CHAPTER 389: CHAPTER 389: THE COUNTRY LOSES ITS PILLARS

Rumble~

A blinding flash of lightning exploded at the edge of the horizon, followed by deafening thunder that tore through the heavens and earth, as if the entire world were trembling.

The nation has lost its pillar, and the world is shaken!

The river of fate surged turbulently as the once flourishing national fortune of the [Da Zhen] turned from prosperity to decline, revealing a downturn once again on the symbolic level.

A young man in black riding a majestic Wuzhui stood still on his horse, gazing into the distance, with chaotic and twisted heavenly secrets reflected in his pupils.

Still too late...

Although he knew Luo Ming’s end was near, when he truly fell, Zhu Haomiao couldn’t help but feel a trace of sorrow.

From the founding of the nation to the present, the Child of Destiny who guarded [Da Zhen] for hundreds of years could not escape the ravages of lifespan.

Immediately, the young man shook his head, throwing this strand of emotion behind.

The pot will eventually break at the well, and a general is bound to die on the battlefield.

As a hero who spent a lifetime in warfare, Luo Ming probably also wished to die on the battlefield, rather than rot in bed.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been longing to return to the front lines of Yong State...

"Little Lin, did you sense it too?"

At that moment, a clear voice sounded beside his ear, and with the approaching sound of hooves, Yin Kejun rode a snow-white horse and stood beside Zhu Haomiao.

"Yes, the Yue King has fallen, [Da Zhen] has lost a cornerstone."

Zhu Haomiao gazed at the sky, the clouds as black as ink rolled and writhed, quickly covering the entire sky.

Crash~

Bean-sized raindrops poured down, and the whole world dimmed as if the heavens and earth were weeping.

"Without the Yue King, can we really withstand the Golden Court’s southern invasion?"

Having grown up listening to the legendary tales of the Yue King, in Yin Kejun’s heart, Luo Ming was an insurmountable barrier; as long as he was there, the barbarians could only look on from outside the pass, unable to cross the thunder pond by even a step.

Now, the barrier was shattered, and everyone had to face the threat from beyond the pass, with deep fear and unease suddenly engulfing their spirits.

Seeing Yin Kejun’s worried face, Zhu Haomiao vaguely understood.

Her psyche was the same as that of most [Da Zhen] citizens.

This was the impact of the fall of the Child of Destiny on the material plane, as well as the symbolic level’s projection on their spirits.

This fear and unease could even develop into a surrender mentality over time.

[Da Zhen] urgently needed a new hero, a new symbol, a new spiritual pillar!

With newfound clarity, the young man in black whispered each word deliberately.

"Without the Yue King, there is still me."

"But..."

Before he could finish, Zhu Haomiao forcefully interrupted.

"I know, Duke Yu’s renown is far from that of the Yue King."

"But soon, I’ll let the enemy know what kind of monster they have unleashed..."

His words paused, and the young man in black evilly hooked his lips, with twisted black light swirling in his pupils, whispering in an almost inaudible voice.

"I had planned to get along with you as an ordinary person, but what I got in return was endless advancement, no more pretense..."

"Next, you will face the [Primordial Sin] that has abandoned the moral bottom line."

In the faint whisper, Zhu Haomiao lightly urged his horse forward, and the steed beneath him, understanding its master’s intentions, accelerated slowly, like an arrow piercing through the rain curtain.

And behind him, Yin Kejun stared at the departing figure; though she didn’t clearly hear the murmur, she vaguely felt that Li Lin seemed to have broken free from some kind of restraint, exuding an exhilarating and chilling joy.

It was as if he wasn’t charging to the battlefield, but eagerly heading towards a lavish feast.

He craved slaughter, destruction, blood!

A spirit light flashed, and Yin Kejun finally understood that the terrifying Duke Yu was still just his restrained state!

What kind of terrifying image would it be when he fully revealed his ferocious tusks?

An involuntary question floated in her mind, and merely imagining it made Yin Kejun shiver, shaking her head repeatedly.

Forget it, don’t scare yourself.

Suppressing distracting thoughts, Yin Kejun spurred her horse to follow.

And behind her, nearly ten thousand knights, each with three horses, surged through the rain screen like a flood.

...

The pouring rain pounded on them, the road slippery and muddy, and the retreating troops stretching for over ten miles slowed down more and more, eventually almost halting.

"Brothers, keep pushing, once we reach [Luxia Pass], we can have a good rest."

Officers at all levels continuously encouraged them, but the already exhausted army could not muster any more strength, moving at a snail’s pace.

A rear-guard general anxiously looked back in the direction they had come from, feeling an ominous premonition lingering in his heart.

Mysteriously, he seemed to sense some danger rapidly approaching, as if thorns pricked his back.

But thinking of the Yue King personally leading the troops to block the enemy, if danger approached, it would mean...

His heart tensed, and the general shook his head, not daring to think further, only able to comfort himself that he was overthinking.

However, in the next second, he suddenly shivered, vaguely sensing slight disturbances coming from the rain-shrouded skies.

Without hesitation, the general dismounted, pressing his palm deeply into the muddy ground, capturing the distinct vibrations masked by the sound of rain.

Heavy cavalry!

At least tens of thousands!

Already very close!

Pupils constricted, the general drew his treasure sword, issuing a deep and mournful roar.

"Enemy attack! Form ranks!"

The sudden warning caused a brief panic in the ranks, but the well-trained soldiers, forcing their last breaths, began to set up defenses in place.

Yet, before they could establish an effective defensive formation, a black mass of centaurs charged out from the rain curtain, like a plow tearing through the defense lines, unstoppable like a steamroller crushing all obstacles.

"Kill! Kill them all, these two-legged sheep!"

An eerie and wild laughter accompanied curved blades slashing up and down, flashing with eerie cold glints.

With elite officers as the spearhead and taking advantage of their charge’s momentum, the centaur army pursued fiercely, leaving only a field of broken limbs and dismembered bodies in their wake.

The [Da Zhen] troops, drained by Brother’s relentless sacrifice of lives, were no match for these well-rested centaurs, and their hastily constructed defensive lines quickly collapsed, becoming fragmented and encircled, gradually devoured.

"Damn it, I’ll fight you all!"

"Brothers, take one down and we’re even, take two and we profit, kill these four-legged beasts!"

...

As if trapped in a desperate situation, the [Da Zhen] troops were also filled with fierce determination, a menacing blood-red glow in their soldiers’ eyes.

Hearts pounding wildly, adrenaline surged, and their nearly-exhausted bodies brimmed with newfound strength, quickly turning their cold bodies fiery hot.

Hot blood rushed to their brains, and all negative emotions, such as pain, despair, and fear, gradually faded away, leaving only a singular mad thought in their minds.

Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill!

A mysterious Extraordinary Power ignored the capacity of spirit and body, operating at an overload, squeezing out the last potential from their blood and soul, blooming in a final swan song at the cost of life.

"Kill!!"