From the Valkyrie to the Endless

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The border between Yuanzhou and Xuanzhou.

In a military camp, in the central military tent.

bell--

The bright yellow copper bell vibrated wildly and rang uncontrollably.

Yang Zongxi suddenly stood up, covered his chest with his hands, beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and his face was extremely pale.

puff--

After a few breaths, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the desk red. He fell on his back, breathing weakly, as if he had aged dozens of years in an instant. His hair was covered with silver hair, and his face was wrinkled deeper, showing all the traces of time.

"Your Majesty!"

"Someone! Call the military doctor!"

The people stationed outside the tent heard the noise and immediately went in to check. At once there were exclamations everywhere, and Yang Zongxi was helped onto the couch.

A moment later, the military doctor rushed over. After taking the patient's pulse, his forehead was covered with sweat, and he said in a trembling voice:

"The prince has been exhausted for a long time, and now his blood and qi are suddenly depleted. His life span is greatly shortened. I'm afraid... I'm afraid he only has three to five years left."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the tent looked pale. Yang Zongxi's only son had passed away and there was no one to succeed him. Now the situation had become like this. The consequences were too serious.

"It must be that damned demon who used witchcraft to hurt people!"

Some people immediately thought of the Great Xia State Master.

Only a sorcerer could use such evil means to shorten someone's lifespan from a distance.

"enough."

Yang Zongxi shouted in a deep voice, calmed his breath, looked at the silver hair hanging by his ears, his eyes dimmed slightly, but his expression remained calm: "I'm fine, everyone return to their duties."

"I have a method that can help the prince prolong his life."

As the generals looked at each other, a martial arts master standing quietly in the corner spoke in a deep voice:

"As long as we can use the blood of a human demon's heart as a medicine, and find a mind-awakening pill, so that the prince can enter the realm of a grandmaster within a few years, his life span can be extended by a hundred years."

As soon as these words were spoken, the eyes of all the generals lit up, but Sikong Yuan, who had rushed over after hearing the news, stopped outside the tent with a calm expression, waiting for Yang Zongxi's answer.

"Don't mention this matter again."

Inside the tent, Yang Zongxi had a blank expression on his face. He directly rejected the proposal and shook his head slowly:

"Drinking human blood to practice martial arts, in this way, how is I different from that beast Yang Zongxian?"

The main reason why he started the rebellion was that he didn't want to see innocent people die because of the Yang family's selfish desires.

If he wanted to rule the country by eating people, he would have taken the Awakening Pill in his early years. It is still unknown who is sitting on the dragon throne now.

"To use this method, Yang Zongxian must have paid a heavy price."

Yang Zongxi sneered: "He is afraid... He doesn't dare to face me directly, so he resorted to this method..."

Since there were only three to five years left, he would have to press Yang Zongxian to death on the blood-stained dragon throne within three years to prevent it from bringing disaster to future generations.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 54: Uprising

"Spread the news that I don't have much time left secretly."

Yang Zongxi glanced at everyone and gave the order in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, all the generals in the tent looked puzzled. If this kind of news were to spread, it would only shake the morale of the army.

Yang Zongxi ignored these people's thoughts and continued to give orders:

"Mobilize all the troops in the two continents. Five days later, I will hold a swearing-in ceremony."

The generals dared not disobey and immediately took the order and left.

Until this moment, Sikong Yuan just stepped into the tent. Looking at Yang Zongxi, whose breathing was a little disordered on the couch, his tired brows relaxed a lot:

"I'll go back overseas. There are ancient heritages and ancient alchemists there. I'll borrow a few elixirs from you. They can at least extend your lifespan by 20 years."

"Thank you." Yang Zongxi thanked him solemnly. Twenty years was enough time for him to leave behind bones and blood before he died.

This is also a good thing for the world. The crown prince is the foundation of the country. If the king has no descendants, even if he takes over the world, after his death, the world will inevitably be in chaos, and I don't know how many people will divide the land and become kings.

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The news that King Zunqing had suffered a severe blow and would not live long spread across Qian and Xuan continents.

At the same time, with the deliberate promotion of the Great Xia court, the news spread almost throughout the eight continents in just a few days. For a time, the people of Qianzhou and Xuanzhou were in panic, and the soldiers were uneasy.

In response to this, Yang Zongxi never gave any response, and not even a single message was released.

Five days passed in a flash, and all the soldiers and armor from Qianzhou and Xuanzhou were concentrated at the border of Yuanzhou, totaling more than 900,000.

The camp stretches for dozens of miles, with heavy defenses and strict guards. Facing such a large army, even a master would have difficulty crossing, and even a grand master would have to think twice.

Inside the camp, in a side tent.

Yang Zongxi sat quietly in front of the bronze mirror. A woman in a green dress stood behind him, combing his hair. Not far away stood a basin of inky black sticky juice.

Grind the black leaf lotus into powder and add it into water. Use it to dye your hair and beard, making it completely black. It will not fade even after contact with water for half a month.

Yang Zongxi's face, which had originally looked much older, now looked full of energy, with a rosy complexion and glowing look, and he looked no more than thirty years old.

When his black hair was half dry, Yang Zongxi stood up, turned back to look at his princess, and smiled faintly:

"How does the king look now?"

"Heroic."

Song Ruizhen's eyes were filled with tenderness, and she said softly, "It's the same as it was twenty years ago."

Hearing this, Yang Zongxi couldn't help but laugh and turned to leave the tent.

Outside the tent, the entire army was silent, and elite troops from all directions gathered on the training ground.

In front of an army of nearly one million, Yang Zongxi swore an oath in public and issued a military order, to capture Yuanzhou, break Shengyang City, exterminate all demons and monsters, and restore peace to the world within two years to atone for the heinous crimes committed by the Yang family over a thousand years.

On the stage for selecting generals, the voice of the King of Honor was full of energy and could be clearly heard from miles away. His black hair was like a waterfall and he looked radiant and heroic. There was no sign of his impending doom as rumored.

The rumors that have been rife in recent days have naturally refuted themselves and were seen as a ploy by the court to attack the hearts of the people. They were nothing more than false reports. For a time, people's hearts were settled and the slightly low morale was boosted again.

The day after the oath-taking ceremony.

Your Majesty the King raised an army of 930,000 men by land and sea, claiming to be an army of 1.5 million. They took the Yuxuan Pass in Xuanzhou, entered Yuanzhou, and headed straight for the imperial capital.

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Lingzhou.

On the wide official road, there were many horse-drawn carriages and escort teams.

Lingzhou and Xuanzhou are not far apart, and one can already see refugees, fleeing the war with their families.

Not only did some people flee from Xuanzhou to Lingzhou, but many people also began to migrate from Lingzhou to Xuanzhou.

The news that Qian and Xuan continents will be exempted from taxes for four years has already spread. Your Majesty's reputation for benevolence and generosity has spread throughout the world. Now that the military is at its peak, it is hard to say who will rule the world in the future.

Nowadays, all the powerful families in the eight continents have begun to secretly split off and join the army of King Zunqing, in order to preserve the family bloodline and inherit the power while striving to gain the merit of following the dragon.

Aristocratic families that have been passed down for thousands of years have relied on such means to continue their incense, even if one day, they will kill each other on the battlefield.

Between a barren mountain not far from the official road.

Now that spring has arrived, the mountains and fields are full of flowers of various colors.

Hereby——

Shen Qing sheathed his knife. There were headless corpses all around, lying in disorder on the ground. The strong smell of blood mixed with the mountain breeze, blowing across the fields and disappearing into the faint fragrance of flowers.

In order to facilitate her journey, she changed into a black outfit that was easy to move in. Her long hair was tied tightly behind her head and she wore an ordinary silver mask on her face. To outsiders, it was even difficult to tell whether she was a man or a woman.

Maintaining a disguise for a long time is also a heavy burden on the face. The bones will be deformed and it will also distract the mind. A mask is obviously more convenient.

This kind of dress that hides one's identity is not uncommon in the underworld.

Under a peach tree not far away, two women huddled together with terrified looks on their faces. It was not until Shen Qing put away his knife that one of them mustered up the courage to come over.

"Thank you for your help, hero."

There was still fear in her voice. After calming herself down, she pleaded, "Can you please protect us two for a while? My lady is..."

"No."

Before she could finish, Shen Qing interrupted her and started touching the corpse.

She had encountered this kind of robbery and murder situation several times along the way, and in total she only met two innate martial artists, which helped her replenish some energy. Apart from that, her biggest gain was some silver.

"If you don't help us in this desolate mountain and wilderness, there's no way we two girls will survive. This..." The woman's face changed slightly, and she said hesitantly.

"Then you can just go and die."

Shen Qing weighed the silver in his hand, glanced back, and the long sword that had just been sheathed at his waist slid out two inches. He said in a calm voice:

"Would you like me to give you a ride?"

She will not lead people to life because she herself once sought death, and because sometimes death is indeed a relief.

It is troublesome for her to travel alone now, so she is doing it this time just for convenience. It is impossible for her to travel with two burdens.

Hearing this, the woman was stunned, the rest of the words choked in her throat, and she didn't know how to react for a moment.

Shen Qing pondered for a moment, took out fifty taels of silver and threw it at the woman's feet:

"Ten miles to the west is the official road. Go there and find a way to survive."

Seeing this, the woman was about to speak, but the woman behind her had already walked over, picked up the silver on the ground, bowed and thanked him:

"Thank you, hero. I, Wen Lingyu, will remember your kindness today."