Crown Prince of the Empire, I quit!

Qin Ming sat upright atop his jet-black warhorse, his heavy armor gleaming coldly in the bleak setting sun. Beneath his visor, his bottomless eyes, like two icy abysses swallowing all light, calmly scanned Meng Zhi, the slowly retreating army, and finally the heavily guarded stretcher behind him.

On the stretcher, Liu Yueli's body was like a piece of charred wood burned by the flames of hell.

The terrifying dark golden vortex on his chest had completely dimmed, leaving only a bottomless crack with charred edges that looked like a path to hell.

From deep within the chasm, a thick, cold, dark red gelatinous substance, emitting the pungent stench of sulfur and decaying flesh, slowly seeped out like congealed poisonous blood, covering a large area around the wound. Her breathing was so weak that it was almost nonexistent, and her chest rose and fell like a candle in the wind. Each weak twitch was accompanied by a heart-pounding grinding sound deep in her throat, like an old bellows clogged with gravel.

The skin was a deathly grey color, like a corpse buried deep in the frozen soil.

Only the beast-shaped pattern imprinted deep within the charred spine would occasionally flicker spasmodically with those dark golden embers, extremely weakly, like the last beat of a dying heart. Every flicker caused more cold dark red gelatin to seep out of the edge of the dead, inky purple area.

Vitality...is slipping away rapidly like quicksand through fingers.

"Your Majesty! Lord Liu... his pulse is dead! The plague is eating away at his heart, and the power of the sacred tree is backfiring... I'm afraid... I'm afraid he won't survive the night!"

Sun Miao's withered fingers rested on Liu Yueli's cold wrist, his voice trembling with despair, and the wrinkles on his old face were soaked with a mixture of cold sweat and blood.

Qin Ming's gaze remained unchanged beneath his mask, except for the fingers that hung at his side, gripping the hilt of the great black iron sword. Their knuckles were slightly white from the strain. He slowly raised his hand, his armored fingers pointing toward the thick smoke billowing deep in the canyon.

"Hua Yunhong... is waiting." Qin Ming's icy voice was like iron falling to the ground, and every word carried a murderous intent that could freeze the soul. "Wait for Liu Qing... to run out of energy. Wait for the uncontrolled power of the sacred tree... to explode... in my army."

Meng Zhi suddenly looked up, a flash of horror in his red eyes! He instantly understood! The poisonous smoke in the canyon and the shadow blade riders who seemed to be pursuing him were all a cover! Hua Yunhong's real killer move was the destructive power of the sacred tree in Liu Yueli's body that could erupt at any time! He was forcing Qin Ming to retreat with this "human bomb"! He was waiting for the bomb to detonate next to Qin Ming!

"Then...what should we do?!" Meng Zhi's voice was filled with a hint of panic he had never seen before. "Could it be...could it be..."

"Return to camp." Qin Ming's voice was firm and unquestionable. "Immediately."

"Yes!" Meng Zhi suddenly stood up and slammed his huge fist into his chest armor, making a dull sound! He turned around and roared at the retreating army like a wounded lion: "All troops! Accelerate! Return to camp--!!!"

Woo-woo-woo-woo!!!

The blast of the horn ripped through the stagnant air! The torrent of black armor, like black lava at the receding tide, suddenly accelerated! The soldiers, enduring pain and exhaustion, gritted their teeth and took heavy steps, desperately dashing towards the distant camp! The horses' hooves crushed the frozen ground, stirring up a bloody dust!

Qin Ming rode slowly through the center of the group, his gaze fixed on Liu Yueli's stretcher like two bottomless abysses. Every faint flicker of the dark gold embers was like an icy needle, piercing the depths of his frozen consciousness.

"Sun Miao." Qin Ming's cold voice sounded.

"I'm here!" Sun Miao's withered body trembled violently.

"Keep her alive at all costs." Qin Ming's voice was cold, yet it carried the unquestionable will of an emperor. "Use your needles! Use your medicine! Use the blood of Changbai Mountain! Use everything you can think of! I... want her to return to the camp alive!"

"Your Majesty! General Chang..." Sun Miao's voice was tinged with tears. He looked at Chang Baishan, whose face, sallow and lifeless, looked like dried orange peel, was lying on another stretcher nearby. His breathing had already become as weak as a thread. The huge wound on his shoulder blade was covered with black ointment, and muddy yellow water oozed from the edges, emitting a pungent stench. His heart pulse... had long been severed! He was only relying on Sun Miao's golden needles and the remaining power of the Red Blood Pill to cling to life!

"Get some blood!" Qin Ming's voice was as cold as iron. "If he still has a drop of blood... squeeze it out!"

"Here...here!" Sun Miao's withered hands trembled violently, and a trace of determined madness flashed in his eyes! He suddenly pounced on Chang Baishan's stretcher! His claw-like fingers twisted the golden needles that had been pierced around Chang Baishan's heart!

"Ugh..." The unconscious Chang Baishan's body trembled violently! A tooth-grinding grinding sound like a worn-out bellows being forcibly pumped emanated from his throat! An ominous flush instantly surged across his sallow face! An extremely weak stream of crimson air, yet carrying a scorching aura that could burn everything, followed the guidance of the golden needles and was forcibly drawn out from the depths of Chang Baishan's heart meridian like residual oil being forcibly squeezed out!

Sun Miao's withered hand swung violently! The crimson airflow, as if drawn by an invisible force, instantly shot towards the lifeless wound on Liu Yueli's chest!

laugh--! ! !

It was like a red-hot iron pressing against ice! The moment the crimson airflow slammed into the sticky, dark red jelly!

“Sizzle——!!!”

A sharp corrosion sound, accompanied by a strong sulphurous stench, rose to the sky! The dark red gelatinous substance boiled and tumbled violently like an ice cube thrown into boiling oil! The speed of seepage from the edge suddenly increased! Liu Yueli's stiff body suddenly arched upwards! An even more shrill, more inhuman howl erupted from her throat! The dark gold ember deep in her spine, like a spark thrown into boiling oil, suddenly burst into a last ray of dazzling light! Then... it quickly dimmed!

"Ugh..." Liu Yueli's body slammed back onto the stretcher! Her screams abruptly stopped! The rise and fall of her chest completely ceased! Only the scraping sound of a broken bellows in her throat remained, as faint as a mosquito's! The tiny ember of dark gold, after emitting its final burst of light, was completely...extinguished like a burnt-out candle!

"Master Liu—!!!" Sun Miao roared in despair! His withered hand pressed tightly against Liu Yueli's cold wrist! Her pulse...had completely vanished!

Deathly silence! A cold, deathly silence instantly enveloped the area around the stretcher! All the guards froze in place, their faces filled with disbelief and despair!

Qin Ming's gaze suddenly froze beneath his veil! Like two bottomless abysses frozen in an instant! His fingers gripping the reins suddenly tightened! The inky black warhorse seemed to sense its master's murderous intent and pawed its iron hooves nervously!

at this time!