39: Chapter 39 Fourth Life, All-in Failure? Watch Me Turn the Tide (Sixteen)

The Grand Supreme King in White slowly lowered his eyes, his gaze falling upon Lin Lantian, who lay like a pile of mud, revealing an incomparable indifference.

"Same realm? Do you really think you are worthy?"

His voice was calm, yet it resonated like a divine decree from the nine heavens, clearly branding itself into the depths of everyone's soul present.

"A frog in a well, yet you dare speak of the heavens? Do you think that by luckily touching the threshold of the Silver Marrow Realm, you have glimpsed the full picture of the martial path?"

He offered no further explanation, for none was needed.

This absolute disparity in strength was, in itself, the cruelest answer.

Only then did the terrifying force field, which seemed to freeze space and time, slowly dissipate.

The frozen rebel soldiers collapsed one after another, exhausted, either bewildered or terrified; the earth-shattering sensation from just moments ago had completely destroyed their fighting spirit.

I do not know who dropped their weapon with a "clang," but immediately, the sound of soldiers abandoning their armor spread like a plague; thousands of elite border troops disintegrated in an instant, with no fighting spirit left.

The Grand Supreme King in White's gaze once again fell upon the face of Lin Lantian, who was barely managing to stay conscious, his eyes filled with dead gray.

In Lin Lantian's dying consciousness, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck!

It was a piece of top-secret information he had vaguely learned years ago after luckily breaking through to the Silver Marrow Realm, having gone to great lengths and paid a significant price to obtain it from a passing high-ranking martial artist from the capital!

It was his last and only straw to cling to!

He used every ounce of his remaining strength and screamed, his voice hoarse and broken, yet filled with a final, frantic obsession:

"I—I am a Martial Monarch of the Yinsui Realm! I am a valuable high-level combat asset for the Human Alliance! According to the highest laws of the Human Alliance, even if I am guilty, I should be exiled to the Demon-Suppressing Great Wall to serve and atone for my crimes! You cannot kill me! You cannot! I want to go to the Great Wall!"

Lin Lantian's hoarse and frantic shouting, like the final struggle of a dying beast, echoed across the suddenly silent square.

"Human Alliance, highest law, Demon-Suppressing Great Wall, and serving to atone for crimes..."

Each word was like a heavy stone, smashing into the hearts of Heir Xiao Heng, Wang Shi, and everyone else who was still capable of thought.

Especially terms like "Human Alliance" and "Demon-Suppressing Great Wall," which were as foreign as an alien language to most people, yet they faintly exuded an indescribable sense of grandeur and weight that transcended the barriers before them.

The Grand Supreme King in White, who was about to raise his hand to finish off Lin Lantian, paused his calm fingers almost imperceptibly in the air.

The eternal indifference on his face finally showed a trace of an extremely subtle ripple.

It seemed he had not expected that this ant in his eyes—this "nouveau riche" who sat in a well and stared at the sky, arrogant and conceited—would actually know about this secret.

And at this moment, used it as his final bargaining chip to save his life.

"Oh?"

The Grand Supreme King in White slowly withdrew his hand, placed it behind his back, and looked down from above at Lin Lantian, who had only half a breath left in the pool of blood.

His voice remained calm, but it carried a faint, icy amusement, "You actually know about this?"

Like a drowning man grasping at his last piece of driftwood, Lin Lantian's remaining consciousness erupted with an incredibly intense desire to survive.

He coughed up blood, repeating intermittently yet with absolute clarity: "Silver Marrow Realm, cannot be killed at will, must be exiled, serve at the Great Wall to atone for crimes. This is an iron law of the Alliance—cough, cough—you, you cannot, cannot defy it!"

"An iron law?" The Grand Supreme King in White repeated softly, though his gaze had already shifted away from Lin Lantian.

He swept his gaze over the rebel soldiers collapsed on the ground, over the shaken mansion guards and the Song family's private troops, and finally, it landed on Heir Xiao Heng and Wang Shi, who were standing on the steps with equally uncertain and shocked expressions.

He saw the confusion and inquiry in Heir Xiao Heng's eyes, and he saw the shock and a certain... realization that Wang Shi was trying hard to hide beneath his deep gaze, yet it still leaked out.

It seems that this heir and his not-so-simple attendant were also completely ignorant of this, or perhaps, they only had vague rumors.

The Grand Supreme King in White was silent for a moment.

The night wind swept by, carrying the scent of blood and smoke, blowing his snow-white sleeves.

He seemed to be weighing his options, or perhaps he was just giving the young juniors some time to digest the events before them.

Finally, he spoke again, his voice no longer directed solely at Lin Lantian, but clearly echoing throughout the entire square.

It was more like he was responding to Heir Xiao Heng, or even to certain rules in the mysterious void:

"One of the highest iron laws of the Human Alliance: Martial artists of the Silver Marrow Realm and above are valuable combat assets for the human race to resist the demon race. Unless they commit heinous crimes such as betraying the human race or colluding with the demon race, they shall not be easily executed."

For any other serious crimes committed, they must be punished by being sent to the front lines of the 'Demon-Suppressing Great Wall' to serve and atone for their crimes with military merit. The duration will be determined by the Human Alliance based on the severity of the offense."

He paused and glanced at Lin Lantian, who lay on the ground like a dead dog.

"Lin Lantian, you rebelled against the Tianhuang Princes Mansion, a crime punishable by death. However, your crime does not extend to betraying the race, and as a Martial Monarch of the Yinsui Realm, according to the law, you will be exiled to serve at the Demon-Suppressing Great Wall."

As his words fell, it was like a gavel striking down.

Lin Lantian's taut nerves instantly relaxed, his breath released, and he completely collapsed into unconsciousness, but his life had finally been temporarily saved.

Meanwhile, in the hearts of Heir Xiao Heng and Wang Shi, a storm even more violent than when they had just seen the Supreme Prince act was raging!

Human Alliance? Resisting the demon race? Demon-Suppressing Great Wall? The privileges of a martial artist of the Silver Marrow Realm?

Each strange, heavy word, which seemed to lift the veil on another layer of the world's cruel reality, struck hard against their cognition.

The Grand Supreme King in White no longer paid attention to Lin Lantian and turned his gaze to Heir Xiao Heng. His tone returned to its previous calmness, but it seemed to have a touch of something akin to "teaching":

"Heir Xiao Heng, Wang Shi, follow me."

After he finished speaking, Heir Xiao Heng and Wang Shi only felt their bodies lighten, as if they were enveloped by a gentle yet irresistible force.

They saw the scene before them blur for a moment, and the next instant, they were already inside a vast and solemn side hall within the Zhenhuang Hall.

The hall doors closed silently, shutting out the blood, chaos, and countless fearful or bewildered gazes from the outside.

The hall was brightly lit.

The Grand Supreme King in White sat casually in the main seat at the head, while Heir Xiao Heng and Wang Shi stood respectfully below. The unconscious Lin Lantian was also casually tossed into the corner of the hall by a force, like a torn sack.

"Sit," the Supreme Prince signaled.

The two sat down on the brocade stools below as instructed, their backs straight, knowing in their hearts that what they were about to hear was likely top-secret information that might not even be recorded in the archives of Huangyan Prefecture or the mansion.

"You two must have many questions in your minds."

The Grand Supreme King in White spoke slowly, his voice echoing in the vast hall, "Today's events have concluded, and it is time for you to know some things.

You are about to succeed to the throne, so you are qualified to know what this world is truly like.

And you," he swept his gaze over Wang Shi, meaningful, "to be trusted by him like this, it is fine for you to listen as well."

Heir Xiao Heng took a deep breath, suppressing the churning thoughts in his heart, and said respectfully: "Please enlighten us, Ancestor. Grandson... Grandson truly does not know what this 'Human Alliance' and 'Demon-Suppressing Great Wall'... actually mean?"

The Grand Supreme King in White did not answer directly but asked first: "Heir Xiao Heng, do you know why a martial artist of the Silver Marrow Realm is called a 'Martial Lord' among the common folk?"