down your butcher’s blade.”

Buddhist Commandment.

“Die!”

Curse of Death.

A faint golden glow shimmered across Xu Qi’an’s body, rendering the two techniques as useless as stones sinking into the sea.

The Yan King’s face turned deathly pale. Now he knew why the divination showed supreme good fortune, Xu Qi’an had a Daoist golden core within him. One golden core broke all laws. Divination could not predict those who possessed a golden core.

Death curses and Buddhist Commandments were likewise ineffective.

The monk’s phantom vanished. The giant bird’s phantom returned seamlessly, hooking Nurhachi and retreating.

*Flee. Flee now.*

*Higher. Fly even higher. A crude martial artist can’t stay airborne for long. Once I’m in the sky, I’d be safe…*

Xu Qi’an raised his head. In the blue sky, far in the distance, an eagle spread its wings and soared.

*Duke Wei, the road you were to walk has ended.*

*But mine… is only just beginning.*

*I shall soar like that eagle, cutting down all foes… I have no retreat left.*

In that instant, the Taiping Sabre, One Blade from Heaven and Earth, Heart Sword, Lion’s Roar, and Intent Nurturing all fused into one.

Clang!

A deafening lion’s roar burst out.

A beam of dazzling sabre light soared skyward and vanished in a flash.

High above, that vanished blade-light suddenly reappeared, cleaving Nurhachi in two. His remains fell powerlessly before the eyes of the two nations' coalition army.

His soul and flesh were severed as one.

That blade cut through sixty years of a sovereign’s life, the glory and disgrace of a ruler; through the cultivation of a near-invincible expert just beneath Third Rank.

Blood mist burst from Xu Qi’an’s body. His golden body shattered. A savage wound nearly cleaved him in two at the waist.

His intent: broken jade!

When facing certain death, when all roads had crumbled.

This intent, it rises from the heart, and leaves by the blade. To rather break like beautiful jade, than live as a dull clay tile!

Hurting others at the cost of one’s self.

*Duke Wei, I’ve reached fourth rank. This strike, I’ll call it broken jade. It’s a shame you’ll never see it…*

Xu Qi’an looked northeast in silence.

Then, he planted his sabre into the ground to support himself, looked down on the enemy troops, and laughed wildly:

“Cowards of the Yan and Kang nations, none of you are real men. Am I wrong?”

The armies of Yan and Kang collapsed, fleeing in panic. Their defeat was like a mountain crumbling.

Zhang Kaitai finally arrived and reached out to catch the young man falling backwards.

Xu Qi’an bared his bloodied teeth and muttered unhappily, “Why is it you? Where’s Li Miaozhen? Why didn’t that damned woman catch me?”

Zhang Kaitai opened his mouth.

Then furrowed his brow. “So noisy…”

Zhang Kaitai pressed down hard on his wound, forcing a smile: “It’s the cheers of the soldiers. They’re crying and shouting for you. Hah, I’ve never seen them like this before.”

Xu Qi’an fell silent. “I didn’t disgrace Duke Wei, did I?”

Zhang Kaitai, who had held back tears after Wei Yuan’s death, suddenly lost all control. His vision blurred as sobs broke free.

*Duke Wei… this is your legacy.*