The Last Sentinel

Swords gleamed over the Great Wall, at the central army camp.

Li Wenzhong, clad in silver armor stained with undried frost, the armor plates clanging together with a dull thud, stood before the holographic star map, his brows furrowed in a deep knot, his gaze fixed intently on the ever-spreading war markers across the Blue Star region.

Not long ago, he thought that after driving away Hua Xiaobai and sealing off the channels connecting Blue Star to the universe, the situation would gradually ease.

But he never expected that those who had their supply lines cut off would take such a risk and launch a large-scale riot. Now, apart from a few advanced civilizations like Great Xia that are still relatively stable, the rest of the planet is already engulfed in war. Half of the vast planet has become a battlefield for life-or-death struggles, far more chaotic than imagined.

In order to stabilize the situation on Earth, the Ming Empire had no choice but to devote all of its Imperial Guards to the defense of Earth, stretching the defensive line to its limit in an instant.

The trigger for all of this was his decision to remove Hua Xiaobai and block Runren's access without authorization—an action that thoroughly enraged Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty.

Recalling the thunderous roar of the old Taoist priest Jiajing in the communication not long ago, Li Wenzhong's temples throbbed.

In that conversation, Jiajing's angry shouts almost broke through the communication barrier, cursing him mercilessly without any mercy.

"You, Li Wenzhong, are something else! Overstepping your bounds and doing the work of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and you even dared to dismiss Hua Xiaobai!" Jiajing's voice was filled with rage, each word like a hammer blow. "Hua Xiaobai was the frontline deputy commander recommended by Ye Feng. Even if you don't give me face, don't you at least give Ye Feng some respect? Before doing anything, couldn't you at least submit a report and consult the court? You arrogant and unruly general, do you even have any respect for me, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty?!"

Before Li Wenzhong could even speak in his defense, Jiajing suddenly raised his voice, his tone full of sarcasm: "You really think that Hua Xiaobai's ability to control that wiring route is due to his own skill? Nonsense! It was tacitly approved by the court, and I, Jiajing, gave my permission! The Embroidered Uniform Guards have known that route inside and out, but I didn't let them interfere. Do you know why?"

Jiajing's voice suddenly turned cold, tinged with icy indifference: "Those who want to leave, you can't keep; those who want to stay, you can't drive away. Since they're determined to travel to the myriad universes, then grant their wish! Let them go to the myriad universes as unregistered citizens. I'll directly cancel their Blue Star registration, strip them of their innate power from their primordial will, and make them utterly wanderers, their lives and deaths no longer connected to Blue Star!"

Li Wenzhong opened his mouth, intending to explain that he was doing it for the sake of Blue Star's stability, but the edict from Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty that followed from Baiyujing made him swallow back the words he was about to say.

Zhu Yuanzhang's curses were even harsher than Jiajing's, crude and ruthless. He ended with a vicious threat: "Li Wenzhong, you disobey my orders, don't you? Fine! Zhu Biao will recover soon. Once your nephew Zhu Biao emerges from the pass, he'll be the first to deal with you, this disrespectful uncle!"

Upon hearing the name "Zhu Biao," Li Wenzhong instantly deflated, as if all his fierce energy had vanished. He feared nothing and no one except Zhu Yuanzhang and his son Zhu Biao, especially the Crown Prince Zhu Biao, who was even more ruthless than Zhu Yuanzhang. Of the four major cases of the Hongwu era, Zhu Biao personally oversaw three. Had he not died young, given his temperament, he would surely have stirred up more trouble, making it the ten major cases of the Hongwu era, resulting in a mountain of executions in the court.

Since the establishment of the High Martial Academy, the Three Calamities have formally allied with the Ming Empire, and their power has been continuously flowing into Baiyujing, accelerating the resurrection process of the Ming Dynasty's ancestors. As the Crown Prince, Zhu Biao requires relatively less dynastic karma, making him the most likely among the high-ranking officials to be the first to be resurrected.

Li Wenzhong could almost foresee that his good days were coming to an end—once Zhu Biao emerged from seclusion, the Jiajing Emperor, who was cultivating immortality, would be able to focus on his cultivation in peace. At that time, all of Li Wenzhong's experience, seniority, and experience would be nothing but bullshit in front of Zhu Biao.

"Report—!"

The urgent report from a personal guard outside the tent interrupted Li Wenzhong's thoughts.

He waved his hand impatiently, his tone tinged with irritation: "Come in!"

A lieutenant rushed in, his body reeking of battlefield smoke, his expression panicked. He quickly walked to Li Wenzhong and knelt on one knee: "Reporting, General! Urgent intelligence has arrived from the front lines. The Shogunate has suddenly launched a coup. Tokugawa Mitsunori has surrounded the planet of Prince Tenyou, the commander of the All-Heavens and Myriad Realms Supervision Group, and has already launched an attack!"

"What?" Li Wenzhong turned around abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief. He stepped forward, grabbed his adjutant's collar, and his voice suddenly rose, "Say that again? Tokugawa Mitsunori has rebelled?"

The lieutenant gripped his collar tightly, but still quickly replied, "Yes! Tokugawa Mitsunobu has launched a coup, rebelling against his superiors and leading his troops in a fierce attack on Prince Tenyou's planet!"

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Li Wenzhong abruptly flung his sleeve, shoving his deputy aside. His tone was resolute. "Tenyou and Tokugawa Mitsunobu are inseparable. Not long ago, they even joined forces to kill the old Tokugawa Mitsuroku and seize power from the shogunate. How could they suddenly be fighting amongst themselves? The news must be wrong; it must have been relayed incorrectly from the front lines!"

"General, the intelligence is absolutely true!" The lieutenant steadied himself, hurriedly raised his hand and took out a sealed letter, then gestured towards the air, "This intelligence was sent back by Strategist Hua. The strategist also asked me to bring you something else!"

As soon as he finished speaking, an ancient-looking wooden box appeared out of thin air in the lieutenant's hands. The lieutenant opened the box, and inside lay a hideous head with a ferocious expression and glaring eyes—it was none other than the head of Tokugawa Mitsunobu!

Li Wenzhong's pupils contracted sharply. He strode forward, carefully cradling the head in his hands. After confirming it repeatedly, he suddenly threw his head back and burst into laughter, his voice filled with exhilaration and disbelief: "That's right! It's Tokugawa Mitsunobu's head! Hahaha... It really is him! Tokugawa Mitsunobu, he actually died just like that! This is simply too unbelievable!"

After laughing for a while, Li Wenzhong finally suppressed his excitement and looked at his deputy: "What else did Hua Xiaobai say?"

"Strategist Hua also sent a secret letter, instructing me to personally deliver it to the general." The deputy general quickly handed over the secret letter.

Li Wenzhong took the sealed letter, his fingertips brushing against the seal to confirm it was Hua Xiaobai's handwriting. He hurriedly opened it to examine it closely. As his gaze moved downwards, his expression became increasingly complex, from initial surprise to astonishment, then to bewilderment, and finally, an undisguised smugness gradually surfaced in his eyes, his breathing becoming rapid.

"Damn it!" Li Wenzhong couldn't help but curse under his breath, his heart filled with turmoil. It turned out that after being expelled from the army, Hua Xiaobai had infiltrated the shogunate's camp alone, using a divisive tactic to sow discord between Tokugawa Mitsunobu and Prince Tenyou, causing them to become enemies and fight each other. In the end, Hua Xiaobai reaped the benefits, personally leading his men to kill Tokugawa Mitsunobu and take his head!

What kind of divine operation was this? The more Li Wenzhong thought about it, the more shocked he became. Suddenly, the scene of the Perfect City battle flashed through his mind—back then, Ye Feng also threw Hua Xiaobai directly into the enemy camp, which ultimately led to Perfect City's great victory!

"So that's how it is!" Li Wenzhong slapped his thigh suddenly, realizing the error of his ways, his tone full of regret. "This is the correct way to use strategist Hua Xiaobai!"

False strategists always hide in the rear, plotting and scheming.

A true master strategist is one who enters the game himself, using himself as the chess piece, and wins with a single life!

If I had known that Hua Jun was used like this, I should have thrown him out long ago and let him develop freely and wildly, so that he wouldn't have ended up in this situation!

With a sigh, Li Wenzhong continued reading the secret letter. When he saw Hua Xiaobai's instructions at the end, his brow gradually relaxed, and he breathed a long sigh of relief. In the secret letter, Hua Xiaobai clearly pointed out that in the near future, they should not take the initiative to launch an attack, but should leave enough room for the Indian civilization to develop and gradually replace the shogunate's position.

At the same time, we hope that General Li will reopen the channels of communication, release all those on Earth who are willing to leave, immediately expel them from their Earthly origins, completely strip them of their innate power from their original will, and eliminate any future troubles.

"Guards!" Li Wenzhong put away the secret letter, his expression regaining its composure. He loudly ordered the guards outside the tent, his tone firm, "As arranged by Military Advisor Hua, immediately open patrols at the sixth and seventh passes of the Sword Qi Great Wall. Do not obstruct anyone who wishes to leave Blue Star. At the same time, notify the Household Registration Department and the Origin Will Management Office to process the relevant formalities according to procedure!"

"Yes, sir!" The guards outside the tent responded in unison, turned around and quickly left to carry out the order.

Li Wenzhong walked back to the holographic star map, his gaze fixed on the direction of the myriad universes, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. He raised his hand to stroke his chin, muttering to himself, "Hua Xiaobai, you really always manage to surprise people... Now, let's see if the Tianzhu civilization can seize this opportunity."

Outside the tent, the wind still howled and sword energy crisscrossed. But in Li Wenzhong's heart, the previous anxiety and frustration were gone, replaced by a glimmer of expectation—expecting Hua Xiaobai's next move, and hoping that this chaos would soon turn around.