He had just been reborn when he was imprisoned by his nemesis, the Empress?

Seeing the flustered Lü Chu, Xu Yi frowned, his tone carrying a hint of reassurance.

"What's wrong? Why are you so flustered? Calm down, calm down."

Lu Chu staggered forward a few steps, knelt on one knee, his voice filled with anxiety and gravity.

"General, the Crown Prince of the Zhaoyuan Empire has personally led a massive army to the border! That force... that force is no less than three million!"

"They have already set up camp two hundred miles away from our defense zone... and have surrounded the south, east, and west directions..."

Xu Yi, who had initially maintained a calm demeanor, instantly lost his composure.

He abruptly stood up, and Bai Li jumped to the ground, her voice rising several decibels, filled with disbelief and shock.

"What?! Three million troops?"

"Where did these three million troops come from?! Where did these three million troops come from?!"

Xu Yi's mind was completely blank.

According to my memory, the total number of cultivators in the entire Zhaoyuan Empire is less than three million.

Thinking it over, he swung his hands forward.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

"Did they send all the untrained farmers into battle wearing armor?"

Lü Chu quickly stood up, bowed, and replied, his tone both solemn and certain.

"General, that's entirely possible."

"Our scouts have already gathered accurate information."

He paused, recalling the details reported by the scouts, and added...

"However, it is indeed possible, as the general said, that there are ordinary people among them."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yi's tense expression finally relaxed a bit, and his expression improved considerably. He then walked into the tent with Lü Chu.

But this peace and tranquility did not last long, for news came from outside the camp from the personal guards.

A messenger carrying a letter strode into the tent and respectfully handed it over.

Xu Yi took the letter, opened the envelope, and found it was yet another letter urging surrender.

Furthermore, this letter of persuasion to surrender was a full three thousand words long, all of it nonsense. The gist of it was:

His Majesty has treated you well, so why did you rebel, General?

They've treated me badly for nothing! They've almost driven me to my death!

Xu Yi turned around and ordered his personal guards to bring him a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and wrote several large characters.

"Stop spouting this nonsense from civil officials, I don't understand it. You might as well just commit suicide."

......

After replying to the letter, Xu Yi handed it to the messenger and then rubbed his throbbing temples.

Even if many of these three million people are ordinary mortals, this war will still be very difficult to fight.

After all, he had no idea how many real cultivators were hidden in the opposing camp.

With three million people at stake, even if half of them were ordinary people, Xu Yi would be finished.

Setting up camp two hundred miles away without attacking—is this an attempt to pressure someone into surrendering?

Ugh, what am I supposed to do...?

After thinking for a moment, he turned to look at Lü Chu, who was standing quietly to the side, and slowly spoke.

"Lu Chu, you can go down now. Let me have some peace and quiet."

With no one else in the tent, Xu Yi turned around and walked to the table, picking up Bai Li, who was still munching on dried meat.

The little thing ate until its cheeks were bulging, completely unaffected by what had just happened.

He gently stroked Bai Li's soft fur, his tone filled with envy and helplessness.

"You certainly enjoyed yourself. I really wish I could live as freely and carefree as you."

The white fox in his arms seemed to understand him and stopped eating.

She raised her fluffy little head and called out to him in a soft, sweet voice.

She even stuck out her little tongue and licked Xu Yi's face.

Xu Yi's cheeks were tickled by its licking, and he couldn't help but chuckle. The frustration and anxiety he had felt earlier were somewhat soothed.

......

Two hundred miles away from Xu Yi's military camp, there was a large military camp that stretched for several miles.

Banners fluttered in the wind, and the crowd was bustling with noise; the scene was so magnificent it was almost frightening.

Outside the tent, a figure dressed in a magnificent brocade robe walked briskly in. The robe was embroidered with gold thread, which showed his noble status.

It was none other than Zhang Chenji, the eldest prince of the Zhaoyuan Empire.

He stormed angrily toward the old man inside the tent, clutching a reply letter tightly in his hand.

Zhang Chenji slammed the letter in his hand onto the table, the paper scattering. Pointing at it, he said angrily.

"Mr. Sima, look! Look! How did that rebellious scoundrel reply to us?"

His chest heaved violently, his anger finding no outlet, and he pointed again at the square outside the tent.

"Why are you insisting we only surround them and not attack? If we just drag this out, when will we ever take down Xu Yi!"

As Zhang Chenji spoke, he spread his hands in front of him, his face full of urgency.

"What I need is merit, sir! My father looks down on me now, can't you see that?"

These days, his father has become increasingly cold towards him, and towards that vixen by his side...

If he cannot defeat the traitor Xu Yi and achieve great merit, his position as crown prince will be in grave danger.

Seeing this, the old man slowly raised his hand to stroke his long beard, his expression remaining calm, and gently spoke to comfort him.

"Your Highness, please do not be hasty. We must consider things carefully."

He looked up at the furious Zhang Chenji, his eyes clear, and slowly spoke.

"It looks like we have over three million troops, a formidable force with a very high chance of victory."

"But we both know how many elderly, weak, sick, and disabled people were raised to cover those three million."

Mr. Sima paused for a moment, then continued...

"Xu Yi's more than 100,000 troops are all elites; any one of them could be a cultivator at the Yuanfu Realm."

"Our chances of winning against him are at most 60%."

"Sixty percent is enough!"

Zhang Chen abruptly interrupted him, his eyes burning and his tone filled with longing.

"I...I really want to prove myself so badly, I dream about proving myself!"

Seeing his impatient appearance, the old man shook his head helplessly and sighed softly.

Just as he was about to say a few more words of advice, his expression suddenly changed, and a hint of panic flashed in his eyes.

He abruptly raised his hand, his palm rapidly gathering dense spiritual energy. He looked eastward, his tone filled with shock.

"Oh no, that's... a beast tide to the east?!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chenji's face turned deathly pale, and he staggered back half a step.

"A beast tide?! If we retreat now, will the mortals have enough time to escape?"

Sima Wen was so angry that he jumped up, his beard trembling slightly.

"What kind of time is this to still care about those lowly people!"

He strode up to Zhang Chenji, his voice carrying a hint of ruthlessness.

"If we don't retreat now, once our army and the beast tide are exhausted from fighting each other, Xu Yi will definitely take advantage of the situation and we'll all be finished!"

Zhang Chenji didn't know what else to say, his face full of anxiety and resentment.

He hurriedly took out a translucent white jade pendant from his waist and began to contact the commanders of each camp to order a retreat.

But the message had only been sent out four or five times when Sima Wen abruptly interrupted it.

Sima Wen's face was already filled with anxiety as he grabbed Zhang Chenji's wrist, which was tightly holding the jade pendant.

"It's too late, Your Highness! We must retreat now!"

Zhang Chenji was stunned. Before he could react, the roars of demonic beasts gradually rose and fell outside the tent, their sounds rough and violent.

The ground beneath our feet began to tremble violently...