Chapter 1018: The Great Chu Commander

War! War! War!

The thunderous roars shook the heavens and earth, causing the massive army of Tian Mo outside the city to collectively step back. Those heart-shaking cries now acted like a curse, entangling their souls and preventing them from advancing.

Witnessing this scene, the Di Mo Jun and others from Bei Zhen Cang Yuan furrowed their brows. They had expected to take Da Chu easily, but unexpected twists kept arising. Although they had captured Bei Chu, they had lost two Mo Jun and over a thousand Mo Jiang in the process. Now, the Tian Mo army was being driven back by the roars of Da Chu cultivators—an outcome they had not anticipated. After all, those Tian Mo soldiers were at least at the Tian Jing level in the Tian Mo domain. It was absurd and infuriating that they were retreating from Da Chu forces, none of whom had even reached Tian Jing.

Sound the gong! Withdraw!

In the end, Di Mo Jun spoke, his gaze fixed coldly on the south, his eyes flickering with sinister and terrifying demonic light. The Tian Mo army retreated en masse but did not return to Bei Zhen Cang Yuan; instead, they stationed themselves in the wilderness three hundred li from Nan Chu.

Whew!

Seeing the Tian Mo forces retreat, Dong Huang Tai Xin and the others from Tian Xuan Men let out a collective sigh of relief. Their relief stemmed not from Da Chu's victory but from the temporary withdrawal of the Tian Mo, giving Da Chu a chance to catch its breath. With their defenses stabilized, victory became possible, and reclaiming Bei Chu one day might not be out of reach.

Ye Chen and Ji Ning Shuang had returned to the city walls, both spitting out mouthfuls of fresh blood. Charging through ninety million Mo Bing and even slaying the An Hei Mo Jun was an act against the heavens, a feat unmatched in history. Their prowess had established Da Chu's formidable reputation and shown its cultivators that, though the Tian Mo were strong, they were not unbeatable. As long as Da Chu's cultivators united, they would ultimately emerge victorious in this war.

As everyone's emotions surged, Ye Chen set down the child on his back, Hu Wa, and Ji Ning Shuang set down Xi Yan. They were covered in blood, some their own and some from the Tian Mo. The two departed in peace, knowing their most important people in life were seeing them off. To ensure they wouldn't be alone on the road to the underworld, their master had even risked everything to slay a Mo Jun amid the ninety million Mo Bing.

Ah!

Gazing at Hu Wa and Xi Yan, many people sighed inwardly. These two brightest talents of the Qing Zi generation had left them, destined to be Da Chu's most radiant stars of the future, yet they had become tragic victims of the war.

Xi... Xi Yan!

In the midst of the silence, a frail figure climbed the city walls, stooped and white-haired, supported by a graying noblewoman. Upon closer inspection, it was Zhao Yu, the emperor of the mortal realm's Zhao Guo, and Xi Yan's mother.

Normally, the city walls were off-limits to mortals, but given their special status, an exception was made.

I'm sorry!

Ye Chen's voice was hoarse and strained, the holy lord of Tian Ting lowering his proud head to two mortals. Perhaps he felt guilty—if he hadn't given Xi Yan hope back then, that silly girl wouldn't have traveled thousands of li to Heng Yue Zong, nor would she have faced the hardships and thorns on the path of cultivation. If time could be rewound, he would rather have her remain a princess in the mortal world, far from the chaos of worldly conflicts. Let the cultivators handle the battles; she could simply live as a mortal, choosing a beloved consort and growing old with him, rather than meeting a tragic end on this blood-soaked road of cultivation.

Immortal, don't feel guilty. This was the path she chose!

Zhao Yu lifted Xi Yan and staggered away, his back hunched and every step heavy. Xi Yan, the second true disciple of Tian Ting and hailed as the greatest talent in contemporary Da Chu, was a cultivator with parents. As the saying goes, fallen leaves return to their roots, so her final resting place should be in the mortal realm.

After they left, Zhang Feng Nian also climbed up, tears streaming down his aged face, as he carried Hu Wa away. Before Hu Wa began cultivating, he had always depended on Zhang Feng Nian. That child, who had never known a full meal, would never show his simple, honest smile again. He should be buried in the small spirit garden of Heng Yue Zong, where a kind old man would watch over him through the seasons for the next hundred years.

Watching Zhao Yu and Zhang Feng Nian depart, tears of blood blurred Ye Chen and Ji Ning Shuang's eyes. This was war—watching loved ones vanish from sight, a pain that tore at the heart.

The three million li of city walls and the vast lands of Nan Chu fell into a prolonged silence in that moment. In the Bei Chu battle, too many Da Chu cultivators had died, and countless people had witnessed their loved ones fall. Chaotic clouds shrouded the virtual sky, leaving Nan Chu's world as dim as ever, without a trace of sunlight. Even the breeze was icy, making everyone instinctively huddle.

Quickly recover your injuries!

The long silence was finally broken by Ye Chen's hoarse and weary voice, the bloody tears in his eyes evaporating in an instant.

Hearing this, everyone took a deep breath and looked toward the city outskirts. The war was not over; more lives would be lost. They had no time for grief; they needed to stay at their peak to face the endless bloodshed ahead and defend their homeland.

The Da Chu cultivators who had withdrawn from Bei Chu sat down cross-legged, supplied with healing sacred medicines from Dan Cheng. As for those who had been guarding Nan Chu and hadn't joined the Bei Chu battle, they were already at their peak and now climbed the walls, their eyes fierce and alert for any potential Tian Mo attack.

Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!

While everyone healed, Man Shan and Yan Long were rushing along the walls, urging Da Chu cultivators to set up the strong crossbows. These crossbows were thicker than war spears and engraved with terrifying secret techniques. They might be ineffective against Mo Jiang-level foes, but they were highly effective against Mo Bing.

The entire three million li of city walls were equipped with these crossbows. If the Tian Mo army dared approach, they would face a devastating barrage.

Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!

Dao Xuan Zhen Ren and Feng Wu Hen were also urging on, with a full line of archers standing atop the three million li walls. The bows and arrows were all supplied by Zhu Jian Cheng, each engraved with fearsome secret arts. Useless against Mo Jiang, but very effective against Mo Bing.

Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!

Wu Ya Dao Ren and Gu San Tong were busy as well, gathering all of Da Chu's experts in array formations and barriers to continuously reinforce the array patterns on the city walls, ensuring their resilience.

Everything proceeded in an orderly manner.

In the dim night, at the Tian Ting headquarters hall, a crowd had gathered—all the major leaders: Tian Ting holy lord Ye Chen, Zheng Yang sect leader Ji Ning Shuang, Heng Yue Zong sect leader Liu Yi, Qing Yun sect leader Zhou Ao, the successive generations of kings, the descendants of emperors, and the supreme elders of various families and Tian Ting.

This was a true grand alliance. All of Da Chu's forces, except those destroyed, were here—an unprecedented assembly in Da Chu's history, worthy of being called an eternal grand era.

Silence filled the hall.

Perhaps due to the tangled grievances of past eras, mutual resentment lingered among them—like between the successive kings and the emperor's descendants, the major families and the kings, or Ji Ning Shuang and the Xue Wang. However, the Tian Mo army stationed three hundred li outside the city made them stand like statues. Internal strife in Da Chu paled in comparison to the Tian Mo invasion.

From the era of Chu Huang to the present, Da Chu had been in turmoil for tens of thousands of years. Who would have thought that opposing factions would stand together today? Such a sight was deeply moving, and this united Da Chu was truly reassuring.

"The strength of the Tian Mo, I believe everyone has witnessed," Ye Chen began, his voice hoarse, breaking the hall's silence. "To win this war, we must unite completely."

"But I wonder, just how complete do you mean?" Xue Wang glanced at Ye Chen.

"We need a commander. All Da Chu cultivators require unified leadership."

At these words, many in the hall, especially the successive kings, frowned. If there was a commander, it would be just one person. They were all kings with unparalleled pride—how could they submit to another's orders? Still, they understood that this war desperately needed unified command to maximize Da Chu's fighting strength. If they merely gathered once but continued acting independently, Da Chu would remain a scattered force.

"But who should be this commander?" After a pause, Shi Hun Wang spoke, not forgetting to glance at Ye Chen.

"If the eight predecessors are willing, you could select one from among you." Ye Chen spoke again, referring to the successive kings with the term "predecessors."

Hearing this, the successive kings were somewhat surprised. This was Nan Chu, the stronghold of Da Chu Tian Ting. Figures like the successive kings and emperor's descendants were insignificant in comparison. The holy lord of Tian Ting had not forcefully claimed the position of Da Chu commander.

Just a second earlier, they had been scheming how to vie for the commander's role. But Ye Chen's words made them feel ridiculous. They had been deceiving themselves. They had lost to the later generations not only in combat but also in resolve and vision. The so-called invincible kings now seemed like a joke.

Suddenly, the successive kings chuckled self-mockingly and waved their hands. In the past, their defeat to the Da Chu emperor was no accident—it was due to poor leadership. Now, in this era, they had collectively fallen to Da Chu Tian Ting. Even if Ye Chen had no intention of seizing the commander's position, they had no face to take it.

They admitted that, even as commander, they lacked the confidence to win this war. Ye Chen, however, did not. In just a few years, he had built the dominant Tian Ting in Da Chu, relying not only on his strength but also on his resolve, vision, imperial bearing, and exceptional leadership. His achievements had long surpassed those of emperors from the same period.

Time had proven they were all outdated. The facts showed this was no longer their glorious era. The resolve and vision of the later talents far exceeded their imaginations.

Now, who had the heart to fight for dominion? With the Tian Mo invasion and their repeated escapes in defeat, they were exhausted. Since they couldn't become emperors, serving as protectors for the future ones wasn't bad.

Involuntarily, the successive kings lifted their gazes, all focusing on Ye Chen. In that instant, they set aside their pride.

At the same time, whether the emperor's descendants, the three sects' leaders, the nine halls' masters, Tian Ting elders, or the major families' ancestors, their eyes also turned to Ye Chen.

Ye Chen, the commander of Da Chu!