Destiny is ashes

Chapter 478: Surrender without Death (6200)

As he fell, Kan Hao couldn't help but recall his life.

The year he was born, Dachen stopped expanding, and the tribe no longer moved north. Instead, they were able to settle around the woodland tundra, migrate around the Beimo River, herd moss cattle and horned sheep, and learn how to grow some key crops from Dachen.

The tribe is recovering. Perhaps because they still remember being driven away from their hometown by Dachen, or perhaps because luck has its limits, many geniuses and life-sustainers have emerged among the Iron Tribe, and Kan Hao is one of them.

He is a child of the 'brave warriors' class in the Juguang tribe. He was born to fight for the future of the tribe, so he honed his body and practiced the art of war. His parents conceived him with the blessings of their ancestors, and he lived up to everyone's expectations. When he was young and practicing martial arts, he awakened the giant bloodline and destiny [Shi Gan Dang], and was able to receive the best resources of the tribe for training.

Then, he followed the customs of the tribe and entered the real "heaven" of Chenli, the only Taiming Sect to practice.

Following the camel's unsteady pace, after three months of trekking, he became just a country bumpkin, and became an outer disciple of these major sects along with a group of young boys and girls from all over the world.

How to describe that time?

The Taiming Sect is old and corrupt, dull and slow.

On the first day when these freshmen arrived at the mountain gate, no one came to meet them, let alone arrange for them to live in the dormitory. Everyone slept on the marble square that was larger than the camps of their tribes. It was not until noon the next day that someone took these hungry and dizzy children to the dormitory floating in the clouds and fog at the mountain gate.

At first, Kan Hao thought it was a test and endured it with great perseverance. When he grew up in the sect, he realized that it was a mistake caused by too many orientation sessions, the process was too slow, and the responsible senior brother retreated too long.

But the Taiming Sect is also broad-minded and tolerant, almost omnipotent.

No one discriminated against them because they came from the frontier of Chenli. Although there was competition among the factions in the sect, it was not fierce. These new bloods received the resources they deserved without being deducted. And any problems they had in their cultivation were explained and described in the sect's scriptures in more detail than they could imagine.

The senior brother who had been in seclusion for too long and made them wait for a day and a half was a disciple of the Grand Elder of Discipline of Taiming Sect. In order to compensate these children, this cheerful and generous man took them to the Netherworld Zhiming Sea for a tour. Not only did he broaden the horizons of these children who had never seen the "Underworld", he also used his own contribution to the sect to let each of them choose a practice method they liked.

Kan Hao misses those relaxing times.

In the life at Shangmen, there is no need to worry about food or safety. There is no need to worry about demons or monsters. There is no life-or-death crisis, no snowstorm or frost disaster.

The life here is real life, not just survival. People discuss martial arts, compare fighting skills, admire each other, or compete with each other. Senior brothers and sisters take great care of the younger generations. Although the elders in the sect are old-fashioned and serious, if they really accept students as disciples, they will provide corresponding guidance and benefits.

The only problem is indifference.

Only those within the sect are our own people.

They didn't care whether the Tieli people lived or died. Their hometown was just a useful chess piece on the border for Shangmen, a buffer zone to deal with Dachen.

"Do you really want to go back to that rural tribe?"

Even though the Juguang tribe was the most powerful among the hundreds of Tieli tribes and had the royal tribe of Shenzang Zhenren, among the fellow disciples of the sect, it was still not even close to the lower sects and could only be regarded as a remote local force of the countryside natives.

Their tone was filled with sympathy and confusion, just like there were always people who could not understand why someone would leave the prosperous big city and return to the poor and ignorant hometown: "What a pity, Brother Kan, you are really talented. Although you can't learn the netherworld magic of our Taiming Sect, you are really a genius in the field of divine and demonic martial arts."

"If you stay in the sect, maybe you can become a real person."

“There’s nothing I can do about it.”

At that time, Kan Hao smiled and said, "I was trained by the tribe, I have to go back."

——But do I really want to go back?

Kan Hao thought of this more than once. If he was not a Tieli person, but just a person with a destiny grid that appeared in a random unknown small village within the jurisdiction of the Five Chenli Sects, then he could entrust everything to the sect, become a part of the sect, live for the sect, die for the sect, love the sect from the bottom of his heart, and become the future, cornerstone and strength of the sect.

He wanted so badly to devote himself, but he couldn't.

Because he is a Tieli.

If he was not a military noble of the Tieli people, he would not have received a good education, nor would he have had a good destiny, let alone been able to enter the Taiming Sect... He could not let them down, yet he longed for it so much.

So I had no choice but to leave.

But it doesn't matter. Even in a sect, a warrior with a destiny must travel around the world and fulfill his destiny. Kan Hao believes that his hometown is his destiny. He will break through, become a real person, lead the Ju Guang tribe to climb up, and become a member of the organization under the sect, rather than the sect's cannon fodder or an idler on the frontier.

The tribe has recovered quite well in recent years. People cheered and looked forward to this genius who returned from the Taiming Sect, and Kan Hao also responded to their expectations.

He led a branch of the tribe, killed the ferocious beasts in the wilderness, destroyed the nests of the man-eating monsters, and found new pastures and new fishing and grazing areas for the tribe.

He succeeded in expanding the territory and suppressing evil. He became stronger and broke through the high level of martial veins... The king of the tribe also valued his distant relative and entrusted him with important tasks.

But Kan Hao also keenly felt that the morale of the tribe had weakened.

Even though the conquest army had been withdrawn, they still did not dare to go south and try to graze their livestock somewhere warmer. Even though that area originally belonged to them, the Tieli tribes still did not dare to cross the line.

They would rather be merchants, sending all the products, furs, and spiritual objects from the Northern Frontier to Dachen, and then exchanging them for tools that are not of high value and can only be considered daily necessities.

This is a form of exploitation and harvesting. He knows it.

This is an inevitable trend and direction. He knows it.

The backbone of the Tieli tribes had been broken. For at least a few hundred years, they would never dare to provoke Dachen again, lest they be massacred by the all-annihilating Wu army and driven away from their new homes that they had rebuilt with great difficulty.

He knows it all.

But there is no hope and no future.

Because Kan Hao had studied history seriously in the Taiming Sect, he knew it better than anyone else, but no one would change.

The sect does not want the Hundred Tribes to become too powerful. The sect suppresses all bloodline forces and tribes. Most of the kings of the countries under their command only last for one generation. As long as the Shenzang Zhenren of that generation dies, the country will disappear and be replaced by others.

And if a family can produce Shenzang Zhenren for several generations in a row, and he and his family have not joined the sect, it either means that the sect leader in that area is derelict in his duty, or that he is the enemy of the sect.

The fearful looks of the Tieli tribes are a good thing for the sect. They are perfect chess pieces and the best tools to manipulate.

Kan Hao had already accepted his fate - perhaps this was the only fate of the weak Tie Li facing the irresistible Dachen. It was like a rabbit or a mouse living next to a tiger. Either they would be used as bait by the people behind the scenes to lure the tiger out and reveal their flaws, or they would retreat.

It wasn't until Dachen himself showed his weak side that he gave himself the opportunity!

The frost disaster moved southward, accompanied by the desolate and magnificent sound of horns, and the cavalry of the Tieli tribes followed it southward!
Victory, victory, victory... Ever since the fall of Qingyu Pass and the rebellion in the northern border, the Chenli Cavalry has won too many victories. The originally cowardly tribes have once again found their courage. They gallop on their horses in the wilderness, unafraid of the cold wind of the frost disaster, and their words and laughter once again resound like thunder on the ice field.

After returning to their hometown, the people of Tieli tribe seemed to have regained their courage and faith and dared to compete with Dachen.

But Kan Hao knew that everything was fake.

This is not a war. This is just a robbery.

The Chenli people were now like a thief who broke into a house and plundered it while the owner was away. The enemies they were facing now were like kittens and puppies compared to the enemies they had encountered in the past.

As long as one day, the Zhengpi Wu army appears again, the now seemingly rampant Tieli people will turn back without hesitation and leave, with a mentality of "making a lot of money", and return to the north of Qingyu Pass without any resistance.

This, they say, is resistance.

But they have long forgotten what true resistance is - it is the struggle of the weak against the strong, and the determination to move forward even if it means losing or dying.

"We don't need victory, we don't need a real victory to drive Dachen away from the northern border... We just need to capture a city with divine weapons and defeat a normal military army."

"As long as we defeat the Wu army, our tribe will regain the courage to fight against the powerful—"

He could have done it. He could have done it.

But the Heavenly Demon... Sect...

——Why was I involved in such a conspiracy?
——Perhaps from the very beginning... Dachen's decline... was a conspiracy...

——Frost, frost, hometown... Could it be that...

His thoughts gradually fell apart, and after finally guessing some of the truth, Kan Hao only felt himself falling.

His whole body was covered with scattered fragments of the shattered bodies of gods and demons, and the foul aura of war rolled like a tide, like a gray-black cloud that continued to spread and expand on the earth, engulfing everything.

He fell to the ground, his tendons and bones broken, and he could never get up again.

All he could see were grey snow clouds, a gloomy sky, and endless ice and snow, a 'homeland' that was completely different from the green grass and blue sky in his dreams.

——Yes, it was different from the beginning. I clearly understood everything, so what blinded me?

Not far from him, another figure stood up.

The moving shadow enveloped him. This soldier of the Iron Leopard Army, who had his own standpoint and his own difficulties and also lived in this world, saw a pair of eyes.

The owner of these eyes looked at him without contempt or rejection, neither with the indifference of the people of a great country towards a small tribe, nor with hatred for a small tribe as an enemy.

There is no difference between any life, and no high or low among any life. It is a sincerity that comes from the heart.

"Why do you have to look so desperate? General Tieli, haven't you won the victory?"

The figure was young and tall, with a sharp breath and heat wave, pushing away the cold wind of the frost disaster and covering the gloomy sky. Even the biting wind seemed gentle because of his presence: "I want to thank you, because you have done what I can't do."

He turned his head, as if looking at the other side of the collapsed Tieli Iron Cavalry formation, where the Wu army had also suffered heavy losses and was gradually regaining its strength under the leadership of Xing Mofeng.

The young warrior said calmly: "You did defeat the invincible Wu Jun of Dachen... You, the Tieli people, broke the myth of Dachen's invincibility in your own land." "Of course, Dachen did it deliberately, and the Heavenly Demon, Heaven's Will, the Five Sects, and even the demon gods of Taiyuan are helping you, but if you are just a pile of useless mud, you will never be able to seize this opportunity."

"The Tieli people do have strong will and determination and can fight to the last moment."

Ordinary people cannot know, nor are they willing to know the truth; they only need to know a partial 'fact'.

The victor was Linjiang City Lord An Jing, and the loser was Dachen Wujun. Perhaps people will confuse the two now, but in the future, in the future, people will understand.

--I see……

Kan Hao's face had dimmed, and his eyes, obscured by blood and haziness, looked at An Jing. He could no longer utter complete words, and could only utter fragmented words, and pointed his finger, which he could barely raise, towards the iron cavalry formation.

"The... the devil... has infiltrated..."

He struggled, gray-black blood oozing from the corner of his mouth: "Zongmen... You... can't... go back to my hometown..."

"Mother..." he cried, "I..."

“Wrong…”

Kan Hao's eyes paused, his pupils dilated, and his breathing stopped.

he died.

An Jing stood in front of the corpse of the Iron Cavalry Commander. The strong wind blew away all the haze and dust, making this scene clearly displayed in front of everyone.

"The Iron Cavalry Commander is dead."

A voice resounding through the heavens and earth rolled out from the earth. An Jing turned his back to the Dachen Wu Army and faced the scattered Tieli cavalry: "The rest, surrender and you won't be killed!"

[In the beginning of ancient times, people were simple and honest, and people used stones to make crossbows and strings of wood to make bows]

[Now, people melt gold to make weapons, cut leather to make armor, raise flags, raise drums, and make spears, halberds, and shields.]

Behind his head, two bright, burning star shadows emerged, like flaming blood light surging like a waterfall, and the blazing golden light condensed like a blade, revealing many halberds, shields, spears, swords, axes and halberds.

And in the faint darkness, you can vaguely see that in the deep void, there are three large stars that are sinking and floating, rotating and turning into dark wheels. Some of them have begun to flash, but one is still silent, vaguely condensing into shadows of longbows and arrows, leather armor, stone ropes, drums, and flags.

Fully demonstrating the power of 'Taibai Haoling Divine Forbidden', sharp and straight golden patterns appeared on An Jing's hands and feet. He raised his hand, and the weapons of the dead on the battlefield floated up and revolved around him, like stars orbiting the sun and the moon.

[The sage rules the universe, owns the whole world, conquers all lands, subdues the strong and fears his might, suppresses rebellion and punishes violence, controls the five kinds of military power, and serves as a resource for all nations]

[Now the six armies are under martial law, respectfully carrying out the punishment of heaven. The gods are not ignorant, and blessings are coming. The crocodile drums increase morale, and the bear flags assist in prestige. There are no strong cities in the towns, and no horizontal formations in the wild. It is like flying frost that rolls up trees, like pulling up mountains to crush eggs, and the fire is fierce and the wind is sweeping, and the Rong and Xia are united.]

[Allow me to show my kindness, and I will give you the merits of your five armies]

"I am the Lord of the Nine Li Armies."

The bright halo of destiny is like the stars on the earth, shining brighter than the sun and moon covered by dark clouds. Surrounded by hundreds of soldiers on the battlefield, the sound of peace is like a giant god beating a drum, as loud as thunder through the earth: "You were defeated by me, it is not your fault!"

"Those who surrender will not be killed!"

"This……"

Both the Dachen Army and the Iron Cavalry saw the phantoms of the five stars and five soldiers.

They had never seen how An Jing "forged" many new weapons in Linjiang City, but whether it was landmines or rockets, Teng Shuangbai or the "giant law-breaking flying sword" that had just appeared, they all left a deep impression on everyone.

In the ancient times, people used stones to make crossbows and wooden strings to make bows. Later, they used molten gold to make weapons and cut leather to make armor.

The five weapons of the old times have been replaced; what are the five weapons of today?
Maybe...that's it, that's it!

Clang.

Amid the disintegrating cavalry, some had already laid down their weapons, chanting the word, while An Jing walked towards them step by step.

He is not a military leader.

But why can’t he be the Lord of Arms?
The secret method of fate inheritance from Ming Guang Chen, "Changing Fate and Changing Name", proposed a possibility.

——The so-called fate is an investment given by God.

Because of the abilities, minds, desires and determination of living beings, God recognizes the possibilities for their future, and therefore bestows them with investments, plants roots, and hopes that they will grow into towering trees, fulfilling the vows and heartfelt wishes that the living beings have made themselves.

In other words, although "life is born from heaven", it comes from man.

The roots given by God can be grown in any name as long as they can be grown - whether for good or evil, to conquer or to guard, to create something or to end something, to explore something or to maintain something, as long as one can firmly believe that it is one's future, the essence of the so-called fate is nothing more than a name.

Since he has the ability, name and reality of the Lord of Arms, and others also think he is the Lord of Arms, then he is the Lord of Arms!
Most of the cavalry gradually laid down their weapons and chose to surrender - just as An Jing said, they had lost their commander and were defeated by God's will, no one would blame them.

Although some people are still puzzled - why is the source of the Tieli bloodline, the leader of the Jiuli army, a Dachen person?

But anyone who knows a little about ancient history will understand that in the most ancient era, when the great immortal Huaixu came, there was no difference between Tieli and Dachen at all.

"……Ugh."

Xing Mofeng stared at An Jing's back and the body of the enemy general beside him. For some reason, he did not feel any joy of victory, but only an immense exhaustion.

At this point, how could he not see that he and his group were sent here to die? Not only that, the same was true for the military supervisor of Shenjing. No wonder he was such a waste, obviously he was just kept around and sent here to die at the critical moment.

But how good are the enemies? Demons, ghosts, and equipment and supplies behind them... This war is not a war between Beijiang and Tieli, but a sandbox where a group of giants control the chess pieces in their hands and fight against each other.

No...that's not the case.

Xing Mofeng looked towards the north, where the chaotic star scene in the Arctic ice field was gradually expanding. The disordered celestial phenomena in the distance had already spread to this place, making the cold wind in the north stronger and colder. The all-out conflict between the Pure Yang Heavenly Monarchs and the True Demon Sect was still going on, and the demonic disaster in Hannan had erupted again. Although it was quickly contained, it also tied down the forces of many parties.

The parties are rivals, but also allies in some aspects. The Five Sects of Chenli can join forces with Dachen to suppress the Taiyuan Demon Clan, and the Taiyuan Demon Clan will also join forces with the Five Sects and the Tianyi Demon Cult to deal with Dachen - perhaps in the west, Taiyuan will join forces with the Tianyi Demon Cult to target Chenli, and Dachen will also join forces with Chenli to deal with the Tianyi Demon Cult.

But to deal with the True Demon Sect, all parties will form an alliance, but this does not prevent them from being hostile to each other in the northern border...

Who are the enemies and who are the friends? Why do they ally, why do they fight, why do they check and balance each other?

If you don't see these things clearly, you will always be a pawn.

[My disciple is amazing]

In Linjiang City, Shen Mubai was protected by Bai Qinghan and Xu Tai in the government office. In An Jing's study, a faint halo appeared in the mirror. Chen Yinzi was surprised and said: "I thought I would need to take action no matter what. I didn't expect that I could solve all the problems by my own ability."

Chen Yinzi's real body is now on the battlefield of the Arctic ice field, fighting against the True Demon Sect together with Ancestor Chengguang. Logically speaking, he does not have the energy left to help An Jing.

However, each of the eight peaks of the Mingjing Sect can borrow the power of the Haotian Mirror fragments, use the sky as a mirror, and utilize the power of the earth veins of a peak to emit a ray of divine light from afar, which is comparable to him personally taking action.

Of course, this kind of magical power requires the use of fragments of the Haotian Mirror, and the cost is extremely high. If possible, Chen Yinzi would not want to use it.

Especially, many of the Mingjing Sect's fighters left, and there was obviously a traitor in the sect. If they could be used, it would be fine, but if they couldn't be used at the critical moment...

In short, Chen Yinzi was relieved that An Jing could solve all the problems by himself. Not to mention, according to his speculation, An Jing still had some strength left, and the current situation would not force him into a desperate situation.

At the same time, An Jing was actually thinking about this problem.

Standing in the center of the battlefield, after beheading the enemy general, he persuaded the remnants of the Tieli Iron Cavalry to surrender in the name of the Lord of Soldiers - although he looks majestic, in fact, An Jing is ready to use his last divine communication device at any time to escape if Bingchi or other great demons take action.

But what about humans? What about dragons?

There was a silver light flashing on An Jing's forehead. He scanned the surroundings with his sword eyes and was shocked to find that Bing Chi had already run back to Yujiang City, and some of the remaining cavalry who had not surrendered were also retreating in that direction.

As for the 'Demon' that Kan Hao mentioned... An Jing estimated that it was either still besieging Broken Blade Peak or had retreated back to Yujiang City.

"Something's wrong!"

An Jing became alert: "If I were a Jiuli soldier, this attack rhythm would be enough to push me into a desperate situation - in fact, I have basically used up all my trump cards. Compared with last time, I was not seriously injured and on the verge of death, so I had to let Tianxuan Zhenfu, Ruhui and the lady save me."

"I have used up all the weapons in the Tianyuan Realm, and I have also used all the divine communication objects. I have killed all the enemies that I could kill in advance...but is this enough?"

To be honest, An Jing couldn't figure out how the enemy could target him. If he wasn't Tianming, he would have definitely put his mind at ease.

But soon, An Jing discovered that his heart began to shake violently.

"coming?!"

An Jing was shocked, but the one coming was not an enemy, nor a demon or a conspiracy.

——The destiny was violently shaken, and an incomparably huge feedback rushed directly to his soul and the Six Yang Leader, pouring towards his entire soul and spirit in a method that was almost like an initiation!

Destiny feedback, enlightenment begins!

(End of this chapter)