Chapter 69

In front of the palace gate, He Xuan had assembled with his personal guards waiting. The eldest prince was also on horseback, his forehead covered in cold sweat. He Xuan had said that a large army would come to assist today, but from dawn until now, all he saw was about a thousand of his own guards. His stomach was churning, and he could barely sit still on his horse. Just as he was trying to suppress the urge to vomit, he suddenly felt a vibration beside his ears.

The entire street trembled.

Dust billowed, and the synchronized sounds of horse hooves reverberated. The heavily armored cavalry filled the entire street, their silver armor shining brightly.

Thousands of soldiers and horses seemed to descend from the heavens.

The generals dismounted and bowed with one knee.

“General Zhou Ji, by the order of the general, has come to assist the loyal prince—”

“General Pan Chengliang, by the order of the general, has come to assist the loyal prince—”

“General Wang Anda, by the order of the general, has come to assist the loyal prince—”

“…”

He Xuan also dismounted and gestured, “Please rise, everyone.” He turned back to look at the stunned eldest prince. “Your Highness, there’s no time to waste. Please give the order to enter the palace.”

The eldest prince’s heart was pounding, his throat dry as he said, “Please, follow me into the palace.”

He Xuan swung onto his horse, and the other generals mounted immediately. He Xuan flicked the reins forcefully, giving a commanding gesture. “Enter the palace!”

Inside the hall, the officials belatedly heard the sound of hoofbeats and turned to look back. Some showed hopeful expressions involuntarily.

Mo Yin stood steadily in front of the dragon throne, his expression calm. He even slightly curled his lips and waved his hand in the fearful and suspicious gazes of the officials.

Dozens of guards instantly flooded into the hall.

Mo Yin cast a cold and mocking glance at the crowd. “How dare someone trespass into the palace, the forbidden grounds of the imperial palace. Royal guards, obey my command. Anyone who intrudes into the palace, kill without mercy—”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

He Xuan led his cavalry to charge into the palace. When they reached the first palace gate, they encountered traps and ambushes. He had seen these traps before; Mo Yin had used them to deal with the barbarian cavalry during their first encounter.

So this time, he was prepared!

“Watch out below—”

Years of fighting side by side allowed the two to speculate infinitely about what traps the other might set.

There was a surge of hot blood in his chest.

He didn’t want to be enemies with him, but when he had to, he admitted that in this world, there was only one person who truly qualified to be his opponent!

The royal guards stationed behind the palace gate tower shot arrows, much more mercilessly than when they met on the city wall. The heavy-armored cavalry shouted and marched forward in formation, using shields to block, while under He Xuan’s command, a small team climbed up the palace gate tower. He Xuan had ordered everyone to try not to take lives as much as possible. After some time, they finally broke through the first palace gate.

As the palace gate was pushed open, hundreds of elite guards rushed in.

These guards seemed extremely well-trained, with unpredictable formations, specifically targeting cavalry. He Xuan immediately adjusted the formation and ordered everyone to dismount.

In close combat, the shouts and killings filled the air. The court officials on the platform were scared and retreated one after another, their gazes frequently looking upward. They were unsure of who would win in today’s struggle between civil and military forces.

The second prince had long been frightened and collapsed on the ground, showing no sign of imperial demeanor.

Mo Yin stood still, calmly listening to the commotion outside the hall.

Gradually, the noise of battle subsided. A guard who was coughing up blood flew into the hall, causing the courtiers to gasp in shock and retreat to the corner of the hall.

Then, dozens of heavily armored soldiers with menacing expressions and swords rushed into the hall, clearing a path from the palace gate to the interior.

The courtiers had all evacuated, and the heavily armored soldiers cleared a large area from the palace gate to the interior.

Mo Yin watched quietly.

A tall figure clad in heavy armor, wielding a sword, entered the hall. Behind him was the eldest prince, protected by soldiers. The second prince, who was trembling at Mo Yin’s feet, saw his brother and couldn’t help but shout, “Brother—”

The eldest prince also shouted, “Ruoyu—”

Mo Yin was indifferent to this touching brotherly love and said lightly, “General He, are you rebelling?”

He Xuan stood up straight, sheathed his sword, and bowed, “The Grand Marshal He Xuan is here to congratulate the new emperor’s ascension.”

Mo Yin smiled, “The general brings troops to watch the ceremony. It’s quite amusing.”

“The legitimacy of the late emperor’s will is in doubt, so I had no choice,” He Xuan replied.

“Oh? Is that so?” Mo Yin looked at him with amusement. “What doubts do you have about the will?”

He Xuan’s face tightened. At this point, did Mo Yin have to go this far?

He remained silent, but Mo Yin’s lips curled up slowly. He spoke leisurely, “General He, you came to the palace without being summoned, armed, and trespassed into the forbidden palace. Each of these is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations.”

He Xuan gripped the handle of his sword tightly. When they were alone, they could speak calmly to each other. He could care for him, and he could sleep peacefully in his arms. But now, they could only be enemies.

His fingers parted and clenched again. He Xuan said slowly, “Prime Minister, please produce the will.”

“The will…” Mo Yin tilted his head slightly, his voice soft. “Is it something a traitor like you can read?”

In an instant, everything changed—

Screams suddenly erupted from the once-quiet battlefield behind him. Several heavily armored soldiers also leaped towards the palace guards, slashing at them. These soldiers were dressed strangely, with black ink marks under their eyes, making them look like ferocious demons!

The hall descended into chaos in an instant.

He Xuan’s pupils constricted, and he immediately shouted, “Protect the eldest prince—”

On the dragon throne, Mo Yin suddenly took a long knife from a eunuch beside him and swiftly slashed at He Xuan!

He Xuan instinctively raised his sword to block.

When metal clashed, a violent scream rang out, and sparks flew.

He Xuan saw Mo Yin’s eyes, cold as ice and filled with faint mockery.

“Do you think you’re the only one with soldiers?”

The sounds of battle outside grew louder. With a loud ringing in his head, He Xuan retreated and wanted to rush out of the hall, but blades were coming at him from behind and the side. He had to turn back to continue blocking.

“Bang—”

Mo Yin’s strike made his hand numb. It was a strike capable of severing heads!

“You sent someone to the border to fetch reinforcements,” Mo Yin said as he attacked again, enduring the sweet and metallic taste rising in his throat. He smiled. “Are the reinforcements you bring back truly yours?”

“Zhou Yong, I have a very important task for you.”

“The military adviser please speak.”

“Return to the border,” Mo Yin turned his head, his expression cold. “Bring Yinghuo back to me.”

He Xuan continued to block, and the two locked eyes across their blades. He Xuan roared in anger, “Are you insane? Yinghuo is your soldier. Are you making them rebel with you?!”

“If they are my soldiers—”

Mo Yin attacked again, and the pain in He Xuan’s chest and lungs felt like they were about to explode. “Then they should die for me—”

Another heavy blow.

Mo Yin’s voice entered He Xuan’s ears, cold and mocking.

“It’s only natural.”

He Xuan’s head buzzed incessantly. He retreated from the hall in battle, and chaos erupted outside.

The soldiers of Yinghuo wore different attire from the rest, yet they were now facing each other with drawn swords.

“Stop—”

He Xuan threw his long knife at the big drum. The drum roared, different from the war drums on the battlefield, and the generals instinctively stopped.

He Xuan shouted angrily at everyone, “Who gave you permission to turn your swords against your own comrades—”

His chest heaved violently, and his long-standing military presence suppressed the situation. For a moment, everyone was still.

“Generals of Yinghuo.”

Another cold voice came from behind.

He Xuan suddenly turned around.

Mo Yin wore a crimson robe, a sword in one hand and the other behind his back. He gave He Xuan a cold smile. Slowly, he brought the hand behind him forward. In it was a pitch-black mask, which he put on his pale face.

The soldiers of Yinghuo couldn’t help but stare at it intently.

This terrifying mask was their faith, guiding them to escape from the deepest darkness and death, and it was also their only highest command…

“The Ghost Military Advisor is here—,” Zhou Yong roared, “Yinghuo vows to follow to the death—”

This sound was like a drop of water falling into a boiling oil pot.

“Yinghuo vows to follow to the death!”

“Yinghuo vows to follow to the death!”

“Yinghuo vows to follow to the death!”

The roars and cries resumed instantly, even more intense than before!

Once again, chaos erupted behind him, and the tip of a blade reached his throat. It was only then that He Xuan recognized it as his “Hidden Edge”!

The eyes behind the mask shone strangely, and He Xuan heard Mo Yin say each word slowly, “He He Xuan, do you still not surrender?”

“If you still won’t give up, I’ll let them fight each other until only one remains, dying in battle.”

“He Zangfeng, you’re not ruthless enough, that’s why you never win against me.”

These words, He Xuan read from Mo Yin’s eyes. His Adam’s apple rolled lightly as his hands, without any weapons, hung at his waist. But there was a soft sword hidden at his waist.

Under the city tower, the sunset shifted, and swords danced.

Since returning from the border, he had never been without his soft sword, as if that icy figure always accompanied him.

His heart felt like boiling water.

His eyes closed slightly and then opened again. He said, “I give up.”

Mo Yin gestured, and Zhou Yong, who had been paying attention to their side, immediately said, “Retreat, everyone!”

“Everyone, withdraw!”

He Xuan shouted again.

The people entangled on both sides finally separated.

The fighting in the hall also ceased.

Mo Yin withdrew the tip of his sword, his eyes narrowed slightly as if he was smiling.

“General, coming from the border to witness the ceremony, please.”

With a sweep of his wide sleeves, it seemed as if nothing had happened.

Inside and outside the hall were all in chaos and blood. The second prince hid behind the dragon throne, crying. The eldest prince, protected by soldiers, barely saved his life, but his arm was cut. He, pampered as a prince, held his arm with one hand, unable to help but groan in pain. Seeing Mo Yin pointing his sword at He Xuan, ordering him to step back, he was even more shocked.

“Your Highness,” Mo Yin stared brightly at the person in front of him, delivering his final blow, “this man kidnapped the prince, attempting to use the emperor to control the vassals. How should he be dealt with?”

He Xuan’s pupils shrank.

He looked at Mo Yin incredulously.

Mo Yin, however, was full of smiles.

The eldest prince, gasping for breath, recalled the conversation he had with Mo Yin that day.

“Tomorrow is the enthronement ceremony. I think He Xuan might come to rescue you.”

“You can follow He Xuan, but I advise you to think it over. As long as I’m alive, even if He Xuan puts you on the throne tomorrow, I will have you die the same way as the late emperor.”

The eldest prince’s face turned pale, his hands clenched into fists, trembling constantly.

“Not only that, but your second and third brothers will also accompany you to the grave for your throne.”

“He Xuan and I are actually not much different. Whoever you choose, in the end, it’s still a dead end.”

“Your Highness, you cherish your two brothers, right? If you’re sensible, I can consider sparing the lives of you three brothers.”

Two powerful figures, one civil and one military, he didn’t trust either of them.

He only trusted himself.

While there’s life, there’s hope.

If Gou Jian could endure humiliation to eventually triumph, why couldn’t he? He’s still young now. After lying low for a few years, he might not be unable to defeat him. Besides, the He family has secret passages in the palace, what’s the difference between them and Mo Yin?

After He Xuan rescued him from the palace, he even asked him to promise to pardon Mo Yin and give him another chance to serve. Isn’t that ridiculous?

These thoughts had crossed the eldest prince’s mind countless times when he was alone. And now, Mo Yin seemed to have won… He raised his face, looking at that mysterious and terrifying face due to the mask, not looking at He Xuan, and tremblingly said, “Traitors and rebels should be executed according to the law.”

As the words came out, He Xuan remained expressionless.

Mo Yin, however, laughed out loud, mocking in a hoarse voice, “He Zangfeng, oh He Zangfeng, look at this, this is the loyalty you’ve fought so hard to protect?”

Daylight turned into darkness, black became white.

This was indeed his specialty.

Only now did He Zangfeng finally realize that his Mo Yin was truly ruthless… he had misunderstood… there was no compromise between them…

Mo Yin stared closely at He Xuan’s eyes, crushing his faith underfoot with his own hands. He had won, of course, he had won! He saw the flicker of light in He Xuan’s eyes, containing countless complexities and pains…

The world before him began to shake. Mo Yin was almost unable to hold onto the sword in his hand, eagerly anticipating the collapse of the world, but in just a moment, everything returned to calm.

Mo Yin was slightly stunned, thinking it couldn’t be, was there going to be another twist?

Indeed, there was a twist.

In that moment of Mo Yin’s daze, a cold light flashed, and He Xuan drew the soft sword from his waist, thrusting forward—

A shoulder was grabbed, a strong force pulled Mo Yin over, and the two instantly exchanged positions!

The broad shoulder in front of him blocked the blade for him, and at the same time, the soft sword struck, piercing the assailant’s heart!

Mo Yin lowered his head dazedly, seeing the sharp, bloodstained blade piercing through He Xuan’s body.

For a moment, Mo Yin’s thoughts halted as he stared at the crimson tip of the blade protruding from He Xuan’s chest.

He Xuan turned to look at Mo Yin. From start to finish, he had never been willing to harm him. How could he bring himself to strike at him with his sword? Enough, enough… He Xuan’s hand still tightly gripped Mo Yin’s shoulder, sliding down uncontrollably. To his surprise, Mo Yin was also brought to his knees by him.

The two faced each other, their arms supporting each other. Mo Yin still stared at the blade tip protruding from He Xuan’s chest.

“You win…”

This was his last time protecting him on the battlefield.

He Xuan held Mo Yin’s arm, a bit of blood welling up in his mouth. He looked up into Mo Yin’s eyes, devoid of hatred or anger, but rather with resignation. “Be a good emperor who loves his people like children… and treat our soldiers well…”

Mo Yin stared into He Xuan’s eyes, still dazed. He felt He Xuan’s life force rapidly fading, but how could it be possible? He was the protagonist of this world! How could the protagonist die?!

The energy within He Xuan’s body was invisibly dissipating. Mo Yin probed with his mental power and found that the energy was being absorbed into the ground like mist, reinforcing the world!

With only a thread of mental power, he probed further and immediately felt excruciating pain as his organs lost the protection of his mental power. It felt as if someone had punched him heavily, and he doubled over, his mask falling from his face.

As the mask slipped off, He Xuan immediately saw Mo Yin’s bloodied lips and chin, his pupils contracting. “You—”

Mo Yin clearly wasn’t injured!

Blood gushed uncontrollably from his mouth, and Mo Yin smiled at He Xuan, blood already filling his throat, his voice hoarse. “I told you, my illness cannot be cured.”

He coughed, spitting out a mouthful of blood, and his arms weakened, causing him to collapse. Surprisingly, He Xuan knelt down and hugged him.

“Zigui—”

Trembling, He Xuan reached to wipe the blood from Mo Yin’s lips, which had already turned cold…

No, no, he had already surrendered willingly, he had already obtained everything he wanted, how could he die?!

“Physician…” He Xuan’s mouth oozed blood, his shout shaking the entire palace. “Summon the physician…”

Mo Yin’s chest rose and fell, his hand gripping the blade protruding from He Xuan’s chest, the pain making him clear-headed. Blood stained his lips and teeth as he smiled, “He Zangfeng, I have defeated you. In this world,” he coughed lightly, more blood spilling from his mouth, and he saw He Xuan’s face contorting stubbornly. “I am the strongest…”

He Xuan held his hand. “Yes, you’ve won. I’ve never beaten you…”

The world suddenly shook violently, signaling the impending collapse.

Good, very good. Mo Yin barely managed to curl his lips in a smile before closing his eyes slowly, drained of strength. He had reached the end of his tether and might not be able to enjoy the spectacle of the world’s explosion.

What a pity.

Warm liquid kept trickling down his ears, whether it was blood or tears, sticking to his neck.

Gradually, amidst the violent shaking, Mo Yin felt a warm light shining on his face. All the pain in his body seemed to disappear. He opened his eyes, and He Zangfeng was embracing him, blood overflowing from his lips, his body almost devoid of strength. His gaze was gentle and simple. “Zigui, we’ve come back.”

Mo Yin looked up.

The palace collapsed into yellow sand, the magnificent sunset descending, and purple evening clouds spreading over the boundless desert. It turned out the sunlight was shining so warmly on his face.

Mo Yin couldn’t help but smile, his pupils reflecting the scene of the entire desert collapsing with the world…

The sunset in the desert was indeed beautiful.

Volume Three: The Priest