At this moment, a muffled horn sounded from the Sea of ​​Reincarnation.

Li Cangqiong stood in the void and bowed in respect towards Shen Zhao.

"Please convey to Empress Yintian that the Nine Netherworlds are willing to be a vassal state of the Great Yin Dynasty for generations to come, and to worship her statue for generations to come!"

After saying this, he glanced at Shen Zhao meaningfully and then ordered the remnants of the Nine Nether Army to retreat back to the Sea of ​​Reincarnation in an orderly manner.

Ironically, they walked past the Iron Flame Army soldiers who had once intended to condemn them to eternal damnation, with their chests held high and as if they were the victors of the war.

"No~ Impossible~"

Shen Zhao suddenly roared.

"The war is not over yet! Iron Flame Army, continue the offensive!"

After speaking, Shen Zhao suddenly turned around, picked up the Po Jun sword, and walked back to the battlefield.

However, with each step he took forward, large beads of sweat slid down his cheeks, as if he were enduring some kind of extreme pain.

"Soldiers...follow me...follow me to kill...don't...let them go...kill them..."

Finally, unable to bear the excruciating pain any longer, he leaned against the rock wall.

"Commander Chen!"

Fearing something might happen to Shen Zhao, the Iron Flame Army generals quickly stepped forward to help him up.

"Don't worry about me, keep chasing them! Don't let these beasts get away, kill them all!"

Seeing that Bai Dian was about to continue the pursuit, the Chief of the Divine Speed ​​Division couldn't bear it any longer and immediately knelt down to loudly stop him:

"Commander Shen, the emperor's command cannot be disobeyed! Even if you don't care about yourself, do you want the soldiers of the Po Jun Mansion to bear the name of treason and be talked about behind their backs for generations?"

One sentence instantly extinguished Shen Zhao's last bit of motivation.

"Commander Chen!"

"General!"

At this moment, the soldiers behind him knelt down and called out their names.

At that moment, he finally understood...

Ultimately, there's nothing I can do...

Ah~~~

Bang bang bang bang bang bang~

Suddenly, Shen Zhao let out a long roar and frantically punched the rocks beside him with his left fist.

"So handsome!"

Bai Qi and Qin Yi stopped Shen Zhao, crying, fearing that he would hurt himself meaninglessly again.

Only when his fists were a bloody mess and tears of blood streamed from his eyes did Shen Zhao stop this horrific self-torture.

But the next moment, he pushed Bai Qi and Qin Yi aside, grabbed the blade of the Po Jun sword, and let the blood flow down the blade and form a blood stream at his feet.

"Why!"

“Why on earth is this happening?”

"Just one step away, just one step away!"

Shen Zhao's unwilling roar echoed mournfully before the Sea of ​​Reincarnation.

"We finally managed to push them to this point, and we're just one last step away!"

"The sacrifice of 50,000 brothers of my Po Jun Mansion has been in vain! A full 50,000 lives!"

"Why! Why do you keep stopping me? You could at least give me half a day more!"

"The ninth time! It's the ninth time already! The ninth time already~"

...

"The ninth time? What do you mean by that?"

Su Yunying and Yu Xiyan looked suspicious upon hearing this.

Suddenly, Yu Xiyan's pupils contracted, as if she had thought of something.

"No, it can't be, this can't be real, it can't be! Absolutely impossible!"

She tried hard to shake the thought out of her mind; if it were true, it would be utterly absurd!

...

Consumed by rage, Shen Zhao broke the imperial weapon in two with his bare hands.

"Pfft~~"

A spurt of blood shot out from his mouth.

"Commander Chen!"

Bai Qi and the others were terrified when they saw this scene and quickly helped Shen Zhao, who was falling backward, to his feet.

"Damn it! We don't care about the Great Yin Dynasty anymore!"

"Commander Shen! Let us continue the attack!"

"Commander Shen, give the order!"

At this moment, Bai Qi, Qin Yi, and Chen Qingzhi were utterly disappointed with the actions of the Yintian Dynasty, which had completely destroyed such a promising battle situation.

So, they decided to rebel.

Just as Bai Qi was about to give the order on behalf of Shen Zhao, Shen Zhao, who had just woken up, grabbed him.

"Issue my order: the entire army shall retreat to Huangquankou."

"Commander Chen!"

"Obey orders."

After saying this, he forced his weary body to walk expressionlessly to the Chief of the Divine Travel Division.

The cold, emotionless gaze sent chills down his spine.

He immediately realized what was happening, bowed his head and said, "Don't worry, Commander Shen, I didn't hear or see anything just now. I promise I won't say a word."

"snort……"

Shen Zhao snorted coldly and ignored him, then said to Meng Hong in front of him, "Let's withdraw the troops. After three years of fighting, the brothers are all exhausted. It's time to go home and reunite with their families. I'm exhausted too."

After speaking, he seemed to have aged more than ten years and slowly walked towards the central command tent.

"The general, clad in golden armor after a hundred battles, vows not to return until Loulan is conquered? Ha..."

"But Loulan (Nine Netherworlds) has not been conquered, so where should I go from here?"

How can I appease the spirits of those fifty thousand brothers?

I am sorry for your sacrifices. It's all my fault, all caused by my negligence.

Brothers, if you have spirits in heaven and want revenge, come at me.

At that moment, he was completely heartbroken.

He wrapped his cloak around his trembling body and staggered into the main tent.

He glanced at the tactics, strategies, and post-war development plans for the Nine Netherworld on the table.

Shen Zhao gave another bitter laugh.

It's no longer needed, it's never needed again.

This life is yet another crushing defeat.

He felt utterly exhausted. When he closed his eyes, all he could see in his mind were images of the Iron Flame Army fighting bravely and relentlessly against the enemy.