247: The Four-way Cloud War Begins (asking for monthly tickets)

Red sleeves flew, landing amidst two rows of armored soldiers who had rushed into the courtyard.

She immediately pulled out a token, her bright eyes like cold stars in the night.

"Qingshan County, Lian Nishang!"

"What on earth happened?"

She looked at the scene, her voice deep and tinged with an indescribable sharpness, as she quickly stepped forward to help Old Wu, who seemed to have aged decades in an instant.

The leading lieutenant, seeing his colleague, cupped his hands and then raised an angry brow, "Fu Gate received news yesterday that on the southern Demon Battlefield, the Fa Shan Army was almost completely routed, suffering heavy casualties. Chen Yuan led troops in a counterattack and captured Weiyuan Pass in the southeast, slaying countless demons, but he was then besieged by Wucang Great Demons. Chen Yuan's Divine Ability is peerless; he broke through to the legendary Wu Zang Realm and desperately slew two Great Demons, almost single-handedly turning the tide, but…"

The lieutenant from Fu Gate paused here, his chest heaving rapidly, his eyes filled with grief and indignation, "But, another Great Demon descended!"

As he spoke, he suddenly clenched his hand, a popping sound erupted, his fist tightly balled, and then he gritted his teeth.

"When the brothers heard this news, they wished they could rush over. General Xiang was furious and has already sent someone to request permission to dispatch troops out of the Pass."

The lieutenant generally recounted the news he had received, his tone agitated, but he did not reveal the final outcome.

Lian Nishang tightly held the old man in front of her, whose body was trembling violently, but she didn't notice that her own delicate body was also subtly shaking.

She opened her mouth, but remained silent for a long while, suppressing a surge of emotion, telling herself to remain calm, remembering what her brother had told her before leading his troops away.

"Ni Chang wants to know her brother's final whereabouts!"

She tried to maintain her composure, her star-like eyes fixed on the other party.

The lieutenant in front of her, hearing this, his expression changed drastically, but in the end, he sighed.

"The news says that under the siege of the Great Demon, Chen Yuan's Dharma form eventually dissipated into the heavens and earth, his life or death unknown."

"And General Xiang sent me here to bring Chen Yuan's personal belongings back to Fu Gate. General Xiang possesses a Divine Ability that can sense whether Chen Yuan is still alive through the Qi of these items, and he wants to try and find him."

This person stated the purpose of his visit.

As soon as these words were spoken, a trembling, aged voice rang out.

"Follow me!"

Old Wu spoke, "There's no need to support this old man. Chen Yuan is a good person and has Heaven's protection. I, this old man, believe in him."

With that, he shuffled his steps and walked towards the inner room.

However, that hunched figure occasionally raised a hand to wipe his eyes.

Around the same time, in the northernmost part of Jinguancheng, Tianxiong Pass, which connects to the Central Plains, a piece of news quickly ignited the formidable Pass.

Chen Yanwang, who had once annihilated three families and caused countless heads to roll in Tianxiong Pass, had slain a Wucang Great Demon on the southern Demon Battlefield and ultimately died in battle under the demons' siege.

As soon as the news broke, the streets and alleys, taverns and teahouses, suddenly buzzed.

Some said Chen Yanwang had already died on the battlefield, while others said he was merely missing, but according to the news, his chances of survival were slim.

Others exclaimed in surprise,

Wu Zang!

No one expected this Zhonglang General to quickly enter such a Domain, his martial Dao peerless.

Such a general star, who had risen abruptly, had fallen just like that, causing people to sigh with regret.

In the south of the city, there is a Tianxiang Pavilion, twenty-three stories high.

In a room on the top floor, a woman from the Western Regions, wearing a golden veil and a midriff-baring gauze dress, pushed open the door and walked in, her voice hurried.

"Ana'er (honorific)"

At this moment, in the room filled with exotic fragrance, an extremely beautiful and voluptuous woman was sitting at a table, delicately stirring soup with her fair hands. Amidst the rich aroma, a strong essence of Qi emanated.

The woman wore a purple strapless top adorned with precious stones and agate, her eyes were a deep lake-like blue, her nose high, her eyebrows curved, and on her forehead was a golden bird imprint. A cascade of black curly hair fell to her waist like a waterfall.

The former Princess Loulan, An Ge, held a delicate white porcelain bowl, her face radiating a gentle and languid glow, and her figure seemed to have become much fuller than before.

Seeing someone rush in, a hint of panic flashed in her eyes, then quickly settled into calmness. Upon seeing the figure, her beautiful, languid brows furrowed.

"Miyi, what's the matter, why so flustered?"

Miyi saw that the Princess was cooking soup in the room again, and she felt very strange. Recently, the Princess's peculiar little habits had become more frequent, which had never happened before, and the Princess had also changed recently, her body seemed to have become much plumper, including her tone and expression when speaking to people.

The Princess used to be diligent in developing Tianxiang Pavilion and secretly accumulating power, but recently she had become much more languid and often felt sleepy.

Perhaps others hadn't noticed, but for her, who had served the Princess for many years, it was very obvious.

However, at the moment, she had an urgent matter, so she didn't think much about that aspect.

"Ana'er, forgive me. You asked me to inquire about the movements of that Fa Shan Army Zhonglang General. News just came that this Zhonglang General went south on an expedition and fought against the demons, and he died in battle at Weiyuan Pass the night before last!"

As this sound fell,

"Clatter!"

The white porcelain bowl held by the former Princess fell to the ground with a crash. The scalding soup splashed onto her fair, jade-like feet, quickly turning them bright red.

"Ana'er!"

Miyi exclaimed, quickly walked over, knelt down, and light emerged from her hands to help the Princess heal.

However, An Ge's lake-blue eyes were momentarily lost, then she reacted, reaching out to pull up Miyi, who was kneeling at her feet, her voice becoming urgent,

"How did he die?"

"Ana'er!" Miyi was pulled up by the sudden force, letting out a cry of pain, then saw the Princess's expression, which made her a little afraid. "The news says that this Zhonglang General, in order to protect the retreat of his troops, single-handedly fought two Wucang Great Demons..."

Miyi recounted the news she had heard, and as she spoke, she couldn't help but feel sympathy and admiration for that fierce man.

For his comrades, he fought a bloody battle against the legendary Wucang Great Demons, and in the end, he even broke through to Wu Zang and slew demons. It was just that there were too many terrifying demons in that place, appearing one after another, overwhelming this Zhonglang General.

Although this Zhonglang General had once targeted her in Tianxiong Pass over an incident, making her incredibly scared, speaking of it now, she suddenly wasn't afraid anymore, and even felt a complex sense of reverence.

As remnants of a tribe that revered heroes, they naturally worshipped such heroes. It was a pity that there was no one like that to help them, and the dream of restoring their nation remained distant.

But why was the Princess reacting so strongly? That Zhonglang General had acted disrespectfully towards the Princess back then, forcing her to dance for him.

Miyi stared nervously at An Ge. Her beautiful, azure eyes were now turbulent, emotions intertwined, seemingly with hatred and some indescribable emotion.

"You may go. I want to rest!" After a long while, the exiled princess, her blue eyes calmed, supported her head with her long, fair fingers, her voice seemingly very tired.

"Ana'er, are you alright?" Miyi was a little flustered. As someone close to her, she saw many emotions in the Princess's eyes that she had never seen before.

"Go. I'm fine."

"Yes!" Miyi had no choice but to retreat and close the door.

After half an hour, Miyi heard many voices in Tianxiang Pavilion. They said that now, because of the Zhonglang General's death in battle, many people were deeply shaken and were rushing to the battlefield. A terrifying great battle would soon erupt between the entire Sichuan region and the terrifying demons breaking out from the Ten Thousand Mountains, and many people would die.

She suddenly felt uneasy and ran back to the room on the top floor, knocking on the door and calling out softly several times.

"Ana'er"

"Ana'er"

Then her voice grew louder and louder.

But there was no response from inside the room.

She pushed the door open and saw that the room was already empty.

The Princess was gone.

Then, all the Hu people in Tianxiang Pavilion became anxious, searching for the Princess's whereabouts.

A day passed, but An Ge's figure was still nowhere to be found.

And at dusk on this day, on the southern Demon Battlefield.

Four thousand li south of Jinguancheng, outside Chuanzhong Pass, the land was bathed in the blood-red glow of the setting sun, a scene of utter devastation.

The common people, like ants, scattered across the land and mountains, crying, screaming, and fleeing.

In the sky and on the ground, demons of various shapes and sizes, with ferocious faces, shrieked and roared, shaking heaven and earth. Some swooped down from the sky, extending sharp claws to pierce the shoulders of the fleeing black figures on the ground, snatching them into the air, then opening their sharp mouths to devour the miserable human figures. Others howled and leaped through the mountains and forests, covering hundreds of meters in an instant, stirring up a Fishy Wind, and opening their gaping maws, the sound of flesh and blood being torn was utterly terrifying.

Among these fleeing figures were armored soldiers, their armor stained with blood, shouting amidst the chaos.

Some drew large bows, letting loose a rune-etched iron arrow that whistled through the air, shattering a demon in the sky with a bang;

Others, like cannonballs, moved against the fleeing populace, exploding from the ground beneath their feet, shooting through the mountain forests, raising blades of light, and confronting a white-furred, striped tiger leaping down from a mountaintop;

Or, facing the roaring demons from all directions, a tragic figure let out a loud roar, "Remember to burn more paper money for me, I'll go first!" As the words fell, the figure transformed into a blazing fire, exploding open, the flames tearing those demonic figures into pieces.

These were the Fa Shan armored soldiers and Fu Gate soldiers who had retreated from the front lines, covering the retreat of the common people. But the demons were overwhelming, the scene horrifying, and the fighting was incredibly brutal.

The overwhelming roars brought despair.

There was no escape.

In this killing formation formed by the great power of heaven and earth, human lives were truly like grass, and people died one after another.

Ordinary people became blood food for the demons, and soldiers and martial arts practitioners who fought bravely also fell.

Many people could no longer run; they could only collapse to the ground, embracing their escaping families, weeping and despairingly watching as demons rapidly approached, their massive, grotesque bodies landing in front, their terrifying pupils, ferocious fangs, and foul-smelling saliva filling them with terror.

Suddenly, in the distance ahead, the vast land rumbled.

Under the setting sun, on the distant horizon, a yellow dust cloud, spanning dozens of li horizontally, rolled in, a truly magnificent sight.

Within the rolling dust, figures, some in vibrant attire on spirited horses, others from the Jianghu, stirred the long sky.

"Kill!"

The shouts of battle shook the heavens, reverberating through the firmament.

Immediately following, streaks of light, like a torrential downpour, swept towards the demonic figures covering the mountains.

And three thousand li southeast of this location, at sunset, under a sky dyed red by the evening glow, on a desolate and ruined pass, where yellow sand swirled, a long spear stood solitary amidst the lingering smoke of battle.

Dozens of li outside the city pass, streaks of light appeared, and deep eyes gazed at the long spear standing proudly amidst the ruins!