"Send down the order—all soldiers of the Skyhawk Court are to abandon other territories and withdraw to Skyhawk City. The entire front must contract. Cleanse the city of all human slaves. Kill them! Kill them all! How dare they play such underhanded tricks before me? I'll make them pay in blood!"
A vicious glint flashed in Tuoba Tao's eyes.
It was these damned slaves that caused the Skyhawk Court to crumble overnight. Countless tribes were wiped out. Thousands of warriors were slaughtered. All of it—because of the slaves. The most laughable thing was, they had noticed nothing beforehand.
Part of this was due to the exceptional concealment methods of the bounty hunters, but more importantly, it was due to the Skyhawk Court's utter disregard for the slaves. They never gave them a second glance. And now, they were paying a devastating price for that arrogance.
These slaves deserved death.
Kill! Kill!! Kill!!!
Following the order, large numbers of nomadic warriors surged from all directions into the capital. At the same time, the slaves—disguised bounty hunters—launched a coordinated uprising and clashed fiercely with the warriors.
However, the chaos within the capital wasn't as severe as expected.
Firstly, Skyhawk City was massive, and secondly, most of the slaves were stationed outside the city in the surrounding districts. Few had entered the inner city, and those who had were a small minority. The riot, while disruptive, caused no substantial damage to the city's foundation. Meanwhile, Skyhawk Court reinforcements kept pouring in.
Bounty hunters began falling beneath the onslaught.
"Retreat!!"
"Wait for reinforcements to arrive."
Bounty hunters weren't fools. Charging into certain death wasn't bravery—it was stupidity. They were not a regular army. Facing trained soldiers head-on would only lead to disaster. Survival came first.
"Do not stray far from the capital! All forces, return to Skyhawk City and hold the court! As long as the royal court remains unbroken, the Skyhawk Court will survive!"
Tuoba Tao spoke coldly. His eyes gleamed with bloodlust, but his reasoning remained intact. He knew that defending the royal court was now paramount. As for the retreating bounty hunters, he gave no order to pursue. Chasing them might well be another trap.
"Your Majesty, look. This was found on the body of one of the slaves—a kind of weapon, similar to a crossbow, but far more powerful."
A nomad soldier stepped forward, holding a runic rifle.
"That's a Runic Gun. I've seen merchants from afar sell them before. It's simple to operate—even ordinary civilians can use it to deliver massive damage. It fires runic bullets, or one can infuse it with true essence to activate the formation and form essence rounds. For such weapons to appear among a group of slaves… it's clear our enemy isn't ordinary."
Tuoba Tao raised the weapon and fired into the sky. A golden armor-piercing round streaked into the heavens. The recoil from the weapon was negligible to him.
Still, his heart grew heavy with dread.
This wasn't the work of mere peasants from Skyhawk Island. If they could break the Skyhawk Court to the brink of collapse in a single night, then these weren't nobodies. If weaklings could do that, he might as well gouge out his own eyes and use his head as a ball.
"We must summon the Living Buddha of Jixiang Temple. If we fall, they will too. We send them monthly tributes—there's no way they'll stand idly by."
The speaker was A Gulu, the Skyhawk Court's foremost military commander. Towering over two meters tall, he radiated raw savagery. His weapon wasn't a scimitar, but a bone spiked club, resembling a massive piece of white bone, covered in razor-sharp spikes. These spikes were hollow—once they pierced a foe, they could drain massive quantities of blood.
A terrifying battlefield weapon.
A Gulu was a war hero, a battle-hardened general of unmatched might.
"Indeed. Jixiang Temple has reaped vast tributes from us over the years. We share prosperity and ruin. Summoning their aid is only right."
Mister Cui spoke up.
For years, the Skyhawk Court had worshipped the Living Buddha and provided endless faith-based offerings. Aid was not just expected—it was owed.
"There's no need to send for them. With such drastic upheaval on the Skyhawk Plains, if they haven't noticed, then something's truly wrong. Trust me—they'll come. But the price we'll pay afterward… won't be small. Those lamas are like leeches—impossible to satisfy."
Tuoba Tao's voice was grim.
He had no doubt Jixiang Temple would intervene. The Living Buddha would never allow his faith base to collapse.
"Then we have only one choice—to wait. Wait for the enemy to reveal themselves. Wait for the Living Buddha to arrive."
Mister Cui's face was tense.
At this moment, the royal city was their final stronghold. As long as their national destiny remained intact, there was still a chance to reverse the tide.
Outside the capital, countless figures gathered, closing in on Skyhawk City from every direction. Each exuded a murderous aura—deadly killing intent enveloped them like fog.
These were bounty hunters.
And they didn't advance. They merely surrounded the capital, quietly waiting.
Their numbers kept increasing.
In fact, over ten million bounty hunters had infiltrated Skyhawk Island—now converging, they formed an unimaginably vast force.
Golden Scale City, inside the city lord's mansion.
Yi Tianxing and his advisors were already watching everything unfold through the Soul-Communicating Treasure Mirror. They clearly saw the Skyhawk Court collapse under the sudden assault. Now, only the royal capital remained—and it was completely surrounded.
It looked like a full assault would begin at any moment.
"It's time. Phase Two of Operation Falcon is complete. The royal court isn't something bounty hunters should attempt to breach. That would bring unacceptable casualties. And for the Great Yi Dynasty, that's a waste we don't need."
Zhuge Liang spoke calmly.
Each bounty hunter was a pillar of the Great Yi Dynasty—potential to be nurtured, guides for future generations. Letting them crash against a fortified army was stupidity.
Especially since the Great Yi military was more than capable of leading a frontal assault. After toppling most of the Skyhawk Court, the bounty hunters' mission was done.
The next step no longer concerned them.
"Good. Then let us go in person. I will meet Tuoba Tao face to face. The Skyhawk Court must fall. Their fate and destiny will empower our dynasty."
Yi Tianxing smiled.
In battles between destiny-bound dynasties, a king killing a king was customary. That way, the victor could absorb the vanquished's national fortune more effectively.
That was the real reason.
"I suspect we'll see Jixiang Temple's experts soon—perhaps even the Living Buddha himself."
Jia Xu said solemnly.
As the climax approached, there could be no carelessness. Jixiang Temple could no longer be ignored. Their Living Buddha was mysterious—no one knew how powerful he truly was, or if he would risk open war for Skyhawk Court.
"That's fine. I'd like to meet this so-called Living Buddha. Let's see just how strong a top sect really is."
Yi Tianxing's tone remained calm.
He'd long anticipated this. And it was precisely because of it that he wanted to destroy Skyhawk Court completely—to draw Jixiang Temple into the open.
Operation Falcon had reached its endgame. It was now blade against blade.
After all, Skyhawk Court was only a Royal kingdom, and the Great Yi Dynasty far surpassed it in every aspect. The difference in dynastic rank meant overwhelming superiority. These two tactical phases were already a massive concession. Were it not for the presence of human civilians in the capital, brute force would've sufficed.
Now, their real opponent was Jixiang Temple.
This would be the first clash between a destiny dynasty and a great sect.
A confrontation that would finally answer the question—which is stronger?
"The armies are ready. We can depart at any moment."
Jia Xu said.
"Then let's go."
Yi Tianxing replied without hesitation.
"I want to witness this battle myself."
Lady Gongsun declared without flinching.
"The sword in my hand… thirsts for blood."
Ye Gucheng said flatly.