Seeing the world around her begin to move in slow motion—the crimson blood at her feet, the desperate rush of brave men and women scrambling past her, making their way across the lake to safety—Ping'an instinctively lunged for a horse's leash, desperate to return back to the battlefield. But Lim Peizhi, his face a mask of grim determination, pulled the horse rope away from her hand.
"Peizhi, what are you doing?!" Ping'an demanded, her voice sharp with disbelief.
"You are going to cross that lake," Lim Peizhi stated, his voice firm, leaving no room for argument.
"If they were still there," Ping'an shouted, her voice thick with anguish, "I would not cross the lake! I would not leave them behind!"
Lim Peizhi raised his voice, a rare note of desperation in his tone. "You have to go, even if I have to force you!"
"Why?" Ping'an demanded, stepping closer to Lim Peizhi, her eyes blazing with a mixture of fear and fury. "Tell me why?!"
Fang Yaoting stretched out his hand, his expression pained, about to knock Ping'an unconscious from behind, but Guozhao Zhiqiang, moving with lightning speed, blocked his attack. "Third Master, what are you doing?!" Zhiqiang exclaimed, his eyes wide with shock.
Ping'an quickly spun around, her gaze snapping to Fang Yaoting. "Yaoting, what are you doing?!"
"Ping'an, you must cross that lake," Fang Yaoting said, his voice strained with the terrible burden of their secret.
"Says who?" Ping'an challenged, her voice filled with a cold suspicion.
"They did," Fang Yaoting replied, his shoulders slumping.
"Why?" Ping'an pressed, her head nodding angrily, a dawning horror in her eyes. "They have other plans that they don't want me to know, don't they? Tell me! Please!"
"I promised them that I will make sure you cross that lake," Lim Peizhi said, his voice heavy with the weight of his vow. "I will keep this promise."
Ping'an burst into heartbroken tears, her voice rising to a wail. "I will not go! I will live and die with them! In my life, as far as I can remember, the people who love me are dead! If they are going to die and leave me behind, I'd rather be with them! Die there together! Please, tell me what they plan to do? Please?!" Her voice cracked with desperate pleading.
Siyuan stepped forward, his face grim, unable to bear her agony any longer. "They will use the annihilation talismans," he revealed, his voice solemn. "We have to cross the lake to avoid being killed."
Ping'an sighed, a sound of profound resignation and sorrow. She turned to her disciples, her eyes still brimming with tears. "Zhiqiang and Ah Bao, take your juniors and cross that lake," she commanded, her voice weak but firm.
Ping'an stood before Siyuan, tears blurring her vision. Soldiers screamed in agony around them, while people frantically crossed the lake on boats. Above the chaos, some hunters rode on their flying swords, and graceful fairies soared across the shimmering water.
Everyone kept shouting, "Fall back across the lake! Retreat!"
Ping'an, her voice trembling, asked, "Siyuan, do you remember that promise we made?"
"Yes, I do," Siyuan replied, his gaze unwavering.
"Will you ride with me for one last time?" Ping'an's voice was barely a whisper.
Siyuan smiled, looking down at Ping'an with a gentle strength. "It would be my honor." He reached out his left hand and pulled Ping'an onto his equine back. Turning to his fellow soldiers, he declared, "If any of you don't wish to return to battle, I will not force you."
The ten remaining soldiers powerfully banged their spears against their shields, roaring their encouragement.
"Let's go save King Shammek!" Siyuan bellowed, raising his spear high.
The ten centaur soldiers chanted in unison, "Save King Shammek! Save King Shammek! Save King Shammek!"
Siyuan turned his head to Ping'an. "Hold on tight," he instructed. He then spurred his centaur form, leading his ten brave soldiers and Ping'an back to the inferno of the battlefield.
Lim Peizhi held Huang Yueliang close, kissing her deeply, a desperate, silent farewell. "Take care of the children and make sure that the Horsemen and the Wasteland peoples are safe with no harm," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. He rubbed her head gently. "I want you to know that I feel very lucky to have you as my wife and the mother of my children."
Huang Yueliang smiled tearfully, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "My dear, don't worry," she choked out, kissing his lips passionately. "Go without worry."
Fang Yaoting turned to his disciples; his voice strained with the weight of the moment. "Tell Dachin that if I am not dead, I will come to Waterfall City to find him and continue to be his cane." He then looked at his students, his gaze firm. "Remember your oath as a hunter, and you must follow the principles of Guozhao Sector. Help me take care of Teacher Lee and the twins."
The Guozhao Hunters, bowed their heads, paying their last tribute to their master, acknowledging the immense sacrifice he was about to make.
"Don't worry, I will tell him," Huang Yueliang promised, her voice thick with tears.
Fang Yaoting and Lim Peizhi, with grim resolve, jumped on their horses, chasing Ping'an and the Centaur soldiers, their figures disappearing into the chaos.
With a thunderous charge, Ping'an, Siyuan, and the ten centaur soldiers surged back into the battlefield. Following closely behind were Fang Yaoting and Lim Peizhi.
Fang Yaoting called out, "Ping'an!"
Ping'an turned left to see Fang Yaoting, then right to Lim Peizhi, who was smiling brightly at her.
Lim Peizhi's smile widened. "Let's go save our friends!"
Ping'an smiled back at her friends, a flicker of hope in her eyes. "Siyuan, head straight to the Northern Fortress Magic Circle!"
"Arrowhead formation!" Siyuan roared, his voice echoing, and the centaur soldiers immediately fell into formation, falling behind him one by one on both sides. Siyuan led them in a desperate charge directly into the incoming tide of demonic creatures.
"Shields!" Siyuan bellowed.
The Horsemen soldiers held up their long shields, forming an impenetrable barrier to protect Ping'an, Fang Yaoting, Lim Peizhi in the arrow array beneath them.
Ping'an, sitting on Siyuan's back, summoned her swords out, their blades singing as she slashed and carved through the charging demonic creatures, opening a bloody path for the charging Horsemen soldiers.
Just when they were fifty feet away from the Northern Fortress, Ping'an, without a moment's hesitation, jumped off Siyuan's back and flew directly into the crumbling Northern Fortress. Fang Yaoting, Lim Peizhi, Siyuan, and the ten Horsemen soldiers collided violently into the demonic creatures, a desperate, final stand.
Ping'an rushed directly to the two magic orbs on the two pillars within the fortress, her heart pounding. She placed her hand on the orbs, but nothing happened, a chilling sense of failure washing over her. Then, a horde of demons surrounded her, their claws reaching.
From a distance, Zhao Renshu, locked in his own desperate battle, saw ten centaur soldiers heading straight for the Northern Fortress.
"King Shammek!" Zhao Renshu shouted, his voice strained as he parried enemy attacks. "What are those soldiers doing down there?!"
King Shammek turned around, his face grim. "That's Siyuan and his ten personal guards," he revealed, his voice heavy with resignation.
"What is he doing here?" Guo Baiyu exclaimed, his voice filled with despair. "We will summon the talisman at any moment!"
"If he chooses to be here when you summon the talisman," King Shammek said, his voice stoic, accepting his son's choice, "just do it."
"Damn it!" Zhao Renshu cursed, his face contorted in agony.
Guo Baiyu and Zhao Renshu, their faces etched with profound sorrow and grim resolve, summoned the annihilation talismans, which glowed ominously in their right hands. As they prepared for the ultimate sacrifice, they saw Ping'an fly out of the arrowhead formation, her whip heading straight toward the Northern Fortress.
"No..." Guo Baiyu gasped, his voice a raw whisper of horror. He instantly crushed the talisman in his hand and, instead of unleashing its full power, shot endless magic arrows in the direction he saw Ping'an. He ran desperately towards her, trying to reach her.
"Ping'an!" Zhao Renshu shouted, his voice torn with anguish, recognizing her suicidal intent.
One of the demons, with a brutal shove, pushed Ping'an out of the Northern Fortress, and she fell hard onto her back on the ground, winded. She fought her way back into the Northern Fortress, a relentless, desperate drive, as demonic creatures continued to attack her. Her three swords waved around her, a furious blur, protecting her. Immediately afterwards, a massive monster kicked her hard on the back, sending her directly into the glowing circle of the Northern Fortress magic circle. She groaned in searing pain as she slowly stood up, vomiting a mouthful of blood. Some of the blood dripped onto the Northern Fortress magic circle, and as it touched the ancient lines, the dark magic circle suddenly lit up with a blinding, ominous glow. She looked left and right, her vision hazy, and saw dead bodies piled on top of each other, a gruesome mountain of fallen allies. She heard the soldiers screaming in pain as they were torn apart by demonic creatures, their cries echoing in her ears. She knew, with chilling clarity, that if she was the real Syaoran, she could end it all, make it all stop.
As Ping'an slowly walked towards the two pillars with their floating orbs, her mind raced, recalling all the best moments of the sixteen years she had known her lovers and her friends. She recalled the first time she met Guo Baiyu on the dirt road, so handsome, she had thought he was an angel. Then she recalled how brave Zhao Renshu was when she first saw him. They had spent sixteen years together, and it was more than she could ever ask for. She felt so incredibly lucky that someone like her had two of the best men in the whole world with her for sixteen years. They had shed tears with her; they were her shadows, her constant companions. They had brought so many beautiful things to her life. Even though they had paid a heavy price for their happiness, and their journey was definitely not smooth sailing, at the end of the day, it was all worth it, because they were her true happiness.
She recalled the memories back in Peace Town, surrounded by friends. Their faces appeared in her mind one by one: Huang Hongse's cold, brave face, the bravest woman she had ever seen; the warm-hearted Huang Yueliang, the first person to acknowledge their estranged relationships; the clumsy Guo Longtong, the friendliest person; Lee Dachin, the kindest person she had ever met, who could sacrifice his own desires to ensure the happiness of others; Fang Yaoting and Lim Peizhi, knowing this would be their last battle, still willingly following her into the fray. Those images of everyone sitting on the rooftop, drinking wine and watching the fireworks scattering across the night sky, were still so vivid, so clear to her. The image of Boss Xiong and Xiong Lifeng coming to say goodbye, filled her with warmth. She recalled the precious time she spent with her disciples in Cloud City. She shed tears of happiness, a bittersweet farewell to a life she cherished.
Aishu was right. She couldn't sit and watch the ones she loved die one by one. If she successfully transformed into Syaoran, all she had to do was guard the Northern Fortress for eternity. Her loved ones would move forward and continue their lives, safe from this horror. There had been enough bloodshed and loss of lives. She had promised her lovers that she would not sacrifice herself for anyone, but today, she would sacrifice herself for herself—for the peace she desperately craved for them. She took one last, lingering look at the battlefield, and through the chaos, she found her beloved: Guo Baiyu and Zhao Renshu, running desperately towards her, their faces etched with anguish.
Her grandmother had named her Ping'an, so she could bring peace and safety to the people she loves, and that was exactly what she was going to do.
Ping'an smiled, tears mingling with her fierce determination. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice filled with profound love, "you two are really the best things ever happened to me." Ping'an reached the two pillars, and with a final, resolute breath, placed her palms on the two floating orbs. She felt a searing surge of electricity run throughout her entire body, a painful transformation. She closed her eyes, accepting her fate. "I accept my duty as the guardian of the Northern Fortress," she declared, her voice ringing with newfound power. "Now, lend me your strength!"
Zhihao watched, his eyes wide with horror, as Ping'an entered the Northern Fortress, understanding her intent. He shrieked angrily, "No!"
Then, Ping'an's transformed voice, powerful and resonating with ancient magic, boomed through the valley. "I am the true guardian of the Northern Fortress!" Her long, black hair slowly began to turn a stark, pure white from top to bottom, shimmering with magic. Ping'an's beautiful face began to change, her features refining, becoming more ethereal, her eyes shifting to a brilliant blue. The white, handsome, flawless face with white hair and piercing blue eyes—now Syaoran—stood majestically in the middle of the Northern Fortress. Syaoran roared loudly, a guttural, primal sound of raw power, "Arrrrg..."