131: You are my soldiers.

“Bastards, how dare they!”

“This is rebellion!”

“To hell with the Great Harmony! This is digging a grave for my entire Jiannan Road! Someone, I’m going to Tianxiong Pass myself!”

“Kill those sons of bitches!”

Inside the main hall, enraged roars echoed, followed by scattered pieces of shredded paper falling onto the floor.

Amidst the flickering candlelight, a burly figure, swift as wind, strode out of the hall.

Several figures instantly blocked the rampaging Deputy Commander.

“Commander, calm down, calm down.”

“What exactly happened at Tianxiong Pass?”

A subordinate quickly gathered the paper fragments, drawing them into his hand.

The burly figure, panting like an enraged lion, fiercely shook off several of his Zhonglang Generals.

“See for yourselves.”

Someone immediately cast a spell to restore the shredded secret letter; several pieces of paper fluttered up and down, and after a few breaths, it returned to its original state.

When the few people clearly saw the contents of the letter, their expressions immediately changed, some pointing and exclaiming in shock and anger.

“This, this, this…”

“How audacious! To divide and rule Tianxiong Pass, this isn’t just rebellion, but this is also the fortress connecting my Shu Land to the Central Plains! How dare these scoundrels!”

“Who gave them the guts?!”

After reading it, the few people were also furious.

“Gather the army for me, This General wants to leave the city.” The Deputy Commander said with a gloomy face, his voice carrying a chilling killing intent.

The few Zhonglang Generals remaining in Jinguancheng, although they also wanted to go with the Commander to Tianxiong Pass, as Deputy This Generals, they did not forget their responsibility to remind the Commander not to be blinded by anger.

“Commander, please don’t rush. The situation at Tianxiong Pass is volatile. These people must have been plotting for a long time. To dare to provoke my entire Jiannan Road so boldly, this is definitely not something a few families within the pass would dare to do; there must be other hidden hands behind it.”

“The most urgent task now is to find out what else is behind these few prominent families and sects. If we truly engage in conflict, other areas are currently quelling this wave of demonic chaos, and our Dao Fu Division’s forces are dispersed, making it easy to fall into a predicament.”

“Currently, the garrison This General is stationed at the Demon Country front line, and Garrison Commander Jiang is stationed at Youmen Pass, deterring the Ten Thousand Mountains. Sir, you are the backbone of the Dao Fu Division; you must not be lost.”

The few people advised, analyzing the current situation.

The entire Jiannan Road was in chaos now, and now there was someone taking advantage of the fire, and it was those so-called 'own people' stabbing them in the back, making it hard not to be utterly enraged.

“Phew.”

After a long sigh, the Deputy Commander finally calmed down a bit, his voice becoming somewhat grim.

“Give the order: let Ninth Mountain Zhonglang General Chen Yuan act expediently and investigate who else is behind those few prominent figures.”

He spoke this sentence with difficulty, as if he couldn't swallow his anger, finally his expression turned ruthless, and he said harshly: “If he suffers any grievances, kill as necessary. The entire Jiannan Road Dao Fu Division will back him up.”

“Eight hundred li urgent dispatch! Take it over!”

“They should have already departed!”

“Yes!”

...

At this moment, thousands of miles away, in the Black Mountain region.

The Ninth Mountain Army was resting.

After recruiting over one hundred soldiers in Baidi City, Ninth Mountain now numbered around three hundred and twenty men.

Among them, the lowest-ranking Little Flag Officers generally had Qi Refining Minor Achievement cultivation, the This General Flag Officers leading five-man flags had Qi Refining Major Achievement cultivation, and above the This General Flag Officers were the Hundred Households, generally at Qi Refining Perfection, with one or two having broken through to Body Profound. As for the original Captains, there were only three, all at Body Profound Perfection.

In total, there were four Captains, twenty-one Hundred Households, fifty-something This General Flag Officers, and two hundred-something Little Flag Officers.

Evidently, the establishment was incomplete, with a large portion missing.

Although there were still ordinary soldiers and those severely wounded left in Jinguancheng, when the order was received for a forced march, Ninth Mountain dispatched all surviving armored soldiers from the Little Flag Officer rank and above.

In short, the entire main establishment was here.

And according to the establishment of each mountain in the Fa Shan Army, each mountain should have at least ten Captains leading troops, which means at least ten thousand soldiers.

Chen Yuan heard from his subordinate Captains that their mountain had been decimated on the front lines of the Eight Divisions Demon Kingdom, and the former Zhonglang General had also died in battle.

He had taken over the surviving remnants of Ninth Mountain.

At this time, the old soldiers of Ninth Mountain, during their rest, some sat in meditation and breathed, some took out their sabers and exhaled True Qi to refine the blade's gleam, while other armored soldiers took out gray-black pills and threw them into their horses' mouths. Each was busy with their own tasks, not speaking, and even though many showed signs of fatigue, their actions were quite orderly.

Only the newly joined soldiers were at a loss for what to do. After a day of forced marching, their faces were tired, and they were unaccustomed to this heavy atmosphere, finding it somewhat oppressive. They sat restlessly.

Just then, an indescribable aroma wafted through the mountain cliff, instantly making people's stomachs rumble and their mouths water.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, their gazes involuntarily drawn towards the source of the aroma.

Several hundred meters away, a bonfire had been lit.

A large tree had been sharpened into a pointed stick, on which was skewered a huge, unknown beast leg.

Oil glistened on it, and a fragrant aroma assailed the nostrils.

Instantly, all the armored soldiers could feel that the aroma stimulated the saliva in their mouths, and a surge of vital energy emerged, making their tired faces involuntarily perk up.

What kind of meat was that?

Many couldn't help but feel curious.

“What’s that?” A newcomer couldn’t help but ask.

He was immediately met with a reprimand.

“Silence!”

“Do not inquire about the This General’s matters.”

One of the Captains, with tiger-like eyes, forced everyone’s gaze back.

Among the crowd, Gongsun Yang, clad in heavy armor, quietly observed this scene, couldn’t help but narrow his eyes and nod.

The Fa Shan Army lived up to its reputation; its discipline was strict.

He also couldn't help but swallow his saliva; that leg must belong to a Heavenly Gate Devil.

This General, didn’t you say there was a portion for this old man?

At this moment, several hundred meters away,

Chen Yuan was roasting a Zhen leg using Golden Core True Fire.

It was glistening with oil, and juices were splattering.

It was almost ready.

Chen Yuan exhaled Sword Qi, directly cutting off a large piece of meat, which then circled back to him.

Then he cut off another small piece, which flew to a woman dressed in moon-white, her light purple pupils flickering.

“Miss Fang, this is good stuff, no need to be polite!”

Chen Yuan said, grabbing a piece of meat almost as long as his arm, and began to devour it heartily.

He had long wanted to taste the meat of a Heavenly Gate Devil.

Upon tasting it, the skin was crispy, the inside tender and soft, and a large amount of vital energy, through chewing, quickly circulated throughout his body, a tingling sensation as if all his pores opened up, sweeping over him.

Chen Yuan circulated his Food Consumption Divine Ability, his stomach rumbling continuously, quickly refining the vital energy from the demonic flesh and blood, feeding it back to himself. He could clearly feel every cell in his Physical Body cheering, as if an electric current was passing through, constantly cleansing his Physical Body.

Beside him, Fang Qingzhu, who was traveling with him, watched Chen Yuan devour his food with some surprise.

The flesh and blood of the Heavenly Gate Devil contained a massive amount of vital energy from demonic cultivation; usually, refining even a small piece would take a considerable amount of time.

However, Chen Yuan had given her too many surprises; she was already somewhat numb.

She looked at the golden, fragrant piece of meat before her, her eyes flickering a few times, but she couldn't help but feel her appetite stir.

This Heavenly Gate Devil flesh and blood was a treasure meat that was hard to come by even for a thousand gold outside!

When she had previously refused the large portion of flesh and blood Chen Yuan offered, she had actually struggled internally. Fang Qingzhu felt that she hadn't done anything to deserve such a great benefit, and if she had truly accepted it, she felt that her relationship with Chen Yuan would have ended there.

Through their brief time together, she had largely figured out what kind of person this Brother Chen was: ruthless, decisive, and clear about favors and grudges.

Therefore, her seemingly casual refusal of the gift was actually based on her own judgment.

Compared to the flesh and blood of the Heavenly Gate Devil, Chen Yuan himself made her willing to act this way.

The two ate the demonic meat in silence.

And Chen Yuan, without realizing it, devoured several hundred catties of demonic flesh and blood, leaving nothing but bones.

At this time, Chen Yuan felt that the vital energy in his flesh and blood had reached a critical point; his skin felt tingly and somewhat itchy, and new flesh was growing.

He then stopped eating.

Then he looked at the little bit of demonic meat left and spoke,

“Liu Qing, Cloud Skyborn, Lu Ming, the three of you come over!”

Soon, three burly figures in heavy armor bowed before him.

“This General!”

Chen Yuan looked at the three of them and spoke directly:

“The three of you will distribute this meat. This is the flesh and blood of a Heavenly Gate Devil, containing a massive amount of vital energy, and it is a rare find. Since you all have old injuries, it can be used to replenish your deficiencies!”

As these words fell, the three Captains all showed expressions of surprise, unable to help but raise their heads.

“Heavenly Gate Devil flesh and blood?”

The flesh and blood of such a devil was comparable to a precious medicine, hard to find outside.

They could hardly believe that the Zhonglang General would casually bestow such a treasure meat, which would be fiercely snatched up if it appeared outside, upon them, even the Little Flag Officers!

“This General, this…”

The three were speechless for a moment.

“From now on, you are my Chen’s soldiers, and I, This General, will certainly not treat you unfairly!” Chen Yuan interrupted directly,

“Distribute it, but do not be greedy, otherwise, I, This General, will not be lenient!”