A thunderous rumble filled the air.
At that very moment, the roar grew closer. Violent winds swept across the airport as five Black Hawk helicopters descended from the sky, followed by hundreds of Paramount Marauders.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Before the five helicopters had even touched down, their doors slid open.
Five figures dropped through the air.
Thud!
A heavy impact sounded.
Five pairs of combat boots struck the ground together, sending fine cracks through the pavement.
All five men stood tall and imposing in their military uniforms. The Paramount Marauders had stopped in perfect formation as well. A thousand men in fitted black uniforms climbed out, each gripping the saber at his waist.
They marched into the airport in unison, their presence overwhelming. Even the ground shook beneath them.
In the passageway, the Zhou family stood stunned. Instinctively, they backed away, then farther still.
The thousand men halted five paces from Ye Bei.
The five at their head dropped abruptly to one knee.
"Gu Baitian, State-Defending Envoy of the Eastern Region."
"Nangong Yan, State-Pacifying Envoy of the Southern Region."
"Sheng Hu, State-Guarding Envoy of the Western Region."
"Luo Feng, State-Protecting Envoy of the Northern Region."
"Lü Zhongyuan, State-Securing Envoy of Central China."
"We pay our respects to the Hall Master."
"We pay our respects to the Hall Master!"
The thousand men echoed them, their voices rolling like thunder and soaring into the heavens.
Every gaze burned with resolve and devotion.
Ye Bei was the leader they revered like a god.
Under his command, the frontier had become impregnable. Not one of the neighboring nations dared take so much as half a step across the border.
Zhou Bosong's face drained of color. His pupils contracted, and his mouth fell open. He would never have dared imagine a sight like this, even in a dream.
In his years as family head, he had weathered plenty of storms. Yet this scene left him utterly speechless.
He did not recognize the five men, and he had never seen Ye Bei before. The head of a minor family had no access to people at their level.
More than seventy years of experience told him that today, he had likely offended someone of staggering importance.
Gu Baitian, Luo Feng, Sheng Hu, Nangong Yan, and Lü Zhongyuan.
They were the five War Gods who stood at the pinnacle of China. Each commanded a million soldiers, guarding the country's eastern, southern, western, northern, and central regions. Their achievements in battle were legendary. Their names alone struck fear into the neighboring nations.
Godslayer Hall.
That name made military commands around the world tremble.
Any who dared invade China would meet the fate its name promised. Even a god would be slain.
Today should have been the day the Hall Master was crowned king. Instead, he had suddenly announced that he was relinquishing his office and insisted on returning home. His subordinates could neither understand nor bear his departure.
"The five of you have abandoned your posts without permission..."
Though Ye Bei wore ordinary clothes, nothing could conceal his regal presence. His straight brows drew together slightly.
"We acknowledge our offense. Under the Hall's law, leaving our posts without permission is punishable by a thousand strokes of the military rod," the five answered in unison.
Ye Bei waved a hand. "I've relinquished my seal. Whether you're punished is no longer mine to decide."
"Hall Master!" Their eyes reddened.
To them, Ye Bei was more than the master of Godslayer Hall. He was their instructor, and the very faith that sustained every member of the Hall.
"Zhongyuan," Ye Bei said sharply.
Lü Zhongyuan, State-Securing Envoy of Central China, stepped forward and cupped his fist. "Here, sir."
"This man insulted one of Godslayer Hall's fallen soldiers." Ye Bei pointed casually at Zhou Yu on the floor. "Deal with him according to Hall law."
He had intended to handle Zhou Yu himself. Now that these men were here, there was no need for him to trouble himself over such a petty wretch.
"Yes, sir." Lü Zhongyuan turned his fierce gaze on Zhou Yu.
That single look sent Zhou Yu scrambling in terror. "H-Hall law?"
He had never even heard of Godslayer Hall, much less its laws. Whenever he got into trouble, he never so much as set foot in a police station.
"That's right." Lü Zhongyuan strode forward and hauled him up. "Under our law, anyone who insults the Hall's fallen soldiers is to be executed without mercy!"
"Executed without mercy!"
A thousand men drew their sabers at once and pointed the blades at Zhou Yu.
"G-Grandpa, save me!"
Zhou Yu wet himself on the spot. Trembling, he looked desperately at Zhou Bosong. Beating people, smashing up shops, drugging schoolgirls and carrying them away—no matter how outrageous his behavior, one phone call to his grandfather had always made the trouble disappear. That was why he had feared nothing in Jinghai.
Zhou Bosong was deathly pale, sweat pouring down his face. In a situation like this, how could a mere family head save him?
"Who exactly are you people?! If you dare hurt my grandson, I'll spend my family's entire fortune to make you pay!" Watching his grandson being taken away, Zhou Bosong roared with bloodshot eyes. He had only this one grandson.
The five War Gods exchanged smiles.
The last person who had dared threaten their Hall Master like that had done so three years ago.
He had been a Seven-Star War God from the Philippines, arrogant beyond measure and convinced that he was invincible. He had single-handedly killed hundreds of Chinese soldiers guarding the border. When Ye Bei arrived, he had boasted that he would break through their defenses.
The moment his right foot crossed the border, his head hit the ground before his foot did.
Without pausing, Ye Bei had crossed into the Philippines alone, Godslayer Saber in hand. He had beheaded eight War God commanders and slaughtered hundreds of thousands of soldiers.
Terrified out of his wits, the country's ruler had immediately submitted a declaration of surrender, sworn never to invade China again, and agreed to pay annual tribute in submission.
That battle had shaken the world.
"The Zhou family need not remain." With those six words, Ye Bei turned and left.
Lü Zhongyuan swept out an arm, and the black-clad men behind him seized the entire group.
After today, there would be no Zhou family in Jinghai.
Outside the airport, a Bentley waited at the curb.
"Sir, miss, it's too hot out here. Why don't you wait in the car?"
A driver in his fifties held an umbrella over the pair, sweat streaming down his forehead.
It was August, and the temperature outside was close to forty degrees Celsius. In almost twenty years of serving the Su family, he had never seen its patriarch personally welcome anyone like this.
"Exactly, Grandpa. Who is this person? Why do you have to go to all this trouble to pick them up?"
Beneath the umbrella, a graceful young woman pouted. Fine beads of sweat covered her exquisite face.
Even in a short dress, she was sweltering in the heat.
Her name was Su Jianxi. The old man beside her was her grandfather, Su Wanshan. He had told her the night before that she would accompany him to the airport to pick someone up.
She had done that with him before, but never with such ceremony—and certainly never by standing outside the car in the scorching heat.
"Grandpa, if you're not getting in, I am." Su Jianxi started to turn away.
"Don't you dare!"
Su Wanshan struck his cane hard against the ground with a dull thud.
"Grandpa..."
Her small lips pushed out again. "We've been waiting nearly forty minutes. Who could possibly be this important?"
"Forty minutes? Even if it takes a day, or three days, we will keep waiting!" Su Wanshan's tone permitted no argument.
Reluctant as she was, Su Jianxi dared not disobey him. Her dress was beginning to soak through, making her terribly uncomfortable. It was worst along her long, straight legs, where the sheer nude stockings clung to her sweat-damp skin.
All she wanted was to go home and soak in a hot bath.
"He's here."
Su Wanshan's voice trembled slightly, his right hand tightening around his cane.
Su Jianxi looked over—and stared in astonishment.
The airport exit was normally busy, but the crowds were always a hurried, disordered jumble.
Now a thousand men in identical uniforms were marching in perfect step.
Each footfall seemed to strike her heart like a hammer. Her breathing quickened instinctively, her heart pounding.
The sight was overwhelming.
Was this the person her grandfather had come to meet?