Chapter 1625 - 188: Victory and Defeat Revealed

Chapter 1625: Chapter 188: Victory and Defeat Revealed

The Battle of Yanbai City lasted a full six hours.

From dawn’s first light of slaughter until sunset.

It was meant to be a hard-fought defensive battle, but because Xie Xuanyi took action, the Ninth Prince’s camp turned from defense to counterattack; the originally high-spirited Southern State Iron Cavalry began to flee, their ranks collapsing... After five hours, the Yuanzhou Iron Cavalry and the main forces of Wu State arrived in full, forming an encirclement.

This great battle finally drew to a close.

"Master Xie, such great kindness cannot be repaid with mere thanks."

Luoyu Mountain.

Jian Qingqiu, his heavy armor stained with blood, saw Xie Xuanyi and, without another word, drove his sabre hard into the ground, preparing to kneel and kowtow.

"Brother Jian, that must not be."

Xie Xuanyi hurriedly stopped him, lifting his sleeve.

Jian Qingqiu’s stubborn temper flared; he insisted on kowtowing, but was held up by Sword Qi. No matter how he struggled, he could not bend his knees.

With no other choice.

He could only bow deeply and offer a great salute.

"Master Xie..."

At this moment.

Han Li also arrived at Luoyu Mountain.

Nalan Xuance had died and his Dao dissipated; the offensive and defensive positions at Yanbai City had reversed. Hua Fang directly chose to "defect": she did not take the "Undying Spring" given by her Master, nor did she fight to the death. Instead, she tore open the void with her Perfect Flesh Body and forcibly departed this battlefield.

The Seven Marquis did the same.

The Ninth Prince was not one who slaughtered wantonly.

Though the Three States Iron Cavalry had formed a ring and surrounded Luoyu Mountain, he still gave the promise of "surrender and you will not be killed."

Thus.

This great battle came to a complete end.

Not far away, the Iron Cavalry were tallying the military supplies of Luoyu Mountain’s baggage camp, escorting the surrendering soldiers one after another into the prisoner camp.

"Brother Han, my congratulations."

Xie Xuanyi smiled faintly.

He could tell that the aura of Taoist Intent on Han Li’s body had changed.

Between life and death lies Great Creation.

In that battle between Han Li and Hua Fang, both sides pushed themselves to the utmost, each reaching their own limit.

If not for Xie Xuanyi.

Then after taking the "Undying Spring," Hua Fang would likely have been the first to ignite her Life Fire.

But unfortunately.

There is no "if."

In this battle, it was ultimately Han Li who first condensed a "Dao Embryo of the Great Dao."

It will not be long before this Commander of Chong State... can attempt to ignite his Life Fire and step into the Yang God Realm.

"The light of a firefly, not worth mentioning."

Han Li shook his head and said sincerely, "If Master Xie had not come to the rescue in time today, I fear Yanbai City would have become a Purgatory."

Nalan Xuance had a great many Death Soldiers and Armored Puppets under his command.

These Armored Puppets, controlled by the Xuanwei Technique, feared no pain and were incomparably fierce; each one taking on ten was no problem.

Fortunately, Xie Xuanyi was there.

Thus Yanbai City was spared the brunt of the charge and escaped catastrophe.

After Xie Xuanyi slew Nalan Xuance, he directly used the Life and Death Dao Domain to crush those Death Soldiers and Armored Puppets hidden by the Shadow within Luoyu Mountain, who had yet to be deployed.

"These... are all things I ought to have done."

Xie Xuanyi suddenly said, "Is the Ninth Prince here? I wish to see him."

...

...

Atop Luoyu Mountain, the cold wind was bleak.

The Ninth Prince, clad in white robes, leaned against a great banyan tree, gazing wearily into the distance.

This battle had raged from sunrise to sunset.

The great sun had sunk; heaven and earth were dim and yellow.

By his side lay a blood-soaked head, placed beneath the tree.

"Your Highness."

Han Li personally led the way, softly reminding, "Master Xie has arrived."

"Master Xie..."

The Ninth Prince hastily rose and saluted.

He took a deep breath, looking with reverence at the young Sword Cultivator before him, who by age was only a little over ten years his senior.

After this battle.

Da Li would usher in decades of peace not seen in many years.

In just a few days, under the support of Fan Yin Temple and the Beizhou Iron Cavalry... he would enter the Great Li Imperial City and become the new King.

One could say.

He had ascended the summit in the worldly sense.

Only, the Ninth Prince knew in his heart that compared to Xie Xuanyi, the "summit" he stood upon still fell far short.

"My congratulations."

Xie Xuanyi spoke gently.

Looking at the white-robed youth before him, he offered heartfelt congratulations.

Perhaps because he had once undergone Divine Travel.

Xie Xuanyi knew that the Ninth Prince was a wise monarch; once he took hold of Da Li, this turbulent kingdom would return to peace and emerge from the long night to greet the dawn.

He had once walked the Four Realms of Li Kingdom.

With the Life Dao Realm, he had saved many refugees.

But to truly save those countless displaced common folk...

What one must rely on.

Was not the Life Dao Realm.

Xie Xuanyi could save a thousand, ten thousand, but in the end, he could not save tens of millions.

The Ninth Prince was different.

Seated in that position, he was someone who could "save tens of millions."

"Master Xie seeks me..."

The Ninth Prince lowered his eyes and said slowly, "Is it for the matter of Nalan Qiutong..."

Earlier, Nalan Qiutong had longed only for death.

Xie Xuanyi had not killed her.

"By rights, I should not meddle in the internal affairs of Li Kingdom."

Xie Xuanyi said calmly, "But Nalan Qiutong... I wish to spare her life and take her away. You may be assured, I will not allow her to return to Li Kingdom again."

"In the next few days, I will make a trip to Xuanwei Island and engrave the inheritance of the Xuanwei Technique into a soul scroll to be sent to Li Kingdom. At that time, Your Highness may choose a trustworthy person to cultivate this technique."

Xie Xuanyi paused, then said seriously, "If this Magic is allowed to die out here... it would be somewhat of a pity."

"We shall handle it as Master Xie wishes."

The Ninth Prince gave a weary smile and said helplessly, "In truth, I originally did not wish to kill her either..."

The Xuanwei Technique had, in the past two years, been branded a Demon Art.

But sixty years ago.

This Magic had, in a solid and tangible way, helped Li Kingdom pacify rebellions and forged a Golden Era.

A single Magic, whether good or evil, depends on the Caster.

Nalan Xuance...

Sixty years ago, he too had once been a "Saint" revered by countless people.

To become a Saint is nothing more than a single thought to save the common people.

To fall into the Demon Path is the same.

"..."

Xie Xuanyi slightly turned his head, looking toward the blood-stained Crown Prince’s head beneath the great banyan tree.

The Crown Prince was already dead.

Below Yanbai City, the two had fought to the death, King Hunting against King Hunting.

No one intervened.

These two royal brothers who had slaughtered each other for many years finally decided victory and defeat upon the great carriage... The center of the Ninth Prince’s chest was a patch of crimson.

Though he had already taken an Elixir, fresh blood still seeped out continuously.

In this battle, the two had been evenly matched.

But the Ninth Prince’s luck was slightly better.

In the final strike, the Crown Prince’s aim shifted just a little, failing to pierce his heart.

While he, with one stroke, cut off the other’s head.

"In truth, I did not wish to kill him either..."

The Ninth Prince sat back down, sitting beside his elder brother, the last rays of the sun shining down.

They fell upon his weary shoulders.

And also upon the Crown Prince’s pale, bewildered face.

The Ninth Prince had grown up within the palace from childhood. In his memories, his elder brother had, on many dusks like this one, sat by his side... In the very beginning, his relationship with his brother had not been like this.

If he had a choice.

He would rather leave the Crown Prince a way to live.

"Some people, once killed, are simply killed."

"If one lacks sufficient strength and only clings to kindness and mercy, one will merely bring harm upon oneself."

Xie Xuanyi said calmly, "I did not kill Nalan Qiutong because, so long as I wish it, I can kill her at any time. In the palm of my hand, even if she exerts herself with all her might, she cannot stir the slightest ripple, so I spared her life... But if you did not kill the Crown Prince, then under the heavens of Li Kingdom, with each passing day, there would be thousands, tens of thousands who suffer for it."

The Ninth Prince was stunned for a moment.

"To show mercy to the enemy is to be cruel to oneself."

Xie Xuanyi glanced behind him and said lightly, "Within Yanbai City’s Iron Cavalry and common folk, there are exactly one hundred thousand... If I had not come today, Your Highness may as well guess: how many lives would the Crown Prince and Nalan Xuance have left? Among them, would Your Highness’s life be counted?"