Hurt my loved ones? I'm not guarding this country's borders anymore!

Before the words had even finished, the words were spoken.

"Tap! Tap! Tap!"

That wasn't the sound of footsteps, but the roar of combat boots shattering the floor.

A figure strode in.

He was wearing armor whose original color was no longer discernible, covered in black grease and dark red bloodstains. Most frighteningly, unmelted ice shards clung to his eyebrows and hair.

The newcomer was none other than Azure Dragon, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, known for his composure and strategic thinking.

He immediately spotted Shen Jinglong kneeling in front of the hospital bed.

Seeing that figure who once held up the entire northern sky, always as upright as a mountain, now so desolate and desperate, it was as if his spine had been removed.

Azure Dragon's pupils suddenly contracted, and his heart felt as if it had been violently clenched.

He ignored all the formalities and formalities of the military and rushed forward in a few strides.

"Thump!"

He knelt heavily on one knee, and the tile beneath his knee shattered instantly.

"Commander Long! I'm late!"

Qinglong's voice was terribly hoarse, as if he had a handful of sand in his mouth.

"The airspace over the Northern Territory is locked down by those bastards' 'Skynet.' The special plane was locked on as soon as it took off. To get the stuff out safely, I have no choice but to go by land..."

He took a deep breath, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.

"Those bastards set up eighteen lines of defense along the way! I changed vehicles five times, lost three warhorses, and to avoid thermal imaging tracking, I had to hike over the snow-capped mountains for the last leg of the journey!"

"But I brought the things!"

Shen Jinglong slowly turned his head around.

Through his bloodshot eyes, which were filled with a deathly gray despair, he finally saw a faint glimmer of light.

He looked at his brother, who had risked his life to break through the blockade to deliver medicine, and felt a lump in his throat.

Without saying a word, Qinglong pulled a box from his pocket with trembling hands.

The box was placed close to his body, still warm from his body heat, but the box itself exuded a chilling aura.

It was carved from a single piece of ancient jade, and just by taking it out, a layer of white frost condensed in the surrounding air.

"This is."

Qinglong took a deep breath and opened the box.

"Buzz—"

A strange medicinal fragrance, both extremely cold and brimming with vibrant life, instantly filled the entire ward. The scent was so pure and refreshing, it seemed to cleanse the soul instantly, invigorating everyone.

Inside the box, a pill lay quietly.

The pill was crystal clear, like the purest ice crystal. Upon closer inspection, it seemed as if a galaxy was slowly flowing inside, so beautiful that it seemed otherworldly.

"Nine-Turn Ice Soul Pill!"

The Medicine King beside him exclaimed in surprise, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets, "This...this is the legendary treasure of the Northern High Priest's clan?"

"Yes!" Qinglong nodded, his eyes burning with fervor. "The High Priest spent ten years of his life refining this using ten-thousand-year-old ice marrow from the far north. It's specifically designed to counteract all strange poisons and evil spirits in the world! There's only one of its kind in this world!"

The dying embers of hope in Shen Jinglong's eyes instantly ignited into a raging fire.

Without the slightest hesitation, and without even bothering to wipe the dirt off his hands, he carefully picked up the pill.

"Sisi, open your mouth."

He gently pried open his daughter's tightly clenched teeth and placed the pill inside.

The elixir melts instantly upon entering the mouth.

There was no swallowing process as expected; instead, it transformed into a pure white, cold vapor that could be seen with the naked eye, flowing down Sisi's throat.

"Buzz—"

Sisi's body emitted a slight tremor.

The white, chilling aura seemed to possess its own consciousness, carrying an overwhelming pressure as it rushed straight towards the strange black aura at her heart meridian.

The black energy, which had been incredibly arrogant in the face of the "Thirteen Needles of the Mysterious Sect," now seemed to have encountered a venomous snake, its natural enemy.

It emitted a silent, fearful hiss, frantically struggling and trying to escape into the deeper meridians.

But the white, chilling aura didn't give it a chance.

It quickly enveloped, compressed, and condensed the black gas layer by layer, and finally...

"Click."

A slight, crisp sound.

The black aura that had been devouring life was completely frozen into a black ice crystal, which was firmly sealed next to Sisi's heart meridian.

Although it was still there, it could no longer move an inch.

A miracle happened.

Sisi's frighteningly bluish-purple complexion began to fade at a visible speed, and a long-lost rosy glow slowly reappeared.

Her initially rapid and painful breathing gradually became steady and long.

The Medicine King scrambled over and placed his fingers on Sisi's wrist again.

This time, his face lit up with ecstasy.

"There's hope! There's hope!"

The Medicine King trembled with excitement, tears streaming down his face. "His pulse has returned! The loss of life has stopped! Your Majesty, your daughter's life is temporarily saved!"

"call..."

Shen Jinglong let out a long breath, and his heart, which had been hanging on a precipice, finally settled down.

His legs went weak and his body swayed, but fortunately, Qinglong next to him caught him.

"but."

The Medicine King changed the subject, his expression still grave, "This black energy has only been temporarily sealed, not eradicated. Although the Nine-Turn Ice Soul Pill is potent, it can only suppress it for seven days."

"Seven days later, once the drug's effects wear off, this thing will launch an even more ferocious counterattack."

"Seven days." Shen Jinglong took a deep breath, straightened his body, and the despair in his eyes had disappeared, replaced by endless determination.

That's enough.

As long as people are alive, there is hope.

He turned to look at Qinglong, his voice regaining its usual composure, but carrying an undisguised killing intent.

"You just said that the airspace over the North is locked down?"

What exactly happened in the North?

Mentioning this, Qinglong's face turned extremely ugly, filled with anger and humiliation.

"Commander Long, in the few days since you left, the northern defenses have been infiltrated."

"Not those idiots from the Northern Bear Kingdom."

Qinglong lowered his voice and said, word by word:

"They are a mysterious force we have never seen before. They don't wear military uniforms, but black robes, and they don't carry guns or cannons. Instead, they use insidious ancient martial arts and unknown high-tech jamming equipment."

"Our radar is completely blind to them, and our communication frequencies are completely suppressed."

"Just before I arrived, I led a team to take down one of their vanguard outposts and captured a prisoner."

Qinglong paused, then took out a piece of blood-stained black cloth from his pocket, on which was embroidered a burning blood-red totem.

"The survivor confessed that they were acting under orders, their purpose being to coordinate with internal operations within the Dragon Kingdom, creating chaos in the Northern Territory, tying down the 300,000-strong Northern army, and preventing you from returning to reinforce them!"

"And the master they serve, they call..."

Qinglong stared intently into Shen Jinglong's eyes and uttered two words.

"Holy Lord!"

It all started with the Lin family massacre seven years ago.

Now, my daughter is under a strange curse.

Then came the sudden disturbances in the northern border, and the airspace was sealed off.

This is no coincidence at all.

This is all part of a grand scheme! A shocking and vicious plan that began seven years ago, or even earlier, targeting him and the Shen family bloodline!

The chess player, the "Holy Lord," not only wanted his life, but also wanted to destroy his family and even try to shake the gates of the Dragon Kingdom!

"Commander Long!" Qinglong gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "These bastards are playing a grand game! They don't just want Cangcheng; they want the entire world to be in chaos!"

The murderous aura that had just subsided from Shen Jinglong surged up again.

But this time.

No longer rage.

Instead, it's like an eternal iceberg—utterly calm.

He walked to the window and looked out at Cangcheng, which had been completely controlled by the Dragon Guards and was now eerily quiet.

His eyes were so cold they sent chills down your spine.

"Holy Lord".

"very good."

"Since you like playing chess, and since you want to play for high stakes..."

"Then... I'll help you turn this world upside down!"

"Azure Dragon, issue the order: Northern Army, Level One Combat Readiness! Anyone who dares to cross the border even half a step will be executed without mercy!"

"As for the rats here in Cangcheng..."

Shen Jinglong had only spoken halfway through his sentence.

"Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep!"

The communicator on Suzaku's waist suddenly screamed, shattering the somber atmosphere in the ward.

Zhuque's expression changed, and she quickly answered the call.

next second.

A voice from a Dragon Guard, terrified and almost distorted, came through the communicator, with screams audible in the background.

"Dragon... Dragon General! Vermilion Bird General!"

"No! Something terrible has happened!"

"Our secret hideout where we're holding that 'Holy Lord's' messenger..."

"They were...they were massacred!"

"A powerful figure has broken in! Brothers! We can't hold them off! The messenger! The messenger has been rescued!"