「Outside the Zuo Family residence.」
Chen Yang remained unmoved, his eyes gradually narrowing.
He distinctly remembered what his father, Ren Tong, had said on the day he formally began his martial training: "Peng Xuanhai and Feng Chaoyang; who can carry both book and sword into the great unknown?"
At the time, Ren Tong had given Chen Yang a choice: be a scholar, or wield a sword on the battlefield?
In his early years, Chen Yang did possess a certain scholarly air. To many, including Ren Tong, this suggested he would be indecisive and ill-suited for the front lines. But as it turned out, having a scholarly demeanor had absolutely no impact on his capacity for ruthless slaughter.
Whether as a Commander at first, or later as the Zhennan Prince, which of those titles wasn't won through slaughter?
Along the way, Chen Yang had heard many opinions, but one line remained etched in his memory: "Though our lands are different, we share the same sky and moon." It was often followed by the sentiment that killing was the last resort, a method to be used only when all else failed, and that a way to coexist peacefully could always be found.
Chen Yang had actually given this some serious thought back then, but in the end, he had simply laughed it off.
In war, you kill to end the fighting.
Even if the same moon shines above, you first have to beat the opponent until they are broken and battered, until they kneel and surrender willingly!
And some didn't even get the chance to surrender.
For instance, the Barbarians? And this Zuo Family, along with the other nobles? Only by thoroughly exterminating them can the root of chaos be severed. No matter how the world judges me, their endless chatter cannot be silenced. And similarly, no one can stop my advance. Not Zuo Chang. And not the Imperial Clan either!
SNAP.
Chen Yang lit a cigarette and took a slow drag, his back as straight as a javelin. He stood there, a lone pillar between heaven and earth, giving off the impression that as long as he was there, the sky itself would not fall.
When the cigarette had burned down to its end, Yang Hu walked out. He tossed a pair of blood-stained gloves into a nearby trash can, stood beside Chen Yang, and lit a cigarette of his own, remaining silent.
Yang Hu clenched his fists. He had recently begun his attempt to break through to the Saint Realm, but unfortunately, it was not a realm one could enter just by wishing it. It was a well-known fact that ninety-nine percent of all Fist Masters were barred by this very threshold.
The path ahead was clear: without entering the Saint Realm, one would ultimately become no more than an ant.
"Spread the word," Chen Yang ordered Yang Hu. "Release the full story of how the Zuo Family pressured the academy to alter Wei Dayong's grades."
"Got it!" Yang Hu nodded.
Chen Yang turned and clapped Wei Dayong on the shoulder. "When you join the Martial Department, work hard!"
"Boss..." Wei Dayong started to speak but then hesitated.
Chen Yang simply waved his hand and walked toward the van.
"Your subordinate obeys the command!" Wei Dayong saluted respectfully, tears welling in his eyes.
Looking back on this moment in the future, he knew his intuition had been correct. This was the last time in his life he would ever salute this resolute, iron-boned man.
「Years later.」
When the enemy advanced southward, a young man named Wei Dayong faced them head-on. He led 1,800,000 of his troops and intercepted more than 2,000,000 enemy soldiers on the snowfields beyond the borders. The fierce battle lasted for three days and two nights. In the end, 2,000,000 enemies were slain and over 400,000 were captured in a decisive victory.
But this young man did not stop there. Instead, he led his forces northward and completely razed the enemy's territory, which spanned millions of square kilometers. After much deliberation, the Elders' Court decided to establish the Northern Governor's Residence on this snowy plain.
Under the young general's command, a statue over a hundred meters tall was erected in the square before the Governor's Residence. It depicted a man in golden armor, his sword pointing toward the southern sky.
Someone asked the young general, "You have the greatest merit, so why erect a statue of another man?"
The young general replied, "Because he is Chen Yang. Without him, there would be no peace and prosperity, no justice in this world, and no invincible Martial Guard. There would be no me, Wei Dayong, either. He is the true hero of this vast country. And I, Wei Dayong, will always be just a Messenger Officer by his side."
Years had passed, but the name Chen Yang was once again sung throughout the world. Buried deep in the hearts of many, the memory of an incredibly fierce battle that had darkened the skies and the earth slowly resurfaced.
In that battle, the man named Chen Yang stood alone on the banks of the Qingyuan River. Across from him stood the most formidable army of tigers and wolves in the mortal world.
After that battle, the Imperial Clan was no more.
It happened on a rainy day. When the dark clouds finally dispersed and the brilliant sun shone down upon the earth, an era came to a definitive end. In its place, a new age began. The law applied to all, from the King to the commoner. Benevolence spread to every corner of the world.
But what of him?
Some said that after the battle, his foundation had been shattered. Knowing his life was short, he wandered alone across the vast lands, watching flowers bloom and fade, until he finally passed away peacefully in an old temple. Others said he had secluded himself in a charitable home, spending his days with children.
In any case, the man was gone from this world, as if he had evaporated into thin air.
Later, the Elders' Court retained the supreme position of War God of the State but never promoted anyone to it. There was, and only ever would be, one War God of the State.
He was the Former Chief Military Commander, Chen Yang.
「Qingyuan River Estate.」
Zuo Fan, still stinging from the public slap his father had given him, drove to his private estate.
"A single sword was enough to scare your Zuo Family into this state?" Tu Su, dressed in a white robe, sat in the main seat of the hall, swirling a glass of red wine with a dismissive chuckle.
"My father was just thinking of the bigger picture," Zuo Fan defended, his lips twitching. "But the final outcome won't change! Those two pieces of trash will meet a tragic death. There is no other possibility." With an arrogant look, he added, "Forget some sword. So what if that Chen Yang showed up himself?"
"So what? Haha..." Tu Su was amused by Zuo Fan's bravado. He leaned forward and said seriously, "If he showed up, your Zuo Family would be annihilated."
Zuo Fan was speechless.
"Of course," Tu Su continued, "that's only if he dares."
"He wouldn't dare!" Zuo Fan shouted desperately. "My Zuo Family is backed by the Imperial Clan! Let him try and touch us!"
Tu Su smiled without another word, clearly satisfied with Zuo Fan's response. In this mortal world, who would dare to disregard his Imperial Clan? Even one of the Imperial Clan's dogs could not be killed by just anyone.
"In one week, I will sever his head," Tu Su stated indifferently, taking a sip of his wine.
Zuo Fan bowed with a clenched fist. "Sir, when the time comes, please allow me to watch. I want to witness his death with my own eyes."
The words had barely left his mouth when his personal bodyguard, Zhou Tianfei, ran in, his face pale as a sheet. "Young... Young Master, at the estate..."
"What's all the rash panic about?" Zuo Fan raised an eyebrow and shouted, "Is the sky falling?"
"It's been annihilated! The entire Zuo Family... has been wiped out!"
Zuo Fan was speechless.
Tu Su was speechless.
...