The command hall had become a battlefield of blood and broken stone.
Cracks spread across the floor like spiderwebs. Half the walls had been split apart by Mo Jianli's casual slash, and the winter wind howled through the ruined hall like a ghost screaming for revenge.
Only one enemy still stood.
Luo Shan.
Captain of the Blood Wolf Battalion.
The Third Prince's execution blade.
Blood soaked his black armour. His breathing had grown heavy, but his grip on the sword remained steady.
Good.
That made him worthy.
I stood across from him, my own chest rising and falling, my sword stained red.
Behind me—
Feng Yuehuang.
Lin Xue.
Hu Mei.
Mo Jianli.
Yue Lian.
My army.
My people.
My territory.
This was no longer a desperate exile.
This was the beginning of a kingdom.
Luo Shan spat blood onto the broken floor.
His eyes were cold.
"You've changed."
I smiled faintly.
"No."
I pointed my blade toward him.
"I finally stopped pretending to be weak."
For a moment, silence.
Then Luo Shan laughed.
A bitter laugh.
"The Third Prince was right."
His killing intent rose one final time.
"If we let you live…"
His sword trembled with violent qi.
"…you would become a disaster."
I nodded.
"Correct."
Then we moved.
BOOM.
The floor shattered beneath our feet.
His sword came down like a falling mountain.
I met it head-on.
Steel screamed.
Qi exploded outward, blowing torches from the walls.
The surviving militia outside stumbled back in terror.
This was not a duel between ordinary cultivators.
This was a clash of futures.
His killing intent.
My ambition.
His loyalty to Chen Lie.
My hatred for everything stolen from the Fifth Prince.
He attacked like a wolf cornered by fire.
Fast.
Ruthless.
Desperate.
Good.
Desperate men showed everything.
I let my qi circulate through every meridian.
Qi Gathering Realm.
The power still felt new, but it was mine.
He slashed my throat.
I twisted.
Countered.
His sword scraped across my shoulder, drawing blood.
I drove my knee into his ribs.
Crack.
He coughed up blood.
I didn't stop.
This world had taught me something quickly—
Hesitation was death.
I stepped in.
The sword flashed.
Luo Shan blocked.
Too slow.
I shifted the blade and drove it straight through his chest.
Silence.
For one long breath, neither of us moved.
Then his eyes widened.
Blood spilt from the corner of his lips.
He looked down at the sword buried in him.
"…impossible…"
I leaned closer.
"No."
My voice was low.
"Inevitable."
His fingers trembled.
Then loosened.
His sword fell.
His body collapsed to the floor.
Dead.
The myth system exploded with light.
[Elite Enemy Slain]
Blood Wolf Captain Luo Shan defeated
EXP +1500
Reward: 2 Divine Summon Cards
Reward: Blood Wolf Battalion Recruitment Token
Reward: Mid-Grade Spirit Weapon Chest
Reward: Concealment Technique
Breakthrough Achieved
At that moment—
The entire outpost shook.
Spiritual qi rushed from every direction like a storm.
The sky above the command hall darkened.
The Phoenix Flame Guards outside stared upward in shock.
The villagers in Frostwood felt the pressure even from miles away.
My body trembled as qi surged through every broken path inside me.
BOOM.
A wave of spiritual pressure burst outward.
Snow exploded from the rooftops.
The two Frost Wolves howled toward the heavens.
Even Mo Jianli stopped smiling.
Feng Yuehuang's golden eyes narrowed slightly.
I had broken through again.
[Qi Gathering Level 1 → Level 3]
I exhaled slowly.
The air around me felt different.
Lighter.
Sharper.
Stronger.
This was real power.
Not enough.
But enough for now.
Hu Mei crossed her arms and whistled softly.
"Master keeps growing faster than expected."
Mo Jianli rested his demonic blade on his shoulder.
"Good."
He smirked.
"A weak master is boring."
Lin Xue simply nodded once.
"Acceptable."
Coming from her, that was probably praise.
I turned and looked down at Luo Shan's corpse.
Then, at the wolf mask lying beside him.
An idea formed.
Slow.
Cold.
Perfect.
I smiled.
"Yue Lian."
She stepped forward immediately.
"Yes, Your Highness."
I pointed at the corpse.
"Cut off his head."
The hall fell silent.
Even Hu Mei blinked.
Yue Lian didn't hesitate.
"As commanded."
A clean strike.
The head rolled across the broken floor.
Blood spread like spilt ink.
I picked up the broken wolf mask and placed it beside the severed head.
Then looked south.
Toward the capital.
Toward the palace.
Toward the Third Prince.
"Prepare a carriage."
Yue Lian understood instantly.
A faint smile touched her lips.
"You wish to send a gift."
I nodded.
"Yes."
My voice was calm.
"His Highness sent me killers."
I looked at Luo Shan's dead eyes.
"It would be rude not to reply."
Hu Mei laughed.
"Oh, I truly chose the right master."
Even Feng Yuehuang's lips curved slightly.
Dangerous approval.
Good.
Let Chen Lie open the carriage himself.
Let him see the face of his failed executioner.
Let him understand.
I was no longer prey.
I was the knife now.
Outside, the crimson banner of the Fifth Prince danced in the northern wind.
Tomorrow, the capital would receive its answer.
And when the Third Prince saw it—
The real war would begin.