**Chapter 253: The Truth**
Xia Feng had heard of White Emperor City before. According to the officially disclosed “Eight Great Legions Campaign Records,” during the unprecedentedly large-scale Great Battle in the White Egret Sea Area thirty years ago, White Emperor City, which served as the central fortress to block the Nightmare Clan Army, rebelled!
Over a hundred thousand troops were stationed in and around White Emperor City. It was precisely because this vast and elite force defected that the White Egret Campaign, which had a chance of victory, ended in a crushing defeat. With White Emperor City falling, the Nightmare Clan Army advanced south like a broken bamboo, and the Imperial Legions retreated to the Area 50 border.
To prevent the White Egret Sea Area from falling into the hands of the Nightmare Clan and posing a greater threat to the Empire’s north, the Empire was forced to deploy the “Imperial Heart” to strike the White Egret Sea Area with destructive force! This ultimately caused the spacetime turbulence in the White Egret Sea Area to enter an extremely berserk state, making it impossible for any life to survive. The Nightmare Clan Army was thus forced to abandon the large swathes of sea territory they had occupied and retreat back to the Nightmare Realm. This brought an end to the White Egret Campaign, which had thrown the Empire into a state of panic.
This was the largest-scale, deadliest, and quickest concluded campaign in nearly a thousand years. In previous times, a campaign of medium or larger scale would not cease without decades or even centuries of fighting. The White Egret Campaign, from its inception to its conclusion, lasted only two years. It was precisely because of this unique characteristic that it was included in textbooks over twenty years ago.
Xia Feng had naturally studied this aspect of Imperial history. The White Emperor Incident, as the turning point of the entire campaign, was infamous and universally condemned. Wei Zhong, as the city lord of White Emperor City at the time, had his name directly nailed to the Empire’s pillar of shame. Periodically, netizens would drag him out and curse his ancestors for eighteen generations. Unfortunately, the ten thousand troops who rebelled were annihilated by the “Imperial Heart” all at once, with no survivors, making it impossible for them to be tried in a military court and receive their due judgment.
“So, what does White Emperor City have to do with the Garden?” Xia Feng frowned, looking at the helmeted man and asking in confusion, “These two events happened thirty years apart, didn’t they?”
Hearing Xia Feng’s sudden question again, the helmeted man was startled, then quickly reacted, his pupils contracting sharply. “You can read minds?!” He hastily reined in his scattered thoughts. This black-robed K-Masked Man in front of him was very dangerous, not only able to move freely in this environment but also possessing the ability to forcibly read minds. Any abilities related to the spirit and mind were not simple. Although the helmeted man was a true fifth-stage expert, he dared not act rashly in the face of such an eerie K-Masked Man, especially since he was already severely injured.
Xia Feng smiled and was about to ask something else when he suddenly looked up towards the depths of the forest as if sensing something. Through the bronze Eye of Deconstruction, in a black and white vision deconstructed into scattered lines, he saw a squad of over twenty people. They were covered head to toe in black, tattered armor, with long sabers stained with bloody gore hanging from their waists, rapidly charging towards them. Behind the armored squad surged over a hundred Nightmare Beasts of various forms, most of them with white fur and faces with multiple pupils, their features more or less covered with crimson scales.
The speed of the armored squad visibly slowed as they were surrounded by a swarm of Nightmare Beasts. Without communication, they quickly shifted formations, their combat boots kicking up dust. The twenty people scattered like flowing light, drawing their sabers and stirring up bloody shadows, causing the Nightmare Beast horde to panic momentarily. However, the sheer number of Nightmare Beasts was too great. The stronger Nightmare Beasts behind them stomped over the corpses of their companions and lunged at an armored warrior, biting his neck, causing blood vessels to spray. The armored warrior’s full-face helmet shattered as a result, revealing the face of an old man with white hair inside. Several more warriors fell. Their armor was bitten through, and their withered, hunched bodies, without even needing the attack of the Nightmare Beasts, were already swallowed by the terrifying Calamity Force, undergoing irreversible decay and transformation. In the end, amidst desperate roars, they begged their comrades to end their lives, sending them on their final journey.
At the same time, Xia Feng and the other two were rapidly approaching. The helmeted man took the lead, charging into the fray and blocking a Nightmare Beast’s attack for a warrior. Among the armored contingent, a tall figure wearing red armor turned around and noticed the sudden appearance of Xia Feng and the other two. He was clearly startled, and his hoarse voice asked with some surprise, “You are humans?” Combat left no room for distraction, and without an answer, he plunged back into the battle.
Xia Feng thought for a moment and followed closely behind. Although he didn’t know what force these armored warriors belonged to, he couldn’t worry about that now. He would help them eliminate the Nightmare Beasts first. Stepping forward, the K-Masked Man rampaged on the battlefield, severing one Nightmare Beast head after another. Judging by their Spirit Pressure, half of these old soldiers were fourth-stage Spirit Masters, but unfortunately, their physical condition was too poor. Xia Feng, though only third-stage, possessed fourth-stage strength and was unaffected by the Calamity Force environment. He fought as if divinely aided, cutting a swathe through the battlefield.
Although Miss Mu had been kissing him every day this month, which was absurd, her progress in improving his strength had not stagnated. Both his Strength Value and Spirit Pressure state had increased significantly. Xia Feng stretched his muscles, feeling even more invigorated. Holding his bloodstained saber, his black robe fluttering, he finally looked at the mountain of Nightmare Beast corpses piled at his feet, the battlefield awash in flowing blood, and felt a sense of soaring heroism. He still wanted to fight a hundred more!
The old soldiers in armor looked up at the center of the battlefield, at the K-Masked Man atop the pile of corpses. In less than half a minute, all the Nightmare Beasts were dead. Their eyes, mixed with astonishment, held confusion. The old soldier wearing red armor slowly stepped forward and cupped his fist in thanks. These people seemed to be men of few words. After a two-second silence, the red-armored old soldier said in a deep voice, “Judging by your swordsmanship, you seem to be from the military?” The helmeted man’s brown eyes were impassive, and he nodded, cupping his fist. “Lin Musen, Level Five Seasonal Envoy, subordinate to Yin Dragon Walker of the Imperial Fourth Pillar, Yin Dragon Legion.”
Xia Feng and Mu Qingtong did not speak. Strictly speaking, both of them could be considered military personnel, but they belonged to the Holy Department. Seeing that the two black-robed figures wearing poker masks remained silent, the red-armored old soldier didn’t mind. He took a deep breath and then, his voice trembling slightly, asked earnestly, “You are from outside the island. Can you tell us about the current battle situation? Have we driven the Nightmare Clan out of the White Egret Sea Area?”
“Driven out?” Lin Musen frowned and asked in a deep voice, confused, “The Nightmare Clan was driven out of the White Egret Sea Area long ago, senior. What do you mean by that question?”
“Hmm?” The red-armored old soldier’s expression froze. The old soldiers behind him also sprang up, their withered, dark eyes suddenly lighting up with a gleam, like a ray of dawn in the abyss. They trembled with excitement and said in unison, “Y-you mean to say, the Empire won?”
“It wasn’t a victory, we just repelled the Nightmare Clan,” Lin Musen replied.
“That’s fine too, that’s fine too!” They sighed in relief and slumped to the ground, lifting their masks to reveal their aged faces. Though thin as withered branches, their faces were radiant as they laughed heartily. “By the way, little ones, when did the campaign end? A month ago? Or two months ago?”
Seeing this situation, Xia Feng and Mu Qingtong couldn’t help but exchange glances, a not-so-good guess forming in their hearts. The helmeted man’s brown eyes showed a hint of doubt as he scanned his surroundings. Seeing everyone looking at him expectantly, he paused, then spoke four words in a deep voice: “Thirty years ago.”
