Chapter 1: The Fall of the Zhouxia

Charles Bennett knew this was his final destiny in this world!

"When the barbarians have a ruler, it is still not as tragic as the fall of the Zhouxia." This is a line from the Analects. Charles Bennett had never imagined that, in this distant universe and time, the "Zhouxia" would truly "perish"!

And he himself was the last witness to this scene!

The sky was burning, the earth trembling, mountains and seas of corpses stretched endlessly, and the blood that flowed formed rivers. Charles Bennett could even see, all across the land, the thick, rising aura of death—that was the bodies of tens of millions of Zhouxia people lying prostrate!

And from all directions, countless foreign cavalry, vast as the sea, were slowly closing in.

No one knew where these foreign cavalry came from, nor why they relentlessly destroyed this world. All that was known was that ten years ago, these foreign cavalry, reeking of death, had appeared out of nowhere. And in just a few short years, they swept away all before them, destroying every empire!

With the arrival of these foreign cavalry, the entire land was thrown into spatial turmoil, the earth collapsed and was destroyed! Tens of thousands of living beings were reduced to bones!

And now, Charles Bennett was leading the last military force of this world!

In the center of this "ocean," Charles Bennett led the last army of the Divine Continent of the Central Plains, waiting for their final fate like duckweed adrift.

After so many years of hardship, Charles Bennett thought his heart had been tempered enough to be strong. But when this destined moment arrived, Charles Bennett still could not stop himself from trembling inside.

Sorrow, pain, and despair surged in his heart—not for himself, but for his brothers at his side, and for the ultimate fate of this Divine Continent, bound to him by blood!

"General, please forgive me for going ahead!"

"To have come this far is not your fault! General, you have done your best!"

"Do not grieve! We brothers have long been prepared for this. We have not shamed the Great Tang! To have accompanied you in this life, it has all been worth it!"

"General, let us meet again in another life!"

"Come on, you foreign bastards! Let us fight one more time! Hahaha..."

...

As one familiar figure after another rushed past him, letting out their final hearty laughter, they charged into the ocean of foreign troops ahead, as resolute and unhesitating as moths to a flame.

"Farewell, my dearest brothers. I will join you soon!"

Watching those figures fade away like midnight ephemerals, tears finally broke through in Charles Bennett's eyes, streaming down his face like rain.

Charles Bennett was not the original soul of this world. In fact, if not for an accident, he should still be in another time and space, enjoying sunshine and rain, living out his university days, and passing his life in peace.

But thirty years ago, a mysterious meteor suddenly appeared and brought him into this world—one somewhat similar to the Central Plains of the Great Tang in Chinese history, yet utterly different—where he became the fifteen-year-old son of a military family.

When he first arrived, he was rebellious and lost, feeling out of place with everything here, believing that none of it had anything to do with him.

But when a cataclysm swept across the land, and those he loved and those who loved him died one by one, Charles Bennett suddenly awakened and was filled with the will to fight!

Unfortunately, it was already too late.

In this world, Charles Bennett had been through so much. Over a decade of wandering and hardship had cost him the best years for cultivation. Only by a twist of fate, thanks to the military command skills he had honed in strategy games in his previous life, did he catch the attention of a few imperial elders.

They poured their vital energy into him, making him the last Grand Marshal of the empire in the midst of calamity, bearing the final hope of the Central Plains.

But alas, it was all too late. He had missed too much. Though he gave everything, he still failed!

Charles Bennett slowly closed his eyes, his heart filled with sorrow.

He was not afraid of death, but he could not die yet—he was still waiting. There was one person: if he did not kill him, even death would not bring peace!

He was the true culprit behind all of this! If not for him, the empire would never have fallen so low!

Charles Bennett hated!

Only blood could wash away the endless hatred in his heart!

But the other was too cunning, never showing himself easily, never giving Charles Bennett a chance. But this time, when he used himself as bait and appeared in this desperate valley, Charles Bennett knew he would not be able to resist showing up.

He had hidden for over thirty years, but this time, with total victory in sight, he would not hide any longer!

"Charles Bennett, give up. I have already spoken to the king. As long as you surrender, you will be spared!"

Suddenly, a voice called out from afar.

Behind the vast ranks of foreign cavalry, a plump, trembling figure cautiously poked out half his head. His gaze was full of pride, yet tinged with wariness and fear.