Volume One: Chaos in Yan and Yun - Chapter 107: Only for Your Sake (Part 5)

"Dazhuang, I sense something is wrong." Although it had been some time since he had last been on the battlefield, the Barbarian maneuvers were still difficult to hide from Li Lin’s eyes.

How could a massive Barbarian force allow a mere few thousand men to charge, block, and break through their lines so easily?

After a moment of contemplation, he understood the Barbarians' intentions.

"They want to use our remnants to dampen the morale of the Yanyun defenders... How bold!" Li Lin was both furious and shocked.

"What should we do now? If we blindly charge toward the city gates, we will fall right into their trap," a bald old man beside him asked in a deep voice.

Li Lin frowned and asked, "Why did we come here?"

The bald old man replied without hesitation, "To lift the siege."

Li Lin shook his head. "With a mere five thousand troops, we cannot even break a single Barbarian division, let alone lift the siege."

The bald old man narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

Li Lin said earnestly, "We came here only to seek death."

The bald old man frowned for a moment, then his expression relaxed, and he smiled. "Indeed! We came here only to seek death!"

Li Lin’s orders were quickly passed down. Upon learning that the troops would not push further, most were taken aback. But they were soldiers who had seen battle; many realized the gravity of this order after a moment of thought. While others did not understand, they accepted it nonetheless.

Obeying orders is a soldier's duty!

"I offer my blood to the yellow sands, and dedicate this body to the ends of the earth!" Li Lin shouted as he pierced the chest of a Barbarian on his left with his spear, then turned his horse and charged through the gap he had just created!

...

The movement of the Gale Battalion’s formation did not escape the Barbarian command tent. Hearing the scout’s report, the commander raised an eyebrow, his expression intrigued.

"I must admire their loyalty."

Duomaguan asked, "What now?"

Yang Wanli shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Proceed as planned."

Duomaguan asked, "Should we still have those slaves call for the gates to open?"

Yang Wanli shook his head and drained his cup of wine in one gulp. "Feng Muyun should be preparing to seal the city gates by now."

Duomaguan frowned. "Doesn't that bring us back to the starting point?"

"The starting point?" Yang Wanli looked at Duomaguan in surprise, wondering how this man had managed to lead the Barbarians for so many years. "The North Gate of Yanyun is about to fall; how could we be back at the starting point?"

Duomaguan did not quite understand.

Yang Wanli shook his head. "If my calculations are correct, the next wave of the siege will force Yanyun to reveal its trump card."

Duomaguan had always known that Yanyun held a trump card.

For one thing, the guardian beasts of the Feng family had yet to appear, and he did not believe the Sand Eagles had fled out of cowardice.

The land shapes the people.

The land also shapes the beasts.

The Sand Eagles had been revered in the North for years; they were not the type to fear battle.

Thinking of this, Duomaguan roughly understood Yang Wanli’s meaning. Before he could speak, several loud, clear cries rang out from within Yanyun City, powerful enough to make even his Yinhui-level cultivation cause his blood to churn.

The Sand Eagles... had appeared.

Why?

He narrowed his eyes and looked toward Yanyun. The majestic city stood tall amidst the heavy snow. Through the curtain of white, several massive black shadows could be vaguely seen.

The shadows were engaged in combat. Their battle was not restricted by the grand arrays like those of the Hedao stage, and the shockwaves rolled out like tsunamis in all directions.

Even from such a great distance, Duomaguan felt a personal sense of unease.

"Begin. Let us break Yanyun," Yang Wanli said softly.

...

Duomaguan was slightly stunned. "Has it reached the point where the Xudao stage must intervene?"

Yang Wanli chuckled lightly. "Xu Hai’s Xudao forces have already been deployed; there is no need for us to hold back any longer."

He pointed to the black shadows covering the sky in the distance. "Besides, the Sand Eagles have already entered the fray, which is enough to prove that we have reached the final moment."

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure vanished instantly.

Along with him disappeared the chiefs of the three great Barbarian tribes.

Duomaguan watched the spot where Yang Wanli had vanished, sighed, and then turned around. "Yibiluo, take your men and wipe out those reinforcements."

Then he looked at the others, eyes narrowing. "The rest of you... let’s take Yanyun together!"

...

Outside Wuyang, in an unknown space.

"The outer city has fallen. How long can the inner city hold?" Feng Yue asked with a faint smile, looking at the situation on the sand table.

Feng Qi had regained his composure. Since he could not appear in the North, and could not even leave this space, anxiety was meaningless.

As for how things would develop, he had already said his piece.

When one cannot change the status quo, one must strive to guide the outcome toward one's own expectations.

But this calm did not mean he could face the collapsing North and West gates of Yanyun on the sand table with indifference. On the contrary, he had never felt so powerless—so powerless that he even felt a sense of self-loathing.

It was this very powerlessness that made him unwilling to utter any harsh words. He simply stared coldly at Feng Yue, as if trying to memorize every one of his features.

Even when reading through the ten thousand volumes of the library, he had never been this focused.

"It seems you hate me," Feng Yue said, indifferent to his gaze.

No matter how astonishing one's talent, it could not substitute for raw combat power. The reason he was being so accommodating to Feng Qi was entirely due to "Heaven's Mandate."

A destiny that even he could not calculate.

"Hate? Not exactly," Feng Qi replied coldly. "I simply want to kill you."

Feng Yue smiled. "Perhaps you will have the chance, but not now."

Feng Qi was silent for a moment before saying, "Although I consider myself to have seen through this game, I would still like to ask you: after Yanyun City falls, what do you want them to do?"

Feng Yue chuckled. "Calling yourself clever, yet you cannot guess?"

Feng Qi shook his head. "Guessing is not fact. I only wish to understand the facts now."

Feng Yue leaned forward slightly. "Asking an enemy for help? Such behavior from the young master is somewhat unsightly."

Feng Qi fell silent again.

He had his pride, whether as the Young Master of the North or as the top of the Wind-Flow Ranking.

"No more words?" Feng Yue parted his lips in a silent smile. "It seems the Young Master has not made up his mind."

Feng Qi took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Indeed, I hadn't made up my mind just moments ago."

He stood up. "But I have decided now. Sir, please open this array."

Feng Yue raised an eyebrow, provoking him: "And if I don't?"

Feng Qi summoned the Wuhen Sword and, without hesitation, drew it across his own throat.

The blade stopped an inch from his neck, the sword qi slightly rising, slicing open a layer of skin as fresh blood welled from the wound.

This time, it was Feng Qi’s turn to raise an eyebrow.

Although it was bold, he had bet correctly.

For whatever reason, Feng Yue did not want him to die.

Having declared his intent to die in such a tragic manner, the situation where he was trapped between life and death was admittedly a bit awkward.

Feng Qi did not think so. Since he had leverage over Feng Yue, he believed this game could still be won.

"Don't overthink it. The current situation in the North was not created by the three words 'Li Jinxing' alone. I will not help you lift the siege of the North, nor can I convey any such intent."

Regardless of who is manipulating the board, any war is the result of multi-party maneuvering. Before certain objectives are achieved, it is impossible for it to stop just because someone calls for it.

Feng Qi had never intended to make Feng Yue issue such an order; all he wanted was to leave this place.

Leave, head to Wuyang, find Feng Changkong, and ask him to preside over the overall situation and mobilize the Wutai Army to march north overnight. Perhaps that could bring a glimmer of hope to the North.

Feng Yue was silent for a moment. "Yanyun will fall within a day. What you are thinking of will not come to pass."

Feng Qi was not surprised that Feng Yue could discern his thoughts. For such powerful beings, whether or not they shared a connection, it was easy to see through the thoughts of those weaker than them.

"I want to try," Feng Qi insisted, not giving an inch.

Human effort has its limits, which is why we invented the word "try."

Even if he exhausted his strength and still ended in utter defeat, at least he could have a clear conscience.

Feng Qi demanded a clear conscience!

Feng Yue said, "You know that in front of me, you cannot even commit suicide."

Feng Qi countered, "Do you intend to keep me trapped by your side forever? Does this help you achieve your goals?"

No matter what Feng Yue wanted from him, growth was an indispensable part of it. If he were forcibly tied to his side, it would be equivalent to cutting off his own path. Since Feng Yue valued him so much, he would certainly not choose that.

Feng Yue was silent for a while, then let out a dry laugh. "I never thought there would come a day when I would be threatened."

Feng Qi replied, "Or you could choose to let me die."

Feng Yue shook his head. "If you could die, why would I have captured you?"

Feng Qi said, "Then you can let me out."

Feng Yue sighed. "Wuyang is not peaceful right now. Although the idiots of the Underworld are delusional, they still possess the power of over a dozen Hedao-stage experts, not to mention a million Underworld soldiers. With your current strength, the probability of you dying in vain is too high."

Feng Qi said earnestly, "Since I have embarked on the path of cultivation, I do not worry about dying in vain."

He paused, then continued, "Whether looking at my background or my talent, I am one of those with great destiny. I will not die easily."

Feng Yue glanced at him. "If you ask me, the biggest mistake in the ten thousand volumes was including the 'Theory of Heavenly Evolution.' Look at your generation—you haven't even grasped the nature of luck, yet you start discussing destiny with me."

Feng Qi ignored him and asked, "I have only one question: will you let me out or not?"

Feng Yue sighed again.

He pointed to the sand table. "The battle for the inner city—you aren't going to watch?"

Feng Qi replied coldly, "What if I watch? What if I don't?"

Feng Yue said, "If you don't watch, you won't even know how the King of the North dies."

This sentence was the death sentence for Feng Muyun.

Since he said Feng Muyun would die, then no matter the method, Feng Muyun was doomed.

Feng Qi felt his heart clench, aching intensely.

It was not that he hadn't thought about his father dying in battle, but there was a world of difference between his own conjectures and Feng Yue’s confirmation.

"Then there is even less reason to watch." Feng Qi’s face was paler than it had ever been. He gritted his teeth and said, word by word, "If things truly reach that point, I will kill every single enemy that sets foot in the North."