It's alright, I'm here.

The skies above Juntun County.

On one side was an endless gray fog that seemed to threaten to engulf the heavens and the earth.

On one side is a mysterious figure so small that it can only be seen as a gray dot.

The two eventually came into contact, and the "gray dot" merged directly into the thick fog, disappearing from the sight of the city's residents.

In the thick fog.

Shen Gui landed back on the ground and headed north.

The mist tried to envelop him, but before it could even touch his robes, it contracted abruptly, as if encountering a natural enemy, and rolled up layer by layer.

Shen Gui continued walking forward, the mist remaining a foot away from him, refusing to get any closer.

As they drew closer to the camp, sounds began to emerge from the fog.

"Check the license plate!"

Shen Gui didn't stop.

"Register for camp!"

An unseen spear swept across from the mist, its tip shapeless, exuding only the chilling aura of an army.

When it reached within ten feet of Shen Gui, the spear's momentum stopped, as if the iron spear had been pinched by two fingers and bent down inch by inch.

The military boot prints were momentarily disordered in the fog, but quickly returned to their neat order.

"Those who obstruct the way shall be executed."

"Those who desert their posts shall be executed."

"Anyone who leaves without permission will be executed."

Military orders emerged from the fog, and the number of footprints in front of them increased, stretching densely all the way into the camp.

Shen Gui glanced up and continued walking. The footprints on both sides were pushed aside and turned by the Yuan Qi, and the toes of his boots tilted to the left and right, creating a path without footprints.

As Shen Gui stepped into the tent, all the footprints behind him disappeared, and a shout rang out from the mist: "Patrol complete, return to tent." This signified that the rules of the Fiend Realm had entered the next stage.

"After returning to their tents from the night patrol, they each tidied up."

The officer's voice rang out, emphasizing that he would carry out his duties punctually.

Shen Gui's gaze kept shifting after he entered the military tent.

He could see soldiers moving around in the camp, and he could see a centurion calling for them to return to camp in the distance.

Shen Gui seemed to have returned to four hundred years ago, to the days when he led his men across the battlefield.

If possible, Shen Gui would like to chat with them for a bit and say hello.

But now the soldiers in the camp are not even remnants of ghosts; they are merely obsessions drawn out by the evil realm.

"What obsession makes you unwilling to let go even in death?"

Shen Gui asked softly.

No one answered; all that followed was another military order: "Roll call!"

"Shen..."

He only uttered one word.

The moment that word was uttered, the entire fog suddenly became still, not even rolling.

This cursed realm is like encountering an event outside of logic; the established rules of operation are stuck at this moment, and no one knows what to do.

The footprints stopped, the military orders stopped, even the wind in the fog stopped.

But all of this didn't last long.

Three breaths later, the ground suddenly shook!

"Clang!"

That's the sound of weapons hitting the ground.

"Bang!"

This is the sound of countless soldiers kneeling.

Kneeplates slammed to the ground, spears stood upright, and scabbards pressed into the mud. Sounds surged from all directions, spreading outwards layer by layer, and even the walls of Juntun County trembled slightly.

They are dead, but they still remember their king.

A hoarse voice came from the fog first.

"Zhao Zhuo, commander of the Seventh Divine Armor Battalion, greets Your Majesty. May Your Majesty be well!"

As soon as the words were spoken, someone else chimed in.

"Pei Dingshan, Captain of the Seventh Divine Armor Battalion, pays his respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty be well!"

"Li Youfu, the leader of the Seventh Divine Armor Battalion, greets Your Majesty. May Your Majesty be well!"

"Chen Danian, Deputy Commander of the Seventh Divine Armor Battalion, pays his respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty be well!"

"Han Shouyi, the standard-bearer of the Seventh Divine Armor Battalion, pays his respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty be well!"

One sound after another.

Some were old, some were young, some had hoarse voices, and some even had local accents.

Following the original military order, officers reported one by one, without any confusion.

They lack the capacity for thought; all their actions are instincts ingrained in their very bones, instincts they will never forget, even in death.

Shen Gui stopped and stood amidst the dense fog and the sound of kneeling, remaining silent for a long time.

He couldn't see their faces, but he could see their densely packed backs and military flags bowing low in the fog.

After a long while, he finally said, "Rise."

As the words fell, no one in the fog rose, and the sounds of those kneeling became even quieter.

A voice trembled as someone spoke, his words unfinished: "Your Majesty, this humble general has not received the order to withdraw the troops and dares not return home."

Someone else said, "Your Majesty, the roll call in the camp is not yet complete, and the brothers dare not disperse."

Shen Gui looked into the depths of the gray fog.

He said, "It's alright, I'm here."

Suddenly, a crying sound arose from the fog.

There were no shouts or howls; many young men lowered their heads, enduring it again and again, but in the end, they couldn't hold back any longer.

There is an ironclad order in the army: no crying is allowed on the battlefield.

But they are already dead.

……

Outside the white tent.

The wine bowl in Zhang Shilang's hand stopped in mid-air.

He spilled half the wine in his bowl, but he didn't care.

The old soldier, his eyes glazed over from drunkenness, muttered, "What's all the commotion in the camp? What emperor are you talking about?"

Wu Huaiyi sat on the muddy ground, the effects of the alcohol completely washed away by the sound of people kneeling.

They were already waiting to die.

After drinking and talking, another charge would likely finish off the four of them.

As a result, the drums in the fog stopped first, then the army knelt down, and then everywhere there were shouts of "Your Majesty, may you live in peace."

The adjutant slapped his head hard: "What do you mean? The emperor is here?"

Vice Minister Zhang's face was also flushed with alcohol, but his tone was quite clear:

"The Emperor can't catch up in Chengtian Prefecture, and besides, given His Majesty's temperament, even if he could, would he dare to venture into the fog?"

After Zhang finished speaking, he scoffed at himself.

He said that it was very disrespectful, but he was about to die, so the difference between being very respectful and not being very respectful didn't really matter.

He picked up the wine jar again and filled it up: "Don't think about the logic of the Sha Realm. If you can't figure it out, just drink. Every extra sip is a bonus."

The four broken bowls met again.

Before the wine even touched his lips, the ground suddenly shook again.

This time it was a standing up, with thousands of military boots rising and falling simultaneously.

The gray fog churned, and the footprints on the ground converged from all directions, bowing and making way in the same direction.

"There's someone in the fog!!!"

Vice Minister Zhang suddenly stood up, and most of the smell of alcohol dissipated from his body.

The lieutenant instinctively gripped the broken spear, and the old soldier also struggled to his feet.

All four looked into the depths of the fog.

In the thick fog, the silhouette of a person could indeed be seen.

The face was obscured; all that could be discerned was that the person was wearing a long robe, was somewhat thin, and was walking slowly.

Behind him were the imprints of military boots.

The footprints were densely packed in the fog, always half a step behind, as if the entire old camp was following behind that person, protecting and escorting him.

Vice Minister Zhang frowned, stood up, and took a step forward, wanting to see more clearly.

As soon as he moved, countless footprints suddenly appeared beside him, blocking his path.

Zhang Shilang's expression changed, and he raised his hand to block, but was blocked by an invisible military formation and was pushed backward.

The four of them were pushed along until they reached a hundred meters before slowly coming to a stop. When they looked up, the gray-clad figure was no longer visible, only a series of footprints remained in front of them.

These soldiers didn't leave. Without a doubt, if the four of them dared to take a step forward, they would be met with an attack that was many times stronger than the previous three waves.

The adjutant gasped for breath: "Is this an illusion from within the cursed realm?"

Zhang Shilang did not answer because he was unsure and could not answer. Then he turned his head and saw Wu Huaiyi trembling beside him.

At this moment, Wu Huaiyi's mind was filled with the old files that Su He had read in Xun Jin Si back then.

The emperor reigned for a hundred years, and his everyday clothes gradually became more and more gray. His appearance remained unchanged even at the age of twenty.

There is also a portrait of Yanzu drawn by Suhe himself.

Wu Huaiyi once scolded Su He, saying that it was all nonsense and that he was delusional.

But just now...

The entire army of the Shajing knelt down, calling out "Your Majesty!"

The silhouette of the person walking ahead bore an uncanny resemblance to the figure Su He had drawn on the paper...

Wu Huaiyi was no longer drunk. He pushed himself up from the muddy ground, his eyes still fixed on the spot where the figure had disappeared.

He opened his mouth, but no words came out the first time. Only on the second try did he finally utter a very faint question.

"Did you see it clearly?"

The lieutenant general frowned: "See clearly what?"

Wu Huaiyi raised his hand, pointing into the depths of the fog, his fingertips trembling violently.

"Were the person's clothes stained gray by the mist?"

"still..."

"Were you originally wearing gray clothes?"