"Your Majesty! The Great Han Divine Dynasty's Golden Rhinoceros Legion is less than five hundred li from Horizontal Heaven Palace!"
"Your Majesty! The Great Han Divine Dynasty's Golden Rhinoceros Legion is less than three hundred li from Horizontal Heaven Palace!"
Within Horizontal Heaven Palace, in the Western Frontier's Horizontal Heaven Immortal Dynasty, the Horizontal Heaven Immortal Emperor's face was etched with extreme weariness. Gone was his former spirit and ambition; he now resembled an old man on his deathbed. Just a few days prior, the Great Han Divine Dynasty's White Tiger Legion had utterly annihilated the western armies, and his own crown prince had fallen on the battlefield. In mere days, the Horizontal Heaven Immortal Dynasty, once ambitious enough to conquer the immortal realms and dominate the western frontier, was now like a candle in the wind, the death knell of their nation echoing in the hearts of every Horizontal Heaven citizen!
"Where is Yin Ze?"
"Where is my Great General??"
The Horizontal Heaven Immortal Emperor roared in fury, divine power surging, shaking his imperial crown from his head and scattering his long, gray-white hair.
Countless officials cowered in fear, prostrate on the ground. Just days ago, they had been full of ambition, discussing the fertile lands of the western frontier. They had never imagined that the mighty Horizontal Heaven Immortal Dynasty would fall so swiftly.
"Reporting... Your Majesty, the Great General is trapped within the encirclement of the Zhulu Army and... and cannot break free!"
"Scoundrels! Scoundrels! How dare insignificant Zhulu presume to walk all over us! Arrogant! Arrogant!"
"Qing Xuan! Great Han! Zhulu! All are mere ants! Ants! Each one eager to see me dead! Impossible!"
"I have not lost! I have not lost! Guards, to the city walls! Repel the enemy!"
...
Dozens of li southwest of Horizontal Heaven Palace, the Golden Rhinoceros commander Wei Xiaokuan, wielding his three-foot long saber, was joined by the White Tiger Legion's Er Zhu Rong, who had ridden at full speed to provide support.
"General Er, after this battle, the Western Frontier will be ours!"
Wei Xiaokuan smiled, gazing at the enormous city faintly visible in the distance.
"Indeed! It is time!"
Er Zhu Rong, holding his reins, was not accompanied by the White Tiger Legion. He alone led a hundred riders to support Wei Xiaokuan in conquering Horizontal Heaven Palace. After all, the Horizontal Heaven Immortal Emperor was a Great Heavenly Venerate, far beyond what the Supreme rank Wei Xiaokuan could contend with.
At this moment, the entire city of Horizontal Heaven Palace pulsed with layers of golden divine light. From afar, it appeared as if golden dragons were coiling within. On the city walls, in addition to elite soldiers, were numerous cultivators from various clans and sects, their weapons in hand, ready to defend their last remaining territory with their lives!
The massive city walls were sparsely manned, with only 160,000 Horizontal Heaven elite soldiers. The recent bloody battles, particularly Horizontal Heaven's engagement against three forces on three fronts, had severely dispersed the immortal dynasty's forces.
The 160,000 soldiers stood atop the city, while some hovered in the air, their weapons drawn, scanning the front. Within the city, dragon roars continuously nourished the soldiers' physiques.
At this moment, whether it was these 160,000 soldiers or the cultivators from the clans and sects, despite their courage in standing on the city walls, a gnawing fear lingered in their hearts.
"Do you think... the Great Han Divine Dynasty's army is truly that strong? I heard from within the palace that even the current Crown Prince died on the battlefield!"
In the area guarded by the clans and sects, a pale-faced, tender-skinned young man, clearly from a wealthy family, clutched a talisman and continuously refined it onto the long saber beside him. As he refined it, he grumbled, "Our Horizontal Heaven has developed for millions of years, and we finally began to gain an advantage, able to suppress Qing Xuan and Zhulu. Who would have thought things would change so drastically, that a single human divine dynasty could sweep through our western lands!"
"It's simply unbelievable!"
"Could it be that His Highness the Crown Prince was overconfident? No! No! No matter how overconfident he was, the Crown Prince was still a strong individual, ranking highly within Horizontal Heaven Palace. Besides, our immortal dynasty's elites..."
"Enough! It is what it is. Speculating further is useless. His Highness the Crown Prince has already died for his country, and the Great Han barbarians will soon be at our Horizontal Heaven Palace. It's best to use this peaceful time to cultivate diligently. Only then will you live longer!!"
"Kid, remember my words. The battlefield is not the martial world. Don't think your noble status matters here; the Great Han soldiers won't care!"
An older man patted the young man, speaking in a deep voice that grew increasingly serious. He didn't know the cultivation levels or combat prowess of the immortal dynasty's soldiers, but he knew that the Crown Prince's death on the battlefield indicated that the Great Han Divine Dynasty's army was by no means a ragtag force, and its generals were not incompetent fools.
"They're here! Look!"
Some soldiers suddenly shouted, instantly drawing the attention of the beings guarding Horizontal Heaven Palace. They looked towards the direction indicated, where the horizon was ablaze with golden light. With a thunderous rumble, over a million soldiers clad in golden armor, led by Wei Xiaokuan, began to advance towards Horizontal Heaven Palace.
"Boom!"
Wei Xiaokuan reined in his steed and extended his hand!
The million-strong army halted instantly, silently gazing at the massive city walls, exuding a dense aura of imperial power, before them.
Standing atop the city wall, the Horizontal Heaven Immortal Emperor wore armor adorned with nine coiling dragons, a three-foot-long sword hanging from his waist, accompanied by the roar of dragons.
He looked out at the densely packed million-strong army outside the city walls, his brow gradually relaxing. Mu Yang had not died in vain, nor had the western army been routed in vain. A mere divine dynasty possessed an army of a million true god soldiers, and their commander was extraordinary. Especially when he saw Er Zhu Rong standing beside Wei Xiaokuan, he immediately thought of the word "ambitious schemer." Such a being, if controlled, could be the sharp edge of a dynasty; if not, they would inevitably become a cancerous tumor that destabilized the court.
"General Er, judging by this formation, it's likely impossible to make them submit!" Wei Xiaokuan said with a slight smile, showing no hint of tension before the impending battle.
"The Horizontal Heaven Immortal Emperor is exceedingly ambitious; how could he submit to our Divine Emperor? Let us fight! Only by destroying this Horizontal Heaven Palace can the Horizontal Heaven Immortal Dynasty truly collapse!"
Er Zhu Rong stated coldly.
"Relay my marshal's order: Prepare the trebuchets and bows!"
Looking at the Horizontal Heaven Immortal Emperor on the city wall, Wei Xiaokuan suddenly roared, his voice echoing for dozens of li around Horizontal Heaven Palace. The sky darkened, boundless blood qi surged, and the air grew thick!
Clang!
Thump, thump, thump!!
Trebuchets were pushed out from the center of the army by soldiers, and the entire army's formation rapidly shifted.
On the city walls, countless generals and soldiers trembled. Witnessing hundreds of thousands of trebuchets being rolled out by the Great Han army, without any negotiation, they were simply positioned for use.
Some of the clan disciples began to panic. They had experienced killing and faced death before, but their experiences paled in comparison to what they were witnessing before the mighty army. Before the battle had even begun, simply by the condensation of the military formation, they were overwhelmed with tension and fear.
The enemy was a victorious force, carrying the imposing reputation of having defeated Crown Prince Mu Yang and swept through the western frontier, suppressing this ancient city.
"Trebuchets, fire!"
Xie Lüguang stared at Wei Xiaokuan. Wei Xiaokuan extended his hand and then shouted urgently, his command flag waving.