Zong Shou looked towards the main general on the left flank. Although this person was clad entirely in heavy armor, revealing only his eyes, Zong Shou still recognized him as the commander of the seventy thousand Azure Heaven Mystic Dragon Riders from the battle at the Heaven Realm of the Common People several months prior.

Because Zong Shou had departed in a hurry shortly after the battle, he had never learned this man's name.

However, that day, this commander had led seventy thousand cavalry to crush the Grand Merchant’s Imperial Guards—the five thousand Primordial Blood Cavalry—which had left a deep impression on him.

Though not a peerless talent like Zong Yuan, he was still an excellent cavalry general with tenacious willpower. With this man here, it was truly an advantage over anyone under his command besides Zong Yuan and Ren Tianxing.

"It is Qin Yi, a seventh-generation disciple of your Azure Path. This woman's ability to command cavalry is second only to Zong Yuan. It's a pity she cultivated your Azure Path's Origin Life Aura Art. If she cannot break through that final hurdle, at best, she can only reach the Immortal Realm—"

It was a woman?

Zong Shou looked at Kong Yao in disbelief. After a brief pause, he shook his head again. He felt a pang of regret for her; although the Origin Life Aura Art offered a sliver of hope to cultivators forced to switch to Dao Soldiers, that hope was exceedingly slim.

Shaking his head, Zong Shou turned his gaze elsewhere. Compared to the military formation before him, he was more concerned with the surrounding terrain.

"This truly is a death trap!"

This plain was the most fertile land in the Southern Frontier. Later generations would see the Fallen Dragon City rise here, one of the Cloud Realm’s ten great famous cities. Yet, at this moment, while the surroundings appeared open, they were choked with primeval forests teeming with vicious spirit beasts and mosquitoes, as well as swamps—areas where a large army simply could not advance.

Victory meant safety; defeat meant no escape whatsoever. The only relatively safe passage was the Nine Dragon River, which the Wine Pool Palace backed onto. But at this moment, none of Grand Qian’s Cloud Ships were present. Without vessels, it was no different from a dead end.

There was also the path behind the Merchant army’s formation, leading directly to the Min Water, but at most, it could only accommodate four chariot carriages abreast. This was why Zong Shou felt Kong Yao's strategy was utterly vicious.

And just as Zong Shou surveyed the battlefield, across from the Wine Pool Palace, on the massive Imperial Carriage, Emperor Yin Yu of the Grand Merchant’s Primordial Era was also looking across.

"Your Majesty can rest assured. I and the fellow Daoists have investigated; besides these five hundred thousand troops, there are absolutely no other ambushes here. Even the Grand Primeval Dao Ancestor said it was fine."

Beside the throne, True Man Yuntai sipped his tea with an unruffled expression, seeming utterly unconcerned. But the assembled generals and civil officials all breathed a collective sigh of relief. Kong Yao and his hundreds of thousands of Dao Soldiers appearing suddenly was startling, making them worry this was a trap. But since Yuntai said so, there should truly be no other hidden forces. No illusion technique in this world could deceive more than twenty Saint Realm experts searching back and forth, let alone the Grand Primeval Sacred Venerable besides them—

"It's not surprising. The Wine Pool Palace is such a vital strategic point, storing tens of millions of bushels of grain; strict defenses are normal. Before, thirty thousand elites were stationed here already."

"Kong Yao is the world's unparalleled famous marshal; how could he not guard against this?"

"It is fortunate that Marshal Fei was cautious and selected eighty thousand elites."

The atmosphere relaxed, and smiles of ease spread across everyone's faces. Zuo Yan even bowed to Yin Yu, saying, "From here, we can see the enemy army's morale wavering. I congratulate Your Majesty; a great victory is in sight for this battle!"

Yet, Yin Yu showed no sign of joy, remaining as placid as ever. During moments of great elation or despair, one must maintain composure and reveal nothing.

"Wavering morale is not certain!"

The one who spoke was none other than Fei Yin, causing everyone to look over in surprise. And at that very moment, across the field, Ren Tianxing suddenly drew his sword and shield, riding forth.

"Fellow comrades! Behind us lies the Nine Dragon Great River! Three thousand seven hundred fathoms wide, filled with countless man-eating fish. And all of Grand Qian’s Cloud Ships are eight hundred li away. Therefore, today's battle is one of no victory, only death! Do you all pledge to follow me, Ren Tianxing, into the netherworld together?"

All the soldiers in Grand Qian’s center mass froze. Then, after only a brief moment, their expressions grew solemn, and they began striking their shields with their swords, emitting thunderous sounds.

"We pledge to follow General Ren and fight to the death! Fight to the death!"

"It is a fight to the death!"

Ren Tianxing laughed toward the heavens, "What joy is life, what sorrow is death? If we are defeated today, I, Ren Tianxing, will die fighting here! Our Sovereign has governed for ten years, stabilized the military, and diligently sought governance, bringing about the prosperity of Grand Qian. We are the people of Grand Qian in life, and we shall be the ghosts of Grand Qian in death! As long as our Sovereign remains, we need not worry about matters beyond this!"

Upon hearing this, even the last group of dispirited soldiers changed their expressions, casting aside all their concerns. Ten years of conquest by Grand Qian ensured that the families of all those who perished received proper resettlement, receiving pensions annually, free from worry over food and clothing. Even if they died here, as long as their Sovereign lived, they truly needed not concern themselves with what came after.

Looking across, Zuo Yan’s expression slightly changed. Is this Ren Tianxing, the famous general ranked among Grand Qian’s Twin Heroes?

"Cutting off all retreat, fighting with one's back to the water?"

Fei Yin sneered, "Unfortunately, Kong Yao is not Marquis Huaiyin, and I am not Lord Cheng'an!"

Marquis Huaiyin, Han Xin, was a famous general from the late Cloud Desolation era, descending from the early Qin. He once led several thousand troops to attack Zhao, fighting with his back to the water, achieving a great victory against Zhao’s two hundred thousand elite soldiers. The commander of the Zhao army then was Lord Cheng'an.

"Your Majesty, our army has traveled a great distance; we too must win or perish. Our morale is extremely high; we do not fear the opponent. This battle will depend solely on which side's military strength is superior."

Fei Yin spoke, then glanced toward the thirty thousand Blood Cloud Cavalry on the right flank. A shadow of doubt flickered in his eyes. What trickery was Kong Yao up to? Could thirty thousand Blood Cloud Cavalry truly stop these two hundred thousand Blood Cavalry? He felt something strange. Kong Yao was usually cautious in his tactics; how could he risk this?

He glanced toward the left flank, wondering if they planned to concentrate their elites to break through the left wing first.

"Your Majesty, I request to personally lead the right-wing cavalry! Once the Blood Cloud Cavalry is shattered, we can directly strike the enemy's central army and crush them in one blow!" No matter what scheme that woman employed, he could shatter it directly! He refused to believe that twenty thousand iron cavalry could not crush a mere thirty thousand Blood Cloud Cavalry! If Kong Yao was truly playing a trick, she was vastly underestimating him.

Yin Yu was also looking toward the right flank, frowning slightly, equally puzzled. After a moment, he nodded, "That is also fine! This battle will rely greatly on your efforts, my dear minister!" With a seasoned general in command, he could be at ease. These two hundred thousand iron cavalry, led by the battle-hardened Fei Yin, were sure to shatter the enemy in one strike!

Fei Yin cupped his hands and immediately stepped off the jade carriage, mounting his horse and departing.

At this time, True Man Chongxuan also rose to his feet.

"Then I shall take my leave as well! The altar over there still requires my diligent attention—"

Yin Yu's expression changed. He stood up and spoke to Chongxuan with a hint of rebuke, "National Preceptor, why the haste? You could certainly wait a while longer!"

Chongxuan offered a bitter smile, "This technique has excessively strict requirements; the timing cannot be missed! Actually, Your Majesty need not concern yourself. The reason I am employing this technique today is also to atone for my previous miscalculations!"

Most people present were bewildered, only Scholar Xuezhai and Yuntai glanced thoughtfully toward the rear of the army. An altar, wide enough to span a thousand zhang, was rapidly taking shape under the inscriptions drawn by nearly a thousand Spirit Cultivators. Outside of that stood nearly three thousand children clad in hemp clothing, half male and half female, standing numbly inside the altar.

"Could this be the legendary Yin-Yang Nail Heart Curse?"

True Man Yuntai looked astonished. "Legend states that once this curse is cast, unless the victim reaches the Transcendent Realm, they will perish within seven days, regardless of their cultivation. However, the caster must sacrifice a thousand years of lifespan and will be cursed by Heaven and Earth, causing misfortune and unspeakable calamities—"

Curse techniques are different from spiritual arts; they cannot be used for direct combat but possess various unimaginable extraordinary abilities. They are the exclusive domain of those who study magical arts and are similarly subject to Heaven's jealousy. In truth, a thousand years of lifespan is just the baseline. The more noble the fate of the target, the greater the consumption when casting this technique; high cultivation level is secondary. Furthermore, it requires at least a thousand young boys and girls for the blood sacrifice, making it utterly venomous. This is why even Saint Realm Venerables like them dare not easily provoke those great masters of occult arts.

"If I can eliminate this villain, this mere one or two thousand years of lifespan, I, Chongxuan, am still willing to part with it!" His gaze like ice, he looked toward the luxurious jade carriage where Zong Shou sat, and Chongxuan laughed coldly, "It is also for myself! If this battle is won, I, Chongxuan, can live a while longer. Gaining and losing, it causes no real damage." As for the misfortune, he could naturally use the ascendant national power of the Grand Merchant to resolve it!

Scholar Xuezhai, Liu Li, being a Confucian, looked somewhat reluctant, "But these boys and girls—" If the spell succeeded, these children would have no hope of survival, their vital blood certainly to be drained dry! His words were barely halfway out when Chongxuan forcefully interrupted him: "Most of these are children of criminals; their ancestors committed great crimes, deserving execution of their entire clan. The remainder are children of barbarians who harmed the soldiers of my Grand Merchant; they deserve execution! Using them here is a suitable end for their lives. Your Majesty will richly compensate their families and absolve them of their guilt!"

"So that's how it is!" Liu Li remained unable to let go of his feelings but forcibly suppressed them. For the Confucians at this time, executing the dissolute ruler and enemy of Confucianism was the most crucial matter! Dissatisfied internally, he coldly stated, "Daoist friend Chongxuan sacrifices himself for righteousness; I, Liu Li, admire you! I only hope that in the future, you can forget the thousands of resentful souls here."

Chongxuan smiled faintly. Since he had chosen to use this technique, he naturally did not care about these mere three thousand lives. Cultivators must fight against Heaven and struggle against Earth. These few thousand children were insignificant in his eyes. Even Liu Li, saying such things, had no actual intention of stopping him—a hypocrite, nothing more.

"Zong Shou has Kong Rui as the Director of the Court of Celestial Affairs, protecting the destiny of the Qian Nation; I fear this technique may not succeed."

"Rest assured, this technique has been improved by me over a thousand years and is far from what it once was. Unless that one is impervious to all evils!"

As they were speaking, a loud tremor echoed from the distance. Everyone looked over and saw that on the right flank, the thirty thousand Blood Cloud Cavalry had finally moved, stepping forward slowly. As this contingent of cavalry advanced, the entire army of the Grand Merchant moved forward in unison.

Everyone suddenly froze. Despite being at a disadvantage, were they attacking proactively? (To be continued)