The Bad Guys: Everyone, let’s revive the Tang Dynasty together!

Chapter 470 No More Heroes
On the banks of the Liu River, Xiao Yan stood alone on the floating bridge platform on the west bank. Behind him, a thousand cavalrymen stood solemnly, and the camp was deserted, which only made his figure appear more upright and imposing.

On the east bank, Li Cunxu reined in his horse on the riverbank. Behind him was a massive army of tens of thousands of Jin soldiers and remnants of the northern desert forces. Although the banners were dense, the formation was scattered. The air was filled with the atmosphere of people still recovering from their shock. Only he himself, with his armor reflecting the sunlight and his back straight, dispelled the dejection around him.

The two of them stood facing each other across the river, which was nearly ten feet wide.

As for the turbid Liuhe River flowing ceaselessly between the two, it only continuously stirs up muddy waves, forming a natural boundary from north to south.

Li Cunxu, who was only a few years older than Xiao Yan, still looked heroic and charismatic after several years. However, from a distance, although his long hair was no longer loose and he had grown a beard and wore a helmet, he was exhausted and had been etched with fine lines by the wind and frost. Compared to his younger days, he had lost more than just a few of his former spirit.

"Li Yazi, did you enjoy the snow and wind in the northern desert?"

Xiao Yan's long laugh and question reached the ears of everyone on the opposite bank who had pricked up their ears with exceptional clarity. His voice was bold and unrestrained, like that of an old friend, yet it was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating invisible ripples in the deathly silent army formation.

The northern army was one thing, but for the Jin soldiers present, this so-called wind and snow was much more than just wind and snow.

The troops marched from Taiyuan, repeatedly attacking the Yinshan Mountains, suffering heavy losses. This snowstorm was a river of blood flowing along the Tuhe River, a heart-stopping moment on the banks of the Luan River as Zhu Youwen and Li Maozhen charged together, and a profound sense of defeat at the cost of great sacrifices yet still failing to achieve their objective.

After a long and arduous journey, all they did was bring back an ally who was as stupid as a pig. It was all for naught. Where was the enjoyment in this trip to the northern desert?

Li Cunxu took a deep breath. The dampness of the river and a faint smell of blood in the air rushed into his lungs, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his heart, as well as the gloom brought by the near collapse of the Mobei army due to Xiao Yan's appearance.

He could feel the mixed fear and expectation in the eyes of the soldiers behind him, so without hesitation, he pulled hard on the reins. His magnificent warhorse, sensing its master's intention, neighed and reared up, its mane flying and its iron hooves pawing the air.

Immediately, a desolate yet unrestrained laugh burst forth from his chest, dispelling some of the frustration within his army.

"Li Jiu!" Li Cunxu reined in his restless warhorse, his laughter still ringing out, his gaze sharp as lightning, fixed on the opposite bank of the river. "The scenery of the northern desert is magnificent and awe-inspiring. Heaven and earth are our mat, and ten thousand armies are our companions. To be able to meet with a hero of our time across the river on this vast plain, even if I were to die on the battlefield tomorrow, my blood staining the yellow sand, would not have been in vain for this life's heroic spirit. If there were any shortcomings, how could there not be? Yet, how could this meeting today not be exhilarating!?"

Li Cunxu's laughter echoed along the banks of the Liu River. His words were heroic and his emotions were passionate. Despite being at a disadvantage, he single-mindedly supported the backbone of tens of thousands of troops behind him with his unwavering ambition.

Upon hearing these bold words, the Shatuo elite cavalry felt their blood boil again. Their armor clanged, and the initial shock in their eyes subsided, replaced by a fierce determination to fight to the death on the battlefield. Even the still-shaken northern army was intimidated by the spirit in this laughter, and their commotion gradually subsided.

Xiao Yan responded with a loud laugh, and although the Liu River roared, the laughter was deep and powerful, seemingly drowning out the rushing water.

He stood on the bridgehead platform, his figure upright and steady, his hand on his belt. Despite the mighty army and the soldiers fighting to the death on the opposite bank, he possessed a majestic and awe-inspiring spirit that could swallow mountains and rivers.

"Excellent! What a heroic act of dying on the battlefield, living up to one's spirit!"

Xiao Yan praised loudly, his voice even louder and clearer than before, instantly drowning out the roaring water and reaching the ears of tens of thousands of soldiers on the opposite bank.

"I, Xiao, have surveyed the heroes of the world and found them mostly mediocre. Those worthy of my respect are few and far between. But today, hearing your bold words, Li Cunxu, what harm is there in calling you a hero of our time?"

Upon hearing this, many in the Jin army formation wore complex expressions, feeling both pride as Jin people and admiration for Xiao Yan's magnanimity in praising his mortal enemy so openly.

Li Siyuan's face was gloomy, while Yelü Lage was even more apprehensive and uneasy.

Li Cunxu, however, was not arrogant. His laughter abruptly stopped, and a sharp glint appeared in his eyes. He suddenly raised his riding whip, pointing it directly at Xiao Yan.

"Very well! I, Li Cunxu, am not indebted to the King of Qin for calling me a 'hero of our time'. But Xiao Yan, since you call me a hero, you should know that my heroic blood is not yet cold and my fighting spirit is not yet waning. Today, on the banks of the Willow River, we, the men of the battlefield, will settle our scores and establish our rule over the world!"

His chest heaved violently, as if he wanted to express all the resentment, anger, and burning ambition he had accumulated over the years:

"And we heroes are not merely praised in words. Heroes are the iron and blood on horseback, the achievements under the blade. They are those who ascend to the highest position by stepping over countless corpses! You, Xiao Yan, aspire to be the hero who rules the world, and so do I, Li Cunxu! In this world, only one can truly hold the reins! Today, on this desolate northern plain, let us, with the blood of our men and the swords in our hands, decide the matter—"

"Who will be the last hero of this chaotic world! Who deserves to enjoy an everlasting legacy! Come and fight! Xiao Yan!!!"

Li Yazi is Li Yazi after all. Even with the situation clear, even with encirclement from all sides, even with the loss of his camp, even with his defeat in the past, when he challenged Xiao Yan to battle and faced him across the river, how could he lack that spirited and unrestrained attitude?

The Jin army's morale soared, their roars shaking the heavens. Even the remnants of the northern desert forces were momentarily invigorated by this spirit. The might of King Xiao could silence the night cries of children on the grasslands, but was the title of "Yazi" truly an empty boast?
Xiao Yan remained silent about Li Cunxu's attempt to boost morale, ultimately just smiling without saying a word. At the same time, he lowered his gaze to the turbid river water churning and surging before him, and after a moment, he let out a soft laugh that was hard to decipher.

"Therefore, Li Cunxu, you, this hero, are ultimately nothing more than the 'contemporary' one. Your fathers' struggle for power was for the foundation of Hedong, for the mere Shatuo tribe. Though such things are common in the world, they are not worth a laugh. I originally thought that today, as we stand across the river, you would understand what we are fighting for, and that my journey of a thousand miles to see you off would not have been in vain. But hearing your words, I cannot help but feel disappointed..."

Xiao Yan's light laugh gradually turned into a cold laugh. As he spoke, he took a step forward and stood at the very front of the pier, his figure as upright as a solitary peak. He raised his hand and pointed at the opposite bank, speaking sharply in response.

"If you do not know, or do not wish to know, then I, the King, will tell you plainly. What we are fighting for is not this world. It is this century-long chaos, and who should end it! Will we perpetuate the old ills of regional warlordism, infighting, and the suffering of the common people, or will we cleave through this chaos, restore order to the world, and create a bright and prosperous future? Can the wishes of the people and the hopes of the common folk be borne by a mere hero of this era?"

"The heroes you speak of, Li Cunxu, are nothing more than ruthless tyrants vying for supremacy in this chaotic world, powerful figures who live by the sword and seek revenge. Paving the way with corpses and securing power with weapons may be exhilarating, but how easy is that? Yet this is the end of your path to heroism! Your vision and your ambition are limited to dominating this chaotic world, to fighting only for the title of 'the present era'!"

The vast army on the opposite bank of the river, whether they understood or not, whether they were angry or frightened, indignant or shocked, all fell silent again under the pressure of these gazes and words, with only the river flowing on as before.

Xiao Yan's voice remained sharp, his gaze suddenly becoming even more intense as he swept over the massive, dark mass of troops on the opposite bank.

"How could I not be disappointed to contend with someone of your limited vision? This world is vast and the land is beautiful. If you, someone like me, were to take it, wouldn't I still be watching the endless wars continue for centuries, the people's hearts would be corrupted, and morality would be out of control? If someone like me were to steal the divine artifact, my sins would be difficult to wash away even after thousands of years!"

Li Cunxu's face suddenly turned deathly pale, and all the generals and officers around him changed color in shock.

Xiao Yan paid no heed to their reactions. He slightly raised his arm, and a clear, melodious sword cry, like a dragon's roar, suddenly rang out. It was the Taiping Sword held in Li Cunren's hand that spontaneously emerged, trembling as it leaped into Xiao Yan's palm.

The longsword pointed directly at the opposite bank, its cold light gleaming. What Xiao Yan said next instantly drowned out the neighing of warhorses, the rushing river, and the clashing of armor, resounding and echoing in everyone's ears and hearts, lingering for a long time:

"You say this meeting is a feast to be enjoyed? Very well! Then today I will use this grassland as my seat, and my ten thousand troops as my guests. With the swords in our hands and the ambitions in our hearts, I will let all the people of the world know that a true hero is one who no longer sacrifices the blood and tears of the masses! A true hero is one who makes this world need no more heroes!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the wind stopped and the clouds lingered.

The entire banks of the Liu River were plunged into absolute silence.

Only the lingering echo of that sword's cry, like invisible ripples, repeatedly surged and reverberated among tens of thousands of violently beating hearts.

Under the blazing sun, the figure of the young man, clad in imposing armor and with his cloak fluttering in the wind, seemed to blend into the blinding light, making him impossible to see clearly. Only a lofty, unyielding silhouette remained, imprinted between heaven and earth.

Li Cunxu's chest heaved violently. The intense pain he had just suppressed seemed to be pierced by the sword's cry and the bold words, and his face paled instantly, but he forced himself to remain calm. The God of War altar behind him seemed to slightly shift its gray-white pupils, locking onto the god-like figure on the opposite bank of the river.

Li Siyuan's face was extremely grim. His gaze swept repeatedly between Xiao Yan and Shi Jingtang, his fingers cracking as he clenched his fists, a mixture of shock and anger swirling within him. Yelü Lage, standing beside him, felt his legs go weak; he would have collapsed to the ground if he hadn't been holding on. The remaining tribal chiefs were even more pale, trembling with fear, as if the end of the world had come.

Zhu Youwen glanced at Xiao Yan's back, his expression inexplicably solemn, a domineering smile curling at the corner of his mouth. Zhong Xiao Kui, on the other hand, was quite fanatical, almost bowing down.

Li Cunren's hands, holding the scabbard of the Taiping sword, trembled almost imperceptibly, his eyes swirling with complex and unfathomable emotions.

As for Shi Jingtang, only deep admiration remained on his face, and his posture became even more humble. Meeting the fiery gaze of his father-in-law on the opposite bank, he actually nodded slightly in acknowledgment, a faint, indifferent smile playing on his lips. Li Siyuan's eyes were bloodshot, and he was on the verge of vomiting blood, but with Li Cunren in front and Shi Jingtang behind, in this situation, he couldn't even utter a single angry rebuke.

Time flowed by in the dead silence. Li Cunxu closed his eyes for a long time, and when he suddenly opened them, his eyes were already bloodshot.

"Ha! What a fine 'the world needs no more heroes,' what a grandiose 'all living beings under heaven'! Xiao Yan! The victor is king, the loser is villain, it has always been so! Why speak so loftily! All you've done is add another layer of glittering gold to your throne as King of Qin. If you want to ascend to the throne, why use the name of the people!"

His face flushed crimson, and he abruptly drew his sword from his waist. The sword flashed in the sunlight by the riverbank, leaving a blinding, cold glint as it pointed directly at Xiao Yan.

"You want me to admit defeat? You want this northern desert, you want this world?" Li Cunxu's voice suddenly rose, like the final roar of a tiger from Hedong, filled with a desperate, all-or-nothing spirit. "Fine, then use your abilities to take it. Today, let us settle this chaotic world on the northern grasslands!"

Having said that, he dared not give Xiao Yan another chance to speak. He immediately gritted his teeth, turned around, raised his long sword high above his head, and roared with all his might: "Where are the men of Hedong?! Do you dare to fight to the death with me?!"

"Fight to the death! Fight to the death! Fight to the death!"

From Li Jian and other generals down, the elite Shatuo troops at the core of the central army were infected by Li Cunxu's roar and erupted with a thunderous roar, the sound wave seemingly dispelling some of their fear in an instant.

However, facing that solitary figure on the bridgehead, whose shadow was too bright to look at in the sunlight, many soldiers of the Northern Desert Army, especially those from smaller tribes not belonging to major groups like the Yishi or Diela tribes, simply stared blankly, their bodies still trembling slightly with fear. Yelü Lage gritted his teeth repeatedly and kept turning back to shout, trying to boost morale.

However, at the same time, from the rear of the Jin army, the thunderous sound of galloping hooves came again. Countless Hu soldiers looked in panic, only to see the banners of Li Maozhen, Wang Yanzhang, Yuan Xingqin, Zhao Siwen and others continuing to wave. With the Liu River as the boundary, the three sides surrounded them, and finally stopped advancing at a suitable position, leading their respective large formations slowly forward, approaching westward.

Tens of thousands of troops on both sides of the strait held their breath and focused instantly.

The wind swept across the icy river, causing the battle flags to flutter loudly. Li Cunxu, completely disregarding the approaching pursuers, continued to hold his long sword tightly, pointing it at Xiao Yan.

The two figures faced each other across the river. The last stubbornness of the old era's hegemony, the unstoppable torrent of the new era, and the magnificent power of the changing times surged silently in the waters of the Liu River and the Yixun River.

Li Siyuan's eyes flickered, his riding whip still hanging on the ground beside his mount. His fingers gripped the hilt of his sword tightly at his waist. His gaze swept quickly over Xiao Yan, Li Cunxu, and Li Cunren, finally settling on Jingxinmo, lingering there for a long time as if searching for a sliver of hope.

As for Mirror Heart Demon, he held a small box, but his expression was complex and uncertain, difficult to discern.

Li Cunli, standing in front of Bar and Baye, let out a barely audible sigh, his gaze fixed on the distance, though it was unclear what he was sighing about.

Faced with Li Cunxu's overwhelming fighting spirit and the sword pointed directly at him, Xiao Yan simply smiled and shook his head slightly. His gaze then casually swept over Li Siyuan. Although it was only a glance, it made the latter feel as if he had been struck by lightning. His whole body trembled violently, and he gripped the reins tightly, almost slipping off his horse, fearing that the words that would determine his fate would come out of Xiao Yan's mouth at any moment.

However, Xiao Yan simply raised his right hand slowly.

With this simple action.

"Woo-wu-wu-"

A deep, resonant, and continuous horn call suddenly rose from the depths of the camp between the two rivers. The sound came one after another, each one louder than the last, like an invisible tsunami, instantly sweeping across the entire riverside battlefield, drowning out all the shouts, all the fear, and all the deathly silence.

At the same time, in the distance, the bugle calls and thunderous war drums of Wang Yanzhang and Zhao Siwen's troops resounded in response. Tens of thousands of cavalry surged forth like a raging torrent bursting its banks.

On the east bank, the veins on Li Cunxu's arm, gripping his sword, bulged.

The Liu River and the Yixun River reflected the figure of the only person in the world who could be called Xiao Yan's formidable rival, as well as the reflection of the person on the opposite bank who seemed not to regard him as a formidable rival. One was as steady as a mountain; the other was as wild as a raging fire, yet he was already a candle flickering in the wind.

Li Cunxu's gaze passed over the rushing river, fixed on the opposite bank, his teeth clenched tightly.

"Abandon the western camp, and the entire army heads north to break through the encirclement."

The curtain of the final showdown was suddenly drawn back in this extremely solemn and desolate world, where only the booming of horns could be heard.

------

The mountains rise and fall, with the Yanshan Mountains stretching across the north and south.

Hou Qing leaned against a smooth boulder, held the bone flute to his eyes, squinted one eye, and looked down with great interest at the three cavalry torrents that surged forward like angry dragons on the vast battlefield in the distance.

Even from this distance, the booming of horns and war drums could still be faintly heard, carrying a somber, murderous aura.

The drought demon's burly body stood like an iron tower on the edge of the cliff, its thick eyebrows furrowed, and it remained silent.

Spring had been here for quite some time, it was already mid-April, but my older sister was still wrapped in a thick fur coat. Her little face, which had been red from the cold all winter, had not yet recovered. At this moment, she impatiently stomped her feet, and the pebbles under her feet tumbled down the cliff with a crash.

"Running so far, and then hiding like this to watch? What's so interesting about being this far away? You can't even see the boys anymore. There's just a bunch of people fighting around. You might as well take a second look at the handsome boys. I can't even remember who's prettier, him or my brother..."

She rubbed her hands together vigorously, breathing on her palms, but her eyes couldn't help but glance to the side, showing a hint of resentment, clearly complaining about someone's idea.

Jiang Chen stood alone on a protruding rock closest to the edge of the cliff, her dress fluttering in the mountain wind, outlining her tall but slightly slender figure. Her face was unusually serious, and she ignored her elder sister's words, her gaze fixed on the direction of the Willow River, as if trying to make out the figure standing on the other side of the river.

The clamor and chaos of the battlefield seemed to be isolated from the world of the surrendered minister by an invisible barrier. In her world, only that figure remained, appearing unusually calm and even somewhat insignificant against the backdrop of thousands of galloping and roaring troops.

She saw him raise his right hand.

The bugle sounds, and iron hooves trample mountains and rivers.

The surrendered official pursed his lips very slightly, so quickly it was almost an illusion.

Hou Qing naturally picked up where her elder sister left off, gently pointing in the direction of Xiao Yan with her bone flute, and said earnestly, "Li Cunxu is like a cornered beast fighting to the death; his tens of thousands of troops are not made of mud. Add to that that military genius, and it's understandable that this surrendered subject is worried about Master..."

"Worried?" The surrendered minister, who had been oblivious to the outside world, twitched her ears and turned her head sharply. Her voice first rose subconsciously, then immediately calmed down, and she scoffed, "What a joke. Whether Xiao Yan lives or dies, what does it have to do with me?"

Immediately, she snorted, placing her hands gracefully behind her back, and said, "I brought you all here simply to see what this God of War really is. This Corpse Ancestor needs to disperse her energy to rebuild her divine skills. If this thing is really difficult to deal with, what if something goes wrong and you few can't hold it off while I'm in seclusion? And how much more powerful are you..."

She suddenly stopped, seemingly realizing she had misspoke. She snorted coldly, forcibly swallowing back what she was about to say, and abruptly turned her head back to stare intently at the battlefield, as if trying to pierce through the blue figure.

The older sister pursed her lips and muttered under her breath, "Saying one thing and meaning another..."

The drought demon scratched its head, looked at the surrendered minister, then at the marquis, and wisely chose to keep quiet.

A knowing smile flashed in Hou Qing's eyes. He said no more, but gently tapped his palm with the bone flute, turning his gaze back to the battlefield that was being paved with blood and fire.

(End of this chapter)