Chapter 786: With the Blood of the Enemy Chief, Celebrating Our Nuptials

Chapter 786: With the Blood of the Enemy Chief, We Drink Our Nuptial Cup

In the glow of the sunset, a thousand miles to the west.

Wounded Temur fled north under the pursuit of Sanniang and Ying Wu, gradually nearing his Golden Wolf King’s Court.

The court could not possibly have emptied itself entirely; there would still be strong defenders left behind to guard against a backstab. Among those defenders might be hidden experts of the Earth List. If he received reinforcements, Temur could at least catch his breath and shake off the tenacious Sanniang and Ying Wu, who clung to him like sticky candy.

Then he could plan anew.

Ahead, the King’s Court was already visible in the distance. He could sense that its military preparations remained intact, unaffected by the chaos at the front. That was normal—how fast had they fled during the battle at the Imperial Realm? The news of the front’s defeat hadn’t even reached here yet...

Just as he thought this, the Eternal Heaven collapsed.

The winds and clouds shifted violently; the flow of qi pulsed. Almost the entire grassland witnessed the moment when the Wolf of the Sacred Mountain transformed into a soaring dragon. Zhao Changhe’s voice transmission reached every ear.

The King’s Court instantly fell into chaos.

Temur’s heart skipped a beat. In that momentary pause, the space ahead once again felt sluggish.

Ying Wu was stealthily casting a spell again, obstructing his retreat.

Temur erupted in fury, his sweeping attack shattering the twisted space with a roar: “Ying Wu, at most you have some distinction between Hu and Han. You are neither Zhao Changhe’s subordinate, nor do you have an irreconcilable grudge with me. Must you press the kill so relentlessly? Are you truly willing to be a dog for the fake Han?”

Ying Wu almost laughed out loud: “Great Khan, why speak so childishly... If you strike a snake but fail to kill it, you will suffer its revenge. The Great Khan understands this principle better than I. Since I have already done this, once the Great Khan frees his hands, my brothers and I in the Western Regions will have no city walls to defend. The Great Khan will be the first to flay and dismember us. So unless the Great Khan dies, I cannot rest easy.”

“You motherf—” Temur viciously thrust his spear backward, the spatial-piercing qi hurtling straight at Ying Wu.

He let Sanniang’s snake whip coil around him, just to make Ying Wu’s life miserable!

Ying Wu’s smiling expression vanished. A golden coin suddenly appeared in his hand.

The next moment, a blaze of golden light erupted. Countless coins howled through the air, piercing into the qi and reaching the tip of the spear.

This was his ultimate technique—money can move gods, wealth can break qi—actually combined with spatial power... If Zhao Changhe were here, he’d probably shout, “Holy shit, a single throw of fortune!”

In any case, its effect was no less formidable than that legendary move. Temur, a self-proclaimed warrior, had never encountered such a bizarre and inexplicable property. A force that seemed weaker than his own effortlessly broke into his indestructible qi. With a *clang*, the coin’s hole perfectly caught the spear’s tip. Instantly, a strange power bound the spear, trapping all the qi within a confined space, unable to break free!

But the coin had pierced through the qi without completely neutralizing it. The qi still struck Ying Wu. He raised a hand to block, but the force sent him reeling backward, covered in blood.

With the spear thus restricted, Sanniang’s snake whip had already coiled around Temur in layers, as if to capture him alive.

In truth, once truly entangled, even several lives would be lost.

Temur erupted with qi, shaking off the snake whip. The Xuanwu heavy fist was already at his face. Temur countered with a punch, clashing with Sanniang once more.

At that moment, several other spear shadows shot upward, stabbing at Sanniang’s ribs. These were the strongest hidden experts of the King’s Court, coming to aid their Great Khan in the aerial battle.

“Boom!” The two fists collided. Blood trickled from the corner of Sanniang’s mouth. But Temur fared far worse—he was already wounded, and what he hadn’t expected was that this woman, who seemed only to entangle, grind, and defend, possessed a fist force even more ferocious than his own!

The Xuanwu Fist—second in sheer power!

The violent clash of energies sent both staggering backward. Several spears struck Sanniang simultaneously, but a faint tortoise-shell shadow shimmered around her body. Not a single spear could harm a hair on her head.

The Xuanwu Defense—unmatched under heaven.

But on Temur’s side, though nothing visible struck him, as he was sent flying and spitting blood, a great alarm rose in his heart. Even his hairs stood on end.

In the Eternal Heaven secret realm, Yue Hongling, seated in meditation, suddenly opened her eyes. A flash of sword light blazed within them.

That was the sword qi she had pre-buried near the King’s Court. She had thought it useless, but unexpectedly, it now witnessed such a fierce battle.

The setting sun slanted westward. The sword light erupted.

A mournful, piercing beam of sword qi emerged from nowhere, driving straight into Temur’s back!

Temur was utterly baffled. Even if it were an ambush by the Snow Owl, there would be traces! What the hell was this? Like the sunlight of the setting horizon, it just happened to fall here—so natural, without a trace—yet carrying deadly killing intent.

He had just been sent flying by Sanniang, spitting blood. How could he defend against such an inexplicable ambush!

The sword qi pierced straight through his back, into his heart, and out through his chest, scattering into nothingness.

Temur let out a pained roar, staggered to change direction, and fled northeast, bypassing the chaotic King’s Court, leaving a trail of blood across the sky.

Sanniang lashed her whip, smashing the attacking court experts to pieces, but she herself coughed up blood. Temur was indeed worthy of being the world’s number one—her injuries were severe.

She turned to look at Ying Wu. He was drenched in blood, lying spread-eagled on the grassland, giving up. When he saw Sanniang looking at him, he grinned: “No strength left. But it’s fine. Your man has taken control of Langjuxu Mountain; the flow of qi is all in his sight. He’ll arrange things. Trust him.”

Sanniang sat down heavily in the distance: “Thanks for this...”

Ying Wu smiled faintly: “We’re brothers. Saying that is pointless... After this, I have a favor to ask of Zhao Changhe. Will he help?”

Sanniang sighed: “I knew it. You’re up to no good.”

“What kind of talk is that? I’ve always invested in him. Investment naturally demands returns...”

...

Zhao Changhe stood on the altar, gazing at the shifting winds and clouds above.

He could faintly perceive another sky within it—the so-called “Eternal Heaven,” actually a part of the celestial realm.

And through this sky, he sensed the connected “Dao”—the trend toward a unified world and complete Heavenly Dao.

Zhao Changhe thought he would feel the presence of the Blind One, but he did not.

When her main body was not by his side, she was not there... She was not the vast Heavenly Dao, omnipresent. She was still far from that step... She was indeed not the Dao.

This was the first time Zhao Changhe could clearly know whether she was there or not when he couldn’t see her—he had captured her presence and absence.

The Blind One was not by his side, but she existed, at Hangu Pass. And the so-called Heavenly Dao seemed not to exist... It was fragmented, unable to form a concrete entity. But with this sealing of Langjuxu, the feeling of fragmentation began to heal, giving rise to a seed of completeness.

He could clearly feel a convergence of qi between the inside and outside of the passes—invisible and intangible, but the trend was still just a trend, needing guidance and grasp... Yet the feedback was very obvious.

He could even sense how to replace the Eternal Heaven God and become the faith of the grassland... The path was very clear.

Of course, there was no need to do that. If he were to do it, it wouldn’t be the Eternal Heaven; it should be to make the grassland believe in the Night Emperor instead.

Coming back to himself, he turned to look at the grassland elites prostrating all over the mountains. Zhao Changhe let out a long breath.

He could see Temur wounded by the sword qi Yue Hongling had pre-buried a thousand miles away. Truly a woman of destiny—she had come within a hair’s breadth of taking the enemy chief’s head from a thousand miles away... Now it could barely count. Temur’s qi was completely captured by Zhao Changhe’s perception at this moment. As long as he remained in the northern desert, he could not escape Zhao Changhe’s pursuit.

He could also see that the Golden Wolf Army was suffering heavy losses under the pursuit of Batu and Wu Weiyang. The main force under Huangfu Yongxian was advancing; the vanguard could already see the King’s Court.

The Golden Horde Khanate, which had galloped across the grassland for over thirty years, was declared dead. There was no more suspense—only the question of how to wrap things up.

He had to admit that this moment’s feeling was an explosion of achievement, more exhilarating than any victory in single combat. It was the conquest of a nation, a merit for the ages, immortal in history.

No wonder so many emperors were dedicated to expanding their territories.

“Qing’er.”

“Hmm?” From some unknown time, being called “Qing’er” had become so natural. Huangfu Qing stood behind him, watching his back. She always felt he was growing taller, more captivating.

How annoying—she had arranged most of this battle’s strategy, yet why did it always feel like he was the core? Who was the commander-in-chief...

Zhao Changhe was saying: “I just made that declaration. These temple guards seem to have lost their spirit, but I can clearly feel that many external tribes are unconvinced, even restless. The qi of the four directions is chaotic.”

Huangfu Qing chuckled: “It’s imaginable. For a long time, due to transportation and other factors, even if the Central Plains defeated the grassland, they couldn’t rule it—at most, they could offer pacification and comfort, even looser than the Miao borderlands. In their hearts, we will eventually return home. After we leave, they will have a new khan. Perhaps defeating Temur, who had been pressing on their heads, is good news for some—like the Vulture and the Liekya.”

Zhao Changhe said softly: “So I might need to trouble you a bit longer. Lead the troops to pick a few who refuse to submit, make an example of them... like the Vulture and the Liekya.”

Huangfu Qing smiled faintly: “That was already my intention. Actually, they haven’t understood one thing...”

“Hmm?”

“In this war of ours, the most crucial thing was not the cannons, nor our war planning, or the so-called qi flow... The truly crucial thing was the change in transportation, which broke their war conventions, causing them to misjudge at every turn.”

“Hmm.”

"But this thing is not only reflected in war," said Huangfu Qing. "With the support of the storage box, we should be able to build cities and roads here, bringing the grasslands directly under our rule. Xue Canghai was just saying whether to relocate people to the interior, but I think we can now conscript the population beyond the passes without moving them around. In other words, the conventional thinking that the grasslands cannot be directly governed is also different."

Zhao Changhe nodded. "I'm not an expert in these matters; just do as you see fit."

Huangfu Qing raised her spear and clasped her fists in a very serious military salute. "Let Xue Canghai guard this area for you. I will lead Shaozong and other light cavalry westward; I need to coordinate with my father to encircle and destroy the remnants of Tiemuer... If, as you say, any major tribe is going to stir up trouble, it will only be on that side. This place is already finished."

After speaking, she sighed, reached out, and straightened his blood-stained collar. "You rest here and heal; don't strain yourself too much... The most injured in this battle was Li Shentong, and the second is you. If you don't recuperate properly, you might damage your foundation."

Zhao Changhe said, "You're also wounded..."

Huangfu Qing smiled faintly. "My minor shock injury is nothing... If you want to heal me, then..."

She turned and glanced around, seeing a group of dumbfounded Blood God cultists and the mountain-covering Temple Guard. A hint of proud disdain flickered in her phoenix eyes, and she suddenly reached out and wrapped her arms around Zhao Changhe's neck. "Kiss me."

Zhao Changhe readily embraced her slender waist; the cold touch of her armor gave him an even more peculiar sensation at that moment, and he kissed her fiercely.

Atop Mount Langjuxu, the setting sun slanted westward, wind stirred, clouds moved.

The commander wore no helmet, her casually tied ponytail flying high as she kissed her beloved man on this conquered peak. The wind lifted her ponytail and billowed her fiery red cloak; her cold armor outlined beautiful curves, a spear standing beside her with its crimson tassel fluttering like fire.

The troops on both sides looked up, their hearts a mix of emotions.

After a long while, Huangfu Qing pushed the man away, pulled out her spear, and turned to descend the mountain. "Who among you in the Temple can speak?"

An old shaman gently raised his head. "Great Commander..."

"Say no more. If you wish to surrender, the wounded will be treated, and those who can move will follow me on campaign. I need your shamans to accompany me to offer comfort and persuasion."

"...Yes."

"The Blood God Sect will remain to guard the Sacred Mountain, watch the prisoners, and protect your Saint Son... The rest of the three armies, follow me westward!"

Zhao Changhe watched Huangfu Qing lead the troops down the mountain. Xue Canghai's loud voice drove the Temple wounded to set up camp halfway up the slope. The peak grew quiet again, and Yue Hongling slowly emerged from the secret realm, standing beside him, tilting her head to look at him.

Zhao Changhe said, "How does it feel to take an enemy chieftain's head from a thousand miles away?"

"Didn't succeed," Yue Hongling said with some regret.

"Close enough..." Zhao Changhe chuckled. "You said the pre-buried sword energy wasn't used, but I think you are favored by the heavens' fortune."

"Isn't that about you?"

"Me? My fortune is concentrated in having you."

Yue Hongling laughed silently.

Zhao Changhe said, "Why were you hiding inside just now?"

"Sister Vermilion is the commander; I didn't want to steal her thunder." Yue Hongling smiled mischievously. "Now it's better, you and I side by side."

Zhao Changhe said nothing for a moment, and the two stood shoulder to shoulder on the peak, gazing at the distant sea of clouds.

The twilight sea of clouds, orange-red and vast, was magnificent. The last rays of the setting sun pierced through the clouds, casting a hazy glow upon them. In the distance, a river reflected the sunset, shimmering with ripples; a solitary wild duck flew past, vanishing in an instant.

Xue Canghai below looked up; against the light, he could only see two silhouettes, the scene bright and beautiful.

The two figures drew closer, and Yue Hongling gently leaned on Zhao Changhe's shoulder, whispering, "This sunset glow is my wedding veil."

Zhao Changhe turned to look at her.

Yue Hongling did not raise her head, a rare blush on her face. "You said before... If you don't propose to my master, you should propose to heaven and earth on this peak of Langjuxu. The fate of us wielding swords together, riding horses across the yellow sands, is now tied into a painted ribbon. This grand scene of setting sun and solitary duck reflecting on the long river is our wedding candle. The blood of the enemy chief is our nuptial wine."

Zhao Changhe turned and lifted her chin, asking softly, "Then... what will you call me?"

When we meet again in the jianghu, what will you call me?

Yue Hongling looked up at him for a long, long time, her eyes shimmering. "Husband."

After their reunion in Xiangyang, Yue Hongling never again mentioned leaving to wander alone, always staying by Zhao Changhe's side. But from then on, her radiance seemed to gradually fade, from the brightest glow on the horizon, retreating into the clouds, dissolving into the vast sky, silently watching the world change, her sword always auxiliary, becoming a part of the formation.

Many people, including Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling herself, wondered if this was not suitable for her, if one day she would set out on her own again.

But she never did.

She was still herself; even as just a part of the formation, she could still play the most unique role. Though her body was limited, her sword was boundless.

The difference was only that before, her sword light was dazzling, yet she walked alone in the desert wind and sand; now, her sword light was sheathed, but her heart was peaceful and serene.

That was a wanderer finding a home.

"One always needs a home." She took Zhao Changhe's hand generously and turned toward the secret realm. "Though you've long had your way with me... I still feel this is our bridal chamber."

Zhao Changhe also said, "I feel the same. Though it seems we've done everything, only now have I truly won you."

Yue Hongling smiled lightly. "It is what my husband deserves."

The spirit-gathering formation of the Eternal Heaven God, though one blood-fiend gem had been removed—only used to temper qi and blood and killing intent—still retained its overall effect and could be used after minor repairs.

Treasure light shone everywhere, forming an independent space shrouded in mist.

Yue Hongling took Zhao Changhe's hand and gracefully entered; the surrounding clouds and mists veiled them like curtains.

The sun had fully set, and the peak was utterly silent.

For the first time, she actively undid Zhao Changhe's clothes, gently stroking the scars branded by thunder upon them, and whispered, "Let me help my husband heal."