Chapter 206: Grand Finale (1)

Chapter 206: The Grand Finale (1)

Crimson blood trailed in winding rivulets, like the eerie, branching patterns of a tidal tree. Si Lu, drenched in blood, was cradled in Wu Tuyin's arms, while Shen Fuqing stumbled over to check his breathing. Fortunately, though the young man's face was deathly pale, he was still breathing.

Shen Fuqing let out an imperceptible sigh of relief. Just then, Wu Fei hurried over to tend to the wounds of both Wu Tuyin and Si Lu. Because Xie Nai's arrow had just struck Wu Tuyin, the tension on the battlefield suddenly spiked—the Mengqin soldiers gripped their weapons tightly, ready to clash at any moment, while the Lingnan Army also bared sharp glints in their eyes, ready to strike.

Shen Fuqing's gaze first swept over the Mengqin soldiers, then moved to the warriors of the Tianyuan Dynasty, and finally locked onto the pile of explosives.

"Your Majesty! Attack!"

Shen Fuqing took a deep breath, then suddenly shouted at Xie Xuanran!

After shouting, he immediately looked at Xie Nai: "Come help with the rescue!"

With that, Shen Fuqing charged in Qin Jiao's direction, and the surrounding Mengqin soldiers swiftly moved to block him!

"Lord Shen, be careful!"

Qin Jiao's worried cry was quickly drowned out by the clash of battle between the two armies.

On the battlefield, the two forces collided like surging tides, the harsh clang of blades and spears ringing out. Xie Xuanran and Xiao Baiyu fought side by side—the young monarch attacked with ferocious speed, while Xiao Baiyu wielded his longsword with effortless grace. Lin Wen, unskilled in martial arts, had already retreated to the rear under the protection of the Shadow Guard, bringing the twenty-plus red-eyed girls to safety.

War fires blotted out the sun, and the roar of battle shook the heavens. Luo Bei and Luo Yue, swords in hand, protected Xie Xuanran's flanks while casting worried glances in Xie Nai's direction.

By now, Xie Nai had squared off against Wu Tuyin. "Trying to rescue someone in the chaos?" Wu Tuyin's dark armor was stained with a large patch of blood—after Wu Fei had forcibly pulled out the Crimson Feather Arrow from his chest moments ago.

"Don't bother struggling." Xie Nai looked at Wu Tuyin, his gaze as sharp as an icy blade.

"Cut the crap." Wu Tuyin raised a torch in his hand, glaring at Xie Nai provocatively. "These explosives behind me? They're for you. Since you're so in love, go to hell together!"

Xie Nai sneered disdainfully: "You really gonna light that?"

The explosives Wu Tuyin had prepared were enough to blast a gaping breach in the Xiqiao Dam. With that kind of power, once lit, nobody within a hundred meters would survive.

Xie Nai had fought Wu Tuyin many times, so he was certain that unless pushed to the very edge, Wu Tuyin would never resort to mutual destruction.

"Xie Nai, no need to provoke me." Wu Tuyin's green eyes turned sinister. "You're the one who can't afford to gamble now."

"In that case..." Xie Nai's gaze darkened. "Then let's do this!"

With that, Xie Nai suddenly lunged at Wu Tuyin. Moonlight glinted off his cold longsword as Wu Tuyin whipped his weapon to meet the attack. Their blows were fierce—sword met whip, sparks flying, the whistling force of the blade shattering rocks with deafening thunder.

This was the first time Qin Jiao had seen Xie Nai on the battlefield. He was sharp, formidable—an unstoppable divine sword, and everyone who saw him bowed to his overwhelming power.

In that moment, Qin Jiao saw clearly: this was Xie Nai.

He was also the Tianyuan Dynasty's invincible War God.

But this was no time to admire the Prince of Lingnan's skill. While Xie Nai was locked in combat with Wu Tuyin, Shen Fuqing immediately came to pull Qin Jiao. Qin Jiao cooperated fully, swinging himself outward like a pendulum. Just as Shen Fuqing grabbed hold of him, a group of Mengqin soldiers suddenly appeared behind Shen Fuqing, raising their spears!

"Lord Shen, watch your back!"

Qin Jiao's breath caught. Shen Fuqing still strained with all his might to pull Qin Jiao to safety. "Charge!" The Mengqin soldiers thrust their spears at Shen Fuqing. "Lord Shen! Let go of me!" Qin Jiao shouted desperately. Just as the spears were about to run him through, at the last second, two figures appeared out of nowhere and swept aside the row of spears with their twin maces!

It was Luo Nan and Luo Ri, wearing masks of gold and silver.

Shen Fuqing wasn't surprised to see Luo Nan and Luo Ri. Though startled, Qin Jiao quickly snapped back to his senses. With Luo Nan and Luo Ri's help, Shen Fuqing quickly cut Qin Jiao's ropes and pulled him to safety.

Only after Qin Jiao steadied himself at the cliff's edge did he realize his back was soaked with cold sweat.

"You owe me one, Young Master Qin." Shen Fuqing looked at Qin Jiao, his voice low.

"Thank you for saving me, Lord Shen." Qin Jiao spoke solemnly. "I'll repay your kindness, Lord Shen, in this life and the next!"

"No need for all that." Shen Fuqing's gaze drifted southeast, toward the Mengqin rear—where Wu Fei had just retreated with the gravely wounded Si Lu. "If you ever have the time, talk to Si Lu more." His voice trailed off faintly.

"Lord Shen, you..."

Qin Jiao paused, confused. Why would Shen Fuqing say that, as if handing Si Lu off to him?

While Qin Jiao was full of confusion, Wu Tuyin, still locked in combat with Xie Nai, suddenly roared: "Then we all die together!"

With that, Wu Tuyin used his Golden Whip to grab a torch and hurl it at Qin Jiao and Shen Fuqing. Seeing this, the other Mengqin soldiers did the same, hurling their torches onto the explosives!

"Young Master, Lord Shen, take cover!"

Luo Nan and Luo Ri shouted for them to take cover while leaping to intercept the torches. In the dark night, flames blazed, their movements so fast they were almost invisible.

Luckily, not many torches came flying, and Luo Nan and Luo Ri could handle them. Seeing the chaos around Qin Jiao, Xie Nai stopped messing around with Wu Tuyin. His initial attack was only to buy Shen Fuqing time to rescue people. After sending Wu Tuyin staggering back with another sword strike, Xie Nai commanded sharply:

"Everyone, fall back!"

"Ugh—!" Wu Tuyin, wounded by Xie Nai's sword, fell to one knee. Behind him, the surging mountain flood of Xiqiao roared.

War fires raged across the sky, the situation was dire, and everyone was pulling back—except one person charging recklessly against the tide!

"Lord Shen, what are you doing!"

Qin Jiao first thought Shen Fuqing was running to back up Xie Nai, until he saw him scoop up a large bundle of explosives and clutch it to his chest. Remembering Shen Fuqing's strange words earlier, a chill shot through Qin Jiao's heart!

"Xie Nai! Stop him!"

Qin Jiao shouted frantically, but it was too late—Shen Fuqing had already lit the fuse and was charging straight at Wu Tuyin with wild, resolute eyes!

"Shen Fuqing, what the hell are you doing?!"

Xie Nai roared, reaching for Shen Fuqing, but Shen Fuqing's eyes were locked on Wu Tuyin. "If you're my friend, let me go!" With that, Shen Fuqing shoved Xie Nai aside and threw himself at Wu Tuyin!

Qin Jiao's eyes went wide with fury: "Lord Shen! No!"

Wu Tuyin, at the cliff's edge, also saw what Shen Fuqing was doing. "You arrogant fool!" He sneered, raising his Golden Whip to knock Shen Fuqing away—but Shen Fuqing, without a moment's hesitation, hurled the explosives into the mountain flood beside him.

"Huh?"

Everyone was baffled by Shen Fuqing's move—including the vigilant Wu Tuyin, and Xie Xuanran, Lin Wen, and the others watching from nearby.

"Boom—!"

The explosives hit the water and went off with a massive blast. Before Qin Jiao and Xie Nai could breathe a sigh of relief, Shen Fuqing suddenly lunged at Wu Tuyin, whose guard had dropped!

"Lord Shen's still carrying explosives!" Shen Fuqing ran so fast that when his robe flapped in the wind, Luo Ri spotted more explosives strapped to him.

From the looks of it, those explosives had been strapped to him from the very start.

The fuse burned down inch by inch, and the smile on Shen Fuqing's face grew more unhinged and manic!

Wu Tuyin never expected Shen Fuqing to pull a "round two." As he was violently knocked off the cliff, he saw a flash of white light, and all sounds swelled rapidly before suddenly fading away...

"Boom! Boom!"

Deafening explosions rang out in succession, sending blood-soaked mud and rocks flying onto the shore, while lighter branches were hurled high into the air by the blast before crashing back onto the murky water's surface.

"Wu Tuyin, die to atone for the Crown Prince."

The powerful explosives, mixed with dismembered remains and blood, erupted in the smoke of the night—these were the last words Wu Tuyin ever heard.

"Wu Tuyin, you'd better kill me outright, or you will surely die at this official's hands."

So Shen Fuqing's earlier words were no idle threat. He had planned from the very beginning to use a "feint east, strike west" strategy to take Wu Tuyin's life.

Shen Fuqing had always been a man who walked the line between honor and madness—loyal, wild, and willing to risk everything. He placed no value on his own life; all he wanted was to avenge Xie Shu.

The Crown Prince was noble, gracious, and beloved by the people. Anyone who plotted against him had to die.

The scene before him gradually blurred as foul, muddy water flooded his mouth and nose. Just before losing consciousness completely, Shen Fuqing smiled morbidly and murmured, "The moonlight tonight is truly beautiful."

"Lord Shen!"

"Shen Fuqing!!" Qin Jiao and Xie Nai rushed to the cliff's edge. After the blast tore through the torrent, ripples spread rapidly across the turbid surface. Qin Jiao searched desperately, but there was still no trace of Shen Fuqing or Wu Tuyin.

"Chieftain!!"

Hearing the massive explosion, Wu Fei rushed out in a panic, and upon seeing the scene before him, only four words echoed in his mind:

"Mengqin is done for."

Not far away, Xie Xuanran, who had witnessed everything, felt his heart sink. "Wu Tuyin is dead! Soldiers! Victory is ours in this battle!"

The Young Emperor's voice rang out across the creek bridge.

The wind howled fiercely, the dark clouds scattered completely, and the flames of this night would finally usher in a new dawn...

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