When the constellations fell upon the Bai Feng Plain, dew was forming among the wild grasses.
At midnight, the sky dome displayed a color between mystic iron and crow blue, with stars scattered like grains of salt on an endless dark silk fabric.
There was no wind, yet broken flags trembled slightly, with drops of fresh blood falling from the banners into the muddy ground.
Everywhere around were dismembered limbs, shattered shield fragments, helmets half-buried in the earth, and shell casings piled upon the ground...
Mei Lin stood beside several bodies intertwined together, his expression somewhat blank.
After the battle was over, he was lucky not to be seriously injured, but his entire body ached as if it were dying, with a strong hunger emanating from the implant within him.
"Cough, cough, cough, cough!"
The severe coughing startled the bewildered Mei Lin, who quickly turned around to look; Old Man Yao was leaning against several corpses, slumped on the ground.
"How are you, are you alright?"
Mei Lin immediately bent down to inquire.
He had followed closely after him once the battle started, several times escaping danger thanks to his help.
It could be said that without Old Man Yao, the experienced border army scout, he wouldn't have survived till now.
"Why waste words, get the healing powder out and give it to me!"
Mei Lin realized and quickly took out a bottle of medicine powder from his body, applying it to Old Man Yao's wounds.
"Did we... lose this battle?"
While tending to Old Man Yao's wounds, Mei Lin asked.
Old Man Yao replied irritably with a question.
Mei Lin recalled the previous scenes, still shivering with fear.
After the battle started, according to Old Man Yao, their side's 'cannon fodder troops' were no match for the opposite side, forcing their own 'main forces' to engage with the enemy's 'cannon fodder' earlier than expected.
Without any surprises, their side was definitely defeated.
But suddenly a Buddhist expert entered the battlefield to aid their side, stabilizing the situation and keeping the morale and discipline intact.
Later, Mei Lin gradually couldn't comprehend the situation.
Anyway, while he was fighting, he saw many beams of light shoot up into the sky, followed by an imperial decree being heard.
It was the Emperor's reward to Marquis Jing'an, Li Fei!
"Wasn't it said that the Emperor was placed under house arrest by the Crown Prince? Weren't Marquis Jing'an, Li Fei, and others accomplices of the Crown Prince? How could the Emperor suddenly reward Li Fei?"
This 'heaven-sent' decree undoubtedly plunged Mei Lin and the vanguard they were part of into confusion and panic.
Although the Da Lan Dynasty was already decayed to this extent, it had over five hundred years of foundational rule, with loyalty to the Emperor and righteousness deeply ingrained in many people's bones.
Whether to purge the corrupt or to rebel was still significant for many!
Mei Lin never thought of risking his life for someone or sacrificing himself for the country, although he was dragged into this war, those words 'For the country, for righteousness' still held some weight in his heart.
When he discovered that he might be on the rebel side, the spirit that supported him completely dissipated, and his will to fight declined rapidly.
He wasn't the only one with such thoughts; many others felt the same way.
No one was especially resolute, and once the justification of righteousness was lost, what was the point of risking their lives after realizing they were the rebels?
Therefore, after an imperial decree rewarded Li Fei, the Southern Border's vanguard collapsed instantly like a landslide!
After that, Mei Lin couldn't quite understand the situation.
He saw a golden rainbow cut through the dark night, charging toward the awe-inspiring golden dragon.
A colossal azure giant was chasing behind.
He saw a Bright Moon and a Sun suddenly appear in the sky dome, with the Bright Moon above and the Sun below, the Sun and Moon hung inversely!
Then, a dazzling Buddha Light illuminated the entire plain.
Then there was a thunderous explosion, furious gales, and flying sand and stones!
Although Mei Lin was a martial artist, in this apocalyptic scene, he felt no different from an ordinary person. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel⦿fire.net
All he could do was tremble and pray not to be affected by those terrifying strongmen.
The last thing he heard was the extremely angry dragon's roar and a shout that echoed throughout the heavens and earth:
"Wenren Zheng! Yun Shu is dead, aren't you afraid I'll perish together with you today?!"
Afterward, the Buddha Light gradually faded, both the golden dragon and the azure giant were no longer present, and the inversely hung Sun and Moon in the sky disappeared too.
Then he followed Old Man Yao to find a place to stay, ready to surrender.
Gunfire, explosions, and Force impacts could still be heard on the plain, indicating that the battle wasn't entirely over yet.
But it no longer concerned the big picture.
"Old man, what do you think will be our fate in the end?"
Gradually calming down, Mei Lin began to worry about his future.
Old Man Yao, no longer gasping violently after applying the medicine to his wounds, muttered under his breath:
"What fate? Leave it to destiny!"
Qin Mingli never believed in fate.
No matter how slim the chance, he must seize it with his own hands!
In the dark night, the mangled body of the True Dragon recovered at a slow pace.
Given the terrifying recovery ability of a Ninth Grade True Dragon, the speed was evidently too slow.
But Qin Mingli was too exhausted, having no extra strength to maintain peak recovery ability.
Just sustaining the True Dragon form was already a struggle, yet he had to continue consuming the Power of Dao to keep the True Dragon shape.
Because once he returned to human form, the recovery speed would be even slower.
Even the most formidable Martial Saints get tired.
The Power of Dao will deplete, the heart and spirit will grow weary, and both the physical body and the implant within have limits.