Mu Guiying and Hua Mulan were sitting together, quietly listening to Cai Yan's zither melody. Though both were known more for their valor in battle than for their femininity, their nature still allowed them to appreciate beauty. No one rejects beautiful things—music transcends race, language, and all barriers. It is a universal language of emotion.
This holds true no matter the era.
They might not be able to sing or play, but their ability to appreciate was without question.
It was Mu Guiying who had spoken earlier, and even now her face showed a hint of admiration. She, too, wished to be versatile and multitalented. Unfortunately, things like zither music were beyond her; listening was fine, but if she had to learn or play, she was utterly helpless. Just the thought of it gave her a headache. So she held a quiet envy toward women who were gifted in the arts.
"Mmm. Sister Zhaojun's zither playing is close to Dao in itself," Hua Mulan mused thoughtfully. "But in her music, I sensed a trace of sorrow. Could she be worrying about the King and our soldiers in the Divine-Demon Battlefield?"
The piece High Mountains and Flowing Water was undoubtedly moving, but the undercurrent of worry broke the harmony, marring the musical imagery with a flaw.
"This time is different. That battlefield is unlike anything we've ever faced," Cai Yan said, shaking her head as her fingers left the strings. "In Great Yi, no one truly knows what the Divine-Demon Battlefield is like. We can't imagine it. All the powerful beings from the myriad races have entered it. It must be unspeakably brutal. Although we humans don't want to admit it, we're still weaker overall than many of the other races. If they all target us together, the outcome would be dire."
She sighed, her zither music falling silent.
"There's no need to worry," Hua Mulan replied. "The King left behind his Life Soul Lamp in the palace. As long as that lamp doesn't go out, his life is not in danger. Even if he does encounter danger, he'll surely turn misfortune into blessing. All we need to do is guard the foundation of Great Yi in his absence."
No one should assume the opening of the Divine-Demon Battlefield meant the surrounding foreign races would remain idle. On the contrary, many were already restless. Countless spies had slipped into Great Yi, hiding in the wilds, probing the cities. Fortunately, only the elite army corps had departed for battle, while each fairy city remained heavily guarded. Bounty hunters still roamed the wilds, hunting and ensuring no signs of weakness appeared.
It was this show of strength that made the alien races hesitate. They were still watching. But if too much time passed, some might lose patience and begin probing in earnest, and then blood would be spilled.
Outwardly, Great Yi seemed calm, but inwardly, it was taut with tension. Every citizen, after fulfilling their duties, spent as much time as they could cultivating, pushing their strength even a little further—every improvement counted.
"You're right," Cai Yan nodded. "We must continue recruiting, but not blindly. Only the suitable should be chosen, and conscription must not hurt the livelihoods of the people. Even more important is raising the cultivation level of our existing soldiers."
Cluck cluck cluck!
Suddenly, a clear, cheerful giggle rang out.
They turned to look—a cradle stood nearby, where a child about a year old was lying. Her skin was soft as water, her features carved like jade. This was Yi Xianhuang, daughter of Yi Tianxing and Cai Yan, the little princess of Great Yi, also known as Princess Anning.
At this moment, Anning was laughing gleefully from her cradle.
"Oh! Anning is laughing!"
"She sounds so happy. Children really are carefree. I wish all of humanity could live like this—peaceful and safe. That would be true Anning (peace)."
Mu Guiying and Hua Mulan smiled softly, gazing affectionately at Anning. She was a cherished treasure in Great Yi. Some artists who had painted her portraits had their work sold for sky-high prices. Many scrambled to buy them.
It was said that since her birth, Anning had never cried once, and her laughter could bring joy to others.
In the common folk's words, "Anning's laughter brings peace to the world."
Boom!!
Almost as if summoned by her laughter, a tremendous pressure swept through the void. Then—a massive rift opened in the sky, and from it emerged a giant ancient bronze gate, standing tall in mid-air.
"It's the Divine-Demon Gate!"
"Look! How can the Divine-Demon Gate reappear? Wasn't it supposed to vanish after bringing the soldiers in? It's only been half a year. What's going on? Has the battle already ended? Are our warriors returning?"
"That was fast. I wonder what the result was. They said this war would determine the ranking of all races and grant immense blessings and heavenly fortune."
"My werewolf race surely didn't rank low! No way the humans beat us!"
"My minotaur race must've crushed it!"
This Divine-Demon Gate was visible to the entire Eternal Continent, no matter where one was. Everyone could see the deep passage within it—it looked like an abyss.
Eyes filled with anticipation.
Everyone hoped to see their race's pride walk out.
It was now Year Five of the Eternal Calendar, in the month of May. This war had raged for nearly five months—long for some, short for others.
Every race was waiting.
"Could it be... is Anning laughing because she knew the Divine-Demon Gate was about to open again, and the King was returning?" Mu Guiying asked in amazement. There was no denying it—Anning's laughter was brighter and more radiant than ever.
Boom!
Outside Xuanhuang City, a projected Divine-Demon Gate descended, landing on the old military parade platform.
Roar!!
With the gate came a thunderous dragon roar, and then, a massive war chariot surged out from within, landing at the platform.
"It's the Nine-Dragon War Chariot! The King has returned!"
"Quick, everyone! Outside! Let's welcome the King and our soldiers back!"
"This is wonderful! Out to the gates, now—let's welcome our heroes!"
Within Xuanhuang City, countless citizens erupted into joyous cheers. No matter what rank was achieved or who won or lost, what they cared about most was that their Great Yi soldiers came home alive. Their hearts were filled with excitement—and anxiety.
Excited to see the King again.
Anxious, not knowing how many of the one million elite soldiers had survived.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As Yi Tianxing stepped through the gate and stood atop the military platform, battalions of soldiers marched out behind him, moving in perfect formation. In moments, one square formation after another appeared before Xuanhuang City.
Each one exuded a thick aura of bloodlust and battle, the mark of those who had slaughtered their way through mountains of corpses and rivers of blood.
That killing intent rolled out like waves, shaking the souls of the watchers.
"So strong… That's the five main corps. But… they don't seem to have suffered any losses! The numbers look the same as when they left."
"Could it be the enemies weren't strong? Did our soldiers crush them that easily? That doesn't seem possible…"
"That killing intent... terrifying. I can't even imagine how many enemies they must have slaughtered to gain it."
These were true veterans—those who survived a hundred battles.
One unit after another marched out of the gate.
And not just them—many new faces also appeared, warriors none had ever seen before. But their auras were just as strong. Clearly, they were powerful human cultivators from the battlefield.
"So this is the capital of the Great Yi Dynasty, Xuanhuang City... So vast. And it has no walls. A city without walls... In Chinese history, only one capital was like that—Xianyang of the Qin Dynasty. Back then, it symbolized absolute strength and confidence."
As he stepped out of the Divine-Demon Gate, Guan Yu looked upon Xuanhuang City and was stunned.
He was well-versed in the classics. He knew every city in history had walls. A city without walls was like a defenseless beauty among wolves.
Only one such city had ever existed: Xianyang, capital of Qin.
Back then, Qin Shi Huang believed himself the Emperor of all ages. The might of Qin was unstoppable. He had no fear of foreign invasion. If Xianyang ever fell, it meant Qin had already perished.