Chapter 55 The Collapse of the Northern Alliance
Just as Zan Yunxiao leaned back in his chair to relax and continue watching Zan Feilan through the Clan Interface.
Two familiar figures suddenly reappeared at the entrance of the courtyard.
Before he could react, Xueyun and Jin Feixue each took one of his arms.
"Husband, it's time to satisfy us... and yourself."
Jin Feixue wore a mischievous smile.
"We've been cultivating for so long."
"We need a little... motivation."
Xueyun covered her lips with a gentle laugh.
"And you're going to provide it."
Before Zan Yunxiao could respond, the two women pulled him toward their chamber.
Zan Yunxiao could only smile helplessly.
After all these years together, he had long grown accustomed to their playful antics.
The chamber doors quietly closed behind them.
Outside, the courtyard became peaceful once again as the afternoon breeze gently rustled the leaves, leaving the rest of the evening to the privacy of the husband and his two wives.
. . .
Two years quietly passed.
The war between the Crimson Empire and the Northern Alliance continued to rage across the northern frontier.
Countless battles were fought.
Cities changed hands.
Heroes were born, while countless others fell on the battlefield.
Yet as time passed...
The tide of the war gradually shifted.
Just as Zan Yunxiao had predicted two years earlier.
The Northern Alliance began to collapse.
It did not begin with a decisive battle.
Nor with the death of a powerful cultivator.
Instead...
It began with empty granaries.
The alliance's supply lines had been repeatedly sabotaged by the Crimson Empire.
Grain depots were destroyed.
Supply convoys were ambushed.
The smaller kingdoms, already exhausted from years of supporting the war, could no longer provide enough provisions.
Soon...
Food became scarce throughout the Northern Alliance's camps.
At first, the soldiers received smaller rations.
Then...
Some units received none at all.
Hunger spread like a plague.
An army could endure fierce battles.
But it could not fight on an empty stomach.
One by one...
Northern Alliance soldiers began abandoning their posts.
Some slipped away under the cover of darkness.
Others simply threw down their weapons and returned to their homes.
Entire companies disappeared overnight.
"No more..."
"I'd rather live as a farmer than starve in this war."
"We were promised a quick victory."
"Instead, we've been dying here for years."
Morale plummeted throughout the alliance.
Inside the command tents, the rulers could only watch helplessly as their armies dwindled.
The ambitious coalition that had once dreamed of conquering the Crimson Empire was now crumbling from within.
Meanwhile...
The Crimson Empire remained steadfast.
The fertile lands surrounding Solhaven City continued to produce an overwhelming harvest of grain and wheat year after year.
Countless supply caravans traveled safely from Solhaven to the frontlines, ensuring that the imperial soldiers never lacked food.
Even after two years of continuous warfare, neither the army nor the civilians suffered from famine.
What had once seemed to be an ordinary agricultural policy implemented decades earlier had become the Crimson Empire's greatest strategic advantage.
. . .
Inside the Northern Alliance's main command tent.
The atmosphere was incomparably heavier than it had been two years ago.
One after another, the rulers of the alliance entered the tent.
Unlike before, there were no confident smiles or ambitious laughter.
Each wore a weary expression.
Dark circles lined their eyes.
The endless war had exhausted both their kingdoms and their people.
Among those present was the ruler of the small kingdom.
He quietly took his seat in the corner as usual.
His expression remained calm.
On the surface, he was still a loyal member of the Northern Alliance.
In reality...
He had long since become the Crimson Empire's spy.
Every discussion held within this tent would eventually find its way onto Emperor Hong Yuanji's desk.
Bang!
The King of the Wolf Kingdom slammed both hands onto the table.
His face was filled with rage.
"Our armies are starving!"
"Our soldiers are deserting every single day!"
"Who is responsible for this?!"
Silence filled the tent.
No one answered.
Another ruler spoke with a bitter expression.
"Our grain depots continue to burn."
"Every supply convoy we send is ambushed."
"It's as though the Crimson Empire knows every movement we make."
Several rulers frowned.
The suspicion that had lingered in their hearts for months grew even stronger.
One king slowly scanned everyone in the tent.
"There must be a traitor among us."
The moment those words were spoken... The atmosphere instantly became tense. Every ruler looked at one another with suspicion. Even trusted allies now seemed questionable.
The ruler of the small kingdom maintained a composed expression, betraying no emotion whatsoever.
Inside, however, he remained perfectly calm.
"They're finally beginning to suspect one another. But they're already too late."
The King of the Wolf Kingdom clenched his fists.
"I don't care who the traitor is. When I find him... I'll have his entire kingdom erased from existence."
The threat echoed throughout the command tent.
As he finished speaking, his gaze slowly shifted toward one of the rulers seated across the table.
He stared at him without saying another word.
The ruler immediately noticed.
His expression darkened.
He slowly rose from his seat, his eyes filled with anger.
"What are you looking at?"
His deep, heavy voice echoed throughout the command tent.
"Are you implying that I'm the traitor?"
The King of the Wolf Kingdom let out a cold snort.
"I never said that."
The ruler slammed his hand onto the table.
"Then why are you staring at me?"
Before the King of the Wolf Kingdom could answer, another ruler laughed mockingly.
"What?"
"Are you feeling guilty?"
"Who said you were the traitor?"
The ruler's face instantly turned red with fury.
"Guilty?"
"You dare accuse me? I've sacrificed over a hundred thousand soldiers in this war!"
"My kingdom is nearly bankrupt! And now you call me a traitor?"
Another king stood up.
"Enough!"
"Stop pretending."
"Anyone here could be leaking our plans. Our supply routes are ambushed every single time. Our grain depots are destroyed before they even reach the front. There has to be someone feeding information to the Crimson Empire."
Soon...
The rulers began arguing with one another.
"You've always opposed my strategies!"
"Perhaps you're the spy!"
"What nonsense!"
"Your kingdom lost the most grain depots!"
"Maybe you sold us out!"
"You bastard!"
"Say that again!"
The command tent descended into complete chaos.
The rulers who had once called each other allies now pointed fingers and exchanged accusations.
Trust had completely vanished.
In the corner of the tent, the ruler of the small kingdom quietly watched the scene unfold.
He lowered his head slightly, hiding the faint smile at the corner of his lips.
Suddenly.
Bang!
A heavy punch echoed throughout the tent.
The King of the Wolf Kingdom staggered backward.
His face instantly swelled where the fist had landed.
He touched his cheek before glaring furiously at the ruler who had struck him.
"So..."
"So you're the spy!"
The ruler who had thrown the punch let out a cold laugh.
"What?"
"That's your argument?"
"I punched you, so I'm the spy?"
He stepped forward fearlessly, meeting the King of the Wolf Kingdom's furious gaze without the slightest hint of fear.
"Then if you punch me..."
"Does that make you the spy?"
He spread his arms mockingly and sneered.
"Or is it that anyone who dares oppose you automatically becomes a traitor?"
"If that's how you judge people, then this alliance is nothing more than a joke."
The King of the Wolf Kingdom's face twisted with rage.
He slowly raised his fist.
The other ruler sneered.
"What?"
"You're going to punch me?"
"Come on!"
"Do it!"
The entire tent fell silent.
Everyone watched as the King of the Wolf Kingdom's fist remained suspended in the air.
After several tense moments...
He slowly lowered it.
Before anyone could speak—
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion shook the entire command tent.
The roof was torn apart as a violent blast erupted from above.
Wooden pillars shattered.
Flames spread instantly.
The rulers were thrown in every direction.
"Aaaaah!"
"What happened?!"
"We're under attack!"
A Golden Core Realm cultivator descended from the sky, his spiritual energy surging as he launched another attack toward the command tent.
The ruler who had punched the King of the Wolf Kingdom narrowly survived.
A Golden Core cultivator from his own kingdom immediately appeared before him, blocking the incoming attack.
Boom!
The collision sent shockwaves across the battlefield.
The ruler shouted angrily,
"Are you insane?!"
"Were you trying to kill all of us?!"
The surviving rulers quickly gathered behind their own Golden Core cultivators.
Seeing the sudden attack, suspicion exploded once again.
One ruler pointed directly at the King of the Wolf Kingdom.
"It has to be you!"
Another immediately agreed.
"You're the only one who insisted on continuing this war!"
"Even after we kept losing battle after battle!"
"You wanted to drag all of us into destruction!"
"You must be the spy!"
The King of the Wolf Kingdom's eyes widened in disbelief.
"What nonsense!"
"I've been fighting for this alliance from the very beginning!"
But no one listened anymore.
Trust had completely vanished.
Every ruler now viewed him as the prime suspect.
Meanwhile, the weaker kingdoms had suffered the most from the explosion.
Several of their rulers lay dead beneath the collapsed remains of the command tent.
Others were severely wounded.
Among them...
The ruler of the small kingdom. The Crimson Empire's hidden spy, was also covered in blood.
A deep wound ran across his shoulder as he struggled to remain conscious.
Despite the pain...
He silently observed the rulers turning against one another.
Just then, several of his soldiers rushed to his side.
"Your Majesty!"
One of them quickly supported him before another began bandaging the wound.
The captain looked anxiously toward the sky, where the Golden Core cultivators continued exchanging devastating attacks.
"We have to leave!"
"If we stay here, we'll be caught in their battle!"
The ruler nodded weakly.
"I know..."
He glanced once at the ruined command tent.
The rulers of the powerful kingdoms no longer cared about anyone else.
To them, the smaller kingdoms were completely insignificant.
If the battle continued...
His entire army would be wiped out without ever fighting the Crimson Empire.
He took a deep breath before issuing an order.
"Tell our army..."
"...to retreat immediately."
The captain hesitated.
"But, Your Majesty..."
"The alliance—"
"The alliance is finished."
The ruler interrupted him.
"There is no point remaining here."
"If we don't withdraw now..."
"We'll simply become collateral damage in the struggle between the powerful kingdoms."
The captain immediately understood.
He cupped his fists.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
His eyes were filled with determination. He knew remaining here meant certain death. The alliance had already descended into chaos, and no one cared about the fate of the weaker kingdoms anymore. Without wasting another second, he turned around, mounted his horse, and galloped toward their army, shouting orders for an immediate and orderly retreat before they were swallowed by the battle between the powerful cultivators.
Soon, horns echoed across the battlefield.
The soldiers of the small kingdom began disengaging from the fighting in an orderly retreat.
None of the larger kingdoms paid them any attention.
They were too busy accusing one another and dealing with the chaos surrounding the shattered command tent.
Taking advantage of the confusion, the ruler of the small kingdom quietly withdrew with his remaining forces.
As he looked back one last time, he murmured to himself,
"The Northern Alliance..."
"...has reached its end."
He knew that from this day forward, the alliance existed in name alone.