At 100 years old, he joined the army in place of his granddaughter, and became a national war god.

In the backyard of the government office, the torchlight illuminated the entire open space as if it were daytime.

All eyes were fixed on the white-haired old man in the center of the room.

With a single palm strike, he unleashed a golden dragon shadow, instantly killing more than a dozen Northern Di experts.

With another strike of his palms, two golden dragons pulled Xue Wuchen and Tuoba Lie down from mid-air.

This martial arts skill was beyond the comprehension of everyone present.

The constables stared wide-eyed, nearly dropping their knives.

They stood there, frozen in place, their minds blank.

In the shadows, the black-clad swordsman crouched on the roof of the government office and witnessed the entire process.

His mouth was slightly open, his eyes were wide open, and he took a deep breath, but felt a tightness in his chest, as if something was blocking his way.

"What...what kind of palm technique is this? It's terrifying..."

He muttered to himself, his tone filled with astonishment.

He had traveled the martial arts world for many years and had seen countless masters, but he had never seen such martial arts skills.

He unleashed a dragon-shaped palm strike, capable of taking people from afar, killing more than a dozen with a single blow.

Which school of martial arts does this belong to?

He knew Xue Wuchen's background.

Back then, Xue Wuchen was a renowned figure in the martial arts world of the Great Qian Dynasty. His swordsmanship was superb, and he had sparred with many grandmasters without being at a disadvantage.

Later, he went to the Northern Barbarians and devoted himself to studying swordsmanship for many years, further improving his skills.

Yet even such a master swordsman couldn't withstand a single move from Su Mu.

A chill ran down the back of the black-clad swordsman.

"The Listening Wind Pavilion needs to investigate thoroughly... what school or sect does General Su's martial arts belong to? This palm technique... is terrifying."

He composed himself and continued to watch the commotion in the arena.

……

Xue Wuchen struggled to his feet, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth down his chin, staining his robes red.

His sword was still in his hand, its blade trembling slightly.

His internal energy was disrupted by Su Mu's palm strike, and he could no longer exert his full strength in his sword-wielding hand.

He looked up at Su Mu.

The white-haired old man stood a few steps away, his hands behind his back, his eyes calm as still water.

That composure was more despairing than any fierce attack.

Tuoba Lie was unable to move as several constables held long knives to his neck.

He turned his head and looked at Xue Wuchen, his eyes filled with regret and reluctance.

"Old Master Xue! You should leave immediately! Don't worry about me!"

"That's an order! Go now!"

Xue Wuchen shook his head, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and a bitter smile appeared on his aged face.

"Your Highness, if it weren't for your shelter back then, I would have died in the wilderness long ago."

"I will remember this kindness forever. If I cannot rescue you today, I will have no face to live on."

He gripped his longsword tightly, turned around, faced Su Mu, and his gaze was as hard as iron.

"Su Mu, let's fight to the death!"

Su Mu looked at him, a complex expression flashing in his eyes.

"You are indeed a loyal and righteous man, but unfortunately... as a citizen of the Great Qian Dynasty, your loyalty to a Northern Di prince is treason!"

Xue Wuchen did not answer.

He took a deep breath, slowly raised his longsword, and pointed the tip at Su Mu.

The cold light on the sword shimmered in the torchlight, and faint, water-like patterns rippled outwards.

Flowing Water Divine Sword!

Xue Wuchen's lifelong learning was also the unique skill he passed on to Tuoba Lie.

At this moment, he poured all his decades of skill into this one sword strike.

The sword strikes like flowing water, endlessly.

A sharp sword aura burst forth from the tip of the sword, accompanied by a whistling sound as it hurtled through the air, heading straight for Su Mu's chest.

Wherever the sword energy passed, a deep crack was cut in the bluestone slabs on the ground, and fragments of stone flew everywhere.

Su Mu looked at the sword energy, his eyes remaining calm.

He slowly raised his right hand, palm facing forward, fingers slightly bent. An invisible force gathered in his palm, growing stronger and more intense, golden light shining through his fingers, as if he were holding a burning sun.

"The dragon appears in the field!"

He thrust out with a single palm strike.

A golden dragon flew out from the palm of his hand, its roar shaking the heavens and echoing through the night sky.

The dragon shadow, with overwhelming force, met Xue Wuchen's sword energy.

The sword energy collided with the golden dragon.

There was no loud noise, no explosion.

The sword energy was as fragile as paper, easily torn apart by the golden dragon, turning into specks of light that dissipated into the air.

The golden dragon, its momentum undiminished, pierced through Xue Wuchen's body and slammed heavily into the wall behind him.

"boom!"

A deafening roar shook the earth.

The thick blue brick wall collapsed instantly, sending bricks and stones flying and dust billowing everywhere.

A large crater, about ten feet wide, was blasted into the ground, with rubble and soil mixed together, emitting blue smoke.

Xue Wuchen stood still, motionless.

The longsword in his hand snapped with a "crack," and half of the blade fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

There were no wounds on his chest, but his internal organs had been shattered by the force of the palm strike.

Blood gushed from the corner of his mouth, dripping onto the broken blade.

He looked at Su Mu, his lips trembling slightly, and with his last bit of strength, he squeezed out a few words.

"Wow...what a powerful palm technique..."

Then, he collapsed into a pool of blood with a thud and never got up again.

……

The entire venue was deathly silent.

Tuoba Lie's eyes immediately reddened.

He stared intently at Xue Wuchen's corpse, at the pool of blood that was still spreading, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

Xue Wuchen followed him for more than ten years.

From the day he was appointed as the Left Wise King, Xue Wuchen had always been by his side.

He taught him swordsmanship, devised strategies for him, and risked his life for him.

He learned the essence of Central Plains martial arts from Xue Wuchen, and also the principles of being a good person.

But now, Xue Wuchen is dead.

They died in front of him, utterly powerless to fight back.

Tuoba Lie's tears finally fell.

The man did not shed tears, but he did not go to the sad place.

He looked up at the gray night sky and let out a long sigh.

"Old Master Xue...it's my fault...I'm the one who killed you!"

Tuoba Han slumped to the ground, his face deathly pale, utterly despairing.

"Third brother... third brother..."

"We can't escape...we can never escape...this old man...this old man is terrifying..."

Tuoba Lie closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When he opened his eyes again, there was no fear or anger in them, only a deep weariness and helplessness.

He raised his head and looked north.

That's the direction of the Northern Barbarians...

"May God bless the Northern Barbarians."

He knew that with Su Mu present, the chances of the Northern Barbarians winning this battle were extremely slim.

……

Su Mu withdrew his hand, looked at Xue Wuchen's corpse on the ground, and murmured:

"You are very loyal."

"Unfortunately, traitors never have a good end."

"You aided the Northern Barbarians in invading the Great Qian, slaughtered our people, and aided and abetted the tyrant. Today, your death is the one you chose."

He turned around and waved to the constables.

"Take them away, lock them up in jail, and keep them under strict guard. They'll be useful tomorrow."

"Yes, sir!"

Several constables stepped forward, grabbed Tuoba Lie and Tuoba Han, and dragged them toward the prison.

Tuoba Han's legs were weak, and he was almost dragged along.

Tuoba Lie remained silent, letting the constables hold him up, his head bowed, like a walking corpse.

Behind them, the constables began cleaning up the battlefield.

Su Mu then walked out of the government office and headed towards the city gate.

"Mr. Su, where are you going?"

Gu Changfeng, who had just returned from the military camp, happened to run into Su Mu.

"Go check the city gates and the city defenses."

"The Northern Di King's army will arrive tomorrow, so we must arrange the city's defenses tonight."

Gu Changfeng opened his mouth, wanting to persuade him to rest, but looking into his determined eyes, he swallowed his words back.

"This humble servant will accompany you."

Su Mu did not refuse, and the two walked one after the other towards the city gate.

The night was deep!

The city walls of Mozhou stood majestically in the darkness, like an insurmountable barrier.

On the city wall, the soldiers were still busy.

Moving rolling stones, setting up crossbows, etc...

The torchlight formed a line on the city wall, which, from a distance, looked like a fire dragon coiled on the city wall.

Su Mu climbed the city wall, stood behind the battlements, and gazed at the dark, desolate wilderness to the north.

His fists were clenched tightly.

He secretly vowed that he could not lose this battle for the sake of the people of the North!