The Reversal of Heaven Begins with The Smiling, Proud Wanderer

Fan Xian was shocked when he heard Lin Mu's calm yet murderous words, and his mind quickly weighed the pros and cons.

He never wanted to be Lin Mu's enemy, and his decision to don armor and go into battle this time was entirely due to the coercion of that old bastard, Emperor Qing.

If they were to confront Lin Mu head-on, who was like a god of death descended to earth, not only would they perish, but all their followers, including Uncle Wuzhu, Wang Qinian, and Gao Da, would likely be killed, and even the entire Fan family in the capital would be implicated.

Since Emperor Qing was unrighteous first, don't blame him for being unjust!

Just as Fan Xian's eyes were becoming resolute, Qin Ye noticed his wavering and knew something was wrong. He immediately shouted at the top of his lungs, "Fan Xian! If you dare to desert your post, you will be a traitor! The Qing Kingdom will never let you go! Think of your family in the capital; they will all die without a burial place because of your actions today!"

This sharp shout was like ice water poured over Fan Xian's head, instantly freezing him in place.

Lin Mu snorted coldly, leaped into the air, and floated in mid-air.

He was surrounded by a blood-red aura that seemed almost tangible, and his gaze was like a torch, piercing through the chaotic battlefield and precisely locking onto Fan Xian.

"Fan Xian."

Lin Mu's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly overwhelmed the noise of the battlefield and reached everyone's ears: "It seems someone is forcing you to make a choice. Then I might as well give you a condition in return."

"Switch sides now and come with me to fight our way back to the capital, and I can guarantee the safety of your Fan family."

"Afterwards, whether you stay or leave is up to you."

"If you insist on being my enemy..."

Lin Mu's tone suddenly turned icy: "After I kill you, to prevent future troubles, everyone around you—every single one of them—will be buried with you."

"Think it over before answering."

The battlefield seemed to have been muted.

Countless soldiers looked up at the figure standing in mid-air, as if gazing upon a god or demon, their hands barely able to grip their weapons, a chill running from their feet to the top of their heads.

Qin Ye was also stunned, his mouth agape, but he couldn't make a sound.

What kind of monster are we fighting?!

Ye Zhong hurriedly helped up Ye Liuyun, whose arm had been severed and whose face was deathly pale, his voice trembling: "Uncle... can we... still win?"

Ye Liuyun was in excruciating pain, drenched in cold sweat, his eyes filled with unprecedented fear: "He...he has surpassed the Grandmaster realm...reached a realm unknown to anyone...invincible...absolutely invincible!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Mu coldly swept his gaze over the Ye family uncle and nephew: "Ye Zhong, I'll also give your Ye family a choice."

"Those who obey me will live, those who disobey me will die."

"Follow me in our counterattack on Kyoto, and the Ye family will be safe."

"Otherwise, not a single one of them will be spared!"

His voice rose again, like rolling thunder, echoing throughout the battlefield: "And you, soldiers of Nanqing! A mere few taels of silver a month, what are you risking your lives for? Lay down your weapons, those who surrender will not be killed!"

"His words are a treacherous lie! Don't listen to his nonsense! Archers! Fire! Kill him!"

Qin Ye seemed to awaken from a dream, roaring hoarsely in an attempt to rebuild the morale of his army, which was on the verge of collapse.

"Noisy!"

Lin Mu's eyes sharpened, instantly locking onto Qin Ye.

He slowly raised the enormous halberd in his hand.

In an instant, the vast and boundless blood-fiend aura above the battlefield, almost solidified, along with the death intent and resentment of countless fallen soldiers, converged madly toward the tip of the halberd like rivers flowing into the sea!

The sky and earth changed color, a gale howled, and the clouds hung low.

A massive, blood-red halberd shadow, stretching across the sky, rapidly materialized. Within the halberd shadow, countless wronged souls seemed to be wailing, struggling, and howling, emanating a destructive aura that made all things in heaven and earth tremble.

That was no longer martial arts of the human world, but a judgment that was almost divine or demonic!

Without any hesitation, Lin Mu slashed down fiercely at the "Qin" banner flying high in the center of the Qing Army!

Qin Ye was terrified. He used all his remaining strength to draw his sword and parry. Some of his guards fought back, while others abandoned their armor and tried to escape...

But all resistance seemed so futile and laughable in the face of this blood-red halberd shadow.

The halberd fell! The sword broke! The man died!

Blood rises into the sky!

The mighty old general Qin Ye, who was famous throughout Nanqing, was cleaved in two with perfect precision, along with his expensive armor. His death was extremely gruesome!

The banner that symbolized the spirit of the Nanqing army, the flag bearer under it, the elite personal guards, and even the land on which they stood, all vanished completely under the power of this halberd.

"Boom——!!!"

A terrifying roar, far exceeding the force of thunder, suddenly erupted, and the earth trembled and cracked violently, like a fragile eggshell.

A terrifying ravine, tens of feet deep and stretching for two miles, appeared instantly, and smoke and dust mixed with thick blood mist shot into the sky.

Tens of thousands of people were caught up in it, and countless people were killed or injured.

The power of a single strike is so great!

The entire battlefield fell into deathly silence.

You can hear the needle drop.

The fighting spirit of all the soldiers of Nanqing collapsed completely with the fall of the commander's flag and the tragic death of the commander-in-chief.

"The commander-in-chief is dead; those who surrender will not be killed!"

Lin Mu's icy voice once again struck the ears of every distraught soldier like a thunderclap from the heavens.

"Bang!"

It's unclear which soldier, whose mental state had completely collapsed, was the first to throw down his spear.

The sound spread rapidly like a plague.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

In an instant, the sound of weapons falling to the ground filled the air, and countless soldiers knelt down, trembling, with no will to fight left.

The army was defeated, collapsing like a mountain!

One man broke through the enemy lines, killed the commander-in-chief, seized his banner, and killed more than 10,000 enemies!

The power of a demon god is unparalleled!

When the famous general of Northern Qi, Shang Shanhu, saw this terrifying scene from afar, he swallowed hard. In the eyes of this battle-hardened general, there was only utter awe and indescribable fanaticism.

He originally thought that the Grandmaster was the pinnacle of martial arts, but today he realized that there are always people more skilled than him and heavens beyond heavens!

Fan Xian, positioned on the flank of the central army, took in all of this. He felt a chill run down his spine and straight to the top of his head, his limbs were icy cold, and his palms were covered in cold sweat.

His lips trembled slightly, and he murmured in a voice only he could hear:

"This is... definitely cheating..."

His mind went blank; he was almost unable to process the scene before him that was beyond the limits of his imagination.

Lin Mu, alone on horseback, defeated a Grandmaster in three rounds amidst a million-strong army, crippled the Temple Envoy, and slew generals and seized the flag...

This battle will surely astound the world!

Chapter 99: Heading South to Capture the Dragon

Lin Mu hovered in mid-air, his blood-red aura surging and swirling around him like a living creature, condensing into ferocious dragon shapes that roared and leaped about.

The oppressive aura was tangible, pressing heavily on everyone's hearts, as if the netherworld had been opened, its overwhelming power and suffocating killing intent permeating the entire battlefield.

His cold gaze slowly swept over the trembling, kneeling soldiers of Nanqing below.

No one dared to look up and meet his gaze. Finally, the gaze settled on Fan Xian, whose expression was changing drastically and who was struggling in the distance.

"Fan Xian, what's your choice?"

His voice was flat and emotionless, yet more intimidating than any thunderous roar.

Fan Xian's heart pounded wildly, and his gaze involuntarily drifted to the distance.

There was a huge ravine there, cleaved by Lin Mu's halberd, bottomless and charred at the edges, like a hideous wound on the earth, silently telling the story of that earth-shattering blow.

He recalled Emperor Qing's ruthless coercion, manipulation, and scheming behind the scenes over the years; he thought of his deceased mother, Ye Qingmei; he thought of his adoptive father, Fan Jian, living on thin ice; and he thought of his younger sister, Fan Ruoruo's innocent and dependent smile...

If I were to die today, who could protect the Fan family, my grandmother in Danzhou, and Ruoruo?

A flurry of thoughts raced through my mind, and the scales in my heart tipped completely, leaving no room for hesitation.

He took a deep breath of the air, which was thick with the smell of blood, and suddenly drew the sword from his waist!

The blade was as clear as autumn water, drawing a cold glint in the dim light.

However, the sword's edge was not pointed at Lin Mu, who was like a god or a demon in the air, but suddenly turned around and headed straight for the southern capital.

"Emperor Qing is tyrannical! He is warlike and has started wars without cause, plunging the people into misery! He has forced the execution of loyal officials, treated his soldiers like dirt, and discarded them like birds after the birds are gone, and cooked them like dogs after the rabbits are dead!"

Fan Xian channeled his inner energy, his voice booming like thunder from a clear sky, reaching the ears of everyone on the battlefield: "How can such a muddle-headed and tyrannical ruler be worthy of being the lord of my Southern Qing?!"

His gaze burned as he swept over the bewildered and terrified soldiers of Nanqing, his voice growing louder and more impassioned: "I, Fan Xian, am willing to abandon darkness for light today, to follow General Lin Mu, to purge the court of corrupt officials, to rectify the government, and to restore peace to the world!"

"Those who wish to follow me, rise!"

Before he finished speaking, Fan Xian's elite Black Riders, along with his trusted confidants Wang Qinian and Gao Da who had been following closely behind him, stepped forward without hesitation and stood firmly behind him, drawing their swords to show their stance.

Many soldiers who were originally Qin Ye's subordinates and had long been terrified by Lin Mu's invincible divine might, now saw that Lord Fan had taken the lead in defecting. Their survival instinct and herd mentality instantly overwhelmed their fear of Emperor Qing.

It's unclear who started it, but more and more people picked up their weapons from the ground, staggered to their feet, and joined the ranks behind Fan Xian, like streams flowing into the sea.

As Lin Mu just said, why risk your life for a mere few taels of silver a month?

For these low-ranking soldiers, who sits on the throne is far less important than their own lives and the basic needs of their families.

Lin Mu hovered in the air, looking down at the rapidly expanding wave of defection below, nodding slightly, his expression unreadable.

Then, his indifferent gaze turned to Ye Zhong and Grandmaster Ye Liuyun, who were still in shock.

"Ye family?"

Two words, light as a feather, yet weighing a ton, making it hard for the Ye family to breathe.

Blood was still gushing from Ye Liuyun's severed arm, and his face was ashen white from blood loss.

He exchanged a glance with Ye Zhong beside him, and both saw deep despair and bitter helplessness in each other's eyes.

Revolt?

Even at his peak, Ye Liuyun dared not claim victory. Now, severely injured, any resistance would be futile, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, leading to his own destruction and implicating his entire family.

Ye Liuyun gave a bitter smile, his voice dry and hoarse: "The Ye family... is willing to surrender."

As soon as he uttered those words, it was as if all his strength had been drained away, and this once-powerful grandmaster's back hunched over.

Ye Zhong's face was ashen. He bowed his head and clasped his hands, his voice heavy: "The Ye family army is willing to obey General Lin's orders."

Upon hearing this, the remaining Ye family soldiers behind him also laid down their weapons and bowed their heads in submission.

"very good." ."

Lin Mu slowly descended from the sky. The moment his feet touched the ground, the terrifying blood-red aura around him subsided slightly, but it was still so intense that no one dared to look directly at him.

He mounted his horse, his gaze sharp as lightning, and suddenly shot towards the southern capital.

"All troops, heed my command! March south to capture the dragon!"

Lin Mu uttered the phrase only he and Fan Xian understood with a hint of mockery: "Nod yes, shake no, Fengtian Jingnan gogogo!"

Once the order was given, with Lin Mu as the sharpest spearhead, the hundreds of thousands of defected Southern Qing troops, Fan Xian's subordinates, the remnants of the Ye family, and the massive army of Shang Shanhu from Northern Qi were mobilized instantly!

Like a long-awaited torrent bursting through a dam, carrying overwhelming killing intent and destructive aura, it surged southward, heading towards the capital of Nanqing!

Iron hooves thundered across the ground, banners blotted out the sky, and swords and spears filled the air. This army, composed of diverse members but temporarily united by absolute power, began its unstoppable advance.

Lin Mu led his army straight in, and the prefectures and counties along the way were terrified.

News of the battle in the North had already spread at an astonishing speed.

Lin Mu descended like a demon god, shattering an army with a single blow, forcing Fan Xian to surrender, subduing the Ye family, and annihilating Emperor Qing's hundreds of thousands of troops...

The rumors have been exaggerated to the point of being mythical.

The morale of the defending troops in various places collapsed, and most of them chose to open the gates and surrender, offering up food and supplies as a sign of submission.

Occasionally, die-hard generals of Emperor Chung-kyung would attempt to block him using fortified cities or strategic passes.

Lin Mu always took the lead and charged ahead. With the swing of his halberd, a blood-red dragon roared, city gates shattered, city walls collapsed, generals were beheaded, and military flags were seized!