Chapter 693: 断龙城

Half a month ago, the Great Wu army, amassed at the border, invaded Great Zhou under the command of King Wu.

The Great Wu Dynasty's military was fierce. Although Great Zhou had prepared well, they quickly suffered a rout upon engagement due to the vast disparity in strength between the two sides.

After assessing the strength of both parties, Zhou Qing did not recklessly squander Great Zhou's power. Instead, he chose to avoid the Great Wu's military might and concentrated the nation's entire strength at Dragon's Abode City.

Dragon's Abode City was Great Zhou's final stronghold.

Clearly, Zhou Qing intended to gather all forces for a decisive battle against Great Wu, leveraging Dragon's Abode City's strategic terrain.

Outside Dragon's Abode City lay a large river, the Dragon's Abode River. Legend has it that a mighty dragon was slain there many years ago, hence its name.

Now, the vast Dragon's Abode River was filled with the smoke of war, and the sounds of battle echoed across the land.

On the city walls of Dragon's Abode City.

Zhou Qing, clad in armor, gazed with a heavy heart across the vast river. On the opposite bank, a massive army was assembled, dark and endless, like a sky overshadowed by black clouds.

Among that cloud-like army, countless large banners bearing the character "Wu" could be seen fluttering.

"The Great Wu army has almost fully assembled; they will likely launch their attack soon," said Wei Canglan, armored and solemn, standing behind Zhou Qing.

Beside Wei Canglan stood Wei Qingqing. Although she was also wearing battle armor, it still outlined her slender figure, and her legs were straight.

However, her pretty face was etched with tension and gravity.

Many other Great Zhou generals were present, but at this moment, none could appear relaxed, oppressed by the overwhelming pressure. After all, over the past half-month, they had witnessed the formidable strength of Great Wu.

Though Great Zhou had bided its time for many years, the disparity in strength compared to Great Wu was still significant.

Zhou Qing nodded, his gaze sweeping over the many generals. He said in a low voice, "At a time like this, it is Great Zhou's fortune that you are still willing to fight for us."

A general nearby grinned and said, "Your Majesty, we are not cowards. Otherwise, why would we have followed you all those years ago?"

"That King Wu is merely a thief; how could he expect us to side with him?"

"That ingrate! If not for Great Zhou back then, how could his Wu family have achieved what they have today?"

"Rest assured, Your Majesty, we will fight Great Wu to the death!"

Looking at their impassioned faces, Zhou Qing's eyes reddened slightly. Many of these old comrades had stood by him and supported him during King Wu's usurpation of Great Zhou years ago.

Wei Canglan also smiled at this moment and said, "Your Majesty, although Great Wu is strong, we do not fear death. That King Wu, in our eyes, is nothing but a thief."

"We are willing to live and die with Great Zhou!"

Zhou Qing turned his head, wiped his eyes, then took a deep breath, suppressing the surge of emotion within him. He asked, "General, how much high-level strength does Great Zhou still possess?"

Wei Canglan's expression dimmed as he replied, "There are still twenty-eight individuals with Taiyuan realm strength; twelve have already been slain by Great Wu."

These forty Taiyuan realm experts had been recruited by Great Zhou at immense cost over the past few years, though most were below the third heaven.

"However, we still possess eighty-eight Taiyuan realm battle puppets and nearly a thousand Heaven Pass realm battle puppets. This is our strongest force and, frankly, the power that Great Wu fears the most."

Years ago, Zhou Yuan discovered the ruins of the Battle Puppet Sect in the Black Abyss. Over the years, Great Zhou had fully excavated them, forming this formidable army of battle puppets.

Earlier, when Great Wu attempted to attack Dragon's Abode City, they were repelled by these battle puppet armies.

"Unfortunately, King Wu is too cautious. If he had relied on his Divine Palace realm strength and tried to come alone, we could have used the self-detonation of the battle puppets to wound him," Zhou Qing sighed.

These excavated Taiyuan realm battle puppets possessed the power of self-detonation, and if a chain reaction occurred, they could pose a threat to even a Divine Palace realm expert.

Originally, they had planned to use this to scheme against King Wu, but he was excessively cautious. Even as a Divine Palace realm expert, he did not act rashly.

Now, the secret of the battle puppets had been exposed, so King Wu would likely be prepared.

"This time, King Wu will probably make his move," Wei Canglan stated gravely.

After fully understanding Great Zhou's methods, King Wu was bound to act. The participation of a Divine Palace realm expert would significantly impact both sides' morale.

Upon hearing this, the generals on the city wall looked grim, clearly feeling immense pressure.

The pressure brought by a Divine Palace realm expert in such dynastic warfare was simply too immense.

A single individual could devastate a city.

Zhou Qing closed his eyes briefly, took a deep breath, and with a calm expression, said, "If King Wu makes a move, I will stop him."

Wei Canglan's expression changed slightly. He said, "Your Majesty, there's no need for this. If the situation truly deteriorates to the worst, you must leave! As long as there's life, there's hope!"

Hearing this, Zhou Qing smiled and waved his hand. "I already fled once before," he said, "I don't want to flee a second time."

Determination flashed in his eyes.

He was clearly resolved to fight to the very end.

Sensing Zhou Qing's resolve, Wei Canglan opened his mouth but ultimately said no more, only stating in a low voice, "We are willing to fight to the death with Your Majesty!"

"We are willing to fight to the death with Your Majesty!"

The other generals roared in agreement.

Zhou Qing smiled, nodded gently, and instructed them to prepare.

After the generals dispersed, he finally turned to look at the dark, overwhelming army across the Dragon's Abode River, his fists clenched.

Suddenly, faint footsteps came from behind him. Zhou Qing turned, surprised, and said, "Queen, why are you here?"

The person who arrived was Qin Yu, Zhou Yuan's mother and the Queen.

Her beautiful face bore a gentle smile. She stepped forward, took Zhou Qing's hand, and softly said, "This is where Great Wu and Great Zhou will have their decisive battle. If Great Zhou falls, what difference does it make whether I'm in the palace or here?"

Zhou Qing looked at her and whispered, "Queen, I am useless."

Qin Yu smiled faintly. "Are you planning to defend Great Zhou to the death here?"

Zhou Qing was silent for a moment, then said, "Are you trying to stop me?"

Qin Yu shook her head. "I just wanted to tell Your Majesty that I will be with you, in life and in death."

Zhou Qing looked at her in astonishment.

Qin Yu said, "Your Majesty, I did not stop you, so you should not stop me either, should you?"

Zhou Qing looked at the smiling Qin Yu, knowing she wouldn't change her mind. He could only give a wry smile, extend his arms, and pull her into an embrace. He whispered, "Then, my Queen, let us, as husband and wife, defend Great Zhou to the death here in Dragon's Abode City."

Qin Yu nodded gently, leaning into Zhou Qing's embrace. Her eyes gazed at the endless army across the Dragon's Abode River, and she chuckled softly, "At least Yuan'er will have a future..."

"It's a pity, though, that we won't see him marry and have children..."

"Actually, Yaoyao is a very good girl, but she's not easy to win over. I wonder if our foolish son will have that kind of good fortune..."

"And there's Youwei; that girl probably loves Yuan'er to the core. It breaks my heart to see her. Tell me, when Yuan'er comes to pay his respects to us in the future, who will he bring with him?"

Listening to Qin Yu's murmurs in his arms, Zhou Qing raised his head, his eyes red.

Boom! Boom!

Across the Dragon's Abode River, war drums began to thunder.

The colossal army, like a massive beast, erupted with an overwhelming aura of slaughter.

Great Wu was about to attack.