321: Call someone! (5K for monthly ticket)

Chapter 321: Call for Help! (5K+ asking for monthly votes)

Just as the Celestial Dog displayed its Divine Might, five thousand four hundred li south of Tianxiong Pass, a silver light, like a meteor chasing the moon, shone brilliantly amidst the howling wind and snow.

A Gǔdiāo, its entire body shimmering with silver light, radiating beauty and power, shot into the high sky. Its sharp, hook-like eagle beak cut through the air, forming a bright, pointed arc in front.

Between the two long horns on the Gǔdiāo’s head, Chen Yuan sat cross-legged. Around him, the Void Realm glowed with brilliant, blazing fire, and thick, hazy fire clouds, about a zhang in height, floated around him.

Within the fire clouds, square scarlet fire crystals hummed and trembled continuously. The hazy fire clouds inside them constantly surged out, transforming into streams of flowing lava that converged into Chen Yuan’s left chest. There, a blazing furnace was lit, glowing with bright red light and thumping ceaselessly like a drum.

With each drum-like beat, the surrounding scarlet fire crystals trembled, and the fire clouds within them surged out continuously.

After half a cup of tea, hundreds of pure and flawless scarlet fire crystals became transparent, their fire essence completely absorbed. They then trembled once, turning into powder with soft puffs, scattering with the wind.

Then, a dazzling mass of fire clouds flew out from Chen Yuan’s sleeve, re-engulfing him. Another hundred or so high-grade scarlet fire crystals, each about a chi in size, flew out.

This cycle repeated endlessly!

At this moment, inside Chen Yuan’s body, a red glow illuminated the Five Temples. The fire Divine Repository, represented by his heart, was enveloped by a mass of fire clouds, emitting scorching and terrifying high temperatures.

This direct and crude method of introducing a massive amount of fire essence into the body was undoubtedly extremely dangerous. The fire clouds were violent and chaotic, and once out of control, they could instantly affect the Five Temples, leading to self-immolation.

But Chen Yuan was fearless. Below him, a small tree, resembling a coiling Dragon, swayed its branches, making sounds like pearls dropping onto a jade plate, and exuding a hazy green light that isolated these terrifyingly hot fire clouds from the other four temples.

Subsequently, the blazing fire clouds began to surge with the beating of his heart, like war drums, flowing along the Heart Meridian, from the Shaocong acupoint at his fingertips, to the Shaofu at his palm bones, then to the Shenmen at his wrist, and the Yinxi at his forearm.

There are nine acupoints and eighteen fire furnaces in the Heart Meridian. Chen Yuan spent half a day directly and brutally absorbing the pure fire essence from the scarlet fire crystals, combined with the Luck accelerator. With both methods, he rushed from Shaocong all the way to Yinxi, opening four acupoints in both arms and igniting eight fire furnaces.

At this point, the Heart Meridian progress had reached forty-five percent.

Chen Yuan consumed nearly ten zhang square of pure scarlet fire crystals in one go, and also spent over a thousand Luck points.

Currently, he had just over two thousand Luck points remaining.

The consumption of Luck points occurred during the acupoint-opening process.

Normally, with a small mountain of high-grade red crystals at his disposal, Chen Yuan wouldn't need to expend Luck points at all. He possessed a massive amount of pure fire essence that others could only envy. He could slowly accumulate it and open the entire Heart Meridian, kicking open the temple gate, which wouldn't take much time, perhaps ten days to half a month.

However, given the current situation, to be prepared, he naturally had to increase his strength as quickly as possible, disregarding these minor details.

He aimed to see if he could open the second Divine Repository before reaching Tianxiong Pass!

With his current cultivation, having opened the first Divine Repository, and with the numerous Heavenly and Earthly Divine Abilities supporting him, he could contend with a General Wu Sheng who had opened four Divine Repositories but lacked Heaven-Defying enhancements.

Yesterday, in the General Mountain Fire Domain, that General Wu Sheng expert from the Northern Liang Royal Mansion had opened four Divine Repositories and employed an endless array of techniques, but he still retreated in a dishevelled state.

Part of the reason was Chen Yuan's advantageous position; the golden lava was untouchable for the General Wu Sheng expert. A Divine Being, cultivated from the opponent's Divided Soul, attempted a sneak attack but was engulfed by the golden lava and burned to death. However, at that time, Chen Yuan was also concerned that the battle would be too intense, causing the General Mountain to be turned upside down and potentially harming his own soldiers by overturning this furnace, so he didn't go all out.

When he hadn't opened a Divine Repository, he could rely on his Divine Ability and Dharmakaya to defeat a General Wu Sheng expert with three Divine Repositories, such as the Human Devil from the Place of becoming a Saint in the battle of Five Treasures Mountain!

After opening the first Divine Repository, he defeated the North Liang King's attendant who had four Divine Repositories.

Quantitative change leads to qualitative change; Chen Yuan’s current goal was to open the second Divine Repository as quickly as possible.

The whistling wind roared in his ears, but Chen Yuan remained calm, continuously extracting fire essence and clearing his Heart Meridian.

Behind him, a pair of eyes stared intently at his figure, enveloped by the hazy fire clouds.

Old Man Dong of the Huanlong Clan looked at Chen Yuan with a strange expression, muttering,

“Is this kid a Martial Dao Saint Body?”

“Cultivating like this is no different from playing with fire and burning oneself, yet this guy seems perfectly at ease. His General Wu Sheng Aura is visibly increasing. I’ve truly lived long enough to see this.”

He shook his head, his red nose twitching, and his eyes flickering with contemplation.

“This kid is even more mysterious than this This General!”

“It seems the divination I performed this time might not be accurate.”

As he thought, he looked back again. The North Sea Dragon Girl behind him was still facing away, like a clay sculpture or wooden statue, not moving for a long time. This made the Huanlong Clan member feel a bit melancholic; one after another, they were all troublesome.

Just as the Old Man was feeling a bit bored, suddenly, his ears twitched. He slapped his hand downwards, stood up, and his cloudy eyes peered through the vast wind and snow, looking towards the vast mountains about ten li ahead.

In the distance, a troop of dozens of soldiers roared along the snowy mountain path!

Their iron armor gleamed with cold light, reflecting off the snow, and the neighing of horses grew increasingly clear.

This group consisted of about thirty men, clad in green armor. At the very front was a man in blue chainmail, riding a three-zhang-tall black wolf. There were fluttering banners among them, bearing the characters “An Shun.”

This was the Anshun Prefectural Army, and they were the elite of the elite. The person at the very front was a Heavenly Gate expert!

When the Old Man Dong of the Huanlong Clan discovered this Prefectural Army, Chen Yuan, who was sitting at the very front, also suddenly opened his eyes. Golden light rapidly condensed in his eyes, piercing through the wind and snow, clearly seeing the marching soldiers in the distance.

Anshun Prefecture is three thousand li northwest of Jinguang. Why are they here?

He looked north, then stomped his foot. The enormous Gǔdiāo beneath him immediately lowered its head, its massive demonic body swooping down, raising thousands of piles of snow.

In front, within the Anshun Prefectural Army, who were traversing the mountains and snow, a horse suddenly let out a long neigh.

“Whinny!”

One after another, the muscular, exotic large horses suddenly stopped, letting out startled neighs. Then, their front hooves rose high, and they began to go wild, trying to throw off the armored soldiers on their backs, spinning in all directions.

“What’s going on?”

The armored soldiers stirred, struggling to control their frantic horses. Then, they felt a terrifying pressure descending from the sky behind them, and their expressions immediately changed drastically.

“Not good!”

“There’s Demonic Qi!”

They felt the Demonic Qi, but it was so dense that it made everyone’s hearts pound, and it was rapidly approaching.

“Hiss!”

“Hiss!”

“Hiss!”

The metallic friction of long swords being drawn from their scabbards rang out one after another. More than twenty armored soldiers tightly held their spinning horses, looking up at the sky, their faces tense.

The blue-armored Heavenly Gate expert at the very front, whose Body Profound wolf demon let out a terrified whimper and its legs went soft, actually prostrated itself on the ground. His face paled in shock; the powerful demonic Aura made his chest constrict.

Dao Fruit Demon?

He opened his eyes wide in horror, looking up. He saw a dazzling silver light plunging down through the cold night’s wind and snow. A fierce wind swept down, breaking branches and sending snow flying in the surrounding mountains, and the swirling snowflakes blurred his vision. Then the light stopped several hundred meters above them, revealing a huge Gǔdiāo, about forty zhang in size.

“Gǔdiāo?”

The Heavenly Gate expert at the very front squinted his eyes, looking through the swirling snow. He saw the Gǔdiāo, which was as grotesque as if cast from silver water and shone with brilliant Divine Might. His eyes widened in horror. How could a Dao Fruit Demon from the Ten Thousand Mountains, and one of the Ten Fiends no less, appear here?

Had the front line fallen? Had the demons from the Ten Thousand Mountains started another major operation?

Just as this person was inexplicably horrified, a calm voice suddenly came from above.

“Your Excellency, are you Anshun Zhonglang General Nie Ping? Where are you going this time?”

Anshun Zhonglang General Nie Ping was startled to hear a human voice. There was actually a person on this Dao Fruit Gǔdiāo? And he had called out his name, apparently knowing him.

This eased his tense heart somewhat. He cupped his hands towards the sky, enduring the howling wind and snow in his ears, and said loudly:

“It is This General.”

“We heard the news that the Town Demon Envoy is about to arrive in Shu Land, so we are going to greet him. May I ask who Your Excellency is?”

The human voice from above was silent for a moment, then spoke:

“Ninth Mountain Zhonglang General, Chen Yuan!”

As these words fell, Anshun Zhonglang General Nie Ping’s face suddenly stiffened, his eyes visibly widened, and then a forced smile appeared on his face.

“So it’s the famous Ninth Zhonglang. This General, my apologies, are you also…”

He stopped mid-sentence, immediately realizing that the rest of his words were inappropriate, and quickly held back.

At this moment, the voice from above came again, showing no discernible emotion:

“Junior General Nie wishes to greet the new Town Demon Envoy. It is understandable to show proper courtesy, but bringing so many commanding officers, if something were to happen to Anshun City under your jurisdiction, it would be problematic if there were no one there.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the enormous silver light suddenly swooped down. Then, a pair of huge wings spread out at a low altitude above their troops, the silver light dazzling, the feathers sharp. The terrifying Divine Might startled the horses, making them fall down, causing chaos with people and horses tumbling.

Subsequently, the Gǔdiāo flapped its wings, stirring up a thousand piles of snow on the flat ground, transforming into a dazzling silver light, soaring straight up and rushing into the distance!

"This General, the horses are startled and can't move!"

Behind him, a trusted captain and the Zhonglang General quickly reported.

The Anshun Zhonglang General watched the silver light disappear into the distance, his eyes still a little shaken. He shook off the wind and snow from his body and ordered the black wolf lying in the snow to get up, but the demon wolf's legs were so scared they turned soft and he started trembling. Then he gritted his teeth,

"Go back!"

"Ah?" His trusted captain was surprised, "This General, you said the Imperial Court has sent a new Town Demon Envoy. Other Junior General are probably going to pay their respects. Aren't you afraid of being criticized if you don't go?"

"Enough, didn't you see that Ninth Zhonglang going north? He's full of Aura. You don't understand these matters. This person actually went to Tianxiong Pass personally. I have a bad premonition. Tell everyone else to keep their mouths shut. Just say This General was out and didn't hear any news about the Town Demon Envoy!"

"Return!"

"This General Gongyang, you jest. It is for a reason that we, solitary individuals, have come to welcome you!"

"I wonder what General Wu Sheng of Jiange Pass is thinking? We heard that the Town Demon Envoy traveled thousands of miles from the Imperial Capital to Shu, and we came to Tianxiong Pass to welcome him. When we tried to pass through Jiange Pass, this Junior General Wu not only gave us a cold shoulder but also refused to let us bring our troops into the pass. We could only leave our troops outside Jiange Pass and come ourselves. It's truly outrageous."

On the other side, at the Sky Patrol Division's station in the Tianxiong Pass Inner City, in that brightly lit courtyard, the Lanshan Pass Zhonglang General put down the bronze goblet in his hand, his tone full of dissatisfaction.

At this moment, inside the hall, songs and dances filled the air. The Western Region beauties from Tianxiang Pavilion wore colorful sleeves with tassels, and several musicians held huqin, sitting cross-legged on one side, playing Hu melodies.

In the main hall, Military Commander Yang Jianshan, the main This General of the Vanguard Army, sat at the head. Wei Zhong and four other Zhonglang Generals sat on both sides, along with the Vanguard Army's Vice This General, whose surname was Hu, and a Councilor.

The three Zhonglang Generals who had rushed over after receiving news from thousands of miles away that the new Town Demon Envoy was about to arrive in Shu, recounted an incident that occurred on their way, feeling annoyed.

Jiange Pass and Tianxiong Pass are adjacent. When they tried to pass through Jiange Pass to reach Tianxiong Pass, the Local General of the Guard, General Wu Sheng, refused to let them bring their troops through, which made them feel somewhat disgraced, and their tone became angry.

"The Fushi explicitly states that troops from various prefectures are not allowed to move freely. Troops passing through require prior notification and a written approval. Junior General Wu was merely following normal procedure. How did it become 'outrageous' in your mouths?" At this moment, a lukewarm voice sounded.

On the left side, Wei Zhong was drinking by himself, his eyebrows raised.

These words choked the Lanshan Pass Zhonglang General, his face stiffened, then darkened, looking somewhat displeased.

Military Commander Yang Jianshan, sitting at the head, narrowed his tiger eyes upon seeing this, the corners of his eyes twitching, pulling at the tattoo on his face, and slowly spoke with a half-smile:

"Your eagerness to welcome him is commendable, but Junior General Wei is indeed correct. This This General Wu of Jiange Pass is impartial in enforcing the law, which is commendable."

As he spoke, he turned his head to look at Wei Zhong, who was sitting below, "This General heard that two months ago, a rebellion occurred here. This Junior General Wu, Junior General Wei, and that renowned Ninth Mountain Zhonglang General jointly suppressed the rebellion. They handled the matter very well."

"When that Ninth Mountain Zhonglang General arrives, hehe, the Town Demon Envoy will definitely appreciate you all. As long as you respectfully call him 'Adult' then, you will enjoy endless wealth and honor. What do you all say?"

As he spoke, his gaze swept over the remaining three Junior General.

The three Junior General's eyes flickered imperceptibly, then they quickly nodded.

"Yes, yes, yes!"

At this moment, Military Commander Yang Jianshan looked at Wei Zhong again, his eyes full of deep meaning,

"Junior General Wei, you must seize this opportunity, mustn't you?"

Wei Zhong heard the hidden meaning in Military Commander Yang Jianshan's words, but his expression remained unchanged. His eyelids slightly lowered, "Since the Imperial Court has sent the Town Demon Envoy, as a subordinate, I should naturally fulfill my duty. There's no talk of opportunity or not. This General Gongyang, you are too kind."

As he spoke, he stood up tall, cupped his hands, and apologized, "Wei still has official duties to attend to and cannot be negligent. Since the other Junior General also have no urgent matters, I ask This General Gongyang to forgive my rudeness. I shall take my leave first!"

After speaking, he directly left his seat without even greeting the other three Junior General.

The three Zhonglang Generals' expressions were somewhat displeased.

What did he mean, "we have nothing to do"? This Wei Zhong was clearly mocking them.

But then, with a "bang," the Vice This General with the surname Hu, who had been sitting at the very bottom, slapped the table and instantly stood up, staring coldly at Wei Zhong.

Outside, the sound of swords being drawn also rang out at the opportune moment.

In the hall, the huqin immediately stopped. The dancing Western Region courtesans cried out in alarm, their faces showing panic. The golden-veiled dancer standing at the very front, who was Miyi, showed surprise in her watery pupils, secretly thinking it was bad. Junior General Wei, who was on good terms with General Chen, was in a bad situation.

"Ah, Jin Quan, Junior General Wei is busy with official duties, let him go. Don't be rude!" At this moment, Military Commander Yang Jianshan, at the head, narrowed his eyes and waved his hand.

The Vice This General with the surname Hu snorted, then sat down, but his eyes were sinister as he watched Wei Zhong leave.

Wei Zhong left the hall with a composed expression, walking through the dancing courtesans and directly leaving the courtyard.

After Wei Zhong left, the atmosphere in the main hall became strange.

The Vice This General with the surname Hu stood up and bowed to the head, saying in a sinister voice, "This General, this Wei fellow is ungrateful. Why not just directly..."

"Jin Quan, the Junior General are all here. Watch your words." Military Commander Yang Jianshan's expression showed neither anger nor joy.

"This subordinate understands. Shall I have these Hu slaves continue?"

"Forget it, I'm not in the mood anymore. This General and the Junior General will just have a few drinks. You take these people away. Of course, what happened here cannot be spread. You know how to handle it."

"Yes!" The Vice This General with the surname Hu understood, then a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth as he looked at these Western Region women, finally fixing his gaze on Miyi's face,

"Take these people away for me!"

As soon as he gave the order, his subordinates immediately swarmed in from outside and seized Miyi and the others.

The women's cries of surprise rang out.

Miyi saw the cruelty and excitement of beasts in the eyes of these armored soldiers, especially the meaning in the words of the main This General of the Vanguard Army at the top. She did not know what they would face next, her heart sank, and she tightly squeezed her sleeves, but what she was most concerned about in her heart was the Princess!

A group of Western Region women were escorted away by the armored soldiers.

The scene shifted, and Wei Zhong returned to his Zhonglang Hall, immediately calling the captain on duty at the Zhonglang Hall and giving a low-voiced order:

"Send the order down, tell all captains to be vigilant at all times, and remind the troops below as well!"

Wei Zhong was wary in his heart. Today, he had shown his attitude to Military Commander Yang Jianshan, and he had to be careful of this guy trying to make trouble. As long as he had troops, Wei Zhong felt confident.

Not long after the on-duty captain left, footsteps quickly came from outside the hall door.

Immediately after, a captain entered and reported, "Sir, this subordinate has something to report. The owner of Tianxiang Pavilion in the South City found this subordinate and wants to ask for your help. Their musicians and dancers were forcibly taken to This General Gongyang's banquet. This owner said he wants you to protect them and ensure their safe return to the house. From what he said, he is worried that these Vanguard Army soldiers will harm these women."

"However, the conduct of these Vanguard Army soldiers is indeed worrying."

Wei Zhong frowned. He was already in a desperate situation, how could he have the leisure to deal with this matter? He was about to speak.

But the subordinate captain hadn't finished speaking yet. He pulled out a secret letter from his sleeve and continued:

"That owner said you must read this letter."

Wei Zhong was a little confused. He took the envelope, opened the letter, glanced at it, and then his expression suddenly changed, becoming strange and surprised. He quickly folded it up.

"Quickly send someone to check if those musicians and dancers are still in the courtyard."

"Yes!"

Soon, the captain returned to report.

"Reporting, Sir, those dancers from Tianxiang Pavilion were escorted by that person named Hu to their military camp."

"What?" Wei Zhong thought of something and glared, his eyes wide.

"Damn it, what do they want to do taking these women to the military camp?"

As he spoke, he opened his mouth as if to say something, then hesitated, and let out a bitter laugh,

"Junior General Chen, you've really given me a difficult problem."

"Forget it, forget it!"

"Anyway, I've already suffered enough from these scoundrels, so I didn't expect them to make it easy for me."

He snorted coldly through his nose,

"Call someone!"

"Follow This General to the Vanguard Camp!"