36: Useless Son-in-Law (17)

Su Yun's figure flickered like a teleportation, arriving first despite moving later, appearing at his side.

All the spiritual power of the Spirit King Realm Fourth Level gathered on his fist.

"Boom!"

The fist made contact with the Spirit King's protective Spiritual Qi.

The pupils of the Zhao family's Spirit King suddenly constricted to the size of a needle.

An indescribable, terrifying power centered on the fist instantly pierced through his body.

In the next moment, his proud Spirit King body, along with half of his torso, was directly shattered into a mist of blood.

He didn't even have time to let out a scream.

Princess Qin Yinuo stood frozen in place, staring at the slowly dissipating blood mist, her mind a complete blank.

What just happened?

A Spirit King... just gone like that?

The fighting on the other side came to a halt; whether it was the soldiers of Great Qin or the Tianhuo ambushers, they all looked over in terror.

"Effortlessly killing a first-level Spirit King Realm in seconds... this person's cultivation base is likely at least Spirit King Realm Fourth Level..."

The two looked at each other, seeing the same fear in each other's eyes.

Flee!

The two turned into streaks of light, fleeing in panic, rushing blindly.

Su Yun did not give chase.

With the death of the three Spirit Kings, the remaining Tianhuo ambushers completely collapsed, throwing away their armor and fleeing in all directions.

A meticulously planned ambush thus came to an absurd end.

After the battle subsided, the soldiers of Great Qin looked at Su Yun with changed eyes.

It was a complex mix of awe and fear.

They subconsciously backed away, not daring to come within three paces of Su Yun.

A lieutenant walked quickly to Princess Qin Yinuo's side and lowered his voice, his tone urgent.

"Princess, this person... his origins are unknown and his strength is terrifying. Keeping him by your side is no different from seeking a tiger's skin!"

Princess Qin Yinuo raised her hand to wipe the blood from her cheek, but her gaze never left Su Yun's back.

"Lieutenant Li, you are wrong."

Her voice was soft, yet exceptionally firm.

"This person helped our army escape a predicament... naturally, he is our army's benefactor..."

...That night, Blackwater Camp.

Inside the central command tent, there were only Princess Qin Yinuo and Su Yun.

Princess Qin Yinuo personally poured a cup of tea for Su Yun and pushed it toward him.

"Your Excellency, stop pretending."

She got straight to the point, her gaze sharp.

"A merchant? A Spirit King Realm expert going into trade?"

Su Yun picked up the teacup but didn't drink, just watching the tea leaves floating in the cup.

"I am indeed not a merchant."

He finally admitted.

"Then who exactly are you?" Princess Qin Yinuo pressed.

"Who I am is not important." Su Yun looked up, his eyes calm. "What matters is that I have an irreconcilable hatred for the Tianhuo Empire."

He didn't explain his origins, but the bone-deep hatred contained in those words caused the temperature in the tent to drop by several degrees.

Princess Qin Yinuo seemed to have some guesses, but she didn't ask further.

"I need an identity, a platform, to take my revenge on the Tianhuo Empire." Su Yun's voice was hoarse. "Great Qin is the best choice."

Princess Qin Yinuo smiled.

A Spirit King Realm expert, and one with a blood feud against the Tianhuo Empire at that, was simply a Treasure Trove from the heavens for Great Qin.

"Good."

Princess Qin Yinuo stood up, her expression serious.

"In the name of the Princess of Great Qin, I grant you the title of 'Guest Elder General,' with a status equivalent to a lieutenant. You may participate in all military affairs."

Su Yun also stood up.

"A pleasure to cooperate."

One month later.

"Report! Marshal! It's an emergency!"

"The Tianfeng Empire has gathered thirty thousand troops, bypassed the front lines, and raided our granary in the Northern Border! The defenders are in distress, and the granary is in imminent danger!"

This news caused the atmosphere in the tent to freeze instantly.

The Northern Border granary was the lifeline for the hundreds of thousands of troops in the entire Blackwater Camp! If it were destroyed, the consequences would be unthinkable!

Several generals who had hurried over upon hearing the news surrounded the sand table, their faces grave.

"The granary defenders only number five thousand; they can't possibly hold back thirty thousand troops."

"Sending reinforcements from here would take at least half a month, which would be far too late!"

"This 'withdrawing the firewood from under the cauldron' move by Tianfeng is too malicious!"

The generals were at their wits' end, their brows furrowed in worry.

"It won't take half a month."

A calm voice spoke.

Everyone turned around to see Su Yun had walked to the sand table at some point. His finger pointed to a narrow mountain pass on the map.

"The enemy has ventured deep into our territory alone; their supply lines will inevitably be stretched thin and must pass through here."

He looked toward the Marshal at the head of the table and Princess Qin Yinuo, his tone indifferent.

"Give me three thousand elite cavalry. Within three days, I will cut off their supply route, and the enemy army will collapse without a fight."

The tent fell into a dead silence once more.

Everyone looked at Su Yun as if he were a madman.

Three thousand cavalry circling behind to launch a surprise attack on the supply lines of thirty thousand troops? This was simply a fantasy!

One general couldn't help but speak up: "This is no joke! The enemy's supply lines will surely be heavily guarded! Even with an elite surprise attack, without a Spirit King Realm expert leading them, it would be like striking a stone with an egg."

The Spirit King Realm experts in the army all held key positions; which Spirit King expert could be spared to lead a surprise attack?

Su Yun said nothing, but a powerful aura flashed from his body for a moment.

Spirit King Realm!

Feeling this aura, the general who had objected instantly shut his mouth, his face filled with shock.

Princess Qin Yinuo's gaze turned toward the Grand Marshal of Great Qin beside her; he was the one with the ultimate say.

He pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Fine! I will give you three thousand cavalry! This battle will be under your full command!"

Three days later, news of a great victory arrived.

A certain Guest Elder General from Princess Qin Yinuo's camp personally led three thousand cavalry, successfully cutting off the enemy's supply route within three days and slaying ten thousand enemies. The Tianfeng army collapsed without a fight. This battle made Su Yun's name as the 'General of Ingenious Strategies' echo throughout the army.

Several more months passed. The war had fully erupted, with constant large and small skirmishes. Su Yun had also earned many merits in the army.

The Tianhuo Empire gathered fifty thousand troops, intending to capture the strategic stronghold, Black Mountain Fortress.

This fortress was vital to the Great Qin army; without it, Great Qin would lose its qualification to continue competing for dominance with the other nations.

But the Tianhuo army's surprise attack was fierce, and the Great Qin main force couldn't return in time to defend... Su Yun used the terrain and guerrilla tactics, using ten thousand troops to tie down the enemy's main force, gaining precious time for the Great Qin main force to complete an encirclement. After this battle, Su Yun was hailed as the 'Fox of the Mountains'... Two more years passed, and with his record of being invincible, Su Yun's prestige was now on par with several Marshal-level figures in the army, and he was deeply loved by the lower and middle-ranking officers and soldiers.

His cooperation with Princess Qin Yinuo also became increasingly seamless, making them the most influential duo in the army.

The Emperor Shenwu royal family retreated under the attack of the 'Sect Merchant Chamber Alliance,' the imperial capital was breached, and they were forced to move south.

The three major empires—Tianhuo, Tianfeng, and Great Qin—completely crushed all the small surrounding nations that tried to interfere, entering a period of tense confrontation before the final decisive battle.

The three sides stationed millions of troops along the long border, and a great war was on the verge of breaking out.

At the meeting, the conservative faction led by the veteran Marshal 'Duke Wei' advocated for a solid defense and a war of attrition with the enemy nations.

Meanwhile, Princess Qin Yinuo and Su Yun advocated for concentrating superior forces to find an opportunity to launch a 'War of national destiny,' aiming for a single decisive victory to determine the fate of the world. The two sides were in a deadlock.

After another month of stalemate, news suddenly arrived that the Tianfeng Empire had been invaded by the neighboring Great Sui, forcing the Tianfeng army to withdraw and return home... leaving only Great Qin and Tianhuo to fight for supremacy... In the end, Great Qin defeated Tianhuo... To end its internal strife, the Shenwu Empire ceded twenty percent of its territory to request Great Qin's help... Ultimately, Great Qin crushed the rebels and gained a total of forty percent of Shenwu's territory, becoming the final winner.

Su Yun followed Princess Qin Yinuo back to the Qin Capital. With illustrious military achievements, Emperor Qin enfeoffed him as Prince Yun, with his fief located in the newly bordered Shenwu Territory of Great Qin... The implications of this move left much to speculation.

Su Yun understood that Emperor Qin still had reservations about him, a person of unknown origin, so he was dispatched to such a remote place. However, it had no effect on him; he only wanted to Cultivate in peace and Breakthrough to the Earth Spirit realm...