The dust hanging over the parade ground had not yet fully settled. The air still thundered with the lingering whistle of piercing crossbow bolts and the explosive echoes of fist qi, mixed with the heavy breathing and suppressed groans of the soldiers.
Nearly a thousand pairs of eyes, carrying a terror that had not yet faded and a bone-deep reverence, were nailed to the towering figure standing in the center of the field.
Qin Lie stood alone amidst the wreckage. At his feet lay twisted fragments of crossbow bolts and heavy stone locks deeply embedded in the ground; all around him were elite soldiers sprawled in disarray, struggling to climb back to their feet.
Chapter 189