The colossal serpent coiled upon the mortal realm, its majesty unparalleled in grandeur.
On the battlefield of the Northern Wilderness, Tuoba Pusa roared in fury, “Xu Fengnian! How dare you steal the fate of heaven and earth, making it your own?!”
At the cool slopes of Liangzhou’s Qingliang Mountain, Tantai Pingjing stood outside the Tide-listening Pavilion, watching as a young woman with snow-white skin emerged. Her beauty was enough to topple kingdoms, and in Tantai’s eyes, only a handful—White Fox, Chen Yu, and Jiang Ni—could rival her. Yet this girl, still bearing traces of youthful innocence, lacked the imposing aura of those with darker pasts and tumultuous lives. Before Tantai, she seemed fragile, like a small flower blooming unseen in a quiet corner, destined to wither unnoticed. Yet anyone who met her, man or woman, would feel an instinctive urge to protect her.
Tantai surveyed her surroundings. To her, Qingliang Mountain felt hollow—its people and objects unchanged, but the accumulated energy the Xu family had gathered over twenty years in the northwest of Liyang was gone.
Every man and woman in the world carries a measure of fate, some more, some less. Only the greatest among them can gather it into destiny. The current Liyang Emperor, Zhao Zan, naturally stood at the pinnacle. The late Grand Chancellor Zhang Julu once held such fortune, as did Chen Wang now. The Grand Pillar of the State, Gu Jiantang, had always possessed it, as did the heir of the Yanchi King, Zhao Zhu. Even Zhao Kai, the illegitimate son of the late emperor who perished in the Western Regions, once bore it. Among women, the Chu Empress Jiang Ni, now beating war drums atop the walls of Jubei City, held such destiny. So did Xuanyuan Qingfeng of the Liyang martial world, and the female Bodhisattva of Mount Lantuo, the Six Pearl Master.
Yet the girl before Tantai bore not a trace of fate—an anomaly beyond comprehension for any Qi practitioner.
Or perhaps she once held immense fortune, destined to be the Northern Wilderness Empress or even the next Steppe Queen. But for some reason, all her fate had merged into the Xu family’s destiny, only to be drained away by someone at Jubei City.
Originally heading south to the Nanhai Sect, Tantai had merely passed through Liangzhou when she sensed the anomaly and rushed here. Gazing at the bewildered girl, she pondered briefly before understanding. Softly, she asked, “Are you called Huyan Guanyin?”
The girl nodded. “Who are you, elder sister?”
Tantai smiled faintly, then frowned. “Did Xu Fengnian ask you to do this?”
She shook her head hurriedly. “The Young Master only knew I returned to the steppe tribes. He didn’t know I stayed in the Tide-listening Pavilion. It was Grandfather Xu who told me these things before he passed… For the Young Master, I did it willingly!”
Tantai observed the resolute expression on that exquisite face and sighed inwardly. Raising her head slightly, she murmured, “Willingly?”
Jubei City of Northern Liang, the Divine Phoenix City of Western Chu, the Imperial Observatory of Liyang, Mount Lantuo of the Western Regions—and now this foolish girl, carrying a fragment of the northern steppe’s destiny.
Eternal Auspice and Divine Sigil.
Three journeys through the martial world—twice in the Central Plains, once in the Northern Wilderness. Three ventures into the imperial court—twice in Tai’an City, once in Guangling.
Everywhere he walked, he gained something.
The fortune he amassed was enough not just for a regional warlord, but even to claim the throne of the Central Plains.
Why then, do you refuse to assess the situation, retreat a step, and bide your time?!
Tantai reached out, ruffling the girl’s hair. “We’re both fools, but you… you have more courage than I did back then. That’s good. The stupidest thing a woman can do is quarrel with the one she loves. Huyan Guanyin, live well from now on. You will find happiness.”
Huyan Guanyin blinked, offering a dazed smile. “Thank you, elder sister.”
Tantai chuckled. “Elder sister? I’m more like a grandmother.”
The girl looked confused, but the tall female Qi practitioner had already vanished.
Finally stepping into the sunlight from the Tide-listening Pavilion, Huyan Guanyin sat at the edge of its platform, raising a small fist as if cheering someone on. “This time, Young Master, you must win the fight!”
Grass will grow anew next year, and the wild geese will return once more.
※※※
Xu Fengnian took a single step forward—barely an inch, negligible by any measure.
Yet in that instant, the Northern Wilderness War God, who had clashed with the young warlord dozens of times without yielding, was sent flying back over a dozen paces!
Could there truly be a force in this world unstoppable?
On the battlefield, perhaps only the Snow Dragon Cavalry. In the imperial court, only the late Liyang Grand Chancellor Zhang Julu.
And now, this young man who had cast aside all burdens, even as he faced over three hundred thousand Northern Wilderness troops and a War God who had ascended to the pinnacle of Heaven and Earth!
Clad in white, his sleeves billowing, he advanced with effortless grace.
The colossal white serpent followed Xu Fengnian’s white-robed figure, surging out of Jubei City!
Tuoba Pusa began retreating, flickering across the battlefield like a ghost.
Though the massive serpent slithered across the sands, it struck no Northern Wilderness soldiers. Instead, it reared up like a white rainbow arching across the sky before its enormous head, large as a tower, came crashing down upon Tuoba Pusa, whose movements had inexplicably frozen.
Dust erupted.
Xu Fengnian planted a foot on the fallen man’s forehead, leaning forward to gaze down at the Northern Wilderness’s pillar of stability. “Tuoba Pusa! You sought to grasp both the martial world and the imperial court. Well, I’ll let you have them—only to find…”
“You’ll never obtain them!”
Eighteen golden dragons coiled around Tuoba Pusa’s massive frame surged toward the towering white serpent.
Each time the serpent lowered its head to bite, it shattered or devoured one of the Mouth of the bowl-thick golden dragons.
The brilliant golden light fragmented rapidly, scattering like ownerless fragments. Most dissipated into the world, but a few faint glimmers—imperceptible to ordinary eyes—drifted into the brows of certain individuals on the battlefield and within Jubei City. Some settled quietly, while others flickered uneasily before fading away.
How could eighteen slender bamboo poles hope to hold up the weight of a collapsing mountain?
After over a dozen exchanges, Tuoba Pusa, still prone, suddenly let out a roar. Drawing upon the posture of the Great Dragon Drinking Water, he inhaled the remaining seven dragons through his seven orifices.
Yet one dragon, two zhang in length, remained clutched in Xu Fengnian’s grip, its seven inches seized like a snake’s. It thrashed wildly, its head and tail battering Xu Fengnian’s body.
Seizing the moment, Tuoba Pusa slid back thirty zhang, escaping Xu Fengnian’s hold. The latter twisted his hand sharply, snapping the dragon in two. Golden light scattered like flowing water, only to be inhaled by the white serpent coiled beside the young warlord, as if savoring a feast.
Tuoba Pusa, now drenched in golden blood, stood panting in the distance, his gaze wary as he studied Xu Fengnian’s movements.
Xu Fengnian made no move to pursue, merely standing his ground with a mocking smile. “Half your fortune has become another’s bridal gift, Tuoba Pusa. Does it pain you?”
Tuoba Pusa sneered. “How long can you maintain this peak state? Half an incense stick? A full one? You’ll collapse sooner than I will!”
Xu Fengnian flicked his sleeves casually, grinning. “Care to guess?”
Tuoba Pusa took a deep breath, spreading his arms. Beneath his skin, his veins and bones glowed with a rich golden hue, visible and pulsing. Regaining his composure, he lifted his head and growled, “You’ll regret this!”
Xu Fengnian turned his gaze back to Jubei City, then southward.
The martial masters who died outside Jubei’s walls, the generals who fell on Northern Liang’s frontiers—they were worthy of respect. But the true backbone of Northern Liang was its common soldiers, who stood firm in every desperate battle.
The forest of steles behind Qingliang Mountain wasn’t erected to win the people’s hearts for the Xu family. It was so those who never heard the drums of war or saw the beacon fires would know who died for them beyond the frontier.
In this life, I’ve no regrets. Why would I hesitate?
Once, atop Wudang Mountain, standing beside the first Confucian Sage, the old man sighed and said, “I once led my disciples through every kingdom, surviving to this day in the Shangyin Academy, boasting that in eight hundred years, none have read more or traveled farther than I. But now, Xu Fengnian, you’ve walked the farthest road.”
Before that moment, Xu Fengnian had never considered how far he’d traveled across Northern Liang, Liyang, and the Northern Wilderness.
If one day a tombstone on Qingliang Mountain bears the name “Xu Fengnian,” he won’t be alone. Surrounding him will be the heroes of Northern Liang.
Xu Fengnian turned back to Tuoba Pusa with a smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll beat you until even your parents won’t recognize you.”
Tuoba Pusa laughed wildly as he retreated. “Then come and fight!”
Xu Fengnian lowered his hands, each palm cradling a crackling purple thunderbolt. Watching Tuoba Pusa’s distant figure, he smirked. “What, trying to stall for time? Or planning to trap me with Dong Zhuo’s forces at Huaiyang Pass? Honestly, Tuoba Pusa, you’re not even fit to lick Wang Xianzhi’s boots…”
With a flash, Xu Fengnian vanished, leaving only his voice echoing across the battlefield. “You’re light-years behind!”
Thunderous booms resounded across the northern expanse beyond the Northern Wilderness army.
At that moment, Jubei City’s northern gates swung open!
Northern Liang’s iron cavalry charged forth, crashing into the Northern Wilderness infantry formations!
The eastern and western gates followed, each unleashing five thousand elite riders—suicide squads—into the fray!
※※※
Roughly half an hour later, a massive figure plummeted like a meteor into the heart of the Northern Wilderness army, hurled from an impossible distance.
In the crater lay Tuoba Pusa, bloodied and broken, his fate unknown.
※※※
Above the mortal realm, beyond the Heavenly Gates.
Eighty-one celestial beings had descended through the gates, only to fall like shooting stars, cast down as exiled immortals.
The Peach Blossom Sword God.
How skilled was his swordsmanship?
It pierced the heavens!
Earlier, forced back three thousand zhang by twelve celestial beings—including four sword immortals—he alone returned, sword in hand.
Deng Ta’a held the Ta’a Sword reversed in one hand while raising the other, two fingers poised as if knocking on a door. Smiling, he asked, “The guest has returned. What say you?”
Within the resplendent Heavenly Gates, silence reigned.
※※※
By now, Yu Xinlang had returned to Jubei City with the head of the Northern Wilderness’s Zhong Liang.
Xu Yanbing borrowed a warhorse from the border troops and rode out once more, spear in hand.
The sword attendant Cui Hua, her face hidden behind an iron mask, carried the ancient sword Suwang on her back, clearing the path for the right-wing cavalry.
The crimson-robed Xu Ying and the giggling girl rode together, hidden among the left-wing riders.
Thus began the grand and thunderous battle for Jubei City.
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