Free Web NovelChapter 483: Chapter 483: Waiting for a Command, the Fury of the 4 Great Warzones
Kyoto, Department of Education.
In a spacious office, the atmosphere was so oppressive it was hard to breathe.
On a massive light screen, a live broadcast showed everything happening at the Meridian Gate.
The moment Liu Canglan’s words—"Your Jing University will be utterly annihilated right here"—were spoken.
BANG!
A loud crash.
The desk in front of Li Daoyi, crafted from hundred-year-old agarwood, was shattered by a single palm strike, instantly exploding into a shower of splinters.
His chest heaved violently, his eyes shot through with blood-red veins—a mixture of fury, indignation, and profound helplessness.
"This is too much! They’ve gone too far!"
He ground out the words through clenched teeth.
Beside him, the white-haired Elder Wang could only sigh helplessly at the sight before patting him on the shoulder.
"Calm down, Director Li. You... have already done your best."
"If you hadn’t been maneuvering behind the scenes all this time, even going so far as to call in that favor left to you by your teacher to forcibly keep the Ye Family in check and prevent them from getting involved..."
"...the situation right now would be a hundred times worse."
Hearing this, Li Daoyi just gave a bitter, self-deprecating laugh. He slumped back into his chair and waved his hand dismissively.
"Elder Wang, don’t call me Director Li anymore."
"As of yesterday, I am no longer the acting director of the Department of Education, nor am I the deputy director."
Of the Ten Great Clans, the ones acting openly were the Liu Family, six other lower-ranking Noble Families, and the most mysterious Xuanyuan Family.
As for the other two, the Qin Family—one of the Top Three Families—was wary of the Military Department’s stance and thus held back, not making their position clear.
The reason the last one, the Ye Family—also one of the Top Three Families—never showed up was because Li Daoyi had paid a great price behind the scenes.
He had gambled away nearly his entire political future to secure the Ye Family’s temporary neutrality.
Otherwise, if another of the Top Three Families like the Ye Family had joined the fray, the pressure on Jing University and Gu Yuexi would have been devastating.
But it was precisely because of this "overreach" of his authority that he had thoroughly infuriated certain people.
Just yesterday, an order had come down, stripping him of all his duties and leaving him as a powerless figurehead.
The office fell into a dead silence.
After a long moment, Li Daoyi slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with guilt.
"I... I was useless."
"I... I failed to protect these students."
He looked at the light screen, at the girl standing alone before the enemy lines. Even with blood at the corner of her mouth, her spine remained ramrod straight. freeweɓnøvel.com
He looked at Sun Deming, who refused to retreat a single step despite being eyed covetously by dozens of masters.
He looked at the teachers who, knowing they were outmatched, still stepped forward without hesitation, ready to live or die with their university.
A long-dormant fire began to rekindle in his chest.
He suddenly shot to his feet.
Startled by his abrupt movement, Elder Wang quickly asked, "Elder Li, where are you going?"
Li Daoyi didn’t look back. He just strode toward the office door.
His voice was calm, yet it carried an undeniable resolve.
"I’ve been sitting in this office for too long. My bones have gotten rusty."
"I’ve almost forgotten how to fight."
...
On the internet.
The name Gu Yuexi once again took the entire internet by storm.
Countless people were watching and discussing the events at the Meridian Gate on various live-streaming platforms.
As the Jing University teachers were surrounded, and as the Ten Great Clans revealed their terrifying, suffocatingly deep foundations...
...the situation seemed to have become crystal clear.
Gu Yuexi no longer had any chance of winning.
Her downfall seemed to be a foregone conclusion.
Instantly, public opinion online exploded.
"Sigh, it’s over. It’s really over this time. No one can save her now."
"The Ten Great Clans are such scum! All of them ganging up on a girl who isn’t even twenty. Do they have no shame?!"
"Seriously! Where’s the Military Department? Why aren’t they doing anything? Didn’t the Divine Mosquito perform great deeds in the Northern Domain? Are they just going to stand by and watch a hero get bullied like this?"
"Don’t be naive, poster above me. How can the Military Department get involved? This is an internal power struggle in Kyoto. If the military intervenes, it’s meddling in government affairs! That’s a completely different matter!"
"What a waste. A genius like Gu Yuexi, if given time to grow, would definitely have become a pillar of Great Xia. To die here like this... it’s just not worth it."
Regret, anger, indignation... all sorts of emotions spread across the internet.
Of course, there was no shortage of internet trolls jumping out to grab attention.
"Heh, what did I tell you? I said it before, she’s just too arrogant, looking down on the Ten Great Clans. Well, look at her now! She asked for it, and she got it!"
"Serves her right! Who told her to be so beautiful? You can tell at a glance she’s no good, probably a seductive vixen!"
"Exactly! I support the Ten Great Clans! These arrogant young people who don’t know their place need to be taught a lesson!"
...
「Meanwhile.」
East State Combat Zone, command headquarters.
Li Zhantian gripped the communication device in his hand so tightly that the veins on the back of his hand bulged. His eyes were completely bloodshot.
He shot to his feet and turned to walk out the door.
But when he stepped out of his tent and saw the scene outside, he froze.
Outside the tent, a massive, dark formation of fully armed soldiers stood waiting.
A huge, perfectly formed square, utterly silent.
But the gazes fixed on him were like blazing flames, filled with anger and a desperate desire to be sent into battle.
They knew, too.
An officer at the very front took a step forward and spoke to Li Zhantian, his voice thick with suppressed rage:
"General, we don’t know this Gu Yuexi."
"But we know the Divine Mosquito!"
"We will not allow our comrade-in-arms, our hero, to be humiliated like this in Kyoto by those bastards!"
"General! Are you going to Kyoto? Take us with you!"
"Take us with you!"
The soldiers behind him roared in unison.
Li Zhantian clenched his fists tightly.
’How could I not want to go?’ He wished he could lead his troops to Kyoto right now and wipe out those so-called great clans!
But he couldn’t.
He shook his head and said in a hoarse voice:
"Without orders, we... are not to leave the combat zone."
"Everyone, dismiss!"
However, no one moved.
All the soldiers remained standing there, straight as spears, their silence a testament to their resolve.
Li Zhantian closed his eyes in anguish, saying nothing more.
He, personally, could cast aside all his current honors and his position to go alone for a comrade.
But he absolutely could not take his troops.
That wouldn’t be a rescue mission; it would be a mutiny. It would be disregarding the safety of the entire East State Combat Zone!
Unless... an order came from above.
「At the same time.」
In the Desert West Combat Zone and the Southern Border Combat Zone, nearly identical scenes were playing out.
But among them, the reaction from the Northern Domain Combat Zone was the most intense!
Northern Domain, the first line of defense.
Nearly all the soldiers of the Northern Domain were gathering spontaneously, their furious roars demanding to be sent into battle, shaking the heavens!
"Deploy!"
"Deploy!"
"To Kyoto!"
High atop the city walls.
Luo Zhan stood alone, his hands clasped behind his back, gazing into the southern sky.
He said nothing, just waited there quietly.
Waiting for an order that might never come.
