Across the vast lands of Manzhou, a streak of golden light rapidly traversed the sky. Before many could even react, the golden light had vanished beyond the horizon.
The Dragon Horse, carrying Li Xiaotian, was frantically galloping at extreme speed.
Upon learning of Da Qin's current predicament, Li Xiaotian could not afford to delay. After a brief farewell to the Empress and other demons, he departed.
Da Qin, Qingmei, wait for me to return!
Li Xiaotian silently chanted, wishing he could instantly appear before his wife at this moment.
"Dragon Horse, faster!"
Li Xiaotian urged, his heart filled with anxiety.
"Roar!"
The Dragon Horse roared in response, its strength depleted to the point where it could barely utter more words.
Having just recovered from a major battle, it was immediately pressed into service by Li Xiaotian for this urgent journey. Of course, it understood the importance of the matter and was giving its all to maintain its speed.
Meanwhile, Li Xiaotian was not idle. While healing his injuries, he took out the corpse of Gu Qiankun. He intended to extract the ancient divine blood and, before reaching Da Qin, elevate his ancient divine body to a height of three hundred zhang! He aimed to become stronger, thus better equipped to face the impending battle.
Simultaneously, in the capital of Da Qin in Yanzhou, standing on the city walls, one could see smoke and flames billowing everywhere, a scene of utter devastation. The Ten Thousand Beast Mountain and the Desolate Hall alliance had joined forces. Their plan was to annihilate Da Qin, with the citizens of Da Qin to be consumed by the demon race and the territories to be divided among the Desolate Hall and other superior forces. Da Qin had previously held six cities, but now only the capital remained, isolated and without aid. All of Da Qin's forces were concentrated in the capital, prepared for a desperate last stand! To the north of the capital, demon armies loomed menacingly; to the south, the Desolate Hall alliance stood in formation, ready for battle. In its current state, Da Qin had no escape route, no place to flee! This battle, Da Qin was destined to fall, with no hope of survival! Yet, Da Qin's Emperor, the hundreds of thousands of troops in the War Department, and the tens of thousands of warriors from the Dragon King Hall showed no sign of retreating. This battle would be fought to the death! Only a fight to the death!!!
"Lady Li, Senior Jian Chen, Sect Master Dao Xuan, Sect Master Zhan, General Fifteen, I represent the hundreds of millions of citizens of Da Qin to express our deepest gratitude."
In the Qin Palace, the Emperor bowed deeply to Ye Qingmei and the other overlords, thanking them. Seeing this, they all shifted to the side, finding it difficult to accept such a profound courtesy from the ruler of a nation.
"I have a request!"
The Emperor spoke.
"Lord Qin, please do not hesitate," Dao Xuan replied, feeling a surge of emotion within him. He had witnessed firsthand Da Qin's endeavors, recognizing that Da Qin was building a prosperous era! However, Da Qin had grown for too little time and had disrupted the interests of too many. It was foreseeable that it would reach this precipice. Alas, Da Qin was born at an ill-fated time!
"All of you are overlords with unfathomable power. I implore you, in the final moments of this battle, please escort the children away. I believe that at that time, they would not dare to obstruct you if you wished to leave."
The Emperor spoke, his gaze filled with earnest pleading. Thousands of young children and youths resided in the Qin Palace at this moment, all educated by Da Qin from a young age. Though Da Qin might fall, as long as they lived, Da Qin would rise again! The seeds of civilization had been sown, and the day would surely come when they would blossom and bear fruit!
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent. How could they not understand the Emperor's intentions? To say "escort the children away" was akin to advising them not to fight to the death. In fact, since the war began, these individuals had been assisting Da Qin of their own volition. If they chose to leave, the Desolate Hall alliance and the demon race would be delighted. After all, their aim was to destroy Da Qin, its ideology, and its system! Equality for all, the strong protecting the weak, shared cultivation techniques, and universal cultivation. To the forces of the Desolate Hall alliance, this was an outright violation of established norms, a destruction of their vested interests! Since ancient times, the strong were revered, the weak enslaved, the strong masters. Da Qin's actions were an attempt to overturn everything, and how could they permit such a thing to happen?
"Lord Qin, there is no need for you to persuade us. If you are concerned about the children, I shall take them away now. They cannot stop me, but I will never retreat from a fight!" Jian Chen was the first to speak. As a sword cultivator, he practiced a broad and magnanimous spirit, a sword heart that would strike against injustice. How could he be a deserter? Would staying mean death? What was death, anyway?
"Indeed. We are participating in this war for Da Qin, and also for the human race. Huang Wudi and his ilk have changed their ways, but we have not!" Dao Xuan stated with a stern expression.
"What Xiaotian fought desperately to protect, as his wife, I too shall use my life to continue protecting!" Ye Qingmei declared with unwavering resolve, though a flicker of sadness crossed her eyes. If he were truly dead, what meaning would there be in her own life?
"Lord Qin, the Dragon King Hall will never retreat either! Though our King is absent, I know that if he were here, he would absolutely not retreat!" Long Shi wu spoke with a face full of fighting spirit.
"Everyone, why must you do this? It should not be this way, it should not be this way!" The Emperor exclaimed, his face etched with sorrow, guilt, and gratitude.
"No need to say more, we fight to the death!" Jian Chen declared, then turned and departed, preparing to lead the children from the Qin Palace away.
"Alas, I wonder if Supreme Lord would act if Xiaoyao sought his aid," Dao Xuan sighed, speaking his thoughts aloud. Li Xiaoyao, a genius from the Sword Pavilion, was now also an overlord and had been taken as a disciple by Yanzhou's Supreme Lord, Tongtian Sword Master. The existence of Tongtian Sword Master was no longer a secret; he was the guardian of Yanzhou, an ultimate expert. However, he was only responsible for protecting Yanzhou from enemies of similar power, such as the Sea of Blood or other Supreme Lords from various provinces. He did not involve himself in Yanzhou's internal affairs. After all, if his eldest and second sons were fighting, it was not his place to take sides.
"It is better to rely on oneself than to beg others. Lord Tongtian did not intervene from the beginning, and he will not do so now," Zhan Tianxia shook his head.
"Let us prepare for battle with all our might. Even if we all perish, we must inflict heavy losses upon them!" Ye Qingmei stated coldly, her gaze filled with killing intent.
"Lady Li, you need not be like this. He might still be alive," the Emperor said to Ye Qingmei. Li Xiaotian had sacrificed countless things for Da Qin, and the Dragon King Hall had lost half of its warriors. He did not wish to see Li Xiaotian's wife also sacrifice herself for Da Qin.
"Lord Qin, there is no need to persuade me. Even if he is alive, I will not retreat from this battle," Ye Qingmei smiled, a tender glance flashing in her eyes, before continuing. "If he is alive, that is good. If we die, he will avenge us."
"Madam!"
Long Shi wu's eyes welled up. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found himself at a loss for words. As Li Xiaotian's subordinates, they understood certain matters very clearly. Their King owed Ye Qingmei far too much. A frail woman, enduring hardship with their daughter in Jiang City for three years, finally welcomed Li Xiaotian back. Then, the world underwent a drastic change, and ancient times were revived. Ye Qingmei, fleeing with the Dragon King Hall, fell into the Demon Lord's barrier. Subsequently, Li Xiaotian took charge of Da Qin's War Department, and to protect his wife and daughter, he sent them to Gu Zhi Village. Another three years passed. Afterwards, Li Xiaotian finally left Da Qin, intending to travel the world with his wife and daughter. However, with the imminent resurgence of powerful enemies, Li Xiaotian had to ruthlessly abandon his wife and daughter once more and embark on the path to becoming stronger alone. It could be said that Li Xiaotian had wronged Ye Qingmei far too much. The time the trio spent together was exceedingly brief. And now, Ye Qingmei had stepped forward voluntarily to defend the foundation Li Xiaotian had built. This time, it was very likely a final farewell. The couple might not even have a chance to see each other one last time. Yet, Ye Qingmei harbored no regrets, no resentment. She would not retreat from this war. Although, if she left, she might see Li Xiaotian again in the future and be reunited as husband and wife. But she did not leave, nor did she wish to leave. She did not want to witness the destruction of the Da Qin that Li Xiaotian had painstakingly forged. As she had said, if Li Xiaotian were still alive, and they perished, he would avenge them. This was a wife's trust in her husband. It was also the only hope in her heart at this moment. She hoped Li Xiaotian was alive!