Free Web NovelChapter 2208: Chapter 241: How Many Rise and Fall Through the Ages—Only a Name Shines in History (Part 3)
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Across the vast battlefield.
On the towers of Tong Yang City, Chi Mengfu withdrew his gaze.
No surprises whatsoever.
He knew that the People of Qi Kingdom had made ample preparations for this battle.
He was also always aware that relying solely on Lord Changsheng’s intervention was unlikely to turn the tide.
But he still held a sliver of hope, a weak expectation, as he gazed towards Cao Jie. ƒrēewebnovel.com
Yet, he saw nothing.
This contingency planned by King Wu was resolved silently and without a trace.
He didn’t even know whether Lord Changsheng came or acted!
"Hey, I suddenly remembered."
The newly arrived Liu Xiyi casually waved an enormous knocked-off crossbow arrow away with a flick of his robe sleeve and said, "After the late emperor died in battle back then, we fought to the death and held for exactly thirty-three days." freēwēbnovel.com
"What are you trying to say?" Chi Mengfu asked.
"This year marks exactly thirty-three years of Shenwu."
Liu Xiyi said, "I’ve never liked those tortoise shell divinations, only believing that man triumphs over heaven. But I don’t know if it’s because I’m too old now; I’m starting to feel there really is fate decreed by the heavens."
He lowered his eyes and sighed, looking extremely aged: "Those thirty-three days of effort brought thirty-three years of national fortune... and today it perishes!"
Chi Mengfu said nothing.
Da Xia perishes today...
At this moment, this was the conclusion that he and Chi Mengfu had seen.
Even though they were still waiting.
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The calm gaze was not unique to Cao Jie.
If you replaced Cao Jie’s blood-stained face with Jiang Wang’s, it wouldn’t feel out of place either.
Just a pair of eyes watching a mighty force of thousands, while the other pair focused solely on the enemy they were pursuing.
The same calmness signified the same certainty.
The blood-stained Son of Qingyang from Daqi had been chasing after the Beixiang Marquis of Summer Country for a long time.
Cutting across the entire Sangfu, all the way to Long Luo.
In this process, he had closed in several times, but every time, Shang Yanhu forcibly shook him off. Relying on his terrifying physical defense, Shang Yanhu endured countless attacks, yet still thrived with vitality.
It was well known that the ancestral home of Beiping Marquis Li Fu was in Long Luo.
But when people mentioned the most renowned person in Long Luo now, the first thought was still the Duke of the State Zhou Ying, even though Zhou Ying’s ancestral home was not Long Luo—after all, his most accomplished son guarded the Long Luo Cavern for decades.
Zhou Xiong would inevitably inherit the title in the future, so if the Duke of the State isn’t a Long Luo native, where would he be from?
Vast Sea flows into Da Xia, and the Long River rests here, hence the Xia Territory has long been associated with the dragon’s rise theory.
When Da Xia established its capital in Guiyi City, not far from Long Luo Prefecture, it was also intended to control the mighty dragon and wield influence for thousands of miles.
The Long River flows east into Xia Region, with its rushing flow being the most famous scenery in the western Summer Country, leaving countless poets inscribing immortal verses here.
But this scenery stops at Wuding Fortress.
This fortress, built with mixed gold and stone as its foundational material, stands towering on the cliff of Sixiangyuan Cliffs. Previously, a poet once said, "At this point, the Long River longs to turn westward!"
It was indeed extremely perilous.
The footsteps of travelers stopped at Sixiangyuan Cliffs.
East of Wuding Fortress, near the Long Luo Cavern, was entirely designated as a forbidden area.
A troop was stationed at Wuding Fortress all year round, numbering around seven thousand, and in terms of individual elite level, it could be said to surpass the various prefectures, ranking only below the two armies of Town Guard and Shenwu.
Even at this stage of the Qi Xia War, two thousand people remained to guard Wuding Fortress, indicating the importance of the place.
The Long River meandered and flowed around Sixiangyuan Cliffs.
The cliff’s surface was as smooth as a stone mirror, and at this moment, the calm Long River resembled a water mirror.
Therefore, this place was also known as "Double Mirror River."
Two silhouettes, one leading and one following, sliced through the sky, leaving two long trails on the expansive water surface of the Long River.
After chasing all the way here, Jiang Wang had long had a foreboding feeling. He initially thought Shang Yanhu was trying to escape to Guiyi City, thus during the pursuit, he intentionally controlled his direction to preemptively block.
But Shang Yanhu had no intention of turning back west at all, showing no signs of heading towards Guiyi City from beginning to end. He now plunged straight into Long Luo Prefecture, heading directly for the Long Luo Cavern!
Although unaware of what secret lay beneath the Long Luo Cavern, it was clear that whatever Shang Yanhu was so determined to do was not beneficial to the Qi Country.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!
Jiang Wang chased closely behind Shang Yanhu, his longsword ablaze and creating layers upon layers of phantoms.
Yet Shang Yanhu withstood the damage and charged forward without looking back!
"This place is a forbidden area of Da Xia, trespassers shall halt!"
Outside Wuding Fortress, a torrent surged!
The calm Long River changed appearance in an instant, with a massive water dragon rising skyward, teeth and claws dancing, blocking the path ahead.
The Deputy General keeping watch immediately activated the fortress’s grand defensive formation, while over two thousand well-trained elite soldiers began to assemble swiftly.
Shang Yanhu rushed forward and roared in anger, "I bear the front-line military order to enter the cavern, open the gates immediately!"
The Deputy General was unwavering: "General Zhou has ordered that without his personal approval, no one is allowed to enter or exit the cavern!"
Shang Yanhu turned abruptly, unleashing fists like thousands of arrows across the sky, forcing Jiang Wang back several feet, then turned back and produced a Holy Decree: "I am the Beixiang Marquis of Da Xia, the imperial seal’s Holy Decree is here, dare to block the way, would be considered as treason!"
He was truly desperate now.
The eastern line was completely abandoned, and the much-anticipated northern line was also crushed. Tong Yang City, still in a stalemate, faced the absolute main force of the people of Qi. No matter how you looked at it, there was no hope left for a turnaround in this war.
And he had long received the Son of Heaven’s command to activate the ultimate formation of Long Luo at the key moment, summoning Saint Water to overwhelm the world and annihilate the main force of the Qi Army.
