225: My heart is filled with rage, but it cannot comfort me with the enemy's head (asking for a monthly ticket)

“Bang!”

In a certain mountain forest, a golden-armored giant descended from the sky, holding a ferocious Sky Dog’s head in one hand and a pagoda in the other, from which roars echoed.

Golden light flowed like flames, so dazzling it was hard to open one’s eyes.

The golden-armored figure took a few steps forward, swaying with each stride, its massive form rapidly shrinking. Finally, the golden flowing light on its body rolled back and receded, revealing Chen Yuan’s figure.

The pagoda and the head in his hand also vanished.

Behind him,

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!”

Several streaks of light followed closely, landing behind him and revealing the figures of Qingyangzi and the other three.

“Ninth Zhonglang!”

Opposite them, several figures struggled to stand.

There was the beautiful woman surnamed An from Su Nu Sword Sect, Qin Rushuang from the Imperial Capital, and another Heavenly Gate expert from a Sect, supporting the heavily injured and dying Fellow Daoist Gan from Divine Firmament Sect.

Their Auras were chaotic, and they had all sustained serious injuries, looking somewhat disheveled.

Chen Yuan did not speak. He walked directly toward the Divine Firmament Sect’s Heavenly Gate expert, patting several acupoints on his Ren and Du meridians with his palm. Then, he activated the Dragon Qi Mother Tree, and a green vitality slowly flowed into this person through his True Qi.

This person’s body, both inside and out, had been ravaged by lightning and fire, leaving him on the verge of death.

Chen Yuan poured life force into him, which quickly circulated through his body again and again via his True Qi, the green vitality enveloping the charred flesh and blood within.

About half a cup of tea later, Chen Yuan withdrew his hand, and the Fellow Daoist’s breathing became much steadier. He slowly opened his eyes and said weakly, “Thank you, Ninth Zhonglang!”

“Rest well!” Chen Yuan waved his hand, flicked his sleeve, and a ferocious demon appeared on the ground. Its breath expanded, growing to a height of one zhang.

It was a ‘Bo’ that Chen Yuan had previously subdued, a Heavenly Gate Dao Soldier level.

At this moment, after this Bo appeared, two white Qi streams spewed from its Qilin-like nostrils. Then, it obediently knelt on all fours, emitting a dull drum-like sound.

Chen Yuan placed the injured person onto the demon’s flat back. Then, the golden light in his eyes turned to black lacquer, scanning the injuries of the other few people. He discovered that the Dantians of the three were covered by a black film, restricting their True Qi.

So, he spat out three Golden Core True Fires the size of eggs, which flew in front of the three, signaling them to swallow.

The three did not hesitate and followed his instruction.

They saw that their bodies lit up with a ball of light, which traveled from the Twelve-Story Pagoda, through the Ren and Du meridians, and converged into their Dantian.

After about half an incense stick’s time, the three coughed almost simultaneously, spitting out a black liquid.

This black liquid was extremely foul-smelling. When it landed on the grass, it corroded the ground like concentrated sulfuric acid, creating a large pit.

Only then did the three feel their True Qi flowing freely within their bodies, and their blocked chests suddenly cleared, making them unable to resist taking a deep breath.

After all this was done, Chen Yuan’s gaze swept over the few people, finally resting on Qin Rushuang.

“Just now, Sect Leader An already sent a message to me, giving me a general idea of the situation. Chen…”

As he spoke, he bowed slightly to the few people.

“Ninth Zhonglang, Fellow Daoists…”

Sect Leader An of Su Nu Sword Sect spoke a sentence, then turned her head away.

“What exactly happened?”

The Fellow Daoist from Benlei Mountain, who did not yet know the specific situation, couldn’t help but anxiously take two steps forward.

Chen Yuan turned his face to look at Qin Rushuang, his eyes flickering. “Please, Miss, explain what happened.”

Qin Rushuang stepped forward, earnestly cupped her hands towards Chen Yuan and the others, and began to recount the events.

From her accompanying the Grand Minister from the Imperial Capital to Dingshan Pass, to the Wucang Great Demon’s attack and the breaking of Dingshan Pass, then to the Local General of the Guard self-immolating to block the Great Demon, entrusting her with the great cauldron at the last moment, her being pursued, and the Yao Race’s northern expedition…

Upon hearing this, Qingyangzi and the others’ pupils contracted sharply, and their expressions changed.

The Wucang Great Demon had acted, Dingshan Pass had fallen, and the Yao Race’s advance north was unstoppable.

Hearing later that the Fellow Daoists had sacrificed their lives to deliver the Dao Fruit to Chen Yuan, they couldn’t help but sigh with emotion and sorrow, and the atmosphere grew heavy.

Unexpectedly, Chen Yuan’s next words caused everyone’s expressions to change dramatically, and their spirits plummeted into an even deeper abyss.

“I’m afraid it’s not just Dingshan Pass; Muchuan Prefecture has very likely fallen. The Yao Race’s direct advance north must have already taken this Fu Gate.”

Muchuan Prefecture, with Dingshan Pass, formed a pincer movement against Youmen Pass. After Youmen Pass fell, the two Deputy Commanders each retreated to a location and garrisoned it.

Now that Dingshan Pass had fallen, and the Yao Race did not go west to encircle them but instead headed directly north, it was very likely as he said.

“Then doesn’t that mean, almost the entire Fa Shan Army…”

Yun Chuxiong of the Yun Family’s eyes widened, his face turning ugly. Then he glanced at Chen Yuan, his voice growing softer, leaving the rest of his words unsaid.

“From the very beginning, this was a war of unequal strength,” Chen Yuan said slowly, a hint of silence in his voice. Then he looked up, his hand reaching out to grab a cicada from a tree. No matter how it buzzed and flapped its wings, it couldn’t escape his palm. He then squeezed his hand, his voice carrying a chill, “They are just testing, or rather, waiting for an opportunity.”

The more he learned about the Ten Thousand Mountains, the more he realized how deep the waters were within it.

A thousand years ago, when the Great Qian Dynasty was founded and at its peak, why didn’t those Great Divine Ability users kill these demons? Instead, they used more than half of the Luck of Shu Mountain to suppress and Seal them. It must have been because they couldn’t be killed.

Now, these demons have broken free from the Seal. If even those Great Divine Ability users couldn’t kill them when they joined forces back then, could they rely on the few people from their Dao Fu Division now?

As he spoke, he stared intently at Qin Rushuang, his gaze burning. “Miss Miss Qin, you come from the Imperial Capital. Can you tell Chen what the Imperial Court is doing?”

“Just sending two Grand Ministers to negotiate?”

“What was the result?!”

“They died in vain, all died in vain, damn it!”

The more Chen Yuan spoke, the harder it was to suppress his emotions.

Too many people had died. To think that people who might have been laughing and talking with you yesterday, suddenly hear the news of their death the next day. Experiencing this too many times would drive one mad.

“Lord!”

Several people saw that Chen Yuan’s eyes were red and hurried forward.

Chen Yuan then let out a breath and waved his hand, “I’m fine, I just had some things on my mind I wanted to say.”

“Miss Miss Qin, don’t misunderstand, Chen is not upset with you.”

Qin Rushuang, however, shook her head. “General is a person of strong character. The Imperial Capital is currently embroiled in various disputes, and coupled with the chaos erupting everywhere in the Central Plains, the waters run too deep for a mere woman like me to explain clearly. It’s just that the two Grand Ministers were truly very good people, and for them to fall like this…”

Qin Rushuang also felt a sense of frustration. The Imperial Court wanted to sacrifice two old men to gain peace. Remembering the loneliness of the two old men when they left the pass, she couldn’t help but feel a lump in her throat.

“Lord, what should we do now?” Qingyangzi of Shu Mountain Sword Sect pondered for a moment, then frowned and spoke.

Given the current situation, the Fa Shan Army had already been defeated. Continuing would only lead to many unnecessary sacrifices, especially since the Yao Race had even deployed the Wucang Great Demon.

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at the Ninth Mountain Zhonglang General, their expressions varied.

“Lord Chen, Chang Central Herald told you to retreat with that item!”

The beautiful woman from Su Nu Sword Sect also opened her mouth at this moment, her words somewhat difficult.

At this time, everyone was in a high-pressure environment, enduring immense pressure. This atmosphere was suffocating.

However, they saw Chen Yuan shake his head.

“You can leave!”

“The Mortals can leave!”

“I cannot leave!”

Chen Yuan spoke, his eyes flickering with fire.

As soon as these words were uttered, the faces of the several Sect Heavenly Gate experts showed surprise, and then they all spoke up,

“Lord!”

“Retreat, while there’s still time.”

“That’s right, if there are green hills, there will be wood to burn. With your talent, Lord, there will surely be a day for revenge.”

“…”

Chen Yuan swept his gaze over these faces. Unlike when he first met them, when they still maintained a hint of aloofness and the arrogance of past Heavenly Gate experts, now, after experiencing the crucible of battle, their faces, without realizing it, revealed genuine emotions, carrying the true feelings of ordinary people.

He said very seriously, “Chen is not acting out of a rush of blood, like some thoughtless brute.” As he spoke, he raised his hand and picked up a dry branch from the ground, drawing and marking on the ground, calmly analyzing the current situation: “This is Youmen Pass, where the Ten Thousand Mountains are located. Guang’an Prefecture is directly east of Weiyuan Pass. Weiyuan Pass, Dingshan Pass, and Muchuan Prefecture form an arc, encircling Youmen Pass. Currently, the Yao Race is advancing north from Dingshan Pass and Muchuan Prefecture, intending to directly capture Jinguancheng. We are relatively safe for a short time, but there’s one prerequisite: we must quickly take Weiyuan Pass!”

As Chen Yuan spoke, his eyes blazed.

“This way, everyone and the Mortals will have enough buffer time to evacuate!”

“But this is still not enough.”

“With the Yao Race’s forces advancing north and no Fa Shan Army to block them, they will surely be unstoppable.”

“Chen must cause some trouble for these beasts!”

As his words fell, his hand fiercely jabbed at the location of Dingshan Pass, piercing a large hole.

These Sect Heavenly Gate experts, upon hearing this, agreed.

A voice sounded at the opportune moment,

“Count me in!”

Qingyangzi of Shu Mountain Sword Sect, with a normal expression, spoke very readily.

“Let’s go together!”

“This humble Daoist will count as one!”

“…”

Several people responded one after another.

“Count this humble girl in too!”

At this moment, Qin Rushuang’s Phoenix eyes sparkled with a radiance. A sense of exhilaration she had never experienced before caused her full chest to heave, despite her current injuries.

“Good!”

Chen Yuan flicked the branch, acting decisively. “No time to lose, I’ll assign tasks now!”

“Fellow Daoist Qingyangzi, Fellow Daoist Yun, you two go to Chishui Prefecture and guide the Mortals to evacuate towards Guang’an Prefecture. Be extremely careful on the way and conceal your tracks. Although only three Dao Fruit demons have come, who knows if there are any stragglers.”

“Also, see how Chang Central Herald and the others are doing. Take these three heads with you and consolidate the remaining troops. This is my great Seal!”

“After settling affairs in Chishui Prefecture, you two will depart from Chishui Prefecture and head directly to rendezvous three hundred li outside Weiyuan Pass.”

As he spoke, Chen Yuan flicked his sleeve, which expanded rapidly, and three hideously ugly heads flew out, rolling onto the ground like boulders.

And a large Seal flew towards Qingyangzi.

Qingyangzi caught the great Seal, while Yun Chuxiong of the Yun Family blew a cloud of Qi, rolling up the three demon heads.

The two cupped their hands towards Chen Yuan, “Understood, let’s go!”

With that, the two shot up and out of the forest, acting swiftly and decisively.

Chen Yuan then looked at the others, telling Sect Leader An, Qin Rushuang, and the injured ones to get on the Bo’s back.

“You few, since you’re injured, ride on this fellow’s back. When we return to the city later, Chen will heal you.”

Qin Rushuang and the other two nodded and jumped onto the Bo’s back.

Chen Yuan nodded to the two remaining Fellow Daoists from Benlei Mountain and Fulong Temple, let out a whistle, and soared into the air, flying straight towards Guang’an Prefecture.

At dawn, the sky was dimly lit, and a fine drizzle still drifted outside.

At the Sky Patrol Division’s station, however, it was already a chaotic uproar.

Within Guang’an Prefecture, in West City, hooves thundered as cavalry horses from the prefecture galloped out of the pass. Black Great Eagles flapped their wings, flying out from the station, their cries of “li” echoing as they soared into the rain, carrying secret messages to various counties within the pass.

On the parade ground within the station, Black Armored Soldiers were neatly arrayed, and names were called out, each responded with a loud roar, a battlefield roll call.

In the nearby detached courtyard, three commanding officers of the Ninth Mountain stood in the great hall, waiting.

And in front of them, a small figure with a small braid, hands behind his back, paced back and forth before the three of them, seemingly impatient.

The small figure was Gou Zhi, the Local General of the Guard, who had removed his secret technique and reverted to his “small person” form.