Hmph!!!
Thud!
With a furious snarl, the red-haired Elder of Flame hurled a grotesque wine cup, crafted from a polished infant's skull, at the head of the kneeling middle-aged general. The general flinched but dared not move.
"Elder Brother, calm yourself!" The Elder of Earth, cloaked in a steady, earthy yellow spiritual light, swiftly stepped between them, his voice a low rumble. "Over a hundred Body Refining experts and four early stage Qi Refining cultivators... With a lineup like that, it is no surprise our vanguard was routed."
The Flame Elder narrowed his fiery eyes, his chest heaving, but he said nothing. He was clearly brooding, but he knew his brother was right. Such a concentration of force was far beyond what a mere ten thousand strong vanguard could handle. It was a sobering thought that even their own united tribe had no real answer to four Qi Refining cultivators aside from the two of them personally taking the field.
"No wonder the Queen was so insistent that we target Yongzhou," the Earth Elder mused, his frown deepening. "Her intentions were far from pure. She meant for us to bleed here."
"Even so," the Flame Elder growled, his voice like grinding stones, "we cannot retreat. Not now. Our hand is forced." He gestured vaguely in the direction of the massive camp behind them. "With an army of a million souls trailing us, even a small delay would cause chaos to spiral out of control. The logistics are a knife at our own throats."
"Enough," the Earth Elder said, his tone final. "Tomorrow, we attack together and breach Yongzhou's walls in one sweep. A million troops need constant supplies. If this siege drags on for a month or two, we will be the ones cornered and starving outside these very walls."
"Get out."
The Flame Elder waved a dismissive hand, and the relieved commander scrambled away. Given the enemy's formation, the defeat was not truly the man's fault. Without elite cultivators of their own to counter the enemy's experts, such a group could run rampant through any conventional army. But now, the two of them would have to step in personally. If the entire invasion stalled here, their grand campaign could collapse into famine and mutiny.
"Sigh. The Great Wei truly hides dragons and crouching tigers," the Earth Elder murmured once they were alone. "No wonder that boy of an Emperor struggles to maintain control from his palace."
The numbers alone were alarming. They had held the advantage of striking first with unity and surprise, yet it seemed if given just a few more decades of peace, the Great Wei's hidden strength might have become truly unstoppable.
"Elder Brother, our strategy must change," the Earth Elder continued, his expression grim. "Once we seize the Eight Prefectures of Prince Yong, we need to avoid unnecessary slaughter. If the entire world turns against us as barbarians, we will never gain a stable foothold. We will be putting out fires for generations."
The elder in yellow frowned. They were personally powerful enough to stand unafraid even if surrounded by hundreds of warriors, but ruling a settled territory was another matter entirely. Relying on brute force and terror alone would only plant the seeds of endless rebellion.
What they did not know was that if not for the Qi Inducing Pill in Prince Yong's possession, the number of cultivators he could have gathered would have been half that, at best. Most had come not only for the promised rewards but for the chance to curry favor with the legendary alchemist standing behind him.
These were men of the martial world, and they understood the value of such pills better than anyone. In truth, Prince Yong had been right: if Su Min uttered a single command, half of them would obey without question. This was also why the two old men dared not act too recklessly. They were powerful, yes, but there were only two of them. If they angered the entire cultivation world of Great Wei, a peaceful life would become nothing more than a dream.
The Next Morning – At Daybreak
A long, deep warhorn echoed across the land, its mournful note signaling the beginning of the end. Outside Yongzhou, a sea of soldiers stretched to the horizon, their synchronized march making the very earth tremble.
"Black clouds loom, the city tremels," Su Min recited the old line softly from her perch on the wall. "The poetry does not do this justice."
She watched as the massive army advanced, a seemingly endless tide of men and steel. The sheer number of troops created an illusion of order, their formation looking less chaotic than it truly was; the quantity alone was enough to inspire primal dread.
She turned to the four men beside her, her voice sharp and clear. "You four must lure out those two old monsters. You are carrying weapons I personally forged. Victory is not the goal, but lasting a few moves against them will be enough. Leave the rest to me."
Across from her stood the four Qi Refining cultivators—Sect Leader Mo and the three under Prince Yong's command. Though each held high status and power, all stood as respectfully as students before a master.
The two elders had placed their command banners in plain sight at the army's forefront, as if daring them to attack. Just as Su Min suspected, both were at the peak of Qi Refining. She could feel the dense, stagnant spiritual energy around them. If they had possessed a single Foundation Establishment Pill between them, they might have already advanced.
"Their command banners are right there for everyone to see. Bold, but predictable," she said quietly, more to herself than to the others. "Both are at the peak of Qi Refining. A single Foundation Establishment Pill could have pushed them over the threshold."
Hiss—
Her casual remark sent chills down their spines. The thought was terrifying. Had those two actually reached Foundation Establishment, this war would have been unwinnable from the start. The higher one cultivated, the more vast and insurmountable the gaps between stages became.
"Move out," Su Min commanded. "Stay alert. Remember, even at peak Qi Refining, they cannot kill you instantly."
"Yes!" The four shouted in unison, then leapt from the high walls, their spiritual auras flaring. They were followed by a wave of Body Refining cultivators, pouring out of the city gates like a torrent.
Meanwhile, down on the battlefield, the two elders met each other's gaze. Both saw the same unease reflected in the other's eyes.
"That Queen withheld critical intelligence," the Flame Elder muttered. "Something is not right with these defenders."
"They are not retreating even after sensing our auras," the Earth Elder agreed, his eyes fixed on the four figures leading the charge. "Do they really think four early stage Qi Refiners can stop us?"
"No matter. We slaughter them first, then crush the gates. Charge!"
Boom!
Twin streaks of light, one crimson and one ochre, shot forward into the heart of the battlefield. The oppressive, heavy aura that followed them rolled over the defending cultivators like a physical storm, causing many to stumble in their advance.
"A formal duel before the walls?"
Su Min chuckled softly from her vantage point. Her amusement, however, was not shared by the four cultivators now trembling under that overwhelming pressure. For the first time, they truly felt the chasm between early and peak Qi Refining. They realized then that Su Min had never gone all out against them. She had merely been toying with them during their spars.
"No chance for an ambush now," she noted, a hint of disappointment in her voice. Then her eyebrows shot up. "Wait, what?"
The four, instead of trying to flank or draw one elder away, were heading straight for the center of the field, toward both elders at once.
"Idiots."
With a resigned sigh, Su Min took a step forward. In a chaotic melee, a stealthy approach might have worked, but in this formal, open confrontation, there was no room for such tricks.
"My lady, what are their odds?" Prince Yong called out nervously from behind her, his knuckles white as he gripped the battlement. "How likely are they to win?"
On the field below, the clash of elements and spiritual energy made it seem, at first glance, like a balanced fight.
"Not a chance," Su Min said, her voice flat and certain. "Those two old foxes were startled by the spiritual weapons. They are testing their strength right now, being cautious. The moment they figure out the weapons' limits and the users' lack of experience, the result is already decided."
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Even as the words left her lips, four figures were sent flying backward as if swatted by an invisible giant. Arcs of blood sprayed through the air as they slammed into the base of the city wall with bone jarring force.
"Time to intervene."
Su Min flicked a small porcelain vial from her sleeve into her hand and stepped off the battlement. As she fell, her aura exploded outward, a raging tempest of spiritual pressure that instantly rivaled the combined might of the two elders below.
Then—
Whoosh!
She landed between the four fallen cultivators and the advancing elders, the impact sending a cloud of dust billowing outwards. The pressure radiating from her now perfectly matched the two old monsters, halting their advance in its tracks. The entire battlefield seemed to hold its breath.