The battle of West State City was an unbearable ordeal for Xu Kuan, Ye Kun, and Che Aijun, leaving deep psychological scars.

With 120,000 troops, they were caught between Li Muyang of North State and the War God's forces. After three days and nights of fleeing, only 85,000 of them made it to the border between West State and the Demon Clan.

Che Aijun suffered multiple serious injuries, while Ye Kun was wounded in the arm and calf. When they reached the West State border, they were already exhausted.

Fortunately, Fan Bing and others stuck with Xu Kuan. Wherever he went, they followed. Xu Kuan dispatched a thousand elite troops to protect them, so when they reached the West State border, aside from being tired, they were unharmed.

Contrarily, Murong Fei had repeatedly asked to join the battle but was dissuaded by Xu Kuan's earnest persuasion: "Madam, if anything happens to any of you three, I wouldn't be able to face Marquis Qin even if I died a hundred times! I beg you, follow me and don't reveal your identities, or you might be targeted for a surprise assassination by the enemy!"

Seeing Xu Kuan in such dire straits, Murong Fei finally relented.

"General Xu! Are Lady Murong and the others alright?"

At the border between the Demon Clan and West State, Zuo Yuanhao finally reunited with Xu Kuan and the others, asking about Murong Fei and her companions as his first question.

Everyone knew the importance of Murong Fei, Fan Bing, and Qiao Wenxuan to Qin Tian, and they couldn't afford anything happening to them.

"Military Counselor Zuo, we are all fine."

The three of them stepped forward.

Zuo Yuanhao let out a long breath of relief and said, "It's good to hear that. Marquis Qin is on his way and is very concerned about everyone's safety."

Upon hearing this, Xu Kuan and Ye Kun both looked dejected and lowered their heads.

Xu Kuan sighed, "Alas, returning in defeat like this, I truly can't face Marquis Qin. According to military law, I should commit suicide with my sword..."

"General Xu, please don't say that. It's good that you've come back alive. We'll discuss the rest when Marquis Qin arrives. Victory and defeat are common in warfare; moreover, this time, our opponent was the most formidable War God the Tianyuan Dynasty has seen in nearly a century. Losing to an undefeated War God is no disgrace."

Zuo Yuanhao advised.

Ye Kun shook his head with a bitter smile, saying, "Hehe, unfortunately, we suffered countless casualties this time… over a hundred thousand brothers dead. We've also lost West State entirely, truly an unforgivable sin!"

Seeing Xu Kuan and Ye Kun so full of guilt, Murong Fei quickly stepped forward to console them, "Generals, a momentary defeat means nothing. We'll have a chance for revenge in the future. Right now, the most important thing is not self-blame but to leave this troubled place quickly. The War God might easily deduce our escape route and could already be on his way."

"Indeed, we must retreat now. Where is General Che Aijun?" Only then did Zuo Yuanhao realize Che Aijun was missing among the three generals.

Xu Kuan sighed, "General Che is seriously injured and recovering in the camp... It was my fault…"

"Stop blaming yourself, General Xu. Let's retreat. We'll rendezvous with Marquis Qin at Great Witch Town. We might have to relinquish West State for now."

Zuo Yuanhao was rather open-minded. From his prior analysis, he had already anticipated that it would be challenging to defend against the War God's attack on West State, so he initially advocated for a strategic withdrawal.

However, retreating now meant losing 100,000 men… an enormous blow to Qin Tian.

Three days later, when Qin Tian's army arrived, Xu Kuan and the others immediately sought forgiveness by presenting themselves tied with thorns.

In a temporarily constructed military camp at Great Witch Town, Qin Tian, with an unhappy expression, stepped forward to help them up, saying, "I also share the responsibility for this defeat. I was hopeful, perhaps naively, that you could halt the War God."

"But we underestimated the War God's combat abilities, which were overwhelmingly surprising."

"The loss of 100,000 men grieves me deeply. It's a harsh lesson that reminds us never to underestimate our enemy again. You're alive, and that means we still have a chance. The war with the Fourth Prince and the War God has just begun… and there will be opportunities for revenge in the future. I hope you can clear your past disgrace when the time comes!"

Qin Tian's words of forgiveness moved Xu Kuan and the others to tears.

After they took their seats, Xiao Zhuang and Zuo Yuanhao entered the main tent from outside.

Qin Tian asked, "How are Li Muyang and the War God's pursuing forces?"

Xiao Zhuang replied, "They tracked us to the Demon Clan's border, took a stroll, and then returned, withdrawing their forces. They've already won a great victory by capturing West State, so they probably won't pursue us further."

"Heh, Li Muyang of North State was willing to be the Fourth Prince's lackey just for being a state shepherd, attacking us while we were down. I'll remember this grudge. One day, I'll settle accounts with Li Muyang."

Qin Tian invited everyone to sit, while he sat at the top with Liu Fei'er.

Originally, Liu Fei'er intended to relinquish her seat to Murong Fei upon seeing her.

But now, Liu Fei'er was the Empress of the Demon Clan, which was a higher status, so Murong Fei naturally did not accept.

"Why is everyone like this? Smile, everyone! Has one defeat dampened your spirits?"

Seeing everyone's heads down and the somber atmosphere, Qin Tian laughed.

Lin Yu, at a loss, said, "It's too frustrating, big brother. I can't force a smile."

Lin Yu indeed looked like he was about to cry.

Qin Tian laughed heartily, saying, "Everyone, don't be too upset. We never expected to hold West State; the War God's capture was anticipated."

"Think of the positives. Though we lost West State, we've now allied with the Demon Clan. With Fei'er as the Demon Clan's Empress, our power has grown stronger. Isn't this better than being surrounded by enemies in West State?"

In fact, that was the case. Qin Tian had earlier insisted on eradicating Yin Yue Demon Venerate, even leading an attack on Demon Capital to eliminate threats from behind.

Now that this goal was achieved, his 300,000-strong army had no more worries at the rear.

"Marquis Qin is right. The Demon Clan's territory is vast. Here, we can recuperate, bide our time, and eventually strike back. There's a strong likelihood of success."

Zuo Yuanhao took a sip of tea and said, "Perhaps everyone hasn't realized yet that there was something peculiar about the recent war in West State."

"Oh?"

Zuo Yuanhao's words caught everyone by surprise.

He continued, "Did you all notice that this time, the War God's deployment and Li Muyang's siege were all orchestrated by the Fourth Prince, while the Ice Emperor remained silent?"