Chapter 1473: Three Kneels of Gratitude!

On the city wall, tens of thousands of soldiers looked up at the tower, a magnificent sight.

Guo Changming looked around and said loudly, "...In this battle, our soldiers fought hard and repelled an enemy several times our number! I am proud of you all!"

"The Grand General is mighty!"

"The Grand General is mighty!"

"The Grand General is mighty!"

The soldiers shouted in unison, their voices shaking the clouds.

It was clear that every one of them was extremely excited, including Guo Changming.

This battle had been a matter of life and death, one step away from the city's fall and everyone's demise.

Guo Changming smiled and said, "You are the mighty ones, my children! Starting tomorrow, the three armies will be rewarded according to merit! However, the greatest hero of this battle is standing right beside me now! Many of you may not know him, but you should know that he was the first to discover the demon clan's invasion from Huanmo Ridge, and he also brought reinforcements from Kangding City, turning the tide at the critical moment! His name is Ling Feng!"

Beside Guo Changming, Ling Feng looked somewhat uneasy.

He was still not used to being the center of attention for ten thousand people.

"Sir, I dare not take credit. The greatest hero of this battle is not me!" Ling Feng suddenly said, gathering his courage.

Guo Changming thought Ling Feng was being modest, so he patted his shoulder and laughed, "Ha, if it's your merit, it's yours. No one can take it away! If you hadn't sent someone back with the news, the north city would have fallen long ago, and even I would have died in the army! To some extent, you defended the thousands of miles of rivers and mountains behind us!"

Seeing Guo Changming speak so solemnly, Ling Feng became even more flustered and quickly said, "Sir, this battle really isn't my credit! It's... it's someone else! Without him, our squad would have been wiped out at the foot of Huanmo Ridge, and we would never have been able to return and report."

Guo Changming looked surprised and said, "Someone else? Who is it?"

Ling Feng said, "His name is Ye Yuan, just a human passing through Huanmo Ridge..."

Ling Feng recounted the events of that time in detail, and everyone gasped in amazement.

Destroying a demon squad, surviving a fall off a cliff, cutting off the demons' retreat, and sending Ling Feng for reinforcements—these actions sounded like myths and legends.

"I originally thought it was some human expert secretly helping us, but the more I thought about it, the more it didn't add up! I'm afraid the one who killed five demon squad leaders with one move was Ye Yuan! And when I left, I thought it was too late to ask for reinforcements, but he assured me that we would make it in time!" Ling Feng also shared his speculation.

Guo Changming had been wondering why the demon army of a hundred thousand had become thirty thousand.

But hearing Ling Feng's words, he suddenly understood.

At this moment, Wang Yifeng suddenly spoke up, "Sir, now that Ling Feng mentions it, I find it very strange too! On the first day of the demon attack on the north city, the situation was already critical. They jumped onto the city wall several times, but those demon soldiers were all weak and fell with a single strike! That's how we held out for several days! Later, when Xiu Lie launched the charge, their commanders had already reached the city wall, but it seemed there was some commotion in their rear, so they didn't take advantage of the breach!"

Ling Feng also said, "I saw destroyed demon ballistae in the demon rear, and many of their soldiers were dead, but I didn't see a single defender from Xiyu City!"

The more the two spoke, the more shocked Guo Changming became.

All this sounded like a fairy tale, yet the outcome of events was so reasonable.

But a warrior at the Insight Heaven realm had dominated a war involving hundreds of thousands?

This... was a bit too exaggerated, wasn't it?

"Who exactly is this Ye Yuan? Could one person really have done all these things?"

"This is like turning his hand to produce clouds and rain! He single-handedly dominated a war! Even Lord Guo Changming couldn't do such a thing!"

"This Ye Yuan must be sent from heaven to save us!"

"Ling Feng said Ye Yuan is only at the Insight Heaven realm. Did he single-handedly break into the demon rear? Does this guy... have three heads and six arms?"

……

The soldiers were all stunned, their mouths agape, and they speculated endlessly about the unseen hero who had saved them all.

Guo Changming took a deep breath and said, "Ling Feng, it's not that I don't trust you, but what you've said is simply too incredible! Since that young friend Ye intends to join the army, where is he now?"

Ling Feng smiled bitterly and said, "After the battle ended, I've been looking for him, but I simply can't find him."

Just as everyone was at a loss, a thunderous voice rang out above the city.

"The hero has departed. Face east and kowtow three times in thanks!"

The voice was not loud, but it rolled like thunder into everyone's ears.

"Who! Who is speaking!"

"'The hero has departed'—does that mean Ye Yuan has left?"

"Face east? Isn't that the direction of Demon-Howling Ridge? How do we get there?"

"Are you stupid? Didn't Ling Feng say the hero could come and go freely across the natural chasm? No, he... he went to the demon race?"

Suddenly, everyone's expression changed as they realized this.

For the human race, demon territory was equivalent to a forbidden land; no one dared to go there.

But Guo Changming's expression shifted, and he bowed respectfully to the sky, saying, "I humbly obey the decree of Lord Zeyan!"

"Lord Zeyan? Who is Lord Zeyan?"

"I've heard that there is a Divine Lord realm expert stationed in Xiyu City, but I've never seen one!"

"Could it be... that Xiyu City really does have a Divine Lord realm expert?"

"If there is a Divine Lord realm expert, why didn't he act when our casualties were so heavy?"

"Exactly! We were nearly annihilated, and we didn't see any Divine Lord realm expert intervene!"

……

This voice immediately sparked a flurry of discussion among the crowd.

Legend had it that Xiyu City was guarded by a Divine Lord realm expert.

But since that battle, no one had ever seen a Divine Lord realm expert again.

Over time, it had become just a legend.

Of course, many were indignant—why hadn't the Divine Lord realm expert intervened when the battle had reached such a dire state?

Guo Changming's face darkened, and he channeled his divine energy, barking, "All of you, shut up!"

He held great prestige in the army, and at his shout, the soldiers immediately fell silent, though resentment still lingered on their faces.

Guo Changming swept his gaze over the crowd and said solemnly, "Xiyu City does indeed have a Divine Lord realm expert, Lord Zeyan, stationed here! Do you think the demon army has no Divine Lord realm experts? Do you know what it means if a Divine Lord realm expert acts? It means not a single one of you would survive! If Xiyu City falls, Lord Zeyan will perish together with it!"

Guo Changming's thunderous voice finally calmed the soldiers.

"Now, humbly obey Lord Zeyan's decree! All soldiers, hear my command: face east... kowtow three times!" Guo Changming declared loudly.

"Thud!"

With that, Guo Changming knelt down first.