In the borderlands between the Tianfeng Kingdom and Nanling Kingdom, outside Jiuyuan City in Nanling, an army of hundreds of thousands clad in black armor gathered, their presence exuding murderous intent.
At the gates of Jiuyuan City, some 200,000 soldiers in silver armor, mounted on warhorses and wielding gleaming white sabers, stood in a disciplined formation.
The leader of these troops was a towering, resolute middle-aged man. He gripped a black war spear over ten feet long and rode a beast resembling a horse, covered in shimmering green scales—a mythical creature known as a Green-Scaled Unicorn Horse. His piercing gaze was fixed on the opposing army.
This man was Mu Tian, the commanding general defending Jiuyuan City, a renowned martial master of the Yuan Dan Realm.
In the vast Tianwu Continent, where ancient martial arts reigned supreme, nations vied for dominance, and countless races competed for supremacy in a seemingly boundless land. Here, people cultivated their internal energy—called Yuan Power—by absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Over generations, the martial sages of antiquity established a hierarchy of cultivation realms, ranked from weakest to strongest: Tongmai Realm, Zifu Realm, Ninggang Realm, Yuan Dan Realm, and higher realms unknown in Jiuyuan City. Each realm was further divided into nine levels.
Beside Mu Tian stood a young boy with sharp brows and bright eyes. A scar ran across his left brow, his chiseled features radiating a determined handsomeness. Though merely 15 or 16 years old, his demeanor carried the iron-blooded aura of a soldier.
The silver armor he wore enhanced his heroic bearing.
This was Mu Feng, Mu Tian's son, a prodigy of Nanling Kingdom and the pride of the Mu family. Having followed his father into countless battles from a young age, he had already reached the third level of the Zifu Realm, a remarkable feat for someone his age.
Mu Feng gripped the military saber in his hand tightly. Standing resolutely by his father's side, his eyes revealed an unwavering determination that belied his youth, unshaken even in the face of the massive enemy army.
On the city walls, a middle-aged man clad in a black robe embroidered with a dragon motif watched coldly. As his gaze fell on Mu Tian's back, a sinister smirk flickered across his face.
"Mu Tian, you chose the wrong side. Don't blame me for being ruthless today," the man muttered under his breath.
Suddenly, a horn blasted from the opposing army of 700,000 to 800,000 soldiers.
"Charge!"
With a thunderous roar from the enemy general, the black-armored troops surged forward, their battle cries shaking the heavens.
"Feng'er, are you afraid?" Mu Tian asked his son, his voice calm as he observed the incoming tide of enemies.
"Father, I'm not afraid. As a son of the Mu family, I will defend our homeland. I'd rather die advancing than live retreating!" Mu Feng replied with resolute determination.
"Haha, that's my boy!" Mu Tian laughed heartily before turning to his soldiers. "Brothers, what about you? Are you afraid?"
"The Mu family army fears no death!" came the thunderous reply from 200,000 soldiers, their voices filled with unyielding resolve.
"Good! Those who invade our homeland shall be punished! Charge!" Mu Tian raised his spear and roared.
"Kill!" shouted Mu Feng, his voice joining the deafening war cries of the Mu family army. Though vastly outnumbered, they charged without hesitation. Their reason was simple: they were soldiers, born to protect their nation.
Boom!
The two forces collided like rivers of steel. The clash of swords and the roars of combat filled the air.
Mu Tian's golden Yuan Power surged like a raging torrent into his spear. With a single thrust, dozens of golden spear rays shot out, piercing through ranks of enemy soldiers. Dozens fell lifelessly to the ground.
The might of a Yuan Dan Realm warrior could slaughter thousands and rout entire armies with a single strike.
"Kill!" Mu Feng, wielding his saber and carrying a spear on his back, leaped from his horse. In midair, his saber unleashed a three-meter-long arc of red energy, cleaving an enemy soldier in two.
As Mu Feng landed on an enemy's warhorse, he swung his saber again, decapitating another soldier. With a deft step, he leapt back onto his own mount. These military combat techniques were second nature to him.
Though he fought fiercely, Mu Feng stayed within twenty meters of his father, cutting down enemies while maintaining a strategic position.
"Your Highness, shall we fire arrows to aid General Mu?" a deputy on Jiuyuan City's walls asked the black-robed man, Nan Hao, a prince of Nanling.
"No need. Arrows have no eyes. We wouldn't want to accidentally harm our dear General Mu," Nan Hao replied with a cold smile. The deputy frowned but said nothing more.
Despite their valor, the Mu family army was severely outnumbered. As the sun began to set, the battlefield was drenched in blood. Over half of Mu Tian's soldiers had fallen, though they had taken 200,000 enemies with them. Yet, no reinforcements came from Jiuyuan City.
"Your Highness, this cannot continue. General Mu's forces are too few. I beg you to let me lead troops to support him," another officer on the walls pleaded with Nan Hao.
"No reinforcements! If we send troops, who will guard the city?" Nan Hao refused outright.
The officer's face darkened. Watching the Mu family army fight desperately below, he clenched his fists in frustration.
In the enemy camp, a general atop a dragon-horned horse observed the battle and sighed. "Mu Tian truly is a tiger of a general. What a pity he was born in Nanling. Relay my orders: full attack! Anyone who kills an enemy soldier will be rewarded with 100 gold!"
"Yes, General!" a messenger quickly relayed the order.
"This isn't working," Mu Shou, a bloodstained officer and Mu Tian's trusted aide, said grimly. "The enemy is too many. We should retreat to the city and use its defenses to hold them off until reinforcements arrive."
Glancing at his weary soldiers and his exhausted son, Mu Tian nodded. "Retreat to the city!" he commanded.
The Mu family army began a fighting withdrawal toward Jiuyuan City.
"Open the gates! The army is retreating to the city!" a Mu family officer shouted.
"We'll open them immediately!" came the reply from a city officer. But before the gates could open, a blade flashed, severing the officer's head.
Nan Hao stood with his sword raised, smirking coldly at the retreating soldiers. "No retreat!"
"Your Highness, what are you doing?" Mu Tian roared, his fury rising.
"General Mu, if you retreat, the enemy will storm the city. Please hold your position. Reinforcements will arrive soon," Nan Hao replied, his voice dripping with malice.
"Damn you, Nan Hao! You scheming bastard! Open the gates now!"