Earlier, Falling God Peak's various peaks had in fact dispatched people to go and support Hundred Refinements City.
But these dispatched elders and disciples had witnessed the Scarlet Fire Honored Elder make their move halfway along the route.
At the time, everyone assumed that with an honored elder acting, there was no need for them anymore, and they prepared to wait for the Honored Elder to deal with the Great Li martial artist and then proceed to Hundred Refinements City to make a token appearance.
But then the Scarlet Fire Honored Elder appeared to have been defeated, and then the Falling God Peak grandmaster and the honored elders personally made their move.
This had thoroughly frightened the people heading toward Hundred Refinements City. A martial artist capable of defeating the Scarlet Fire Honored Elder was something none of them could handle, and so they had waited halfway along, watching for an opening.
This also meant that this group, who were already somewhat panicked by the situation, had not gone to Hundred Refinements City at all. After all, no one was willing to throw their life away in an uncertain situation.
When the Falling God Peak grandmaster and the honored elders finally made their move, these people saw the distress signal sent from within Hundred Refinements City.
At that point they made up their minds instantly: they turned around and ran.
Disciples who still harbored a thread of doubt and hope fled back to their own peak. Others who had guessed the grandmaster and honored elders had already fallen and held no further hope for Falling God Peak fled directly to leave Falling God Peak's territory entirely.
In an instant, aside from Hundred Refinements Peak Master Zheng Yunfeng who was already dead, and the Peak-Cleaving Summit Peak Master who was still in seclusion oblivious to everything that had happened, the remaining six Falling God Peak Peak Masters without exception all looked out into the darkness toward Hundred Refinements City. Beyond profound shock and disbelief, what washed over them next was a deep, inescapable fear.
At that moment, only two paths lay before the Peak Masters. Either die fighting to stand or fall with the sect, or flee immediately and though they would be hunted by the Great Li court, there was a very real chance of surviving.
At the summit of Jade Wave Peak, above the jade palace that sat upon dark ice.
Yumian Jiao's mirror image suddenly dissolved entirely, and the real Yumian Jiao came flying out of the palace in her true form.
She appeared beside Ouyang Mingqi and stood in the air, her face filled with shock as she looked toward Hundred Refinements City, murmuring to herself, "The grandmaster and the honored elders truly lost?"
The Fifth Peak Master Ouyang Mingqi said nothing, though the shock on his face was no less than Yumian Jiao's.
Even though the two of them had discussed the possibility earlier, and had even considered what would happen if the grandmaster and the honored elders lost, that had always been spoken of as a remote possibility.
And now it was actual reality before them.
In an instant, even these two Peak Masters who held such high standing found the waves in their hearts impossible to still.
Both of them looked at Hundred Refinements City as it fell silent in the darkness, and their bodies even trembled faintly from fear.
They naturally understood the extent of the grandmaster's and honored elders' power better than any other Falling God Peak disciple.
And yet even they had not been a match for the Great Li martial artist in Hundred Refinements City.
This left both of them with the same thought the Profound Yin Three Elders had, genuinely unable to imagine what terrifying level of strength the Great Li court's martial artist had actually reached.
In the night, the two of them looked toward the distance in silence for quite a while.
Then Ouyang Mingqi slowly turned his head and looked at Yumian Jiao beside him, suddenly asking, "Now that things are as they are, does Martial Sister still intend to do as you said before, and stand or fall with Falling God Peak?"
Hearing this, Yumian Jiao withdrew her gaze, then looked down at Jade Wave Peak below and did not answer Ouyang Mingqi's question, her expression only becoming more troubled.
Seeing this, Ouyang Mingqi did not press further, and gradually composed his own expression to maintain as much calm as he could, saying, "The Great Li court had concealed such a powerful martial artist, someone even the grandmaster and honored elders could not withstand. This is far beyond what any of us, or indeed the entire Great Li martial world, anticipated."
"Falling God Peak's defeat is now sealed. And with the person from Hundred Refinements City backing the Great Li Tianjin Guards, even if the seven remaining Peak Masters acted together, we would likely not last a single move against them, and our fate would certainly be death."
Hearing this, Yumian Jiao slowly raised her head and looked at Ouyang Mingqi before her. Her eyes shifted slightly, and she suddenly asked, "What does Martial Brother Ouyang intend to do?"
Ouyang Mingqi shook his head, and answered a question with a question, saying, "Before this one answers Martial Sister's question, I hope Martial Sister will tell me honestly, whether she wishes to survive or whether she is willing to die."
Yumian Jiao immediately furrowed her brow, and was quiet for a long while before finally letting out a sigh, saying, "If there is a way to live, who would choose to die?"
Ouyang Mingqi looked at her for a moment, then narrowed his eyes slightly, saying, "Actually, from the moment I learned that Falling God Peak had suddenly come under the Great Li court's attack, I had already anticipated defeat before hoping for victory, and had worked out a path of retreat for myself."
Hearing this, Yumian Jiao's face showed no particular expression, and she only asked, "Surely Martial Brother Ouyang had already planned to slip away and flee from Falling God Peak?"
But Ouyang Mingqi slowly shook his head, saying, "Someone in a position like Martial Sister's or mine has already been placed on the Great Li court's list to be killed without exception. Fleeing is not as easy as it sounds."
"And beyond that, the Great Li Tianjin Guards now has the person from Hundred Refinements City at its back. How would Martial Sister or I escape from that person's reach?"
Yumian Jiao fell into silence once more, but very quickly she bowed toward Ouyang Mingqi, saying, "Forgive Martial Sister for being slow. I ask Martial Brother Ouyang to advise."
Ouyang Mingqi waved a hand, then turned to look in the direction of Jade Wave City, saying, "Advise is too strong a word. This one intends to surrender."
...
At those words, Yumian Jiao clearly blinked, then furrowed her brow, saying, "Surely Martial Brother is joking. If we are both already on the Great Li court's list to be killed, surrendering would only hasten our death."
Ouyang Mingqi looked deeply at Yumian Jiao, saying, "By normal reasoning, that is indeed the case. Surrendering would be offering our necks to the blade. However, the Great Li court's current situation is different."
As he spoke, he fixed his gaze on Yumian Jiao and said slowly, "Martial Sister must be aware that living people are always more valuable than dead ones."
"The Great Li court has always viewed the four great martial world sects as thorns in their side, and would have liked nothing better than to be rid of them all. Now that the Great Li Tianjin Guards alone has brought down Falling God Peak, do you think the Great Li court will not set its sights on the other three great sects next?"
"And to move against the other three great sects, the Great Li court will undoubtedly be in need of capable people. That is our thread of hope. That Commander will naturally understand that keeping us alive is far more useful than killing us."
Hearing this, Yumian Jiao's expression shifted uncertainly, and she said, "Martial Brother, you are gambling with your own life."
Ouyang Mingqi gave a slight nod, saying, "Indeed I am. And Martial Sister can also choose to run."
"But this one advises Martial Sister to consider it carefully. People always climb toward higher ground. With a person comparable to a Martial Saint at the Great Li court's side, what do you think the future of the entire Great Li realm will look like?"
At those words, Yumian Jiao's expression changed, and she fell silent with a furrowed brow, clearly turning over what Ouyang Mingqi had said.
Seeing this, Ouyang Mingqi did not disturb her, and only looked toward Jade Wave City, saying quietly, "I hope Martial Sister makes a decision soon. The time we have left is probably not much."
...
At the same time, the Great Li Tianjin Guards's former Commander Sikong Xuan had already followed the established plan and taken Jade Wave City in a surprise attack with very little effort.
Having won a victory against Falling God Peak, the morale among his Tianjin Guards had visibly improved.
But their emotions on this night had been put through a great deal, swinging back and forth like a pendulum.
Earlier, seeing the Scarlet Fire Honored Elder make their move and witnessing that terrifying spectacle had left everyone, Sikong Xuan included, with a creeping sense of despair.
But then the situation had reversed. With the Falling God Peak grandmaster and honored elders acting, Commander Fu Qiwen had sent word that the Eighth Prince had single-handedly killed Falling God Peak's Scarlet Fire Honored Elder.
Though Sikong Xuan had still been skeptical, thinking Fu Qiwen was probably doing this to boost morale, he had still felt a thread of hope rise within him even as he wondered whether the Eighth Prince had actually eliminated the Scarlet Fire Honored Elder.
Slim as this hope seemed to him, Sikong Xuan had still relayed Fu Qiwen's words to every member of the Tianjin Guards without omission.
After that, when the Falling God Peak grandmaster and honored elders had made their move and the sight they produced had been so frightening, morale had inevitably plummeted again.
But this low morale had not lasted long, and the distress signals from Hundred Refinements City had once again given everyone a glimpse of hope.
By the time they had taken Jade Wave City, the Tianjin Guards were in a somewhat dazed state, uncertain whether to feel hopeful or hopeless about the prospect of destroying Falling God Peak.
Their emotions had been almost entirely driven by what was happening at Hundred Refinements City, but that situation had been so unpredictable and erratic that it had put everyone through real suffering.
Shortly after taking Jade Wave City, Sikong Xuan, who had been planning to rest for a moment before pressing on toward Jade Wave Peak, found himself frequently glancing toward Hundred Refinements City.
For him, no news was the best news at this point.
Because that would mean the Falling God Peak grandmaster and the others had very likely met with trouble in Hundred Refinements City. And even if they had not, at least there was no sign of them moving against the Tianjin Guards.
At that point, a messenger officer suddenly came rushing into the Jade Wave City City Master's residence, calling out loudly, "Commander, a falcon message has arrived."
The white-haired and gaunt-faced Sikong Xuan immediately furrowed his brow and glanced at the messenger officer, feeling his heart sink slightly.
He prayed inwardly that it was not bad news. He at least wanted to go and kill a Falling God Peak Peak Master before anything else was said.
Hearing bad news right now, beyond affecting his mood, would serve essentially no other purpose.
With that thought, Sikong Xuan said with a blank expression, "Read it."
However things stood, he could not ignore Fu Qiwen's messages, especially in the current situation.
The messenger officer immediately opened the bamboo tube containing the message strip, took a quick look at it, and in the next instant his entire face went wide-eyed, momentarily forgetting to speak.
Sikong Xuan furrowed his brow, let out a sharp and heavy grunt, and said, "Read it!"
The messenger officer immediately came back to himself, drew a deep breath, steadied himself, and staring at the message strip, read out word by deliberate word, "Order from the Tianjin Guards Commander: the Eighth Prince has completely eliminated the Falling God Peak grandmaster and the four honored elders. All four Tianjin Guards columns are hereby ordered to attack the four peaks with full force and take Falling God Peak before dawn."
The message was short, but the event it described was without question enormous.
Sikong Xuan stood there for quite a while before coming back to himself, and then had the messenger officer read it aloud twice more.
In the next instant, he surged to his feet and even let out a coarse exclamation he could not hold back.
In the City Master's residence, Sikong Xuan stood where he was and could not help murmuring to himself, "The Eighth Prince. The Eighth Prince. What has the Great Li done to deserve a talent of this caliber?"
Earlier, after seeing the signals sent from Hundred Refinements City, he had actually already formed some suspicions.
But those suspicions were so difficult to believe that he had felt as though he must be imagining things.
Now, having received confirmation from Fu Qiwen's message, he finally confirmed that the Falling God Peak grandmaster and honored elders had all fallen.
And all of them had been killed by the Great Li's Eighth Prince, who had supposedly once been living among common people.
In Sikong Xuan's view, with a talent like this, the Great Li imperial family had allowed him to live among common people, and had then found him and brought him back. That could only be described as the Great Li having stumbled into the most incredible of luck.
Sikong Xuan's aged body was trembling with excitement he could barely contain.
His reason for agreeing to Fu Qiwen's request to act, beyond his own approaching end of natural life, had also been to fulfill a wish he had carried for many years before he died.
During his time leading the Tianjin Guards, Emperor Yuanwu had already been planning against the four great martial world sects, and the Tianjin Guards had been one piece of the strategy aimed at Falling God Peak.
Yet all these years had passed, and though he had invested enormous effort and energy toward Falling God Peak, by the time he had stepped down as Commander and retired to the countryside, he had never gotten anywhere close to Falling God Peak.
This had remained a fixation in his heart.
He had thought he would die without ever seeing the Great Li move against Falling God Peak, but Fu Qiwen had come to his door with good news.
Of course, he had also understood that the Tianjin Guards alone could not realistically destroy Falling God Peak.
His greatest personal goal for this mission had been to spend what remained of his fading martial aura to at least take down one Falling God Peak Peak Master, and consider that an honorable end.
But all of that had been rewritten by Li Musheng.
Now that the Falling God Peak grandmaster and honored elders were dead, taking down Falling God Peak had become a certainty.
So now his ambitions had grown beyond his original purpose. He would not settle for eliminating one Falling God Peak Peak Master. He intended to personally witness the complete destruction of Falling God Peak.
Sikong Xuan suppressed the excitement rising in his chest and said in a firm voice, "Pass the order. Everyone ready to move. We advance on Jade Wave Peak immediately."
In an instant, his aura stirred throughout his body, and his entire bearing became spirited and vital, as though years had fallen from him.
Hearing this, the messenger officer was equally moved with excitement, and answered at once, about to go and pass the order to every section.
But right at that moment, a member of the Tianjin Guards suddenly came running in with an urgent and bewildered expression, reporting, "Commander, Jade Wave Peak has sent someone to surrender."
At those words, Sikong Xuan froze, "What?"