95: Three years later, the demon army pressed in!

In the blink of an eye, three years had passed.

Over these three years, under Chen Xu's iron fist and the benevolent rule of the new emperor, Qin Zhe, the Great Feng Dynasty was no longer the tattered mess it once was.

Within the capital, merchants came and went, and traffic flowed like a river.

The common people, who had been displaced by war, now wore stable smiles on their faces.

In the teahouses in the streets and alleys, the storytellers' favorite tales were no longer the romantic exploits of princes and generals.

Instead, they spoke of the elusive Imperial Preceptor, who, three years prior, had turned the tide at the Heaven-Reaching Altar, saving an entire city's population.

Whenever the story reached the part where the Imperial Preceptor settled the world with a single sword stroke, deposing Prince Yu and establishing the new emperor, the audience below would applaud enthusiastically.

They were filled with awe and gratitude for the Imperial Preceptor they had never met.

And the Chen Family, too, during these three years,

had completely grown into an unshakeable towering tree of the Great Feng Dynasty.

Chen Daoxuan and other Chen Family disciples held high positions, yet remained incorruptible and self-disciplined.

They managed the imperial court with meticulous order.

Within the Family, the population flourished; Bu Yifan, Su Xiaoyue, and several other wives and concubines had given birth to several Qilin children for Chen Xu over the three years, adding to the Chen Family's lineage.

Chen Xu's cultivation had also become increasingly unfathomable after three years of tempering.

The Aura around him had long since returned to its original simplicity, with not a trace leaking out.

To ordinary people, he appeared like a common scholar in green robes, gentle as jade.

But only by truly standing before him could one feel that boundless, ocean-like pressure,

a terrifying might that seemed capable of devouring heaven and earth.

His cultivation Realm still remained at the Peak of Early Golden Core Stage.

But this was merely a disguise of the Grandmist Golden Core.

His true strength had long since reached Golden Core Peak.

However, just as the Great Feng Dynasty was flourishing,

the dark clouds in the north grew increasingly heavy.

The Four Demonic Path Sects, which Chen Xu had glimpsed in Heavenly Corpse Venerable's memories, revealed their ferocious fangs after years of dormancy.

The war in the northern borders intensified.

On this day, in the Golden Imperial Hall,

the new emperor, Qin Zhe, wearing a Dragon robe, sat upon the Dragon throne.

Three years of imperial life had long since stripped him of his former weakness and sickness.

Between his brows was a steady composure that commanded respect without anger.

Below, the civil and military officials, led by Chen Ping, stood solemnly.

They were orderly reporting on various government affairs.

The entire court was solemn.

Just at this moment!

"Report—!!"

A shout suddenly came from outside the hall, breaking the tranquility of the court.

Everyone was startled and looked towards the hall entrance.

A messenger, covered in blood and with shattered armor, stumbled and crawled in.

Each step left a bloody footprint on the polished golden bricks.

He rushed to the center of the great hall, then could no longer support himself and collapsed to his knees.

"North... 800-li urgent bloody report from the northern border!!"

The messenger raised a blood-stained face and roared hoarsely.

"Blackwater Pass... is broken!"

"Yanmen Pass... is also broken!"

"The Divine Strategy Three Passes... completely lost!"

"Marquis Zhenbei led a hundred thousand strong army... defeated! The Marquis... he, the old man, is severely wounded and is being desperately escorted by the remaining troops, currently besieged by a million Demon Army at Heavenly Wolf Pass!"

"Heavenly Wolf Pass... is in mortal peril! The northern border... is in mortal peril!"

"I implore Your Majesty... quickly send reinforcements!!"

After speaking the last sentence, the messenger could no longer hold on.

He tilted his head and fainted directly.

Boom!!!

The news was like a thunderbolt from the Nine Heavens, exploding in the silent Golden Imperial Hall!

The entire court of civil and military officials erupted in an uproar!

"What?!"

"Blackwater, Yanmen, and Divine Strategy Three Passes are our Great Feng Dynasty's northern barrier, how could they all fall overnight?"

"Marquis Zhenbei! He is our Great Feng Dynasty's God of War! How could he be defeated?!"

"A million Demon Army... Heavens! Where did the Demonic Path get so many troops!"

A sense of panic quickly spread among the officials.

Even those Chen Family disciples with steady Heart-Nature.

At this moment, their faces were filled with gravity and disbelief.

On the Dragon throne, Qin Zhe's face instantly turned ashen!

He slammed the armrest of the Dragon throne and abruptly stood up!

"Impossible!!!"

A furious roar, containing the Emperor's thunderous wrath,

instantly suppressed all the commotion in the great hall.

"Marquis Zhenbei is a veteran of three dynasties, serving the country his entire life with countless military achievements! His Zhenbei Army is the Great Feng Dynasty's battle-hardened elite force! How could they be defeated so quickly, so miserably!"

Qin Zhe's gaze was like a knife, sweeping over the panicked ministers below.

"Where is the Minister of War?!"

A middle-aged man wearing a Qilin official robe and with a resolute face immediately stepped forward.

It was Chen Xu's son, Chen Lifeng.

"Your subject is here!"

"I ask you!"

Qin Zhe's voice was cold: "How much grain and fodder is in the national treasury? How many combat-ready soldiers are there in the three major camps of the capital? I order you to immediately gather a large army and head north for reinforcement! No matter what, you must rescue Marquis Zhenbei for me!"

Qin Zhe's voice was resolute.

He absolutely refused to believe that Marquis Zhenbei would be defeated; there must be something fishy going on!

However, facing the Emperor's thunderous wrath,

Chen Lifeng's face showed an extremely difficult expression.

He took a deep breath, bowed, and reported: "Reporting to Your Majesty."

"For three years, our Great Feng Dynasty has been recovering from devastation, and new policies have been implemented, requiring funds everywhere. Building water conservancy, opening granaries to distribute food, comforting displaced people... Although the national treasury is gradually filling, every single coin already has a purpose."

"If we were to forcibly requisition the hundreds of millions of grain and fodder needed for a northern expeditionary army at this moment, I fear... I fear it would shake the Foundation of the new policies and plunge countless common people, who have just begun to live good lives, back into dire straits!"

"Should public resentment rise again, the consequences would be unimaginable!"

At these words, Qin Zhe's brows instantly furrowed.

Chen Lifeng paused, then continued: "As for soldiers... The 300,000 elite troops of the capital's three major camps are the cornerstone for stabilizing the world."

""The great purge three years ago, though it eliminated corrupt officials, also caused countless local powerful Families to harbor resentment towards the court; they are still secretly stirring trouble."

"It is solely thanks to these 300,000 troops stationed in the capital, deterring all sides, that we have achieved the current peace throughout the land."

"If they were all dispatched to the northern border, leaving the capital empty, those evil forces would surely seize the opportunity to cause chaos. At that time... our Great Feng Dynasty might face the worry of internal strife!"

"As for temporarily conscripting new soldiers... Your Majesty, distant water cannot quench a nearby fire."

"Moreover, a group of green recruits who have never seen a battlefield, facing that million-strong wolf-like Demon Army, would be no different from seeking death!"

Every word Chen Lifeng spoke was perfectly reasonable.

But it made everyone's heart sink.

Everyone understood.

No money!

No soldiers!

The situation was very difficult.

They could only watch helplessly as Heavenly Wolf Pass, the last barrier in the northern border, was breached.

Watching the God of War, who had guarded the Great Feng Dynasty's national gate his entire life,

die tragically under the Demon Army's blades!

Powerlessness!

An overwhelming sense of powerlessness enveloped the entire Golden Imperial Hall.

The color drained from Qin Zhe's face, bit by bit.

He slumped back onto the Dragon throne, powerless.

His hands clutched the armrests tightly.

For three years, he had been diligent and caring for his people, striving for good governance, believing he had revitalized this ancient Dynasty.

But only now did he realize.

In the face of true raging waves, everything he had done was still so fragile.

Powerlessness, a deep sense of powerlessness.

Completely engulfed him.

Just as the entire court, monarch and ministers, fell into powerlessness,

a calm voice came from outside the hall.

"Why such panic?"

Everyone was suddenly startled and instinctively looked towards the sound.

Outside the tall threshold of the Golden Imperial Hall,

a figure in green robes, at some unknown moment, stood quietly there.

He stood with his hands behind his back, robes fluttering, his expression indifferent.

Imperial Preceptor!

It's the Imperial Preceptor!!

The moment they recognized the newcomer, all the officials, especially the Chen Family disciples,

their eyes instantly burst with wild joy!

They seemed to have found their backbone and knelt down in unison.

"Your subjects, respectfully greet the Imperial Preceptor!"

A thunderous roar, like mountains and seas, echoed in the Golden Imperial Hall.

And on the Dragon throne, Qin Zhe, who had been utterly powerless, at the sight of that figure,

felt as if he had been electrocuted.

He suddenly sprang up from the Dragon throne!

The powerlessness in his eyes was instantly replaced by excitement!

"Imperial Preceptor!!"

He cried out, his voice filled with extreme emotion.

Chen Xu paid no attention to the civil and military officials kneeling on the floor.

He slowly stepped into the Golden Imperial Hall.

Ignoring everyone, he walked directly to the center of the great hall.

He raised his head, his gaze falling upon the excitedly agitated Qin Zhe before the Dragon throne.

The entire noisy great hall, because of his appearance, instantly fell silent.

Everyone held their breath.

Looking up in awe at the figure in green robes.

Chen Xu looked at Qin Zhe, without asking any questions.

As if everything that happened in the northern border, he already knew perfectly well.

He merely spoke calmly, saying one sentence.

"Your Majesty, give me the military tally."

Six simple words.

Without the slightest emotional fluctuation.

Yet they seemed to contain a supreme power capable of suppressing everything and stabilizing the world!

These six words were like a divine needle that calmed the sea.

Instantly plunged into Qin Zhe's fearful and restless heart!

All the panic, all the fear, at this moment, vanished like smoke!

Qin Zhe trembled with excitement!

He didn't even hesitate for a moment, not giving it a second thought.

He quickly walked down the nine steps.

He personally ran to one side of the great hall, and from the hand of the specially assigned eunuch, he held up a huge commander's seal!

The Nation-Guarding Commander's Seal!

The symbol of the Great Feng Dynasty's highest military authority!

Seeing this seal was like seeing the monarch!

It could mobilize all the troops in the world!

Qin Zhe, holding this commander's seal that weighed over a thousand jin, quickly walked back to Chen Xu, raising his hands high above his head.

He spoke with an incredibly respectful tone.

"Imperial Preceptor! The safety of the Great Feng Dynasty, the survival of the northern border, it's... it's all entrusted to you!"

Chen Xu reached out and casually took the Nation-Guarding Commander's Seal, which was enough to drive countless people mad.

Then he turned and walked towards the outside of the hall.

Just as he was about to step out of the hall door, he paused slightly and left a calm remark: "Guard your capital well, and manage your grain and fodder well."

"Leave the matters of the north to me."

"My Chen Family's people have never lost a battle."

As his voice fell.

His figure had already disappeared beyond the hall door.

Leaving behind only an incomparably domineering back, which left the entire court of civil and military officials utterly stunned... Outside the imperial palace.

Chen Daoxuan was already waiting there, holding a more detailed war report.

"Father."

Chen Daoxuan handed over the war report, his expression extremely grave.

Chen Xu took the war report and quickly scanned it.

The report detailed every single aspect of the fall of the three passes.

The Demon Army didn't just charge blindly; instead, they divided their forces for combined attacks, feints, surprise raids, cutting supply lines, setting ambushes... their tactical application was masterful.

"Advancing and retreating with measure, strict Formations... this doesn't seem like the work of the Demonic Path."

He spoke calmly.

"Father's meaning is?"

Chen Daoxuan's heart stirred.

"There's a master behind this."

Chen Xu casually crushed the battle report into dust: "A bunch of bloodthirsty mad dogs only know how to fight with brute force, not with their brains."

"Father, what should our first step be then?"

Chen Daoxuan asked in a deep voice, "Should we immediately gather the army?"

Hearing this, Chen Xu nodded and said, "Go, transmit my order, the army is to assemble!"

...Outside the capital, Golden Dragon Slope Grand Camp.

The marshal's order had been issued.

Near the capital, the Divine Machine Battalion, Tiger Guard Battalion, and Imperial Forest Guards, three elite forces guarding the capital, along with other second-rate garrison units, nearly one hundred thousand troops, were all assembled here.

Banners obscured the sun, and horses neighed.

From a high vantage point, the entire Grand Camp stretched for ten miles, an imposing sight.

However, if one were to look closer...

It was a different scene entirely.

On the commanding platform, Chen Xu stood with his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent.

His gaze calmly swept over the so-called one hundred thousand strong army below.

There was no imagined strict discipline or orderly military appearance.

What met his eyes was chaos and noise.

The Formations were crooked and twisted, like a straw mat gnawed by dogs.

Soldiers gathered in groups of three or five, whispering to each other, and some were even playing around.

Weapons were casually thrown on the ground, and armor hung loosely on their bodies.

On their faces, there was no trace of the Killing Intent that seasoned veterans should possess.

Only laziness, cunning, and indifference to war.

This was the elite force guarding the capital of the Great Feng Dynasty?

Chen Xu's gaze showed no fluctuation, as if everything before him was already within his expectations.

Beside him, Chen Daoxuan's brows were tightly furrowed, and a hint of anger flashed in his eyes.

"Father, these people..."

Chen Xu slightly raised his hand, interrupting him.

"Watch."

He only said two words.

Below the commanding platform, a group of generals also gathered, pointing and gesturing at the new marshal on the platform, their faces full of disdain.

"This is the Imperial Protector? Today is truly the first time I've seen him!"

A general with a fleshy face and a huge belly spoke.

This person was Wang Bao, the Commander of the Tiger Guard Battalion, a royal relative.

He had only attained this position through connections.

"He really does look like a scholar with no strength to tie a chicken!"

"Wang Bao, the Imperial Protector still deserves respect!"

"However, I do doubt whether the Imperial Protector truly knows how to lead an army in battle. After all, cultivation and leading troops are two different matters!"

Most of these people were old hands left over from the previous Dynasty, or mediocre talents who had risen through connections.

The great purge three years ago...

Although it had cut off a large number of Prince Yu's faction.

It was ultimately impossible to replace all the generals in the entire court.

They naturally harbored resentment and resistance towards Chen Xu, this "parachute" marshal.

In their eyes, the Imperial Protector possessed immense power!

But when it came to marching and fighting, these veteran generals who had spent half their lives in the military were the true experts!

Among the crowd, only one old general with white hair and beard, and a physique as sturdy as a mountain, remained silent.

His name was Li Hu, the commander of the Imperial Forest Guards.

He was one of the few fierce generals in the military who had truly climbed up step by step through military merits.

Although he did not speak, his tiger-like eyes also held doubt.

He admitted that this Imperial Protector possessed heaven-defying abilities.

But the battlefield, after all, was the Domain of soldiers!

Just then...

Chen Xu moved.

He did not scold them sternly, nor did he deliver any impassioned pre-battle mobilization speech.

Under everyone's gaze, he slowly pointed towards the sky.

"Whoosh—!"

A piercing whistle sounded.

A dazzling streak of cyan light, trailing a long tail flame, shot straight into the sky!

Hundreds of feet up in the air, it exploded with a roar!

Transforming into a giant cyan lotus pattern!

The cyan lotus imprint slowly rotated in the sky, lingering for a long time.

This... what was this?

All the soldiers below, including the generals who had been discussing, were stunned.

One by one, they looked up, their faces full of bewilderment.

Just as everyone was wondering...

"Buzz... buzz buzz..."

A low rumble, like a distant roar, came from the horizon.

The sound grew from far to near, becoming louder and louder!

The ground began to tremble slightly!

In the camp, the warhorses let out uneasy neighs, impatiently pawing at the ground.

"What's going on?"

"Is it an earthquake?"

Everyone panicked, looking around for the source of the sound.

"Look! In the sky!"

Someone let out a startled cry!

Everyone suddenly looked up.

The next moment, everyone's pupils contracted instantly!

On the eastern horizon, ten enormous black dots were approaching the camp at a terrifying speed, tearing through the air!

In just over a dozen breaths!

Those ten black dots had already arrived above the camp!

Obscuring the sky and covering the sun!

They were actually ten enormous flying boats, each a hundred zhang long!

The hulls of the flying boats were intricately engraved with dense rune arrays.

Emitting heart-palpitating Spiritual Qi fluctuations.

The bow was a ferocious Qilin beast head, as if it could come to life at any moment and devour people!

The ten black iron flying boats, like ten colossal steel mountains suspended in the sky, cast enormous shadows, enveloping the entire Golden Dragon Slope Grand Camp!

An invisible pressure descended from the heavens!

The entire Grand Camp instantly fell into a deathly silence!

All the noisy soldiers were like ducks whose necks had been squeezed, their voices abruptly cut off!

They looked up, mouths agape, their faces filled with shock and stupefaction!

"This... this is... a war flying boat?!"

Old General Li Hu's voice trembled, his eyes filled with disbelief!

He had seen records of such war machines; they were strategic Magic Treasures that only ancient Sects could possess!

One was enough to obliterate a city!

But now, there were ten of them above his head!

However, this was only the beginning!

"Crack—"

The huge hatches at the bottom of the ten black iron flying boats slowly opened.

Under the gaze of tens of thousands of astonished eyes...

Figures clad in black armor, like heavenly soldiers descending, emerged in Formation from the hatches!

They didn't use any tools, simply stepping on the Void Realm from a hundred zhang high, slowly walking down!

Their movements were uniform and silent upon landing!

Three thousand people!

A full three thousand people!

When the last person landed, the three thousand instantly formed a huge square Formation.

Their movements were so uniform, as if they were one person!

"Boom!!!"

A monstrous Killing Intent erupted from within that black Formation!

Like a tidal wave, it instantly swept through the entire Grand Camp!

Thump! Thump!

The lazy Dynasty soldiers, under the impact of this terrifying Killing Intent, their legs went soft.

They collapsed to the ground in droves!

Their weapons clattered to the ground, making crisp sounds!

The warhorses, which had been neighing, were directly scared into kneeling, defecating and urinating, trembling uncontrollably!

The entire Grand Camp, apart from the three thousand black-armored soldiers, not a single person could remain standing!

Silence!

Deathly silence!

Below the commanding platform, Wang Bao, Liu Yuan, and the other generals had ashen faces.

Although they managed to stand, their legs trembled like sieves.

They looked in horror at the army that had descended from the sky, feeling as if their hearts were about to be frozen by that Killing Intent!

This... these were soldiers that humans could train?!

Old General Li Hu's eyes were wide and round, staring intently at the black-armored soldiers.

As a Cultivator at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage and a seasoned veteran of countless battles, his eyesight was far beyond ordinary people.

It was precisely because of this that the shock in his heart was more intense than anyone else's!

"Armor... the armor on their bodies... every single piece has Formation patterns! This... these are Magical Artifacts! High Grade Magical Artifacts!!!"

Li Hu's voice was trembling.

His most elite Imperial Forest Guards only wore Low Grade Spiritual Qi iron armor.

Yet, these three thousand people were all wearing armor of High Grade Magical Artifact level!

How was this possible?!

"And the long halberds in their hands... their cold light is sharp and unparalleled! They are... High Grade Magical Artifacts!"

"My heavens..."

A knowledgeable general murmured in a dreamlike state.

"This... how much money would this cost? Even if the entire Great Feng Kingdom's treasury were sold, it wouldn't be enough to assemble such an army?!"

Feeling inferior!

At this moment, only these four words remained in the hearts of all the Dynasty generals!

They were still worrying about their soldiers' iron armor and provisions.

These people, on the other hand, were directly armed to the teeth with Magical Artifacts!

This was simply not a war on the same dimension!

However, what truly made them despair was yet to come!

Li Hu forcefully circulated his Spiritual Qi, trying to discern the cultivation of the black-armored soldiers.

But upon seeing it, he nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood!

"Foundation Establishment... they are all Foundation Establishment!!!"

"And... not a single one is below the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage!!!"

Boom!!!

This discovery made all the generals' hearts clench fiercely!

An army composed of three thousand Cultivators... all at least at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage?!

What kind of concept was this?!

The Great Feng Dynasty, even with the full might of the nation, all its armies combined, had no more than a thousand generals at or above the Foundation Establishment Stage!

Yet, right before them, this single army alone was enough to crush the entire military strength of the Great Feng Dynasty!

Everyone looked with eyes that saw a monster...

Towards the calm and indifferent cyan-robed figure on the commanding platform.

This army, like divine soldiers from heaven, was summoned by the Imperial Protector?

This... was the Imperial Protector's true trump card?!

Just as everyone's minds were greatly shaken and blank...

Chen Xu spoke.

"In this battle, these three thousand Star Guards will be the core vanguard."

"You, the one hundred thousand strong army, will be responsible for support, logistics, and clearing the battlefield."

As his voice fell...

The entire scene was silent.

Those Dynasty generals were all stunned.

Support? Logistics?

To have them, the battle-hardened regular army of the Dynasty, act as subordinates to these personal guards who had appeared out of nowhere?

This was an utter humiliation!