Previously on Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely...
Cai Shiqi, believing he was in control, is revealed to have been manipulated by Mu Qinghe and Great Xia. Enraged and realizing he's been used, Cai Shiqi breaks down. Li Xuanling swiftly cuts off his pointing finger, silencing his threats. When a servant tries to leverage Cai Shiqi's grandfather's position, Li Xuanling dismisses it, and Yuan Cheng brutally displays the heads of those recently killed, terrifying Cai Shiqi and Chu Yan'er.
"All of you, immediately surrender! Lay down your weapons, and your lives shall be spared!"
Yuan Cheng’s display of five severed heads not only stunned the factions from the surrounding towns, led by Cai Shiqi and Chu Yan’er, but also caused the Yang brothers, Yang Zhun and Yang Fa, to grimace violently.
The Inner City, already silenced by the sudden appearance of a large contingent of the Xia Army, was instantly filled with Yuan Cheng’s resounding command, reaching every ear. Apart from those at the Xianyang Level and a select few with strong Cold Resistance, everyone trembled in fear.
Specifically, the two thousand soldiers of the Beishuo Army and the over one thousand members of the Duan Family who had retreated to the Duan Clan’s territory felt a visceral fear, their faces draining of color.
They understood with stark clarity that Yuan Cheng’s ultimatum was directed precisely at them.
"All of you, immediately surrender! Lay down your weapons, and your lives shall be spared!"
"All of you, immediately surrender! Lay down your weapons, and your lives shall be spared!"
......
Yet, Yuan Cheng’s impactful declaration was merely the prelude.
Qiu Peng, Xu Ning, Liu Yuan, and Hou Quan swiftly echoed his command with all their might. Following them, Yue Feng, Zhao Long, Meng Yi, Hou Tong, Hong Guang, Hong Tian, Zhou Yuan, Zhu Qing, Li Longkai, and Hou Ming – ten commanders and vice-commanders – not only joined the chorus but also signaled the soldiers arrayed behind them.
"All of you, immediately surrender! Lay down your weapons, and your lives shall be spared!"
......
An imposing force of fifteen thousand soldiers, all possessing the Cold Resistance Level, exerted immense pressure simply by their presence, even without taking hostile action. Their unified battle cries, unleashed with full force toward the Inner City, sent currents of energy surging, their fierce aura instantly dispersing the clouds above. The sonic impact seemed to reverberate throughout Chui Mountain Town, extending far beyond the five-kilometer radius of the Inner City.
The ground quaked without cease. Even the faces of Yang Zhun and Yang Fa changed as they quietly ascended into the air. For the over three thousand beleaguered soldiers huddled within the Duan Clan Land, their expressions became utterly bleak, their faces a mask of despair.
Clang... Clang...
A few scattered soldiers, their hands trembling, let their weapons fall to the ground.
At this juncture, any thought of resistance was utterly futile.
The mere appearance of the fifteen thousand Xia Army soldiers at the Cold Resistance Level had already sealed the fate of the Beishuo and Duan Family rebels. Even if they had been at their peak, and not already exhausted from over an hour of fierce combat against the Mu Family’s elite forces, they stood no chance.
If survival was their sole objective, disarmament was their only viable path!
Clang... Clang........
The Duan Family reacted with the greatest haste, abandoning their weapons and emerging from the Duan Clan Land. They prostrated themselves and surrendered to the nearest units of the Cloud Jiao Five Armies.
The two thousand Beishuo soldiers, clinging to a sliver of hope, turned to look at Lord Yang Zhun. Upon realizing that Yang Zhun and Yang Fa had already taken to the sky, despair washed over them, and they slowly began to discard their weapons.
"Confiscate their weapons, strip them of their war armor, and imprison them all!"
A palpable joy colored Yuan Cheng’s voice. While the Xia Army feared no battle, achieving victory without a single casualty was, naturally, the most desirable outcome.
As the soldiers of the Cloud Jiao Five Armies proceeded to detain the vanquished forces from the Duan Clan Land, the mutiny, which had raged for nearly two hours, finally drew to a close.
Duan Hong had been slain, and the defeated Duan Family and Beishuo forces surrendered completely, marking a decisive victory for the Mu Family faction, bolstered by the support of Great Xia.
From this day forward, Chui Mountain had irrevocably changed hands!
Yang Zhun clenched his fists within his sleeves, his gaze first settling on Mu Longhe, then swiftly shifting to Li Xuanling, who hovered in the air.
Naturally, it wasn't just him. Yang Fa, Cai Shiqi, Chu Yan’er, and all the other defeated commanders, as well as the victorious Mu Family troops, now fixed their attention on Li Xuanling.
Given that Li Xuanling had previously ignored Chu Yan’er’s inquiry, her true identity remained a mystery to everyone except Great Xia and a few select individuals.
When had Great Xia produced such a formidable expert at the Xianyang Level?
Who was she?
Very soon, everyone would receive their answer.
Mu Longhe, mid-air, suddenly bowed deeply towards Li Xuanling. "Great Xia’s righteous intervention in this conflict is a debt Chui Mountain will eternally remember. On behalf of all the people of Chui Mountain, I, Mu Longhe, express our deepest gratitude for Madam’s invaluable assistance!"
Below, Mu Longhe, Zhu Ziying, Helian Shan, Qiu Sanming, and the other Mu Family members witnessed their patriarch bowing to Li Xuanling, and they swiftly followed suit, offering their reverence: "Thank you, Madam, for your assistance!"
"Thank you, Madam, for your assistance!"
Of the Mu Family contingent involved in the rebellion, a total exceeding ten thousand individuals, merely around six thousand remained on their feet, all bowing in perfect accord.
Madam, in all of Great Xia, who else is bestowed such an honored title?
Li Xuanling!
Upon hearing Mu Longhe's respectful address, Yang Zhun, Yang Fa, Chu Yan’er, Cai Shiqi, and the others instantly recalled the name Li Xuanling, their faces flushing with a mixture of shock and awe.
Great Xia had been incorporated into the Nine Towns Territory for close to two years now. Despite Xia City maintaining an air of mystery to those from the outside, with the Hongmen trade post established there, a considerable amount of internal intelligence from Great Xia had inevitably filtered outwards.
For example, news that Xia Hong had entered into matrimony, with his wife named Li Xuanling and possessing considerable prowess, was among the pieces of information that circulated.
Yet, the descriptor 'considerable prowess' left a great deal to the imagination!
It could not be denied that women in the Nine Towns Territory still occupied a relatively subordinate position in society; perhaps this characteristic extended to the entirety of the Ice Abyss region.
A woman spoken of as having 'considerable prowess' was already indicative of an impressive standing. Many conjectured that she was, at most, a formidable cultivator at the Cold Resistance Level, perhaps reaching 30 Zong... 40 Zong, or at the very pinnacle, wielding a strength of 50 Zong.
