While the armies of both Great Liang and the demon race were still preparing, some people had already entered the desolate north.

On the demon side, several great demons had stepped into the desolate north. These great demons came from various parts of the Demon Realm, but they shared one thing in common: they had either directly or indirectly participated in the original plot that involved luring the Demon Lord Shen Hua into the desolate north to harm the Demon Emperor.

When the Demon Emperor returned, he did not carry out a large-scale reckoning. But whether it was the tribes behind these demons or the demons themselves, they would have to show some form of atonement. The Demon Emperor was never a so-called merciful ruler. If one did wrong and did not self-punish, when the Demon Emperor acted, there would be no room for leniency.

As for the Northern Frontier Great Wall, the number of powerhouses sent was actually not large. Great Liang itself could not compare with the demons in terms of sheer number of powerhouses. In addition, many powerhouses still needed to remain to defend the wall. In the end, only a few were sent into the desolate north, and before entering, General Ning Ping specifically instructed them to avoid clashing with the demons’ great demons; they only needed to understand the current situation in the desolate north.

If any exchanges with the demons occurred, no matter how many times, Great Liang would always be the side to suffer losses.

After Ning Ping took over the Northern Frontier Army, it was as if he had become the daughter-in-law in a wealthy household: with elders above and children below, he had to take care of both sides, while also managing the household himself. Nothing unnecessary could be spent, and even what had to be spent required extreme caution. After all, the family fortune was limited, and once it began to decline, a comeback would be very difficult.

As Great General, compared with the previous Great General Xiao Hezheng, Ning Ping was not as skilled at commanding troops. But in terms of maintaining the Northern Frontier Army’s foundation, Ning Ping likely did better than Xiao Hezheng.

In any case, as of today, Ning Ping, the Northern Frontier Great General, could still be considered competent.

However, Ning Ping’s methods of maintaining stability were somewhat constrained by limited resources. After all, when he had been in the Divine Capital, he had truly employed bold and ambitious strategies.

Gao Xuan had built a rather ugly snowman. Its eyes weren’t eyes, its nose wasn’t a nose; quite comical. Yet this young general genuinely admired it and, while appreciating it himself, did not forget to ask Xie Nandu for her opinion.

But Xie Nandu was never the type to flatter. She spoke plainly, in just a word:

Ugly.

This saddened Gao Xuan greatly, but being familiar with the girl’s temperament, he didn’t take it too seriously. When he saw Great General Ning Ping emerge from inside, he immediately slipped away, clearly not intending to stay.

Ning Ping noticed the boy sneaking off, but didn’t stop him. Instead, he looked toward the girl who was obviously waiting for him here.

Ning Ping’s feelings toward the girl were actually complicated. From a man’s perspective, he didn’t want her on the battlefield. Like many of Great Liang’s soldiers, he believed that as long as men were still alive, there was no place for women in war.

Yet he also understood that among the current forces, there were very few who could match her in military warfare.

Moreover, when she arrived at the Northern Frontier, a letter from that stinking brat had arrived as well. The letter didn’t ask Ning Ping, the Great General, to treat the girl with any special favor. On the contrary, it instructed Ning Ping not to treat her like a delicate canary.

In other words, not to treat Xie Nandu as someone to be coddled.

From a distance, Ning Ping looked at Xie Nandu several times. He had originally planned to leave quietly, but reconsidered and walked toward her.

Knowing that she had come specifically to wait for him, there was really no reason to avoid her.

“Greetings, Great General.”

Xie Nandu turned to face this powerful martial artist who had gone from Lord Warden Commander to Great General. Of the top three martial artists in Great Liang at the time, he was now the only one left.

Of course, Ning Ping had always been the youngest among them.

Looking at her, Ning Ping didn’t know what to say, or rather, didn’t know how to address her. Should he speak as the former superior of that stinking brat and half his mentor, or as the Great General of the Northern Frontier?

This put Ning Ping in a difficult position.

"You need not be troubled, Great General. Since I’ve come to the Northern Frontier, Nandu is simply under your command and it doesn’t involve anything else."

Xie Nandu said. This girl was indeed intelligent; truly unusual in some ways.

Ning Ping smiled. “It’s not that simple.”

Xie Nandu thought for a moment, seemingly realizing that things really weren’t that simple, so she didn’t say much and just waited for Ning Ping to continue speaking.

Ning Ping pondered for a moment and said, “I know what you’re thinking. You want to participate in the first great battle, but you’ve never truly commanded troops. What happens on the battlefield is likely very different from what’s written in books.”

In the end, Ning Ping was still reluctant to let Xie Nandu step onto the battlefield. Not to mention anything else, if something were to happen to this girl on the battlefield, that stinking brat would probably tear the Northern Frontier General's Office down.

If it were in the past, Ning Ping might have been able to hold him back when he went mad, but now, it was really hard to say. After all, that stinking brat had already reached the end of Nepenthe and, not long ago, even crushed Three Streams Manor.

If he went mad in the north, who could hold him back?

“Great General, I don’t see any difference between men and women. There’s no reason in this world that men must die before women can fight."

Xie Nandu said, “Even if I’m not allowed on the most critical battlefield, I still have to participate.”

She was very determined. After all, reclaiming the thirty thousand miles of desolate north and washing away the shame of humanity had always been her goal, and no one could stop her.

“But the battlefield is dangerous...”

Ning Ping sighed. Just as he was about to say something, a voice suddenly rang out: “I can accompany my little junior sister to take a look.”

A sword cultivator in azure robes appeared not far away, braving the heavy snow, and looked toward the two of them.

This was Liu Banbi, the sword cultivator who had returned to the Northern Frontier after traveling the world.

He was also a student of the academy’s Dean and the senior brother of Xie Nandu.

"Great General is just concerned about my junior sister’s safety. With me present, there shouldn’t be any problem."

Liu Banbi said with a smile, looking at Ning Ping. This sword cultivator’s cultivation now far surpassed what it had been before. Although he hadn’t yet stepped into the end of Nepenthe, he was just a step away.

Seeing this, Ning Ping no longer insisted. Instead, he smiled and said, “Then if anything happens to her, that stinking brat will have Sword Immortal Liu to deal with.”

Liu Banbi instinctively wanted to say something, but quickly realized that Chen Chao was no longer the Chen Chao of the past, and let out a reluctant sigh.

Being surpassed by a junior, it really wasn’t a pleasant feeling.