418: The war is about to begin! (4K monthly ticket request)

Outside, it was ice and snow, but inside the hall, the air was hot and dry, with charcoal crackling and a smoky scent permeating.

The main hall doors were closed, and there were only four people inside.

Pei Yanhu was seated at the head of the hall, while the three people from Wudao Mountain sat on one side below. Strangely, Gongsun Yang, who had been there earlier, was not present.

“May I ask for your names?” Pei Yanhu mused for a moment before speaking.

“Yang Shan, a recluse from Wudao Mountain!”

“Ling Yunzi of Cloudsoaring Peak!”

“These are my Senior Martial Uncle and teacher, and I am Zhao Quanzhen. Greetings, Commander Pei!”

The three from Wudao Mountain sat on one side, in order: Yang Shan, Ling Yunzi, and Zhao Quanzhen.

As a second-level Dao Fruit cultivator, Pei Yanhu naturally sensed the extraordinary nature of the three. The two elders had restrained Aura and were undoubtedly martial experts, and even the young man before him, with an Aura like a lion, exuded an Aura that made him wary. Moreover, the other party’s Qi was surging, suggesting he was on the verge of a Breakthrough.

However, despite his extraordinary Aura, this person behaved quite courteously, which made people feel a sense of goodwill.

Pei Yanhu narrowed his tiger eyes slightly, his palm resting on the armrest, his body straight as a peak, and his expression turned serious, “Wudao Mountain is a blessed immortal land, rich in talent. Two martial Seniors and your esteemed disciple have come here, saying you have important matters to discuss. Pei would like to know what it is?”

Pei Yanhu invited the three to sit. After clarifying their identities, he did not engage in much small talk or pleasantries, but directly and decisively got to the point.

As he spoke, his gaze slowly fell upon Zhao Quanzhen among the three, his tiger eyes widening slightly, “I heard from my subordinates that Your Excellency posted a notice a few days ago, concerning the investigation of the Demon Race’s teleportation Formation in the several Fu Gates that have fallen to the front lines!”

Pei Yanhu had some guesses about the arrival of the three, and his tone contained a hint of anticipation and urgency.

As the main general leading the Chuanzhong Pass, this front-line fortress, the burden on his shoulders was immense. He had to stabilize morale and could not show any impatience or worry in public, but deep down, he felt a heavy concern about the current situation and was extremely worried about Chen Yuan’s safety.

This trusted general had, without realizing it, become a pillar of stability in the hearts of the front-line soldiers! If anything happened to him, the southern defense line would crumble!

Facing the hidden emotions in Pei Yanhu’s words, Zhao Quanzhen’s expression was solemn. He cupped his fists towards Pei Yanhu, “That’s right, Commander Pei must have guessed. My teacher, Senior Martial Uncle, and I are here precisely for this matter.”

“After I posted the notice, I discussed it with my teacher and Senior Martial Uncle, and we decided to go to Zhennan Prefecture to investigate. After infiltrating, we discovered that the Yao Race occupying the city had protected the teleportation Formation with a defensive Formation, and it was heavily guarded by troops outside.”

“After observing for two days, we found that this teleportation Formation would transmit a new batch of Demon Soldiers every night at the third quarter of the Zi hour (11:45 PM), at which time the outer defensive Formation would open. So, my teacher, Senior Martial Uncle, and I decided to break into the Formation at that time.”

“My teacher and Senior Martial Uncle created a disturbance outside and lured out the three Great Demons guarding the Formation, while I took advantage of the chaos to sneak in.”

Zhao Quanzhen recounted the general course of events. At this point, Zhao Quanzhen paused and reached into his embrace.

This action made Pei Yanhu’s heart race, his tiger eyes fixed intently on the other party’s movements.

Soon, Zhao Quanzhen pulled out an object from his embrace: a fist-sized blue crystal ball with electric arcs flickering inside.

It was the image-recording pearl that Zhao Quanzhen had desperately protected at the time!

It recorded everything he saw and heard after sneaking into the Formation!

As this image-recording pearl was taken out, Zhao Quanzhen’s voice also rang out, “This is an image-recording pearl. At that time, I took advantage of the chaos to sneak in and released many pearls that recorded the relevant situation of the teleportation Formation. However, there was a Great Demon hidden inside who saw through my disguise, so I could only flee in a hurry, only managing to preserve this one!”

With that, Zhao Quanzhen gently tossed the blue crystal ball in his hand towards Pei Yanhu, not forgetting to add, “Commander Pei, see if it’s useful. It’s just a pity that I couldn’t destroy that Formation and prevent the Yao Race from continuously sending troops.”

He said this with great sincerity and regret.

Pei Yanhu quickly reached out to catch the image-recording pearl. Hearing the latter part of the sentence, the hand holding the pearl trembled slightly, and a flicker of strangeness passed through the depths of his eyes. Then, his expression turned serious. He channeled True Qi into the hand holding the image-recording pearl, and the True Qi flowed outward, with white light surging and subtly entering the image-recording pearl.

When the wisps of white True Qi touched the flickering blue electric arcs inside the pearl, the electric arcs immediately intensified their glow, and within the pearl, a series of flowing images began to appear, accompanied by sound.

Chaotic and disorderly Demon Race figures, a towering white jade-like ancient tree, and a white light pillar above the tree, as brilliant as the Milky Way.

After a dozen breaths, accompanied by a chilling roar, the image abruptly stopped.

Pei Yanhu also slowly retracted his True Qi, his gaze solemn. Then he looked up, a respectful expression on his face, and stood up, letting the crystal ball float in the air. He then solemnly cupped his hand towards the master and disciples from Wudao Mountain,

“The three of you ventured deep into the Demon’s lair, disregarding the dangers for my Fa Shan Army and the people of Sichuan. Pei thanks you here!”

“There will certainly be a generous reward afterward!”

He promised earnestly.

Although he knew that given the background and strength of this trio, they would definitely not be after the so-called drop of Great Demon essence blood.

Seeing the Commander stationed at Chuanzhong Pass treating them with such solemnity, Senior Martial Uncle Yang Shan, who had been silent since entering, spoke up, “No problem!”

“When Demons are rampant, we cultivators should be like this! Besides, if it weren’t for your Fa Shan Army, my Senior Brother, my disciple, and I would probably have returned in defeat!”

Then, he mumbled, “You all have it tough too!”

Pei Yanhu was somewhat surprised. Zhao Quanzhen then recounted the subsequent events: how the Fa Shan Army brothers diverted the Demonic tide for him, allowing them to retreat safely.

After they broke out of Zhennan Prefecture with their people, they immediately headed for Chuanzhong Pass.

Hearing this, Pei Yanhu’s heart was immediately filled with mixed emotions.

However, he didn’t have time to process these emotions. The most urgent matter at hand was to quickly hand this image-recording pearl to Gongsun Yang.

He pondered for a moment, then excused himself, “Two Seniors, and Righteous Zhao, please go and rest for a while. This intelligence needs to be discussed with someone. The three of you have just successfully returned from breaking into the Formation in Zhennan Prefecture, and the information you possess is very important to my Fa Shan Army. Please stay here for a while. The military camp is simple, so please forgive any offenses!”

Their conversation was hasty and direct, not taking much time. Pei Yanhu even forgot to offer tea and apologized.

However, the master and disciples from Wudao Mountain had no objections to his decisive actions. Senior Martial Uncle Yang Shan nodded, “No problem.”

Ling Yunzi also expressed understanding from the side, “Military matters are urgent!”

With that, they stood up one after another.

Pei Yanhu hadn’t expected these two martial experts from Wudao Mountain to be so amiable and unpretentious. He respected them deeply and sternly called out.

“Someone!”

Soon, the door opened, and a green-clad armored soldier entered and knelt on one knee, “Present!”

“These two are highly respected Seniors, and this is the chivalrous Zhao. Take the three of them to the west side hall to rest. Treat them well, and do not neglect them.”

“Yes!” The armored officer immediately took the order.

And so, the three were led to the side hall to rest.

Having done all this, Pei Yanhu immediately ordered the door closed, then walked towards the back of the main hall, through the backyard, and around to the side hall.

Here, Gongsun Yang, who had been absent earlier, was now pacing back and forth, much like when he first came to see Pei Yanhu to inform him that his general was trapped in the Ten Thousand Mountains, showing a similar impatience.

It was Pei Yanhu’s idea to have him stay here and not participate in the recent conversation. The importance of Mr. Gongsun’s identity was self-evident; the less he appeared, the better. Especially when the three from Wudao Mountain arrived, Mr. Gongsun seemed to recognize them and was eager to step forward.

Without knowing their specific intentions and only being able to guess, Pei Yanhu still maintained this caution.

“What did they say? Is there news?” Gongsun Yang saw Pei Yanhu approaching and rushed to meet him, his eyes full of inquiry.

Pei Yanhu nodded, “These three come from Wudao Mountain: two martial experts, and another is their esteemed disciple, with an extraordinary temperament. The esteemed disciple among them posted a notice a few days ago, and then he, his teacher, and Senior Martial Uncle rushed to Zhennan Prefecture and broke into the Demon’s Lair, obtaining intelligence about the Yao Race’s teleportation Formation.”

As he spoke, he pulled out the image-recording pearl and handed it to Gongsun Yang, “You take a look first! According to the scenes inside, the teleportation Formation built by the Yao Race for troop deployment in Zhennan Prefecture is a tree. I will send someone to investigate the origin of this tree. Also, I recognized several types of Demons inside. According to records, these Demons belong to the Celestial Dog Race, so I assume the Celestial Dog Race is the dominant force.”

“Currently, there are four Great Demons stationed inside. As for the number of Demon Soldiers, I haven’t asked in detail yet. Moreover, according to the esteemed disciple from Wudao Mountain, the teleportation Formation there will open every night at the third quarter of the Zi hour (11:45 PM), transmitting Demon Soldiers, and it will close at the fifth quarter of the Zi hour (12:15 AM).”

“This is all the information we have at the moment. The most urgent task is to first transmit this intelligence to Deputy General Chen through your means, and then see how Deputy General Chen plans the next step?”

Gongsun Yang found his words reasonable and nodded. He lowered his head, holding the image-recording pearl in his hand, and with True Qi surging, he activated the images within, just as Pei Yanhu had done.

After a dozen breaths, the images inside disappeared.

Then, he tossed it from his hand, letting the blue crystal ball float three feet in front of him. A sharp light flashed in his pupils, and a scroll flew out from his embrace. Then, he pointed both hands towards the scroll.

The pages rustled, and individual characters emitted light. Gongsun Yang’s fingers quickly tapped in the air.

Sounds like clear water tinkling mixed with a hint of metallic resonance rang out, followed by golden small characters flying out, one by one, into the blue crystal ball.

The golden small characters attached themselves to the flickering electric arcs, rapidly devouring the blue electric arcs.

This process lasted no more than three or four breaths. The blue electric arcs were completely devoured, and immediately after, the tadpole-like small characters flew out from inside and returned to the rustling pages of the scroll.

Gongsun Yang then formed a hand seal, and the next second, the scroll transformed into a stream of light, drilling into his body and disappearing without a trace.

As for the image-recording pearl, it burst into dense cracks from within, then turned into crystal powder and sprinkled down.

Having completed all this, Gongsun Yang looked up at Commander Pei,

“I have already inscribed this record into my writings, and I will make a copy for my general. Please rest assured, Commander Pei. As for other intelligence, I will also state it word for word.”

After speaking, his expression slowly became serious, “Next, I will find a quiet place to enter meditation and communicate with the general using my incense Divine Thought to seek further instructions!”

“Good!” A great light shone in Pei Yanhu’s eyes.

Time passed. At Chuanzhong Pass, the sky gradually darkened, a world of ice and snow, filled with desolation and loneliness.

A swift horse, taking advantage of the dim light, rushed into the city before the evening drum sounded, then galloped along the main street, heading straight north.

At this time, on the street, under the wind and snow, human figures were sparse, and even if there were any, they were hurrying their steps.

Chuanzhong Pass was not large; it was a military fortress, and even a large horse crossing it would not take much time. After about a quarter of an hour, the horse arrived at the north of the city, turned into an alley, and came to a courtyard built with bluestone.

“Hiss!”

The horse neighed, and a figure completely shrouded in a black robe, with a black sword box on his back, jumped down.

“Thump, thump, thump”

The person knocked on the courtyard gate of this house.

Under the dim light, only a chiseled profile could be seen.

“Ah!”

At this moment, the door opened, revealing a sturdy, dark-skinned, and cracked-faced farm boy from behind the door.

The boy’s face showed surprise when he saw the newcomer, “Great Hero Gongsun!”

“Weren’t you going to…”

Just as the boy was about to speak, he keenly noticed the newcomer’s pale face and a strong smell of blood emanating from him, and his face turned panicked.

“Are you injured?”

Saying that, he reached out to help, then was about to open his mouth to call out towards the inner room, but was stopped by the newcomer, who grabbed the boy’s outstretched hand and said weakly, “Go to the Medicinal Stone Residence on North Street and find Shopkeeper Xiao inside. Ask for ten portions of Flying Sky Grass, Stone Dragon Powder, Jade Flowing Paste, and Green Flower Fruit, and tell him my name.”

The farm boy didn’t hesitate, “Okay,” then immediately dashed out the door.

Just then, an old man and a girl in a floral cotton jacket walked out from the inner room. Both were surprised when they saw the newcomer, then quickly came to greet him. When they realized that the great hero, who had shown great kindness to their family, was injured, they immediately welcomed him inside and busied themselves.

One stick of incense later, the farm boy who had run out into the icy world returned, but he brought back a middle-aged man in a long gown, with an extraordinary demeanor, carrying a medicine box.

In a dimly lit room with flickering oil lamps, Gongsun Wuji was shirtless, his abdomen and one side of his chest wrapped in white cloth. The wooden basin by the bed was filled with blackened blood. He leaned against the bed, his sword box beside him, and saw the middle-aged man who had arrived.

The middle-aged man was somewhat surprised to see him in this state,

“Young Hero Gongsun, I observe that your Qi is floating erratically. How did you get such a serious injury? I heard you posted a notice a few days ago, could it be…”

“That’s right, this trip to Huxia Pass was a narrow escape from death, but I didn’t bring back any useful intelligence. I only blame myself for being useless.” Gongsun Wuji’s pale face showed a coldness, and his tone was without much fluctuation,

“Shopkeeper Xiao, thank you for the trouble, and for bringing me medicine again.”

However, the middle-aged man called Shopkeeper Xiao shook his head, “You, ah, you try too hard. Also, this time there are only five portions of medicine. My shop is also short, and I can’t gather more Dragon Returning Pill herbs for now.”

Gongsun Wuji frowned, “What’s going on?”

Shopkeeper Xiao sighed, “You don’t know, these past few days, various medicinal shops and black markets have basically been emptied of all kinds of medicinal materials and Spiritual Plants. A big war is about to break out, and it’s a massive one. News has already come from Jinguancheng these past few days that the Ninth Mountain, stationed in Jinguancheng, is mobilizing all personnel in the city to build defensive lines!”

“You know what this means!”

Shopkeeper Xiao finished speaking in one breath, his expression grave.

Gongsun Wuji’s brows furrowed deeply upon hearing this, and the atmosphere fell into silence.

Inside the house, the farm boy who had followed behind was somewhat at a loss, and there was an uncontrollable fear in his eyes when he heard those words.

Just then,

“Rumble”

From a very distant place, the rumbling sound of horse hooves came! (End of Chapter)