Chapter 501: In Front of Two Armies
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
This was especially the case for the experts from the Ma-i Sect as they looked incredibly vexed.
They had disobeyed their ancestral teachings and descended the mountain once but were immediately given a warning. In the end, the stronger side that they had assisted had fallen.
They had lost!
They were defeated!
The Ma-i Sect members could not accept this unexpected result. Why would they lose? Why did they lose?
The general trend was irrefutable. Dongxuan would conquer the world. This was the prediction given by a reclusive unrivaled expert after seeing past the layers of destiny. This was also the only chance the Ma-i Sect could infringe upon God's will and be free of the ancestral curse, to finally become a noble school in itself!
The process had been smooth. The Fortress of Resilience that was deemed to be the world's indestructible fort was subjugated by their side! It was through witnessing this scene that they had decided to join the war.
Why had such a critical battle been turned around and lost, just like this?
They had the God of War as their marshal, close to two million men in the battalion, they had been winning all the way; why had they suddenly lost?
Who could explain this?
Han Sanhe suddenly laughed, and stepped out, urging his horse forward. He made his way to Yun Yang alone, not bringing any guards with him.
"Teacher!"
Zhan Ge could not help gasping. Han Sanhe's guards moved promptly as well, intending to follow and protect him.
"Don't come over!"
Han Sanhe was firm, shouting his command without even turning around, "This marshal wishes to talk to Young Master Yun personally. I will wait for Fu Baoguo, Marshal Fu in the meantime. This is my command!"
When the last few words were uttered, his tone was stern. He meant every word he said with military authority. Zhan Ge halted his forward motion, his eyes rimmed red as he looked at Han Sanhe's back.
He suddenly understood the meaning of 'sacrifice' that Han Sanhe had mentioned just now.
Han Sanhe pulled his reins and sighed softly before he said in a low voice, "This time, in the name of Dongxuan that is about to rule the world, I have consumed all the forces of Dongxuan's noble families. As long as His Majesty doesn't mess things up and actually administrates the nation well, Dongxuan can still maintain tens of years as an empire. If a gifted emperor were to appear in the future… there may still be hope for world hegemony."
His voice was low but light-hearted, "Yutang is a formidable opponent but after this war, its resources will suffer greatly and it won't be able to go on a western conquest. As long as we can hold our own before Yutang recovers, Dongxuan can stay secure for a long, long time."
"I've mentioned this before; no matter what the result of this war is, I, Han Sanhe, won't be able to escape death. If so, do I still go back and hand my life over to unscrupulous politics? To say the least, I am a militant. If a militant were to have a good end to his life, his end will come in no place other than a battlefield."
"Besides…" Han Sanhe's voice sounded forlorn then. "If I can use this imminent death in exchange for some benefits… it would be worth it."
Zhan Ge and the generals behind him were dumbfounded. They could not understand Han Sanhe last sentences. If he were to die, he would die; things would end there. What benefit would the marshal's death bring?
After Han Sanhe gave this speech, he did not wait for their reply nor did he turn around. He urged his horse out of the formation and went to Yun Yang.
It was one thing for Zhan Ge to be confused but there was also a sense of grief that surged from the bottom of his heart. He found it hard to suppress the strange emotion. He knew clearly that his teacher had been saying that he would die, no matter whether the war was won or lost.
The final result of this warfare was vastly different.
If this war was won and Yutang was subjugated, Han Sanhe would be protected by this immense merit. It did not matter how many casualties and damage he had made as no one in the whole country would dare lay a finger on him. That time, his teacher could advance or take a step, depending on his liking.
To advance, he could be king, conquering a part of the land; to take a step back, the remainder of his life would be safe and he could finally relax.
However, the battle had been unexpectedly lost. Even the last chance to turn the tables around was gone!
This announced the extinction of Han Sanhe's last chance of survival. It was only left with the why and how he made his choices.
Yun Yang watched Han Sanhe move closer with a cold gaze and said faintly, "Han Sanhe, a God of War indeed. Your courage surpasses the rest."
"Oh?" Han Sanhe hummed with a smile.
Yun Yang smiled then. "Although I respect this mannerism of yours, and I respect your sacrifice that sees death as your homecoming, I still have to say… your sacrifice truly incorporates too many materialistic aspects!"
Han Sanhe grinned. "Profitable gains, a man hustles for these two words his entire life anyway – to use his strength and wisdom to seek profit, to use his life and death to obtain gains; it's only a process, like so many other tactics. At the very bottom of it all, there's no difference."
"And if I were to kill you right now? How much will you gain then? Will it be a complete loss?" Yun Yang's gaze was icy.
"First, I believe my eyes. I see that you're not that type of person. Next, I've already stepped out; I do not plan to go back. When I do die, I would die well; it wouldn't be a loss then." Han Sanhe smiled with squinted eyes.
Yun Yang returned his smile with a genuine sense of admiration.
Han Sanhe was already thirty feet away from Yun Yang now. With this distance, Yun Yang could truly strike down this God of War from his horse with just one slash, considering his cultivation base. In spite of this, Yun Yang did not do that – he truly was not that type of person.
Now, Han Sanhe was already a thousand feet away from the Dongxuan army.
The wind blew, fluttering his hair and beard, his robe sighing softly in the strong breeze.
He looked at Yun Yang unblinking. He suddenly lowered his voice and said softly, "Young Master Yun, I have something troubling me that I've meant to ask you. I hope you can quell my doubts."
"Since it has been troubling you, do speak," Yun Yang replied softly.
Han Sanhe sucked in a long breath and said, "May I ask... was the sudden appearance of the Nine Supremes' powers related to you?"
Yun Yang smiled. "Marshal Han, you should continue to believe in your own eyes; you are right in your judgment of people. However, this guess of yours is wrong."
"Wrong? Why?" Han Sanhe questioned with squinted eyes.
"I know that Marshal Han has your mind set. You suspect that I am Supreme Cloud. Am I right?" Yun Yang asked with a laugh.
"Am I wrong?" Han Sanhe smiled.
Yun Yang answered with a grin, "I can only say that you won't have the chance to know it in this lifetime, Marshal Han. I'm afraid that you'll have to pass on to the next life with this regret!"
Han Sanhe's gaze scanned Yun Yang's face, the hint of a smile oozing from his eyes; he said doubtfully, "If you're not, then one of the other two people must be Supreme Cloud. Still…"
Yun Yang cut him off, "Marshal Han, I don't think there's a need for discussion about who is Supreme Cloud. Is this the reason Marshal Han has come to me?"
Han Sanhe replied faintly, "Of course this wasn't the main objective. I have to wait for Fu Baoguo's arrival, so I'm simply finding a topic to speak about. I didn't expect that a casual conversation would steer itself towards the area where Young Master Yun is reluctant to speak about. If this old man wishes to discuss who has the highest probability of being one of the Nine Supremes, would Young Master Yun be my willing company?"
Yun Yang lowered his voice and said icily, "Marshal Han, why insist on such a topic when we've reached this stage? The identity of the Nine Supremes' Supreme Cloud is this world's biggest secret. I don't want to make any assumptions nor do I want to partake in anything to do with this topic!"
Han Sanhe chuckled and said, "It looks like we've gotten off on the wrong foot. Young Master Yun's horse is truly handsome. How precious!"
Yun Yang stroked Reddie's ears and said triumphantly, "Not at all. It's only an ordinary steed. Nothing worth mentioning about."
Reddie shook its head, its ears twitched, then it snorted loudly. Its saliva sprayed right onto Han Sanhe's warhorse. It was so thick that the horse's eyes were about to be stuck shut.
The poor warhorse was also a rare noble breed. Unfortunately, it was still frightened when it met the horse king. Now that it was sprayed with saliva, it did not dare avoid the spittle and took it head on. It did not dare swish its tail even once, afraid that any slight movement would upset this king.
Reddie grew even more prideful.
Did he say I was an ordinary horse? Hmph.
It went nearer, step by step.
Han Sanhe was talking to Yun Yang, keen on finding a topic, only to feel that he was suddenly being lowered. Raising his head, the sight of a large horse's head greeted him. His warhorse had actually knelt on the ground, terrified by Yun Yang's approaching warhorse.
No matter how experienced and foresighted, how cunning and astute, how calm and composed Han San was, he would never have expected this episode. Exasperation filled his mind, the old man only wished to swear out loud.
F*cking hell… he had wanted to die with grace; perhaps he could maintain the legend of the continent's God of War after that. How impressive would it be for word to spread about him dying with dignity?
However, before he could know how his death and what followed after could turn out, his warhorse had kneeled down and submitted first…