170: Two Thousand Miles of Demon Country (asking for monthly ticket)

The night was desolate, the wind howled, and amidst the mottled tree shadows, a cold gleam reflected off iron armor.

After departing Jinguancheng, the four armies advanced in three directions.

The Seventh Mountain marched towards Dingshan Pass, which faced Youmen Pass.

The Eighth Mountain advanced towards Muchuan Prefecture, west of Youmen Pass.

There, two Deputy Commanders and several Fa Shan Army units were stationed, organizing defensive lines to resist the frontal assault of the Yao Race.

Meanwhile, the Third Mountain and Ninth Mountain, from the southeast, passed through Guangan Prefecture and Chishui Prefecture respectively, forming a pincer movement towards Weiyuan Prefecture, which had been breached and lost to the Yao Race.

The order Pei Yanhu gave before setting off was for the two armies to rely on Guangan Prefecture and Chishui Prefecture behind them, to hold this gap, preventing the Yao Race from pouring out from the southeast, opening up an offensive, and then flanking the other front-line defenses.

After three days and nights of continuous travel, the Ninth Mountain Army arrived at Guangan Prefecture during the day. However, as soon as Chen Yuan arrived, he coordinated with the Local General of the Guard, leaving the majority of the army to set up camp in Guangan Prefecture. He himself, under the cover of the vast night, quietly led one hundred elite soldiers out of the pass.

They were not far from the Ten Thousand Mountains!

He believed that there must be Yao Race scouts in the large Guangan Prefecture. The entry of thousands of soldiers into the city could not be concealed, so it was not advisable to make a big stir.

The first priority was to gather sufficient information. However, after the scouts sent out by the Local General of the Guard failed to return one by one, he focused entirely on defense. Chen Yuan did not get much useful information from him, so he personally led a small team of soldiers out of the city under the cover of night, sending out men to scout!

At this moment, they were at the edge of Weiyuan Prefecture’s territory!

About a hundred li ahead was Jiangan County, under the jurisdiction of Weiyuan Prefecture!

Soon after his three leading military lieutenants were dispatched to scout, they returned with three people!

One claimed to be a leading military lieutenant from the original Tenth Mountain, and there was also a pair of siblings, frail in appearance, seemingly suffering from long-term malnutrition.

Golden specks flickered in Chen Yuan's eyes as he scanned the three, a light golden divine light filled with majesty.

The pair of siblings kneeling at the back trembled, their heads lowered, feeling as if the surrounding air had become thick, making it difficult to breathe, like fish out of water. Their heavy breathing was filled with unease, and their hearts pounded uncontrollably.

They felt as if the This General before them was a towering mountain; merely standing there made it impossible for the siblings to breathe.

At this moment, Chen Yuan raised his hand and beckoned towards Xie Tianhao. A black token flew out from his embrace and landed in Chen Yuan's hand.

It was a black token!

He was all too familiar with this token. After confirming its authenticity, Chen Yuan threw the token back, withdrew his Dharma Eye, and, finding nothing unusual about the three, spoke: “All of you, stand up and speak.”

“Clang, clang, clang”

The sound of colliding armor rose.

The siblings felt a lightness all over their bodies, and the constricted feeling in their hearts suddenly vanished. They couldn't help but take two deep breaths, and a touch of color returned to their pale faces, though they dared not look up.

At this moment, Chen Yuan stepped forward. Liu Qing and the other two in front automatically parted, then stood on either side.

Chen Yuan approached Xie Tianhao, looking at the heavily wounded man whose expression showed despair, his eyes gleaming as he asked:

“Fushi received news that Weiyuan Pass fell three days ago, and the two armies were besieged and almost completely wiped out by the Yao Race. How did you escape?”

Upon hearing this, Xie Tianhao's body trembled rapidly, seemingly falling into painful memories, his face becoming somewhat distorted, “At that time, the Yao Race came fiercely. Six Yao Mountains and ten Yao This Generals, leading a surging beast tide, attacked Weiyuan Prefecture, besieging it from three directions. The Tenth Mountain, Eleventh Mountain, and Weiyuan Zhonglang General relied on the Fashan Flag and the city defense array to fight. The array was breached, and the This General, along with two other Junior General and a Local Fourth Heavenly Gate expert, fought to the death, killing five of the Yao This Generals. In the end, they all perished in battle. The rest of us fought and retreated, getting scattered. I was severely wounded and fell unconscious after escaping to Jiangan County. Then I was rescued by this pair of siblings.”

“...It turned out that the entire county town had actually been secretly controlled by the Yao Race. They had corralled the city's inhabitants. I escaped with this pair of siblings, but the Restriction set up by the Yao Race in the city exposed us, and then we were hunted down by the Yao Race...”

Facing Chen Yuan's interrogation, Xie Tianhao recounted his experiences in detail, though he was unwilling to delve into the specifics of the great battle at Weiyuan City.

“The entire county's population was corralled?”

Hearing this, Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow, tilting his head to look in the direction of Jiangan County.

Xie Tianhao's expression became stern,

“Yes!”

“Ninth Zhonglang may not have seen it, but two thousand li in this direction has already turned into a Yao Kingdom.”

“A few days ago, the This General was ordered to lead us to reinforce Weiyuan Prefecture. Upon arrival, he immediately sent people to scout the fallen Youmen Pass region and discovered that the county towns there presented different scenes. Some had turned into a living hell, the entire county covered by demonic clouds, with a towering black tree reaching into the clouds in the center. Our men couldn't scout the situation inside. Others were as usual, with the common people oblivious to the Yao disaster, living their lives normally; however, our dispatched personnel disappeared after entering. And in some county towns, the Yao Race and the common people coexisted, but the Yao Race was high above, and the common people were enslaved.”

“The Yao Race from various mountains divided these county towns, and the Yao Race occupying each county town differed.”

Xie Yunhao recounted the intelligence gathered by the Tenth Mountain in the Yao Race-occupied territories.

Between the lines, absurd and bizarre scenes of the fallen lands were vividly depicted.

Some were like a ghostly realm, others concealed terror beneath a calm surface...

The conquered cities became like private reserves for different Yao Race, filled with all sorts of strange and monstrous creatures.

Two thousand li from here had turned into a Yao Kingdom!

Chen Yuan listened carefully, a turbulent surge in the depths of his eyes.

From what he understood from the Dao Division, the Ten Thousand Mountains were full of strange and wondrous things, inhabited by hundreds of Yao Race. Each mountain was home to one or several tribes, and many fabled ferocious Yao Race lived within, like the Fei Yi, Gǔdiāo, and Zhen he had slain, which resided deep in the mountains, rarely seen by the outside world.

Legend has it that fifteen hundred years ago, after the previous Imperial Dynasty collapsed, these fierce Yao Race wreaked havoc everywhere. After the new Great Gan was established, these fierce Yao Race were jointly Sealed by Human Race Great Divine Power Practitioners at this natural stronghold. Subsequently, powerful Restrictions were set up around the Ten Thousand Mountains, intercepting the Dragon Vein Luck, and since then, Youmen Pass was established to guard it.

Now, it seems to be a Reincarnation. The Luck of Great Gan is nearing its end, the Restrictions are loosening, and these Yao Race are re-emerging, their fierce might overwhelming, threatening to engulf everything like a collapsing river.

After so many years of reproduction and growth, no one knew what kind of Yao Race were hidden within!

With so many people dead, Chen Yuan knew that with his current strength, he was vastly outmatched in the face of this great trend, and his individual power seemed minuscule.

The order from above was merely to have him stationed in Guangan Prefecture, along with the Local General of the Guard, to jointly defend and support each other with the army from the neighboring Chishui Prefecture, to block this gap.

However!

Waiting for others to attack was never his character. In the current situation, this was tantamount to chronic suicide. Taking the initiative was the only way to adapt to changes.

Bringing the army was definitely not an option; the Ninth Mountain would become a living target. If it caused a chain reaction and the Yao Race from various mountains united, it would only put himself and his subordinate soldiers in danger.

He wouldn't do something so foolish.

Thoughts raced through his mind, a spark of lightning flashed in his spiritual platform, and an idea vaguely formed.

You Yao Race of the Ten Thousand Mountains are seizing territory, have you asked the local goods? He was more familiar with this approach.

However, this matter still needed long-term consideration, and many details required deliberation.

He cast a deep gaze towards Jiangan County, then issued an order.

“Return to Guangan Prefecture first!”

Late at night, in Guangan Prefecture, at the Sky Patrol Division's station, in the back room of the Zhonglang Hall, candlelight flickered, and a figure paced back and forth under the candlelight. However, the shadow was sometimes elongated, sometimes shortened, very unevenly.

At this moment, footsteps approached from outside.

Then, a voice came.

“Sir, the soldiers Ninth Zhonglang took out have returned!”

“Snap”

The door to the back room quickly opened, and a short man walked out.

He wore a green casual robe, with a tiger head embroidered on his chest, baring its fangs and claws, but his height was only five chi, appearing extremely disproportionate.

He had fair skin and red lips, but his chin was covered in a full beard, and his hairline extended to the back of his head, where he had a small braid.

This person was the Zhonglang General of this place.

“Go, go, go, This General wants to see him.”

His voice was high-pitched; if not for the beard, he would truly sound like a seven or eight-year-old child.

His subordinate bowed and asked in a low voice:

“This General, should we still tidy up that thing?”

The man jumped up, slapped the other's head, and said irritably, “Don't mention it again, This General said nothing.”

Then, he rushed out of the hall in a hurry.

Happy Qixi Festival to everyone, whether you have friends or not, charge!