Ji Fuyao’s declaration rang out, clear and resolute. “The Fuyao Dynasty will make its name, starting with the Battle of Luocheng!”
Hearing this, Wang Man roared, his Blood Axe swinging wildly, blood qi surging through him. “Battle!”
“Battle!”
The entire Fuyao Imperial Dragon Guard echoed his cry, their voices shaking the heavens.
The people of Beiwang City watched, their spirits soaring. The history of the Northern Plains was about to be rewritten! All because the White Robe Supreme stood behind the Fuyao Dynasty.
The Beiwang City Lord turned to Ji Fuyao, bowing respectfully. “Empress, at our current speed, we will reach Luocheng in half a day.”
Ji Fuyao nodded. “Good.”
Meanwhile, in Luocheng.
Ten thousand soldiers of the Northern Plains Imperial Court had completely encircled the city. This was the elite Ice Flame Army, once under the command of North King, now directly controlled by the Ice Frost Empress.
The formidable force boasted over a dozen Quasi-Dao Supremes, with three Three-rotation Quasi-Dao Supreme commanders leading them. Their power was terrifying. All three commanders of the Ice Flame Army had been dispatched to besiege Luocheng.
The ten thousand Ice Flame Army soldiers stood, clad in exquisite, gleaming armor that radiated an icy light. Their faces were etched with overwhelming battle intent and killing aura, so fierce it seemed to dim the very sun in the sky.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
Luocheng had already suffered heavy blows, yet the Ice Flame Army wasn’t rushing to attack. Chen Yan, the Fire Alliance Wang Jiang defending Luocheng, was severely wounded, unable to fight further. The city itself was on its last legs. But the Imperial Court commanders had chosen to surround it without attacking, opting for a brutal ‘surround and strike reinforcements’ tactic, aiming to annihilate any rescue forces in one fell swoop.
Above the city, the three Ice Flame Army commanders — Kong Xiu, Wang Zhi, and Han Fu — stood in the void, cloaked in heavy armor, surveying the land with an air of absolute dominance. Their aura was overwhelming.
“North King is dead,” Kong Xiu declared, his voice cold and hard. “We must avenge him! Slaughter every single member of the Fire Alliance!”
Wang Zhi’s voice was frigid. “For years, we turned a blind eye to the Fire Alliance, and these beasts actually thought we wouldn’t dare move against them. The Ice Frost Empress needs but a thought, and the Fire Alliance will be wiped from existence!”
Han Fu scoffed, a sneer twisting his lips. “The glory of our Northern Plains Imperial Court illuminates this entire domain. Yet these factions, instead of being grateful, dream of overthrowing us. How utterly laughable!”
Within Luocheng, the Fire Alliance Wang Jiang, Chen Yan, was covered in blood. His Dao patterns were shattered, his Dao rhyme rapidly draining away. The three commanders had easily suppressed him. Clutching his chest, he sat before his weary troops, his face deathly pale.
“I apologize,” he said, his voice laced with exhaustion and shame. “I am useless. Luocheng… it may not be saved.”
A wave of humiliation washed over the Fire Alliance soldiers. The Ice Flame Army could have easily breached the city, yet they chose to torment them, surrounding them, leaving Chen Yan with just enough breath to prolong their suffering.
“Wang Jiang, what do we do now?” someone asked, their voice tight with suppressed rage.
Chen Yan frowned. “How many factions responded to our call for aid?”
Their faces turned bitter. “Only Beiwang City.”
Chen Yan sighed. “The Fire Alliance’s momentum is gone. With the Ice Frost Empress enraged, we cannot hope to resist.”
From above, Kong Xiu’s voice boomed, laced with mockery. “What’s wrong? We gave you time to call for help, and two days have passed. Still no one has come!”
Han Fu chuckled derisively. “What Fire Alliance? Just a motley crew of rabble! Under the Imperial Court’s glorious radiance, you refuse to be good dogs, yet dream of biting your master? How utterly absurd!”
As his voice faded, Chen Yan rose, his gaze fixed on the sky above. “The Imperial Court has drained the Northern Plains of its strength, monopolizing over ninety percent of all cultivation resources! Are we not even allowed to cultivate?”
Kong Xiu burst into laughter. “Not annihilating you already counts as the Imperial Court’s grace! You still dream of cultivating? What, do you still hope to contend for the Supreme Path?”
“But this epoch is destined to disappoint you. Her Imperial Majesty, the Ice Frost Empress, has already contacted our Supreme Old Ancestors. This generation, we of the Imperial Court need no Supreme Path; we can all ascend! This is the true foundation of our Imperial Court!”
“Do you truly believe you can overthrow the Imperial Court? Ants trying to topple a giant tree—you overestimate yourselves!”
The cultivators in Luocheng were stunned. Eight Supreme Old Ancestors for the Northern Plains Imperial Court! And they could ascend without the Supreme Path this epoch! How could they possibly resist? The Fire Alliance had hoped to make a desperate stand on the Supreme Path, but the Imperial Court no longer cared for it. They were still on the first floor, while the Imperial Court was already on the second! Eight epochs of Imperial Court foundation—what could they possibly use to fight against that? Moreover, the Fire Alliance itself was far from unified.
Despair. Deep, crushing despair.
Kong Xiu’s cold laugh echoed. “One more stick of incense. If no one comes to your aid, you will all be buried here.”
Commander Han Fu shook his head, disdain evident in his gesture. “We overestimated the Fire Alliance. We thought they might make a desperate gamble! But they are merely worthless rabble, incapable of achieving anything.”
Time ticked by, each breath a torment worse than death for Luocheng. They knew they were doomed, yet they had to wait for death to claim them. The Ice Flame Army was deliberately prolonging their agony.
Wang Jiang Chen Yan’s face was etched with sorrow. “Our momentum is gone. Since death is inevitable, let us fight! To kill even one Imperial Court soldier is a victory!”
Hearing this, a look of grim determination appeared on everyone’s faces. At this point, the Ice Flame Army would offer no quarter, no chance for surrender. There was only battle.
Wang Jiang Chen Yan stood tall, roaring, “We cultivators, what fear have we of death?! Battle!”
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
A deathly resolve settled upon the faces of every cultivator in Luocheng. Battle! Their final dance!
Countless Luocheng cultivators surged towards the city gates, deliberately deactivating the defensive formation, ready for their last stand.
Seeing this, Commander Kong Xiu sneered. “Mere death throes!”
Beside him, Commander Han Fu waved his sleeve. “Army, form ranks!”
The entire Ice Flame Army roared, their overwhelming momentum shaking the very heavens.
From within the city, the Fire Alliance forces charged out!
Chen Yan turned to a man beside him. “Send a message to the Beiwang City Lord. Tell them not to come. Retreat quickly, scatter and escape!”
The middle-aged man immediately activated his communication jade slip, but in the next instant, his face turned ashen.
“Wang Jiang, Beiwang City... they’ve already arrived!”
Chen Yan sighed, a grim acceptance in his eyes. “If so, then battle!”
On the other side, the Ice Flame Army surged forward.
Suddenly, “Boom!” “Crack!”
The void tore open, space twisted violently! From the spatial rift, a terrifying killing intent erupted, followed by the thunderous roar of the Imperial Dragon Guard, like an avalanche.
“Battle! Battle! Battle!”
In the next instant, Ji Fuyao emerged, clad in a fiery red robe. A heaven-reaching sea of fire manifested beneath her jade feet, blazing with intense heat. She held the Nine-star Supreme Weapon, Heaven-Burning Spear, its tip pointed downwards.
“Kill!”
Seeing this, Commander Kong Xiu ascended into the void, charging towards Ji Fuyao. He scoffed, “A mere Two-rotation Quasi-Dao Supreme, are you here to die?”