Fall of Southern Iron Wall

In the middle of the endless desert, the Central Continent, the Southern Iron Wall.

Black smoke rose into the sky. Thousands of cultivators rushed into the fortress that had collapsed into pieces, while the other cultivators inside the fortress made a valiant effort to withstand the enemy's attack, but their struggles were unsuccessful due to their outnumbering.

The screams of death could be heard everywhere. The sea of cultivators was like tiny ants that could be crushed by the god's footsteps in the sky.

However, one thing was for sure, the cultivators of the Southern Iron Wall were being pushed back more and more.

"Li Fang! Today is the day you die! Dig a grave for you and your family!" A voice boomed loudly throughout the camp, causing everyone who heard it to tremble with fear.

Meanwhile, inside the main building of the Southern Iron Wall, Li Fang could be seen hurriedly carrying his son down the stairs in a quiet corridor. Although the middle-aged man was the camp commander, not a single soldier could be seen escorting him. Right now, Li Fang didn't trust anyone!

"Dad, why are we going to the cellar?"

Li Yun was only ten years old, but he could understand that something big had happened in his father's camp. A major crisis was brewing.

"Yun, you are a smart boy, you must know even if I say no word. I'll entrust Mother and Sister to you." Li Fang didn't answer but said something else while smiling. It was an amazing gentle smile considering the current situation was so bad.

"Then what about you?" Li Yun asked anxiously.

"Yun'er, you already know the answer." Li Fang said bitterly, there was no way he could lie in front of Li Yun.

"I am a man of Southern Iron Wall, let me die to protect this camp with my own body." Li Yun showed no fear in his words. He knew that his father would die to protect the camp, so as a 'man', he wanted to do the same.

"Disagree. If something happens to you, the Li Clan will lose its influence in the Central Continent. And in wartime like this, when even old men turn their staffs into swords, there will be those who will take advantage of the fall of the Southern Iron Wall to wipe out the Li Clan. You have to stay alive and ensure the safety of everyone in the Li Clan, understand?"

Li Yun can't help but nod his head. Understood.

Long ago, the Central Continent was an extremely peaceful and prosperous region. For more than five hundred years, there were no disputes between kingdoms or clans within the continent. Yet, things changed when the Southern Continent invaded about two hundred years ago, plunging the Central Continent into unimaginable chaos.

The ancestors' persistent and unyielding struggle over the decades enabled them to repel the Southern Continent's troops. To prevent a counterattack, Li Fang's grandfather built a defensive camp on the south coast of the Central Continent, and then his camp gets called the Southern Iron Wall.

The camp was a combined force of all the clans and the kingdom's army on the continent, as well as the warriors of the independent martial arts schools, making the Southern Iron Wall the strongest fortress in the rest of Central Continent.

The enemy troops understood that the Southern Iron Wall was impossible to break through even with their massive forces, but that didn't mean it couldn't be destroyed by other means. They used the tactic of divide and conquer!

The Southern Continent infiltrated some of the most beautiful women in their territory to incite the kings of the Central Continent.

It may be hard to believe, but that childish plan actually worked.

The Southern Iron Wall was not spared either, and Li Fang was accused of collaborating with the enemy to open his fortress' gate and take control of all of the Central Continent.

The accusation was confirmed by the treacherous camp officials, and today the Southern Iron Wall has been invaded by the combined forces of many clans and kingdoms existing in the Central Continent.

Li Fang could only hold back his tears as most of the warriors left the Southern Iron Wall, causing the fortress to lose almost all of its strength.

"Father, why did those uncles betray us?" Li Yun asked sadly. He had regarded the camp officials as his uncles, Li Yun found it hard to believe that they would betray him this time.

"Jewel, women, and dominion. These three things can turn a person away from common sense." His father replied as he continued down the stairs.

After a while, they arrived at a hall with a thousand doors. The doors were so similar to each other that they were completely indistinguishable.

"This is the Hall of a Thousand Doors, son," Li Fang said. "Of the thousand doors here, 999 are booby-trapped, and the one that isn't booby-trapped only Father knows about. That's where you built your way out of this camp."

Li Fang withdrew his sword before plunging it into the floor of the hall. Instantly, luminous magic patterns appeared indicating that the magic trap had been temporarily removed.

Li Fang not only set up traps on 999 doors in the place but also in the hall.

The middle-aged man then took his sword darting towards a door located among hundreds of other doors. When he opened it, Li Yun's brother and mother were already inside. They looked extremely frightened but were trying to stay strong.

"Yun'er!" His mother, Li Zun, hugged him tightly.

Li Fang also hugged his wife saying, "Zun, please take care of our children."

When Li Zun heard this, she knew what her husband was going to do. She could not hold back her tears. "Fang Gege, where do you want to go?"

Li Fang didn't want to show his tears at a time when his family needed his strength, so he just gave a quick answer, "I trust you absolutely, Zun."

He returned to Li Yun while drawing the sword at his waist.

"Yun, I have always used this Flying Jade Sword to protect the precious people in my life. Will you carry on the duties of this sword?"

Li Yun actually couldn't help being sad, but he tried to look strong at least in front of his father. Although he was only ten years old, Li Yun didn't want Li Fang to look at him as a boy. So with both hands, he accepted the sword.

"Take good care of yourselves." Li Fang gave his wife and daughter a gentle hug, but he gave Li Yun a firm pat on the shoulder, something the boy could never forget.

Li Fang closed the secret room door, and that was the last time Li Yun saw his father.

"Come on, we have to leave soon!" Li Zun wiped away her tears before standing up.

But just as they were about to run, the door suddenly slipped out of its place and shattered into pieces. A person with a black sword walked in while chuckling.

"Uncle Wang Hao." Li Yun hissed while pulling out the sword his father gave him. He stood right before his mother and brother.

Wang Hao was one of the betrayed officers of the Southern Iron Wall. Before the warring era, Wang Hao often took Li Yun to visit cities in the center of the continent to seek experience. For Li Yun, he was one of his teachers. But now that Wang Hao had betrayed him, Li Yun did not think of him as his uncle at all.

"Yun'er, why did you point that sword to me?" Wang Hao said in a sad tone, but Li Yun knew that it was a small part of his lie.

"This sword is used to behead traitors." Li Yun said coldly. It sounded too cruel for a child of his age to say.

Wang Hao couldn't help but laugh. "Poor Yun'er, don't you have any talent in martial arts? Now you dare to raise that sword to me and act like a champ? Your father already spent a lot of camp resources just to open your meridian path, but he doesn't even know that a piece of trash can never become gold."

Li Yun clenched his jaw. He did not have any martial talent as his meridians were barely open at all. His father had expended countless resources to help open Li Yun's meridians, but his efforts had yielded nothing.

The fact that Li Yun was trash existed as an open secret in the Southern Iron Wall.

"Yun'er, I'll be kind enough to make this easy and painless. Now put down your sword."

However, Li Zun took out a long dagger from under her robe. She pointed the dagger at the grinning Wang Hao.

"Li Yun, Li Xuan, go away! I will hold this traitor for as long as possible." Li Zun said without releasing her sharp gaze on Wang Hao.

Li Yun steeled his heart as he remained in his stance. "Let Yun hold him. Mother and Sister should just go. Just wish, we will meet again in heaven."

Wang Hao chuckled a few times while shaking his head. "Too bad, I don't have time to play around. If I'm even the slightest bit late, the entire camp's resources will be consumed by the other."

Wang Hao darted out while swinging his sword. The first person he aimed at was Li Zun, a weak woman with a not-so-high level of practice. When receiving an attack from Wang Hao, Li Zun couldn't do anything with her dagger.

"MOMMM!"

Li Yun shouted when he saw his mother fall with a stab wound right on her chest. His anger peaked and he rashly attacked Wang Hao.

"Stupid kid." Wang Hao smiled widely before swinging his sword again.

Li Yun was knocked down when Wang Hao's sword slash sliced right through his chest. He leaned against the wall of the room. His blood rushed down like a waterfall. At the same time, he also saw his brother killed at the tip of Wang Hao's sword.

"At least we can still be together in the afterlife." While muttering his last words, Li Yun's consciousness crawled and his sight turned black. Shortly after, his breathing stopped.

Wang Hao was the only living person in the room. He let out a long sigh while staring at his sword with a hint of guilt.

"Yun'er, I'm sorry, but even if the Southern Iron Wall is still standing today, the enemy's power cannot be contained. The only way if Uncle still wants to tread the martial path is to join them. Once again, please forgive me."

Right after saying that, Wang Hao took flight and exited the room as quickly as possible. However, he did not realize that Li Yun's chest was rising and falling again and the boy's fingers were twitching. In fact, even the wound on his chest had simply disappeared.

Heaven had shown its mercy. Li Yun was given a chance to live to avenge the death of his family as well as the unjust destruction of the Southern Iron Wall. However, Li Yun was not reincarnated in another place, another body, or even another time like the reincarnation stories he had read.

The boy opened his eyes and found something extraordinary happening inside him.

***

"I'm… not dead yet?"

Li Yun could hardly believe it when he was able to open his eyes again. Moreover, he even could raise both of his bloodied hands.

Li Yun then palpated his abdomen where he had previously gotten a wound there, but Li Yun found nothing but his torn clothes and fresh blood. He did not feel the slightest pain!

"Does the sky pity me?" While saying that, Li Yun cast his gaze toward the bodies of his mother and brother lying stiffly on the floor of the room. Innocently, Li Yun said, "But why didn't the sky have mercy on them?"

It was a very natural sentence spoken by a 10-year-old child, anyone who heard it would not be offended but rather saddened. Yet there was something unnatural, which was that Li Yun did not cry at all, instead murderous lust filled his eyes. His hands were clenched into fists as he began to envision crushing the heads of the treacherous higher-ups.

"Hey, young boy!"

Li Yun snapped out of his reverie when he heard the call. He looked around again but found no one alive in the room other than himself. After all, the voice sounded like it came from an old man.

"Who?" Li Yun tried to get up even though he still could not stand well without leaning against the wall.

"I should have asked that." The voice appeared again. "Boy, who are you? How can I be inside this little body of yours?"

"What do you mean? How can there be someone else inside my body?"

The moment after saying that, Li Yun felt like his body was struck by lightning. He stiffened completely and jumped up to touch the ceiling of the room. When he fell back on the floor, the boy's head felt a little heavier than usual.

"Bastard!" Another voice appeared, although it equally sounded like it came from an old man, but Li Yun knew that it was a different voice from before.

"Jiang Huo! How can I hear your voice after I sent you to hell?!"

"Long Wei! If you can still hear my voice, it means I managed to take you to hell with me!"

Li Yun held his head which began to feel dizzy. The voices did not seem to be coming from any direction, but directly from inside his head. I don't know how, but Li Yun realized that there were two old men trapped inside his mind, and now they were arguing violently.

"You-! Did you use forbidden knowledge in the last moments of our fight?" said the voice of the figure called Jiang Huo.

"Old fart, you don't need to be naive. All the knowledge I used against you is forbidden knowledge," replied another figure named Long Wei. "But, it's good if we calm down first before everything becomes clear. Why did we both get trapped in this little body?"

"That's what I was asking anyway before you suddenly appeared." Jiang Huo sounded like he still harbored anger, but the old figure tried to calm himself down by saying softly. "Kid, what's your name and where are we at this time?"

Li Yun was silent for a moment. Everything happened so fast that it was difficult for his mind to work as usual. The death of his mother and brother was something that deeply shook his psyche, plus now he had to accept the fact that there were two mysterious figures inside him.

But no matter what, he quickly answered to make things brighter.

"I am Li Yun son of Li Fang. Myself, or perhaps the three of us, are in the underground secret room belonging to the Southern Iron Wall."

"Li Fang? Southern Iron Wall? Ah, this is the Central Continent!" Jiang Huo's voice sounded. "Long Wei, are you sure we're still in the East Continent when we fight?"

"There's no mistaking it, Jiang. The distance between Eastern Continent and Central Continent is so far."

"Hard to believe it, but is it possible that we have reincarnated in this child's body?" said Jiang Huo.

"Old fart, you must know very well that a black cultivator like me never believes in that." Long Wei laughed mockingly.

"But I should also be dead." Li Yun suddenly interrupted the conversation and said in a voice that trembled slightly from both anger and sadness. "I… I should have died together with my mother and brother. If you can see, then you must have realized that my body is drenched in blood. It seems like the heavens have performed a miracle by giving me a chance to avenge my family's unjust death, but I really don't know why you are trapped inside my body."

After saying that, Li Yun didn't hear the voices of the two elderly men until he thought that what had just happened was just his hallucination before being picked up by death, but the idea fell as soon as Jiang Huo's voice reappeared.

"Long Wei, is the sky also giving us a chance to reconcile?"

"Make peace with you? Damn! I don't want to!" Long Wei swore back, but after being silent for a while he changed his mind. "Well, I'm starting to understand what the heavens want by trapping us in this little boy's body."

"So you have the same thoughts as me?" Jiang Huo's voice sounded a little mocking.

"No need for small talk." Long Wei indirectly reminds it was inappropriate for Li Yun to be in this room for too long. Not with the presence of the bodies of his mother and brother who died horribly.

As if understanding what Long Wei meant, Jiang Huo immediately said, "Li Yun, can we go to another place? There's something we want to talk to you about."

"Yes."

Li Yun's answer was firm, making Jiang Huo and Long Wei almost incredulous. They had already prepared a persuasion in case Li Yun insisted on not wanting to leave the room, but what came out of the boy's mouth was simply unexpected.

"But, after I bury the bodies of my mother and sister." Li Yun continued, to which both Jiang Huo and Long Wei immediately agreed.

With his hands and small body, Li Yun lifted the bodies of his mother and brother one by one leaving the underground secret room. Once again, the action managed to leave Jiang Huo and Long Wei in awe.

For a 10-year-old boy, carrying a 20-kilogram sack of rice is quite an achievement. However, Li Yun managed to lift his sister's body which weighed more than 30 kilograms, and even his mother's body which weighed more than 50 kilograms!

Through the mind transmission message, Jiang Huo told Long Wei, "He's not an ordinary child. Although I see his meridian path is blocked, but his physique is very strong."

"You're dubbed as the Huo Alchemist God, you should be ashamed if you can't fix Li Yun's meridian." Long Wei laughed widely, convinced that with very limited resources, Jiang Huo's previous life's alchemist abilities were useless.

"Clearing Li Yun's damaged meridian is a cakewalk for me, even with meager resources."

In his previous life, Jiang Huo had always avoided arrogance, but it would be very different if he had faced Long Wei.

"Old fart, you are too arrogant. Have you forgotten that I'm nicknamed the God of the Slaying Sword?"

The debate of the two disembodied souls continued with telepathic messages, so as not to disturb Li Yun who was burying the bodies of his mother and brother in the family cemetery located not so far from the basement.

Li Fang's great-grandfather had deliberately built the family cemetery underground. No one ever knew why he made such a decision, but Li Yun now knew that his ancestor had done the right thing.

Presumably, the founder of the Southern Iron Wall could guess how his army camp would be destroyed at the hands of the enemy someday. If the family cemetery had not been hidden from enemy hands, the Southern Iron Wall would have been lost forever even in the annals of history.

The grave that Li Yun built for his mother and sister looked very different from the other graves that were very grand. Right now, it was all Li Yun could give as a final tribute to his family.

As much as he hated to admit it, Li Yun knew that it was very likely that his father was dead now, but how could he retrieve his body while all the invading cultivators were going to kill all of Li Fang's descendants?

"Li, what just happened here?" Jiang Huo's voice was heard.

Taking a deep breath, Li Yun began to briefly recount the attack that the Central Continent alliance had made on the Southern Iron Wall. His eyes glazed over and his teeth chattered as he had to recount how the camp officials betrayed him.

After hearing all the stories, both Jiang Huo and Long Wei agreed that Li Yun should immediately escape through the underground secret passage. The boy obeyed without a word of argument.

Just before sinking into the darkness that was the escape route, Li Yun said in a terrifying voice, "Whoever did this to the Southern Iron Wall and my family, will receive their retribution through my own hands. Father, Mother, Sister, Yun promises to return and make you smile in heaven."

Li Yun left the Southern Iron Wall with firm steps. Although he was only ten years old, a murderous aura enveloped his entire body.

***

Li Fang let out a long sigh as he stood under the gaze of thousands of cultivators filled with murderous lust. All gunfire stopped after Li Fang ordered all his troops to lay down their weapons and retreat, so the joint alliance did not want to tarnish their good name by continuing to attack unarmed opponents.

"I know what you want." The sound that Li Fang's mouth emitted was small, but it could be heard by all the cultivators in the main square of the Southern Iron Wall, indicating that his inner strength was enormous.

"Li Fang, we've been kind enough to let you end your own life. Now what are you waiting for?" There was a familiar voice in Li Fang's ear.

"Chairman of the Red Star Association, Zhang Liyuen, I can hardly believe hearing your voice in this place and under these circumstances. Shouldn't the trade union interfere in the affairs of the martial world?" Li Fang said in a friendly tone like a host welcoming his guests, but his words were extremely cynical.

The Red Star Association was the largest trading group in the Central Continent. They have controlled most of the trade of every empire in existence. At first, they did not want to get involved in martial affairs, but when the desire to trade turned into a desire to dominate, that was where power was needed.

Before the chaotic period began, the Red Star Association's relationship with the Southern Iron Wall was harmonious. It was the main resource supplier to the Southern Iron Wall at a slightly cheaper price. However, the relationship soured after rumors of the Southern Iron Wall's treachery spread.

The climax was today when the Red Star Association became the supplier of all the necessities for the Central Continent Alliance that invaded the Southern Iron Wall.

"Li Fang! Do you still dare to say that to me after you betray the Central Continent? How thick is the skin on your face?"

Replying to that, Li Fang chuckled as he said, "You guys don't have any evidence on the issue of the Southern Iron Wall's betrayal, so I wonder why you can be so sure like this."

"The confession of the Ten Southern Strongholds is more than enough evidence."

The strongest bigwigs of the Southern Iron Wall were dubbed the Ten Southern Strongholds. They were Dragon Soul-level cultivators who were the main force for the camp. Their confession could be considered more than enough to prove the truth, as the Southern Ten Strongholds were previously renowned for their loyalty to Li Fang the lord of the Southern Iron Wall.

Li Fang looked far away. The Ten Southern Strongholds tried to hide in the back row, but their large and burly postures made them stand out among the other cultivators. There was not the slightest hint of guilt on their faces as they stared at the lord of the Southern Iron Wall.

Li Fang could only swallow a bitter smile before pulling out a dagger from his waist belt.

"Before I die, I request freedom for all members of the Southern Iron Wall who remain loyal. Is there someone willing to guarantee it?"

"I will guarantee it."

Li Fang turned his head and found someone he recognized very well. That person was the patriarch of the Golden Lotus Sect which was one of the five strongest white sects in the Central Continent, he was Jin Dan. His old friend couldn't possibly be lying, so Li Fang could exhale a calm breath.

Just before plunging the dagger into her heart, Li Fang whispered weakly, "Yun'er, forgive Father for not being able to treat your meridian channels. Let's hope a miracle comes."

But just as Li Fang began to raise his dagger, something completely unexpected happened. Jin Dan, the lord of the Golden Lotus Sect who was Li Fang's old friend, suddenly darted out while drawing his sword towards Li Fang.

All those who saw the scene could not move and prevent Jin Dan. It had been well-known for a long time that the patriarch of the Golden Lotus Sect ranked among the ten strongest warriors in the Central Continent. There was only one person in that place who could truly match his speed, and that person was Li Fang.

The middle-aged man could see Jin Dan darting toward him with murderous intent, and it would have been easy to dodge him, but Li Fang did not do so. Instead, he smiled, knowing his friend's good intentions.

A second later, Li Fang's head had separated from his neck. The notoriously powerful Southern Iron Wall lord died without a fight. Jin Dan sheathed his sword and paid his last respects to Li Fang's corpse before hurriedly retreating from the stage.

The actions of the Golden Lotus Sect's lord were immediately questioned by the officials of the other schools present at the venue.

"Patriarch Jin, what have you done?"

"Li Fang is going to end his own life, why don't you give him that honor?"

"Jin Dan! Although Li Fang betrayed us today, it doesn't change the fact that he has helped us a lot in the past. What you're doing is not commendable!"

Jin Dan raised one hand while releasing his killing intent to get the officials to stop talking before finally explaining.

"Li Fang is one of the five strongest warriors in the Central Continent's martial world. If he suddenly changes his mind and attacks us, at least he will bring thousands of cultivators' lives including ours to die with him. Therefore, I prevent Li Fang from changing his mind by directly killing him. Does anyone disagree with me?"