fifth form

Chapter 3554 Tracing the Footsteps
As a cultivator with top-tier flying speed in the Three Realms, Zhang Xuezhou can easily traverse territories in a short period of time.

To set up the luck-enhancing flags, one needs to choose the four cardinal directions: east, south, west, and north, which represent the most remote parts of a country's territory.

In the real world, there are maps, so Zhang Xuezhou can easily meet the requirements and even get people to cooperate in transporting the goods.

Maps of this world have become rare items, and even today Zhang Xuezhou doesn't know where the four corners of the Xiong Kingdom's territory are.

But he doesn't need to make things perfect. After all, magic doesn't have to be perfect to work.

Setting the four flags in the east, west, south, and north to their maximum extent can mobilize all the fortune gathered in the territory of the Ferocious Kingdom. If the area is smaller, the power mobilized by Zhang Xuezhou during the sacrifice will be less.

The formation of banners can be as large as a country's territory, as small as a city or a small town, or even the imperial palace area can be used to build feng shui banners for sacrificial purposes.

This kind of fortune-based ritual involves both territory and the object of the ritual.

For example, Grean has never practiced the art of luck, but thanks to the vast and unified territory of the Omega Alliance and the support of the people, he has an inexhaustible source of luck.

For example, the vassal state of Liu An, the King of Huainan, was located in a remote corner and was of limited size. However, Liu An, the King of Huainan, was highly skilled in divination. Even simply setting up battle flags around the enemy's palace and offering sacrifices to the King of Huainan could bring immense fortune.

Zhang Xuezhou roughly determined the four cardinal directions of the Xiong Kingdom's formation flags before heading towards the Han Dynasty's territory amidst the howling winds and waves.

"They've actually started a war in Henan!"

Perhaps due to the lack of arrangements made by Daojun and Zhujiuyin, the Xiong Kingdom's army kept moving back and forth in places like Hexi.

The Han Dynasty's army was also frequently mobilized. Even if Zhang Xuezhou checked on it once a month, or even if he flew over every three to five days to check on it, the situation would be different.

"Nine-Headed Lion Saint has quite a few descendants!"

As Zhang Xuezhou looked down, he could see the fierce general riding a golden lion and the general of the Han Dynasty on horseback clashing below the city.

"Fox Deer Girl, it's getting late. Let's fight again next time!"

"Han Anguo, don't run away!"

As Zhang Xuezhou was falling and trying to get a better look, he saw one person fleeing and another chasing below, which prompted both sides to shout loudly as they rode away.

"disease!"

Zhang Xuezhou had met Fox Deer Girl. Her name sounded rather strange when translated into Chinese. She was the Left Wise King of the Fiend Kingdom, second only to the Great Chanyu in status, and possessed excellent leadership and cultivation abilities.

Fox Deer Girl's cultivation was no match for Han Anguo's. Just as Zhang Xuezhou was about to assume that Han Anguo was feigning defeat and then launching a counterattack, he saw a long tail sweep past Fox Deer Girl's back, and Han Anguo in front of him let out a painful cry. Even if it was a feigned defeat, it turned into a real defeat.

"Hahaha, no matter how thick your armor is, once you're hit by my Bone-Eating Dagger, you'll have to kneel down and call me grandpa!"

Fox Deer Girl shouted and unleashed her magic weapon, then continuously urged the demon lion to pursue.

His expression changed drastically when the wind and waves crashed down from high above.

A heavy blow, so dull it made his vision go black, came from his head. Fox Deer Girl, head tilted to the side, grabbed the demon lion and ran away frantically.

No reason or explanation was needed; he was genuinely afraid of getting punched again and dying there.

"You're lucky!"

A cold snort came from behind her. Fox Deer felt that the voice was somewhat familiar, but she couldn't remember the person's identity no matter what she did.

He endured the pain and returned to the camp more than 200 meters away, where he was met by the Grand Commandant.

When the deformed helmet was removed, blood gushed out from his head. His head looked as if it had been cleaved in two, and the pain almost made Fox Deer Gu faint.

"There are... there are top-tier experts. Retreat... and rendezvous with the Right Wise King!"

The decision was made hastily, and Fox Deer quickly lay down, causing the generals to shout repeatedly and hurriedly call for the army doctor, creating chaos in the scene.

"You should help me and keep Fox Deer here; that would be a great service!"

Chaos reigned both outside and inside Yuyang City.

If Yuyang City's defenses were strong and its garrison sufficient, Han Anguo wouldn't need to leave the city to challenge someone and buy time. He hurriedly returned to the city and used a water ladle to vigorously wash his wounds. His face became somewhat distorted from the pain, almost causing Han Anguo to faint from the agony. However, when his gaze fell upon the figure more than ten meters away, he forced himself to stay awake.

"I don't have that ability. When I intervened, at least a dozen people noticed me. If Fei Zong gets close enough to kill Fox Deer, I will inevitably be surrounded. If I am tied up with a lasso and you can't come to rescue me, then my fate will be terrible!"

"Hey, I'm suffocating!"

Han Anguo let out a sigh of relief.

As a staunch defender of the old guard, Han Anguo was assigned to various guard duties in the north. After a series of battles, he did not achieve any merit, but he was beaten a lot.

Seeing the Xiong Kingdom's army move freely while he could only stay in the city and dared not leave, Han Anguo felt depressed and almost became depressed.

"Have you seen the Nine-Headed Lion?"

Zhang Xuezhou asked a question.

Compared to his searching around, it would be much easier for Zhang Xuezhou to obtain information by asking the generals at the front lines, and it would also greatly reduce his search time.

Zhang Xuezhou assisted Han Anguo for this reason; otherwise, he would not have rashly intervened, lest his strength be exposed and he be targeted.

Zhang Xuezhou's statement that he lacks the ability to kill Fox Deer Gu is not an exaggeration. In a one-on-one fight, he could beat Fox Deer Gu like a grandson even if he threw random punches. However, if he gets caught in someone's trap and then his mount pulls him away, Zhang Xuezhou will also be in danger.

The solution to deal with him is that simple: no matter how many abilities he possesses, such as physical sainthood or the ability to fly across thousands of miles, they cannot make him an enemy of ten thousand men.

Li Tianwang's favorite Three-Zhang Green magic weapon could restrain Zhang Xuezhou, and there were few cultivators who could still roam freely after being bound.

Zhang Xuezhou cannot make up for this shortcoming; he can only avoid falling into this risk.

After a brief conversation, Zhang Xuezhou directly asked what he needed.

"That old demon lion appeared once a month ago, and then disappeared without a trace," Han Anguo said dejectedly. "If he were here, I definitely wouldn't dare to go out of the city to fight him!"

"Where is Chanyu Junchen?" Zhang Xuezhou asked again.

“Junchen Chanyu is not on the Hulugu route. Perhaps he is in Shanggu County on the route of Right Wise King Shan Huan. Or he may have gone to Youbeiping. I heard that the Xiong people are digging in the mountains in Youbeiping. Perhaps they want to dig something!”

Han Anguo quickly answered and was helped up. He then began to undergo surgery by the military doctor to release the poisonous blood and worms, with thin, wriggling worms being removed one by one from his ribs.

Even Zhang Xuezhou's Shangqing Zhenshu technique, which he was skilled in, was helpless against this type of injury. He asked Han Anguo several times before stopping and not pressing him for answers.

Thank you, please take care of yourself!

"Ah~"

Zhang Xuezhou leaped to his feet.

Just as his arrival was sudden, Zhang Xuezhou's departure was also sudden.

Han Anguo was in so much pain that he broke out in a cold sweat, but when his gaze swept over the figure that was quickly taking off, his eyes were filled with uncontrollable envy and a bit of helplessness.

The battlefield was not fixed in the Hexi Corridor, Henan, and Hebei regions, but rather spread across different levels.

There are legion battles, soldiers vying for supremacy, logistics mobilization and replenishment within the Han Dynasty, various border trades, suppression of those with rebellious intentions within the country, and officials like Zhang Xuezhou carrying out secret missions.

Han Anguo sometimes regretted holding onto his stubborn and outdated ideas, but he lacked the ability to take action.

"If I were to follow them to kill the Nine-Headed Lion, or risk eliminating the Chanyu Junchen, I would probably die even faster!"

Zhang Xuezhou seemed to be just asking a couple of questions and leaving, but Han Anguo knew very well that such an inquiry was not something that came about casually, but rather that there was a real possibility that such a plan was being developed.

Just thinking about the new emperor's achievements in Mayi, Han Anguo had no doubt that the new emperor's sword would be pierced by these two.

Becoming part of the conservative faction would at least allow them to hold on for a while, while following Zhang Xuezhou and others in causing trouble would only lead to their swift demise.

He suppressed his resentment and wondered when this arduous defensive struggle would end.