Chapter 1852 - 180: On the Grasslands, the Great Snow Mountain Is Everywhere! (2)

In today’s battle, King Zhuanlun fell before the city, and the Beiman army is now leaderless, lifting the peril from Celestial Palace City.

This was nothing short of a narrow escape for them.

At this moment, all eyes were gathered on the young figure seated at the main position in the hall.

Jiang Ning sat calmly in the main seat, with a serene expression, holding a wine cup, occasionally taking a sip, and gazing tranquilly.

Beside him, Prince Zhenbei Xu Zhen and Beicang King were seated on either side, both with smiling faces, frequently raising their cups in response to the crowd’s toasts.

"The might of King Luoshui is peerless, having slain the arrogant North Barbarian State Preceptor, truly a blessing for our Great Xia!" An elderly man with white hair and beard stood up, holding his wine cup high, his voice loud and tinged with excitement.

This person was the president of the Celestial Palace City chamber of commerce, with broad connections and considerable prestige in Celestial Palace City.

He even had channels on the Beiman side.

He raised his wine cup high, toasting Jiang Ning.

"I’ve lived more than half my life, and although I’m fulfilled, my children and grandchildren haven’t had enough of life yet! This toast is for the Prince’s life-saving grace! Such kindness demands no thanks, from now on, Prince, whatever command you have, even if there’s a mountain of swords or sea of fire ahead, I won’t even furrow my brow!"

"This cup, to the Prince!! Prince, at your leisure!"

With those words, the elderly man with the white hair and beard drank it all down in one gulp without even a grimace.

Upon hearing these words, some immediately stood up.

"The Prince’s great kindness shall not be forgotten, henceforth, whatever command you have, mountain of swords or sea of fire, I won’t even furrow my brow!"

After speaking, that person also held a full cup, toasted Jiang Ning, and drank it all down in one gulp.

Seeing this, others quickly followed suit.

In an instant, at the celebration feast, all the guests stood up, raised their cups, and cheered loudly.

The voices rose and fell in succession, creating a lively atmosphere.

Seeing the enthusiasm of the crowd, Jiang Ning also raised his cup, stood up, toasted towards the crowd, and similarly drank it all in one gulp.

At this moment.

A bodyguard quickly walked in from outside the hall, came to Prince Zhenbei Xu Zhen’s side, and whispered a few words.

After hearing this, Prince Zhenbei Xu Zhen furrowed his brow slightly, then turned his head, meeting Jiang Ning’s gaze.

"Is there movement outside the city?" Jiang Ning asked.

"Yes, Prince!" replied Prince Zhenbei Xu Zhen.

Hearing this, Jiang Ning set down his wine cup and stood up.

"Let’s go!"

Upon these words, both Prince Zhenbei Xu Zhen and Beicang King stood up as well.

"Everyone, enjoy your food and drink. The Prince and I are heading out of the city for a moment, we’ll be back soon!" said Prince Zhenbei Xu Zhen to the crowd.

Upon saying this, he saw that Jiang Ning had turned into a bright streak of light and vanished.

Seeing this, he quickly followed.

...

On the city wall.

It was a dark and windy night.

Jiang Ning stood on the city wall, the mountain wind was swift and strong, blowing his long robe into a fierce flutter.

His gaze remained calm as he looked toward the distant mountaintop.

At this moment, in the darkness, the Beiman campfires blazed high.

Below the mountains, the sounds of shouting and screaming were intertwined into a cacophony.

During the day, under his pressure, the Beiman army on the mountaintops received the command of his will from Ashina’s mouth, and no one dared to resist.

For they had witnessed with their own eyes how the State Preceptor, like a deity, died at Jiang Ning’s hands.

Under such prestige, no one dared to utter words of defiance against Jiang Ning.

Therefore, under the arrangements of Prince Zhenbei and Beicang King, top Martial Arts Strongmen guarded the foothills of the surrounding mountains.

And now the sounds of battle cries and screams at the foothills were almost entirely from the Beiman army.

The battlefield appeared one-sided.

Though the night was dark, the scene in the distance was clear as day to Jiang Ning.

He saw the warriors from various Beiman tribes charging toward the sporadic blockades at the mountain foot.

They were guarded by Martial Arts Strongmen.

They knew they were no match for these Martial Arts Strongmen.

But earlier in the camp, they had mentally prepared themselves.

Though the Martial Arts Strongmen from Celestial Palace City were formidable, they were few.

While they, they were many.

The process of breaking through the blockade was perilous, but as long as one’s luck wasn’t extremely bad and wasn’t targeted by these strongmen, one would surely escape this blockade and flee into the vast northern grasslands.

They knew that escaping into the vast northern grasslands meant safety.

Because on the grasslands, the Great Snow Mountain was everywhere.

As Jiang Ning watched the chaos in the distance, Prince Zhenbei and Beicang King appeared together behind him.

And at this moment, the battle at the mountain foot had already changed.

The warriors of the Beiman tribes, like waves, surged toward the blockade line at the mountain foot.

In their eyes was the fear of death, the fear of flashing blades, of bodies dismembering, of heads falling.

At this moment, driven by a strong survival instinct, it turned into a kind of frenzied resolve.

They knew that remaining on the mountain would result in one of two fates.

One was being mercilessly slaughtered by Great Xia.

The other was being bought back by the Northern Barbarian Royal Court with a huge ransom.

And neither of these outcomes was good for these ordinary tribal warriors, as both were dead ends.

Because they knew very well that the Royal Court and various tribes would not pay a high ransom for ordinary tribal warriors.

The Royal Court would only ransom back the Great Snow Dragon Horses, the noble offspring of the Golden Family.

As for these low-ranking warriors, they were just wild grass on the prairie; if they died, they died, and more would grow.

So, when they heard those messages from the camp, the fear and anger in their hearts ignited like dry firewood, turning instantly into a wildfire.

"It’s the strongmen from Celestial Palace City! They want to keep us all here!"

"The Royal Court won’t care about us! We can only rely on ourselves!"

"Break out! As long as we reach the grasslands, the Great Snow Mountain will shelter us!"

"The Great Snow Mountain is everywhere! The grassland is the realm of the deities!"

"..."

Such voices echoed throughout the camp.

At first, some hesitated, some observed.

But when the first person in the camp charged out, when the first warrior fell before the blockade, when the first broke through the blockade.

The suppressed fear and will to survive, coupled with the hope of reaching the grasslands, burst forth like a dammed river, unstoppable.

Tens of thousands of Beiman warriors, wielding scimitars, mounted on war horses, charged toward the mountain foot from all sides.

They trod over their companions’ bodies, trampled through the blood-soaked mud, their eyes fixed solely on the vast northern grasslands.

That was the only path to life in their hearts.

The grasslands were the territory of the Great Snow Mountain.

On the grasslands, the Great Snow Mountain was everywhere.

...

Meanwhile.

At the mountain foot, the Martial Arts Strongmen deployed by Celestial Palace City were fully exerting their strength.

Sword light intermingled with the shadows, Qi-Blood surged and rolled.

Each Martial Arts Strongman was an elite from Celestial Palace City, a hundred-men-enemy, a thousand-men-slayer on ordinary battlefields.

Without equally strong opponents, they became killing machines.

But at this moment, facing the flood-like influx of the Beiman army, they still found it challenging.

Just as those Beiman warriors thought, there were simply too many of them.

Too many to kill completely, too many to ever seem like enough could be slain.

And just then, a thunderous roar erupted from the mountain foot.

"Warriors of Beiman! The Great Snow Mountain is calling us! Break through!"

The voice was rough and resonant, carrying a primal wildness.

With the resounding of this voice, the charge of the Beiman army became even more frenzied.

Those warriors who had previously harbored fear now seemed infused with conviction, imbued with a certain power.

They brandished their scimitars, charging relentlessly toward the blockade line.

Jiang Ning stood atop the city wall, watching this unfold with a calm demeanor.

He could see, amidst the chaotic battlefield, several figures on the mountaintop, on the mountainside, below the mountain, moving in the shadows, occasionally shouting, stirring up the surrounding warriors.

Those figures were precisely the ones arranged by Ashina.

She had them blend into the crowd, using the most primitive means to ignite the anger and survival instinct within the Beiman warriors’ hearts.

"Prince, it’s about time," the voice of Prince Zhenbei Xu Zhen sounded behind Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning slightly nodded, still gazing at the distant battlefield, watching those Beiman warriors charge wave upon wave toward the blockade line, watching those Martial Arts Strongmen valiantly engage in combat amidst the crowd.

"Wait a bit longer," he said.