Twenty miles northwest of Tianmen Pass in Yongzhou.
The one hundred thousand strong army of the Langya Kingdom, led by Ouyang Xiaoxiao, had arrived.
All one hundred thousand Langya soldiers were filled with rage. It was here, decades ago, that their fathers had spilled blood at Tianmen Pass.
The Battle of Tianmen Pass had plunged the Langya Kingdom into an abyss. They never expected that the precarious Wuguo, on the brink of destruction, would produce a Martial King of a millennium.
The Martial King of that era possessed exceptional talent. In just thirty years, he had broken through to the Grandmaster realm and waged wars against surrounding nations for years, reclaiming vast territories.
In twenty years, the Martial King had reached the sixth level of the Grandmaster realm at the age of fifty. He had personally slain two Grandmaster powerhouses of the Langya Kingdom amidst their ten thousand troops at Tianmen Pass, conquering Langya's accumulated strength of a millennium in a single battle!
This victory had prolonged Wuguo's existence for decades. If not for the Martial King's pride and his belief in force, his desire to save a crumbling nation through war.
Confident, the Martial King had successfully broken through to the seventh level of the Grandmaster realm, his mind clouded by the euphoria of his breakthrough.
He rashly declared war on the Jin Kingdom. The ensuing years of conflict had depleted their final reserves, and he himself was gravely injured. If not for this campaign against Jin.
Perhaps Wuguo could have held on for a few more decades. Perhaps history would have been rewritten!
The Langya army's eyes burned with intense killing intent. Wuguo was embroiled in internal strife, with all its Grandmasters occupied. This frontier, Tianmen Pass, was merely a formality.
How could a mere border pass, without a Grandmaster defending it, and with the Yongzhou governor only at the half-step Grandmaster realm, withstand their iron cavalry?
They intended to storm Tianmen, annihilate Wuguo, spill the blood of the Ji family, and desecrate their ancestral temples, avenging the deep-seated hatred!
Ouyang Xiaoxiao stood at the forefront of the army, meticulously surveying the land. For a thousand years, how many Langya soldiers had shed their blood at Tianmen. Every inch of this soil was a story steeped in gore.
As he trod upon this land, he felt the weight of his responsibility pressing upon him. Countless voices whispered to him softly.
Now, he was here to expand Langya's territory by a thousand miles. His eyes were bloodshot, ablaze with the flames of fury!
Gazing at the majestic walls of Tianmen City, he declared, "Wuguo has endured a millennium. It is time for it to fall. This land belongs to Langya!"
*Clang!*
Ouyang Xiaoxiao drew his sword. "All troops, heed my command! Tonight, we ride into Tianmen!"
"As you command!"
The hundred thousand soldiers roared to the heavens. The anger suppressed for decades could finally be unleashed upon Wuguo, avenging the blood feud of their fathers!
Once Tianmen Pass fell, the gateway to Yongzhou would be wide open. The terrain ahead was vast and level, leading directly to Wuguo's capital. Who could withstand Langya's might!
...
Tianmen Pass.
On the battlements of Tianmen Pass, Cheng Yaojin and Yu Jing stared down at the hundred thousand strong army below.
"It seems the Langya Kingdom has committed all its forces this time!"
Cheng Yaojin observed the hundred thousand soldiers of the Langya Kingdom. It was no easy feat for them to muster such a force again after decades.
It was clear the Langya Kingdom had paid a heavy price this time!
"General Cheng, with the army at our doorstep, should we inform Lord Yang?"
Yu Jing whispered. A hundred thousand soldiers was no small number; they were the elite of the Langya Kingdom.
"No need. My lord entrusted this border to me, Old Cheng, with foresight. Tianmen Pass is in my charge."
"Damn it all, Yu Jing, inform the army to open the city gates tonight! I want to trap them like dogs in a kennel!" Su Dan Novel Network
Cheng Yaojin exuded a murderous aura, his eyes glinting cold light.
"Langya will attack tonight?"
Yu Jing was stunned. This was disastrous.
Cheng Yaojin looked at the flustered Yu Jing. "Do not panic. The information the Langya Kingdom has is erroneous!"
"They may not even know you have broken through to the Grandmaster realm. Ouyang Xiaoxiao is overconfident, blinded by false intelligence, and will undoubtedly attack rashly!"
"There have been frequent Langya spies infiltrating Tianmen Pass these past few days. Damn it all, it's made me play the fool for days. This time, we will utterly destroy the Langya army!"
...
...
The capital of the Jin Kingdom.
In the imperial court, King Wanyan Chenglin of Jin sat regally on the dragon throne, with civil and military officials lined up on either side.
Wanyan Chenglin addressed his ministers. "Wuguo is in turmoil, likely on the verge of collapse. Do you think I should attack?"
Wuguo was barren and lacked vital resources. It had been in constant unrest for a thousand years, first with Muyang slaughtering an entire prefecture, then with the recently deceased Martial King waging wars year after year.
Wuguo was a burden, useless to discard but regrettable to keep.
"Your Majesty, I believe Wuguo is irrelevant. However, the Xuanyuan Token is a must-obtain!"
Grand Tutor Tuoba Hu of Jin said in a deep voice.
"There are nine Xuanyuan Tokens in total, related to the legacy of the Xuanyuan Dynasty from ten thousand years ago. Your Majesty, consider this carefully!"
The Xuanyuan Dynasty held a status above kingdoms. Above kingdoms lay dynasties.
Ten thousand years ago, the Xuanyuan Dynasty declined, and its subterranean territories were divided among the numerous powers of that era. After ten thousand years of historical changes, nine kingdoms of varying sizes were formed.
Wuguo, Jin, and the Langya Kingdom were all formerly part of the Xuanyuan Dynasty's territory.
At that time, the last Xuanyuan Emperor sealed all the dynasty's precious treasures and the accumulated legacies of successive emperors within a small world.
And these nine Xuanyuan Tokens were the keys to opening this world!
The nine Xuanyuan Tokens had vanished over the millennia. According to Jin's current intelligence, only two had been located.
One was obtained by Jin's eleventh Great King through a deadly struggle in a secret burial site. The other was acquired by the then-Martial King, becoming the heirloom of Wuguo's successive Great Kings.
As for the other seven Xuanyuan Tokens, there was no trace.
Hearing Grand Tutor Tuoba Hu's reminder, Wanyan Chenglin immediately understood. Yes, the gain or loss of a mere city was no longer his concern, especially considering Wuguo's barrenness.
But he had to obtain the Xuanyuan Token. This was related to a dynasty's secret martial arts inheritance, which would be the capital for his Jin Kingdom to dominate the world!
"The Grand Tutor speaks wisely. We cannot abandon the Xuanyuan Token!"
Wanyan Chenglin looked at his ministers. "Which general will undertake this mission for me into Wuguo and retrieve the Xuanyuan Token!"
Wanyan Chenglin's voice reverberated throughout the grand palace, echoing like heavenly music!
"Your Majesty, this humble general is willing to go!"
A general at the third level of the Grandmaster realm stepped forward with a thud!
"Your Majesty, this humble general is also willing to go!"
A general at the first level of the Grandmaster realm stepped forward with a thud!
"Excellent!"
Wanyan Chenglin was overjoyed.
"Issue my decree! Command you to lead a hundred thousand cavalry and march directly to Wuguo's Bingzhou. With the speed of lightning, destroy Wuguo's capital and retrieve the Xuanyuan Token!"
Wanyan Chenglin spoke decisively, his royal might radiating!
"This humble general obeys!"
The two gladly accepted the order.
Wanyan Chenglin pondered for a moment. "Grand Tutor, instruct Wanyan He to march his army to Wuguo's Liangzhou, harass them when opportunities arise, and distract Wuguo's attention!"
"As you command!"
Tuoba Hu replied in a deep voice.
...