Ren Tianye immediately issued several orders to the messenger.
"Tell Sun Xiang to dispatch five thousand sets of imperial guard armor from Yunji City, including equipment for one thousand five hundred heavy cavalry and one thousand five hundred light cavalry."
"Have Zhang Shi hand over the transportation of rations and forage to Sun Xiang, and order him to lead all his men and rush here at top speed."
"Also, call Wang Ming back. Tell him that Su Xiu's location has been confirmed, and he needs to return immediately."
With these orders issued, Ren Tianye felt slightly more at ease, but he knew his forces were still insufficient.
What he was doing now was a rather risky maneuver.
He had to immediately utilize the three thousand men from Qiniu Town, plus the three thousand eight hundred men he had brought with him, totaling six thousand eight hundred troops.
Against the nearly twenty thousand strong soldiers garrisoning Sifang City, this was a drop in the bucket.
Wang Hai saw through Ren Tianye's intentions and immediately said, "General Ren, we have brought four thousand able-bodied men. They were all handpicked by us. Although they have not yet slain enemies on the battlefield, they are all top-notch men."
"If you need them, General, they are yours to command."
Ren Tianye had this intention all along; otherwise, why would he issue orders right in front of Wang Hai and the others?
His face full of excitement, he said, "That is truly wonderful! On behalf of Duke Ren's Mansion, I express my deepest gratitude to you all. When our great cause is accomplished in the future, I will surely sing your praises before my father's grave."
Having reassured the men, Ren Tianye began calculating in his mind.
With these additional four thousand men, he would have a force of ten thousand eight hundred.
Their combat prowess would naturally be uneven.
However, having requisitioned so much armor and equipment, their strength should improve significantly. With his troops from Yunji City holding the line, he did not worry about any unrest arising among these new recruits.
It should be enough to wage a battle against Sifang City!
Even if the difficulty was immense, this battle had to be launched!
He had to thoroughly eliminate Ye Fan!
"Oh, right, General Ren, there is one more extremely important matter..." Wang Hai and his group were just about to be sent off by Ren Tianye to take refuge in Yunji City. They had already reached the door when Wang Hai suddenly seemed to remember something, his expression changing. "Ye Fan has another source of support!"
"Before Ye Fan rose to power, he became sworn brothers with someone. The man is named Song Wan. Previously, he seemed to be an obscure military officer from a humble background in the Northern Frontier of Great Yu, never highly regarded."
"But that man possesses extraordinary talent. After Ye Fan's rise, he was arranged by Ye Fan to independently lead an army and sweep across the Northern Frontier."
"Fighting and slaughtering along the way, his forces have rapidly expanded!"
"We currently do not know his whereabouts or the exact number of his troops, but I fear they are formidable."
"It is highly likely that he will suddenly return to attack while you, General Ren, are assaulting Sifang City. You must be careful."
Ren Tianye frowned.
Song Wan?!
Sweeping across the Northern Frontier?
Had someone already built up such significant momentum in the Northern Frontier?
He had always kept an eye on developments in the Northern Frontier and maintained contact with scattered border troops who intended to pledge allegiance to him. He only knew that the borderlands had descended into utter chaos, but he had no idea that someone named Song Wan had gradually become an unstoppable force!
"Moreover, this Song Wan is extremely cruel and bloodthirsty!"
Remembering something else, Wang Hai hurriedly added, "It is said that Song Wan looks like a handsome youth. He is usually unsmiling and speaks coldly, but he is utterly merciless when he strikes."
"As far as we know, he has already massacred Shuofeng City, Canglan City, Luoyan City, Shaji Town, Duchuan Town, Qingmeng Town, and several other cities and towns of various sizes."
"He truly shows no mercy!"
"He leaves no living creature behind in the entire city, and the corpses pile up like mountains!"
Ren Tianye's frown deepened.
Ye Fan actually had such support?!
That made him even harder to deal with. He was indeed a figure with the bearing of a protagonist.
But he had to take Sifang City!
Ye Fan must be killed!
Let alone one Song Wan, even if there were a hundred Song Wans helping him, he was determined to slay Ye Fan!
It was just that...
A hint of doubt appeared in Ren Tianye's eyes.
He had a lingering feeling that he had heard the name "Song Wan" somewhere before.
But after pondering for a long time, he couldn't recall.
He simply stopped thinking about it and began considering the best way to attack Sifang City.
...
Canglan City!
This town, which had been thriving and prosperous just a few months ago, was now reduced to ruins. Inside the city, corpses piled up like mountains, blood flowed like rivers, and a nauseating stench of filth permeated the air.
Wang Ming and Su Jin, leading their personal guards to search for traces of Su Xiu, had traveled all the way here. Even Wang Ming, who had spent a long time in the border army and was accustomed to scenes of bloody slaughter, could not help but want to retch.
"It is truly better to be a dog in times of peace than a human in times of chaos!"
"What heartless bastard actually massacred Canglan City? It truly incites the wrath of both men and gods."
He cursed angrily in a low voice. When he looked up, he saw Su Jin sitting on her horse, staring blankly at the ruined "Canglan City" plaque, which was already missing a corner.
"Su Jin, what's wrong?"
"Ah, no, it's nothing, just..." Su Jin said, "Just remembering some things."
Her thoughts were tightly gripped by the rope of fate. The feelings suppressed deep in her heart, upon seeing the words "Canglan City," suddenly surged like a tempestuous sea without warning.
She could no longer clearly remember the appearance of that youth.
She only remembered his expression.
Stubborn, determined.
She remembered even more his resolve to sacrifice everything for her.
But she had already chosen Zhang Wei.
That military advisor with heaven-reaching connections, who was also easy to manipulate!
The youth's endless affection could only be an illusory bubble to her!
All she could give was to accompany the youth on a trip to the Northern Frontier before her marriage, to take a look at the vast rivers and mountains of Great Yu, and to appreciate the beautiful scenery of the north.
As she traveled, he followed all the way.
His face always bore an unsmiling demeanor, but whenever he met her eyes, the youth's face would soften, and his gaze would instantly brighten.
Such pure sincerity made her reluctant to let go and caused her heartache.
But she had no choice but to give up.
She found many excuses, but none could sever this fateful connection. Her tears fell time and time again, and time and time again he caught her crying, leaving her panicked and at a loss.
She lied and claimed she was being bullied, and the youth said, "When I become a great general, I will definitely avenge you."
"For every tear you shed, I will slaughter a city."
Such a jest was truly ridiculous.
But when the youth said it, his body was tense, his face stern, and his eyes held their usual unwavering seriousness.
That image became a memory she could never erase.
But now...
Times had changed. Zhang Wei was dead, and she was no longer the lady who could act recklessly according to her whims. Now, she lived under another's roof, merely dragging out an ignoble existence.
All she could do was remain constantly vigilant.
All she could seek was to forge ahead bravely on the path of her career.
The past was like smoke, and memories were like flowers in a mirror or the moon reflected in water, vanishing in an instant. In this time when the world was on the verge of great chaos, surviving was perhaps more important than anything else.
"Su Jin, are you alright?"
Seeing that Su Jin's expression was off, Wang Ming asked.
Su Jin immediately blinked imperceptibly, letting the tears in her eyes vanish. Her delicate and beautiful face once again showed the calmness she had maintained recently. "I'm fine."
"We should hurry up and find my second sister. Let's not let her stir up any more trouble."
Wang Ming nodded. Just as he was about to lead the group away, he saw a messenger from Yunji City running swiftly toward them.
"General Wang Ming, orders from the Commander-in-Chief! You are to return to camp immediately without fail!"
...
e vast world of cultivation, where he becomes the master of the Heavenly Ruins Sacred Hall, a dying old man with barely a tenth of his former cultivation remaining. He is immediately confronted with a deadly crisis: his subordinates have rebelled, and his protectors are forcing him to abdicate. At the critical moment, the system descends from the heavens: [Ding! The host has been detected facing a life-or-death crisis. The system is now officially activated!] [As a gift, you have received the Supreme Beginner’s Pack and awakened the ultimate cheat: ten thousand years of pure cultivation essence every second!] Yin Tianjue: “Wait… ten thousand years of cultivation every second? That’s six hundred thousand years a minute, and in one day… I can’t even calculate it. Either way, I’m already invincible!” You’re a peerless prodigy rarely seen in ten thousand years? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re an undying ancestor who has guarded a sacred land for countless ages? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re the strongest chosen one, blessed with heaven-defying destiny? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. From this day forth, I have only one thing to say: “I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. Now, how exactly are you supposed to deal with that?”
y came from. The chests contained supplies, currency, class-change scrolls, skills, talents… and even godhood! The laws of the world were completely rewritten. This became a world where everyone gambled with their fate! Some people, despite having nothing, opened a divine artifact and rose to the top, eventually ruling the world. Others went bankrupt, opened nothing but worthless junk, and leaped from skyscrapers in despair. Lin Ye arrived in this world from another reality, utterly bewildered. “What is going on? Why is everyone a gambling addict?!” “Opening chests? No way. I refuse to gamble. I’ll start with myself!” Until— On his first chest, he obtained a Mythic Talent: Void Incarnation! He could become completely intangible, pass through all things, and reduce everything to nothingness! … On his fiftieth chest, he obtained a Mythic Weapon: Blade of Karma! With a single slash, karma shattered, twisting the universe and overturning the myriad phenomena of creation! … On his ninety-ninth chest, he obtained a Mythic Divine Treasure: Primordial Purple Energy! It could split open the heavens and earth, create all things, and evolve countless worlds with a single thought! Lin Ye: “Now that I think about it… shouldn’t someone have told me that every chest is guaranteed to contain something Mythic?!”
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
