On the broad wooden walls of Qingmu City, $2he outermost edge was lined with grills of all sizes, sizzling with skewered meat that filled the air with an irresistible aroma—a feast fit for warriors before battle.

Li Mo held a skewer, squinting at the dark mass of clouds pressing toward the city.

The overwhelming tide of soldiers carried with it a savage, bloodthirsty aura, suffocating in its intensity.

Truth be told, Young Hero Li had never faced such a scene before—nervousness was inevitable. But the soldiers were all watching him now. In their eyes, he was the beacon of their hope for victory...

He had to step up!

"Come on, eat up, drink up!"

"No need to worry, everyone. Those attacking the city are just my defeated foes!"

Li Mo took a bite of his skewer.

The soldiers didn’t quite understand what was happening, but since Young Hero Li had joined them on the front lines, sharing their fate, why should they hesitate?

"Damn it, if we die, we die! With Young Hero Li here, what’s there to fear?"

"Hahaha, even if we end up wrapped in horsehide later, we shouldn’t face the King of Hell on an empty stomach!"

And so, though their hearts trembled with tension, the soldiers followed the plan, eating their barbecue with feigned calm.

Wu Lang narrowed his eyes at the army below, biting down hard on his skewer:

"I wonder how much time Young Hero Li’s plan can buy us."

Qu Sheng exhaled slowly:

"Every moment counts. Even half an hour is better than nothing."

"As long as the enemy isn’t reckless—any commander with half a brain would hesitate at this sight."

If he were leading the siege and saw the city gates wide open, completely unguarded, he too would pause, gather his officers, and debate the reason behind such a move.

This wasn’t a retreat—it was a stalling tactic.

He was prepared for the enemy to see through it. The gates could be shut at any moment.

Qingmu City only looked defenseless—it wasn’t truly so.

"I’ll do my best to prolong the effect of this strategy."

At that moment, the genius strategist Young Hero Li slowly stood up.

The officers turned to him.

Qu Sheng asked, "How do we prolong it?"

Li Mo picked up another skewer, wearing a profound smile:

"Actually... I’m an actor."

"The winner of the first Golden Statue Award for Best Actor—yours truly!"

"!"

Qu Sheng and the other officers had no idea what this award was—they’d never heard of it.

But Young Hero Li was a modest man. Even after making the Hidden Dragon Ranking, he never boasted about his titles.

Now, however, he spoke of this "Golden Statue Award" with such gravity...

It had to be prestigious.

It sounded impressive as hell.

Meanwhile, below the city walls...

"What’s that smell? So damn good!"

"Wait—barbecue? Do they not know we’re here to attack? How dare they feast like this!"

"Damn it, what are they grilling? Why does it smell so amazing?"

"Could it be... they’re trying to starve us to death with envy?"

"The gates are open—if we charge in now, Qingmu City is ours!"

A wave of murmurs rolled through the enemy ranks like thunder, uncertainty spreading like wildfire.

Especially around Han Zhen, where the disaster-beast-possessed warlocks roared and snarled, itching to rush into the city and feast.

"Silence! I haven’t given the order yet."

Han Zhen’s deep voice cut through the noise.

The warlocks fell quiet, suppressing their bloodlust as they turned to him.

"Grand Sorcerer, why not let us charge? This is a gift from the heavens!"

"Hmph."

Han Zhen snorted coldly.

The Beast Hall leader pondered for a moment before saying:

"Qingmu City isn’t blind or deaf—they must have received word of our approach. Even if they hadn’t, as the deepest stronghold in the southern pass, they’d never be this lax."

"Qu Sheng, the city’s commander—I’ve fought him before. He’s strict, a tough opponent."

"He would fight to the death. So why are the gates wide open? Could it be... a trap?"

Helian Wu’s eyes flickered with unease.

Their thoughts mirrored Han Zhen’s own.

Over a hundred thousand soldiers, countless disaster-beasts at their backs—once the city fell, not a blade of grass would remain.

Yet after their long march, Qingmu City wasn’t barricaded, its defenders weren’t trembling in fear...

They were just... eating?

How could they eat at a time like this?

And so deliciously? It was making them drool!

Something was wrong.

Extremely wrong.

"So... what do we do now?"

The wind-possessed warlock wiped drool from his lips.

"We should first—"

"Oi, old bastard!"

Before Han Zhen could finish, a cheerful voice rang out from above the walls.

Han Zhen: "?"

Stepping onto the battlements was none other than the first-ever Golden Statue Award winner for Best Actor!

Li Mo held a skewer, his expression utterly relaxed, even amused as he looked down at the army below.

"I spared your life last time. Knowing I’m here, you still came to throw it away?"

"Care to step out and fight me for three hundred rounds?"

"..."

Han Zhen’s eyelid twitched.

Yet another unexpected twist.

A wise man avoids standing under a crumbling wall—Li Mo had to know this siege was aimed at him.

Yet instead of hiding, he stood openly on the walls?

And he was pointing at them... with a skewer?

"Come at me!"

"Today, I’ll make sure you taste steel—white in, green out! Straight through your gallbladder!"

"Then white in, yellow out! Right into your guts!"

"!"

A collective gasp swept through the army—so strong it diluted the scent of barbecue. Their curiosity only grew: What kind of sauce was on that meat?

The disaster-beast warlocks recoiled in shock.

The Grand Sorcerer of the Great Shang Dynasty.

A former seventh-realm expert, a master of profound mysteries.

At his peak, even kings treated him with reverence. Yet now, this brat was pointing at him, taunting him to his face!

Though Han Zhen prided himself on his composure, his face darkened. His caution held him back from ordering the attack, but he couldn’t resist retorting:

"You—"

"Not really in the mood for your barking."

Li Mo turned his back on them.

"??!"

The kid had the audacity to turn around after provoking them?

Insult him, then cut him off?

And in the middle of a battlefield, he just... faced away, treating a hundred thousand soldiers like they were nothing?

Were they invisible?

Were they even human to him?

"Li Mo just... turned his back on us?"

The Beast Hall leader’s eyes widened. He couldn’t make sense of this act.

"Grand Sorcerer, he—he insulted you!" Helian Wu exclaimed.

Han Zhen trembled with barely contained fury.

If it were anyone else, he might have let it slide. But this was his mortal enemy—the man who had cost him the Blood Phoenix Essence.

Could he endure this?

...Actually, yes.

The more outrageous Li Mo’s behavior, the more Han Zhen sensed a trap.

When Li Mo's strike that day didn't land on him but instead shattered the secret realm with a feint, he knew this kid was no brainless fool.

Suppressing his fury, Han Zhen commanded in a thunderous voice:

"That insolent brat is deliberately trying to provoke me into ordering an assault on the city—just to walk right into his trap."

"There must be an ambush lying in wait within those walls."

"Scout ahead first. Gather intel!"

As he spoke, Han Zhen glanced at the figure beside him—a middle-aged man shrouded entirely in black raven feathers, his pupils crimson.

The raven-feathered man gave a slight nod, and the feathers covering his body transformed into countless black crows. With a flurry of wings, hundreds of them took flight, swarming toward the city.

But he wasn’t the only one.

Several avian calamity beasts also unleashed their bloodline abilities, scouting Qingmu City from every angle.

On the city walls, Li Mo frowned.

The scale of reconnaissance was greater than he’d anticipated.

As expected, the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands—a world brimming with mystical power—was nothing like the one in his past life...