On the Five-Color Plain, the Da Qian soldiers inexplicably met their defeat.

The morale of the Liaodong soldiers visibly surged. The Da Qian soldiers hadn’t yet realized what was happening, thinking it was merely a battle setback with the Liaodong soldiers counterattacking fiercely. The Yongping Army had always grown stronger through adversity—when one batch fell, the next would charge forward.

The commanders were also continuously boosting their soldiers’ morale, leading the charge from the front.

Di Yiwei raised her telescope, her gaze falling on the first batch of fallen soldiers at the very front.

She could confirm that before these men fell, the Liaodong soldiers’ weapons hadn’t even had time to strike them.

She suddenly shouted sternly: “Retreat!”

The messenger looked at her in surprise, not understanding why they would suddenly retreat when the situation looked so favorable. This could easily reverse their morale and allow the Liaodong soldiers to turn defeat into victory.

“Retreat immediately!”

The messenger dared not delay and immediately sounded the gong and waved the flags.

“Rear guard becomes vanguard, immediately withdraw from the battlefield, distance yourselves from the Liaodong troops… Scorpion Battalion covers the retreat, Blood Cavalry pulls back, form a crescent moon defensive formation, from now on, focus on defense!”

“Commander, the Blood Cavalry is still charging the Liaodong cavalry formation to rescue the Imperial Crown Princess!”

“The Imperial Crown Princess has already withdrawn, Blood Cavalry retreat.”

“Yes!”

But during the infantry’s retreat, they continued to fall.

A subordinate rushed over, grabbing her horse’s reins to pull her back: “Commander! Retreat quickly! The front infantry is failing, the Liaodong soldiers are encircling us, their target is you. If you don’t retreat now, you won’t be able to escape!”

“Step back.” Di Yiwei kicked away the hand grabbing her reins and raised her telescope to observe carefully. Stray arrows whistled past her, and the guards beside her broke into a cold sweat, but she didn’t move.

“Commander! If the Scorpion Battalion and Blood Cavalry also have problems, today we—”

“Since the Blood Cavalry and Scorpion Battalion haven’t had problems until now, they won’t have problems.” Di Yiwei replied, “The problem lies in the food. The Blood Cavalry has a separate camp, and the Scorpion Battalion also has separate food preparation, so they’re fine.”

After the incident that day, the main camp’s food had been tampered with. But the Scorpion Battalion had always had different food treatment from ordinary soldiers—they used their own separate kitchen. After Di Yiwei’s incident, they threw away all food sent from the main camp. Even when their own provisions were insufficient and they had to scrimp and save, they didn’t eat the main camp’s rations.

As for the Blood Cavalry, Huang Ming, Xiao Chang and others had tried to control them, but they couldn’t even enter the Blood Cavalry’s camp. Because the Blood Cavalry adopted an attitude of indifference, and Xiao Chang and others feared complications and didn’t dare offend them, they let it be.

Thus, on today’s battlefield, a lifeline was preserved for the Yongping Army.

Di Yiwei felt no relief. The infantry here was only the main camp’s left army. The right army and surrounding guard camps had been largely transferred to the Cang Tian Pass front to retake it. Once the poison took effect there, none would escape. Although each unit was equipped with Blood Cavalry and Scorpion Battalion, the difficulty of this battle had multiplied. If they also failed here, morale would collapse, leading to total defeat across all fronts.

The poison had been administered long ago but only activated during the great battle. There must be some time-controlled trigger that activated under certain conditions. What was it?

Through her telescope, soldiers were running and then falling without warning, fighting and then falling, resisting and then falling…

It seemed sudden and without any pattern.

Di Yiwei suddenly said, “No! They’re all moving!”

The officers around her looked at her in confusion.

Di Yiwei lowered her telescope and pressed her lips together.

Even if the poison was triggered by movement, stopping on this dangerous battlefield would be equally fatal.

The Liaodong people had chosen the perfect timing, which was why they dared to penetrate so boldly into Yongping territory to ambush the Yongping Army.

Infantry comprised the main numbers. Once they all lost combat capability, with three Liaodong armies converging, everyone’s life would be left here.

An officer beside her said: “Commander, our only option now is to capture the enemy leader!”

The reasoning was correct, but among the three armies, where exactly was the main commander?

Dan Shuang had already shot the Liaodong infantry battalion commander, and they’d just received word that the Imperial Crown Princess had also killed cavalry battalion commander Dantai Yong with artillery. But this hadn’t caused great disorder in enemy morale, indicating their main leader was still there.

Since both infantry and cavalry had lost their commanders without morale collapsing, the decision-maker above Dantai Yong could only be Prince Da’an.

Where was he?

Some around her said he was with the cavalry battalion, others insisted he must still be with the infantry battalion. Di Yiwei coldly observed the battle situation and said: “No, he’s in neither.”

The officers felt discouraged.

A stray arrow flew over, grazing Di Yiwei’s long hair, and several black strands scattered.

“Commander! We must retreat!”

“Where can we retreat to?” Di Yiwei said calmly. “They’re relying on superior numbers, blocking three directions. Behind us is the Five-Color Plain with treacherous terrain. Once we retreat there, the Blood Cavalry will be useless first. Even if the Scorpion Battalion can protect us, we can’t wait for reinforcements—the infantry still in the main camp should all be poisoned.”

Not to mention Cui Shi, who must be among the enemy forces now. The moment the situation turned slightly against them, he could act.

It was truly a dead end.

The officers who had followed Di Yiwei in defending the frontier for many years through countless battles had never encountered such a hopeless situation with no retreat.

The defensive circle was shrinking. No matter how hard everyone tried, they were still being driven step by step toward the Five-Color Plain.

Di Yiwei continued holding her telescope, and no one knew what she was still looking at.

Through the telescope, Di Yiwei’s gaze swept over each fallen person.

Blood-spurting wounds, damaged swords and blades, torn cotton clothes…

Torn cotton clothes…

Cotton clothes…

At this moment, two people suddenly charged down from the mountain path ahead, immediately intercepted by Liaodong soldiers rushing up.

Di Yiwei’s eyes focused—she found one person’s large, fat figure very familiar. He was carrying someone on his back, and that person used an umbrella-like object to slash and parry all the way. The two coordinated quite well.

She said: “Blood Cavalry and Scorpion Battalion each send a team to bring them out!”

The Blood Cavalry received orders and departed. In the distance, that fat man suddenly removed his clothes, tore off his garment, cut down a Liaodong soldier, used his blood to write several large characters, then spread his arms to hold the bloody cloth high.

The blood characters were vivid, visible from far away.

“Cotton clothes!”

…

Murong Yi looked up at Prince Da’an.

The Liaodong Prince who had come from above the Five-Color Plain looked calmly at Tie Ci on the ground and said: “The poison in your body, the royal position you desire, everything you’ve worked for—it need not come to nothing. You only need to exchange this woman who is destined to break with you.”

Murong Yi remained silent.

“Previously when you requested to dissolve the engagement, I agreed. I also arranged another marriage for you—the eldest daughter of the Golden Armor Battalion Commander in Ru Zhou. You know what position the Golden Armor Battalion holds in Ru Zhou and what power the Huang family wields in Liaodong.”

Murong Yi looked up at him with slight surprise, apparently not expecting his father had actually arranged such a good marriage for him.

“All that talk of injustice and grievance, that killing of brothers for revenge—you put on that reckless act hoping this king would believe it, and this king can indeed believe it. After all, though I have many sons, true heroes are rare.” Prince Da’an said indifferently. “But if you want to be a hero, don’t learn those romantic sentiments. Otherwise you don’t deserve it. Think of your past twenty years, think of your endurance and humiliation, think of your entire journey. Think clearly, then give me your answer.”

Murong Yi continued his silence. After a while, he bent down.

Tie Ci seemed not fully unconscious, her eyes half-closed and half-open.

Before her, light and shadow were hazy as if through turbulent water. Human voices seemed to come through layers of water curtains, vaguely hearing “destined to break,” “arranged a marriage,” “exchange her,” and other fragments.

Feeling his approach, she struggled to open her eyes, wanting to see his expression clearly.

But Murong Yi reached out and gently closed her eyelids.

Tie Ci didn’t try to open her eyes again.

If he didn’t want her to see, then she wouldn’t look.

She laughed mockingly in her heart.

Others didn’t know, but she had accompanied him all the way. How his brothers treated him, how he eliminated those brothers—she had seen it all clearly.

What he wanted through all his struggles to this point, she might understand better than he did himself.

That day in Fu Mountain, he had said, “Except for one thing, I can sacrifice everything else for you.”

She hadn’t asked about that one thing then, but now she no longer needed to ask.

Even if life was more important than everything else, she had no right to make someone who had struggled out of the mire abandon all his dreams and hopes for her.

How easy it was—just abandon her, and he would have the royal position, honor, and powerful in-laws.

There was nothing to resent. She was the same kind of person.

Advancing with blade in hand from darkness, every step stained with blood—her own blood and others’ blood. Without killing there was no escape from shackles, without abandoning there was no reaching toward heaven and earth.

To cleave through cracks and see the vast sky, first one must wield the blade.

Murong Yi knelt on one knee before her, looking at her peaceful face. Her eyelashes were fluttering slightly—he knew she hadn’t lost consciousness.

He brushed the hair at her temples, his fingers gently sweeping from her temple outward, pausing slightly.

He said softly: “I’m sorry.”

Then he stood up, grabbed her ankle, and dragged her over.

Her body was dragged across the uneven ground, wounds slightly reopening, leaving a long, winding trail of bright red on the ground.

Prince Da’an’s eyes flickered slightly.

He understood this ruthless son’s nature and had thought he could give her up, but when he actually abandoned her and acted so coldly, he too felt a chill.

For a moment, he thought of himself.

If the persecution by his other sons was the trigger for Little Eighteen’s murderous uprising, then his own cold indifference was the true instigator who had placed him in such circumstances for years.

If one day he too fell beneath his feet in such a manner, how would he treat himself?

Actually… quite looking forward to it.

Murong Yi calmly dragged Tie Ci all the way over and threw her at Prince Da’an’s feet.

Immediately someone came forward and placed a blade at Tie Ci’s throat.

Others rushed up to search her, prying open her hands, only seeing some gray-black powder fall beneath her palms, paying it no mind.

Cui Shi had been standing far away, watching from a distance, showing distrust of everyone.

Prince Da’an said to him: “The Imperial Crown Princess has supernatural abilities, able to come and go in an instant. Even though she’s severely injured now, it’s hard to say she can’t break free from restraints. Please trouble sir to take a look and place a prohibition on her.”

Cui Shi hesitated. He had heard from the Poison Maniac that these people in power commonly crossed rivers and burned bridges, broke their word, and turned ruthless. Though he had made great contributions, he also feared arousing their wariness. He was determined not to get too close, so others would also be wary of his ability to poison at will.

Prince Da’an didn’t mind, only saying sternly: “If the Imperial Crown Princess escapes, the first one to face the blade may not necessarily be this king.”

Only then did Cui Shi walk over. As he walked, five-colored flowing smoke emanated around him. Everyone showed expressions of disgust, covering their mouths and noses.

Cui Shi remained silent. He hadn’t spent long with the Poison Maniac and hadn’t learned much. In terms of using poison, he couldn’t speak of having methods. A true Poison Maniac could poison people invisibly with a wave of his hand and laughter—such attacks wouldn’t require walking over. But he could only rely on such distinctly colored poison smoke to create an intimidating facade.

Murong Yi stood to one side, watching expressionlessly.

Everyone stared at the unconscious Tie Ci, marveling at the Imperial Crown Princess’s youth while being shocked by Murong Yi’s coldness.

Several princes watched him with particular wariness.

He raised his hand, and immediately someone vigilantly drew their blade on him, pointing it at him: “What are you doing!”

The one who drew the blade was the Seventh Prince. This time Prince Da’an had brought several sons to observe the battlefield. The Seventh Prince and others had heard of Murong Yi’s great achievements and now were more wary of him than of Prince Da’an.

Murong Yi casually scratched his head: “Nothing much, probably caught your lice.”

The Seventh Prince’s face turned red with anger. He was about to curse when Prince Da’an’s gaze swept over him, and he bit his teeth and lowered his head.

Murong Yi said indifferently: “Soon I’ll be the Crown Prince. Remember to apologize to me.”

The Ninth Prince walked over with a dark expression. He was well-born and had considerable face before the Great Prince. Seeing Murong Yi still so arrogant at this moment, and remembering his father’s earlier promise, he could no longer contain his inner resentment. He stretched out his foot and viciously kicked Murong Yi’s knee hollow, shouting: “What Crown Prince! You’re a criminal—kneel down and beg father for forgiveness!”

With a thud, Murong Yi fell to his knees.

Prince Da’an hadn’t expected this turn of events and was momentarily stunned. He had thought this rebellious son would immediately get up and kick the Ninth Prince down, but who knew Murong Yi would actually go with the flow and bend down, looking like he was about to kowtow properly, while saying: “Since you put it that way, I’ll kowtow this bow as thanks to father for granting me Crown Prince status!”

Prince Da’an hadn’t reacted yet when he suddenly felt an ominous premonition.

He heard no sound and saw nothing, but years of battlefield experience gave him an instinct that made him unconsciously step back from this son’s kowtow. But he forgot this was the uneven terrain of the Five-Color Plain with rolling hills and slopes. This retreat caused him to fall backward.

“Whoosh.”

Light shot from Murong Yi’s lowered head through his hair. What should have entered Prince Da’an’s abdomen instead, due to his retreat, precisely entered Prince Da’an’s unspeakable region.

Something pierced through his crotch, trailing a thin line of blood.

Murong Yi leaped up, laughing loudly: “This works too—you’ll never be able to sire any more useless offspring!” He raised his hand, and the stone in his hand struck Tie Ci as he shouted: “Wake up! By your hand!”

Prince Da’an: “Quick—”

Everyone was shocked by this sudden change. The two men with crossed blades at Tie Ci’s throat also instinctively turned their eyes and loosened their grip.

Tie Ci suddenly opened her eyes.

At the same time, a steel ring suddenly popped out from the collar of her golden armor with a snap, protecting her throat and shattering the steel blades.

Her hand lying on the ground closed its five fingers, and the pile of gray-black powder beneath her palm suddenly became a round small ball. She raised her hand, and the small ball whistled out toward Cui Shi and Prince Da’an.

Cui Shi’s expression changed drastically as he retreated urgently.

“Boom.”

The black-robed figure was blasted down the slope. Thick smoke rose up, everyone screamed and shouted, scattered in panic, searching for the Great Prince. Only Murong Yi charged through the smoke and scooped up Tie Ci with one arm.

He dared not roll down the slope—Tie Ci’s blade was still embedded, and rolling and colliding might drive it deeper. He could only charge forward several steps holding her. Ahead the terrain sloped down to a small waterfall, below which a ice river meandered. The river water wasn’t completely frozen, but broken ice floated and sank, crystal clear and sparkling.

Someone pursued from behind. Murong Yi didn’t hesitate to charge down with Tie Ci on top of his head, then with a splash, jumped into the ice river.

Under the violent movement, wounds tore open. The ice river’s broken ice became tinged with pink. He kept Tie Ci above his head to prevent her from touching the water as he waded across the river.

After crossing, he didn’t run toward the easily walkable low terrain but headed for the difficult high terrain. The varied elevations of the Five-Color Plain made walking difficult but also made hiding easier. Those pursuing behind him kept losing his trail. Soon fewer and fewer people remained, though several still pursued relentlessly.

The Ninth Prince’s voice called from afar: “Chase! Must kill this villain on the spot! Avenge father!”

Several figures darted out, mostly masters recruited by the various princes. The princes rarely reached consensus, but they were determined to eliminate this venomous Little Eighteen. Even though his recent attack had already cut him off from Liaodong and the Crown Prince position, they absolutely couldn’t let him go.

Who knew when this poisonous scorpion might resurrect and bite them.

Pursuit was easy enough—Murong Yi was continuously bleeding, his speed slowing. Following the trail of fresh blood was simple.

Following the trail, they discovered the path had somehow led to the top of the ice waterfall.

By now both sides were very close.

Night had fallen. The temperature atop the ice waterfall was even lower. Fresh blood had congealed into deep red patches. Corpses frozen to the ice waterfall displayed countless poses—under the moonlight it looked exactly like a human hell.

Facing such a bloody waterfall, even a glance was heart-trembling, let alone sliding down it.

The pursuers watched helplessly as Murong Yi held Tie Ci, gave them a backward glance and smile, then unhesitatingly crouched down.

In the darkness they could vaguely see him gliding smoothly on the ice, rapidly sliding down while still avoiding the corpses.

The pursuers steeled themselves and also slid down, but lacked Murong Yi’s superb ice-sliding technique. Someone crashed into a corpse and was struck by frozen severed limbs and arms. Whether from pain or terror, their screams carried far.

This made later pursuers hesitate. They had thought Murong Yi was at his limit, but hadn’t expected he could still counter-kill. Rich rewards were important, but their own lives mattered more. They immediately turned and headed back.

But a figure swept over, cold-faced with mask and flowing sleeves. The pursuers recognized him as the Embroidered Guard Chief, always most trusted by the Great Prince. Recently he’d been executing secret protection missions, often lurking near the Great Prince but not approaching closely. His appearance now likely meant the Great Prince had been attacked and he was taking action.

The Embroidered Guard Chief didn’t even glance at him, sweeping past him and rushing to the top of the ice waterfall.

At this time, some had slid to the bottom of the ice waterfall while others still stood at the top. The two groups stared at each other, both asking: “Where are they?”

“We clearly saw them slide down!”

“You people at the top, why weren’t you watching!”

“You people at the bottom, why aren’t you searching properly!”

The two sides actually began blaming each other.

Until the Embroidered Guard Chief arrived and said sternly: “Below the ice waterfall is open plain. Since you haven’t seen anyone, they should still be near the ice waterfall. Why argue? Just search.”

Everyone looked at that ice waterfall—corpses everywhere, poor lighting. How to search?

The cold moon hung high, the ice waterfall’s chill was bone-piercing. The frozen corpses had turned blue-purple, dying in one hundred and eighty different ghastly forms, all beyond human imagination.

In the distance, night owls seemed to screech as they flew past searching for corpses. Further away, the faint sound of battle could be heard.

Liaodong people had always been superstitious about supernatural forces. In such circumstances, they couldn’t help feeling frightened. Though they agreed verbally, their movements were sluggish.

Only the Embroidered Guard Chief slid down without a word.

Everyone looked at each other, admiring the Embroidered Guard Chief’s loyalty in their hearts.

Seeing him go down, most said that being so, they would wait below to support the Chief, avoiding having to go down and turn over corpses in the middle of the night.

One or two, thinking of the reward money, also slid down.

Those below also came up to search.

The Embroidered Guard Chief had a bearded giant following him. The giant looked around and said: “On this ice waterfall, could there be cracks? Did those two fall into a crack?”

The Embroidered Guard Chief said: “Excellent observation. How did I not think of that.”

The giant was pleased and bent down to look for cracks. Finding a curled-up corpse in his way, he stretched out his foot to kick it aside.

Beside that corpse was another corpse, embracing it in a hugging posture.

Under the moonlight, among the starlight, that corpse suddenly opened its eyes.