"Hmph!!!"
Thud!
With a furious snarl, a grotesque wine cup—crafted from an infant's skull—smashed against the head of the kneeling middle-aged general.
"Elder Brother, calm yourself! Over a hundred Body Refining experts and four early-stage Qi Refining cultivators... With a lineup like that, it's no surprise they fought their way back."
An elder cloaked in earthy yellow spiritual light swiftly stepped in to block the red-haired old man. The latter narrowed his eyes but said nothing, clearly brooding. Indeed, such forces were beyond what a mere ten thousand vanguard could handle. Even their own tribe had no answer to four Qi Refining cultivators aside from themselves.
No wonder the Queen had ordered them to attack Yongzhou. Her intentions were far from pure.
"Even so," the red-haired elder growled, voice like grinding stone, "we cannot retreat. Not now. Even if they're hiding a peak-stage Qi Refinement cultivator, our hand is forced. With an army of a million behind us, even a small delay would spiral out of control."
"Enough. Tomorrow, we attack together and breach Yongzhou's walls in one sweep. A million troops need supplies—if this drags on for a month or two, we'll be the ones cornered."
"Get out."
The red-haired elder waved the commander away. Given that kind of enemy formation, it wasn't his subordinate's fault. Without enough elite cultivators to suppress them, such a group could easily sow chaos in the ranks. But now, the two of them would have to step in personally. If the army stalled again, the entire campaign could collapse.
"Sigh. The Great Wei truly hides dragons and crouching tigers. No wonder the Emperor struggles to maintain control."
The numbers alone were alarming. They'd had the advantage of striking first—if given decades, the Great Wei would've become unstoppable.
"Elder Brother, I think our strategy must change. Once we take over the Eight Prefectures of Prince Yong, we must avoid unnecessary slaughter. If the world turns against us, we'll never gain a stable foothold."
The elder in yellow frowned. They were strong—unafraid even of hundreds encircling them—but ruling was a different matter. Relying on force alone would only provoke revolt.
What they didn't know was that if not for the Qi-Inducing Pill Prince Yong possessed, the number of cultivators he could have gathered would've been half, at best. Most came not only for the pills, but for a chance to curry favor with the alchemist behind them.
These were men of the martial world—they knew the value of such pills. In truth, Prince Yong had been right: if Su Min spoke a single word, half of them would follow her orders without question. Even the two old men dared not act too brazenly. They were powerful, yes—but there were only two of them. Anger the cultivators of the martial world, and peace would slip through their fingers.
The Next Morning – At Daybreak
A long, deep warhorn echoed across the land. Outside Yongzhou, a sea of soldiers stretched to the horizon, the earth trembling beneath their march.
"Black clouds loom, the city trembles." Su Min observed from the shadows. The poetry doesn't do this justice.
On the wall, Su Min watched from a shadowed corner as the massive army approached. The sheer number of troops made their formation seem less chaotic than it was—quantity alone inspired dread.
"You four must lure out those two old monsters," she said, eyes sharp. "You carry weapons I personally forged. Victory is impossible—but stalling for a few moves should be enough. Leave the rest to me."
Across from her stood four Qi Refinement cultivators—Sect Master Mo and three under Prince Yong's banner. Though each held high status, before Su Min, all stood respectfully.
~Edit and rewritten by Rikhi, Reiya_Alberich, ReiNyam~
Those two old men had placed their command banners brazenly in the open—as if daring them to strike. Just as she suspected... two peak Qi Refinement cultivators. If they had a single Foundation Establishment Pill between them, they might already have broken through.
"Their command banners are in plain sight. Bold, but predictable. As I suspected—both at peak Qi Refining. A single Foundation Establishment Pill could've pushed them over the threshold."
Hiss—
Her casual remark sent chills down their spines. Had those two reached Foundation Establishment, this war would've been unwinnable. The higher one cultivated, the vaster the gaps between stages became.
"Move out. Stay sharp—even at peak Qi Refining, they can't instantly kill you."
"Yes!" The four leapt down from the walls, followed by a large contingent of Body Refining cultivators.
Meanwhile, below the gates, the two elders met each other's gaze—both reading unease in the other's eyes.
Below the walls, the two elders exchanged glances.
"That Queen withheld critical intelligence. Something's off about these defenders."
"They're not fleeing despite sensing our auras. Do they truly believe four early-stage Qi Refiners can stop us?"
"No matter. Slaughter them first, then crush the gates. Charge!!!"
Boom!
Twin streaks—crimson and ochre—slammed into the battlefield. An oppressive aura rolled over the defenders.
"A duel before the walls?"
Su Min chuckled, though her amusement wasn't shared by the four cultivators now trembling under that pressure. For the first time, they grasped the chasm between early and peak Qi Refining. Su Min had never fought them seriously—she'd been toying with them.
"No chance for ambush now. Pity— Wait, what?"
Her eyebrows shot up as the four leapt from the ramparts.
"Idiots."
With a sigh, Su Min stepped forward. In a melee, stealth might've worked—but this formal duel left no room for tricks.
"My lady, what are their odds?"
Prince Yong called out nervously, "how likely are they to win?"
The battle had already begun, and at first glance it seemed balanced.
"Not a chance," Su Min said flatly. "Those two old foxes were startled by the weapons—right now, they're probing their strength. Once they figure it out... the outcome is set."
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Even as the words left her lips, four figures were sent flying, blood spraying midair as they slammed into the city wall with bone-jarring force.
"Time to intervene." She tossed out a porcelain vial with a flick of her wrist and stepped forward, her aura erupting like a storm—no weaker than the two elders below.
Then—
Whoosh!
A pressure rivaling the elders' erupted as she descended.