# Chapter 651: Desperate Battle at the Brink
Before the Cangfeng Imperial City, yellow sands filled the sky, the earth trembled, blood flowed like rivers, and corpses littered the fields.
After a day and night of fierce combat, the four defensive lines of the Cangfeng Imperial City had been breached one after another. The last line of defense had been pushed by the Shenhuang army to the very gates of the city.
The Shenhuang soldiers were all clad in red armor. Their scarlet battle gear and their weapons, which carried a scorching aura, had all been tempered by the Phoenix Flame of the Fenghuang God Sect. Not only were they lightweight, but their defensive and offensive capabilities were also immensely powerful—far beyond what the silver, heavy armor and weapons of the Cangfeng army could match. Moreover, the average combat power of a Shenhuang soldier far surpassed that of a Cangfeng soldier. In overall comparison, one Shenhuang soldier could easily match ten Cangfeng soldiers—no exaggeration!
The earth had long been stained crimson by blood, even deeper in color than the red armor of the Shenhuang army. Countless corpses were scattered across every patch of land before the imperial city, every corner. Yet the slaughter continued, unceasing. Seven hundred thousand Shenhuang troops surged forward in a mighty wave, their numbers stretching beyond the horizon, like a tide of blood from hell about to swallow the Cang Feng Kingdom forever.
Upon the city walls, countless arrows rained down like a relentless storm, barely managing to suppress the Shenhuang army that had already reached the city gates. At the center of the wall, the supreme commander of the Cangfeng army, Feng Yunlie, let out roar after roar. His voice had long gone hoarse, but each shout still shook the heavens and earth.
Not far to his left, Cang Yue stood silently. Today, she had not worn her phoenix crown; her long, jet-black hair danced in the battlefield's winds. She gazed quietly at the brutal scene before her. There was no sorrow on her face, no grief—only a calm as still as dead water... because this day was bound to come, and it could never be avoided.
By her side stood Dongfang Xiu and Qin Wushang, respectively. Watching the blood of fallen warriors spread to the city gates and the ever-dwindling Cangfeng army, they could no longer remain calm. Again and again, their gazes turned to Cang Yue, their lips moving as if to speak, but they held back each time.
The storm of arrows from the city walls suddenly began to weaken drastically. Before long, they became sparse and intermittent. With the greatest threat diminishing, the Shenhuang army, already holding an overwhelming advantage, surged forward with renewed force. In an instant, the last defensive line of the Cangfeng army began to waver, on the verge of collapse.
"General Feng! Our arrows are completely exhausted!!"
This despairing news did not cause Feng Yunlie to flinch. His eyes bloodshot, he let out a hoarse roar: "Open the city gates!!"
With Feng Yunlie's bellowing shout, the gates of the Cangfeng Imperial City rumbled open. Feng Yunlie turned around and faced Empress Cang Yue: "Your Majesty, let Palace Master Dongfang escort—"
"Say no more." Cang Yue's voice was incomparably calm and resolute. "I swear to live and die with the Cangfeng Imperial City!"
With a heavy thud, Feng Yunlie dropped to his knees and kowtowed deeply to Cang Yue: "To have served as Your Majesty's subject is the greatest honor of this humble general Feng Yunlie's life! In the next life, I shall serve Your Majesty again!"
"Clang!"
Drawing his long blade, Feng Yunle leaped down from the city wall, his roar shaking the heavens: "Men of Cang Feng, follow me... and slaughter these Shenhuang mongrels to the last!!"
The city gates swung open wide. The archers cast aside their iron bows, drew their swords, grabbed their spears, and charged out of the gates with furious shouts, meeting the Shenhuang army that was already right before them.
At this moment, almost everyone could already see the complete fall of the Cangfeng Imperial City. Dongfang Xiu and Qin Wushang exchanged glances, then both nodded bitterly. Dongfang Xiu silently stepped forward, but before his hand could even rise, he heard Cang Yue's cold voice: "Palace Master Dongfang, if you dare knock me unconscious and take me away, I will bite off my tongue the moment I wake up!"
Dongfang Xiu froze on the spot. His hand fell limply to his side, and he let out a long sigh.
The Shenhuang army continued to surge forward, seemingly endless. The Cangfeng Imperial City had entered its final struggle. The archers who charged out of the gates with roars were the last strength of the Cangfeng army.
"Close the city gates... and charge with me!!!"
Feng Yunlie's roar echoed across the battlefield. Behind them, the city gates rumbled shut, sealing closed. They had shut the last defense of the Cangfeng Imperial City—and also sealed the only path of retreat.
Cang Yue stood upon the city wall, listening to the soldiers' battle cries, watching the blood-soaked battlefield. Her gaze finally could no longer remain calm, and a thick mist veiled her eyes. She raised both hands and called out with all her profound strength: "Warriors of the Cang Feng Kingdom, having fought to this moment, you are already the most extraordinary heroes of the Cang Feng Kingdom! Even if our homeland is plundered by these thieves, this land shall forever remember your blood and your heroic souls! I, and all the sons and daughters of Cang Feng, will always remember your unyielding spirits!"
"I am right behind you! Together with you, I shall share the final glory of our Cang Feng Kingdom... and live and die as one!!"
Cang Yue's voice echoed in the ears of every Cangfeng warrior. Their blood burned, their faces twisted into demonic grimaces, their eyes turned as scarlet as blood-drunk lone wolves, and their auras became wild beyond measure...
"ROAR!!"
A heaven-shaking roar rose into the blood-stained sky. With no retreat left and death staring them in the face, fear vanished from their hearts. They threw all their strength, battle intent, fury, and hatred into charging toward the Shenhuang army—which had once symbolized "terror" in their eyes.
The wind, thick with the stench of blood, suddenly grew fiercer. The battle cries on the field multiplied severalfold. Driven to the brink of death, the Cangfeng warriors no longer knew what pain, fear, or death meant. Facing the Shenhuang army's attacks, they completely abandoned all defense and evasion. They let enemy weapons pierce their own bodies, then, with roars, drove their blades and spears viciously into their opponents' vital points.
Some had their bones shattered by the Shenhuang soldiers' armor, yet they used their broken arm bones to lock around the enemy's throat. Some had their weapons smashed apart, yet they let their chests be pierced and their tiger mouths split open as they thrust the broken blade into the gaps of the enemy's armor. Some were sent flying by heavy cavalry, yet they roared to keep themselves from blacking out, pouncing back like starving tigers, dragging enemies from their warhorses so their companions could drive weapons into the enemies' throats...
The stench of blood in the air grew ever more intense. What had been a one-sided fight nearing its conclusion suddenly transformed into a brutal change. Every Shenhuang soldier's strength and equipment was roughly ten times that of a Cangfeng soldier. Yet, in this last-ditch resistance, every Cangfeng soldier, before dying, could take down at least one Shenhuang soldier!
Amid the howling blood wind, the remaining Cangfeng army suffered another fifty thousand casualties—but the Shenhuang army also lost nearly fifty thousand! The remaining fifty thousand Cangfeng soldiers did not show deeper despair on their faces. Instead, they wore the ferocious grimaces of demons... Their eyes, their roars, even their auras were like vengeful ghosts rising from the abyss.
They did not fight for victory—only to trade life for life!
The Shenhuang army, which held the absolute advantage, instead began to show varying degrees of trembling. At the edge of their final victory, they faced not a broken and despairing enemy... but war souls unafraid of life or death!
"...Tch!" Above the central formation of the Shenhuang army, Deputy Commander Duan Qinghang's face was ashen. He couldn't help but inhale a sharp breath. From these Cangfeng soldiers, he could see not only their fighting spirit burning to the limit, but even the flames of their very lives burning. Every single one of them had power that was utterly insignificant, yet at this moment, even he, a sixth-level King, felt a bone-piercing chill: "That Empress Cang Yue... with just those few words, she's driven these Cangfeng soldiers absolutely mad!"
"Huff!" Supreme Commander Qi Zhencang also let out a long breath and said, "She ascended the throne less than three years ago, and she's only a girl in her twenties, yet now she has become the spiritual pillar of the Shenhuang Kingdom! If not for her, why would we still not have completely taken the Cang Feng Kingdom to this day?"
"In these years, with the Cang Feng Kingdom's feeble military strength, she has used various terrains and strange formations to make our army suffer repeated setbacks and embarrassments. We have offered her surrender more than a dozen times, promising that not only would her life be spared, but she would remain the lord of the Cang Feng region. She refused every single time! Now, with our army at the gates, she has had countless opportunities to escape safely, yet she personally stands behind the soldiers to supervise the battle, vowing to live and die with her army and kingdom... With such a ruler, and a woman of just over twenty at that, what reason do these men have not to fight to the death!"
"To be honest, I, Qi Zhencang, have never in my life truly respected a woman... but she is the first!"
Duan Qinghang frowned and said, "The morale of our army is actually declining, and some are clearly afraid to fight... Tch!"
"Then why aren't you taking action, standing here watching like this?!"
A low voice sounded behind them. The two quickly turned around and simultaneously bowed their heads in deference: "Nineteenth Elder, Forty-Third Elder."
Two middle-aged men with flames flickering in their eyes, beards like fire, and wearing entirely red robes had appeared behind them without anyone noticing. The pale gold phoenixes embroidered on their red robes proclaimed their supremely noble identities—Elders of the Fenghuang God Sect!
Among the three supreme commanders of this Shenhuang army, only Feng Huwei hailed from the Fenghuang God Sect. However, every army had at least one "Supervisor" from the Fenghuang God Sect. In this main Shenhuang army, there were even two Elder-level figures acting as supervisors. Normally, they did not participate in battle. As Elders of the Fenghuang God Sect, peerless Overlord Emperors who looked down upon the world, they were neither suited nor deigned to intervene in war. Their role was to oversee the army's movements and progress and to personally report to Sect Master Feng Hengkong.
But now, in this battle to take the Cangfeng Imperial City, they could no longer hold their patience.
"A mere little Cang Feng Kingdom, and after three whole years, we still haven't completely taken it! The Sect Master has been angered many times already! Now the Cangfeng Imperial City is right before our eyes, and yet after a full day and night of fierce assault, we still haven't broken through! In the last hour alone, we've lost tens of thousands of elite troops! This is utterly outrageous!" Nineteenth Elder Feng Feiheng said angrily. "How am I to report this to the Sect Master?!"
Qi Zhencang smiled bitterly and said, "Please calm your anger, esteemed Elders. The last remaining remnants of the Cangfeng army have placed themselves in a death ground, fighting with their very lives. On the battlefield, such cornered, desperate soldiers are the most terrifying, and their momentum is unbreakable... At this rate, to annihilate these remaining Cangfeng desperadoes, our army might have to suffer tens of thousands more casualties."
"Hmph!" Feng Feiheng's face was full of anger. "Destroy these pitiful, contemptible remnants of Cang Feng, and we still need tens of thousands of our Shenhuang troops to die with them?! We thought that taking a mere Cangfeng Imperial City would cost us at most a few tens of thousands at the limit, so we never planned to intervene. It seems we were gravely mistaken! If this continues, even if we take the Cangfeng Imperial City immediately... what face will we have to return and see the Sect Master?!"
"Feiying!" Feng Feiheng said, glancing to the side.
"Heh," Forty-Third Elder Feng Feiying immediately understood. With a light laugh, he soared into the air, charging straight toward the Cangfeng city gates. An aura belonging to an Overlord Emperor descended, instantly suppressing even most of the battlefield's battle cries. Looking down from high above, he scorned the dense "ants" below. His arm ignited with flames, and he casually flung a ball of Phoenix Flame toward the area before the city gates.