fifth form

Chapter 3360 Offensive and defensive changes
The array artifacts in the ancestral land of Dragon City were taken, the dragon soul escaped, and the forced pulling and destruction by the golden statue used for the sacrificial ceremony caused considerable impact.

Zhang Xuezhou was unsure whether Junchen Chanyu had hidden any secrets in the ancestral land of Longcheng. The collapse of the secret site could have had a devastating impact, and even if there were any hidden items, they were likely to be lost.

"We haven't figured out what's causing the flow of qi and blood in the cauldron. It's difficult for the blood snake to achieve this opportunity. We also wonder what else might be buried inside?"

Zhang Xuezhou felt a little regretful.

The Dragon City Ancestral Land is not in normal contact with the world. At this time, the Han and Xiong states are at war. If news of the Dragon City Ancestral Land is leaked, it will inevitably trigger the legion to surround and intercept them. They cannot explore and search this secret place for long.

Many things are difficult to fully understand and can only be left buried in the collapsed secret place.

Zhang Xuezhou sat on the Imperial Shuttle and thought for a long time, but in the end he had no choice but to give up.

The keel has some weight, and its volume is an even more significant factor for air transport, making it difficult to stack it on the Imperial Shuttle for transport.

Zhang Xuezhou had no choice but to sit on the dragon bone when he was driving it.

For the first time, he felt that the Sky Shuttle was a good magical artifact. For someone who was good at flying, the Sky Shuttle was too restrictive, far from meeting his flying speed and freedom. It also had to carry people to fly as required. But no matter how you compare it, Zhang Xuezhou himself could hardly pull hundreds of kilograms of weight when flying. He even had a hard time pulling someone who was not good at flying.

Even if he personally acquired such a heavy object, Zhang Xuezhou wouldn't be able to easily take it home, but the Imperial Shuttle could assist with its transport.

"If I become rich in the future and can't fit my treasure into my little Qiankun bag, the Imperial Shuttle will be my only hope. I still need to have this treasure on hand at all times!"

Swooping through the sky, Zhang Xuezhou flew precisely toward Yanmen Pass.

Several thoughts flashed through his mind.

These thoughts of Zhang Xuezhou were not the product of overly active thinking, but rather a genuine need.

For example, he wanted to take advantage of Donghua's targeting of Zhujiuyin. If he got his hands on Zhujiuyin's remains but couldn't take them away, it would become a joke.

Scheming against Zhu Jiuyin is not simply a matter of fighting and killing; it requires consideration of many factors. Even retrieving the corpse is a troublesome affair. This may explain why Donghua has not made a move for so long.

"It seems that Brother Tathagata's golden alms bowl can shrink living beings!"

The treasures that can be carried are not limited to storage bags. Various items have their own advantages and disadvantages. Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but think about the treasures of other people he had seen.

"Forget it, I heard Zhu Jiuyin's voice last night, it's too early to make plans now!"

The monotonous flight was extremely boring, and such an event at high altitude was extremely rare. Zhang Xuezhou had only encountered it two or three times in his life. He was destined to infuse his magic power directly to his destination.

Thinking of the sounds of pursuit from the Xiong Kingdom's army camp last night, Zhang Xuezhou's mind went blank.

A scene unlike the vast grasslands came into view, with faint traces of carriages and horses.

Once you find the traces of the roads used for border trade, you will surely be able to find Yanmen Pass by following the roads.

The northern border was ravaged by war, but Yanmen Pass benefited from Cheng Bushi's year-by-year reinforcements and its mountainous terrain, making it less vulnerable to fierce invasions by the Xiong Kingdom's army. Instead, it became a vital passage for border trade.

Although the Han Dynasty and the Xiong Kingdom were currently locked in a life-or-death struggle, border trade did not stop, and trade between them was even higher than in the past.

This kind of thinking, which is completely contrary to that of normal people who never interact with each other, is also present in various places around the border.

As Zhang Xuezhou continued to leap, he even saw the convoy carrying cloth, gold and iron artifacts, and other items leaving.

These caravans would travel to certain fixed trading locations, where some tribes from the Xiong Kingdom would ride off to purchase products, thus forming a complete trade network.

The Han Dynasty's trade mainly involved acquiring fine horses, mules, camels, animal hides, and livestock, largely based on mutual benefit.

Whether other means were mixed into these trades is hard to say, and Zhang Xuezhou rarely participated in them. He only knew that Sang Hongyang was currently thriving in the border trade, and was rapidly expanding his wealth and goods by relying on the power of the imperial court.

Soaring through the air, the imposing pass, over thirty meters high, came into view. "Is General Cheng here?"

Normally, only a few dozen people patrol the border at Yanmen Pass, but at this time, there are at least two hundred patrolmen with bows drawn.

The indiscriminate attacks by the Xiong Kingdom have clearly had a very heavy impact, and even Yanmen Pass, which had not been at war for decades, is now on high alert.

Zhang Xuezhou steered the Imperial Shuttle downwards a little, and saw a feathered arrow flying through Yanmen Pass.

Before the other party could warn him, Zhang Xuezhou spurred the Sky Shuttle to dodge and then shouted down.

"Is it Lord Dongfang who has come?"

A steady, loud voice pierced through the air atop the Yanmen Pass city tower, easily identifying Zhang Xuezhou.

Cheng Bushi had seen the people of the Imperial Shuttle before, and as long as he recognized the Imperial Shuttle, he could make a rough guess. Tian Fen obviously had no intention of wandering around the border, so the rest of the people were not hard to guess.

When Zhang Xuezhou responded, the many crossbows that had been raised into the sky were immediately lowered.

A heavily armored general stepped up from the city wall, heading towards the Sky Shuttle that was plummeting almost in a straight line.

When Cheng Bushi glanced at Zhang Xuezhou, he showed no surprise. However, when his gaze fell upon the pale yellow giant oracle bone carried behind the Imperial Shuttle, he couldn't help but gasp.

"Lord Dongfang, from where have you returned?"

After the Imperial Shuttle landed on the city wall and stabilized, Cheng Bushi was inevitably shaken and asked questions.

"Wei Qing led his army to conquer the ancestral land of Longcheng. We will help transport the spoils of the ancestral land!"

Zhang Xuezhou responded simply, saying that Wei Qing was the main force in the Battle of Longcheng. Their objectives were clear, but they were mostly assisting. Zhang Xuezhou did not try to claim credit, and it would be pointless for him to do so, since he did not want to become a general and did not expect to be promoted.

After briefly informing Cheng Bushi, Cheng Bushi's eyes widened.

"I've heard of this... It was when the Qin Dynasty collapsed that a rebellious family dug up the remains of the Yinglong dragon from the Qin Mausoleum and fled to the Xiong Kingdom with it. The dragon bones that some people saw at that time looked like this!"

Cheng Bushi's left hand trembled slightly as he reached for the dragon bone.

No matter how many dragon bones there are, they are still just the bones of a top-level demon. They may be used to make magical artifacts or medicines, but they will not be able to reverse the world and play a unique role among the vast number of medicinal materials and magical artifacts. What really made Cheng Bushi's fingers tremble was the meaning behind the dragon bones.

This means that the Han Dynasty's army had already reached the heart of the Xiong Kingdom's territory and even achieved a great victory in order to capture the dragon bone that had been lost from the Southern Continent.

The conservative faction advocating marriage alliances disappeared from the court, while the factions defending the city and attacking it argued endlessly. Until today, Cheng Bushi felt that the two sides had finally reached a conclusion.

As the most outstanding general in the city defense faction, Cheng Bushi lost in terms of ideology, but there was no dejection on his face.

His fingers trembled slightly, and he tried to lift the heavy dragon bone several times but failed.

Cheng Bushi's health was declining, and his face looked old. He was no longer able to shoulder the heavy responsibility of protecting the vast land, but someone else took over the baton.

After several unsuccessful attempts to lift the dragon bone, Cheng Bushi slowly rose from the city tower.

"We have won! General Wei has achieved a great victory at Longcheng! We have penetrated deep into the heart of the Xiong Kingdom and won!"

He spread his arms and roared loudly, his voice carrying for hundreds of meters around the Yanmen Pass city gate, unable to contain his excitement as he conveyed this inspiring news.

After a century of defense, the war has finally come to an end with the first victory achieved through proactive attack.

Regardless of the extent of the battle losses, Cheng Bushi was very clear that from then on, the Han Dynasty's war strategy against the Xiong Kingdom had changed from offense to defense.