Chapter Ninety-Nine: General Li Huai

After Gu Daoyan’s soul was bound by the Soul Suppression Tower, Chen Mu stored away his nascent soul, intending to offer it to Red Fire for consumption and refinement, thus advancing Red Fire’s cultivation by another minor stage. Previously, absorbing the purified soul power of the Seven Stars Pavilion’s sect master had nearly propelled Chen Mu’s soul to the mid-stage Nascent Soul level. Now, with Gu Daoyan’s soul also captured, the source of spiritual energy was secured, and it would not be long before his soul advanced further.

With Gu Daoyan dealt with, Chen Mu pocketed his storage ring and began seeking his next target. At this moment, Red Fire, Yuan Shan, and Rou’er had also dispatched their opponents with swift efficiency. Rou’er, being the strongest among Chen Mu’s companions, had naturally obliterated her target. Yuan Shan, having devoured the Seven Stars Pavilion master’s nascent soul, had become a third-tier perfected beast, his power now rivaling late-stage Nascent Soul masters. His opponent, Elder Xiahou Gongyan of the Great Xia Empire, was no match for him. With his strength ascendant, Yuan Shan attacked with fervor, beating Xiahou Gongyan like a sandbag until the elder was utterly powerless. Once satisfied, Yuan Shan shattered Xiahou Gongyan’s dantian, leaving him to perish within the deadly formation.

Only Red Tiger lagged behind; after a fierce battle of supernatural abilities, he finally slew his target. Unfortunately, none of these opponents’ nascent souls consented to be devoured; some self-destructed, others dissipated, unwilling to become mere food for a beast—their last dignity as humans.

With four foes eliminated, three Nascent Soul cultivators remained trapped inside. Sensing their comrades falling one by one, despair flooded their hearts; it was as if they had plunged into an abyss. They had never imagined that this expedition was not to Starwatch Valley, but to the very gates of hell.

Just as Chen Mu’s group prepared to act again, General Li Huai of the Great Xia Empire shouted sharply, “Chen Mu! Do you know the consequences of slaughtering us all? By killing so many Nascent Soul experts from Great Xia, you have gravely wounded the nation’s vitality. Now, every Nascent Soul cultivator lost is irreplaceable in the short term. Should enemy nations invade, Great Xia will be defenseless, at their mercy. Do you understand what a monstrous crime you are committing? Have you thought about the fate of the common people of Great Xia?”

Chen Mu responded coldly, “You have the nerve to speak to me of crime? It was you who allowed the Azure Sky Dao to massacre Starwatch Valley, your inaction led to this situation! You would kill us but deny us the right to fight back? You slaughtered so many of us and forbid our revenge? What logic is that? Are we so easy to bully? If you wish to challenge us, you must bear the consequences; you brought this upon yourselves! If you truly care for the people, why did you come to exterminate Starwatch Valley? I suspect you assumed victory was assured, never imagining it would come to this. Now, faced with disaster, you blame me for Great Xia’s decline? In truth, you do not care for the people at all, only for making excuses for your own crimes against the nation. Had you not participated, things might not have escalated. If you had stopped the Azure Sky Dao and allied sects from annihilating Starwatch Valley, we would not have sought revenge. Had you not formed the Dao Alliance to besiege us, so many Nascent Soul experts would not have died.”

General Li Huai was rendered speechless by Chen Mu’s retort; how could they expect Starwatch Valley not to resist extermination?

Their campaign against Starwatch Valley had always lacked legitimacy; the current attack on the newly rebuilt valley was only out of fear from Chen Mu’s reprisals, but their reasoning was flimsy at best.

After all, the one seeking vengeance was always Chen Mu. While Gu Xingyuan targeted Azure Sky Dao’s external disciples, Chen Mu was the main force. Their crusade against Starwatch Valley was purely to eliminate future threats and silence the matter for good. Secondly, they aimed to draw out Chen Mu; Azure Sky Dao coveted him, holding secrets they desperately wanted. This was a well-known fact, obvious to any discerning observer.

Thus, the campaign against Starwatch Valley and Chen Mu had never been justifiable; no matter how righteously they argued or sought to absolve themselves, it was futile. In the end, the cause lay in Azure Sky Dao’s greed and Great Xia’s indifference and inaction.

Great Xia’s laws explicitly forbade wantonly massacring other sects, but due to dealings with Azure Sky Dao, they turned a blind eye. Now, with events spiraling out of control, whom could they blame?

Indeed, since Chen Mu began slaughtering Nascent Soul cultivators one by one, Great Xia’s top strength had sharply declined; now, the nation was gravely weakened, and what could be done? Before long, the Bright Moon Empire or the Desert Empire would surely dispatch troops to attack Great Xia. Bright Moon Empire, however, was unlikely, for their own internal chaos remained unresolved, leaving them no time to invade Great Xia.

As for the Desert Empire, it was uncertain; they were the only nation yet untouched by turmoil.

It was uncanny—wherever Chen Mu traveled, chaos followed. Great Xia, Bright Moon Empire, all suffered frequent internal strife.

And all somehow involved Chen Mu; though not the root cause, he was inseparable from the events.

Reflecting on this, Chen Mu felt a headache coming on. If war came to Great Xia, its people would be trampled mercilessly, living in misery and suffering.

He had never considered Great Xia’s fate before, but it was his homeland; the thought of foreign nations invading made him unwilling to see it fall.

Thus, he resolved to spare Li Huai’s life. As Great Xia’s general, Li Huai commanded the nation’s armies; his presence would at least delay an enemy invasion.

Yet Chen Mu had no intention of letting Li Huai off so easily. He spoke coldly, “Since you command Great Xia’s military, you are its last spear and shield. I will spare your life, but you must swear fealty to me and surrender a fragment of your soul. Then you are free to leave.”

Li Huai initially relaxed upon hearing Chen Mu would spare him, but Chen Mu’s next words unsettled him.

Swear fealty to Chen Mu? Would that not be betrayal of Great Xia? How could he do such a thing? And surrendering a soul fragment—did Chen Mu intend to control his life and death?

Li Huai shook his head. “You would have me betray Great Xia? I cannot. I am a son of Xia; defending its lands is my duty and conviction.”

Chen Mu grinned. “Swearing fealty to me is no betrayal. I want you to protect Great Xia. After pledging to me, you remain general, only your true master is me. Moreover, soon I shall confront the imperial family. If they admit their wrongs and hand over all who permitted the extermination of Starwatch Valley, I will reconcile. If not, what does it matter if I overthrow the imperial house?”

Li Huai gasped, “You intend to become emperor?”

Such words were utter madness—overthrowing the imperial dynasty to install himself as emperor?

But Li Huai misunderstood. Chen Mu had no interest in the throne; should he topple the dynasty, he could elevate another—Gu Xingyuan, his own father Chen Haoran, or even find a puppet within the imperial family.

Chen Mu’s ambition lay elsewhere. The emperor’s role would only bind his pursuit of greater heights; he would eventually leave these lands in search of broader horizons, never wishing to be Great Xia’s emperor.

Chen Mu did not explain further. Whether he became emperor was irrelevant; what mattered was his promise: if the imperial family did not meet his expectations, he would certainly overthrow them in time.

Witnessing Chen Mu’s seriousness, Li Huai realized his boldness and madness—this youth dared anything.

Even the overthrow of his own nation’s royal authority, yet Chen Mu did not seem to covet power, but simply wished to remove a dynasty that displeased him. Who else would dare such insanity?

Seeing Li Huai silent, Chen Mu continued, “I will take responsibility for my actions. Since Great Xia’s elite strength was diminished by me, I shall be its shield. This is my homeland; I refuse to let it fall to foreign hands. Swear fealty to me, and together we shall defend Great Xia; refuse, and you must die—I shall protect Xia in your stead. You have seen the power of my sect’s formation; should I deploy it to the borders, it would be a formidable barrier. With mastery of this killing array, even mid-stage Divine Soul experts would be shredded, left as mangled corpses. Choose as you will; rest assured, Great Xia will never become enemy territory.”

Hearing this, Li Huai sighed deeply. He could tell Chen Mu was not deceiving him. After some thought, he replied solemnly, “Very well. I accept. I will swear fealty to you. If you truly guard Great Xia as you promise, what harm is there in pledging to you?”

Chen Mu smiled, realizing he had underestimated and misjudged Li Huai. He had thought Li Huai’s talk of the people’s fate was merely an excuse for the imperial family, but now saw his genuine concern for both the people and Great Xia itself.

After agreeing to swear fealty, Li Huai opened his sea of consciousness, allowing Chen Mu to extract a fragment of his soul. Thus, Li Huai’s life and death were now in Chen Mu’s hands.