Chapter 680: The Duel
For the last few centuries, a war of this scale had not occurred on this land. Whenever he heard of those epic heroes and legends who once galloped across the battlefield, he was always filled with enthusiasm and yearning.
Only now did he know how brutal a war was. Looking out into the distance, the kind faces of his parents appeared before him, as did his lover’s beautiful face. Right now, he missed the warmth of his family immensely. He even missed his mother’s constant nagging.
Would he be able to go back to them? He rubbed his injured leg unconsciously, a bitter smile on his face.
Going home was not the hope of him alone, it was the hope of every soldier. Uniting the nations and dominating the world were merely the wild ambitions of the kings and emperors and those higher in rank than them. To ordinary soldiers, a bit of land, men farming and women weaving, having kind fathers and filial sons were their only wishes.
Sunlight shone across the earth, but the aura of the surroundings suddenly turned heavy, as if it was about to storm. The wind stopped, but the mist quickly dissolved and the entire earth was soaked in the golden light. Despite that, it gave people a cold, eerie feeling, without the least bit of warmth.
The soldiers looked around in surprise. On Cloud Watching Peak not far away, two old men in broad-sleeved robes stood upright mid-air, staring at each other.
Their figures were like ancient mountain peaks, emitting a vast might that could cover the earth, like kings looking down on their subjects. It was as if the surrounding mountains and the entire earth yielded to them.
“It’s them!” The injured soldiers who were sitting on the ground suddenly stood up, looking at the top of Cloud Watching Peak.
The entire camp suddenly turned dead silent. Everyone left their tents and looked in the same direction.
In the Iron Stone Fortress, countless soldiers rushed to the top of the city wall, looking in that direction without turning away.
Even both parties’ commanders left their tents, looking at the two old men in awe and respect.
The two old men on the mountain peak were people they had seen before. Half a year ago, just as the battle at Iron Stone Fortress was at its peak, that old man with a tired expression had slowly walked out of Iron Stone Fortress. When the city gates had opened, the murderous sounds of the battlefield had instantly quietened down amidst his slow footsteps. Even the most violent battle horses in the army stopped neighing, and the soldiers who were injured forgot to wail.
“Tell Chu Fengyun to come and see me.” Back then, the calm voice had not been loud, yet it echoed throughout the entire battlefield, ringing in the depths of their minds.
“Who are you?” One of the army generals of Ding Lin had bellowed.
The old man merely used his hand to press down and an invisible qi flow enveloped the general, crus.h.i.+ng him and his horse completely. That had been the most fierce general of Ding Lin’s army, and with his cultivation of the realm of Great Fulfilment, he had been well-known as a brave champion. However, under such a seemingly simple attack, he had not even able to put up the least bit of resistance.
At that moment, everyone had been stunned. Even though they had faced the arrows and spears of a thousand soldiers, they had not felt death come so close to them until that moment. It was as if everyone’s lives could be destroyed with just a single thought of his.
Only when another old man slowly walked out of the Ding Lin army camp did the terror in their hearts fade.