86: Chapter 85 Outside Yumen Pass

In the Great Yan calendar, the 22nd of May. When news reached Huadu that Old Ancestor Hei Tian was leading the allied forces of the thirty-six Western Regions nations eastward, Crown Prince Xiao Xuan was playing chess with Yang Jian on Heavenly Boundary Mountain. The game had just reached the middle stage when Yang Jian's Heavenly Eye suddenly opened a slit.

"Your Highness, someone from the Western Regions has arrived."

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan set down his chess piece and stood up. He walked to the edge of the cliff and looked toward the west. There, smoke and dust billowed, obscuring the sky and sun. It was not a sandstorm, but the dust kicked up by an army of five hundred thousand on the march.

"Five hundred thousand," Yang Jian said, walking to his side. "Old Ancestor Hei Tian has brought the entire foundation of the thirty-six nations."

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan nodded. "I know. I have been waiting for him to bring them all."

He turned and walked down the cliff. Yang Jian watched his retreating back and suddenly asked, "Your Highness, how do you plan to fight this battle?"

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan did not look back. "Follow me, and you will know."

Yumen Pass. The final barrier on the western border of Great Hua. The pass was not tall, only three zhang, but the walls were built from black iron stone, and not even a full-force blow from the True God Realm could collapse them. Stationed within the pass were fifty thousand garrison troops, commanded by General Bai Qi.

When Crown Prince Xiao Xuan arrived, General Bai Qi was patrolling the walls. Upon seeing Crown Prince Xiao Xuan, he knelt on one knee. "Your Highness, why have you come?"

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan helped him up. "To fight a war. With the five hundred thousand troops from the Western Regions, can you hold them off with your fifty thousand men?"

General Bai Qi was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "I can hold them. But holding them is useless. They will come again."

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan nodded. "That is why I do not want you to just hold them. I want you to fight."

General Bai Qi looked up. Crown Prince Xiao Xuan looked toward the west, his gaze calm. "Old Ancestor Hei Tian brought five hundred thousand men, intending to swallow Great Hua in one gulp. He thinks Great Hua only has fifty thousand men at Yumen Pass. He does not know that I have hidden two hundred thousand inside the pass."

General Bai Qi's eyes lit up.

Fifty li west of Yumen Pass, Old Ancestor Hei Tian's grand camp stretched for dozens of li. Fifty thousand troops, with tents side by side, spread from the foot of the mountain to the riverbank. Old Ancestor Hei Tian sat in the central command tent, a map spread out before him. Behind him stood the kings of the thirty-six nations, each with an excited expression, as if they had already won the war.

"Old Ancestor," one king stood out, "Great Hua only has fifty thousand men at Yumen Pass. With our five hundred thousand, we could drown them with just our spit. What are we waiting for?"

Old Ancestor Hei Tian did not answer. He was waiting for news from Shen Gongbao. Three days ago, Shen Gongbao said that Great Hua would take the initiative to attack. But after waiting for three days, there was no movement at all from Yumen Pass. He began to suspect that he had been deceived.

The tent curtain was lifted, and a scout ran in. "Old Ancestor! The Great Hua army has come out of the pass!"

Old Ancestor Hei Tian rose abruptly. "How many men?"

The scout said, "About fifty thousand, in white robes and white armor, with the character 'Bai' embroidered on their flags."

Old Ancestor Hei Tian frowned. Fifty thousand men, and they dare to come out of the pass to meet them in battle? Were the people of Great Hua insane?

"Scout again!" The scout ran out.

Old Ancestor Hei Tian stood before the map, silent for a moment. Then he smiled. "Daring to come out with fifty thousand men—General Bai Qi, is it? I would like to see what tricks you can pull."

Outside Yumen Pass, General Bai Qi led the fifty thousand White Robe Army in formation. All in white robes and white armor, their long spears were like a forest, and their flags snapped in the wind. Fifty thousand men stood there like fifty thousand unsheathed blades. Opposite them, Old Ancestor Hei Tian led the five hundred thousand troops, pressing forward. A vast, dark sea of people, stretching as far as the eye could see.

The two armies stood in opposition, three li apart.

General Bai Qi sat on his horse at the front of the formation, looking at the dark, vast army opposite him, his expression blank. Behind him, the fifty thousand White Robe Army were silent as crows.

Old Ancestor Hei Tian rode out of the formation and looked at General Bai Qi. "Are you General Bai Qi?"

General Bai Qi looked at him. "Are you Old Ancestor Hei Tian?"

Old Ancestor Hei Tian sneered. "I have lived for eight thousand years; you are the first person who has dared to call me that."

General Bai Qi did not speak. He simply raised the long spear in his hand. Behind him, the fifty thousand White Robe Army simultaneously raised their spears. The spear tips glinted coldly in the sunlight, resembling a forest of steel.

Old Ancestor Hei Tian's expression shifted slightly. He had seen countless armies, but he had never seen an army like this. Fifty thousand men, moving like one person. This was not trained; it was forged through slaughter.

"Kill!" General Bai Qi roared, spurring his horse forward. Behind him, the fifty thousand White Robe Army followed him like a white torrent, charging toward the dark, vast enemy forces.

Old Ancestor Hei Tian did not retreat. He raised his black iron blade and swung it forward. "Kill!"

The five hundred thousand troops surged forward like a tidal wave.

When the two armies clashed, General Bai Qi's long spear pierced the chest of the first enemy. He did not stop; he pulled out the spear and thrust it at the second. The third. The fourth. His spear technique had no frills, only thrusts. One thrust, one life; it never missed. Behind him, the fifty thousand White Robe Army followed him like a precise killing machine, tearing a gap through the five hundred thousand troops.

Old Ancestor Hei Tian's expression changed. He knew General Bai Qi was a fierce fighter, but he had not expected this. Fifty thousand men, charging into the middle of five hundred thousand, as if entering an empty land. His troops were retreating, fleeing, and surrendering.

"Do not retreat!" He roared, cutting down a fleeing soldier with one slash. But no one listened to him. Because General Bai Qi was too terrifying. That man was not a human; he was a god of slaughter.

Old Ancestor Hei Tian gritted his teeth, raised his black iron blade, and charged at General Bai Qi. He wanted to kill General Bai Qi with his own hands.

Their horses crossed, and spear clashed with blade. With a loud boom, General Bai Qi retreated five steps, and Old Ancestor Hei Tian retreated five steps. The two looked at each other, a flash of surprise in both their eyes.

"True God Great Perfection?" Old Ancestor Hei Tian stared at General Bai Qi. "How could Great Hua have so many True God Great Perfection experts?"

General Bai Qi did not answer. He simply gripped his long spear tighter and charged forward again.

The two fought for thirty rounds, neither gaining the upper hand. The more they fought, the more alarmed Old Ancestor Hei Tian became. He was a veteran True God Great Perfection expert who had lived for eight thousand years. General Bai Qi was also True God Great Perfection, but he had made his Breakthrough less than ten years ago. Yet, General Bai Qi's killing intent was more terrifying than his cultivation. That kind of killing intent was not Cultivated; it was forged through slaughter.

General Bai Qi thrust his spear again, and Old Ancestor Hei Tian dodged to the side. The spear tip grazed his shoulder, tearing away a chunk of flesh. He was injured. For the first time in eight thousand years, he was injured.

He gritted his teeth, forced General Bai Qi back with a slash, turned his horse around, and fled toward the west. "Retreat!"

The five hundred thousand troops followed him as he fled west. They had run less than ten li when an army suddenly charged out from the front. They were all in black armor on black horses, and the flags were embroidered with the character "Han." General Han Xin.

Old Ancestor Hei Tian's face turned pale. He knew he had fallen into a trap. General Bai Qi was the bait, and General Han Xin was the net. General Bai Qi had lured him out, and General Han Xin had cut off his retreat.

"General Han Xin," Old Ancestor Hei Tian gritted his teeth, "do you intend to block me as well?"

General Han Xin smiled slightly. "Old Ancestor, I am not here to block you. I am here to see you off."

He waved his hand, and the one hundred thousand troops behind him opened a path. Old Ancestor Hei Tian was stunned. He did not understand why General Han Xin was letting him go.

General Han Xin looked at him and said indifferently, "Your Highness said: kill only the primary culprit, not the accomplices. You are the primary culprit, but Your Highness is giving you a chance. Go back, disband the allied forces, and never invade again. Your Highness will spare your life."

Old Ancestor Hei Tian was silent for a long time. Then he smiled, his expression filled with bitterness and unwillingness. "I will not surrender. I am the King of the Western Regions, not a dog of Great Hua."

General Han Xin nodded. "Very well. Then I will not see you off."

He waved his hand, and the one hundred thousand troops closed in. Old Ancestor Hei Tian was trapped in the middle, surrounded on all sides by soldiers of Great Hua. He raised his black iron blade, looked at those soldiers, and suddenly felt very tired. He had lived for eight thousand years, fought countless battles, and killed countless people. But he had never seen an army like this. They did not loot, burn, or kill those who surrendered. They fought as if they were completing a task. When it was done, they finished work; they did not do a single thing extra.

"I surrender." He lowered his blade.

General Han Xin looked at him. "Old Ancestor, are you sure?"

Old Ancestor Hei Tian nodded. "Sure. I am tired."

He dismounted and knelt on the ground. Behind him, the kings of the thirty-six nations followed suit, kneeling across the ground.

Outside Yumen Pass, the battlefield was a mess. Corpses covered the ground, and blood flowed like a river. But General Bai Qi did not kill the prisoners. He had the surrendered soldiers dig pits to bury the corpses. It took three days and three nights to finish burying them.

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan stood on the city wall of the pass, looking at the fresh graves, and was silent for a long time. General Bai Qi walked up behind him.

"Your Highness, how should we deal with the surrendered soldiers?"

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan thought for a moment. "Those who are willing to stay, incorporate them into the Great Hua army. Those who are not, give them travel expenses and send them home."

General Bai Qi nodded. "Yes."

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan turned and looked at him. "General Bai Qi, how many people did you kill today?"

General Bai Qi was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "I do not know. I did not count."

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan nodded. "In the future, kill less."

General Bai Qi looked at him. "Your Highness, how can there be war without people dying?"

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan said, "People can die. But if they do not have to, do not kill them."

General Bai Qi was silent for a long time. Then he nodded. "I will remember that."

Western Regions, Black Heaven City. Shen Gongbao stood on the tower, looking toward the east. His expression was very ugly. Because the Power of Calamity had not come. Great Hua and the Western Regions fought a battle, and tens of thousands died, but those who died were all invaders. The death of invaders would not generate the Power of Calamity. He had waited for three days and had waited for nothing.

"Crown Prince Xiao Xuan," he muttered to himself, "you are even more cunning than I thought."

He turned and disappeared into the darkness. He knew that this path in the Western Regions would not work. He needed to find another way.