Before the first light of dawn, silence cloaked the Jun Family's forest camp. The air was thick with tension, heavy with the scent of steel, smoke, and determination. It was not peace, but the stillness before a storm. Campfires burned low, casting flickering shadows on rows of tents, and the occasional spark danced upward like a soul fleeing to the heavens.
Jun Mo Xie stood atop a mossy cliff overlooking Black Thunder Valley, his dark cloak rustling in the breeze. A magical map floated before him, suspended by spiritual energy. Red markers glowed like embers—each one representing an enemy position, a weapon depot, or the heart of the Yi Family's operations. To an ordinary strategist, the lines and patterns were indecipherable. But to Jun, it was a living puzzle, waiting to be rearranged and defeated.
Behind him stood Lin Ar, Liu Lin, and the princess. They had watched him work for hours, wordless witnesses to a mind that never rested. None dared interrupt the rhythm of his thoughts.
"Do you think they'll fall for it?" Liu Lin asked, arms folded, her silver armor gleaming faintly in the moonlight.
Jun's eyes narrowed. "They'll think they're outwitting me. That's when they'll fall."
He turned to them, his voice low and precise. "We split the army into three. The main force marches visibly toward the southern ridge. Let them think it's our focus. A smaller group moves through the old riverbed to plant explosive formations. Meanwhile, I'll lead the elites through the Hawk's Spine Caverns."
The princess raised a brow. "Even spirit beasts avoid that route."
Jun smirked. "All the better. No one expects death from above."
---
Inside the command tent, Jun sat with his grandfather and uncle. The war table was lined with maps, scrolls, and energy-infused markers. Crystals floated above the table, projecting illusions of the terrain. Every peak, cave, and pass was etched into Jun's memory.
"We lack numbers for a prolonged siege," the general said gravely. "One mistake and we're erased."
Jun tapped a crimson path on the map. "We won't be found. This route—Night Serpent Trail—is known only to forest beasts. We'll mask heat and scent, use cloaking talismans. They'll never know we're coming."
"What of reinforcements?" his uncle asked.
Jun's smile was razor-sharp. "I've paid off their suppliers. Twice the price. The Yi Family's shipments will vanish before they know what happened. They'll be waiting for swords and armor that never arrive."
The old general chuckled. "You strike with the sword and bleed them with coin. Well played."
Jun nodded. "I've also arranged false intelligence to be leaked. They'll divert forces to protect a phantom outpost."
"And the capital?" his uncle asked.
"I've planted sympathizers in the city. If the Yi Family attempts to call for court support, they'll be stalled by bureaucracy and counter-petitions. No reinforcements will come in time."
---
Outside, soldiers trained in silence. Newly issued silver-edged Jun Family uniforms glinted under the morning sun. Cultivation chants echoed through the camp, and spiritual grains fueled their growing strength. Battle formations were rehearsed with obsessive precision. Every man had a role. Every gesture mattered.
Jun inspected a nervous young recruit.
"Scared?" he asked.
The soldier nodded.
"Good. Fear sharpens."
He touched the boy's shoulder, infusing him with a sliver of energy. The soldier gasped, his meridians warming.
"You're on the true path now. Use it."
Behind him, two squad leaders approached with reports. Supply inventories, recent breakthroughs in cultivation, and sightings of scouts near the ridge—all presented in orderly fashion.
"Sir," one of them said, "we have twelve men on the brink of breaking into the Foundation Realm."
Jun nodded. "Ensure they're stabilized before deployment. Rushing will get them killed."
---
That evening, Jun stood alone on a hilltop under the silver moon. The princess approached, wrapping a cloak over his shoulders.
"What happens if we win?" she asked.
Jun's gaze didn't waver. "We build a world where strength is earned. Not inherited."
She smiled. "A revolution, then."
He nodded. "If the world calls us villains, we'll redefine villainy."
"Then I stand with you—until the end."
He turned, his hand brushing hers briefly—a quiet gesture of trust in a world where betrayal was currency.
The two stood in silence, watching the camp below where thousands moved with purpose. The sky above them was an endless ocean of stars, and for a moment, Jun allowed himself the illusion of peace. But deep within, his thoughts remained razor-sharp, slicing through possible futures like a blade through silk.
---
By dawn, the army moved.
Maps sealed. Caravans deployed. Elite scouts vanished into the mist.
The three forces parted like the legs of a predator stalking its prey. The bait would walk into the southern valley, singing battle songs. The saboteurs crawled beneath the earth with fire seals and earth spikes. Jun and his Shadow Guard, robed in black, became one with the night.
As the final orders left his lips, Jun knew—the war had already begun.
And this time, he wasn't just fighting to protect his clan.
He was rewriting the future.
---
Then, the war began.
With a thunderous roar, the earth trembled. The first spirit bomb exploded beneath a Yi Family outpost. Fire tore through tents, scattering debris and panic. The night sky lit up with arcs of flame, turning the battlefield into a realm of chaos.
From his position above the valley, Jun Mo Xie watched with icy focus.
"Phase two," he commanded.
A flare rose into the sky—a vibrant green that signaled coordinated attacks. The elite assassins of the Jun Clan descended from the cliffs, blades gleaming like whispers of death. Simultaneously, the decoy forces clashed in the southern ridge, their war drums masking the quiet slaughter unfolding in the enemy's heart.
Jun's strategy unfolded like a deadly lotus—layer by layer, trap by trap.
Smoke curled through the valley like the breath of ancient dragons. Screams echoed, clashing with the thunder of hooves and the sharp ringing of steel.
Within the chaos, one message became clear to all who faced him:
Th
e Evil Monarch had begun his campaign.
And no force under the heavens would stop him now.
End of Chapter Sixteen