36: Chapter 36 The protective technique is complete!

At noon that day, City Lord Liu and the others returned to the Military Camp and announced the cancellation of the battle plans.

Everyone knew something had happened. The cancellation of the combat plans held no suspense.

The soldiers in the army were more eager to know what exactly had transpired.

How could the battle plans be overturned so suddenly?

In the afternoon, as everyone gathered to rest, they all chatted about this matter.

"Whatever happened, it essentially gave us back half our lives.

According to the original plan for today, most of us common soldiers probably wouldn't have made it back.

I even had Scholar Qin write my last testament.

Thank the heavens I get to live a while longer."

Beside him, a veteran soldier sighed with emotion as he spoke.

His Face carried relief, glad that he was still alive.

Others nearby chimed in, the conversation turning to Uncle Zhang and Fourth Master Chen.

Smiles hung on the Faces of the veterans, one after another.

Those weathered Faces rarely had a chance to wear a smile.

In truth, dying for Zhu Ang wouldn't have brought any real benefit to any of us.

With the Yingyang Pass army in disarray, they likely couldn't even afford the death compensation silver.

After the battle, if we won, only Zhu Ang would profit.

If we lost, he could just brush off his sleeves and leave with ease."

Seeing the smiles on everyone's Faces, Li Yuan felt his actions this time were very worthwhile.

With that man Zhu Ang dead, thousands of families in Da Shun gained peace.

Approaching the hour of You, someone finally came to deliver the latest news.

It came from the Disciples on patrol this morning.

"They're all dead, not a single one left, including that expert by Zhu Ang's side who was no weaker than an Elder!"

The one delivering the news was a new recruit.

His Face held a mix of excitement and gravity.

"Really? That seems unlikely!"

Hearing this, Uncle Chen and the others instinctively voiced their doubts.

It couldn't be helped; the strength of that personal guard by Zhu Ang's side was truly extraordinary.

"Absolutely true. My fellow townsman was in today's patrol unit.

They died at the foot of that hillside five li outside the Military Camp.

It was the work of experts from the Jin Kingdom. They died last night, and we knew nothing about it."

Hearing this, the soldiers around wore even graver expressions.

The fighting between the two sides was getting fiercer. If this situation continued, it would be hard for the soldiers to keep their own lives.

Moreover, often times, the common foot soldiers died the most miserably.

Surviving this time didn't mean they'd have such luck every time.

The feeling of loss among everyone was only momentary. After all, once you joined the army, you were prepared for many things.

The topic unconsciously turned to the Zhu Family, that powerful Family force within Da Shun.

"With Zhu Ang dead, I wonder how furious the Zhu Family will be.

I heard Zhu Ang was highly valued within the Zhu Family, and their current power and influence have been rapidly rising these past two or three months..."

Li Yuan listened to them talk, wondering how they managed to learn so much news while all being in the army.

"Some days ago, right outside our Yingyang Pass city, two Ninth-Grade Mortal Immortals died at once.

Those were Immortals of the Mortal Realm, and they just died like that.

In our entire Da Shun, with two billion subjects, there are fewer than forty Immortals of the Mortal Realm. Two were lost in that single incident.

After those two Immortals of the Mortal Realm met their end, many forces, including the Zhu Family, scrambled for the benefits and advantages.

Right now, the Zhu Family is especially riding a wave of momentum.

I wonder if the City Lord can handle it..."

Hearing this, Li Yuan felt it sounded quite credible.

When those two Immortals of the Mortal Realm perished, he had been right there watching, and he was the one who collected their bodies.

The deaths of two top Martial Artists were bound to cause shifts in Da Shun's situation.

Li Yuan didn't want to judge those two Immortals of the Mortal Realm, as he had gained quite a bit of benefit from them.

Among all those martial experiences, Li Yuan still trusted the experiences of those two Immortals of the Mortal Realm the most.

As everyone chatted here, Li Yuan soon received a notification.

The bodies had been collected, and Li Yuan was to deliver them to the Changsheng Shop.

The status of those who died this time was even more exalted than that of Shu Fanzheng last time.

In terms of Face, proper preparations had to be made.

Meanwhile, City Lord Liu and his deputy generals were deeply troubled.

Their Faces were full of anxiety and worry.

"It seems our Yingyang Pass can't settle down, can it?" City Lord Liu said with a tone of complaint.

Beside him, several deputy generals weren't quite as worried.

"City Lord, actually, I don't think this year has been all that bad.

We eliminated two top Jin Kingdom assassins in a row. Which border garrison in Da Shun has that capability?

As for Shu Fanzheng and Zhu Ang who met their end, they were just trying to steal credit.

Their deaths serve as a warning to anyone else with similar ideas!"

Hearing his deputy's words, City Lord Liu could only shake his head helplessly.

"What status, what position do we hold that we dare warn others?

At best, Yingyang Pass has the protection of Qianqiu Mountain behind it.

But if those major Sects come demanding answers, we'll still have to bow our heads and admit fault."

Seeing the others about to speak further, City Lord Liu waved his hand.

"Enough of that for now. Think about how we should explain ourselves when the Zhu Family's people arrive.

And one more thing: the fact that they could take Zhu Xu's life suggests the expert who came from the Jin Kingdom side likely already possesses Eighth-Grade strength!"

Hearing this, the several deputy generals also frowned.

If the Jin Kingdom truly had an Eighth-Grade expert, then Yingyang Pass was indeed facing a major crisis.

While they were conversing, Li Yuan had already transported all the bodies of Zhu Ang and the others to the Changsheng Shop.

After delivering them, Li Yuan took a stroll around the city of Yingyang Pass.

He bought some food and found an inn to take a bath.

It felt like after enjoying some comforts in that Nanhe Kingdom, he had developed slightly higher demands regarding his quality of life.

His own martial strength had already reached the Eighth Grade, and he was progressing further down the path toward the Ninth Grade.

Looking across the whole world, even if he paid a bit more attention to these things, it was still far less than what others indulged in.

While resting, Li Yuan recalled that set of Cultivation Technique, the 'Iron Armor Body', in his mind.

This Cultivation Technique was obtained from Zhu Xu.

Li Yuan had looted many corpses, but this was the first time he had acquired a body protection Cultivation Technique.

Cultivating this type of technique required immense dedication and hard work.

Many top Martial Artists, even if they had access to body protection techniques, were too lazy to practice them.

It demanded too much effort and consumed too much time.

With that time and energy, one could fully devote it to practicing Qinggong Evasion Techniques.

If you couldn't be hit by your opponent, then you wouldn't need the body protection technique.

But for Li Yuan, this was a huge windfall.

He directly obtained Zhu Xu's martial experience. The body protection technique, which normally required immense time and effort to temper, he could master rapidly!

After mastering the Iron Armor Body, he would have one less worry regarding sneak attacks, assassinations, or ambushes.

Thinking of this, Li Yuan immediately began practicing it within his Sea of Consciousness.

The more he practiced, the more he felt the practicality of this technique.

If Zhu Xu hadn't cultivated this Iron Armor Body, he would have been defeated in a single move that day.

Li Yuan's 'Heavenly Thunder Blade' was powerful enough, and he himself had undergone a transformation under the enhancement of the 'Tai Xuan Divine Art'.

Despite such a gap, the fact that Zhu Xu could still exchange a few blows proved the effectiveness of the Iron Armor Body.