Yelü Hong roared to the sky. His long sword slid across his neck, and he committed suicide towards the Tianmo Imperial Palace. All of this finally ended in such a magnificent way. And the Southern Frontier became part of Tianmo's territory.
Situ Jingyan's murderous aura did not diminish in the slightest. Except for a few troops left to guard the southern border, the entire Tianmo army rushed towards Tianmo.
Now, it's time to fight Linwei! He's waited far too long for this battle for supremacy.
---Aside---
Dear everyone who has supported Qingqian all this time, the story will be coming to an end soon.
Considering that most readers probably don't really enjoy writing about war, I won't spend too much time on it.
Chapter Seven: Clash of Emperors
"When will the Emperor return?!" Yunxin's face was resolute as she looked down at the densely packed army in black armor. They were also wearing black armor, but these were the troops of Linwei, not Tianmo.
He had never underestimated Yan Xiuling. He just hadn't expected Yan Xiuling to be so fast. In just ten days, he had actually reached Tiancheng, the closest city to the capital of Tianmo.
"Just hold this place." Beside Yunxin, Haoyue was still wearing a blue brocade robe. Her misty eyes showed no emotion. Her tone was calm, but it inexplicably calmed the somewhat anxious Yunxin down.
It seemed that Haoyue had possessed this power since long ago; a simple, ordinary sentence could bring him peace. It was precisely because he envied Haoyue's personality, which remained unmoved by anything, that he deliberately adopted a cold and aloof demeanor.
Unfortunately, his composure was only effective in ordinary situations. When faced with such a major event, he still couldn't calm down. He couldn't match Haoyue's composure. No wonder his master always said that Haoyue's temperament was far superior to his.
"His Majesty ordered us to hold out for ten days. We will hold out for ten days. His Majesty will surely return." A faint glint flashed in Haoyue's misty eyes, a calm and composed smile played on her lips, and her tone was as clear as a mountain stream.
Yunxin slowly raised her eyes, looked at Haoyue, then at the dark mass of Linwei troops below, and a confident smile appeared on her resolute face.
Suddenly, that oppressive feeling completely vanished. Yes. The Emperor ordered them to hold out for ten days, and today was the last day; he would surely hold out. Although there was no news from the Emperor now, he had said to hold out for ten days, so the Emperor would definitely appear after ten days.
The Emperor was a god in their hearts. Therefore, they believed that the Emperor's words would surely be fulfilled. So even facing so many Linwei troops, they were not afraid. Suddenly feeling a surge of heroic ambition welling up within them, Yunxin's gentle yet chilling voice carried far, "Warriors! Defend our homeland! The Emperor will return soon!"
A resolute and confident voice echoed throughout the entire Tianmo military camp. Upon hearing these words, all the Tianmo soldiers whose eyes had been filled with confusion raised their heads again, their eyes filled with confidence and a willingness to die for their cause.
Seeing this scene, Yan Xiuling, sitting on his warhorse at the forefront of Linwei, raised his eyebrows slightly, a hint of appreciation flashing in his lovely, clear eyes. However, appreciation was not an excuse for him to be soft-hearted. If he could not conquer the capital of Tianmo before Situ Jingyan returned to Tianmo, then he would have already lost half of this battle for the world.
"Attack." Yan Xiuling glanced at the Linwei army, offering only the two simplest words, but the Linwei army pounced like a leopard, with absolute power and momentum.
The pure black armor was interwoven, like a battle from purgatory.
The battlefield reeked of blood, almost filling the entire sky. Yan Xiuling, clad in pure black armor, charged at the forefront. Despite his baby-faced appearance, his eyes held a fierce and ruthless aura.
"Prime Minister, something terrible has happened!" In Tianmo's camp, a guard who had clearly come from the Tianmo Imperial Palace looked panicked.
"What?" Haoyue raised an eyebrow, her tone calm, as if an invisible force made the guard quiet down a little.
The guard, his eyes filled with anxiety, whispered to Haoyue, "The Sixth Prince has been taken hostage."
Situ Jingyan had Situ Jinghao disguise himself as him and take charge of Tianmo. Yan Xiuling sent Qinglian to expose Situ Jinghao's identity, but Qinglian fought Haoyue several times and failed to succeed.
Haoyue's strategic acumen was slightly superior to Qinglian's. Therefore, Yan Xiuling secretly devised a plan to help Qinglian by exposing Situ Jinghao's identity. However, he did not expect that Haoyue would quickly quell the turmoil caused by this in the Tianmo court, thus ruining Yan Xiuling's plan to cause internal strife in Tianmo.
In the Southern Frontier, Situ Jingyan has once again launched a blatant attack. Having been Situ Jingyan's adversary for so long, Yan Xiuling naturally understands his intentions. Without hesitation, she attacks Tianmo. Haoyue and Yunxin have both left the capital of Tianmo to defend it, leaving only Qingzhu to protect Situ Jinghao. Now, Situ Jinghao has been taken hostage?!
Could it be Qinglian's doing?! A strange light flashed in Haoyue's eyes. He knew Yan Xiuling's character very well; she was definitely not the kind of person who would use Situ Jinghao to threaten Situ Jingyan. Otherwise, she wouldn't have let go of so many opportunities to harm Situ Jingyan.
But now that Situ Jinghao has been taken hostage, who could be behind this?! Besides Qinglian, he couldn't think of anyone else who could do it.
Now, only the two countries of Tianmo and Linwei remain in the world. There are no other forces. If it wasn't Linwei that made the move, where else could it be?!
Thinking of this, a flash of anger crossed Haoyue's eyes. The Emperor had always considered Yan Xiuling a confidant and a lifelong rival, yet Yan Xiuling had actually done such a despicable and shameless thing. Immediately, Haoyue flicked her sleeve, and a blue figure leaped down from the sky.
The soldiers of Tianmo stared in astonishment at Haoyue's figure. Their prime minister was always gentle and refined; they all assumed he was unskilled in martial arts. Yet, he had leaped down from such a high city wall—his agility was beyond the reach of ordinary people!
Although Yan Xiuling was engaged in battle, his exceptional martial arts skills made him highly sensitive to killing intent. He looked up and saw Haoyue approaching through the void, and his eyes narrowed. He had long known Haoyue was no ordinary person, but he hadn't expected her to possess such profound skills!
Hmph! But if you want to touch him, Haoyue's skills are probably not enough. He just didn't understand why Haoyue had suddenly acted impulsively at this moment. Didn't he know that this would give him the opportunity to kill him?! Haoyue wasn't such an impulsive and brainless person. Something must have happened.
Yan Xiuling frowned slightly and looked coldly at Haoyue. He wanted to see what could have angered Haoyue, who was usually unmoved even by the collapse of Mount Tai.
"Yan Xiuling. I've always respected you as someone important. I never imagined you could be so despicable!" Haoyue's tone was not as gentle as usual, carrying a hint of anger.
Upon hearing Haoyue's words, Yan Xiuling's light-colored eyes darkened slightly, a hint of displeasure flashing within them. He glanced coldly at Haoyue and said, "I, Yan Xiuling, would never consider myself a gentleman. But I truly cannot bear the word 'despicable'!"
"Hmph! Wasn't it you who sent people to kidnap the Sixth Prince?! Using such despicable methods to threaten the Emperor, is this the style of you, Emperor Linwei?!" Haoyue's eyes were filled with anger, and her words were tinged with disdain, unlike her usual gentle and refined manner.
Upon hearing Haoyue's words, Yan Xiuling's light-colored eyes flashed with surprise. Situ Jinghao had been taken hostage?! Impossible. He hadn't ordered Situ Jinghao's hostage-taking at all, and at this time, who else but him would have taken Situ Jinghao hostage?! A hint of seriousness flashed in his eyes, and Yan Xiuling said coldly, "Hmph! If I really wanted to do this, I could have done it long ago. Why wait until now?! Do you really think you can stop me?!"
His cold tone, however, carried an air of dominance and arrogance that was in no way inferior to that of Situ Jingyan.
Haoyue's eyes narrowed slightly. Yes, if Yan Xiuling really wanted to make a move, he wouldn't have needed to wait for Situ Jingyan to take over Southern Xinjiang; he could have done it long ago. Furthermore, if Yan Xiuling were truly a despicable person, he would have already conspired with Southern Xinjiang.
Moreover, given the relationship between Yan Xiuling and Situ Jingyan, if he were truly such a despicable person, he would have already succeeded in killing Situ Jingyan if he wanted to, so why would he need to use Situ Jinghao as a threat?
Haoyue's eyes gradually regained their vacant look. He had acted impulsively. It wasn't Yan Xiuling! But who else but Yan Xiuling would have taken Situ Jinghao hostage at this time?! He truly couldn't understand it.
"If I truly wished to take action, killing you now would be a significant blow to Tianmo's morale!" Yan Xiuling glanced coldly at Haoyue, his eyes filled with a strong warning. If Haoyue continued to defy him, he wouldn't hesitate to kill him. He did have a relationship with Situ Jingyan, but that didn't mean he would tolerate his subordinate's rudeness.
Haoyue only realized how impulsive his action was after hearing Yan Xiuling's words. What was wrong with him? Was it because he was worried that Yan Xiuling had sent Qinglian to do it? Or was it because he was afraid?
He knew Situ Jingyan well. If this matter was indeed orchestrated by Yan Xiuling, and if Situ Jinghao was truly harmed, Situ Jingyan might let Yan Xiuling go, but he would certainly not let Qinglian, who had acted on his behalf, off the hook. At that time, Qinglian would surely suffer a fate worse than death.
Was he worried about Qinglian's situation? How could that be? How could a man with such a broad vision, so devoted to assisting the Emperor in becoming a wise and benevolent ruler, possibly worry about the safety of a woman?!
Composing herself, Haoyue smiled politely at Yan Xiuling, regaining her calm demeanor, and said, "It was Haoyue who offended you."
Yan Xiuling raised an eyebrow at Haoyue. Haoyue was Situ Jingyan's most capable subordinate, and Yan Xiuling knew him quite well. This man was usually very composed, as if time and nothing could shake his emotions, but just now he was truly enraged.
He didn't think it was because of that incident. Just now, Haoyue's eyes clearly showed blame and worry. He could understand the blame, but who was that worry for?!
Watching Haoyue's figure drift away, Yan Xiuling's eyes deepened, he frowned, and then rejoined the battle.