They had entered the Golden City—entered the battlefield that belonged to them alone.

The contest between State Preceptors was no child’s play; they did not wish to be watched and critiqued by so many ordinary people.

Every minute, every second, stretched as long as an entire year.

The slaughter on the battlefield continued. Miao Fengxian would not relax his assault on the Wei army just because of the duel between the two great State Preceptors. At this moment, Wei’s first division on the other side of the snow mountain was also suffering a fierce attack, and their retreat was slow. The second division located within the snow mountain was rushing to aid the King, but the colorful phoenix swooping down from the sky had caused two avalanches.

Although the people below had countermeasures, this indeed slowed their return.

The Yao army launched its most violent attack on the area where the Wei King was located. The endless waves of soldiers, disregarding life and death, enabled the Yao forces to advance steadily, devouring territory like a silkworm consuming a mulberry leaf.

The numerical advantage was unmistakable. The Wei army contracted its defenses, like a reef facing terrifying waves. But this defensive circle was shrinking step by step.

At this point, the Wei King instead grew calm, commanding his troops to move outward, striving to break through the encirclement.

He knew clearly that the Wei army had lost this battle, lost due to his stubbornness and the enemy’s brilliant strategy. It is said that the supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting, but the fact that Miao Fengxian’s surprise attack was effective ultimately came down to the Wei King’s impatience for quick success, which had dispersed the Wei forces.

Otherwise, with fifty thousand troops facing seventy thousand enemy soldiers, plus their strategic planning, the outcome would have remained uncertain.

But as the backbone of the entire army, no matter how dejected, discouraged, or unwilling he felt inside, he had to maintain a calm exterior, not allowing such an atmosphere to spread throughout the troops.

Otherwise, that would truly be a case of “when the army is defeated, it collapses like a mountain.”

Xiao Yan personally led three thousand troops to cover his retreat. Though not a battlefield general, he now had no choice but to shoulder the responsibility of protecting his father.

But everyone understood that in this battle, the Wei army would likely suffer heavy casualties, unless—

Unless Yun Ya returned victorious.

Everyone was gritting their teeth and enduring.

The Wei King had just issued an order.

The nearest enemy was still seventy or eighty zhang away. He sat on his horse, still full of vigor, not yet fatigued. But at that moment, he suddenly felt a bone-chilling cold in his chest.

The cold came abruptly as if he had suddenly been stripped naked and placed in the snow at thirty-six or thirty-seven degrees below zero in the depths of winter, causing his heart to contract sharply.

The Wei King clutched his chest, his tall figure swaying twice, nearly toppling over.

As the focus of everyone’s attention, his sudden abnormality alarmed the Judicial Commissioner beside him, who jumped down and reached out to support him.

A burst of light exploded around the Wei King’s body. The light formed a golden dragon, circling him once before suddenly disappearing.

This was a sign that a protective magical artifact had been activated and then broken through—someone had taken advantage of the chaos to attack him!

The Wei King roared in anger, his voice filled with extreme pain. He suddenly turned and pointed at someone: “It’s you!”

Four people stood behind him, and the one he pointed at was none other than Xu An, who had just offered him advice!

Xu An did not deny it, laughing loudly: “Foolish ruler, you should have died long ago!” Instead of fleeing, he lunged forward, fingers spread wide, actually going for the Wei King’s throat.

How could the cultivators nearby sit idle? One of them restrained him. Just as they were about to dislocate his jaw, Xu An suddenly went “bang” and exploded into a mist of blood!

Anyone with discerning eyes could see that he had self-destructed his soul. This was much more direct than swallowing poison or biting one’s tongue. However, the incantation for soul self-destruction was very long; he must have been silently reciting most of it before making his move to assassinate the King.

The two men who had gone to capture him were the most unfortunate, also being blasted into a bloody mess, clearly beyond saving.

Fortunately, Xu An’s cultivation was limited. Even with his soul’s self-destruction, the power was far less than that of an Explosive Gu. If a master among cultivators had pulled such a move, all the high-ranking officials present would have perished.

Only then did everyone notice the thin stream of red blood flowing from beneath the Wei King’s chest armor.

Everyone’s heart sank. The sovereign had been assassinated right before their eyes!

Judicial Commissioner Wu Chen dared not move the Wei King, only summoning a war chariot to gently place him on it. The Medicine Master, skilled in medical arts, quickly followed, first giving the Wei King two life-preserving pills that dissolved upon entering his mouth, then immediately treating his wound.

As they removed his armor, the Judicial Commissioner, the Medicine Master, and Xiao Yan, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, all drew in sharp breaths.

From the Wei King’s chest protruded a tiny glint of cold light—the tip of a thin blade!

When had Xu An attacked the Wei King from behind, and how had no one present noticed? Most bizarre was that the Wei King wore the most powerful protective artifact; even if Yun Ya personally struck, he might not have been able to harm him. With Xu An’s limited cultivation, how had he broken through the King’s defenses?

“It cannot be removed, or instant death will follow,” observed the Medicine Master as he examined the wound, then bent down to sniff the blade tip. “The weapon is coated with a violent poison, fatal within fifty breaths.”

Xiao Yan exclaimed in alarm: “Can it be neutralized?”

The Medicine Master shook his head: “The poison has entered the heart directly. There’s no way to reverse it. The most I can do is sustain his life for three-quarters of an hour.” Xu An’s sneak attack was vicious; the toxin had been delivered directly into the Wei King’s heart and then spread to all organs via the bloodstream. Unless they immediately replaced all his blood, there was no hope for salvation.

“Just do what you can,” said the Wei King, still clear-minded, glaring at Xiao Yan. “Has the State Preceptor… emerged yet?”

“Not yet.”

“Keep watch,” said the Wei King, wounded in a vital spot, his breath shortening. “You… you hold things together. The army’s morale cannot falter.” Though severely injured, his hearing seemed doubly acute. He could hear the Yao army repeatedly shouting, “The Wei King is dead!” If left unaddressed, the Wei army would surely scatter, and the battle would be forfeit.

Xiao Yan took up the authority, issuing one order after another. Meanwhile, the Medicine Master urgently said: “The Return Yang Pill, made from an immortal’s formula, contains extremely toxic ingredients but can protect you for three-quarters of an hour. After that time, there will be no life force left, and even an immortal couldn’t save you.”

The Wei King twisted his lips: “Use it! Look at me now—could even an immortal save me?”

The Medicine Master gave him a bright red pill, silently calculating the time for the medicine to take effect. He pressed his finger on the acupoint near the King’s heart, then pulled out the dagger!

Blood gushed like a fountain, its color as black as ink. Strangely, though, as the Medicine Master stopped the bleeding, the Wei King’s complexion improved, eventually becoming flushed, appearing even more vigorous than usual.

After the bandaging was complete, he put his armor back on, leaped onto his horse, and shouted: “What is everyone panicking about? To the Golden City!”

With the Wei King appearing again, the fluctuating morale was immediately stabilized. After a brief period of chaos, the Wei army regained its order. At this moment, the second division from the mountains finally arrived, breaking through the encirclement to join the King’s forces.

Under the Wei King’s command, the force immediately grew to about thirty-four thousand men, and their direction changed as well. Originally planning to break out of the encirclement, they now headed toward the Golden City.

Everyone could see clearly that the Wei army was preparing to support their State Preceptor. Otherwise, even if Yun Ya defeated An Ruzhen, he would still be trapped in the vast sea of Yao forces upon exiting the Golden City. By that time, he couldn’t blame Miao Fengxian for being treacherous, since the latter’s oath was only valid until Yun Ya “exited the Golden City.”

The Wei King truly had unconditional trust in his State Preceptor, daring to bet the lives of over thirty thousand Wei people!

Feng Miaojun, hidden in the mountains, witnessed the chaos and vaguely sensed something wrong, her heart was also unsettled and anxious. But feeling her heartbeat, she knew that Yun Ya, currently engaged in the State Preceptor duel, was at least still alive.

And he hadn’t drawn spiritual power from her either.

So, was everything still alright?

Just then, the main gate of the Golden City suddenly creaked open.