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Northern Frontier, not only the northern gateway of the Great Yan Dynasty but also extremely close to the Imperial City.

Once it falls, the barbarians from the north can charge straight down, directly targeting the Imperial City.

This is why, when the Barbarian Grand Sage made a move, Zi Ruoyan couldn't sit still. She led a troop of elite soldiers on a forced march, reaching the Northern Battlefield in just seven days.

At the border of the Northern Frontier, atop the walls.

Empress Zi Ruoyan, clad in golden armor with a black robe and red sleeves underneath, stood with her hands behind her back, gazing into the distance.

Beside her, Zhong Lishuang, dressed in heavy armor, also looked towards the barbarian camp ahead.

The barbarian camp, made of giant wooden structures and animal hides, faintly glowed as if blessed by the heavens.

That was the skill of the Barbarian Grand Sage, indicating he was stationed within the camp.

Since the Emperor arrived here, he had clashed with the Barbarian Grand Sage three times, winning each time.

"This old man is really tough." Zhong Lishuang was quite puzzled, unable to understand why this guy, who couldn't defeat the Emperor, stubbornly stayed here.

"No matter what he schemes, in the face of true strength, it's all futile." Zi Ruoyan spoke softly, her voice clear yet carrying a hint of killing intent.

"Last time we fought, he was already wounded by my Sword Qi. Next time..."

As she spoke, a fierce glint appeared in Zi Ruoyan's cold eyes, "I will definitely slay him!"

"Of course, Your Majesty is the unrivaled prodigy of this era. How could a mere old man stop you?" Zhong Lishuang laughed heartily.

In this Northern Frontier campaign, with the Emperor personally present, she felt little pressure.

"Great General!" A messenger climbed the border wall, presenting a letter, "From the Imperial City."

The sudden letter surprised Zhong Lishuang. She took it and found there were two, one of which was a family letter.

Calculating the time, it seemed it had been a while.

Zhong Lishuang opened it and, upon reading the first part, her expression changed slightly, "The Bloodcloud Pavilion branch in our Great Yan Dynasty was destroyed by an unknown strongman!!"

"Your Majesty, this..."

Zi Ruoyan looked surprised, turning her head towards the letter in Zhong Lishuang's hand.

The sender was Liu Yan, the commander of the Imperial Guards. This matter should be true; she wouldn't fabricate such things.

"This is quite unexpected, somewhat troubling." Zi Ruoyan frowned, immediately thinking that the Bloodcloud Pavilion Headquarters might take action.

While Zi Ruoyan worried about this outdated information, she suddenly noticed that Zhong Lishuang's aura seemed off.

"General Zhong..." Zi Ruoyan turned her head, surprised to see Zhong Lishuang's Spiritual Qi surging, her body trembling, and her heavy armor clattering.

Her gaze was fixed on the two letters in her hand.

One was from Liu Yan, the other from Zhong Yangming.

Zi Ruoyan, with her extraordinary eyesight, glanced over and saw the contents of the letter clearly.

"Infatuated with Xiao Tian's charm... dressing up meticulously every day... willingly staying by his side?" These words shocked Zi Ruoyan.

Could it be? How could Zhong Ling, that girl...

"Does Xiao Tian have such charm? I didn't notice it back then." Zi Ruoyan recalled that morning, nodding slightly, "He is quite handsome."

Zi Ruoyan never expected her nominal husband to have such abilities.

An ordinary person who could tame Zhong Ling, that wild horse.

"Really..." Thinking of this, Zi Ruoyan snorted softly, feeling a slight twinge of displeasure.

This tiny emotion stemmed from the Empress's subconscious reaction to someone touching what she considered her own.

"You little brat, if I don't spank you until your butt blooms when we return, I'm not your mother!" Zhong Lishuang was furious, her Spiritual Qi shattering the letter, slapping the wall in front of her.

Buzz!

With one slap, the entire border wall trembled slightly.

"..." Zhong Lishuang was stunned. Was her slap that powerful?

But soon, she realized that it wasn't just the wall shaking; the ground outside was also trembling.

In the distance, a dark line pressed forward relentlessly.

Barbarians with greenish skin and black totems all over their bodies charged with large blades, launching an assault on the city walls.

Above this group of barbarians, an elder clad in animal hides and wearing a white-bone mask hovered, holding a bone staff.

His Spiritual Qi poured into it, chanting incantations, transforming into ignited light that fell into the bodies of the barbarian warriors below.

Each barbarian warrior glowed, their charge accelerating continuously.

The barbarians were attacking!

"Your Majesty, leave the defense to me. You go deal with that old man." Zhong Lishuang unleashed her aura, gripping a giant hammer, staring at the barbarian army ahead.

"Be careful!" Zi Ruoyan nodded, soaring into the sky, heading straight for the Barbarian Grand Sage.

She seemed to transform into a sword light, a chilling aura spreading around her, the temperature seemingly dropping.

In an instant, Zi Ruoyan swept past the forefront of the barbarian battle formation, aiming directly at the hovering Barbarian Grand Sage.

Where she passed turned snow-white, the charging barbarian warriors seemingly frozen, frost appearing on their bodies.

They eventually turned into ice sculptures, shattered by their charging comrades behind.

"Jia Xu, are you really courting death?" Zi Ruoyan slashed with her sword, her Sword Qi icy, seemingly freezing the very space.

An aged voice came from beneath the white-bone mask, "Great Yan Empress, I am merely striving for a future for our barbarian nation. I dare not die before it's accomplished."

"Unfortunately, the future of the barbarian nation will be ruined by your hands." Zi Ruoyan's sword light was like a waterfall, forcing the Barbarian Grand Sage Jia Xu to retreat continuously.

The icy Sword Qi slowed his movements, forcing him to endure Zi Ruoyan's assault.

His previous injuries flared up, causing him to spit blood, staining his white beard red.

Zi Ruoyan's face was as cold as frost, her sword exuding a chilling aura.

It wouldn't take long for her to slay this Barbarian Grand Sage!

Zi Ruoyan slashed again, the terrifying ice-blue Sword Qi cutting across the sky, "You shouldn't have left the barbarian nation. Without the National Guard Array's support, you're no match for me."

Staring at the Sword Qi before him, Jia Xu sighed, "As expected of the Great Yan Empress, truly unmatched among the younger generation of the Southern Wastelands."

He remained motionless in mid-air, neither dodging nor evading.

Bang!!

The Sword Qi didn't land on the Barbarian Grand Sage.

A burning red barrier suddenly appeared, blocking the terrifying Sword Qi.

The icy sword light shattered like ice crystals, floating in the air.

This red barrier abruptly appeared around Zi Ruoyan, trapping her within.

Burning bloodlines extended from the barrier's nodes, connecting to Jia Xu's bone staff.

"A sealing array?" Zi Ruoyan looked around, her expression grave, "I see, you were drawing the array with your blood."

Jia Xu's Spiritual Qi continuously poured into the bone staff in his hand, "Indeed, with me personally overseeing this Blood-burning Spirit-sealing Array, Great Yan Empress, it will take you at least ten days to break free."

"Trapping me, what's the point? You can't breach the Northern Frontier." Zi Ruoyan furrowed her brows, staring at Jia Xu.

She couldn't understand the significance of this.

"Great Yan Empress, the Black Soul Hall offered me a price I couldn't refuse, asking me to hold you here." Jia Xu coughed, speaking, "By now, the Poison Swamp Elder of the Black Soul Hall should have reached the Great Yan territory."

"Pity the people of the Great Yan Imperial City..."

"Unfortunately, you can't return now."

Zi Ruoyan's face darkened, her Spiritual Qi raging within the burning blood-red barrier, stirring a violent snowstorm.

Her icy voice, filled with terrifying killing intent, echoed.

"Jia Xu, if the Great Yan suffers, I will make your entire barbarian nation pay with their lives!!!"