The General Defending the North was the supreme commander of all forces in the northern frontier.
In times of war, he commanded an army of two hundred thousand troops in the northern region.
In times of peace, he commanded the seventy thousand men of the Chifeng Army.
This position had always been held by Lin Yi, the commander-in-chief of the Chifeng Army. But now, Lin Yi was dead. His head had been severed and sent to the felt tents of the barbarians for their viewing pleasure.
The seventy thousand soldiers of the Chifeng Army were basically all dead, save for a few remnants.
Naturally, the Mansion of the General Defending the North was left empty.
This place, which the barbarians once revered and trembled at the mere mention of, could now be entered and exited at will. If they were in a bad mood, they could even tear it down and rebuild it.
Like a whore, from now on, this once illustrious Mansion of the General Defending the North would have no dignity left to speak of.
Tuoba Xiangtai strolled freely and leisurely through the Mansion. Although grand, majestic, and awe-inspiring, its interior was quite simple, even shabby.
It was not even as good as their felt tents on the grasslands.
"Truly incorruptible."
"They say the Chifeng Army loved the people like their own children, and their commander Lin Yi was a famous general of his generation. It is indeed true, but even a famous general falls in the end."
"It's just a pity that I didn't get to fight Lin Yi openly and fairly. What a regret!"
A hint of a smile spilled from the corners of his mouth.
Whether it was sincere or hypocritical, the smile remained on his face and never faded.
Just like that, he looked left and right around the General's mansion, not in the least bit anxious, but rather looking quite interested, until night fell.
Outside the Mansion, earth-shattering cries of slaughter rang out.
Flames gradually rose in the distance.
Countless people of Yu were screaming themselves hoarse.
Shanhe City, where people had lived and worked in peace just a few months ago, instantly became a living hell.
But,
Wasn't this how it was supposed to be!
Over the centuries, the barbarians had suffered at least a million casualties at the walls of Shanhe City. How could a blood debt not be paid with blood?
Calculating that the time was about right, he slowly walked into the council hall of the Mansion, where many barbarian commanders had already gathered.
And on the tiger chair of the General Defending the North sat a man with a rough face, burly and powerful, his eyes as sharp as an eagle's. It was his eldest brother.
—The Eldest Prince, who had already been established as the Crown Prince of the barbarians.
"Eldest Brother!"
Tuoba Xiangtai bowed in greeting.
The Eldest Prince didn't even bother to acknowledge him. Instead, he laughed heartily and joked with the crowd in the hall.
"Heh, I've always wanted to know what this tiger chair feels like. Today, I finally get to experience it."
"It's nothing special!"
"It's far inferior to my golden tent."
"However, I'm still quite happy to sit here."
The implication of these words was obvious. He was making it clear that the barbarian tribe would be his in the future, and the Great Yu Dynasty conquered by the barbarians would also be his.
Everyone naturally understood.
Since they were all generals under the Eldest Prince, they chimed in with agreement.
Tuoba Xiangtai naturally heard it clearly too, but he didn't contradict him. Instead, he smiled slightly, his face showing friendliness, while in his heart he was utterly dismissive.
Sitting on the tiger chair wasn't much; being able to stay seated was the real skill.
The Eldest Prince would have to get up very soon.
"The King has arrived!"
A guard outside shouted, and an old, weather-beaten man strode in, carrying a long saber still stained with blood.
His face bore an unprecedented look of satisfaction.
It was the current King of the barbarians.
—Tuoba Ashina!
As soon as he entered, everyone stood up.
Even the Eldest Prince, who was sitting on the tiger chair, hurriedly stood up.
Seeing this, Tuoba Xiangtai couldn't help but smile.
Heh, just as he thought!
The Eldest Prince couldn't stay seated!
Hadn't he just gotten up?!
"Exhilarating, exhilarating, this battle was truly exhilarating!" King Tuoba Ashina was full of vigor, seeming years younger. "I've never felt so exhilarated."
"Shanhe City, which has blocked us for hundreds of years, is ours."
"This Mansion of the General Defending the North, which has always been a headache for me, is also ours."
"In the future, the world of Great Yu will also be ours."
As soon as King Tuoba Ashina spoke, he revealed his ambitions.
The barbarians wanted the world of Great Yu!
They had always wanted it!
And now was the best opportunity!
"This time..."
King Tuoba Ashina doled out rewards based on merit: "The third son deserves the most credit."
"However, the eldest son's central coordination also merits significant credit."
"I will reward you all individually for this later."
"But right now, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Our tribe has finally taken Shanhe City; we must press on and conquer Great Yu."
"Do you have any plans?"
The Eldest Prince immediately jumped out: "Father, what is there to discuss?"
"Just pour all the cavalry on the grasslands and head straight for the capital tomorrow. After being tormented by the Empress of Great Yu, this northern frontier exists in name only. No one will be able to stop us."
"If we march tomorrow, under normal circumstances, it will only take three to five days for our forces to reach the capital, catching Great Yu off guard. We can take the capital in one fell swoop and capture that Empress Xiao Mingzhao, bringing her back to our tribe."
"When the time comes, with Empress Xiao Mingzhao in our hands, won't the world of Great Yu be at our mercy?"
The Eldest Prince's words clearly struck a chord with the barbarians, and cheers immediately erupted.
"The Eldest Prince is right. If we march now, we can reach the capital in three to five days. That Empress Xiao Mingzhao is still dreaming of tying the knot. We should take this opportunity to drag her to the grasslands."
"This is a great idea. At our speed, we will definitely catch the capital off guard. It's entirely possible to kidnap Empress Xiao Mingzhao before they even have time to react."
"Your Majesty, this plan is excellent. As long as Empress Xiao Mingzhao is in our hands, our hundreds of years of hatred will be avenged. Moreover, those people of Yu will be afraid to act against us, and we can manipulate them as we please."
...
The Barbarian King Tuoba Ashina nodded.
He shared the same thought.
Taking advantage of the emptiness of Great Yu's northern frontier, with hardly any soldiers to stop them, their march south would be smooth sailing, and they could strike directly at the capital!
If they were fast enough, Great Yu definitely wouldn't be able to react.
Capturing Empress Xiao Mingzhao, or even the entire royal family of Great Yu, was not impossible.
He immediately wanted to make the decision.
However, his gaze swept over the Third Prince, Tuoba Xiangtai, and he paused slightly.
This Third Prince was born after he had drunkenly bedded a Wa servant girl. He had never liked him, and over the years, he had been sent to various countries as a hostage.
He had even been a hostage in Great Yu.
Tuoba Xiangtai was usually low-key and silent, so even after he was brought back to the grasslands, he was not valued.
Yet, unexpectedly, he was able to make Empress Xiao Mingzhao so befuddled, giving their barbarian tribe a heaven-sent opportunity.
In that case, he couldn't help but pay him a bit more attention.
So he asked, "Third Son, what do you think?"
Tuoba Xiangtai respectfully replied, "Father, I also think Eldest Brother's idea is very good."
"Marching south to capture Xiao Mingzhao is a brilliant move!"
...
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
