As shocked as the Shamans’ commanding general was, Wei Yuan’s lone charge had limited impact. He immediately quickened the drumbeat, causing half of his army to charge while the other half remained firmly in place.

Although only half the force was advancing, their numbers were still more than double those of the realm’s defenders.

Another blast of the horn sounded, and all of the realm’s defenders halted, forming a tight formation in preparation for battle. Just as the two armies were about to clash, the Devil Suppressing Nine Level Pagoda descended from the sky.

In an instant, the green qi surrounding the Shamans’ forces thinned by thirty percent. However, the green qi formed a cohesive whole. Although it had been suppressed by the Devil Suppressing Nine Level Pagoda, it was far from dissipating. Not only that, the green qi above the formation actually condensed into a cloud and held back the Dao Foundation, preventing it from falling.

As strong as Ji Liuli was, her opponent was a full twenty thousand elite troops from the Shamans’ northern frontier this time. That she still managed to disperse thirty percent of their green qi in a single strike was already a feat of staggering magnitude.

It was at this moment a blue thread, as fine as a strand of hair, pierced through the Devil Suppressing Nine Level Pagoda and shot toward the commanding general on the high platform.

Upon colliding with the green qi of the formation, the blue thread suddenly unleashed boundless sword qi that shredded the surrounding green qi like butter, forcefully carving a gaping hole that was dozens of zhang wide in the green mountain.

Alas, the green qi was too vast and dense. Even after depleting all of its energy, the sword qi was unable to get close to the commanding general. The hole it created was slowly being filled up as well.

The Shamans’ commanding general stared at the gaping hole with a grim expression. Twenty thousand troops were standing guard around him, and that sword strike had still nearly pierced through the army aura! Had it landed on his body, he would likely have been gravely wounded on the spot.

That wasn’t all. He also sensed a chilling, sinister quality within the sword qi—one that made his Dao Foundation tremble in fear.

However, before the hole carved out by the sword qi could be filled, another sword light—twisting and turning, as if weeping and pleading—flashed before the commanding general’s eyes. It seemed hesitant and reluctant, looking back thrice for every step it took, yet in reality, it was incredibly fast. It shot directly toward the hole created by the previous sword qi.

The sword light seemed to possess some sort of gravitational pull, drawing all the surrounding qi toward it before annihilating them without a sound. It tore through the endless green qi with devastating force, advancing until it was just three chi away from the commanding general!

Staring at the sword light mere chi away from his face, the commanding general froze in place as if his entire body was submerged in ice!

Just then, the sword light flickered a few times and gradually faded away. It turned out that it had exhausted all of its power, falling just three chi short of its target.

Though the sword light vanished, the commanding general’s body remained as rigid as stone. His instinct told him that there would be a third, or even a fourth, sword strike—his death was certain!

In that final moment, he suddenly realized: so this was what the idiom, “To take a general’s head from amidst ten thousand troops” meant! To think it would be so easy for whoever the mysterious swordsman was!

Yet, no further sword strikes followed.

Suddenly overcome with a sense of having narrowly escaped death, the Shamans’ commanding general broke out in a cold sweat. The green qi of the military formation slowly closed in and sealed off the passage created by the sword qi.

By now, the two armies had collided, and a chaotic melee had begun. As the battle unfolded, both sides were stunned by the ferocity and prowess of their opponents.

For Wei Yuan’s troops, the realm of Qingming was their only home now. All of their loved ones were living here. They were standing on the very edge of the world, and they could not afford to retreat a single step. In terms of ferocity and fearlessness alone, they believed they had no equal under heaven.

Yet the Shaman forces on the opposite side were world-class elites in their own right. In the northern frontier, they had fought multiple renowned Liao cavalry units without faltering, and had even once fought eight battles in just ten days, losing over half their numbers yet still refusing to back down.

There was no room for finesse when these two forces collided—only a brutal, relentless, and desperate battle!

When the front ranks fell, the rear ranks stepped forward; when the foot soldiers were exhausted, the officers filled the gaps.

Both sides suffered casualties by the entire squadrons. Bloodlust blinded their eyes, and emptiness overcame their mind. All that remained was the endless repetitions of their practiced movements—drawing their blades, thrust and slash, drawing their blades again—until they could no longer stand.

Wei Yuan closed his eyes and forced himself to count three breaths in silence. Then, his perception stirred.

Clang! A single bell toll echoed across the battlefield!

Several more bell tolls followed, and an indescribable sensation suddenly enveloped the battlefield. The humans’ fighting spirit suddenly swelled explosively, and every fighter abruptly transformed into a killing machine. At that moment, their collective strength actually surpassed that of the Shamans they were facing!

Life is a Flash!

Wei Yuan had already spurred his horse forward, leaving a trail of white-gold in his wake as he charged once more toward the Shamans’ main formation!

Hsu Yi was the fastest to react out of everyone. With a shriek, she charged forward and followed closely behind Wei Yuan. Right behind her were the young masters and ladies of the noble clans, all screaming like wild beasts as they followed Wei Yuan into the fray. Further behind them were two hundred cavalrymen.

A thunderous roar ripped out of Wei Yuan’s throat as he swung his spear in a wide arc, sending a cascade of white-gold light exploding outward in a ring and clearing another path through the center of the blocking cavalry. He then charged through the gap while pointing his spear directly at the commanding general on the platform!

Over two hundred cavalrymen, swift as the wind and lightning, followed Wei Yuan through the gap. The Shamans’ thousand-strong cavalry unit, renowned throughout the land, were practically non-existent before them.

Wei Yuan’s momentum was at its peak when suddenly, he glanced back and realized that everyone had followed him through the breach. He was certain he hadn’t given the order though[1]!

There was no turning back at this point. Wei Yuan had no choice but to bestow a wisp of fortune each to the cavalrymen behind him—and two each to the sixteen young masters and ladies.

Although bestowing the fortune was something that could be done in an instant, Wei Yuan still felt as if there was now a chink in his unstoppable momentum; like there exists fifty Great Daos, but the world created forty-nine and intentionally hid the last one[2]. It was indescribably frustrating.

With no outlet for his pent-up frustration, Wei Yuan pointed his spear skyward and let out a furious roar. To everyone’s astonishment, a streak of white-gold lightning actually shot down from the sky.

The lightning struck the tip of his spear directly, instantly engulfing it in a blaze of thunderous fire. It looked unstoppable!

Wei Yuan charged into the heart of the Shamans’ main formation once more, and this time, he had no intention of turning back. He just charged straight toward the high platform.

Countless Shaman fighters, their fighting spirits ignited, did everything in their power to block Wei Yuan’s path. When everything failed, they even threw themselves at him. In just the blink of an eye, the blood-red warhorse was swarmed by fighters on all four hooves. Many more leaped high into the air, pouncing toward Wei Yuan like hawks!

Wei Yuan’s spear was moving so swiftly it was like a phantom. His blood-red warhorse was also kicking and biting its way through the fray. Together, the man and the horse pushed their way against the tide of countless shaman fighters.

There was no doubt that Wei Yuan’s pace was slowing, but he was also still advancing.

The commanding general on the high platform stared intently at Wei Yuan, every hair on his body standing on end—whether from fear or excitement, even he couldn’t tell.

Suddenly, he looked up into the sky and saw that a jade mountain had appeared on top of him at some unknown point in time!

It hung high in the sky, poised to fall yet not quite there.

Another one who dares to snatch a general’s head from the midst of ten thousand troops?! The commanding general was both shocked and enraged; he truly felt that he was down on his luck today.

In the end, the fear got through to him. He leaped down from the high platform and hid among his personal guards.

Wei Yuan’s spirit soared at the sight of this. He let out another thunderous roar, and white-gold light once again surged from the ground within tens of zhang of him. Some of the beams were even shooting straight up for dozens of zhang! Every Shaman struck by the beams began to burn profusely.

Yet not a single one of the hundreds of burning Shaman fighters uttered a sound. They just kept attacking Wei Yuan with reckless abandon.

Wei Yuan could not help but feel a deep sense of respect for his opponents. So, he dismounted. Spear in one hand and sword in the other, he dispatched his opponents one by one and advanced step by step toward the high platform.

By the time he was standing atop the platform, there were no enemies left around him—only a path strewn with corpses.

Wei Yuan knocked over the human-skin war drum and crushed it underfoot!

At that moment, there was no one in sight.

Wei Yuan pointed his spear skyward, and a beam of white-gold light shot out of the spearhead. But this time, it soared straight into the heavens and was visible from a hundred li away!

Another bolt of lightning descended from the clear sky, igniting both the spear and Wei Yuan.

Feeling boundless thunder and fire raging within him with no outlet, Wei Yuan let out a long, piercing howl that shook the nine firmaments. Then, standing tall with his spear raised, he declared word by word, “Wei Yuan of the Skyblue Hall is here! Is there any Great Warlock who dares to fight me?!”

Empowered by Qingming, his voice carried for hundreds of li.

Wei Yuan for a few moments, but to his surprise, there was no response.

At that very moment, Wei Yuan suddenly realized that though the world was vast, true heroes were few and far between.

Many people held high positions purely because they were born earlier and lived longer than others. Had those gray-haired weaklings and white-bearded thieves been born in this day and age, they would have long since faded into obscurity.

1. Turns out you are fit to be a commander after all. ☜

2. An actual idiom to mean imperfection. ☜