Thousand Fragrance City.
Outside Thousand Fragrance City, battle flags waved as killing sounds rose.
A ghostly black dragon of illusion danced over the Nanyun Black Cavalry.
With a dragon's roar, it terrified tens of thousands.
This black dragon was the embodiment of the Black Cavalry Army's military soul.
"Kill!"
Empowered by the military soul, the Black Cavalry Army wore black armor as they drove their warhorses, sweeping away all resistance.
The waving battle flags were stained with viscous blood.
"Defend Thousand Fragrance City!"
"Brothers, fight to the death with these Nanyun beasts!"
Before the iron hooves of the Black Cavalry, the Liuyang Dynasty's army retreated steadily.
A general responsible for defending the city, pierced by many blades with blood streaming from his armor, still commanded the remaining 20,000 soldiers at the city gates, weapons in hand, defending to the death.
Facing the peerless Black Cavalry, the soldiers' faces were filled with resentment.
The city gate forces were under King Qi.
Although they had rebelled and followed King Qi,
when the nation was endangered by invasion,
they still stepped forward without hesitation.
Knowing they couldn't win,
they fought to the end.
To buy time for the citizens to evacuate,
they sacrificed themselves without regret.
Before the Black Cavalry, two middle-aged men gazed coldly at the struggling city defenders.
They were Nanyun Kingdom's famous generals Lian Qing and Qi Hui, deputies under Murong Liao.
Today their Black Cavalry Army had already taken ten counties bordering Nanyun under Murong Liao’s leadership.
As the vanguard, they led the Black Cavalry Army to plunge deeper, hoping to seize more Liuyang territory.
"Futile resistance."
Lian Qing coldly laughed at the defending general, nocking his bow to shoot.
A terrifying arrow instantly pierced through the general's skull.
"General!"
"Damn you, brothers, fight these bastards to the death!"
Seeing their commander killed, the soldiers did not retreat but charged suicidally at the Black Cavalry.
On the city walls, Liuyang citizens watched the defending troops with tearful faces.
"Run!"
"Escape Thousand Fragrance City quickly!"
On the walls, Liu Heng, magistrate of Thousand Fragrance County, urged the citizens to evacuate.
With no army left,
the forces King Qi had stationed here were all fighting the Nanyun Black Cavalry outside.
Thousand Fragrance City could fall at any moment.
"Magistrate Liu, we're not leaving. We will stay with Thousand Fragrance City!"
"That's right, Magistrate Liu. At this time of national crisis, we Liuyang citizens will not retreat!"
"This is our hometown, we're not leaving. We would rather die!"
The passionate youth on the walls yelled, weapons in hand.
"You...you all..." Liu Heng was extremely anxious.
"Alright, since this is so, I will stay with you all to the final moment. We shall die with honor!"
Liu Heng was deeply moved by the citizens' loyalty.
Every citizen had a duty when the nation rose or fell!
That even commoners could be so dutiful,
how could he, an imperial father and mother official, abandon them?
Although he was utterly disappointed with the royal court.
"Father!"
At this time, a gentle, refined-looking woman ran up onto the city walls.
She was Liu Heng's daughter, Liu Lingxi, a famous talent of Western Province.
Behind her were some handmaidens carrying luggage.
"Lingxi, why are you here? I told you to leave!" Liu Heng said anxiously.
Liu Lingxi watched the soldiers falling ceaselessly under the Black Cavalry's iron hooves and slowly shook her head.
"Father, I'm not leaving. Since everyone is staying, how can I leave alone?!"
"Lady Liu, you should go quickly!"
"Yes, with your talents, you shouldn't stay here waiting to die with us crude folks."
"That's right, Lady Liu is our city's gifted lady, you shouldn't remain here..."
The citizens began persuading Liu Lingxi to leave.
But Liu Lingxi slowly shook her head. Her mind was set. She would not abandon everyone.
With the nation in peril, the citizens did not flee but defended to the last.
As the magistrate's daughter, how could she alone abandon everyone and flee?!
So she would stay with them all to the final moment.
Even if it meant death, she had no regrets.
Liu Heng understood his daughter and sighed without arguing further.
Now everyone was prepared to fight the Black Cavalry to the death when the city gates fell.
"Roar!"
A dragon's cry drew everyone's gazes. Their expressions turned extremely ugly.
The military soul empowered every Black Cavalry soldier.
Each of them erupted with formidable power.
Their jet black armor emitted an ink-black aura,
like a tide of steel sweeping away the remaining city troops.
"Pfft..."
"You Nanyun...beasts...just you wait... the Beiliang Army...will arrive soon...your arrogance...won't last long..."
The last soldier, leaning on his weapon, gave a final mocking laugh at the Black Cavalry before him.
Hearing "Beiliang Army", Lian Qing's eyes narrowed as a cold look flashed across them.
Drawing his blade, he moved to finish off this soldier.
"No!"
"Damn you...charge out and fight them!"
"Don't be rash!"
Seeing the last soldier about to be killed, the citizens on the walls roared furiously, tears flowing ceaselessly.
Some enraged youths grabbed weapons, ready to charge out, but were stopped by Liu Heng.
Although Liu Heng was also furious, he could not let the citizens charge to their deaths in vain.
Beside him, Liu Lingxi's eyes were red as hatred toward the incompetent royal court welled up in her heart for the first time.
If not for the court's uselessness and the emperor's ineptitude,
how would their troops have been reduced to this?
How would their territory have fallen into enemy hands?
"Hmph!"
Lian Qing gave a cold snort. The more furious the Liuyang people were, the more delighted he felt.
Liuyang would sooner or later become Nanyun's territory.
But just as Lian Qing's blade was about to fall on the soldier,
an arrow shot with extreme speed suddenly shattered his sword.
Lian Qing was shocked and quickly looked in the other direction, his expression instantly turning grim.
In the distance, amidst rolling dust, terrifying bloody killing intent shot into the sky.
The previously clear horizon was instantly shrouded by black clouds under this horrifying aura...
Lian Qing and Qi Hui beside him waved their arms.
The Black Cavalry turned, the ink-black dragon rising again, seemingly responding to the terrifying aura.
On the city walls, Liu Heng and the citizens were also shocked by this sudden development.
All eyes turned towards the billowing dust.
Amidst it, battle flags waved heroically in the wind.
The fluttering banner clearly bore the words "Beiliang Army"...
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
