Time rewinds to before the general pressed the button.

At the moment when the violently shaking bed’s swaying motion gradually lightened, Murong Yi reached out to embrace Tie Ci, wanting to pull her deeper into his arms.

Tie Ci also extended her arms, seemingly to fully welcome this embrace, but her fingers passed through Murong Yi’s arm crook and landed on his lower back.

A gentle pat.

Murong Yi’s body stiffened as he looked down at Tie Ci.

The tower was completely dark, faint light flowing outside. By that slight snowy gleam, his gaze met Tie Ci’s.

One showed no shock or surprise, yet bore deep reproach and faint dissatisfaction.

The other showed no apology or unease either, still carrying a slight smile with gentle comfort and explanation.

Then Murong Yi’s eyes gradually dimmed as he collapsed toward Tie Ci.

Tie Ci raised a hand to catch him, taking the opportunity to nibble his lips, then gently smoothed his hair.

She didn’t immediately get up.

Tonight her posture, movements, and even related medications had all been thoroughly prepared, just to conceive in one attempt.

There might not be a chance to try again. She risked such danger for this one time.

After a while she got up, tidying both herself and Murong Yi before sending out a signal.

Zhao San appeared in the outer room. Tie Ci handed Murong Yi to him: “Leave quickly.”

Zhao San’s expression was complex as he took Murong Yi, seeing Da Qian’s Emperor sit on the bed edge and reach beside the pillow.

Click—iron bars sprang out from both sides of the bed, positioned and sized perfectly to bind a slender person to the bed unable to move.

It seemed if Tie Ci hadn’t acted, Murong Yi would soon have tied Tie Ci to the bed.

Tie Ci laughed, thinking this was indeed still him. But in this aspect, men could never match women’s decisiveness. At certain crucial moments, you men can’t bear to act, but women can.

She suddenly looked up.

Sensing subtle vibrations in the air.

This feeling was too familiar. Her expression changed dramatically as she rushed out, slapping Zhao San down a floor with one palm: “Leave quickly!”

There was already commotion outside the tower—whistles, shouts, sounds of robes cutting through wind. Someone was shouting: “Your Majesty, leave quickly!”

Zhao San slapped a button on the wall. With a whoosh, an iron chain dropped straight down from the tower top to bottom. Zhao San leaped onto the chain with Murong Yi on his back, sliding to the bottom in a blink. Before reaching bottom, he pressed some mechanism, causing the ground to slowly open.

He slid into the underground cavity carrying Murong Yi, looking up to see the top suddenly covered by white light.

That light was so fierce, like sunlight overhead, causing his eyes to stream with tears immediately, unable to see where Tie Ci was.

His heart suddenly sank.

Too late.

Tie Ci couldn’t slide down the chain in time.

At this moment, exclamations arose outside the tower.

All the guards around saw a meteor streak across the sky at that moment.

The meteor was extremely bright and fast, crossing the sky almost instantly, then precisely falling on Cangsheng Tower the next moment.

So fast that all those prepared for battle had no time for any reaction.

Only Pingzong raised her hand, sending out red and white energy waves, but they only chased the white meteor’s tail, disappearing far from the tail end.

The next instant brought no sound, only white light falling into the tower top, suddenly bursting forth, blooming into an enormous white light sphere that illuminated all of Pojing City.

Then half of Cangsheng Tower suddenly vanished before everyone’s tear-stimulated eyes.

No collapse, no explosion, no earth-shaking sounds—like a roll of white silk thrown from the sky, instantly erasing such a large, solid building into blank space.

Many present had participated in building Cangsheng Tower and surrounding structures, knowing how solid these key buildings were, how they could withstand the fiercest current artillery.

They stared wide-eyed in disbelief, hearts beating violently as if about to shatter in their chests.

Moments later, the white light dissipated. People finally saw clearly that half of Cangsheng Tower was gone, the remaining half on the ground neatly cut, showing the remaining half-staircase inside.

But around it, even the nearest trees were completely intact.

After a moment of deathly silence, some rushed out, some fell from trees, cries of alarm rolling like waves.

“Your Majesty!”

…

“Your Majesty!”

Zhao San was also shouting.

He stood underground, eyes seemingly blinded by that white light, vaguely seeming to see a black shadow flash by, yet suspecting he was seeing double.

He shouted heart-rendingly, his whole body cold.

No one could survive in such light…

Suddenly someone patted his back, startling him into jumping up and spinning around. The moment he turned, tears blurred his vision.

“Your Majesty!”

That first cry was anguished pain, this one was joyful surprise.

Tie Ci stood perfectly intact behind him.

Except for some ash on her face and minor scrapes on her body, she didn’t even look disheveled.

Zhao San was too excited to speak.

Tie Ci took the initiative to explain: “At that moment, I jumped straight down.”

Moreover, she still had teleportation.

Zhao San was somewhat puzzled. He remembered Murong Yi saying Tie Ci had lost her innate abilities—how had they suddenly recovered?

But recovery was good. He breathed a sigh of relief, but before he could speak, Tie Ci pushed him: “Go, don’t stay with me. I’m their primary target—wherever I appear, they’ll lock onto me.”

Zhao San was lightly pushed far away by her palm, still turning back to ask: “Then what about Your Majesty?”

“What about me? Cold salad.” Tie Ci still had the mood to joke at this time. “My journey of flight hasn’t been in vain, and Murong Yi’s preparations these years haven’t been in vain either. Though we can’t directly confront their weapons, as long as I live one more moment, they must die one more person.”

Seeing Zhao San still hesitating, she simply turned around, entered the secret passage, and closed the door behind her.

Zhao San had no choice but to go in a different direction.

He had supervised this construction himself. This large area including Cangsheng Tower was already connected underground by various secret passages. Entering from anywhere allowed access throughout this entire area.

He had spent enormous effort on this area, and Murong Yi was also very attentive, personally inspecting three times.

Zhao San emerged from the tunnel at what was originally Feiyu’s head courtesan’s boudoir.

Shortly after he emerged, Murong Yi woke up.

Tie Ci wouldn’t strike him too hard—just avoiding lengthy explanations and striking first.

Murong Yi sat up, first sitting on the bed edge thinking for a while, a mysterious smile playing at his lips.

Zhao San watched his solitary reminiscent, rippling smile, getting goosebumps wave after wave.

Then Murong Yi looked up, rose, donned his cloak, and prepared to return.

Zhao San spread his arms to block him.

“Your Majesty, she forbids you to go.”

Murong Yi ignored him.

“She said if you dare seek her, that would break your oath. The oath would backlash onto her. At this decisive battle moment, do you want to harm her to death?”

Murong Yi stopped, saying irritably: “I’ve already seen her, and I even…”

He stopped speaking, that mysterious smile returning to his face.

Zhao San had to pretend not to see it: “Wasn’t it her who came to find you? That doesn’t count as you breaking your oath, and you didn’t formally meet either.”

Murong Yi angrily said: “Complete nonsense!”

But though he said this, he didn’t immediately move.

He feared nothing in his life, not even ghosts and gods, but he feared the mysterious workings of fate, feared heaven would be harsh to Tie Ci.

He could endure ten thousand backlashes himself, but for Tie Ci, not even the slightest possibility was permitted.

He turned around, just seeing Cangsheng Tower neatly cut in half.

Murong Yi’s expression immediately darkened.

At this time, because Zhao San had sent signals, people from both Da Feng and Da Qian sides rushed over. Xiao Xueya ran at the front, his first words: “Where is His Majesty!”

Murong Yi glanced at him: “I am here!”

Xiao Xueya looked at him coldly, only looking at Zhao San. Zhao San had to point underground: “When the opposition attacked, His Majesty timely entered the tunnel. Below is very spacious and complex—His Majesty is temporarily safe.”

Everyone breathed a long sigh of relief.

Xiao Xueya immediately asked where the tunnel entrance was.

But Zhao San said: “Your country’s Majesty said that having achieved nothing along this route, the opposition’s rage has reached its peak. They’ll surely launch a total assault on Pojing City soon. Please follow Da Feng’s Majesty’s command and ensure massive consumption of opposition forces beneath Pojing City once again.”

Xiao Xueya frowned: “How does His Majesty judge the opposition will soon stake everything?”

“Your country’s Majesty said that shells like the previous one have only been used twice so far by the opposition. Once was the initial attack on Chongming Palace, once was attacking Cangsheng Tower. Despite months of intense pursuit, they haven’t been used. This shows the opposition has limited quantities of such terrible weapons, definitely saving them for the most crucial, important moments. The initial Chongming attack was to intimidate Da Qian with overwhelming force, while attacking Cangsheng Tower was because… they finally waited for His Majesty to linger long above ground, and finally couldn’t wait any longer.”

“Wait.” Pingzong, who had fought the opposition long and understood them well, said in astonishment: “The opposition has flying weapons, soldiers with vehicles that can travel hundreds of li instantly and cross mountain peaks, plus cannons that can attack from thousands of li away. City walls can’t stop them at all—why would they bother with the effort of siege warfare?”

Zhao San said: “Your country’s Majesty said logically it should be so, but if the opposition truly begins using large forces for major attacks, it actually indicates…”

Before he finished speaking, city guards came running frantically from both Da Feng and Da Qian sides: “Report! Unknown forces appeared thirty li outside the city!”

Before these scouts finished reporting, another batch came running: “Report! Unknown forces have appeared within ten li. Cavalry warnings were ineffective and instantly slaughtered!”

Before these words ended, a third batch of scouts ran frantically, shouting from afar: “Already within five li!”

Everyone gasped.

So fast.

Zhao San just finished his next sentence: “…it indicates they’re also at their limit. Flying vehicles, aerial weapons, long-range artillery shells… probably all insufficient. They can only clash directly, fight hand-to-hand!”

Pingzong struck her fist forcefully.

“Hand-to-hand, who fears whom!”

Xiao Xueya turned and left, giving orders as he walked: “Organize troops, man the walls, prepare rolling logs and stones, battering rams, forked poles, flying hooks, demon club-wheels, etc.—are they all ready? If rolling logs and stones aren’t enough, prepare to demolish civilian houses!”

He habitually gave orders, walking several steps before realizing something was wrong. Not to mention others, just Di Yiwei, the Yong Ping garrison commander, was no less in rank and was a longtime northern frontier general. For such battles, even regarding command, she should command.

But having independently shouldered responsibility for years, never trusting others’ abilities, though he’d improved much after being humbled, instinct still made him rush out subconsciously.

He turned back to look at Di Yiwei, intending to invite her to defend the city together, but saw Di Yiwei with arms crossed, smoking with a completely casual demeanor, showing no intention of working.

Xiao Xueya was startled. He didn’t think Di Yiwei was someone who feared battle, unless…

His gaze shifted, indeed seeing Da Feng’s Emperor in snow-white fox fur, smilingly approaching.

Walking while giving him orders: “Marshal Xiao needn’t worry. All siege defense equipment has long been prepared. Moreover, since winter relocation of civilians, Pojing City has been daily doused with cold water. The ice walls are now over ten feet thick, easy to defend and hard to attack. Now please work with Commander Di to guard the barbican and two corner towers. Atop the corner towers are Heaven-Breaking Crossbows secretly made with Yuan iron, capable of piercing any armor under heaven. They’re just extremely heavy—ordinary people can’t draw them, perfect for you two.”

He gave orders while mounting his imperial carriage, expression serene with the housewife attitude of “I’ve finished giving orders, you go work.”

Xiao Xueya stood unmoved, saying coldly: “When did Da Qian cities fall under Da Feng Emperor’s command?”

Murong Yi smiled without speaking, only raising his hand slightly.

His fingers were slender with delicate joints, nails like snow shells, attracting gazes that then saw dangling from his fingertip a jade brush.

The jade brush had a jade body with golden tip, tied with silver chain, glittering at Murong Yi’s fingertip.

Everyone: “…”

This silent boasting.

Everyone knew this was Da Qian Emperor’s signature ornament, specially crafted by the late Emperor in her youth. Though Tie Ci rarely used it, she always carried it, especially after the late Emperor’s death—this jade brush became His Majesty’s heart’s treasure.

Now this treasure was in Murong Yi’s hands, literally “as if I were present in person.”

Xiahou Chun was also there, looking at the jade brush with deeper thoughts.

It had always been said the late Emperor was killed by Murong Yi, but His Majesty had always been evasive about this. Now to actually entrust the late Emperor’s relic to Murong Yi’s care—the implications were self-evident.

From beginning to end, His Majesty never considered Murong Yi the murderer.

Recalling recent years, throughout the capital’s streets and alleys, people always intentionally or unintentionally discussed questions about the original Chongming bloodbath, discussed the strange relationship between Da Feng’s late Emperor, late Grand Consort, and current Da Feng Emperor, discussed Da Feng’s friendly measures toward Da Qian and Da Feng’s customs and culture. They even discussed Da Feng from extremely interesting, endearing angles, arousing many traveling scholars’ curiosity about Da Feng… Obviously, over the years, Da Qian people’s original anger toward Da Feng had greatly diminished. Civilian goodwill gradually increased. The increasingly prosperous Pojing City had hosted many cooperative activities between both sides, making it a must-visit destination for traveling scholars from both countries.

On Da Feng’s side, hostility toward Da Qian was even fainter. They narcissistically felt Da Qian was Da Feng’s daughter-in-law. Combined with naturally bold personalities and protagonist consciousness, when occasionally encountering bold Da Qian merchants crossing borders for trade, they welcomed them with special enthusiasm, like treating in-laws.

In short, over the years, under constantly changing public opinion environments on both sides, the two countries no longer seemed like enemy nations.

Now it appeared both had remained steadfast and true—devoted hearts rewarded.

Xiahou Chun traced back the two’s journey, feeling moved.

Through countless storms, endless twists, shocking upheavals, territorial divisions.

If either had been slightly weaker in will, or if one side had been weaker, this matter would never have developed this way.

How fortunate they were to encounter each other.

…

Tie Ci moved quickly through the tunnel, followed only by Pingzong, who had caught up.

Everyone else had gone to the city walls to meet the great battle.

Tie Ci was very satisfied with Murong Yi’s awakening.

After years apart, she had become more calm and composed, while Murong Yi was finally no longer the love-supreme, reckless madman.

This meeting in darkness—they hadn’t even seen each other’s faces clearly. She didn’t want to see clearly, didn’t need to see clearly. However he might change, he would always be the him in her heart.

He was the Feiyu who gracefully fell into her embrace, the Murong who created bright moons over seas and stirred waves with tides.

All these years, they dwelt in separate nations, but their hearts were always together.

The daily records were filled with his every word and deed and his longing for her, while Pojing City was filled with the paths of retreat and escape he’d left for her.

She hadn’t thought much of these paths before, until that moment when guns fired at Chongming Palace—only then did she realize he’d been right all along.

His sharp, clear gaze had long ago penetrated layers of mist, falling upon the enormous shadow behind her.

When she was confused by being in the situation, he as a clear-sighted observer had silently made many preparations.

Like this Pojing City that he’d seized even at the cost of rolling around, making scenes, and suffering terrible losses.

This border stronghold he’d built despite bearing a cruel reputation, despite repeated betrayals by ministers, poisoning by his mother consort, all to constrain powerful families.

Above ground: buildings rising in tiers, golden arches and jade pillars, streets crisscrossing, ten thousand wine shop flags.

Underground: equally another world, with vast engineering projects.

Tie Ci walked through the passage. The tunnel was very spacious with smooth bluestone flooring. Brick wall cracks were carefully filled with rice paste grout. She knocked—it rang like metal and jade, using the finest bricks.

Copper lamps on all sides lit up in sequence, ventilation was excellent. Walking within didn’t feel stuffy, nor was there underground decay.

Many places had hidden walls within walls. Without maps, one could easily get lost.

In many concealed spots were weapons, food, and water, regularly replaced.

This palace complex extending continuously above and below ground, built over four years, was all his devotion, his heart’s blood, his frugal savings bearing infamy to provide for her.

Unable to give her weak, powerless comfort, he chose to stand far behind her, giving her a steel barrier.

A truly substantial steel barrier.

Suddenly violent trembling overhead, as if something had pierced the soil layer. Walls slightly deformed but didn’t crack.

Tie Ci and Pingzong quickened their pace, soil falling behind them.

After a few steps, a light sound ahead—a sharp crack appeared in the overhead dome, but still no rupture.

Tie Ci turned a corner into another passage.

…

Above Cangsheng Tower, in thick clouds amid snow, an oval object appeared and disappeared.

The thing was also gray, blending with cloud layers, faintly flickering with cold white light.

The object’s bottom opened, casting down a light beam. Silver-clad warriors carrying firearms continuously slid down from high altitude, landing lightly with transparent wings silently folding behind them.

Before the main control cabin of the oval aircraft sat the expressionless general, beside him a deputy officer shaking a transparent test tube in his hand, smiling: “The councilor really knew how to hide—holding Tie Ci’s DNA data without sharing, forcing us to use only skeletal data scanning and losing the best pursuit opportunity. Now it’s good—DNA data can’t be faked. It’s been scanned into all warriors’ personal terminals. Within a thousand-meter radius, they can sense matching DNA. Now she can never escape again!”

The general snorted coldly: “I said those women had impure motives!”

The deputy sighed: “Never expected that even after we brought charges against Yun, she’d still willingly tell us this.”

The general said flatly: “Isn’t this just fear of death? After all, if Da Qian’s Emperor escaped, the first person she’d kill would be her.”

The deputy hesitated: “Yun didn’t say that. She said she doesn’t want killing, doesn’t care about her own life or death. She just hopes Alliance civilians can find pure land and quickly coexist with local natives. She said she worried that Alliance civilians accustomed to modern civilization would cause trouble due to various inconveniences after coming to Da Qian, triggering conflicts and native resistance. So she hoped to quickly make Da Qian people adapt to otherworldly visitors through change, or simply create chaos in Da Qian through reform, then have Alliance people play the savior role of restoring order—only this way could there be stable transition… She originally had hope of success, if not for the emperor being so clear-headed and fiercely opposed.”

“So she must kill the emperor?”

“Yes.”

The general pondered, then laughed: “Thorough idealists are the most ruthless and cold.”

“Yun said she’s offering the emperor’s data on one condition—that the general agrees to one thing.”

“Hmm?”

“She asks the general not to use ‘Naughty Boy’ and ‘Sweet Rain.'”

The general was silent for a while, looking down at the ground, then at the distant city gates.

“I’ve already deployed all existing forces, dropped the most elite special forces here, plus the assassin Yun offered… Two-pronged approach—this battle must be won.”

The deputy nodded.

Not flattery—he also thought so.

Thirty elite special forces carrying the most advanced current weapons plus two mechs to hunt and kill an emperor who could now be precisely tracked was unquestionable, plus the elusive shadow assassin who’d always served Yun.

Three thousand siege warriors, though carrying only laser guns and wearing muscle combat suits, with some reserves lacking even this equipment, were still sufficient against these ancients with mud walls and iron tools.

Unfortunately in Da Qian, many ultra-high-level weapons lacked usage conditions—after all, this was an ancient society without even electricity, let alone satellites and global positioning systems. Available weapons were nearly exhausted, otherwise one intercontinental missile could solve what now required precious manpower to clash directly with local barbarian savages.

“So,” the general said calmly, “naturally there’s no need to use ‘Naughty Boy’ and ‘Sweet Rain’ as last resort.”

The deputy acknowledged, though thinking this might not be a promise.

But he wouldn’t press further—after all, Da Qian couldn’t possibly win, could they?

…

On the ground, black shadows fell from the light beam.

Last to descend were two giant mechs, one hand gripping the aircraft, easily leaping down. When the second mech landed, its shoulder seemed to have a snow-white light shadow, but when the mech warrior left the light beam and sank into darkness, its shoulder became pitch black.

The previous group of black shadows wore matte black combat suits that didn’t reflect light in darkness, light sword hilts upright at their shoulders, waists bound with whip-like black objects, chests hung with rows of magazine-like things containing smooth egg-sized objects, arms cradling complex photon guns capable of firing three laser rows simultaneously.

After landing, each person first raised their wrist to check the emperor’s position. Someone checked while saying: “With DNA scanning precise positioning, why do we need so many people? Who’s going to handle this? David—”

His voice suddenly stopped.

Simultaneously, everyone made “Huh?” sounds.

The wrist micro-terminals indeed showed flashing red dots, but many of them.

Perspective scanners mapped the underground—intricate as tangled thread, momentarily impossible to sort out, and within these tangled lines, countless red light dots continuously flashed.

Everyone looked at each other.

What was happening?

Could there be countless emperors?

After staring for a while, someone finally gritted their teeth: “Never mind! Act first, talk later.”

Not calling just David anymore, they randomly picked light dots, found corresponding positions, and fired.

But there were too many dots—one per person wasn’t enough to go around.

One shot scattered soil, but no hole was visible, no screams heard, red dots didn’t disappear.

Some encountered stranger situations—red dots were targeted, but suddenly slid away the moment they fired.

That speed was ghostly fast. The warrior perked up, thinking since it moved, it must be the emperor herself. But one shot only raised dust, and that red dot slid away again in a blink.

On everyone’s terminal interfaces, those dizzying lines showed dense red dots constantly moving at even more dizzying frequencies and trajectories, so that not only human eyes couldn’t track such paths, even terminals beeped warnings—about to crash!

…

At this moment, underground in the vast maze.

Tie Ci and Pingzong heard continuous shock sounds, walls sometimes wrinkling, sometimes breaking off sections.

But none found the right position.

Both found it strange—having been pursued this whole way, they somewhat knew the opposition’s capabilities. Since they were shooting at the ground, they should have ways to find Tie Ci, so why couldn’t they locate her after so long?

Random shooting? With such a large underground palace, how long would such random firing take? Weren’t they resource-tight?

Pingzong looked up, puzzled: “This tunnel is amazing—first time I’ve seen tunnels that don’t break under their light… Hey… look!”

Tie Ci looked up to see overhead, starlight suddenly sliding over. Under bronze lamp light, that thing flickered with crystalline red light, like a meteor sliding from the dark depths.

Passing over Tie Ci’s head, she saw clearly—many wire slide rails stretched across the tunnel dome, a hook sliding along rails, beneath the hook a crystal bottle containing scattered red gems that swayed out rainbow-like light shadows with the vibrations.

Not only that, overhead had many wire slide rails with countless small crystal bottles, glass bottles, white jade bottles swaying and sliding back and forth. Bottles contained various colored gems reflecting red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple lights that danced through the dim underground palace like a seven-colored meteor shower.

Tie Ci’s exceptional eyesight saw several soft black hair strands inside crystal bottles.

She instantly understood.

Since the daily records arrived, she and he had some correspondence. Because the doll he sent used his own hair, he also asked for a lock of her hair. Tie Ci understood this meant “binding hair as husband and wife” and gave it.

Never expected he’d actually separated his own hair strands, placing them in these pretty little bottles with various colored gems, suspending them atop these underground passages. Using many wires as slide rails, with slight movement these hair-strand bottles would fly back and forth overhead, magnificently brilliant.

Tie Ci imagined those past days when Murong Yi in wide robes, holding oil lamps, slowly walked through deep corridors with glass bottles crisscrossing overhead, making soft whooshing sounds, seven-colored swaying light reflecting on his jade-white chin.

Beautiful to imagine, yet too desolate. Even in this urgent situation, she couldn’t help feeling tender sympathy.

Pingzong’s attention was different: “They seem to be chasing those bottles!”

Only then did Tie Ci notice that following the bottles’ sliding, continuous gunfire sounded, more urgent than before. The dome kept shaking, gradually developing cracks at positions matching bottle locations. But just as they caught up, bottles slid away instantly. Tie Ci watched those vibrations pass by her side—thump thump thump like a giant pursuing a bottle’s trajectory.

More vibrations approached, again following a bottle away.

Tie Ci: “…”

She vaguely began to understand.

The opposition seemed to have changed methods for determining her location, probably using her body and hair, resulting in Murong Yi’s playful move inadvertently making them think those were all her, thus not hesitating to waste weapons pursuing.

Like whack-a-mole, punching countless holes in the ground without hitting the real target once.

Tie Ci stared for a long while, finally simply crossing her arms and leaning against the tunnel wall, watching little bottles slide back and forth overhead, constantly trembling with colorful flashing lights from overhead gunfire shocks, like spreading brilliant canopies across the dome.

After a good while, vibrations stopped.

Obviously the opposition also found this really stupid and finally gave up searching for her.

Who knew how much energy was wasted.

After a while, different vibrations came from somewhere behind—a thunderous crash.

Obviously the opposition changed strategy, directly combining forces to break open tunnels and enter.

That was best.

Tie Ci walked forward.

Another thunderous crash, light beams penetrated, a line of black shadows jumped into the tunnel.

The leader raised his palm, shooting strong light that illuminated the entire tunnel, just seeing two graceful figures ahead entering left and right fork paths.

The leading major looked down at his watch terminal showing countless red dots still running, unable to distinguish which was the emperor.

He could only order subordinates to split into two groups pursuing separately.

When giving orders, he glanced back—the searchlight beam was straight, but left a black shadow behind him. Between bright white and darkness, one shadow seemed thick or thin, drifting uncertainly.

He only looked once before leading people to pursue the left path.

Muscle warriors’ speed was remarkable, but the figure ahead was no slower, appearing and disappearing like a ghost.

So pursuers ran while shooting, but white light never caught the figure once. Wall debris flew, creating countless sieve-like holes, yet the figure suddenly vanished.

Pursuers stopped in amazement.

Ahead was actually a wall, and the figure was gone.

Wall-walking technique?

Were ancient people this magical?

But precisely because of this, the major was ecstatic—this proved he’d pursued correctly, that was the emperor.

Da Qian’s Emperor had outstanding supernatural abilities. Yun had interfered with this, now helping unlock it, so anyone using supernatural abilities must be the emperor.

“Blast the wall!”

White light cut through, the entire wall instantly disappeared.

The moment the wall vanished, everyone saw the opposite was a very spacious area with that figure inside, looking up at something.

Warriors unhesitatingly activated foot thrusters, pursuing into that space like lightning.

But this figure didn’t quickly disappear as before, instead turning to look at them.

This made warriors ecstatic as they ran up and surrounded her.

Tie Ci stood in that especially spacious underground chamber, seeing all pursuers had entered, suddenly smiled: “…One!”

Before her words ended.

All four walls suddenly collapsed.

The overhead dome thundered down.

This wasn’t ordinary collapse—this was near-palace-sized architecture completely collapsing. This group had just been lured by Tie Ci to the underground hall’s center, collapse came without warning, momentarily no time even to escape.

The leading major in that instant only saw Da Qian’s Emperor hadn’t fled—she just stood there motionless, as if to perish together with them.

Then everything went black and he saw nothing.

Tie Ci still stood in place.

Not struck by anything.

Beneath her feet, a circle faintly glowed.

This circle told her: just stay here, you can lure everyone to the center, and you’ll definitely be unharmed.

So at the most dangerous moment, she didn’t flee, didn’t move, like Tang Seng obediently staying within Sun Wukong’s protective circle.

Even if heaven collapsed and earth split, even if giant buildings pressed down.

The next instant she saw Fuchun House above the tunnel thunderously collapse, pressing atop everyone’s heads. The entire Fuchun House corresponded to that circle’s center position, yet was completely hollow.

Like a giant building cover, pressing down on everyone while that small spot alone protected her safety.

…

Above in the aircraft, the entire control room was deathly silent.

All staff, technicians, commanders stared at display screens with pale or iron-blue faces.

There, blue dots representing team members instantly disappeared—five or six.

Didn’t seem like many, but there were only thirty total, and this was just upon first contact with the opposition.

The general’s staff glanced at the general’s expression, wiped sweat, and sent a “proceed cautiously, maintain distance” signal.

…