Having played the game in a past life, Su Min knew one thing for certain: if the player did not intervene, the grasslands army would succeed. The Eight Prefectures of Prince Yong would fall, and so much blood would be spilled that it would dye the Xun River red for three months without end. The strategy for dealing with those two old monsters was simple in theory: focus all attacks on one first, breaking their formation before they could combine their power.
That way, even if they managed to merge later, they would not be at their full, terrifying strength. Su Min was not truly afraid of them, but if there was a cleaner, easier path to victory, why would she choose a harder one?
"These people are yours to deal with," she said, her voice flat as she gestured toward the vast enemy vanguard below. "If those two old monsters do not make a move, I will not either. This vanguard of ten thousand does not have a single Qi Refining cultivator among them. If you cannot even handle this, then there is no point in continuing this war." Her gaze swept over the four young men beside her, her meaning clear. "At the very least, you four need to buy me an opening. If those two get the chance to pull out their trump card, even if I win, Yongzhou City will be reduced to rubble."
A quick spiritual scan of the approaching army killed any fleeting urge she had to intervene personally. Battles between cultivators nearing the Foundation Establishment level were messy and destructive. If those two elders decided to go all out and target the city itself out of desperation, she might not be able to stop them in time. Even if the city walls technically stood afterward, the place would be a crippled, burning husk.
Hiss—
Even Prince Yong, standing beside her, sucked in a sharp breath at her blunt assessment. They all knew Su Min had a sharp tongue and a short temper, but she never exaggerated about matters of life and death. Her meaning was clear: Their primary mission was to lure one of the elders out and create a single, clean opening for her to deliver a decisive first strike. That was their only role in the climactic battle to come.
As for the ten thousand troops currently massing below the walls? Su Min did not even spare them a second glance. A Qi Refining cultivator was powerful, but they could not single-handedly slaughter an entire army of that size. Ten thousand veteran soldiers were not ten thousand penned pigs. She could probably carve her way through their ranks three times over, but it would be a pointless expenditure of her spiritual energy and focus.
More enemy forces were approaching in the distance. If Prince Yong's alliance could not even hold this initial line, then even if she killed the two elders, she could not save Yongzhou by herself. Faced with hundreds of thousands of soldiers, how many could she realistically kill before her spiritual energy was exhausted? Ten thousand? Twenty thousand? It would not be enough. The rest would simply overrun the city and everything in it.
"No need for Senior to intervene," Sect Leader Mo declared, a fierce grin spreading across his face. He was inwardly glad Su Min was holding back. In these chaotic times, with new powers rising across the land, this battle was a rare chance for him and his sect to earn glory and reputation. If Su Min did everything herself, what use were they? Besides, there was another, more practical reason: his desire for Prince Yong's Qi Inducing Pills.
After being here for so long, he had learned about the rare ingredients required. Just gathering them was a monumental task. Su Min might refine them with seemingly effortless skill, but acquiring the materials was a different story entirely. No matter how strong she was, she was just one person.
It was Prince Yong's vast resources and networks that made the pills possible. And to be honest, for an established Qi Refining cultivator like himself, a Qi Inducing Pill was less useful than a basic healing or recovery pill. Su Min, who had no disciples or sect to support, had little use for them herself. So if Sect Leader Mo wanted more pills to elevate other members of his sect, Prince Yong was his only viable source. One more Qi Refining expert in his sect would change the balance of power entirely.
"Then I will take the lead! Gentlemen, it is time to show our strength!"
Crackle—
With a flash of lightning arcing around his newly forged sword, Sect Leader Mo was the first to charge forward from the wall. Prince Yong's army, largely composed of infantry, had little hope of defeating elite cavalry on the open plains in a straight fight. But this would not be a conventional battle. Soon enough, it would not matter who rode a horse and who stood on foot. The chaos would throw everyone from their mounts, forcing a brutal, close-quarters melee.
Until then, the cultivators would have their moment to shine. With four Qi Refining experts leading the charge, they surged over the battlements like divine beings descending from the heavens. In the blink of an eye, over a hundred cultivators leapt from the city walls, their spiritual auras flaring as they streaked toward the enemy like falling stars.
"Tsk. Not bad."
"Seems your influence is stronger than I thought." Su Min's eyebrows rose in mild surprise. She knew Prince Yong had been gathering forces, but the scale and quality of the cultivators he had assembled still impressed her.
"Danxianzi, do you know how many of them are here because of you?" Prince Yong chuckled softly, keeping his voice low. "The entire world knows a single pill from your hand can topple cities and create kings. How many here are fighting today just for a chance to earn your favor? With a single word, you could command the loyalty of most of them."
Su Min merely snorted. Their relationship was not that of a ruler and a subject; they were partners. She needed a steady stream of high quality materials for her cultivation and crafting, and he needed her pills to build and maintain a powerful faction. Besides, he was one of the few who knew her true history and grudge. She would never, ever side with the imperial court that had wronged her family.
"By the way, Fairy," Prince Yong asked, his tone shifting slightly. "What are your plans after this war concludes?"
"Seclusion," she answered without hesitation. "A long one. Probably fifteen to twenty years."
"What?!" Prince Yong's hands trembled slightly where they rested on the parapet. First came a spike of envy, the kind any mortal man feels when confronted with a cultivator's vast lifespan. Then came a cold dread. He knew his own body; he would not last another two decades. Su Min was his most crucial, irreplaceable ally. If he could not hold on, his heir would have to take over the partnership. With a wave of his hand, he summoned a scholarly looking middle-aged man who had been waiting quietly nearby. The man stepped forward and bowed deeply to them both.
"My heir and second son," Prince Yong said. "When I am gone, he will be the one serving you and continuing our arrangements."
"Mn."
Su Min gave a single, curt nod. Their partnership had been smooth and mutually beneficial, and there was no reason to sour it now over a change in management. Besides, their core goals were still perfectly aligned.
As for Prince Yong himself, she could already tell he would not live much longer. His body was deep into its decline, and his mortal fate was nearly spent. Even her most miraculous pills could not save a vessel that was already cracking and drying up.
In fact, it was better that he did not take one. The potent spiritual energy of her medicine would likely shatter such a fragile body from the inside out.
"Oh, right." She seemed to remember something, flicking a single, unassuming pill toward him with a casual toss of her fingers. "One last gift. A small token I crafted by accident. Keep it."
Prince Yong caught the pill, his brows lifting in curiosity. "What is it?"
"A Soulburn Pill. Grade one," she explained dispassionately. "It can forcibly ignite the spirit and extend a mortal's life for exactly seven days. But once that time is up, the body will rapidly collapse into dust. I made it unintentionally while testing something else, but for people like you, princes and generals and rulers... I imagine it is a very precious thing to have in reserve."
There was a long pause as Prince Yong stared at the innocuous looking pellet in his palm, understanding its terrible, priceless value. A week of guaranteed life at the very end could be used to secure a legacy, to ensure a smooth succession, or to deliver one final, devastating blow to an enemy.
"...Thank you, Danxianzi." His voice was thick with unspoken emotion.
He did not refuse. He could not. He simply let out a long, slow sigh, storing the pill carefully in an inner pocket, and then turned his gaze back to the battlefield below.
The ten thousand strong vanguard had already collapsed into utter chaos, scattering in all directions under the relentless, concentrated assault of the cultivators. The first blow had been struck, and it was theirs.