fifth form

Chapter 3362 An Unexpected Encounter
Li Ju completed the rendezvous in a daze, but his archery skills were top-notch.

Wei Qing's corps was indeed targeted by peregrine falcons, which are relatively common birds on the grasslands and are difficult to determine from a distance whether they are domesticated or wild.

Few people can fight while flying high in the sky. Even Dong Zhongshu, who possessed the ability to fly, was helpless in this situation and could only hastily drive them away.

However, skilled archers in the army are unable to achieve the required range when faced with excessively long distances.

"Good archery skills!"

After just half an hour of rest, Li Ju, who was on the verge of vomiting, drew his bow and shot down six peregrine falcons in the air.

This caused the new emperor's face to flush slightly, as he felt that the helper Zhang Xuezhou had brought was quite capable.

Having another top-tier archer like this in the legion is definitely a good thing, as it will greatly help them avoid being surrounded and intercepted by the Fierce Kingdom's legion.

"Where did he come from? His archery skills are almost on par with Li Guang's," the new emperor asked in a low voice. "How come I've never heard of this person before?"

“Li Ju is on General Cheng’s side. Yanmen Pass is very peaceful, so it’s difficult to make meritorious contributions there. He can only wait for seniority to be promoted,” Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Cheng Bu Shi... never mind, that's just how it is on his end, there's nothing we can do about it!"

The new emperor was about to scold Cheng Bushi for burying talent, but when he thought about how the Yanmen Pass, which Cheng Bushi had guarded, had been stable and secure for decades, while the fall of Shanggu County in the north had triggered continuous warfare for thousands of miles, he really had no complaints.

Sun Tzu's Art of War mentions that the skillful strategist wins without resorting to unorthodox tactics, without seeking fame through wisdom, and without achieving great feats through bravery. Cheng Bushi was such a skillful strategist.

The enemy compensated for the weaknesses of Yanmen Pass, making it difficult for them to launch an invasion and thus preventing them from achieving any merit in killing the enemy.

This skill in battle made Cheng Bushi less famous than Li Guang, and also led to the obscurity of Cheng Bushi's generals.

Although the new emperor made several adjustments to the legions, he never adjusted them to the extent that Cheng Bushi had such important generals under his command.

"We've been targeted by the Peregrine Falcon, and we've likely been spotted by spies from the Fiend Kingdom. You need to get back as soon as possible!"

After some discussion, the new emperor quickly handed over the dragon bones.

Zhang Xuezhou is right. No mount can carry a dragon bone. Putting a dragon bone on a horse's back would paralyze the mount and make it difficult for it to walk.

If it weren't for the Imperial Shuttle, the new emperor felt he would have given up on this treasure long ago.

The keel was eventually placed on a wheelbarrow and pulled along by the rider over a long distance before it could barely make its way on the road.

Among these, the new emperor and his men had to carry heavy loads on some sections of the road, a process that was quite arduous.

After marching with Wei Qing and others for a day, the new emperor felt as if a month had passed.

He instructed Zhang Xuezhou to go and return as soon as possible. This was not because he wanted to leave the army quickly, but because the new emperor had realized the potential risks. They not only needed to speed up their march, but also needed to be wary of unexpected events.

"In other words, we are more likely to be harassed by powerful cultivators who excel at long-range attacks!"

When Zhang Xuezhou informed the new emperor that two cavalry battalions from Yanmen Pass had left the pass and were roaming around, the new emperor breathed a sigh of relief.

He had no confidence in fighting large-scale battles. No matter how outstanding Wei Qing's army of a thousand men was, it would be defeated by the Xiong Guo army of several thousand men, and all the gains in the war would be reduced to nothing.

However, if you are only facing certain high-ranking cultivators, that's a different story.

In the battles between individual cultivators, the new emperor and his group were no less capable than anyone else; anyone who came at them could potentially strike them twice with their swords.

Only when encountering cultivators such as Zhu Jiuyin and Daojun did the new emperor feel somewhat passive, thus requiring Zhang Xuezhou to assist him by piloting the Imperial Shuttle.

"I'll be back as soon as possible!"

Once again bearing the dragon's spine, Zhang Xuezhou was also a little out of breath, after all, piloting the Imperial Shuttle day and night was no easy task.

But when it comes to conflicts of interest and war, everyone is in this state, even the mounted guards who travel day and night to try to return to Yanmen Pass as soon as possible.

The Sky Shuttle floated up and down in the high sky, then soared into the distance.

"Lord Dongfang travels thousands of miles round trip, and he still has to make two or three trips. His ability is truly outrageous!" Wei Qing looked at the Imperial Shuttle disappearing into the sky and sighed sincerely.

"That's just how Dongfang Shuo is. You can say he's capable, but you can't say he's incapable. He's really capable. I've never seen anyone more skilled than him!"

The new emperor shook his head and sighed.

He couldn't say Zhang Xuezhou was capable. Zhang Xuezhou had a high cultivation level, strong magical abilities, and excellent interpersonal skills, but the new emperor had never seen Zhang Xuezhou defeat any renowned cultivators. His battle record was even less than his own, who had spent most of his time in Chang'an.

However, the new emperor couldn't say that Zhang Xuezhou was incompetent, after all, Zhang Xuezhou's flying ability was impeccable, even when the opponent's magic power was restrained.

"Speaking of which, we each gained something in the underground palace. What did Dongfang Shuo gain?"

Seemingly remembering something, the new emperor asked Wei Qing, who shook his head repeatedly.

When Dong Zhongshu, whose face looked tired, was summoned, he shook his head repeatedly.

“Dongfang Shuo cultivates magical power, so the vibration of qi and blood is not very useful to him. He may not have gained anything,” Dong Zhongshu guessed.

"That's terrible!"

The new emperor sighed, feeling that he needed to compensate Zhang Xuezhou when distributing the spoils of war back in the Han Dynasty, lest the other party have worked so hard but gained nothing in return.

"If Li Ju had been in the ancestral palace back then, Dongfang Shuo wouldn't have gotten any advantage. Li Ju had been cultivating diligently for many years, and his cultivation level might have been significantly higher. His strength would definitely have improved. But the imperial court couldn't provide him with the necessary support, and he was already quite old. The decline of his vitality in old age was inevitable..."

The legion's return ultimately turned into a silent march. The new emperor looked at Li Ju, who was patrolling on horseback, and could only sigh that some people could only spit out opportunities that were offered to them, while others could not obtain them even after pursuing them desperately.

He kept comparing and pondering the allocation and use of the treasures, but ultimately returned to the question of how to return safely.

High in the sky, Zhang Xuezhou slowed down his flight speed slightly.

When the speed decreases, he is able to effectively recover his physical strength.

This isn't considered slacking off; rather, it's about maintaining physical condition while out and about to avoid being caught off guard by unexpected events.

"long time no see!"

The Sky Shuttle continued to travel through the sky. When it was nearly halfway through its journey, Zhang Xuezhou glanced up and then greeted the passengers.

"I heard you were killed by Yuan Sheng, what are you doing here?"

High in the sky, a white crane weaved through the clouds and descended continuously, eventually maintaining a relatively safe distance from Zhang Xuezhou.

"I was beaten half to death by the Nine-Headed Lion, and I can only search for some opportunities to heal my wounds!"

Zhang Xuezhou sighed as he looked up at the Flying Feather Demon King.

It was impossible for Zhang Xuezhou to kill the Flying Feather Demon King. The opponent's flying ability was extremely strong, and even if he dropped the Sky Shuttle, it would be difficult for him to catch up and kill him successfully.

What he feared most was encountering a cultivator who knew him, thus revealing his personal information.

The opportunity to be legally killed by the Nine-Headed Lion Saint hadn't been used for very long, and now it looks like it's about to slip away.

After thinking it over, Zhang Xuezhou could only change the death sentence to a near-death experience. Since the dragon bones placed behind the Imperial Shuttle could not be hidden, he could only make up an excuse.

"Yuan Sheng was very polite in inviting you to refine pills. He... he's just a bit too straightforward, and he might have gone a little too far!"

The Flying Feather Demon King looked down.

Zhu Jiuyin had just captured Zhou Bugui, but more than ten years later he was going to capture Zhou Bugui's successor to refine elixirs.

The demon race's invitation method was indeed a bit crude and straightforward. The Flying Feather Demon King felt that Nine-Headed Lion was going too far, but he couldn't criticize Nine-Headed Lion.

Now that Zhang Xuezhou has been discovered again, the Flying Feather Demon King has exhausted all his words to extend an invitation.

The Northern Continent is indeed in dire need of top-tier alchemists.