This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

A plume of smoke billowed in, and a young man stood before it. Within the smoke, flesh and blood flew, and fierce battle, accompanied by screams and roars, drew ever closer.

Xiao Xingchen could see clearly that people were constantly falling from their warhorses, only to be trampled into a bloody pulp by the horses behind them. But even so, no one could stop the surging tide.

War, only war, endless war.

This scene severely impacted his senses; even in the large-scale war movies of his previous life, he had never seen such direct, bloody combat.

This isn't war; this is a desperate fight, a fight to the death, where it's either you or me.

What a deep-seated hatred this was! Even if the battlefield had changed, even if one side were contestants at the Poetry Festival and the other were generals returning to the capital, even if they were right before Emperor Wu, they would fight as soon as they met, fight to the point of madness, fight to the death.

The title of War General is truly worthy of the banner bearing the word "War".

But for Xiao Xingchen, this was already a tremendous crisis. Behind him, a line of soldiers kept their eyes fixed on him, preventing him from running away. This was forcing him to face this deadly battle head-on.

What should I do? What should I do?

This was the biggest crisis he had faced since his rebirth, because no one would dare rush in to save him now; the place had become a prison, a battlefield.

Even though he possessed the secrets of the Sword Immortal, and even though he was a disciple of a Quasi-Sage, he could only rely on himself now.

He slowly drew the broken sword he had brought from the Cangshan Mountains. This broken sword had been tucked behind his waist ever since he brought it out. He didn't believe in fighting, nor was he skilled in combat. But now, with the broken sword in his hand, he actually felt a surge of fighting spirit.

Yes, he actually sensed a fighting spirit emanating from the broken sword. It seemed that the iron hooves in front of him had triggered a reaction from the broken sword, and an invisible battle intent began to envelop Xiao Xingchen.

Battle intent is a feeling, invisible to everyone, but in Daji's eyes, Xiao Xingchen was already enveloped by an invisible aura, his arms, chest, and legs completely enveloped within it. Although he hadn't done anything, at this moment, he was the protagonist of the battlefield.

A smile appeared on Daji's lips.

At that moment, her voice also rang in Xiao Xingchen's heart.

"The path to the Nine Heavens begins at the Spirit Platform. Spirit represents intention, and Platform represents dwelling. There are a hundred kinds of intention, but the most important is the will to fight. Transform the will to fight and dwell at the Spirit Platform, and from there you will embark on the path to conquer the heavens."

"Do not be distracted. Carefully sense the battle intent of the newcomer. Use the broken sword as a medium to draw the battle intent into your body. When the battle intent is full, you will see the embryonic immortal. If you achieve the embryonic immortality, you can be called the greatest sword immortal of all time. Remember, your mind should be free of external things, only battle will endure."

Xiao Xingchen, gripping the broken sword, shuddered suddenly. As Daji's words rang out, he seemed to understand.

No wonder Daji hadn't made a move yet. He believed that as they spent more time together, Daji wouldn't let anything happen to him. He had previously suspected that Daji might have other motives.

Now I understand. Daji had long ago discovered the War Commander's fighting spirit. By pushing him to this point, Daji actually wanted to use this fighting spirit to help herself advance to the next level.

What exactly is the Lingtai (spirit platform)?

Xiao Xingchen cast all his emotions aside. Even though iron hooves were approaching, even though he would be trampled into mincemeat in the next second, he trusted Daji.

Since Daji had said so, he completely let go of his inhibitions. He gripped the broken sword tightly, pointing it at the iron hooves. At that moment, he felt a chilling aura rushing towards him.

The killing energy surged through his body, ruffling his clothes. But as he felt the energy pass, wisps of starlight gathered on the broken sword. These starlight points slowly traveled down his arm and converged towards his chest.

Beneath his heart, a small space suddenly appeared. The starlight continued to extend to the area below his heart before stopping and then converging there.

The small space slowly expanded as starlight entered, and the fighting spirit that had been surrounding him began to spread towards it. He didn't know if others could see his current state, but he could clearly see that his body was being covered by starlight. This starlight must be the manifestation of his fighting spirit, and it was all converging towards his chest.

As his fighting spirit intensified, his body began to change.

A surge of power instantly filled his limbs and bones; he felt as if he could kill a bull with a single punch.

"Don't get distracted. Your fighting spirit isn't enough. Focus and calm your mind, and continue to draw out the enemy's fighting spirit."

Just as Xiao Xingchen was overjoyed, Daji's voice rang out again, and he quickly focused his mind to continue absorbing the battle intent.

However, Xiao Xingchen's reckless behavior was not seen as a wise move by others.

"That boy is doomed."

This was everyone's thought. Even the Fourth Prince, who had wanted to rush over to save him, stopped in his tracks. It was too late, all too late. He clenched his fists, filled with regret.

Chen Miao couldn't help but sigh. Was this person who knew Xiao Jianxian's secret just trampled into mincemeat like that? She was unwilling, but there was nothing she could do. She had done her best. This was Yong'an, not Dali. Besides, how could she survive under the double iron hooves of the Wilderness and the Northern Region?

For some reason, the eldest princess and Huangfu Lingfeng felt relieved after seeing Xiao Xingchen being trampled by iron hooves. Perhaps it was because with the death of this young man, their mother would take a few more glances at them?

It's certainly not a happy thing to have your mother's love stolen away.

Many people felt sorry for him, after all, there were people in Yong'an who cherished talent. The two prime ministers sighed at the same time. Just as the left prime minister said, only those who survive are geniuses. Those who die halfway through their lives, even if they are exceptionally talented, are just so-so and not worth investing in.

They all thought so, let alone the many onlookers. In their eyes, the boy was dead, and he had been trampled to death in such a horrific way.

Amidst billowing smoke, the chilling sound of iron hooves, and the flying blood and flesh, people finally made out the appearance of the newcomers.

Those clad in red armor, their warhorses neighing, were the generals of the Northern Region.

Riding a monster of unknown name, and dressed naked, they were people from the wilderness.

As the two forces fought their way to the city gates, they finally separated and began to form ranks on either side of the city.

As the smoke cleared, the ground was covered in crimson, with even bits of flesh and blood still clinging to the horses' hooves. Each stomp of the iron hoof sent pieces of flesh flying.

Both sides began to form ranks. The Northern Region had about fifty riders left, while the Wilderness side had fewer, only about thirty.

They were positioned on either side of Yong'an City, with the officials' procession forming the very center beneath the city walls. The spacious grounds made them appear inconspicuous, yet the pervasive stench of blood in the air spoke volumes about the ferocity of this group.

On the cold armor and bare chest, blood, whether his own or the other's, was slowly flowing down as if drenched in rain, before falling to the ground.

The sound of horses' hooves clattered through the dust, followed by a shout from someone.

"what?"