Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

Murong Chui sighed and sat down with his back against a large tree.

"Shen Lang, answer me a question first: when you killed Wei Shuyu and Murong Xue, did you have even the slightest regret?"

Shen Lang: "Anyone who violates the borders of my Great Chu Kingdom is my enemy. As a border soldier, I have the responsibility to guard this land. Even if they come again, I will still choose to kill them."

Murong Chui gave a bitter smile: "As expected of the ruthless commander of the Sharp Knife Battalion. It's a pity that if you hadn't been so indifferent to fame and fortune, my Great Yan would probably have faced the threat of national extinction seven years ago."

"But I still hate you, Wei Shuyu. He was my brother, Murong Chui's brother, as close as siblings, yet he died in Murong Ke's scheme."

You wouldn't believe it, but it was Murong Ke who originally suggested attacking the beacon tower.

He first bribed everyone in the elite vanguard battalion, giving them a promise that was impossible to fulfill.

Then, Wei Shuyu, who had already been infected by the Unquenchable Fire, was sent to the Beacon Tower.

In fact, Wei Shuyu was good at defense but not offense; I volunteered for the position back then but was rejected.

What was initially thought to be a check and balance by the imperial court turned out to be Murong Ke's scheme to eliminate a major threat, even at the cost of sacrificing 20,000 elite cavalry and members of the royal family.

Unfortunately, I didn't see this at the time. It wasn't until after Wei Shuyu's death, when his body was turned into a living dead, that I realized something was amiss and began to investigate secretly.

And the investigation results... well, Murong Ke is a madman, actually placing all the hopes for the nation's fate on that inextinguishable flame.

For decades, he had been secretly collecting Unextinguished Flames, his aim being to create an army of the undead to sweep across the entire continent.

Shen Lang: "So, you also oppose the implementation of this plan?"

Murong Chui nodded: "How could anything obtained through unorthodox methods come without a price?"

The lives of 60,000 people in Yizhou City, the current 30,000 troops, and... the restless souls of Wei Shuyu and the princess...

All of this proves that such things are evil spirits that bring disaster to the country and its people. A great empire is determined by the decisiveness of its leaders, the foresight of its wise men, and the vision and scope of its rulers.

Even if I, Murong Chui, desperately want to see the rise of the Great Yan, I deeply despise such harmful and unorthodox methods.

Shen Lang: "Your words have impressed me. It seems necessary to stop this catastrophe."

Murong Chui shook his head: "It's no use. Murong Ke has already refined the Undying Flame and achieved immortality. With our current methods, we simply cannot get rid of him."

Shen Lang frowned: "How can we be sure if we don't try?"

Murong Chui: "You think I haven't tried? But I've failed every time. Murong Ke's strength is no less than mine or Wei Shuyu's, and he also has the Undying Flame to enhance him."

Even if bombarded by firearms, even if reduced to dust, as long as he retains a trace of the undying flame within him, he can be reborn from the ashes.

Shen Lang fell into deep thought.

He tried his best to find a way to get rid of Murong Ke from the available information...

On the other side, Murong Ke, who obtained the seventh Undying Flame, did not hesitate at all and immediately began to refine it.

"With all seven undying flames gathered, there will be no force in the world that can stop the rise of the Great Yan. As long as I refine this last undying flame..."

Whether it's the State of Chu or the State of Wuzhao, the entire world will belong to my Great Yan!

The thought of Yan standing at the pinnacle of the world prompted Murong Ke to accelerate the refining process.

The barrier formed by the inextinguishable fire seemed to be deeply sensitive, and began to respond with flickering flames.

In six more hours, Murong Ke will have accomplished his mission...

Qichuan, in the dense forest.

Shen Lang and Murong Chui sat facing each other, racking their brains for a way to kill Murong Ke.

However, even as the sun slowly rose in the sky, the two still hadn't found a feasible solution.

"do not care."

Murong Chui suddenly stood up and walked out of Qichuan.

"What are you going to do?"

"I cannot stand by and watch my soldiers become living dead puppets; I want to personally send them on their final journey."

"Trying to take on a horde of 30,000 zombies by yourself is no different from suicide."

Upon hearing this, Murong Chui chuckled and shook his head.

“I have wronged them. Knowing that Murong Ke was treacherous and ruthless, I still chose to believe him. I should atone for my actions.”

After saying that, he glanced at Shen Lang.

"Shen Lang, I need to ask you a favor."

"explain."

"If I also become a mindless puppet, please help me to be free from suffering. I don't want to become like Wei Shuyu."

Even after death, they will become tools to be used by Murong Ke; this is the greatest trampling of dignity.

Leaving behind a single sentence, Murong Chui resolutely walked out of the dense forest.

This time, Shen Lang did not stop him.

Some people, once they've made a decision, won't easily change it, even if they know it's a dead end.

Moreover, Shen Lang and Murong Chui had little interaction; strictly speaking, they had only known each other for a day.

After Murong Chui left, Shen Lang continued to ponder a solution.

The cold wind over Qichuan dispelled the summer heat and gradually cleared Shen Lang's mind.

"Wait, from what I know, there are eight Unextinguishable Flames. So where is the eighth Unextinguishable Flame?"

Following this clue, Shen Lang fell into deep thought once again.

Meanwhile, after a day and night of travel, Wang Xuance and Murong Xiang returned to Rangzhou City in a state of shock and fear, and immediately told Yue Fei about the horrific scene they had witnessed in the Northern Yan army camp.

Upon hearing this, Yue Fei immediately frowned.

This was the first time he had ever heard of such a horrifying thing.

Seeing that the two men looked serious and not at all like they were joking, he immediately began to give orders.

"Pass on my military order: everyone in the city must immediately reinforce the city walls."

“Set up roadblocks three miles outside the city and concentrate all available resources.”

"Notify the Solon tribe to return to the city walls and hold their ground; they need not venture out to patrol any further."

As military orders were issued, the atmosphere became solemn, and the entire city of Rangzhou began to bustle with activity.

This time, they were facing a group of terrifying monsters. No one could predict the outcome; they simply followed Yue Fei's orders.

After announcing the military orders, Yue Fei immediately asked Murong Xiang, "Your Excellency, I have heard that a strange incident also occurred in Yizhou City back then. May I ask how this incident was finally quelled?"

Murong Xiang: "I don't know the specifics either. I only know that after three days, the bodies of those mutated people turned into pus."

According to reports from the soldiers and civilians who recaptured Yizhou, the city reeked of a terrible stench; even generals who had witnessed cannibalism vomited on the spot upon smelling the odor.

The stench lingered for a full seven days before gradually dissipating.

Yue Fei: "So you're saying we only need to hold out for three days?"

Murong Xiang shook her head: "I can't guarantee that either. We know very little about the living dead."

Yue Fei sighed: "I wonder where the commander has gone. Perhaps he has a way to solve this problem. I hope he can come back as soon as he finishes his business."