Southwest of Haidian District, minutes before the war between the Blood Spear Legion faction led by Bai Zemin and the Swift Wind Legion led by Shao Tao broke out completely.
Chen He stopped in the middle of the way and the army behind him stopped when they saw the Roaring Flame Tiger that he was riding come to a steep halt.
There were no large numbers of enemies, nor was there an impossible to cross abyss visible…. There was only one man standing alone with the pure white snow as his only companion.
Dark silver hair almost bordering on ash, eyes that matched his hair, a slender body accompanied by a face handsome enough that even Chen He had to admit defeat in his heart.
“… I must say this is a surprise.”
The man’s voice was indifferent, devoid of any emotion that every sentient being should possess. His eyes were as sharp as the edge of his sword, a sword that few had had the luxury of getting to know as he looked straight ahead and spoke in a leisurely voice that echoed clearly in the clearing.
“Chen He, I assume you heard who the leader of New China is, didn’t you?”
Chen He’s face was pale, however, he was no longer that young university student from before. The current him was one of the highest generals of the Transcendent faction, a powerful level 70 soul evolver whose combat power was far above his level, possessor of great treasures, the highest Commander of the Blood Whip Legion with tens of thousands of armed men under his command.
The current him did not believe that the former president of the country deserved his fear, only his respect for who he was.
“Lord Xuanyuan, I’m glad you survived the initial mutation and that the harshness of this new world wasn’t enough to bring you down.”
Although he did not give a clear answer, to Xuanyuan Wentian and to anyone who was the least bit perceptive the answer was more than clear. The fact that the first words Chen He said were those instead of surprise proved that, just as Xuanyuan Wentian believed, he was aware of who he was up against by doing what he was doing.
Xuanyuan Wentian observed the handsome young man in front of him and couldn’t help but notice his growth in several aspects.
“Not bad. Compared to the little prince before, you now look more like a man worthy of leading. I’m sure both your father and old Chen would be proud of you if they saw you now…. Although I can’t say the same if they knew what you are doing.”
Chen He’s heart began to pound and his eyes grew wide at the mention of his family. He subconsciously took a step forward and asked aloud, “M- My family…! Are they…?”
Xuanyuan Wentian looked at Chen He silently for several seconds as if seeking to torture his mind before opening his mouth and slowly saying, “Chen Mei and your two uncles died, your big brother Chen Aotian was killed by a Second Order zombie a little over half a month ago…”
Chen He’s face turned as pale as a sheet and his legs grew weak, it was quite a challenge for him to stand and hold his head up as he listened word by word.
“… Your grandfather, your father, and your mother are alive. Although your father lost a leg since I had no choice but to cut it off the first instant he was scratched by a fallen zombie.”
Chen He closed his eyes and raised his head to the sky, letting out a heavy sigh that contained relief, sorrow, regret, gratitude, hate, and many extremely complicated emotions that turned his mood into a mess.
Chen Mei was Chen He’s first cousin and the two were very close. However, the biggest blow was the loss of his older brother.
Chen Aotian had been an exemplary big brother, someone Chen He aspired to. Chen Aotian was only 29 years old but his achievements in the army were so high that his grandfather planned to pass his position to him in a few years as long as he continued at the same pace.
In fact, Chen Aotian was handsome and had many talents, but in contrary to Chen He, his personality somewhat resembled that of Bai Zemin. His loss would definitely take Chen He a long time to accept.
“Since you are alive, I guess that girl is alive too?” Xuanyuan Wentian suddenly asked.
Chen He opened his eyes abruptly, staring at the gray sky for a moment before lowering his head to face the man in front of him with a now firm and indifferent expression.
“Bing Xue is alive, don’t worry about it. Besides, you’ll see her sooner than you think…. and you’ll probably be in for a not so pleasant surprise.”
Xuanyuan Wentian’s eyes glistened curiously and the corners of his lips turned slightly upward. He shook his head and closed his eyes as he slowly said, “You children really are something else.”
Xuanyuan Wentian’s eyes opened and his expression turned cold as he said in a clear voice, “You are not even capable of seeing something so simple but you dare to play conquerors? Laughable.”
Chen He said nothing and instead began to focus some of his mana on his longbow, preparing for the inevitable combat that was coming.
“You know what’s the most laughable thing about all this?” Xuanyuan Wentian narrowed his eyes and said coldly, “The most laughable thing is that this girl who seemed to hate men so much actually became the pawn of a man… Who knows what kind of favors she does for him, don’t you find it laughable?”
Chen He’s eyes flashed with anger and he was about to explode when he remembered Bai Zemin’s plan. He clenched the blue bow in his hands tightly and said through gritted teeth, “Shut up. Don’t talk when you don’t know anything.”
Xuanyuan Wentian shook his head and said nothing more on the matter. It was clear to him that Chen He was still head over heels for his illegitimate daughter.
But that was also good for him, he could use it to his advantage.
“Hey, kid.”
Chen He looked at Xuanyuan Wentian without saying a word but the anger in his eyes had not dimmed at all.
Xuanyuan Wentian didn’t mind at all and continued, “How about you just surrender and join me? Your family will be disappointed about you if they knew that you have become a traitor who took advantage of troubled times to rise up, don’t you think?”
Chen He was still silent even though his eyes shone with a complicated light. He knew that his family would probably look at him with disgust and it will be hard for him to see their faces again in this life.
“Lord Xuanyuan, you underestimate me too much.”
But, the current Chen He was no longer the past Chen He.
“I have made a decision, and I will follow it to the bitter end.”
Xuanyuan Wentian still wanted to use one more card, but seeing the expression of resolve on the face of the young man more than 300 meters ahead of him, he realized that the Chen He in front of him really was no longer that indecisive boy he had known in the past.
“… That kid with the surname Bai must be interesting. Not only is my proud daughter willing to follow him but he even helped you become a real man. You should thank him for that.” Xuanyuan Wentian sighed.
“You don’t need to worry about that, Lord Xuanyuan.” Chen He said in a firm voice. “Bai Zemin can be a bit annoying sometimes, and there were more than a few times I felt like punching him in the face, but he is without a doubt one of the most honorable and brave people I met in my life. I, Chen He, consider him a friend and a rival. I, Chen He, may lack in many areas… but I am definitely not a backstabber!”
Chen He’s voice echoed throughout the white plains, echoing in the distance for a few seconds before everything fell silent again.
Finally, Zhong De who was standing a few steps behind Chen He after getting off his mount couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“Hahahaha! Chen He, this daddy has now started to admire you a little! Well said!”
Cai Jingyi closed one eye and while looking at Zhong De sideways said in a low but clear voice, “If Bai Zemin hears you calling yourself daddy like he usually does he’ll probably kick your ass.”
“Aren’t you a traitor?” Xuanyuan Wentian sighed, finally giving up on trying to come to a peaceful agreement after realizing that the other side could become a powerful union to his troops.
His expression became deadly indifferent as he said in a flat voice: “A traitor who takes advantage of chaotic times is nothing but a dog. But that’s good, I think your family will understand my motives.”
As for what motives… It was obviously about killing Chen He.
“Damn it, old man!” Zhong De’s eyes widened like a bull’s, and as he pointed his heavy hammer forward, he shouted loudly, “If you want to fight then fight, what are you wasting our time for? You should be thankful our leader isn’t here or he would have already given you the beating your parents didn’t give you in childhood!”
“Mm?”
Xuanyuan Wentian’s eyes flashed like two lightning strikes as they moved towards Zhong De, making the latter feel as if someone was grabbing him by the throat despite the distance.
“Boldness.”
Xuanyuan Wentian muttered as with a swift movement he unsheathed and re-sheathed his weapon, barely withdrawing the blade from the scabbard for a split second.
When Zhong De saw the ash-haired man’s hand move, for some reason he sensed danger. However, all he saw next was a flash of white light and an instant later he fell to his knees.
“Eh?”
Zhong De was in disbelief. He tried to stand up but he couldn’t feel his legs at all! If it wasn’t because he could touch them with his hands and feel that they were still there through touch he might have thought that they had been cut off!
The expressions of Cai Jingyi, Zeng Yun, Xia Ya, Evangeline, Chen He, and others abruptly changed as they saw Zhong De on his knees.
There were four cuts on his legs that had completely pierced through the plate armor defense, severing the rear ligaments connecting the upper and lower legs, as well as two other cuts just above the heel, which had completely cut off Zhong De’s ability to move.
Among them were Second Order existences but they couldn’t even understand what the enemy did! Xuanyuan Wentian was over 300 meters away and barely moved his right hand for a second but he had knocked a level 60 warrior out just like that!
If those slashes earlier hadn’t been aimed at Zhong De’s legs…. If only those slashes from before had been aimed at his throat….
The mere thought made everyone realize that the enemy they were facing this time might not be any less dangerous to the one leading them, and this only added even more weight to their hearts.
Xuanyuan Wentian looked at Zhong De with cold eyes and said indifferently, “Kid, while you were playing with mud I was hunting in the worst environments on Earth. Even if we put aside my position as the president of the country you were born in and live in, I think just the aforementioned should be enough reason for you to be careful with your words.”
Zhong De spat on the ground, and as Cai Jingyi helped him to his feet, he said in a firm voice, “Old man, our leader showed us that respect is something you earn and not something you ask for! You, trying to destabilize the emotional and mental state of one of our members before battle, you are not worthy of receiving my respect at all!”
Xuanyuan Wentian’s eyes flashed with murderous intent that he hardly suppressed, and as he looked towards the back of the enemy army, he spoke in an indifferent voice.
“… If you don’t come out soon and continue to hide there I can’t guarantee that I won’t behead this insolent brat.”
Everyone except Chen He was shocked. To whom was this person talking?
It was then that everyone noticed that the snow falling from the sky had turned into small ice fragments that rained down like beautiful crystals from the increasingly dark clouds in the sky.
The ice crystals gathered in the sky, forming a shimmering silver-colored magic circle from where a cold but at the same time beautiful voice emerged.
“It’s a good thing you didn’t kill him…. Or I’m afraid that even if I begged for you your head would still roll on the ground to make up for his death.”
A magic circle glowed, and a second later, a person who shouldn’t be there began to slowly descend from the sky.
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