Immortality: Starting with a grave, I'm invincible when burying corpses.

Some say failure is the mother of success, while others say that's just nonsense.

Jun Changping didn't know what others thought, but he knew that this crushing defeat had left him depressed for a long time.

In just three months, the one million-strong Western Qi Allied Army suffered over 300,000 casualties.

After several more months, Jun Changping had only managed to gather 400,000 remnants of his defeated army; the rest had vanished without a trace.

The amount of military equipment and supplies lost during the rout was countless.

For the fledgling Western Qi, this was undoubtedly a heavy blow.

Jun Changping vaguely remembered that at the mobilization meeting before the expedition, the people of Yucheng were still cheering for him and looking at his back with admiration.

He vaguely remembered an elderly man with white hair holding his hand, wishing him a successful start and a triumphant return with his soldiers...

Everyone thought it would be a smooth war, and that it would bring countless military achievements, promotions, and ultimate glory.

The common people, soldiers, bureaucrats, and even Jun Changping himself all shared the same thought.

Even now, on a hill fifty miles from Yu City, Jun Changping stands motionless under the blazing sun for a full hour.

He just stared at Yu City in the distance, not moving for a long time.

Having led a million people out and returned with four hundred thousand, Jun Changping truly didn't know how to face the people of Yucheng.

Jun Changping's early education made him very clear that victory and defeat are common occurrences in war.

He was also very clear that a temporary setback meant nothing, and that defeat was not shameful in the face of a powerful enemy like the Southern Frontier.

He knew all too well that the lives of ordinary people were as worthless as grass, measurable in copper coins and silver. Even if hundreds of thousands or millions died, it wouldn't be considered an unacceptable event.

The Apocalypse Domain has no shortage of ordinary people like these.

One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand. If he wants to achieve great things, to revive the Qi Dynasty, and to rebuild the throne that belongs to the Jun family, he is destined to tread through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

On this path, no sacrifice is worth mentioning...

To die for an emperor is the glory of these commoners.

He, Jun Changping, possesses the most noble bloodline in the world and is destined to ascend the throne of emperor. Even a single hair of his is infinitely more noble than those of these commoners.

From childhood to adulthood, Jun Changping's teachers have always taught him this way.

This has always been the case.

Everything is meant to be this way.

If Jun Changping had never studied at Sui'an Academy, things would have unfolded in this manner.

After this defeat, he will naturally return to Feather City, learn from this experience, reorganize and train the army, sign a treaty with the Southern Frontier, and then turn his attention to the many kingdoms in the desert.

Once all the major and minor forces in the desert have been subdued and a truly combat-ready army has been trained, we will regroup and participate in the battle for supremacy in the Apocalypse Domain.

It's simple and clear, with a well-defined purpose, requiring no hesitation whatsoever.

Because Jun Changping's father was Jun Xiangyang, who was ranked eighth in the world and was one of the chess players.

But now, standing on the hill outside Yu City, Jun Changping's heart was pounding.

The years I spent at the academy clashed intensely with my early childhood education.

Over the past decade, Bai Ling has instilled compassion and conscience in every student at the academy and put her ideals into practice through concrete actions.

Over the years, they have experienced all sorts of different lives under Bai Ling's guidance.

The nine students of the academy had all farmed, chopped firewood, traded goods, and done good deeds...

More than a decade of exposure to the place has ultimately influenced everyone in the academy.

Feng Jian and Wei Qiyuan stood near Jun Changping, no longer as excited as when they first arrived.

The three of them were covered in dust and dirt, standing on the hilltop without saying a word.

The wind on the plateau was biting, blowing against the three of them, fluttering their tattered clothes and stirring their ever-beating hearts.

"Senior Brother... the war doesn't seem to be what I expected... there are corpses everywhere, dead people everywhere, everyone seems to have gone mad, desperately killing each other..."

The speaker was Wei Qiyuan, a chubby boy. Compared to when he first left the academy, he had become much thinner and was no longer as flabby as before.

At this moment, he gazed at Yu City in the distance, his beady eyes looking somewhat lost.

"I miss my life at the academy. I miss Mr. Mu, who always had a blank expression; I miss the gentle Master Bai; I miss my mischievous junior sister; and even I miss Senior Sister Li, who always bullied people..."

Two meters away, Feng Jian lowered his head, his fists clenched tightly together.

The bulging veins were on full display, giving it a somewhat ferocious look, and also revealing the inner thoughts of its owner.

Of the three, Jun Changping was standing at the very front. When he suddenly heard Wei Qiyuan's words, he was clearly taken aback.

In a daze, Jun Changping turned around and met Wei Qiyuan's bewildered eyes.

"Junior brother..."

His mouth opened but he couldn't finish speaking. Looking at the dejected Wei Qiyuan, Jun Changping didn't know how to start the conversation.

After a long while, he finally stammered out a sentence.

"Failure is the mother of success... One failure means nothing, everything will be alright..."

Seeing Jun Changping like this, Wei Qiyuan's desire to leave intensified.

The thought flashed through his mind for a moment, but Wei Qiyuan immediately dismissed it.

After leaving the academy, Wei Qiyuan's entire family moved to Yucheng, and his father even held a high position in the Western Qi court.

From any perspective, Wei Qiyuan could not find a reason to leave.

After sighing, Wei Qiyuan stepped forward and patted Jun Changping on the shoulder.

"What you say, senior, is absolutely right. Failure is the mother of success. We are all still young, and we still have opportunities..."

"Absolutely! It's good that you understand, Junior Brother Wei. The fact that the three of us brothers are safe and sound is the greatest fortune..."

Just as the two were comforting themselves, Feng Jian's somewhat abrupt voice suddenly rang out.

"We're alright, but what about the others? The butchers of southern Xinjiang killed hundreds of thousands of us. What will happen to their parents, their families?"

The sudden sound made the two people who were comforting each other freeze, and they both looked at Feng Jian, who had suddenly spoken.

"Junior Brother Feng..." Faced with a question that had no answer, Jun Changping did not know how to respond. He could only try to think of a way to persuade Feng Jian, but after thinking for a long time, he could not come up with a reasonable answer and could only stammer in response.

To Jun Changping's surprise, Feng Jian didn't seem to be in any particular interest in getting an answer.

He straightened up and looked at Jun Changping, his tone tinged with bitterness.

"Senior brother, do you know? I'm not like those of you who grew up in happiness..."

"From childhood to adulthood, I was a burden in my parents' eyes, a useless piece of trash. I got into fights and was bullied... until I came to the academy and met everyone."

"Everyone in the academy is a genius, and Mr. Mu doesn't care about an insignificant student like me. Only you, senior brother, are willing to lend me a helping hand and give me a chance to stand out..."

"During my time in Yucheng, I've met many people and made many friends, including noble families and commoners. We drank together and dreamed about the future..."

"Junior brother, I know that most of them are actually here because of you, senior brother, but no matter what, I felt the respect I deserved in Feather City, just as you respected me."

"It is this respect that made me, your junior brother, follow you to this unfamiliar place without any hesitation, and that makes me willing to risk my life for you."

"Before this expedition, the elders of these friends held my hand, hoping that I could arrange a safer location for them so that they could return home safely."

"And now, they are all dead."

"Junior brother, I don't understand any grand principles, nor do I want to concern myself with those complicated politics. Junior brother, I only know one very simple principle."

"A blood debt must be repaid with blood!"

"Senior brother, tell me, will we still seek revenge against those butchers in the Southern Frontier?"

……