376: The Ninth Mountain Soldiers (asking for monthly tickets)

At the same time, thousands of miles away, in the northern landscape, where snow drifted for thousands of miles, a majestic city was nestled within the vast expanse of heaven and earth.

“Li!”

A clear eagle cry echoed through the wind and snow.

Amidst the heavens and earth, a silver light streaked through the wind and snow, a pair of sharp eagle eyes swiveled, looking down at the vast wilderness below, as a pair of silver wings flapped, the great wind carrying snow, shooting forward, the majestic city beneath its feet growing closer and closer, the fluttering flags on the city walls also becoming clearer.

“Who goes there?”

A shout came from the city wall, followed by a blue-armored figure flying up, a pair of tiger eyes shining brightly, looking at the approaching figure.

The silver light stopped, revealing a four-zhang-sized silver giant Falcon, its feathers gleaming with cold light, and on top of it, a black-armored, one-armed figure stood.

The figure raised its only hand, revealing a black token, and declared loudly:

“Zuozhi, General Flag Officer of the Ninth Mountain’s Right Route Weiwei Army, has military duties.”

The North City Garrison Commander saw the flag officer's token, swept his tiger eyes over it, and without hesitation, turned to give the order, “Let him pass!”

As the words fell, a faint white light emanated from the city wall.

Zuozhi cupped his fist towards the other party, then stepped onto the Ao Tian Falcon, transforming into a silver light, and shot straight into Jinguancheng.

The scenery within the city rapidly receded under the flapping wings of the Falcon, like fleeting shadows, and in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a continuous range of high mountains appeared before them, with solemn black pavilions and towers interspersed among the ice and snow.

“Li!”

The silver Falcon swooped down, not towards the highest Peak, but towards a mountain to the side, and soon, the earth-shaking sounds of hooves and shouts came from there.

Looking down from the wind and snow with eagle eyes, one could see a large training ground at the foot of the mountain, where thousands of Black Armored Soldiers galloped back and forth on horseback, practicing hacking and slashing techniques, or bare-chested soldiers sparring and fighting in the ice and snow.

On this training ground alone, there were more than ten thousand people, their passion soaring to the sky!

However, there was another scene in their sight!

At this time, outside this large training ground, a group of Black Armored Soldiers were blocked outside the military camp, some with angry, defiant eyes, some with gloomy, flickering gazes, and others at a loss, seemingly having a dispute.

“How dare you! Which Divine Might Army are you from? Look closely, I am a Guard Commandant from the Left Route Third Weiwei Camp. Who gave you the guts to stop us from entering the military camp?”

A young Guard Commandant, dressed in blue armor, with a refined green jade belt around his waist, a fair complexion, handsome features, and eyebrows that seemed meticulously trimmed, raised a token with a hint of arrogance.

“Commandant Tong, we have no old grudges or recent enmities. You must give us a reason. I, Mei, returned from visiting relatives, but you brought soldiers to block me outside the gate, making everyone laugh at us. How can we lead soldiers in the future? If you don’t give an explanation, I will personally ask your Cavalry General Yun to decide, after all, my Mei Family can also speak with Cavalry General Yun.” Another young Guard Commandant, also in blue armor, spoke, his brows gloomy and his eyes flickering.

“You are merely a Guard Commandant, on the same level as us. Why are you putting on airs?”

“...”

Voices rose from among the blocked individuals, almost all in blue armor, totaling over a dozen people. Especially the first few, though armored, were impeccably clean and adorned with extra embellishments, appearing refined and noble, lacking the imposing presence of those who had battled on the battlefield.

These six or seven people were almost all young masters from prominent families in Jinguancheng, who had joined the Ninth Mountain Army not long ago.

Opposite these people, an armored soldier, also in blue armor, with thick eyebrows, a dark face, and a centipede-like scar on his eyebrow, had a cold expression, subtly revealing a hint of ferocity.

Behind him, two rows of Black Armored Soldiers stood with drawn swords.

He slowly opened his mouth, saying,

“This is a vital military area. No loud shouting is allowed. Do you need Commandant Tong to teach you?”

As soon as these words came out, the scarred eyebrow widened, and the Evil Qi that had been forged from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood caused the clamor of those people to gradually quiet down.

“You…” The few leading speakers, as if targeted by a wild beast, felt their Qi seized, their throats gurgled, but in the end, they dared not say anything more.

At this moment, Commandant Tong slowly swept his gaze across their faces, expressionless:

“From now on, you no longer belong to the Ninth Mountain!”

“Men, disarm them!”

“Yes!” The two rows of Black Armored Soldiers behind him immediately responded, moving forward from both sides of the Guard Commandant and running to the front of the group of people opposite.

And when these aristocratic Family scions heard that the Guard Commandant in front of them had kicked them out of the Ninth Mountain and was even going to have them disarmed in public, they immediately became furious.

“How dare you!”

“Who gave you the order?”

“Tong Shan, don’t think that just because you are an old hand in the Ninth Mountain, you can act lawlessly. We are not someone a mere Guard Commandant like you can touch. Get lost!”

Several aristocratic scions roared in anger, their Qi vibrating, shaking off the approaching Black Armored Soldiers, and glaring at the Guard Commandant surnamed Tong with ill intent.

The few who followed behind the aristocratic scions were somewhat panicked and at a loss.

However, Commandant Tong’s brow furrowed, and the centipede-like scar on one side of his eyebrow appeared somewhat sinister. The bones in his body crackled like firecrackers, and his figure visibly expanded, revealing the fierce Aura of a Body Profound Peak expert. “Want to fight?”

“Hiss!”

“Hiss!”

“Hiss!”

Those subordinate Black Armored Soldiers also drew their swords, causing the expressions of the others to change, becoming extremely grim.

The commotion at the military camp gate quickly attracted the attention of some people training on the parade ground, causing some unrest.

“What’s going on outside?”

“Brother Liu, isn’t that Mei Ziqi? Haven’t seen him for a few days, why is he being stopped outside and getting into a spat with those old soldiers?”

“And Brother Wentao!”

The speaker was a young master from a prominent Family who had joined the army at the same time, looking outside with a strange expression.

The person being questioned was a young man named Liu Qingshu, dressed in blue armor with a hint of grimness in his eyes. He served as the Ninth Mountain’s Right Route Divine Might Guard Commandant. What’s more, his father, Liu Tianming, the current head of the Liu Family, was one of the seven families of Jinguancheng who were the first to pledge allegiance to Chen Yuan.

“Brother, why pretend to be confused when you understand? Didn’t your Family send you a message a few days ago, telling you to find an excuse to avoid the limelight?” Liu Qingshu took over the conversation, looking sideways at the questioner with a meaningful tone. Then, looking at the people outside, his voice carried a hint of coldness,

“Once you enter this gate, don’t think about being fickle. Two-faced people will not have a good end!”

After Liu Qingshu finished speaking, the young master who had asked the question gave an awkward smile and remained silent.

Just then, a sound of breaking air echoed from the Ninth Mountain Great Camp, then crashed down outside the military camp gate, landing in the middle of the tense two groups.

“General!” The person appeared, clad in red armor. The fierce Guard Commandant surnamed Tong retracted his Aura and bowed to Cloud Skyborn.

“Cavalry General Yun has arrived. Just in time. I don’t understand what this means, why do you want to disarm us? When we joined the mountain in response to Zhonglang, we did not expect to suffer such humiliation!”

The young Guard Commandant with meticulously trimmed eyebrows and a jade belt around his waist, flicked his sleeve, looking indignant, as if he had suffered a great injustice.

Cloud Skyborn, however, ignored this person and turned to the Guard Commandant surnamed Tong, lowering his eyelids slightly, “In the future, when leading troops and doing things, pay attention to methods and approaches. You could have taken them aside to give orders, presented the warrant, and if they refused, had them arrested. A conflict at the great camp gate has a bad impact.”

“The General’s lesson is right!”

As these words were spoken, the aristocratic scions who had originally intended to protest stiffened, then saw Cloud Skyborn turn his face, looking at the group of people with a detached gaze, and spoke indifferently:

“Don’t make this Piaoji waste any more words. Disarm yourselves, and go back where you came from!”

“Don’t force people to hurt feelings, after all, you have worn this armor. Otherwise, it might not be as simple as just disarming.”

“I don’t understand, what did we do wrong?”

“I want to see our commanding generals, Cavalry General Liu and Cavalry General Lu!” Several aristocratic scions, hearing Cloud Skyborn’s warning, changed their expressions and gritted their teeth.

“This is an order personally given by your Piaoji General!” Cloud Skyborn’s face turned cold. “As for what you did wrong?”

“Mei Ziqi, you said your grandmother was ill and you went back to visit, but as far as I know, your grandmother is in good health, and you were still frequenting brothels and drinking with people. Do you still remember clearly what you said?”

“And you, Guo Wentao, you said a few days ago that you had a problem with your Cultivation and couldn’t be a reserve Guard Commandant of my Ninth Mountain, so you resigned and went home. How come now that I’m disarming you, you still seem so wronged?”

“And you all,” Cloud Skyborn looked at the dozen or so people behind these aristocratic scions, “Being of humble origin is not a disgrace. You entered this mountain not to seek meritorious service, but to engage in speculation, associating with these people, wanting to switch allegiances. Hmph, this Piaoji will grant your wish.”

As Cloud Skyborn spoke, his face was expressionless,

“Go!”

“Disarm them!”

As soon as Cloud Skyborn spoke, the Black Armored Soldiers quickly stepped forward, reaching out to pull off the armor of these people, disarming them in public. The few aristocratic scions who had been the most aggressive were clearly feeling guilty after being called out by Cloud Skyborn; some gritted their teeth, their faces flushed with anger, but in the end, they didn't say a word.

“Thump!”

Among the people behind, someone knelt on one knee, his face somewhat panicked, “Please, Cavalry General Yun, give us another chance. A few days ago, they said the imperial court had dispatched a Town Demon Envoy, and the Ninth Mountain would be suppressed, even disbanded. I also had a moment of confusion and listened to rumors. Joining the Ninth Mountain Army is my parents’ expectation, I hope…”

The others, hearing this fellow reveal the unspoken truth, changed their expressions, and those few aristocratic scions turned their faces to glare fiercely at him, their eyes flashing with ferocity, and they shouted to interrupt, “Shut up!”

A few days ago, news came from Jinguancheng that the imperial court had dispatched a new Town Demon Envoy, who would arrive in Shudi soon. The entire Jinguancheng immediately became abuzz, just like Tianxiong Pass. Rumors quickly spread in the tea houses and taverns on the streets and alleys that the Zhonglang General of the Ninth Mountain, who was stationed in Jinguancheng and was at the height of his power, would have his authority curtailed and be suppressed. After all, one mountain cannot accommodate two tigers.

Then, some individuals who felt “oppressed” by the Ninth Mountain and harbored discontent naturally had ideas, but dared not act too obviously, fanning the flames from within. And some families who had previously pledged loyalty and sent their Family members to join the Ninth Mountain Army thought about avoiding danger and extricating themselves from this quagmire, so they had these young masters find excuses to leave the Ninth Mountain.

But who could have imagined that a bombshell message arrived yesterday afternoon from Tianxiong Pass, shaking Jinguancheng.

The news of the great battle at Tianxiong Pass instantly silenced all those in Jinguancheng with insidious and cunning thoughts, and they quickly tried to make amends.

This scene was merely an interlude after the matter had fermented!

The Black Armored Soldiers quickly removed the armor from these people, some with flushed faces, others looking as if they had lost their parents.

Cloud Skyborn watched coldly.

The departure of these people had no impact on the Ninth Mountain, which was now thriving; on the contrary, it meant kicking out these black sheep.

Now, the troops recruited from various Fu Gates have arrived one after another, and the Ninth Mountain Army has unknowingly grown to tens of thousands. The new recruits are at the Ninth Mountain training ground, and the rest are stationed at General Mountain to Cultivate.

The Ninth Mountain Army is now strong and well-equipped!

“Li!”

An eagle cry.

Cloud Skyborn suddenly looked up. (End of Chapter)