Volume 1, Chapter 119: I, Su Miaozhen, Would Rather Die Than Surrender!
"What? Why has the Great Han Dynasty suddenly attacked Wuxia Pass?"
"The Han must have seen us clash with the Mysterious Celestial Sect and wants to profit as the fisherman!"
"Your Majesty, the Han Dynasty has broken its oath. We should behead their hostage first, then send reinforcements with his head to support General Su—let the Han know the price of betraying alliances!"
The Great Zhou ministers seethed, demanding Lin Yu be executed first, then troops dispatched to rescue Su Miaozhen.
"We'll discuss this later. First, I must thank the National Preceptor. Eh! Where is the National Preceptor?" The Zhou emperor looked铁青 (iron-gray), scanning where Lin Yu had stood—only to find him gone.
Lin Yu had returned to the Hostage Mansion as the ministers raged, eager to behead him and send his head to the border. Though unsure of the Great Prince's plans, Lin Yu guessed they involved demons. He wondered if Su Miaozhen could hold out.
Thinking of Su Miaozhen, Lin Yu visualized her peerless beauty hidden beneath the silver visor. Shaking his head, he realized he couldn't stay in the mansion—he couldn't wait to be beheaded.
Just as he prepared to leave, a trace of spiritual energy hidden in the wooden carving he'd given Su Miaozhen suddenly burst forth. She must be in mortal danger; otherwise, this life-saving energy wouldn't have activated.
On the battlefield, situations changed in an instant. Su Miaozhen might already be doomed, and flying thousands of li on a sword might be too late. Lin Yu summoned Cauldron Lord and took out the Minor Teleportation Talisman (two uses left).
Channeling spiritual energy into the talisman, it blazed golden, enveloping him. He became a golden rainbow piercing the sky, teleporting万里 (thousands of li) toward where the carving's energy had last dissipated.
On the Great Zhou border, Wuxia Pass—hard to attack but easy to defend—was shrouded in smoke. The city wall, standing at the mountain pass, seemed slashed in half: dozens of zhang of wall and tower had collapsed, rubble everywhere.
Within Wuxia Pass, the sound of battle raged. Thousands of Great Zhou Black Armored Cavalry and Han heavy cavalry lay dead on the collapsed wall. After the collapse, Su Miaozhen rushed cavalry to plug the gap, while Han heavy cavalry assaulted—their elite formations clashed repeatedly, leaving a field of corpses and rivers of blood.
As the stalemate persisted, hundreds of half-demon, half-human warriors—at least Innate Realm—burst onto the battlefield,击溃 (routed) Zhou cavalry and pouring into Wuxia Pass. The Zhou soldiers, still fighting desperately, were easily碾压 (crushed) by these demon-blooded warriors; the pass would soon fall to the Great Prince.
Before the general's mansion in Wuxia Pass, Su Miaozhen rallied her last few hundred Black Armored Cavalry and personal guards, struggling to fend off the demon-blooded warriors. Their hideous forms and brutal strength had sparked panic—troops had initially thought demons were invading, leading to a rout. Su Miaozhen now knew they were the Great Prince's men.
Thankfully, her guards and remaining cavalry were elite, barely holding the line. Her only hope was to break through and send word to the capital about Han's alliance with demons.
Suddenly, the attacking demon-blooded warriors halted, surrounding Su Miaozhen and her men. The crowd parted, and the Great Prince stepped forward with his generals.
"You are Su Miaozhen?" The Great Prince scanned her, sneering. "Remove your visor. Let me see if you're as beautiful as the legends claim."
"Who are you?" Su Miaozhen looked at him coldly, eyes burning with anger.
"Insolent! This is His Highness the Great Prince of Han. Su Miaozhen, don't resist. Remove your visor and surrender!"
"If you're truly as beautiful as传说 (legend), please His Highness well, and he may grant you the title of a favored concubine."
"Why waste words? Let me capture her, remove her visor, and show everyone her true face!"
The generals around the Great Prince spoke up, eager to see if Su Miaozhen lived up to her reputation.
Fury surged in Su Miaozhen's eyes. She slashed a sword light at the Great Prince. "Great Zhou has no captive generals! I, Su Miaozhen, would rather die than surrender! Will you follow me to break through?"
"We swear to follow the general to the death!" The cavalry and guards roared, their battle intent flaring.
The Great Prince scoffed. The sword light shattered against an invisible wall, rippling outward. Su Miaozhen paled—the Great Prince's strength exceeded her imagination; only a Myriad Realms warrior could destroy her attack with a thought.
"Since you won't surrender, I'll capture you and deal with you slowly." The Great Prince raised his hand, unleashing terrifying might as airwaves that collapsed buildings on both sides of the street, forming ripples surging toward Su Miaozhen.
Howling wind and billowing smoke buffeted Su Miaozhen and her men, forcing them back.
"Form a formation! Follow me to kill!" Su Miaozhen's face hardened, eyes resolute.
"Yes!" The cavalry formed a formation, using Su Miaozhen as their vanguard, charging the Great Prince.
"Foolish! Dare to charge His Highness? Let me deal with them!"
"Leave this to me. With demon-blooded warriors, crushing their charge is easy."
The generals behind the Great Prince surged forward.
"Hehe. Fireflies dare to rival the sun and moon? I'll shatter their hopes myself." The Great Prince released overwhelming威压 (prestige) toward Su Miaozhen and the cavalry—like a mountain collapse or tsunami, unstoppable.
Bang!
Su Miaozhen slammed into an invisible wall, her charge halted. Her sword shattered inch by inch, and the spiritual energy vanguard formed by the cavalry disintegrated. Overwhelming pressure followed, hurling Su Miaozhen and the cavalry backward.