The valley exploded.
One moment—
snow.
Silence.
Royal arrogance.
The next—
Ghost flames tore through the earth like hell had finally filed a complaint.
Blue fire rose across the battlefield.
Formation arrays lit beneath the snow.
The mountains themselves seemed to wake up angry.
And at the centre of it all—
My dear Third Brother stood in perfect calm, surrounded by thirty thousand suddenly very concerned soldiers.
Honestly?
Beautiful.
Absolutely beautiful.
I stood on the ridge above, spear in hand, watching ten thousand ghost soldiers rise from beneath the valley like ancient tax collectors.
No mercy.
No negotiation.
Only paperwork from the dead.
Hu Mei stood beside me, eating chestnuts and enjoying history.
"Master."
I sighed.
"Yes."
"This may be your most romantic battlefield yet."
I looked at the burning valley.
Ghosts.
Phoenix fire.
A royal army screaming.
I nodded.
"Very intimate."
She smiled proudly.
"This is why I stay."
Terrifying.
Very terrifying.
Below us, the royal army tried to stabilise.
Trumpets sounded.
Orders were shouted.
War beasts roared.
The Crimson Guard moved instantly, protecting Chen Lie's position like professional nightmares.
Good.
They were exactly as annoying as advertised.
General Han rode forward, sword raised.
"Protect His Highness! Hold formation!"
Disciplined.
Fast.
Competent.
I respected it.
Then Bai Wuchen politely ruined his entire evening.
The ancient general raised his black sword.
The Ghost Legion advanced.
No battle cry.
No hesitation.
Just death walking downhill.
General Han's cavalry charged.
And died.
Ghost spears pierced warhorses.
Blue flames swallowed armour.
The first front line collapsed like imperial budgeting.
Beautiful.
I smiled.
"General Bai continues to impress me."
Feng Yuehuang, standing beside me like divine arson, folded her arms.
"He wastes no movement."
I glanced at the eastern ridge, still slightly on fire.
"Unlike some people."
She looked offended.
"I am elegance."
Hu Mei whispered,
"She means violence."
Correct.
Very correct.
At the centre of the battlefield, Chen Lie finally moved.
He drew his sword.
Silver-black spiritual light spread outward like a king's judgement.
The pressure hit the valley instantly.
Even from the ridge, I felt it.
Heavy.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
Spirit Core Realm?
No.
Higher.
Much higher.
Damn.
Very damn it.
Yue Lian's expression changed.
"He broke through again."
Of course he did.
The man collected cultivation realms like political scandals.
I exhaled slowly.
Good.
I hated easy victories.
Mostly because I never got them.
Chen Lie stepped forward once.
Just once.
And the Ghost Legion's front line actually stopped.
Even Bai Wuchen's soul flames burnt brighter.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The Third Prince raised his sword.
Then—
one slash.
A black crescent of sword qi cut across the battlefield like night itself had chosen violence.
BOOM.
Ghost soldiers shattered.
The valley split.
Snow exploded into the sky.
Even I had to pause.
That was—
rude.
Extremely rude.
Hu Mei blinked.
"Oh."
She looked at me.
"Your brother is also emotionally unstable."
I nodded.
"Unfortunately, it runs in the family."
Chen Lie looked up at me across the battlefield.
Calm.
Unbothered.
Like he had simply corrected bad architecture.
He spoke only one sentence.
"Come down."
Ah.
A personal invitation.
How touching.
I smiled.
"See?"
I pointed.
"He misses me."
Feng Yuehuang grabbed my wrist before I could move.
Strong.
Warm.
Very distracting.
Her golden eyes locked on mine.
"No."
Simple.
Dangerous word.
I looked at her.
"Unfortunately, yes."
Her grip tightened slightly.
"He wants you angry."
She was right.
Annoyingly right.
Chen Lie was not trying to provoke a battle.
He was trying to control the rhythm.
He wanted me emotional.
Direct.
Predictable.
Like the old Fifth Prince.
I smiled faintly.
"And that's exactly why I won't give it to him."
Slowly—
I raised my spear.
Then pointed not at Chen Lie—
But at the rear camps.
His supply base.
His command tents.
His comfort.
I looked at Bai Wuchen.
"General."
The undead commander understood instantly.
Blue flames rose brighter.
Perfect.
I smiled toward my brother.
"Third Brother…"
My voice carried over the battlefield.
"You came all this way."
I tilted my head.
"It would be rude if I didn't prepare proper hospitality."
Then I dropped my spear.
Forward.
The signal.
The western cliffs exploded.
Mo Jianli came down like a demon who had personally lost patience with geography.
His blade crashed into the rear supply camp.
BOOM.
Fire.
Chaos.
Screaming.
At the same moment—
Lin Xue froze the southern escape path.
Walls of ice rose like winter had signed a contract.
And from the forest—
The Frost Wolf Corps attacked the sidelines.
Panic spread.
Beautiful.
Professional.
Exactly as planned.
General Han shouted desperately.
"The rear camp! Protect the rear camp!"
Too late.
Much too late.
Chen Lie stood in the centre of collapsing order, watching all of it.
Still calm.
Still controlled.
That was what made him terrifying.
Most men panicked.
He calculated.
He looked up at me again.
And smiled.
Small.
Sharp.
Ah.
There it was.
That smile meant he had expected this.
Of course, he had.
Of course.
I narrowed my eyes.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Then Shadow Sparrow appeared beside him like a nightmare with excellent posture.
She whispered something.
His expression shifted.
Just slightly.
Enough.
I caught it.
Good.
Finally.
A weakness.
Before I could think further—
Feng Yuehuang stepped beside me.
Flames rising around her.
"Enough strategy."
She looked toward the battlefield.
"I want to burn something important."
Honestly?
Fair.
I pointed at the Crimson Guard.
"There."
Her smile was terrifying.
Perfect.
She disappeared in a storm of golden fire.
And somewhere below—
Royal soldiers immediately began regretting their ancestors.
I watched the battlefield burn and understood something simple.
This was no longer an ambush.
No longer rebellion.
No longer survival.
This was an inheritance.
The throne.
The empire.
The future.
All of it—
being decided in one frozen valley between two brothers who refused to kneel.
I looked down at Chen Lie.
At the prince who thought this valley would bury me.
And smiled.
"Brother…"
I whispered into the snow.
"This valley is your coffin."