On the high platform, Jing Hengbo laughed heartily, laughing with complete joy and satisfaction.

She bowed to Ming Yan’an’s corpse, saying: “Thank you, Great King. For personally escorting me into Daimao free of charge. I was just worrying about how to break through layers of blockades and infiltrate the three counties.”

Ming Yan’an had already breathed his last. Even if he could hear, he probably wouldn’t suffer much more pain—the greatest pain had already befallen him. Until his death, his eyes had been fixed intently on Chai Yu, filled with shock and confusion, as if trying to see traces of the fat former princess consort he had driven to death beneath the city walls in this current slender, refined woman.

Jing Hengbo smiled as she looked at him, then glanced at the charred prisoner cart. The tiger claw vines hadn’t been obtained for nothing. While in the prisoner cart, she had thought that enemies who feared her teleportation and object manipulation wouldn’t approach to kill her, but would only shoot arrows from a distance or set fires. She carried fire sprout grass—a miraculous herb from the Shang Kingdom that could rapidly catalyze the growth of any plant. Vines were the most adept at growing, and once they grew rapidly, they could entangle arrows and block fire, giving her life its first layer of protection.

On the road, she had used the opportunity of assassins appearing to have Feifei, who had been hiding under the cart, take rubbings of the keys. Seven Kills and others who were secretly following had the keys copied and gave them to her. But these keys were for the outer doors—she still didn’t have the key to the inner lock that confined her.

The chicken wings and duck feet she kept asking to gnaw on—their bones were used to find the mechanisms of knives hidden within the prisoner cart’s railings and jam them. So later the mechanisms failed.

Finally, when Chai Yu was “held hostage” by her and seemed to swallow the brocade pouch, she actually didn’t swallow it at all. Under cover of the tiger claw vines, the two quickly searched through the brocade pouch. Chai Yu, after all, understood Ming Yan’an. She judged that those few small golden keys couldn’t be real, so Jing Hengbo immediately felt out that the brocade pouch had a hidden layer and retrieved the key from within.

With Jing Hengbo’s abilities, manipulating all the keys to open the locks in an instant, then under cover of the dense tiger claw vines, summoning a Shangyuan soldier from a direction Ming Yan’an couldn’t see to replace her locked in the cart—none of this was difficult.

So when Chai Yu immediately shouted to set the fire, it was actually to disguise that someone else was already in the cart, while Jing Hengbo had already hidden under the cart. The tiger claw vines grew so rapidly they had already grown underground—who could see?

The two women coordinated seamlessly. Jing Hengbo’s movements were like lightning. The multi-directional object manipulation she had trained on Seven Peaks Mountain, combined with her gradual progress in the Bright Moon mental cultivation method, had long reached divine perfection.

These methods would never occur to Ming Yan’an even unto death. He probably thought everything was Chai Yu’s doing, hating her with his dying gaze.

Chai Yu had remained calm throughout. Since she had been reborn, how could Ming Yan’an not die?

In her palm, she caressed the bracelet Ming Yan’an had finally given her. This was the truly important item from Shangyuan Palace, hiding the royal seal, hiding Shangyuan’s secret treasury, hiding the secrets of Shangyuan Palace that could have protected Ming Yan’an. Precisely because she had never been able to obtain this thing and lacked complete confidence of victory, she had made Pei Shu hold back from attacking and, after Ming Yan’an received news of Jing Hengbo reaching the border, went along with his plan, encouraging him to leave Shangyuan City and personally lead troops to the border to intercept Jing Hengbo.

Only by making him leave Shangyuan City would his reliance be completely useless.

In the past, Ming Yan’an was cowardly and afraid of death, timid by nature. No matter how great the temptation, he might not have been willing to leave Shangyuan. But long-term erosion by golden silk and longevity pills had already made his thinking sluggish and confused.

Missing the right timing, abandoning geographical advantage, losing popular support—how could he not be defeated?

The bracelet had been worn close to his body for years, dark and lustrous, warm to the touch. She detested that body temperature but couldn’t help gripping it tightly—this was power, desire, an important support that could protect her for life…

For a woman like her who had experienced life and death, ups and downs for half her life, and seen all the bitter cold of human existence, everything else was false. Only the support grasped in her own hands was real…

Somehow her palm had begun to sweat slightly. She stroked the bracelet, thinking that behind her was Shangyuan City, Shangyuan’s military strength was intact, General Huang Gang was originally her person, and she was already the princess consort acknowledged by Ming Yan’an before his death—the only true master of Shangyuan City.

As long as she retreated into the city and closed the gates, she could still divide Daimao with Jing Hengbo. Otherwise, if she surrendered Shangyuan and Jing Hengbo ascended the throne, with Ming Yue’s sensitive status, could she guarantee his life in the future?

She wasn’t greedy for power, but she couldn’t help thinking more for her son.

Her hand trembled slightly. She felt Jing Hengbo’s gaze from across the way. Looking up, Jing Hengbo was no longer smiling but stood with arms folded, staring at her.

Chai Yu’s heart also trembled. She didn’t know why, but the female king’s gaze seemed casual yet suddenly shot into the depths of her heart, making all her hidden thoughts completely visible.

She instinctively stepped back. Jing Hengbo’s eyes flashed.

Suddenly, horses galloped urgently, several riders charging forward. Leading them was a deep red banner unfurling—Yelu Qi and Pei Shu had arrived.

Behind the deep red banner was a smaller flag inscribed with the character “Yi”—the banner of Yi Kingdom’s army.

Seeing the direction from which the army approached, Chai Yu realized they had cut through from Xilan Mountain west of Judian. If they had taken the normal route through Yi Kingdom’s checkpoints, they couldn’t have arrived in time. Calculating the dates, it was very likely that even before the Shangyuan army blockaded Jing Hengbo, Yi Kingdom’s army had already departed, taking shortcuts from Feicui into Daimao territory. When Jing Hengbo was taken hostage, Yelu Qi and Pei Shu hadn’t acted or followed because they had gone to meet this force. Only thus could they advance secretly all the way and arrive at this moment to dominate the final battlefield against Shangyuan.

Calculating this way, dense cold arose in Chai Yu’s heart—she hadn’t notified Jing Hengbo beforehand, but Jing Hengbo had already predicted that Shangyuan would come to intercept!

She hadn’t notified Jing Hengbo, ostensibly because being at Ming Yan’an’s side under strict surveillance made it inconvenient, but deep down, she hadn’t been without the intention of watching tigers fight from the mountain. Whoever won, she would be the victor—Ming Yan’an’s life and death were already in her hands.

However, at this moment, sudden fear and dread destroyed her calm state of mind. She suddenly became nervous—Jing Hengbo would definitely see through her thoughts, so what about Yue’er…

Suddenly she heard a child’s voice, still clear amid the ten thousand troops: “Mother! Mother!”

Chai Yu turned around abruptly to see Ming Yue sitting on Tian Qi’s horse, charging through the Shangyuan army. The child seemed to find it very exciting, laughing cheerfully, still holding what looked like a toy spear in his hand.

Chai Yu was shocked pale.

How had Ming Yue gotten onto the battlefield!

Jing Hengbo having him brought to the battlefield was a warning!

If Tian Qi loosened his grip, the child would fall from the horse and be trampled to pulp!

“No!” she cried out, rushing forward, then suddenly remembering that Tian Qi’s martial arts were formidable and she couldn’t stop him from killing the child even if she rushed up. Halfway through her rush, she spun around and threw herself at Jing Hengbo’s feet.

“Female King!” she cried out, “I don’t dare anymore! Don’t hurt him! I… I’ll surrender immediately…”

While she was shouting, Jing Hengbo was also shouting, waving at Tian Qi across the way: “Who told you to bring Ming Yue onto the battlefield? What if you can’t protect him? Bring him over quickly! Be careful!”

Chai Yu was stunned, looking up, still not believing as she stared at her, wanting to see if the female king was acting.

Jing Hengbo paid her no attention at all, having Tian Qi escort Ming Yue over. Chai Yu watched her son intently, discovering the child was plump and white, lively and spirited, much better than when he was in Shangyuan Palace. But Tian Qi had grown much thinner, his face sallow. This made the child appear even more snow-white and adorable.

It wasn’t just Tian Qi—Zirui, Chang Fang, and others were all emaciated. The three counties had been besieged and truly lacked food in the city.

Everyone was thin, only Ming Yue was well…

Chai Yu’s heart trembled.

Ming Yue laughed cheerfully in Tian Qi’s arms, still struggling to return to the battlefield, not even glancing at Chai Yu—he didn’t recognize her anymore. In his memory, his mother was very, very fat.

He still recognized Jing Hengbo and actively threw himself toward her. Chai Yu sighed inwardly and lowered her head.

Two pairs of feet stopped before her—Jing Hengbo’s and Ming Yue’s.

She looked up in astonishment.

Jing Hengbo was holding Ming Yue’s hand, looking at her with a half-smile. She pushed Ming Yue toward her.

“This is your mother,” she said to Ming Yue. “How is she? Beautiful?”

The child was very surprised, but Chai Yu was even more surprised than the child.

Until the child finally recognized her by her scent and threw himself into her arms, and she hugged him tightly, she still stared at Jing Hengbo in amazement.

Ming Yue was returned to her just like that?

Just like that?

No threats, no manipulation, not a word said, no conditions discussed—returned so easily?

Her feelings were complex—as a woman, Jing Hengbo was kind; as a female king, she was too kind!

She gripped the bracelet tightly, still thinking, but the female king had already walked past her.

She heard that woman say indifferently: “Chai Yu, I know what you’re thinking. Your heart lacks support. You crave obtaining power for yourself, obtaining power that never requires you to be beneath others. So I tell you, you can try retreating to Shangyuan, try dividing Daimao in two. I won’t use a child to threaten a mother, but I will use the Horizontal Halberd Army to break through your city walls.”

“When that time comes…” Her tone was even somewhat lazy, but Chai Yu didn’t dare miss a single word.

“All affection will be gone.”

Chai Yu shivered.

The female king stood on the high platform, watching as the ten thousand troops trampled the red carpet and scattered flowers everywhere. Her silhouette remained slender and graceful in the dusk, her tone full of languid ease.

But Chai Yu knew that at this moment, the female king had become a true powerhouse.

She knew her thoughts but disdained using the most important leverage to threaten her, even daring to release the tiger back to the mountain, because she was confident in punishing all who betrayed her.

Powerful martial force was merely adding wings to a tiger; powerful will could stride alone across the world.

How could she compete with such a female king? She might win for a moment but not for a lifetime. Rather than definitely becoming an enemy of the upright and honorable female king, fighting for Ming Yue’s brief royal career, it was better to let Jing Hengbo owe her a favor and protect Ming Yue for life.

She suddenly smiled and tucked the bracelet into her son’s hands.

Jing Hengbo didn’t turn around.

“Yue’er,” Chai Yu’s gentle voice came from behind her, “go give this thing to your Aunt Bobo first, and tell her this is what she deserves.”

Jing Hengbo still didn’t turn around. She stood with hands behind her back, watching the sun setting behind the western mountains like a rolling massive wheel grinding across the horizon, grinding out deep indigo sky and magnificent evening clouds. Those clouds were mournfully beautiful as blood, echoing the blood of soldiers splashing in all directions across this vast land.

This magnificent realm, this boundless world—today, finally, she had seized a portion of the universe with her delicate hands.

Ahead lay an even broader path to walk.

No one heard her inner voice at this moment—

I want to control this chaotic great wilderness, I want to seize these picturesque mountains and rivers, I want this entire world to listen to me speak, listen to me say, I love him, and never again allow any oppression.

…

Ice fragments flew, crystalline light flashed chaotically, and accompanying the violent surge of water waves was Gong Yin’s form.

The moment Murong Zhen saw Gong Yin burst out, wild joy surged in his eyes—the snow crystal worms used for needle extraction had already ensnared Gong Yin, pinning him to the lake bottom. The threads spun by snow crystal worms were extremely tough, completely unbreakable, only stretching longer and longer. Past needle extractions relied on this dragging force—snow crystal worms burrowed into the body, using threads to drag the needles. After the needles came out, the crystal fluid secreted by the snow crystal worms could repair the wounds. But this extraction method was the most cruel and domineering. One wrong move could lead to death. Even if one didn’t die, martial abilities would be lost for a very long time.

The Nine Heavenly Gates called this forceful needle extraction “Heaven’s Devouring.”

Heaven’s devouring—taking life and power.

They loved to associate everything with heaven.

At this moment, as long as Gong Yin forcefully leaped upward, it would be equivalent to forceful needle extraction.

Because they couldn’t determine exactly where Gong Yin’s needle was, to ensure success in one move, he had released seven snow crystal worms, with each subordinate beside him using life pearls to control one, determined to extract the needle.

At this moment, Gong Yin violently erupted, water flowers flashing wildly across the sky, mixed with eerie ghostly blue ice fragments, rushing directly at the figures by the water’s edge.

The seven people by the pond who were fully controlling the snow crystal worms originally didn’t take it seriously—ice and snow attacks naturally had reduced effect on their sect members.

So no one noticed that among those pale water flowers and ghostly blue ice fragments, tiny golden objects flashed briefly.

The next instant, all seven felt pain in their hearts, a familiar bone-deep chill suddenly stabbing into their chests.

They all spat blood and fell backward.

One person, even while falling, felt his chest and then cried out in horror: “We’ve been needled again!”

Murong Zhen, who had swept over, was startled—needled? How was that possible?

Besides the Heavenly Gate elders, who could needle Heavenly Gate members again?

Needling was as dangerous as needle extraction. Losing mobility after being needled was perfectly normal.

In the instant Gong Yin was having his needles extracted, he could simultaneously needle seven people? Where had he gotten Snowy Mountain secret needles?

How could such a terrifying person exist in this world?

The seven people fell one after another, immediately creating a gap in the deadly formation around the pond. Gong Yin’s figure flashed, stepping over the chests of the seven.

In the next instant, he had already leaped over the courtyard wall, flying across the sky like a startled swan, leaving a white trace in the pale yellow sky.

The others lost their souls in shock. Murong Zhen’s face was iron-blue, his gaze falling to the ground.

Where Gong Yin had passed, broken snow and ice scattered everywhere.

Murong Zhen leaped onto the wall and saw a section of broken tile on the wall head.

That was what Gong Yin had stepped on and cracked.

Such a master would never crack roof tiles.

True qi overflowing, unable to control it.

A trace of joy and a trace of ruthlessness flashed in Murong Zhen’s eyes.

“Chase!”

“Fight to the death!”