You became an emperor by letting me AFK.

The choice presented to everyone was simple: either stay and be captured or killed, or run to the mountains and wilderness to survive. Neither was a good future, but at least there were options.

Jing Cheng decisively ordered: "Let's not delay any longer. Those who are not capable of fighting should evacuate. You are just getting in the way here."

Yes, sir.

We've really played right into the enemy's hands.

Looking into the distance, Feng Tianyin, who was in charge of command, remained calm, as if she had expected this. She had probably anticipated this, using the possibility of retreat to further weaken the camp's fighting strength, and would not commit cavalry until the decisive battle.

War is fought with authority at its core. This batch of elite troops must be deployed to achieve immediate victory; any disappointment will bring unexpected and disastrous consequences.

She maintained her oppressive tactics, forcing the barbarian chieftain to make a choice.

"Archers, push forward."

With a calm voice, the warriors took out their longbows and aimed from their horses at the already shattered interior of the camp.

Shooting in mobile warfare is a required course, let alone shooting at stationary targets from a stationary position.

The next moment, arrows rained down.

They splattered onto the crowd, instantly knocking many down, each unlucky victim screaming in agony. They couldn't be pulled out; any reckless force would surely tear a chunk of flesh from the barbed structure.

Such injury in an environment lacking medical care and medicine is almost a death sentence; subsequent wound infections and illnesses will only be more fatal.

"Drag the wounded away, don't linger here."

"Raise your shields and prepare yourselves; this is the harbinger of the charge."

Only Xue Yong remained calm and made a judgment, managing to salvage some of the signs of collapse; otherwise, he would have been completely finished on the spot.

"You should also evacuate quickly."

Anxious, Jingcheng directed those willing to leave to run towards the back of the mountain, including his own family. There was no time to hesitate; after all, they were a people who had come from the mountains, and this was simply a matter of returning home.

"Chief, aren't you leaving? There's no point in staying here."

"I'm not leaving. Only if I'm there to cover you can we ensure that this rearguard doesn't collapse. Everyone is doing this to protect their families."

That being said, the vast majority of people chose to stay and witness the survival of the nation together.

Or wait for the result.

He knew perfectly well that some of them had already given up; at worst, they'd be slaves—better to live a wretched life than die. Respecting their choices was, of course, contingent on them surviving the war; otherwise, it was all just empty talk.

Jing Cheng and Xue Yong strode to the front line, exchanged a glance, sighed, and made their preparations.

The frequency of the arrows gradually decreased.

Accompanied by the crashing and creaking of collapsing timber, the rammed earth walls crumbled along with it, symbolizing the destruction of the defense line.

At this point, there were no more obstacles between the two sides.

click!

Feng Tianyin drew the bronze sash from her waist, frowned slightly, making her eyes narrow, and aimed her gaze at Jing Cheng. Then Xue Yong stepped in front of her.

"...Both of them were warned by the Heavenly Dao."

Xia He, who was also observing the battlefield, nodded. Judging from the attribute panel, the forest camp leader was a talented leader, while Xue Yong was vaguely approaching the level of a hero, being brave and skilled in battle. If the hero mode hadn't been unavailable yet, he would only be stronger.

As long as they are there, the camp is prone to division, and they are a factor that must be eliminated.

To avoid inflicting too much damage on powerful enemy units, Xia He proactively adjusted the buff stacking this time.

Real-world testing will prove it.

She made a gesture, and the bugle call resounded in all directions.

The next moment, the Daqian cavalry raised their long spears in unison, their cold gleams exuding a chilling aura. They swung their reins and advanced at top speed, causing the earth to rumble.

Dust filled the sky, mud flew everywhere, and the dust swirled towards the camp.

"It's coming."

Xue Yong aimed at Feng Tianyin's horse at the forefront, and simultaneously ordered the formation to tighten. Success or failure hinged on this. At the very least, they needed to inflict losses on the enemy; it wasn't impossible to force them to retreat...

Turning around, he saw only a cloud of dust, and the heavily armored warhorse he had been staring at was empty.

It disappeared in just a few breaths?

He dared not make any rash moves and had no time to think, so he simply raised his shield and let the Daqian cavalry sweep past him like a tide.

puff!

The sound of metal piercing flesh rang out. Xue Yong, his face ashen, turned around and saw Feng Tianyin gracefully slide down, raising her bronze mace from a low position and piercing Jing Cheng's throat from behind.

The leader was completely taken aback, his face went blank, and he instinctively tried to cover his wound.

However, blood gushed from the corner of his mouth, and he could no longer speak, only staring straight into the girl's purple pupils.

Feng Tianyin simply twisted the weapon slightly.

The triangular metal churned the throat, creating a hole, and then it was pulled out, causing the corpse to fall to the ground with a thud.

She calmly flicked the blood onto the ground, treating the surrounding enemy soldiers as if they were nothing.

"High Priest, you are mighty!"

Amidst the resounding praises, a forest of spears loomed overhead, dozens of deadly long weapons reaping kills around Feng Tianyin. Amidst the precise, clattering sounds of slaughter, only one person stood within a ten-meter radius.

This is the domain of those who act on behalf of Heaven; how can mere mortals be allowed to get too close? Especially a group of lowly barbarians.

In the blink of an eye, Xue Yong found himself all alone.

The leader who had been expected to guide everyone died at their feet, while the culprit remained calm and unperturbed.

Feng Tianyin's expression didn't resemble that of someone on a battlefield, much less someone engaged in slaughter. Even killing a chicken would elicit a greater emotional response, right? In the end, she merely wiped the blood off her weapon without any further reaction. This was the greatest provocation of all.

"I'll make you pay with your life."

"Then you've probably chosen the wrong target. Fighting me is the least efficient way to win."

"You bastard, just shut up forever."

Enraged, Xue Yong charged forward recklessly, his sword sweeping away Feng Tianyin's bronze mace before slashing down at her head.

clang!

The formless, intangible air materialized and blocked the attack; even more strangely, there was no reaction force—it was simply untouchable and incapable of causing damage. Could the legend be true?

Xue Yong, who was originally full of enthusiasm, frowned, feeling as if he had fallen into an ice cave, and his heart was chilled.

The camps did have shamanistic beliefs before, but they disappeared because they were no longer effective.

This is truly a manifestation of divine will.

PS

Thank you to reader "反魂胃o八分饱" for the generous donation!

Chapter 27 Even with rats, everyone starves.

Not so good.

Although he was apprehensive, Xue Yong knew he was in a difficult position and had to at least stop the high priest from committing the massacre.

Little did they know that Feng Tianyin held the same beliefs.

The battle can be commanded by the centurions. The key is that this guy is not easy to deal with. It is safest to have the immortal me hold him off. We can't just put him on the battlefield.

"You still have a chance to join us, and I will promise you power."

"No need, stop talking nonsense."

The other side's answer was firm and decisive, thwarting her attempt to persuade them to surrender. Unfortunately, only one battle remained.

The next moment, Xue Yong was already in front of him, thrusting out his long sword.

Unlike last time, the girl easily dodged the attack by turning to the side, while the bronze sword thrust straight into her lower body, attempting to disrupt her balance at a rather tricky angle.

boom!

He stomped down, and the force from his hand startled Feng Tianyin slightly. Then he raised his knee and elbow to strike her head. An ordinary person would die instantly from such a blow, but unfortunately, it was still blocked by an invisible barrier.

"You didn't even try to dodge; are you a warrior who overcame your instinct for fear?"

They should at least step back slightly or close their eyes.

This also made it easier for him to shift the battlefield, because a simple probe proved that Xue Yong couldn't take down the target of the higher caliber, but unfortunately the other side was engaged in a protracted battle.

They won't release him.

In reality, Feng Tianyin's lack of any normal avoidance reaction simply means that she doesn't exist. Her self-awareness is a string of code programs, and everything exists only for the purpose of development itself, with her own priority being the lowest.

Therefore, the high priest often appears reckless and fearless.

Should I avoid his sharp edge?

After a few moves, she realized that there was a huge difference in the basic attributes between the two sides, but so what? Just keep an eye on them.

Immediately following, Feng Tianyin launched an attack, a straight thrust followed by a swift wrist flick and side parry, her movements so agile that even Xue Yong narrowly managed to block it. Wait, a cut still appeared on her cheek, blood gushing out.

Lacking in strength, but possessing truly formidable skill.

Their reaction speed, skill level, and judgment are all superior to others. Once locked on, they cannot easily avoid it; they are determined to fight to the death.

Despite this, Xue Yong did not back down and launched a fierce counterattack.

Ping Pong Pong!

Sparks drifted around the two of them, and each metallic friction and collision produced a burst of light and sparks.

In reality, Feng Tianyin's relatively weak strength was only compared to the number one warrior of the barbarian tribe. Her body was healthy and strong, and her 1.7-meter height was considered tall in an era when people were barely making ends meet. Her various stats were also at the theoretical limit of human strength.

Her offensive became increasingly fierce.

As the two sides traded blows, Xue Yong gradually became exhausted, sustaining numerous cuts and bruises, fighting a bloody battle.

The Daqian army was not idle either.

How could we allow the high priest, whose body is worth ten thousand pieces of gold, to continue to risk his life? If word got out, we would be drowned in spittle. Therefore, we have been protecting him from beginning to end, and now we have surrounded him and can suppress him at any time.

The reason we didn't intervene earlier was because other barbarian tribes might have caused trouble, but now they have been basically eliminated.

That's right, the outcome was already decided when the two top warriors clashed.