The ragged old man possessed eyes like a lurking giant salamander watching prey, stern and composed.

His exposed body was extraordinarily gaunt and firm, strands of muscle tightly twisted like iron ropes, making one feel a chill down their spine just by looking at them.

Crossed new and old scars, sinisterly spread over the body, nearly covering every nook and cranny completely, resembling a close-fitting scale armor.

The elderly man, who appeared stooped and diminutive on the outside, possessed incomparable, world-shattering power.

His name once spread awe across the lands.

Grandmaster, "God of Slaughter."

Huo Hengxuan.

"!!!!"

Su Huaiying’s pupils shrank, her heart trembled—she had never imagined she could see a living Huo Hengxuan standing right before her!

No... it couldn’t exactly be said to be alive.

Before her, Huo Hengxuan was merely a godly soul summoned back to the mortal realm by the "Retrospective Bell."

Yet, with Su Huaiying’s original cultivation level, she was entirely incapable of summoning a Grandmaster like Huo Hengxuan.

Because Huo Hengxuan’s cultivation was too high!

He was indeed a true Grandmaster who emerged victorious from piles of corpses, at the peak of the Grandmaster Realm, Half-Step into Profound.

If at his prime, even Shen Xingzhu would avoid clashing.

On the day of the city’s fall, fundamentally, it was because the Liang Kingdom had already disintegrated from within, leaving Huo Hengxuan no support, helplessly watching the gates breached.

And if this was indeed a trap, then Huo Hengxuan must have been deliberately feigning weakness at that time.

Su Huaiying could summon the Huo Family Army because the soldiers’ cultivation generally was only at the Enlightenment Realm, still considered as mortals by cultivators.

Employing them to form formations didn’t require high cultivation.

If not, let alone Huo Hengxuan, even those Middle Third Grade Cultivation soldiers, Su Huaiying couldn’t recall their souls.

Chen Kuang’s cultivation was much higher, yet he didn’t even know how to activate the "Retrospective Bell!"

So how did he bring Huo Hengxuan back?!

Su Huaiying was utterly baffled.

Of course, she couldn’t figure it out...

It wasn’t actually the "Retrospective Bell" that brought back Huo Hengxuan, the latter merely served as a medium, or a trigger.

What truly worked was Chen Kuang’s passive "Driven by Poetic Madness."

Once he recited the poem, the passive immediately took effect, summoning the person who fit the current atmosphere and occasion best.

Liang Kingdom’s "God of Slaughter" Grand General, Huo Hengxuan!

Facing Huo Hengxuan’s inquiries, Chen Kuang shrugged nonchalantly, blatantly fabricating:

"Since you’re dead anyway, what you said before dying is irrelevant to you, and I am the living witness here, surely others would believe me."

"Whether you remember or not doesn’t matter, as long as I remember for you."

Huo Hengxuan snorted coldly, "Living witness? I doubt that."

He stepped in front of Chen Kuang, glancing over the densely packed army ahead, tutting in amazement:

"Though already aware that you’re no ordinary fish, didn’t expect you to stir up troubles to such an extent, Yang Kingdom deployed four out of ten armies to besiege you, practically the nation’s entire force."

"Besieged by four armies, even Grandmasters, if faced alone, are like trapped beasts, ants before elephants, sure to die."

Huo Hengxuan chuckled, "I reckon you’re doomed today."

Damn you’re a troublemaker, you old bastard, is this supposed to be a compliment?!

Chen Kuang twitched his lips, but didn’t argue that these troops initially came to crush rebels, regardless of the past, now they were targeting Chen Kuang.

He looked at Huo Hengxuan, grinning without humor:

"Shouldn’t General Huo also wish I wouldn’t be captured by Yang Kingdom?"

Huo Hengxuan replied somewhat unexpectedly, "I should hope not for the Little Princess to be captured, not for you... boy, aren’t you overthinking?"

Chen Kuang spread his hands, "Now the Emperor of Yang Kingdom knows I consumed the Elixir of Longevity; if he catches me, I won’t guarantee he wouldn’t know more."

Huo Hengxuan: "..."

Chen Kuang continued, "General Huo, does scheming against others feel enjoyable?"

Huo Hengxuan’s amusement faded, sighed, "Seems you’ve found out."

One elderly, one young, exchanged a glance, Chen Kuang half-smiled, while Huo Hengxuan showed no expression, yet a tacit understanding seemed to linger unspoken.

Su Huaiying: "..."

The Little Princess was somewhat perplexed.

Found out what? Why did they seem to suddenly reach an accord? Am I an outsider?

— Due to Chen Kuang not being within the cycle of reincarnation, matters related to him were among the few blind spots in the Little Princess’s six-century cycle experience; despite Zhang Zhizhou’s earlier speculations, they didn’t yield a relatively complete conclusion.

Chen Kuang sincerely said, "General Huo, loyal to the monarch and patriotic, I deeply admire."

"If this final poem spreads, it might ease some misunderstandings Liang Kingdom people hold against General; what does General feel?"

Huo Hengxuan sighed, "Reputation is secondary... alas."

He half-turned, the intention clear, he was ready to assist Chen Kuang.

Chen Kuang hesitated a moment, manifested a killing sword, offering it with both hands:

"Does General Huo need a sword?"

Huo Hengxuan glanced at it, then scoffed mercilessly, "This isn’t worthy of a sword!"

Chen Kuang wasn’t irritated by the disdain, knowing Huo Hengxuan was likely speaking the truth...

Not to mention he only had Tower Ascension Realm cultivation for now, indeed lacking superior swordsmanship.

The only sword crafts he knew were one taught by Xi Mengquan, the zither sword; the other was the killing sword taught by Huo Hengxuan himself.

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