Chapter 672: On the Eve of the Great Battle

Chapter 672: On the Eve of the Great Battle

The sunlight of the next day could not dispel the gloom in the hearts of the soldiers of the Duke’s Army. Even though they had long been used to separation between life and death, their eyes were still stained with tears.

The brothers who had been drinking together the night before were still boasting about their wives and children, but in the blink of an eye, even their intact bodies couldn’t be found.

As they looked at the ruins of Prince Luo City and the devastation all around, their hearts were filled with sadness.

Lie Ying listened to the casualty report of the soldiers and responded lightly, but the long sword was tightly clenched in his hand, and his fingers were slightly white.

Only one night had passed, and a fifth of the brothers who had marched out from the Imperial City had already been lost, and that wasn’t even the last decisive battle...

He thought about the Garuda King, the dragon’s roar within the black and white aura, and the fierce battle at the Zhenling Pass in the past, then heaved a heavy sigh.

...

Dozens of miles away from the Zhenling Pass, the Divine Marquis Army had already set up camp.

Of course, they had witnessed the turmoil of the previous night.

The phantom of the Garuda King seemed like a deity hovering over the southern region, an existence they had never encountered before.

The fear in their hearts was almost instinctive.

The billowing black and white energy was like rushing into the sea and flowing into the Tianling Mountain. The dragon’s roar, even though a night had passed, still echoed in the soldiers’ hearts, filling them with fear.

At first, the soldiers of the Divine Marquis Army thought that the imminent battle with the Garuda Clan would erupt at any moment, but Tianling Mountain was plunged into a deathly silence.

Only Liu Tianlu was sitting on the horse, holding a brocade bag in his hand and looking solemnly in the direction of Tianling Mountain.Findd new stories at novelhall.com

He knew that the war was unavoidable and that this was just the brief calm before the storm.

. . .

In the study room of the Imperial City, the officials of the Prison Department reported in detail about the events in Prince Luo City and the Southern Domain.

Emperor Ming’s hand trembled slightly upon hearing of Prince Luo’s demise, and his face seemed to gain a few more wrinkles.

He sighed softly, “I understand.”

Not long after, Eunuch Li hurriedly returned, panting.

“What did the National Teacher say?” Emperor Ming asked.

“Your Majesty, the National Teacher said that the transcendence will inevitably descend, and in two days, the battle at Zhenling Pass is inevitable.”

Emperor Ming furrowed his brow and turned to look inside, where a painting fluttered in the wind, accompanied by the clear sound of swords, fleeting.

. . .

Campfires crackled.

The firelight flickered in the night breeze, casting shifting shadows on everyone’s faces.

Just like their current mood.

In this battle of life and death, the soldiers knew this all too well.

Liu Tianlu and Lie Ying repeated the words they had spoken in the Imperial City – those who needed to care for their families, the elderly or the young, could choose to leave and would not be punished under military law.

But as the words fell, no one moved.

The response of the soldiers had already been given back in the Imperial City.

Perhaps feeling the atmosphere was too heavy, a veteran soldier joked, “Tie Zhu, I could tell you’re a tough nut to crack. Those bird people from the Garuda Clan won’t be able to handle you. Do me a favor. If I stumble and get invited to tea by Yama, take this letter back to your aunt for me.”

Tie Zhu immediately replied, “Uncle Niu, I should be the one to say this. You’ve been on countless campaigns with General Lie, and you’re still alive. My mother says you have a cheap life that even heaven won’t take. I’ve been writing this letter for a long time. If luck isn’t on my side, could you kindly take it back for me, uncle?”

The two opened their mouths, and the rest of the soldiers joined in the joke.

“I think Old Dog is the lucky one. With a name like that, he must have a strong destiny. Let’s leave all the letters to him!”

“Go to hell. If that’s the case, with a name like yours, Stone, who would have a hard fate like you?”

The soldiers began to tease each other until someone suggested, “Why don’t we do this? Let’s find a place to hide the letters. Someone will be able to take it back, right?”

This suggestion was immediately approved by everyone.

Someone with sharp eyes spotted a rocky cave and said, “How about hiding them there?”

“Good idea, it’s sheltered from the wind and rain,” they agreed.

The soldiers acted quickly, and in no time the spacious cave was filled with about a third of them.

One soldier chuckled, “To be honest, in my opinion, we’re all tough guys here. We don’t need these letters.”

“To tell you the truth, I just thought it would be bad luck to carry these things around, so I left the letters behind. When I bring the letters back to Imperial City, I can talk to my old lady about it. Seeing her crying with red eyes and cursing me as a damned ghost, it’s quite exhilarating to think about.”

The crowd erupted in laughter, seemingly dispelling the fear in their hearts.

Seeing this scene, Qin Feng silently called his second brother who was not far away to a secluded place.

“Brother, what’s wrong?” Qin An asked curiously.

“Second brother, please go back.”