Chapter 1

June 6th! In the Great Chen Kingdom, at the Dragon Landing Ridge!

Dark clouds covered the sky, and a cold wind swept the ground. At the Dragon Landing Ridge, tens of thousands of wounded soldiers were encamped, presenting a scene of despair and defeat. The soldiers guarded a large yellow tent at the center.

Inside the large tent, officials stood crowded together, all looking anxiously at the northern dragon bed.

On the dragon bed sat an old man in a dragon robe, over sixty years old, with a pale face, coughing continuously. Attendants carefully attended to him, wiping away the blood that occasionally dripped from the corners of his mouth.

On the dragon bed, there was also a man in his forties dressed in white, whose hands were pressed against the back of the old man in the dragon robe, as if he were channeling true qi to heal him.

"Spit!"

The old man in the dragon robe spat out a mouthful of blood. The healing session came to a temporary end, but his condition did not improve; his face became even paler.

"Father Emperor!" The lead official, a middle-aged man in a dragon-patterned robe, exclaimed in shock.

"Your Majesty!" The other officials cried out in alarm.

The old man in the dragon robe ignored the officials and looked at the white-clad man who was channeling true qi into him.

"Grandfather, you don't need to save me anymore. I know my condition. My heart meridians are shattered, and I was too careless!" The old man in the dragon robe sighed bitterly.

The white-clad man sighed, "Your heart meridians are completely shattered, Chen Taiji. You were too greedy and reckless this time! Why didn't you wait for me?"

"I wanted to give it my all to secure this victory for the clan, but I underestimated the military genius of the Great Song Kingdom, Gao Xianzhi! What a formidable Gao Xianzhi! When he was guarding the southern border, I didn't know how powerful he was. Even before that, our army had been winning, advancing steadily. I never expected that the Song King would entrust all military power to Gao Xianzhi. With the army under his command, it was like he had divine assistance, unpredictable and invincible. Our favorable situation was completely dismantled by him, and our vast army was forced into a full retreat. The Song King is truly willing to sacrifice! Cough, cough!" Chen Taiji coughed and said bitterly.

"I told you, this war between the Chen Kingdom and the Song Kingdom involves a much broader scope than you can imagine. The sects behind the Song Kingdom, like ours, have issued strict orders to win at all costs. Whoever wins, the sect behind them will gain the newly discovered spirit stone mine!" The white-clad man sighed.

"Grandson humbly requests that Grandfather slay Gao Xianzhi. Otherwise, our Chen Kingdom will be utterly defeated, and even face extinction!" Chen Taiji pleaded.

The white-clad man frowned and shook his head, "I told you, this involves a much broader scope. It was originally just for a spirit stone mine, but now it has attracted the interest of a great figure. This great figure wants to observe the battle in the secular world and has ordered us not to interfere. Not only me, but even the Sect Master would not offend this great figure for the sake of a secular kingdom!"

"What? You can't interfere? Cough, cough!" Chen Taiji coughed up another mouthful of blood.

The white-clad man nodded affirmatively, "The sect behind the Song Kingdom cannot interfere either. So, don't think your injuries were caused by the sect behind the Song Kingdom. It was entirely due to Gao Xianzhi's command!"

"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough!" Chen Taiji coughed again.

"Report!"

A soldier rushed into the tent, knelt on one knee, and looked at the emperor, whose face was pale and spitting blood, his expression stiffening.

"Speak!" Chen Taiji stared at the soldier.

"Your Majesty, the Tong Pass has fallen!" The soldier reported in panic.

"What? Cough, cough, cough!" Chen Taiji coughed up more blood.

"Report!"

Another soldier rushed into the tent.

"Your Majesty, the Chengshan Pass has fallen!"

"Report!"

"Your Majesty, the Jiayu Pass has fallen!"

"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough!"

In the tent, it was eerily quiet, with only the rapid breathing of the officials and Chen Taiji's coughing breaking the silence.

Chen Taiji's pale face was now tinged with blood.

The white-clad man frowned deeply, as if he could see that Chen Taiji was in his final moments.

In the tent, all the officials looked panicked.

"Father Emperor, if the Tong Pass, Chengshan Pass, and Jiayu Pass fall, the Song Kingdom will have a clear path to our heartland. Our kingdom will lose three-quarters of its territory, and it will be over!" The man in the dragon-patterned robe looked terrified.

The white-clad man sighed, "We have lost, and we will lose. This Gao Xianzhi is truly formidable. The Chen Kingdom has no hope of turning the tide!"

Chen Taiji's face was flushed red, "A military genius? A military genius, feinting east to attack west, breaking through three passes, and demoralizing our troops. What a formidable Gao Xianzhi, cough, cough, cough!"

"Chen Taiji, let the crown prince ascend the throne. The Chen Kingdom still has the Hulao Pass, which we hope can hold out for a while. Alas, what's the point of holding out longer? This battle is lost. I only hope the Sect Master does not blame your son!" The white-clad man said with a grim expression.

"What? The Sect Master's blame?" Chen Taiji looked at the white-clad man, trying to suppress his coughing.

The white-clad man paused, then nodded, "I might also be implicated. A great figure is watching this battle. If the Chen Kingdom loses, the great figure will be disappointed with the sect, and the Sect Master cares deeply about the great figure's opinion. Perhaps, the Sect Master will not blame you, given how formidable the Song Kingdom's military genius is..."

Chen Taiji suddenly trembled, his eyes flickering as if making a difficult decision.

"No, we haven't lost yet. We still have the Hulao Pass, we still have the Hulao Pass!" Chen Taiji said, trembling.

"Hulao Pass? The Hulao Pass has the fewest troops, and they are mostly imperial guards, unlike the soldiers at the other three passes. They are like inexperienced sheep, and there are not many of them. How can they resist the Song Kingdom's fierce army? Moreover, you are almost at the end, and your son's abilities are far inferior to yours. If you can't hold them off, how can the crown prince? And we are about to lose three-quarters of our territory, with the people's hearts lost. What do you have left to fight the Song Kingdom with? And their military genius, Gao Xianzhi! The situation is dire, and it cannot be stopped!" The white-clad man sighed.

"No, we haven't lost yet!" Chen Taiji said, trembling and with a fierce expression.

"Relying on these defeated soldiers? The kingdom is about to fall, and no one can stop it. Taiji, you should think about how to atone to the sect!" The white-clad man said bitterly.

"Father Emperor, what can we do? The sect won't interfere..." The crown prince in the dragon-patterned robe said bitterly.

Chen Taiji closed his eyes, his whole body trembling. After a while, he said, "No, there is one person. He, he can turn the tide, he can!"

"Huh?" The white-clad man was slightly taken aback.

The crown prince also looked curious.

"Crown Prince, go and beg him. As long as he is willing to come out of seclusion, as long as he is willing to come out of seclusion, we can still win, we can! Cough, cough, cough!" Chen Taiji coughed.

"Chen Taiji, this is no time for jokes. The Chen Kingdom is almost completely lost. Who can turn the tide? The Song Kingdom is united, and with the military genius Gao Xianzhi leading the charge, their morale is sky-high. Without our sect's intervention, the war cannot be turned around!" The white-clad man said disbelievingly.

"He can, he can, he definitely can!" Chen Taiji's face was flushed red.

"Who? Father Emperor, who?" The crown prince asked in surprise.

"Gu Hai!" Chen Taiji said the name with great difficulty, as if he was deeply averse to the person.

"The richest man in the six kingdoms, Mr. Gu?" The crown prince was surprised.

"The richest man in the six kingdoms? Cough, cough, cough, Gu Hai? I never thought that before I die, I would have to beg you again!" Chen Taiji said with a bitter smile.

"Gu Hai? The old man who only started practicing cultivation after the age of thirty and was obsessed with joining our sect, despite his poor aptitude?"

"Grandfather, you know him?" Chen Taiji looked at the white-clad man in surprise.

"I have met him. Most of the people in our sect at the Golden Core stage have met him. As soon as he enters the secular world, he can quickly find us, bribing us in every way to be introduced to the sect. However, his aptitude is too poor, and he started practicing too late, making it impossible for him to achieve anything. Accepting him would only make us a laughingstock to other sects!" The white-clad man nodded.

"Gu Hai? Ha, I thought I had suppressed his chances of contacting the sect, but he somehow bypassed my precautions. A hidden dragon in the depths, hahaha, cough, cough, cough!" Chen Taiji coughed and said bitterly.

"Chen Taiji, you say Gu Hai can turn the tide? How can you be so sure? He is just a mortal, only at the Later Heaven stage."

"Yes, Father Emperor, he is just a merchant. Can he command an army?"

"He can, he definitely can! If Gao Xianzhi is a military genius, then Gu Hai is a military genius king! Crown Prince, lead the officials to beg him! You must get him! Even if you have to kneel, you must get him!" Chen Taiji said with determination.

"A mere merchant? A military genius king?"

"Grandfather, try to meet his demands. He is a mere merchant, and a mere mortal, but only he can turn the tide. To win, we must invite him! I will guarantee his safety with the crown prince's life!" Chen Taiji's face was flushed red.

The white-clad man looked at Chen Taiji, frowning in thought. The situation was already hopeless, but Chen Taiji was firmly convinced that Gu Hai could turn the tide. Moreover, Chen Taiji's expression did not seem to be faked. The white-clad man gradually became more serious. After all, this war between the two kingdoms involved too much, and no detail could be overlooked.

"I will. The Sect Master has given me the authority to act. As long as it is not excessive, I will do my best to meet his demands!" The white-clad man said solemnly.

"Crown Prince, after inviting Gu Hai out of seclusion, to turn the tide, you must follow his every command. Remember, any command, and call him Uncle Gu! He was once my sworn brother! Cough, cough!" Chen Taiji said weakly and bitterly.

"Uncle Gu?" The crown prince looked surprised.

"Finally, tell him I am sorry. I was the one who wronged him back then!" Chen Taiji said with a bitter, sad expression.

After saying this, Chen Taiji closed his eyes. His flushed face suddenly turned pale, and he fell silent.

"Father Emperor!"

"Your Majesty!"

"His Majesty has passed away!"

Inside and outside the tent, everyone fell to their knees, mourning loudly.

...