Chapter 31: I Refuse to Accept Defeat

By this time, Yang Zhan had already cut down the others, though most had been killed by Ge Da himself.

Ge Da, wielding his sword with qi, had moved with such reckless abandon that many of those clashing with Yang Zhan were inadvertently slaughtered by his hand. This had plunged the enemy into a state of panic, causing them to shrink back in fear, their morale utterly shattered. Now, only Ge Da remained, hovering in the air above, staring down at Yang Zhan with eyes so wide they seemed ready to split.

Yang Zhan looked up. "My thanks for the assistance. Otherwise, I would have had to expend much more effort to finish off these small fries!"

Despite his words, Yang Zhan was drenched in blood—some his enemies', some his own. After all, Ge Da was a practitioner of the Profound Realm, and his methods were lethally potent; anyone else in Yang Zhan’s position would have died long ago. Furthermore, Yang Zhan had been poisoned. His blood energy was now severely depleted.

A flush of crimson crept into Ge Da’s gaunt eyes. "A fine performance, Yang Zhan. Moments ago, I held back, fearing for my own men, but now, I have no such reservations!"

"And then what?"

Ge Da suddenly ascended further, pulling back to a considerable height. "No matter how strong you are, Yang Zhan, at this altitude, even crossbows cannot reach you. You are nothing more than a target for me now!"

Yang Zhan replied, "If I were to step inside the prison, what could you do to me?"

Ge Da faltered, then immediately struck. "You want to run? It won't be that easy!"

In an instant, a sword descended from the sky, carrying a murderous intent far more terrifying than before. But Yang Zhan did not flee. His previously dwindling blood energy surged wildly at that very moment. The long saber in his hand was suddenly hurled upward into the air.

Ge Da was startled and hurriedly shifted his position to dodge. But immediately, he realized that Yang Zhan’s power was truly immense—a feat that even the strongest crossbow could not achieve, Yang Zhan had accomplished with sheer arm strength alone, sending the rapidly spinning blade screaming into the high sky.

Ge Da watched as the blade flew past him and into the distance. "Ha... for all your strength, you are no match for a crossbow; your aim is far too poor."

*Squelch!*

Yang Zhan’s shoulder was instantly pierced by Ge Da’s sword. Ge Da, now even more excited, formed a seal with his hands, his divine sense guiding the qi. After piercing Yang Zhan’s shoulder, the sword turned back around to strike again.

But at that exact moment, the flying sword suddenly stopped dead, dropping into the snow.

High above, Ge Da looked down in astonishment, only to see his lower waist and legs drifting away from his torso. A rotating blade flew past his eyes and plummeted toward the ground below. Ge Da felt a flicker of confusion and bewilderment, followed immediately by terror. The howling wind rushed past him—the sensation of his own rapid descent.

Ge Da parted his lips, using his final strength to let out a roar: "How is this possible!!!"

Yang Zhan reached out and caught his blade. He drove it into the ground, leaning on it with one hand, watching as Ge Da’s legs hit the earth first, followed by his upper torso, both landing in the snow—though the two halves fell in different directions.

Yang Zhan looked at the wide-eyed, furious face of Ge Da and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Because my blade is called the Wind Blade. A blade like the wind."

Ge Da’s neck stiffened; despite the unyielding resentment in his eyes, he drew his last breath.

Yang Zhan turned back. The men who had been attacking Sanzi and the others were also dealt with. The ground was littered with severed limbs and decapitated corpses, but the blood-stained snow was already being buried by the heavy snowfall. The storm covered every stain, lending the scene a sense of purity and sanctity.

He glanced at his left arm, which had turned completely black. With the great threat gone, the tension left him, and Yang Zhan realized he could no longer even lift his blade. At that moment, Sanzi and Si'er rushed out.

Yang Zhan suddenly looked into the distance, his eyes sharp, and shouted, "Stay back! Hold the prison!"

Sanzi and Si'er halted. Gritting their teeth, they retreated. "General, you must return to—"

Before they could finish, everyone heard the thunderous sound of countless hooves, rapidly approaching. The expressions of everyone in the prison changed, including the four wardens of the Celestial Prison.

"It’s an army!"

Sanzi looked toward the Crown Prince, Yang Xing, and asked with desperate hope, "Your Highness, have they come to protect the prison?"

Yang Xing felt the earnest gazes upon him, everyone wishing for him to nod and say yes. But how could his father, the Emperor, send a great army to protect the Celestial Prison? If his father had intended to protect them, none of this would have happened in the first place.

Yang Xing did not answer; he remained silent. But Sanzi and the others understood.

Sanzi suddenly stood up, trembling with rage. "Why? We have risked life and limb for the Great Xia, fighting the barbarians and guarding the borders. Now, you use a great army to exterminate us? I, Zhang San, do not accept this!"

"I, Li Si, do not accept this!"

"I, Wang Wu, would not accept this even if my head were chopped off!"

"I, Li Liu, would not accept this even if I became a ghost in the afterlife!"

Fierce murderous intent permeated the prison. A sense of heroic courage stirred the soul. Even Chen Lin'er, who had always been calm and seemingly unfathomable, wore a look of shock. Though she had guessed that someone in the Great Xia Dynasty wanted to deal with Yang Zhan, she never imagined they would mobilize an entire army.

Even Princess Li Yu, who had always loathed Yang Zhan, looked grim, and for the first time, she did not curse him as someone who deserved to die. As for Li Zhizhu, she bit her red lip and clenched her fists. Even Chen Shu and his East Palace guards were filled with righteous indignation.

Only Yang Xing felt profound shame, as if he had no face to meet them. He could only stubbornly say, "I will die with you all. There is no Crown Prince here anymore. Give me a sword!"

Li Yu threw him a cold look. "In your current state, terminally ill as you are, can you even kill an enemy?"

"If you all fall in battle, I shall take my own life and join you on the road!"

Yang Xing’s expression was tragic. He knew there was no turning back. In the face of a great army, no matter how strong those present were, they could not withstand the iron hooves of the military!

Chen Lin'er suddenly looked at Zhang San. "Trouble you to give us three weapons; we still possess some cultivation."

*Clang, clang.*

Several blades were unsheathed and tossed to the three women. It looked incongruous to see these three seemingly delicate women holding heavy sabers, but here, only battle-blades remained.

Yu Shu supported Yang Xing. "Your Highness, I am going too!"

Yang Xing gritted his teeth. "Good. Yu Shu, help me kill a few more so he can see the spirit of the East Palace. I am going as well. Even if my body is failing and I cannot fight, I will advance and retreat with you all, living and dying together!"

"Good!"

Old Liu cupped his hands, his expression solemn. "Everyone, let us walk this road together!"

"Together!" everyone shouted in unison.

At that moment, the army had already formed ranks outside the Celestial Prison, standing in perfect order. The sea of black-armored infantry revealed their spears and tooth-shields. The cavalry stood ready, yet there was no neighing; their lances pointed at that solitary figure outside the prison.

The cold, blood-soaked aura of war pressed down upon the entire prison.

Yang Zhan looked up at the sky. The wind whipped his hair, and his blood-soaked, frozen robes fluttered. The night wind grew colder, and the snow... fell harder.