73: Chapter 73 A Forceful Seizure of Power, Taking Over the Army

Xuangui Island resembled a giant tortoise lying in the Black Sea.

Its back rose high, and the surrounding waters were filled with jagged reefs.

The tide surged through the crevices of the reefs, emitting a low, mournful wail.

When Lu Changyuan arrived, there was no welcoming party on the island.

Only a line of exhausted garrison troops stood at the Outer Port.

Their armor varied greatly.

Some wore the standard leather armor of the Zhao Clan.

Others wore the short armor of the old Li Clan ship guards.

Many more Loose Cultivators simply wore temporary military tags on their chests.

Looking at the five thousand mixed garrison troops from the Outer Port, one could immediately see the chaos.

The flags were mismatched.

The armor was mismatched.

The gazes were unfocused.

Some were numb.

Some were angry.

Some even revealed a hint of greed in their eyes when they saw the fifty Sword Ray Cavalry behind Lu Changyuan.

Lu Hu lowered his voice.

"This place doesn't look like a military camp; it looks like a black market on the verge of collapse."

Lu Changyuan did not refute this.

In the supply shed next to the Outer Port, several crates of purification powder were soaked by the rain.

The seals had peeled off.

Yet no one cared.

Further away, in the direction of Warehouse No. 3, a layer of grey-black mist flowed along the ground.

That aura was very faint.

So faint that an ordinary Qi Refining Cultivator might not notice it.

But Lu Changyuan had already caught a whiff of something rot-sweet.

This was the scent of something corrupted by foul Array Patterns.

Xuangui Island was in an even worse state than the sand table had indicated.

A Zhao Clan deacon stepped forward.

He glanced at the military tag at Lu Changyuan's waist and gave a shallow bow.

"Deputy Envoy Lu, Elder Zhao is currently inspecting military supplies at the Central Military Drill Ground."

"Please follow me."

"Inspecting military supplies?"

Lu Hu sneered.

"The purification powder at the Outer Port is almost ruined by the rain, what exactly is he inspecting?"

The deacon's expression stiffened.

"There are many trivial matters during wartime, Commander Lu, mind your words."

Lu Hu stepped forward half a pace.

The Purple Lightning Seahorse neighed softly.

The deacon immediately retreated half a step.

Lu Changyuan said, "Lead the way."

The drill ground on Xuangui Island was located at the highest point of the island's back.

There should have been Formation pillars around the drill ground.

But as Lu Changyuan walked, he had already seen seven pillars; two were broken, three had dim spiritual patterns, and the remaining two were temporarily bound with talismans from other clans, looking like holes plugged with rags.

In the center of the drill ground, Commander Zhao Lingyue was sitting on a large animal-hide chair.

His hair and beard were grey, and his frame was tall and thin.

He made no attempt to conceal his False Core aura.

Behind him stood over twenty of his trusted Zhao Clan aides.

Beside him was a pile of Storage Pouches.

The openings were sealed tightly.

Yet the bitter scent of purification powder leaked out from within.

With one sweep of his gaze, Lu Changyuan knew that these did not contain personal items.

They were military supplies.

Commander Zhao Lingyue raised his eyes to look at him.

"You are Lu Changyuan?"

Lu Changyuan took out the transfer order.

"Zhenhai Military Warehouse order."

"Effective immediately, the purification powder, Evil-warding Talismans, evil-suppressing materials, medicinal supplies, and Array foundation consumables on Xuangui Island are under my temporary jurisdiction."

"Commander Zhao Lingyue, hand over the supply ledgers, the garrison roster, and the Warehouse No. 3 Formation key."

The drill ground instantly fell silent.

Commander Zhao Lingyue did not take the transfer order.

He looked at Lu Changyuan and slowly smiled.

"A Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Cultivator, and you want to take over my island?"

"Your Lu Clan people are becoming bolder and bolder."

Lu Changyuan said, "I am not taking over your island."

"I am taking over the logistics hub of the Zhenhai Army."

The smile on Commander Zhao Lingyue's face faded.

"Xuangui Island has been defended for half a month, and the people who died were from the Zhao and Li Clans."

"Now you come with fifty cavalrymen, holding a military warehouse order, and want to reap the rewards?"

He raised his hand and pointed at the cavalry behind Lu Changyuan.

"Men."

"The Sword Ray Cavalry shall temporarily be under the command of the Xuangui Island Central Army."

"All mounts, light armor, and Evil-warding Talismans are to be stored and inspected first."

Lu Hu's blade unsheathed by half an inch.

The fifty cavalrymen moved in unison.

Electrical light flared beneath the hooves of the Purple Lightning Seahorses.

The Zhao Clan aides also drew their Magical Artifacts.

The breathing of the garrison troops around the drill ground quickened.

Some stepped back.

Others had gleaming eyes.

They wanted to see how the new Deputy Envoy would lose face.

And they wanted to see if Commander Zhao Lingyue could really swallow this seemingly elite cavalry unit.

Lu Changyuan did not draw his sword.

He only looked at the Storage Pouches behind Commander Zhao Lingyue.

"Elder Zhao."

"The Warehouse No. 3 Array Patterns have lost connection, yet you do not investigate the warehouse door."

"The purification powder at the Outer Port is damp, yet you do not replace the seals."

"The front line is urging for purification supplies, yet you do not dispatch ships."

"Instead, you are packing military supplies into Storage Pouches here at the drill ground."

Commander Zhao Lingyue's eyes turned cold.

"Are you accusing me of embezzlement?"

Lu Changyuan said, "I am saying you are disobeying orders."

Commander Zhao Lingyue stood up.

His False Core pressure spread out.

The Loose Cultivator garrison troops on the drill ground turned pale.

Lu Hu's shoulders sank, but he did not retreat.

Lu Changyuan's sleeves were pressed against his arms.

He remained standing.

Commander Zhao Lingyue walked down the high platform step by step.

"Young man, there are some accounts that you are not qualified to audit."

"And there are some islands that you are not qualified to take over."

"Superintendent Mu Yunshang gave you a token to run errands, not for you to come and teach me how to do things."

He raised his hand.

A bronze tortoise-shell Magic Treasure flew out from his sleeve.

The tortoise shell expanded in the wind, and heavy spiritual patterns emerged on its surface.

The False Core magic power made the air feel stifling.

Commander Zhao Lingyue said coldly, "Disarm them."

Lu Changyuan finally looked up at the sky.

"Ninth Great Aunt."

As the two words fell.

A purple sword light cut through the clouds.

There was no warning.

No announcement.

Lu Qingyao descended from the sword light.

Her deputy general armor was still stained with wet blood, and the armor on her right shoulder was cracked.

But when she landed in the center of the drill ground, the entire Xuangui Island felt as if it had been pinned down by a sword.

Commander Zhao Lingyue's expression changed drastically.

"Lu Qingyao?"

Lu Qingyao didn't even look at the aides behind him.

She only looked at the bronze tortoise shell.

"You refused the Zhenhai Military Warehouse transfer order."

"You ignored the front-line logistics military order."

"And you even want to disarm the reinforcements."

She took a step forward.

The Golden Core pressure crashed down.

Commander Zhao Lingyue's tortoise-shell Magic Treasure suddenly sank.

The spiritual patterns on the shell's surface lit up layer by layer, then shattered layer by layer.

Commander Zhao Lingyue shouted, "Lu Qingyao, I am the Zhao Clan's garrison Elder. The Xuangui Island garrison military tally is in my hands. Do you dare to overstep your authority?"

Lu Qingyao raised her hand.

A slap landed.

The bronze tortoise shell exploded on the spot.

Fragments scattered and embedded themselves into the stone floor of the drill ground.

Commander Zhao Lingyue was slapped down to his knees, and the stone slab beneath him cracked like a spiderweb.

All sound on the drill ground ceased.

Lu Qingyao walked up to him.

"It is currently wartime."

"Zhenhai military orders take precedence over your Zhao Clan's face."

Blood spilled from the corner of Commander Zhao Lingyue's mouth, and he still tried to look up.

Lu Qingyao stepped on his shoulder.

"The military tally."

Commander Zhao Lingyue gritted his teeth.

Lu Qingyao exerted a little force with her foot.

The sound of bone cracking rang out.

Some of the Zhao Clan aides wanted to move.

Lu Hu's blade was fully unsheathed.

The fifty Sword Ray Cavalry split into two wings, and the Purple Lightning Seahorses stepped forward in unison.

They were few in number.

But under Lu Qingyao's pressure, these fifty cavalrymen were like a row of blades pressed against everyone's throats.

Commander Zhao Lingyue finally took out a black copper military tally from his robes.

Lu Qingyao snatched it from the air, didn't even look at it, and threw it directly to Lu Changyuan.

The military tally felt heavy in his hand.

Inside, it held the wartime Formation register for the five thousand garrison troops of Xuangui Island.

Holding the military tally, Lu Changyuan could feel countless chaotic Qi auras clashing within it.

Defiance.

Resentment.

Hunger and fatigue.

And military morale on the verge of collapse.

Lu Qingyao turned to look at him.

"Half an hour is almost up."

"I still need to return to the Meteor Trench."

Lu Changyuan nodded.

"I will handle the rest."

Lu Qingyao swept her gaze over the drill ground.

Those garrison troops who were originally watching the spectacle all lowered their heads.

Her voice spread across the entire field.

"Effective immediately, the Xuangui Island garrison troops are under the command of Lu Changyuan."

"Anyone who refuses will be dealt with for wartime insubordination."

"Commander Zhao Lingyue and his aides are to be detained in the Formation prison, and the ledgers are to be sealed."

No one dared to object.

Lu Qingyao did not stay any longer.

The sword light rose again.

Before she left, her voice fell into Lu Changyuan's ear.

"I have given you the military authority."

"But the defensive Formation of this island has been riddled with holes by this group of idiots from the Zhao Clan."

"You must be careful, not just of the demon tide outside."

The purple light broke through the sky and departed.

The pressure on the drill ground suddenly eased.

Many people finally dared to breathe.

Lu Changyuan did not rush to issue orders.

He first walked to the pile of Storage Pouches and raised his hand to break open the first one.

purification powder rolled onto the ground.

The second one.

Evil-suppressing sand.

The third one.

Medicinal supplies.

With every one opened, the eyes of the garrison troops on the drill ground changed.

Anger welled up from beneath the numbness.

Lu Changyuan looked at them.

"These items should have been distributed to you."

"And they should have been sent to the front line."

He raised his hand and pointed out all of Commander Zhao Lingyue's aides to Lu Hu.

"Disarm them."

"Seal the Storage Pouches."

"Guard Warehouse No. 3."

Lu Hu responded.

"Yes."

Lu Changyuan held the military tally and walked onto the high platform.

The five thousand mixed garrison troops below finally truly set their sights on him.

No longer just looking at an outsider who came to reap rewards.

But looking at a new commanding officer who held the military tally, carried the military warehouse transfer order, and had a Golden Core senior backing him.

Lu Changyuan said, "From now on, there is no distinction between the Zhao Clan, Li Clan, Loose Cultivators, or ship guards on Xuangui Island."

"Only three categories."

"Those who can guard the Formation, take your positions."

"Those who can carry goods, go to the warehouse."

"Those who can repair the Formation, come with me to the Array foundations."

"Whoever withholds another crate of purification supplies, I will behead."

"Whoever can deliver the supplies to where they belong, I will record their military merit."

There were no cheers on the drill ground.

Only silence.

But this silence was different from before.

Before, it was scattered.

Now, it was waiting.

Waiting to see if this new Deputy Envoy Lu could truly deliver on his words.

Just then, a muffled sound came from the direction of Warehouse No. 3.

Grey-black mist spewed out from the cracks of the warehouse door.

A warehouse guard Cultivator stumbled onto the drill ground.

"It's bad!"

"The Formation door of Warehouse No. 3 has been corroded from the inside!"

"The evil-suppressing sand and purification powder inside are all emitting black gas!"

Lu Changyuan's eyes darkened.

The military authority had been obtained.

But the true rotten hole of Xuangui Island had only just been revealed.