The clamor of battle roared beside the Dai River, where Qiu Wei sat unmoving upon the high platform, his face flushed, silent for a long stretch.

Zong Ling looked back, hope evident in his eyes: "How fares the Lord's side, now?"

He harbored no doubt about Zong Shou’s ultimate victory; the only question was the scale of the triumph.

Qiu Wei opened his mouth to speak, only to realize the turbulence of his own emotions had become uncontrollable, leaving him momentarily speechless.

He could only clench his fists tightly, waiting until the surging tide of feeling gradually subsided before he finally spoke: "The Lord has already annihilated the Shangxiao Xuanling Sect. Word is, not a single one of the ten thousand-plus cultivators remained alive!"

This single sentence struck the ears of Xu Zheng Yuan and Zong Ling like a clap of thunder. Qiu Wei then rose fully to his feet.

"Send this news to Hu Qianqiu and Chai Yuan! Announce it to the entire army—"

Taking a deep breath, pinpricks of sharp light flashed in Qiu Wei's eyes: "The Lord, with seventy thousand Iron Cavalry at the foot of Shangxiao Mountain, has utterly crushed the three million elites of the Thousand Cities Alliance! He will return to Qiantian Mountain shortly. Today, we must press forward with all our might, lest we fail the Lord's expectations! The Lord has a message: he asks all armies and generals to sweep across the Eastern Border for him! In three months, the Lord will surely establish the Qiantian Kingdom and ascend the throne!"

At this moment, perhaps one hundred and eighty thousand Qiantian soldiers had no clear idea where Shangxiao Mountain even lay, nor did they know that until yesterday, the Lingyun Sect had been the de facto master of the Eastern Border Cloud Continent.

These words, however, were far more invigorating than any geographical facts.

As his voice ceased, letters of command shot forth from the high platform, flying in all directions like runes, transforming into streaks of golden light that vanished into the distant horizon.

Messengers leaped onto swift steeds, galloping toward the vanguard—dozens of formations marching in rigid step.

In moments, the surrounding land erupted in thunderous cheers!

"The Lord has won!"

"Six out of ten of the Thousand Cities Alliance's three million elites are dead or wounded! A million surrendered—"

"Is this news certain?"

"At the foot of Shangxiao Mountain? So, this means the Eastern Border Sects have been defeated! Defeated by the Lord! Otherwise, how could this be?"

"Hah! Good riddance to the defeat! I knew a man of such astonishing genius as the Lord would not be so easily fooled, nor calculated against by those petty wretches at Shangxiao Mountain?"

"Sweep the Cloud Continent! Unify the Eastern Border within three months!"

"Fight! Fight! Fight! The Sects are defeated; in this entire land, who else can stand against the might of Qiantian Mountain?"

"Today, we wield our three-foot swords to cleanse the world for the Lord!"

The clamor swelled, and the vital essence—that crimson-gold light already soaring into the sky—grew thicker and more robust. The momentum soared heavenward, saturated with martial intent.

Before the army formations, nearly every soldier’s face glowed with a feverish flush, their eyes threaded with red. Their strides were steady, their commitment absolute.

They believed utterly that wherever their army advanced, it would shatter all resistance! Nothing could stop them!

Meanwhile, on the opposite side, facing the dozens of ten-thousand-man Qiantian formations, the scene was vastly different.

The city lords, having swiftly received intelligence regarding the situation at Shangxiao Mountain, were silently withdrawing from the battlefield.

The more nimble soldiers were already tossing aside their weapons and fleeing backward.

This left the millions of allied army formations fragmented, stripped entirely of their former imposing grandeur.

The front ranks broke apart at the slightest touch, and many simply threw down their arms and surrendered.

Deep within the central command, Xiong Yu stared in a daze, her eyes nearly vacant. All color had fled from her beautiful face.

Just as she received the news from Shangxiao Mountain, she had still been directing troops, preparing for a phased, orderly retreat of the massive allied army from the field.

But when the command rune arrived, it shattered every hope she held, every ounce of her confidence!

Even now, she could not bring herself to believe the information she received was true—

—The Blood Cloud Cavalry slaughtered a million; not one of the twelve thousand riders survived. The Shangxiao Sect was extinguished, Shen Xiao utterly destroyed!

Unbelievable phrases flashed through her mind in rapid succession, leaving her completely lost and helpless.

It wasn't until faint voices reached her from nearby that Xiong Yu was jarred back to reality.

"It seems the Eastern Border Sects truly have fallen..."

"This Eastern Border Cloud Continent is about to change hands!"

"Twelve thousand soldiers utterly wiped out, ten thousand disciples left no survivors. The essence of the Eastern Border Sects is spent!"

"The Blood Kill Double Riders! That Demon King wields such ruthlessness! That pup—"

"Brother Lian! Please watch your words carefully. That Lord may soon be our master! If you fear nothing, feel free to complain to him, but do not pollute our ears or implicate us!"

"Heh! Intending to hunt a goose, but stumbling upon a lion-eagle instead! The one from Qiantian Mountain seems truly destined to soar and look down upon this entire sky—"

"What are your plans when you return?"

"What plans could I have? Naturally, to secure the gates and await the surrender!"

"Exactly! If the Eastern Border Sects have failed, our Eastern Cities Alliance is no match for them either. Who else on this Cloud Continent can withstand their advance?"

"No matter how unwilling we are, resistance is futile. If we fight on, we will be ground into dust beneath the Qiantian vanguard!"

"Perhaps it is for the best. This chaotic era lasting thousands of years is finally coming to an end!"

"If I had known this, I shouldn't have come! We were all misled by Lingyun and Shangxiao—that Yang Fan deserves death the most!"

"Yang Fan is just a rat; that Lord is a Dragon. How can a Dragon be compared to a rat?"

In their discussions, these lords showed considerable disrespect toward the Eastern Border Sects. Yet, at this moment, neither Zu Renkuang nor Yan Feibai had the frame of mind to object to such treasonous talk.

In normal times, such seditious words would warrant immediate execution, possibly bringing ruin upon entire clans.

Now, they could not move against the speakers; instead, they had to guard themselves. The gazes sweeping toward them from all directions felt like sharp blades, many holding clear malice. Some were already eager for action.

The situation had shifted. Lingyun Sect barely possessed enough strength for self-preservation, let alone maintaining dominance over the Eastern Border Cities.

Before them, the Qiantian army pressed forward. The general trend was set: Qiantian Mountain would sweep across the continent.

Among these gathered men, the thought of seizing the Lingyun representatives' heads to curry favor with Qiantian Mountain was not absent.

Zu Renkuang stood as if carved from ice. Whether it was his heart or even his skin, everything felt chillingly cold.

Since he began his martial training, he had never felt so cold.

Defeated! Utterly, completely defeated!

Who, upon meeting him at Cloud Saint City, could have imagined that that disabled man, possessing only a dual-meridian body and the hindrance of a Heavenly Human barrier, would one day cause the downfall of Shangxiao and the decline of Lingyun?

After today’s battle, Lingyun Sect’s most glorious days were over. The future would only hold a desperate struggle under the pressure of the other sects.

Yan Feibai appeared outwardly calm, showing little sorrow, yet his expression was overwhelmingly complex.

That person... possessed such methods, such combat strength, that he could truly turn the tide at the last moment—

"Senior Brother, we cannot remain here any longer; delay risks disaster. Shall we depart?"

Zu Renkuang responded with a sharp intake of breath, then burst into loud laughter, two clear streams of tears tracing paths down his cheeks.

Though he laughed, to those listening, the sound was saturated with agony and desolation.

After a long silence, when the laughter faded, he bowed formally to Xiong Yu: "City Lord Xiong! The grand scheme is settled; further fighting here is pointless. Please permit this Zu and my fellow disciples to take our leave first!"

As his words ended, Zu Renkuang did not wait for Xiong Yu’s assent; he ascended into the air and vanished in a streak of light toward the west. The other Lingyun members followed, some riding artifacts, others simply stepping into the void.

Once these few departed, the cultivators from the other sects also dispersed quickly. Yan Feibai left last; before leaving, he stared fixedly eastward for a moment before rising into the sky.

He left behind a long, lingering sigh that faded slowly.

In an instant, only a dozen major city lords and a few regional generals remained on the platform.

They too were silent, the quiet so profound a falling needle could be heard. Ten breaths later, a light chuckle emerged from a corner.

"Coming with full confidence, yet scattering in disgrace. The saying 'when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter' is apt indeed—"

"These sect cultivators, usually like aloof experts, haughty and bossy, full of airs. But now, look at them—like dogs that have fallen into water?"

"Be cautious! Be cautious! Do not forget there is still one Inner Disciple of the Lingyun Sect present here!"

The mockery in the words was palpable. Xiong Yu, seated in the main seat, felt a profound coldness permeate her entire body.

Zu Renkuang had left. What choice did that leave her? What was the fate of her Blazing Flame Mountain, the Flame Bear Clan?

Were they discarded like broken sandals when they were no longer useful?

In this moment, her hatred for the Lingyun was unprecedented, even surpassing her feelings for Zong Shou... South of Xiyun Province, in the region once known as Xijie City. The old Xijie Great City had been completely razed years ago.

Yet, barely two years later, a new city, no less grand than its predecessor, stood erected here.

On one side of this city, a force of one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers stood silently arrayed on the plain outside the East Gate.

Most stood over eight feet tall, the majority covered in white fur. They wore finely crafted iron armor and carried sharp weapons.

Though their formation was slightly loose, it could not conceal their fierce vitality and sharp edge.

Shi Fatian stood before the army, his brow deeply furrowed. Beside him, his disciple, Shi Dingyuan, wore a faint, cold smile.

"Father, why worry? Your son has inquired. Although Qiantian Mountain is powerful, the Eastern Border Cloud Continent is still governed by the Eastern Border Sects! Now that the Lingyun Sect intends to move against Zong Shou, Qiantian Mountain is bound to crumble—"

Shi Fatian remained silent. He knew this fact well. It was precisely because of this thought that he intended to raise the banner of rebellion.

A single strike within the heartland of Qiantian Mountain's influence would surely cripple Qiantian once more.

But why did a lingering sense of unease persist in his heart?

Shi Dingyuan seemed to read his mind and chuckled: "That Qiantian Sect Guardian is indeed no ordinary person. It's understandable that Father feels apprehensive. However, the renown of the Lingyun Sect—even I heard of it beneath the Cloud Sea. Father should know its strength better than anyone—" (To be continued……RQ)