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"I’m afraid it won’t work..."

Shen San’s voice was as gentle as usual, but his words were so cold that they left the injured Princely Heir without a trace of warmth in his heart...

Xuu Hu frowned and turned back, "Why not?"

The Duke of Wei had already removed the biggest obstacle, and with this miraculous ice bridge connecting to the north, now was the best opportunity to act.

Shen San frowned as he looked at Xuu Hu, not really blaming him in his heart, for compared to themselves who considered the overall situation, the battle-hardened War God Army combined with Xuu Hu’s background would indeed be more hot-blooded.

Moreover, the founding purpose of the War God Army was to resist demons and save their compatriots, so it was normal for Xuu Hu, as their leader, to have this urgent desire.

He could only patiently explain, "Since the Duke of Wei has appeared, it is very likely that His Majesty will also come out at this time, and we need to keep our forces ready to support His Majesty at any moment!"

Xuu Hu: "...."

The safety of His Majesty was indeed more important, but what about the billion compatriots who were so close at hand...

"Also..." Shen San pointed to the surface of the bridge, "Look."

Xuu Hu looked over and immediately noticed cracks starting to appear on the bridge; the ice-encased giant serpent was struggling to break free, and the dark clouds in the sky were dispersing. Under the fierce sun, the ice was visibly melting!

"This..."

"Dragons have the ability to change the weather, but the Duke of Wei has been seriously injured and is clearly unable to maintain the weather change," Shen San sighed. "It is difficult to establish such a massive ice bridge, and even harder to maintain it. If the Duke of Wei could still protect it, then there might be a chance of rescuing people, but if it’s like this now, it’s no different from before.

Once the ice bridge collapses, how will our soldiers return? "

Xuu Hu clenched his teeth tightly, falling silent for a time. Could it be... that the heavens want the people of the Northern Territory to perish?

The Princely Heir by his side smiled bitterly upon hearing this. His father had already given his all, and still, it wasn’t enough?

He didn’t blame Shen San for making such a judgment. To aid others, one must first ensure one’s own safety. This principle, applicable anywhere, couldn’t be criticized by anyone.

Put in the same position, he also wouldn’t risk the lives of his own soldiers for such a high gamble...

"Woof..."

In the oppressive atmosphere, the Duke of Wei, who had been closing his eyes and gasping for breath, slowly opened his eyes and struggled to stand up.

"Duke..." Shen San gave a bow, his heart on alert. Despite the Duke of Wei looking like he couldn’t even stand steady, the aura coming off him was truly formidable.

To speak without exaggeration, if he had been uninjured at the beginning, he might have easily annihilated all of the Warrior Army of the northern borders, including themselves.

Even now, injured as he was, if he disregarded his own life, his destructive power would still be alarming...

Ao!

All of a sudden, the Duke of Wei leaped fiercely and soared into the sky again. The resonant dragon’s roar echoed across the entire heavens!

"Father!!"

The Princely Heir struggled to his feet, watching the Duke of Wei fly into the sky with a surge of unease in his heart.

The next instant, his unease was confirmed as he saw the Duke of Wei, rolling among the clouds, his body’s dragon scales starting to shatter. Countless dragon points spewed out, and a massive rune array appeared in the sky.

The people from Shen Family below immediately became vigilant and were about to activate the Flaming Sun Array, but Shen San immediately stopped them, "Wait, this seems to be..."

Before he could finish, the dark clouds rolled again in the sky. The summer temperature plummeted, and snowflakes surprisingly began to drift from the sky...

And everyone could clearly see, the giant rune array was absorbing the blood from the Duke of Wei!

"Father!!!!" The Princely Heir’s eyes were on the verge of bursting!

In the sky, the Duke of Wei did not stop. His body shrank continuously, and the concentrated Dragon Blood surged into the rune array until the rune array emitted a thunderous roar. The heavy clouds that filled the sky thickened, and only then did the Duke of Wei rush out from the array.

But it wasn’t over. He flew above all of the Warrior Army. Suddenly, all of the warriors felt rain falling from the sky, but upon closer inspection, they realized what was falling on them wasn’t rain at all – it was Dragon Blood!

The Dragon Blood surged into the bodies of the soldiers as if alive, and in the next moment, each soldier felt a boiling heat within them, as if their bodies were filled with strength!

Xuu Hu had also received the Dragon Blood Bath and immediately appraised its value.

This dragon blood was actually enhancing the bodily functions that hadn’t broken through in a long time.

He could feel his body visibly evolving.

Such growth was only experienced at the very beginning when the Warrior Army expanded, when he, a Third Rank Warrior, rose all the way to Super First Rank—and even more intense now!

"This is..." The members of the Shen Family were also feeling the effects of the Dragon Blood Bath, taking in sharp breaths.

Even those who were not warriors could feel their bodies being greatly nourished, including their spiritual power.

It had been a long time since they felt such a sensation, one of breaking through bottlenecks and soaring without limit.

"Duke of Wei..." Xuu Hu looked up.

By the time everyone reacted and looked up, where was the Duke of Wei to be seen?

The sky filled with blood rain was clearly transformed from flesh and blood. Not even the dragon’s bones were left intact. Everywhere was dragon blood. Evidently, the Duke of Wei had used his own life to give greater protection to the Jiangnan Army.

"The surviving people of the Northern Territory... I entrust them to you all now!"

The Dragon Blood Bath, with its blessings, also came with curses...

Shen San silently glanced at the mark on his hand, knowing in his heart that the Duke of Wei’s self-sacrificial blessing was not without conditions.

It was like an enforced technique. If the people didn’t head north for the rescue, the dragon blood that nourished the body would instantly turn into terrible poison.

"What a domineering old man..." Shen San sighed.

Xuu Hu closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "My lord left me to guard the northern sea region, never including me in the ranks destined for Dragon Palace support from the very beginning. I believe in my lord!"

At this point, Shen San no longer objected, because there was nothing he could do to object. The Duke of Wei’s blessing was compulsory... Now, even if they wanted to stay and support Chen Qing, it was impossible.

"We’ll follow the general’s lead then!"

Xuu Hu nodded, leaping to a higher ground: "The Duke of Wei sacrificed himself to the heavens in dragon form, blessing our warriors. Such an opportunity is rare in a millennium. Bathing in dragon blood, from now on, your descendants for at least five generations will be blessed!"

As a War God, his divine perception allowed him to feel the enhancement from the Dragon Blood Bath.

He could also sense, in some mysterious way, that such a dragon blood blessing could be passed down through bloodlines.

Although it might not last thousands of generations, at least five was certainly within reach.

No wonder there were legends of dragon-slaying heroes in ancient times—they had such benefits.

"From now on, the children of the Northern Territory will be like those of Jiangnan, all siblings whom our Warrior Army swears to protect till death. Do you object?"

"No!!!"

The resounding response, accompanied by faint dragon roars, was majestic. In that instant, even the always composed Elder Shen couldn’t help but feel his blood boil. At this moment, he felt that this army was invincible in the current world!

"Form up the ranks, march out!!"

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"What an impressive display..."

Inside the cabin, Xiang Tianyu, whose spirit had left his body, watched the scene outside with a trace of regret.

"Such a foolish old man, the Dragon King Breed guarantees a minimum lifespan of a hundred thousand years.

Such an opportunity is rare in this world, yet he sacrifices his flesh and blood for the army, all for the sake of those worthless people of the Northern Territory? How laughable!"

Next to him, the Second Son and the Thousand-Legged Dragon fused in the ice sculpture glared venomously at Xiang Tianyu.

"But this works out... Once they’re gone, I can finally make my escape..."

Inside the ice sculpture, Xiang Tianyu’s body bore a slight smile. If the members of the Shen Family were still inside the cabin, they would have been scared out of their wits.

Because the Xiang Tianyu who had left his body, in theory, should not be able to move at all, but the reality was different. His floating spirit looked bewildered, while his body in the ice sculpture, devoid of spirit, wore a strange smile with eyes emitting a faint green glow.

Sizzle...

The worst part was that the ice block encasing Xiang Tianyu, frozen by the Duke of Wei, was visibly cracking!

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Elsewhere, Chen Qing was unable to pay any attention to the situation in the northern sea. Despite the fact that Shen San and Xuu Hu had secretly sent him messages several times.

He didn’t even dare to reply. The transmission of messages between divinities required the use of the power of faith, and at the moment, he dared not use it. Although the power of faith is not Art Energy, as the most special energy in the setting, activating it would still cause some disturbance.

And right now... he dared not make the slightest noise, because he knew that once he did, he would surely die without question!