Mo Chuan watched Luo Ni being escorted away by her personal guards, then turned his head towards the chaotic battlefield and shouted, "How many of my Loulan warriors can still fight?!"
"Me!" "Me!" "Me!"
A dozen Imperial Guards slowly approached Mo Chuan, forming a protective circle around him with their long spears and shields.
"This battle, until death do us part! Are there any who fear death?" Mo Chuan bellowed in ancient Loulan dialect.
"Until death do us part! Until death do us part!"
Everyone's morale received a brief boost, but it was quickly diminished by the earth-shattering sound of hooves.
Not far away, a squadron of Xiongnu heavy cavalry was approaching the valley.
"Khan, after we exit this valley, the path ahead is clear. Our steeds can easily catch up to those Loulan remnants," one Xiongnu said to the Xiongnu leader.
The Xiongnu Khan simply nodded and asked, "The carrier pigeon just reported that the vanguard forces engaged with the Loulan people in the valley ahead, is that correct?"
"Yes," another Xiongnu replied.
"Let's go and see how many more Loulan cowards our warriors have slain."
"Hahahahaha—" The Xiongnu roared with laughter, gently urged their horses forward, and galloped towards the valley.
...
The two forces met.
The Xiongnu Khan was furious to see his scouts annihilated, but he remained calm and asked, "Who is still arrayed opposite us?"
"Reporting to the Khan, it should be... it should be the Loulan Princess's consort."
"That few remaining warriors of Loulan..." The Xiongnu Khan nodded and instructed his subordinate, "Send someone to tell that consort that if he surrenders his weapons and tells us the whereabouts of the Loulan Princess, I will make him a Xiongnu consort."
The Xiongnu who had guided them initially nodded, then rode out from the formation and shouted in the Loulan language, "Loulan consort, listen up! If you surrender your weapons and tell us the whereabouts of the Loulan Princess, our Khan will graciously allow you to become our Xiongnu consort."
A brief silence fell over the scene.
The Xiongnu thought Mo Chuan was genuinely attracted by the offer and was carefully considering it, so he rode forward a few more steps and said, "Consort, you must be exhausted and weary. Choosing to become a Xiongnu consort for a promising future is not a bad option..."
His response was a hurled spear.
A blood-stained long spear sliced through the battlefield like a meteor, piercing directly through the Xiongnu's chest, sending a chilling sensation through him and pinning him to his horse.
The warhorse, startled by the thrust to its back, bolted wildly, carrying the Xiongnu's corpse with it.
Humiliation.
A profound humiliation.
The Xiongnu Khan's face visibly darkened. He drew his saber, pointed at the small formation of a dozen or so men, and said, "Wutu'er, go and retrieve his head for me."
A sturdy Xiongnu nodded, drew his curved saber, shouted a few commands, and a cavalry unit of several hundred men charged towards Mo Chuan with him.
[The Xiongnu cavalry charged the formation Mo Chuan was in. After only a few exchanges, the soldiers who had barely managed to gather were lying on the ground with cries of agony, slowly losing their breath.]
[However, the Xiongnu Khan did not feel much joy from this, as Mo Chuan surprisingly persisted in his position, holding back almost everyone by himself. Though now surrounded by several Xiongnu cavalrymen, none dared to attack him.]
[The cavalrymen were forced to change their strategy—they began firing arrows at Mo Chuan in volleys. After several waves of arrows, Mo Chuan was covered in them, still standing perfectly still, leaning on the mace in his hand.]
[An arrow that should have struck Mo Chuan's heart was blocked by the Bronze Phoenix Mirror, but the mirror shattered into several pieces.]
"Soldiers! He can't hold on any longer! Chop off his head and present it to the Khan!" Seeing that Mo Chuan was likely dead, Wutu'er wiped a cold sweat from his brow, brandished his curved saber, and personally led the remaining cavalry in a charge.
"Die!" Wutu'er swung his curved saber, aiming at Mo Chuan.
"Restless hearts, I shall soothe them."
Wutu'er felt an inexplicable sense of unease. He instinctively looked at Mo Chuan, who had lowered his head.
"I've stacked my shields, how dare you?"
"Break shattered remains! Undying and unkillable!"
Mo Chuan was enveloped by a pure white shield, and a powerful spiritual energy burst forth from his body, sending all approaching cavalrymen flying. Immediately after, a towering, awe-inspiring dark figure appeared, blocking the entire valley.
"What!?" The Xiongnu Khan hastily calmed his startled steed and immediately ordered, "Archery! Archery!"
The arrow volleys flew scattered towards the spectral armor and Mo Chuan, but their effect was minimal.
"Swing your iron fist! Conquer all living beings!" Mo Chuan raised a hand towards the Xiongnu's chaotic army and cast his skill, "Soul Severing Grasp."
The spectral armor above also extended its right hand in unison and grasped fiercely. With a deafening roar, a ghastly green spiritual arm tore through the ground, scooping up the Xiongnu army, men and horses alike, and pulling them towards Mo Chuan. (Expanding the skill's range, making the projectile as wide as the entire top lane.)
The Xiongnu Khan, ignoring his troops, desperately urged his horse to evade the massive hand, solely focused on escaping.
But just then, a bone-chilling voice reached his ears:
"Caught you—"
The Xiongnu Khan inadvertently met the gaze of Mo Chuan, who was covered in arrows. He saw Mo Chuan smile coldly, and cold sweat poured down his face.
However, in his moment of distraction, the colossal hand had already approached from behind the Xiongnu Khan. By the time he reacted, he had already been flipped over, horse and all, and was swept towards Mo Chuan along with his troops.
"I'll probably be done for after using this... Oh well... I'll consider it as gaining a sliver of hope for Luo Ni's survival... I hope she can truly break free from this illusion..." Mo Chuan narrowed his eyes and unleashed a skill towards everyone around him, "Endless Hell!"
But the scene he imagined, of everyone being dragged into a cycle of despair, did not materialize.
Instead, centered around Mo Chuan, the ground began to slowly crack. Eerie green flames ignited within the fissures, calmly consuming all the living and the dead.
"Save... save me!!" "You, don't come here!!" "I don't want to die! Help!" "Ghost!"
The Xiongnu's wails echoed one after another, but no one could prevent the arrival of death.
Mo Chuan felt his own body slowly being eroded by the flames, and he sighed leisurely, looking in the direction Luo Ni had fled and said,
"The dream... should be over..."
The spectral armor extended a hand, shielding Mo Chuan, who was enveloped by flames, within its embrace, and slowly submerged into the ground.
The wails and cries echoed throughout the valley, seemingly affirming Mordekaiser's words:
"I destroy the cycle of nature, so that all things may live forever."
... Kuaishuge
The further Luo Ni ran, the more she felt something was amiss. She raised her hand, signaling the surrounding personal guards to stop moving, then said to the captain of the personal guards, "Tell me, what were Mo Chuan's orders?"
As expected, the captain of the personal guards showed a troubled expression—Mo Chuan's plan for Luo Ni and the captain of the personal guards was completely different, and he hadn't told the captain what version Luo Ni knew.
"I command you in the name of the fourteenth Emperor of Loulan, to reveal Mo Chuan's plan." Luo Ni said coldly, suppressing her tears, though in her heart she already knew Mo Chuan's plan, but until she heard the exact words, she still chose to deceive herself, believing Mo Chuan would definitely come for her.
The captain of the personal guards' expression shifted repeatedly. Finally, he knelt on one knee and said to Luo Ni, "The consort said... to have this subordinate keep Your Majesty running, without stopping... If Your Majesty demands to stop..."
"Speak! What will you do if I demand to stop!"
"The consort said... to have this subordinate knock Your Majesty unconscious and forcibly take Your Majesty away..."
Boom—
A powerful surge of spiritual energy erupted from the valley in the distance. Even though Luo Ni was so far away, she clearly saw the tall and majestic spectral armor filling the entire valley.
A bad premonition immediately arose in Luo Ni's heart. She immediately turned her horse around, intending to return to the valley to check on Mo Chuan.
Seeing this, the captain of the personal guards stepped forward, struck Luo Ni unconscious with a hand chop, and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me... even if you execute me, this subordinate will have no complaints..." Then he continued to flee with his men.
Behind them was the valley filled with the Xiongnu's wails.