On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

The snowfield in front of Fengxue Pass has turned into a Shura field.

The charred craters were like the claw marks of a giant beast, tearing the white snow apart hideously.

Broken armor, torn banners, frozen blood ice, burning wreckage, and the charred or blown-to-pieces corpses of men and horses scattered everywhere, silently told the horror and destruction brought by the "Burning Sky Thunder" in the biting cold wind.

The air was filled with a mixture of odors so thick that it was suffocating - gunpowder, sulfur, burnt food, blood, and an indescribable pungent smell like burning metal.

The surviving Rouran cavalry had already been utterly terrified, abandoning their weapons and armor. They rushed across the snowy plains like stray dogs, mercilessly hunted, divided, and annihilated by the Jinwu Guard's heavy cavalry and the Vulture, Snow Wolf, and Wind Falcon cavalry. The deafening cries of death, the howling of the dying, and the mournful wailing of their horses intertwined into a brutal symphony of death.

On the city wall, Lin Zhen was wearing a black armor with a coiled dragon pattern, and his scarlet cloak fluttered like a flag in the wind and snow.

His gaze was as calm as the abyss as he looked down at the scorched earth below the city that was dyed red by blood and fire.

The artillery of the Shenji Camp has stopped firing, but the muzzles are still warm, and the curling green smoke quickly dissipates in the cold wind.

The cold barrel of the grenade launcher points to the sky, like a silent tombstone.

The Jinwu Guards' heavy cavalry charged like a plow through the fields, wiping out the remaining enemies wherever they passed. Two cavalry units followed closely behind, scimitars brandishing, mowing down the last remaining resistance.

Victory is a foregone conclusion.

However, there was no joy on Lin Zhen's face. Instead, a barely perceptible solemnity flashed across his deep eyes.

The power of the Burning Sky Thunder far exceeded expectations.

Once this thing comes out, the rules of war will be completely rewritten.

"Report!" The messenger rushed up to the city wall, knelt on one knee, his voice trembling slightly. "Your Highness, the Rouran vanguard of 5,000 cavalry has been completely destroyed, over 2,700 have been beheaded, 800 captured, and the rest have been scattered. The Gaochang Eagle Division has broken camp and retreated 20 miles. The beacon fires have been temporarily extinguished!"

"Good." Lin Zhen's voice was calm and steady. "Count the damage, treat the wounded, and bury the fallen soldiers with honor."

"Yes!"

"Also..." The messenger paused, "Vulture Tribe Chief Wulianghetai and Snow Wolf Tribe Chief Tuoba Xiong request an audience with Your Highness."

"pass."

After a while, the two tribal leaders climbed onto the city wall.

Wulianghetai had a leopard head and round eyes, and Tuoba Xiong had a sinister face. Their armor was stained with blood, and their faces showed the excitement of victory and a hint of indescribable awe.

The horrifying sight of the Burning Sky Thunder tearing through the enemy formation just now was engraved in their hearts like a brand.

"Your Highness, I am honored to see you!" The two men bowed.

"The two chiefs fought bravely in this battle and made great contributions." Lin Zhen glanced at the two of them, "This prince will definitely reward you handsomely."

"Thank you, Your Highness!" everyone responded in unison, with a hint of joy in their eyes.

"Yes..." Lin Zhen changed the subject, his voice low, "You have all witnessed the power of the Burning Sky Thunder. This item is extremely dangerous. Without special permission from the court, it is strictly forbidden to possess, copy, or disclose it. Violators will be regarded as treason, and their entire clan will be executed and their tribe will be burned!"

The two men froze, and the excitement on their faces instantly faded, replaced by deep awe and fear.

"I will strictly follow your highness's orders and will never dare to disobey!" There was a barely perceptible tremor in his voice.

"Step back." Lin Zhen waved his hand.

The two men bowed and withdrew as if they had been pardoned.

On the city wall, the cold wind blew up snow foam and the atmosphere was solemn.

"Master..." Xiao Hanzhou stepped forward and whispered, "Although the Burning Sky Thunder is extremely powerful, the excessive killing may harm the harmony of heaven and attract the covetousness of foreign nations."

"Tianhe?" Lin Zhen's lips curled up in a cold arc. "In troubled times, severe punishments should be used. Foreign invaders fear power, not virtue. This thing is power. As for coveting..." He glanced to the north, "Then let them fear forever."

"Report!" Another messenger came galloping over, dismounted, and spoke with unprecedented urgency, "Urgent news from Blackstone Fort! General Mao has awakened!"

Lin Zhen's eyes flashed: "How is your injury?"

"Madam Chu's miraculous healing power has cured the poison, but her vitality is severely damaged and she will need to rest for several months!" The messenger spoke rapidly, "Also, search the marshland for the assassins... Report! Gu Beichen's remains were found deep in the mud below the cliff!"

"Wreckage?" Lin Zhen frowned slightly.

"Yes, a half-charred corpse, wearing shredded purple robes, a broken bronze mask, and a face so damaged it's difficult to discern. Trapped in a poisonous swamp, it's already highly decomposed. However, around its waist is Gu Beichen's unique golden seal with a coiled dragon, confirming it without a doubt!"

Everyone in the hall was shocked!

Gu Beichen is dead?

"Where is the body?" Lin Zhen said in a low voice.

"It has been cremated on site, and the ashes have been sealed and presented to Your Highness!" The messenger presented a sealed ceramic jar.

Lin Zhen took the pottery jar and it felt cold and heavy in his hand.

He stared at the jar, his eyes deep and calm.

The poisonous snake that had been haunting him for years...was killed?

But why don’t I feel relieved at all?

"Report!!" The second messenger practically scrambled and rolled up the tower, his voice hoarse and desperate, "Your Highness! Something terrible has happened! The Thunder Fen Division at Broken Dragon Cliff has been attacked, and Lord Chu has been kidnapped!"

"What?!" Lin Zhen's pupils suddenly contracted!

The pottery jar in my hand almost fell out of my hand!

"who?!"

"No...I don't know!" The messenger's voice was filled with tears. "A group of men in black, with cunning skills and extremely high martial arts skills, took advantage of Lord Chu's absence to explore new mineral veins and suddenly attacked the guards. They killed and kidnapped Lord Chu, and fled to the Soul-Breaking Cliff deep in the West Mountain, leaving behind...leaving behind this thing!"

The messenger trembled as he presented a blood-stained piece of cloth with a few words scrawled on it in charcoal pencil: "To save Chu Xiling, I must go to the Cliff of Broken Souls alone. Lin Zhen, prepare the secret recipe for the Burning Sky Thunder. Otherwise, both you and me will perish together! — Unknown"

"Gu Beichen?" Although Mao Mengji was seriously injured and hadn't arrived yet, his deputy general cried out in shock, "He... he's not dead?"

Lin Zhen tightly grasped the blood-stained cloth, his knuckles turned white from the force, and his eyes flashed with cold light, like a frozen volcano!

The ashes in the pottery jar were fake, falling off the cliff was an escape, and kidnapping Chu Xiling to ask for the formula was his real killer move!

What a great Gu Beichen!

What a lingering poisonous snake!

Soul-breaking Cliff.

It is not a real cliff, but a sinister stone forest composed of countless huge, dark volcanic rock pillars that stand like the fangs of giant beasts.

The area is full of jagged rocks, crisscrossed with gullies, and is filled with a faint sulfur mist all year round. The terrain is as complex as a maze.

At this moment, in the deepest part of the stone forest, on a relatively open platform surrounded by huge stone pillars on two sides.

Chu Xiling's indigo work clothes were torn, her cold face was covered with dust, there was a trace of blood at the corner of her mouth, her hands were tied behind her back, and a cloth was tied around her mouth.

Her eyes remained calm, but deep within them there was a hint of anxiety that was difficult to conceal.

Before her stood a figure in a purple robe. The robe was torn and stained with mud, and his face was covered with a new, even more hideous bronze ghost mask, revealing only a pair of eyes as deep as the abyss, burning with madness and malice—it was Gu Beichen!

Behind him, more than a dozen black-robed warriors stood solemnly like ghosts, with cold eyes, holding poison-tempered crossbows, aiming at the only entrance to the platform.

"Lin Zhen...it's time." Gu Beichen's voice was hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing against each other, with a kind of hysterical excitement. "Master Chu, do you think he will hand over the secret recipe of Burning Sky Thunder for you?"

Chu Xiling was speechless and could only stare at him with cold eyes.

"Hehe..." Gu Beichen let out a deep laugh. "I'm really curious. In his heart, is you, a national hero who can create the 'Burning Sky Thunder', more important, or is that secret recipe that can overturn the world more important? Or does he not care about your life or death at all, and only care that I must die?"

He turned abruptly, facing the entrance, and his voice suddenly rose, like the cry of a night owl: "Lin Zhen! Now that you're here, why hide your head and show your tail? Show yourself! Let me see what decision you, the Prince of Daqian, make!"

At the entrance, wind and snow were swirling.

A dark figure slowly walked out. Lin Zhen wore a black armor with a coiled dragon pattern, a golden sword hanging from his waist, and was alone without any soldiers.

His gaze was calm, like a deep ancient well, sweeping over the kidnapped Chu Xiling, and finally landing on Gu Beichen.

"Gu Beichen." Lin Zhen's voice was calm and unwavering. "Release Chu Xiling. This prince will leave your body intact."

"Hahaha!" Gu Beichen laughed wildly, his laughter filled with resentment and madness. "Leave my body intact? Lin Zhen, you little brat! Do you think I'm still the defeated general you chased like a stray dog? Today, I hold your lifeline in my hands!"

He pointed his bony finger at Chu Xiling, "Secret recipe! Hand over the complete recipe for Burning Heaven Thunder, or I will kill her immediately and make your Burning Heaven Thunder a thing of the past!"

"The secret recipe..." Lin Zhen's eyes were deep. "This item cannot be controlled by one person or one country. Handing it over will be the source of disaster. You don't deserve it."

"I'm not worthy?" Gu Beichen's eyes flashed with a fierce light, "Then who is worthy? You? Or that foolish and incompetent empress sitting on the dragon throne? This thing must belong to a strong one, someone who can overturn the world. The true form is that person!"

"Wishful thinking." Lin Zhen's voice was cold.

"Then let her die!" Gu Beichen shouted, and his skinny palm suddenly strangled Chu Xiling's throat!

"Wait a minute!" Lin Zhen's voice suddenly rose. "I don't have the secret recipe, but I can give you the Burning Sky Thunder."

Gu Beichen paused, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes: "Oh?"

"The first batch of 50 finished products, along with the specially made lead boxes and transport carriages, are at the foot of the cliff." Lin Zhen said in a steady voice, "Enough for you to make a comeback and exchange for my wife."

"Finished product?" Gu Beichen's eyes flashed, and then turned into deeper greed. "Lin Zhen, you think I'm a two-year-old child. The finished product will be gone once it's used up. The secret recipe is the foundation. Hand over the secret recipe, otherwise there's no deal!"

"The secret recipe is a national treasure." Lin Zhen's eyes were sharp. "It's impossible. You only have two choices. Either take the Burning Sky Thunder and your people and get out of Beiyan, and disappear forever! Or..."

He slowly drew the Panlong Golden Sword from his waist, the blade flashing a piercing cold light in the wind and snow. "This prince will personally send you and your minions to hell!"

"You!" Gu Beichen's eyes were filled with hatred!

He stared at Lin Zhen intently, then looked at Chu Xiling, whose throat was strangled and whose face was flushed red, and he felt a conflict between his conscience and his desires.

The finished product... fifty Burning Sky Thunders... was enough for him to severely damage Rouran or return to the difficult situation and annex Qi.

But without a secret recipe, you will eventually be controlled by others!

But if you force him to give you the secret recipe, Lin Zhen will never compromise!

He doesn't want to see both good and bad things destroyed!

The wind and snow swirled through the stone forest, stirring up a cloud of snow foam.

On the Cliff of Broken Souls, the two sides confronted each other, the air was tense and filled with murderous intent.