The imperial camp in Yanzhou.
Ji Hu's command tent.
Under the dim light, Ji Hu's face was sallow, his mottled armor long devoid of its former brilliance.
Scars crisscrossed his aged face. Day and night battles had worn down his already weakened body, which was now further depleting its dwindling life force!
Veins bulged across his arms, pushing blood flow with raw power! Su Dan Novel Network.
"Ji Yan, how is your communication with the governor of Yizhou?"
A weak voice, hoarse, emanated from his aged, frail body.
"Reporting, Commander, your subordinate went to Jingzhou and did not see the governor of Yizhou. However, I did see Jian Ying. He said the governor of Yizhou has a condition!"
Ji Yan looked at his father, whose body was failing, and felt immense regret. He hated that even now, he couldn't share his father's burden.
Even more detestable was that despite Wu Guo's dire state, the governor of Yizhou, Ji Shu, remained unmoved. His eyes were filled with a lust for the throne!
"Speak!"
Ji Hu looked down at Ji Yan and spoke.
"Commander, he... he wants passage through Yuzhou!"
Ji Yan hesitated, his eyebrows raised as he looked at Ji Hu, observing his father's physical state. He feared Ji Hu might become angry and aggravate his wounds.
Clang!
"Ji Shu, you still won't give up, hmm!"
"Now, the Ji family's empire is in peril, and he still thinks of vying for the throne. Passage through Yuzhou? Yuzhou's geographical location is so crucial. Even if I die on the battlefield, I will not let his army set foot in Yuzhou!"
"Cough, cough, cough."
"Ptooey!"
Enraged, Ji Hu roared fiercely. A surge of qi and blood reversed, aggravating his wounds, and he coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood!
"Father!"
"Commander!"
A group of generals hastily supported Ji Hu.
His body trembled, his breathing labored and intermittent. Anyone could see that the old general was at the end of his rope. If not for his powerful will, he would have already passed on!
"Go... go... report to the King, let Zhang Yan take command of the entire army in my stead!"
"Go..."
His words were broken and weak, his eyelids fluttering open and shut feebly.
"Father!"
"Commander, please do not be anxious, you must take care of yourself!"
All the soldiers wept!
Ji Hu, a god-like figure in Wu Guo, had single-handedly supported two generations of Wu Kings. In this turbulent and unstable era, he, Ji Hu, had, by his own might, propped up this fragmented carriage!
Though once filled with ambition and a master of the battlefield, he could not withstand the erosion of time. In his twilight years, he could no longer wield his battle saber!
Boom~~
Suddenly, outside the command tent, wind and rain raged, arrows rained down, swords clashed, warhorses neighed, and the roar of battle filled the air!
Voices rushed into the command tent!
Suddenly, his tightly shut, weak eyes opened again. Years of traversing battlefields reawakened his weakened nerves!
Fight!
Generals die in a hundred battles!
Supported by others, Ji Hu stood up again, grasping his battle saber. His steps were slow but firm and powerful!
"The entire army, face the enemy!"
Ji Hu's eyes blazed with anger, his voice like thunder, instantly resounding throughout the camp!
"Hmph! Ji Hu, this sect is here to send you on your way!"
A figure stepped through the void, arriving above the vast army.
"Hahaha!"
Ji Hu looked at Chen Taisheng in the void and laughed maniacally.
"Old friend, are you willing to join me in a passionate battle once more!" Ji Hu lowered his head, caressing his battle saber.
Hum~~
The battle saber blazed with light, humming and vibrating!
"All soldiers, heed my command, kill!"
Ji Hu roared to the heavens, his immense primal energy instantly igniting the fearless spirit of the imperial army!
Chen Taisheng clenched his fists, the explosive primal energy waves causing the void to rumble!
Ji Hu gripped his battle saber tightly, his eyes slightly open, fierce with rage, as if he had returned to the era of conquering the world and wielding his saber freely!
Ji Hu stomped his foot on the ground, and dense cracks instantly appeared. Ji Hu swung his battle saber, slashing towards Chen Taisheng in the void.
Hiss~~
Thump, thump, thump!
The two sides quickly retreated from the zone of the master's battle. A master's wrath could spill blood upon millions; the powerful pressure was something that warriors below the master realm could not withstand!
"Behold my blade!"
Ji Hu suddenly appeared in the void, a radiant saber light stirring ripples as it swiftly slashed towards Chen Taisheng. The saber light was like a star; even though his body was no longer what it once was, he could still unleash world-shattering energy!
The saber light streaked across the sky, the wind howled. This strike contained the essence of Ji Hu's lifelong battles, filled with overwhelming killing intent, whipping Chen Taisheng's long hair wildly in the void.
In Chen Taisheng's pupils, the saber light rapidly grew larger, closer. The fierce saber light was as sharp and fast as ever!
As the saber light approached within three feet of Chen Taisheng, a golden seal instantly formed before his fists. The ancient seal was stained with blood, and a deathly aura emanated outwards!
Bang!
A crisp, loud sound erupted, stirring up a shower of sparks. The battle saber halted the moment it touched the seal.
Hum~~
The battle saber hummed, and continuous primal energy surged into it. Ji Hu's body trembled slightly, sweat trickling down his back as he gasped for air.
Chen Taisheng saw all of this. Ji Hu, his opponent, felt a surge of respect in his heart at this moment.
His withered, weak body exuded a strong aura of death. If Chen Taisheng had not suddenly attacked the imperial camp, perhaps the pillar of Wu Guo, the elder statesman of two dynasties, the expert of the fifth level of the master realm, would have passed away in sorrow!
"Father!"
Ji Yan watched his father's slight tremor, tears streaming uncontrollably from his eyes. Wu Guo has failed you!
The father who had always fought had reached the end of his life, yet refused to lay down his battle saber. Cracks suddenly appeared on the blood-stained saber!
"Commander!"
The imperial soldiers fighting on the battlefield all turned back, looking at the already stooped, hunched figure. Their commander was too tired. The heavy burden had finally bent his once upright spine towards reality!
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Ji Hu retracted his battle saber. His weak primal energy supported his exhausted body, his eyes losing their luster, a faint wry smile appearing at the corner of his lips.
"Chen Taisheng, this old man can still fight!"
A weak voice, yet still filled with unyielding pride!
"Old general, the wise know when to retreat. Wu Guo no longer deserves to be the master of this land. After two thousand years, it is time to yield your position!"
Chen Taisheng held the golden seal with his right palm, his voice icy.
"Hmph! This land was fought for and defended with our lives by my Ji family, and it is what this old man has pursued his entire life!"
"Chen Taisheng, bring it on. This old man will stand in your path. Even if I have to fight to the death on the battlefield, I will fight with all my might!"
Hum~~
The battle saber vibrated, its crisscrossed cracks emitting a faint afterglow!
"All soldiers, heed my command! Today, we fight to the death in Yanzhou, vowing to defend the territory of our Wu Guo!"
Ji Hu raised his battle saber high above his head and roared, "Wu Guo, fight to the death!"