The Heavens: A Qing, the Yue Girl at the beginning

Yinshan Mountain, this huge black line stretching across the northwest wilderness, looks even more majestic in the chill of early winter.

Looking from afar, it looks like a sleeping ancient black dragon, with the gray-brown mountain covered with a thin layer of snow and the peaks piercing through the low-hanging leaden clouds, revealing an austere and murderous aura that keeps people away.

Only when you get close to it, you can feel its suffocating sense of oppression - the walls are thousands of feet high and the rocks are jagged, like a barrier casually cast by the gods.

Countless generations of herdsmen who have lived around it regard it as a sacred mountain that should not be desecrated. Legend has it that ancient gods live in it.

At the northern foot of the river, the territory of the Qin Dynasty came to an abrupt end. Between the Qin Dynasty and the Wu State, there was only an unnamed stream winding through the barren wasteland, which seemed to be evaporated by the scorching sun and would dry up at any time, serving as a natural boundary.

The turbid stream water whimpers in the bleak wind, just like the silent sigh on this anxious border line.

At this moment, on the inner side of the "Wolf Throat" gorge, one of the seven huge natural gaps in the Yin Mountains, stands the important border town of the Qin Dynasty - "Iron Wall Pass", with a permanent army of more than 10,000.

The city wall was built on the mountainside. The black stone walls have been weathered by wind, frost, rain, snow and the erosion of weapons. The surface is covered with potholes and stained with difficult-to-wash rust and dark brown, silently telling the cruelty of guarding the border.

The cold wind blew up dust and sand, blowing across the armored soldiers holding weapons, cooling the grilled buns that had just been distributed during the night shift.

In the Border Town Commander's Office, dozens of tallow candles as thick as a child's arm crackled softly, illuminating the huge sand table in the center in great detail, meticulously simulating the terrain from the northern foot of the Yin Mountains to the heart of the Wu family:
The Qin territory and the Wu grassland are clearly separated by gullies and streams; tiny flags representing Qin army scouts, beacons, and garrisons are scattered all over the place.

A figure was leaning over it, tapping with fingers. The sound was not loud, but it had a sharpness that penetrated the candlelight and an unquestionable majesty.

It was Sima Cuo, one of the highest military commanders in the northern border of the Qin Dynasty and ranked among the Thirteenth Marquis. He made this trip in secret to conduct an undercover inspection and test the newly developed weapons.

With Zhao Qing's overt and covert promotion, spiritual practice gradually became popular and the advantages of talismans and weapons expanded. Although the Qin Dynasty's development speed seemed to be half a step behind that of the Chu Dynasty, other neighboring countries found it difficult to keep up with such a rapid pace, and their overall strength had been widened.

According to Daqin's latest strategic assessment, the newly formed air force has completely restrained the cavalry of the grassland countries, forming a major technological gap. With the absolute visual advantage of high-altitude reconnaissance, traditional tactics such as outflanking and feinting to the east and attacking in the west have completely failed.

In this case, due to the lack of heavy bows and crossbows and the loss of concealment and mobility, once the war breaks out, the casualty ratio should be maintained at more than one to three, or even higher.

In other words, the casualty of one Qin soldier would cost the price of at least three soldiers from the grassland countries.

In terms of the number of soldiers alone, the Qin Dynasty's active army had already exceeded ten times that of the Wu State and the Donghu State.

This made surprise attacks on these "weak" countries the best option for soldiers to achieve success and gain promotion, and it also served as a training ground for the troops. If they could be made to surrender and become vassal states, it would also significantly enhance the influence of the Qin Dynasty and stabilize the rear.

He was dressed in a dark casual suit, without any armor. He was not tall and strong, and even looked a little thin. His face had a scholarly air. At first glance, he looked more like a Confucian scholar who was well-read in poetry and books.

However, the gaze in those deep eye sockets was as sharp as an eagle's. When it swept across the sand table, an invisible aura of iron, blood, and murderousness instantly spread, diluting the warmth of the candlelight in the room.

"My Lord," a lieutenant wearing light leather armor and looking capable walked in quickly, knelt on one knee, and spoke in a very low voice, but every word was clear, "Half an hour ago, the 'Yun Cha No. 3' took off for a routine patrol and crossed the boundary stream for fifty miles. It encountered a surprise attack by a group of 'Black King Eagles', a total of seven, and the leader has reached the peak of the fifth realm."

"The outer cover of the Cloud Chariot was torn open with three cracks, and the airbag on the left side was seriously damaged. Fortunately, the newly equipped 'Flowing Light Arrows' fired a volley, injuring three eagles and forcing the eagles to retreat. It has now been forced to land three miles behind the pass for repairs. However, the lookout captured key intelligence during this operation."

Sima Cuo's eyes narrowed slightly: "Speak."

The captain handed over the route map of the cloud chariot and the preliminary damage report, and continued: "The Wu family's great marshal Yelu Canglang and his first divine general Lingshan led the Golden Wolf Guards, Canglang Cavalry and other elite troops, a total of 50,000 people, to move north, and their momentum is very fast!"

"In addition, Donghu border general Wanyan Honghua's 20,000 light cavalry are also following closely behind, and their whereabouts are unknown!"

"The flat-haired beasts of the Wu clan are becoming more and more arrogant. The Yuncha shield needs to be strengthened. The activation speed and coverage of the Flowing Light Arrow Formation should be recorded and reported to the Construction Department for improvement after the war."

Sima Cuo gave an order casually and tapped the edge of the sand table with his fingers, making a light thumping sound. His eyes were fixed on the small black wolf-head flags on the sand table that represented Yelu Canglang and Lingshan, watching them being quickly moved to the north by the captain.

"Yelü Canglang... Lingshan..." He chewed on the two names in a low voice, "The only two great masters of the Wu clan left the nest at the same time? And took away the most elite 50,000 soldiers and horses?" He looked at the deputy general beside him who was as silent as a mountain, "Meng Pan, what do you think?"

Meng Pan was a man of great stature and a resolute face. Hearing this, he said in a deep voice, "Abnormal means evil. Although Yelu Canglang was the third prince who rebelled against the Donghu, he gained the trust of the old witch Wanyan after he married into the Wu clan. He was in charge of the military power and was known for his cunning and caution."

"Ling Shan is the Wu clan's most powerful general, at the peak of the Seventh Realm. His 'Unbreakable Sword Armor' and twin swords are a formidable opponent for our Northern Army."

"These two have gathered all their best troops, and their target is definitely not an ordinary tribal rebellion. Combined with Wanyan Honghua following... Donghu?"

His eyes gleamed, "Could it be...that there is a change in the border between Wu clan and Dong Hu? Or...a strategy to lure the enemy deeper into our territory?"

"Luring the enemy?" Sima Cuo twirled his beard and pondered, "The royal court is empty, and the main forces are all out. If this is a bait, the price is too high. Wanyan Honghua is the confidant of the Donghu Emperor Yelu Zhenying, and has always been hostile to Yelu Canglang. His actions are more like surveillance or taking advantage of the situation, wanting to get a piece of the pie, rather than cooperation."

"Ever since more than a dozen Seventh Realm cultivators of the Wu clan died in the battle of Changling and the cultivation world declined, the Donghu have never given up on this neighbor."

"My Lord," a military officer in charge of intelligence analysis stepped forward and pointed at the sand table, "In Wu's country, the only one who can mobilize these two and so many elite troops at the same time is the Queen Mother Wanyan. Their target for the north... is most likely the 'Tianliang Ancestral Land'!"

"Ancestral land..." Sima Cuo's eyes flickered like a candle flame. "That cursed land filled with bones in the legend? Is the seal there loose? Is there any major incident?"

Deputy General Meng Pan's eyes also ignited with fire: "If this is true, the main force of the Wu family is tied up in the ancestral land, the royal court is empty, and the Donghu are eyeing them covetously... This is a godsend opportunity!"

"Our army only needs a group of elite cavalry to attack from the three canyons of 'Wolf Throat', 'Eagle Beak' and 'Snake Coil' at the same time, and go straight to the heart of the Wu clan and cut off their way back, or we can go straight to Muye Plain! Even if we can't destroy the king's tent in one fell swoop, we can severely damage their core combat power and eliminate several important supply towns on the northern foothills of Yinshan Mountain!"

Another staff officer also added excitedly: "That's right! Our Great Qin Longxiang and Huben armies have 400,000 soldiers in Jiuyuan and Yunzhong, and they can get out of the Yinshan gap at any time! As long as your majesty's order arrives..."

Sima Cuo's gaze swept across the faces of every staff officer like cold lightning, and finally fell back on the thin blue line on the sand table representing the nameless stream.

He did not respond immediately, but just silently looked at the small sign on the sand table that represented the seasonal wind direction - a weather vane made of thin copper was pointing to the north.

"season……"

He spoke slowly, his voice low but every word as hard as iron, "Winter is coming. Outside Yinshan Mountain, the wind will soon turn completely to the bitter north. If we attack now, the army will have to brave the wind and snow, and the marching speed will be at least halved. The transportation of baggage and supplies will be even more difficult. The wind and snow here can freeze and crack fine steel!"

"Isn't it unusual for these 50,000 elite Wu clan soldiers to go out at this time? Where are they going? Why are they not afraid of the wind and snow? How valuable is this goal that can make the Wu clan go all out to achieve it even at the cost of destroying the Great Wall? Is it a blessing or a curse for our Great Qin?"

His doubts caused the staff officers' excitement to pause slightly.

The brutal winter temperatures on the northern steppes are enough to create a more formidable opponent than any other enemy.

"Opportunities are fleeting, but to advance rashly is to court your own destruction."

Sima Cuo's voice became cold, "This matter must be reported to Your Majesty immediately! The Wu family is paying close attention to the east, so there must be a shocking change in their country! No matter what it is, it is an opportunity for our Great Qin to profit. However, when and how to mobilize the army, Your Majesty needs to make a wise decision and coordinate the overall situation."

"Meng Pan, draft a secret report immediately, and send this intelligence and our military's mobilization proposals directly to Changling! At the same time, order the Yuncha maintenance team to repair the third ship within six hours at all costs! We need its eyes!"

"Yes!" Meng Pan clasped his fists and accepted the order, then turned around to make arrangements.

At this moment——

"Woo-woo-woo-woo!!!" A low, muffled sound that was definitely not the sound of wind, snow, or thunder suddenly came from the depths of the Yin Mountains a hundred miles outside the Iron Wall Pass! It was as if an angry giant beast was rolling and roaring deep in the earth!
The entire government office shook violently, and the miniature military flags on the sand table fell to the ground! The war horses neighed, and the soldiers on the top of the city shouted in horror!

"The earth dragon turns over?!" The captain and the staff officers turned pale with horror.

Sima Cuo's figure flashed, and he appeared on the observation deck outside the command room like a ghost, looking far into the distance. Meng Pan also showed his cultivation level of entering the seventh realm, and followed closely behind.

The originally clear skyline of the northern foothills of the Yinshan Mountains was now swallowed up by a rapidly expanding black and yellow sandstorm that stretched from sky to earth!

That was not ordinary yellow sand, but a terrifying storm that carried countless black gravel and frozen soil fragments, and rolled up a dust column thousands of feet high. The front end of the dust column was like a turbid wave that could destroy the world, and it was sweeping towards Tiemenguan at a terrifying speed!
What is even more frightening is that in the sandstorm, there are faint piercing screams of countless metal friction, collision, and shattering, as if there are billions of swords and weapons madly strangling each other in it!

Wherever it passed, the continuous hills seemed to have been scraped off a layer by an invisible giant shovel, the gray-brown mountains were instantly exposed, and the vegetation was turned into powder!
"Sandstorm? No... Impossible! This is not the Donghu Desert. The Wushi grassland is lush and fertile. How can there be such a large scale..."

The staff officer cried out in surprise.

“It’s not a natural storm! As I remember, this kind of astronomical phenomenon should be…” Sima Cuo’s pupils suddenly shrank and he shouted sharply.

He exerted his full power to penetrate the violent sand and dust and locked onto a vague figure in the center of the storm.

The figure was not tall, but of medium build and middle age. He was wearing a rough leather robe that was common among the Wu herdsmen and had not been finely tanned. It was even washed to a pale color.

In this violent storm of iron filings, she appeared indescribably clean and clear, with neat short hair and an ordinary face.

She was wearing no ornaments at all, simple to the extreme, as if the world could not accommodate any unnecessary thing!
However, it was this extremely simple existence that, against the backdrop of the violent and dirty black storm, exuded a pure edge that froze one's soul! His figure seemed to be walking in the storm, but the surging black tide was just the insignificant dust rolling at his feet!

"The Sword Emperor...Tang Xin!" Meng Pan exclaimed in shock, his face pale, and completed the second half of the sentence for his boss.

According to the information he knew, this person was only at the upper seventh realm. When Zhongshan Kingdom was destroyed, he was afraid of the Qin army and did not take action. He retreated in advance and disappeared. However, the terrifying existence in front of him who turned the sandstorm in the sky into swords and had a momentum that was close to that of the eighth realm Qitian was far beyond his assumption!

"alert--!!!"

The shrill sound of the horn instantly tore through the silence of the border town. The elite Qin troops stationed in this section of the Yinshan Gorge quickly assembled amid the roars of generals at all levels. Bows and crossbows were strung, swords were unsheathed, and the light of true energy lit up in various positions. A murderous aura rose into the sky, trying to counter the power of heaven and earth.

"What is he going to do? Destroy an army by himself? Destroy a city with one sword?"

"One on one, I...can't take a single blow from him!"

Sima Cuo's voice was filled with unprecedented solemnity and a hint of disbelief, and he felt an incomparable sense of insignificance and fear in his heart.

He only brought one Seventh Realm cultivator with him, plus three Sixth Realm cultivators and more than ten thousand Qin troops in the city gate. It was entirely possible that they would be killed cleanly by Tang Xin who was invading the border!

As a high-ranking and powerful prince of the Qin Dynasty, it would be a great honor for him to die on the battlefield amidst a million-strong army and sacrifice his life for his country. His power, status, qualifications and reputation could all be inherited by his descendants. Emperor Yuanwu would not treat his family unfairly.

But if he was killed for unknown reasons by a powerful practitioner who was passing by alone, it would be too absurd and would surely become a laughing stock in history books. How absurd and shameful would that be?

What on earth was Tang Xin doing here? Did someone sell out confidential information and leak his whereabouts? Or was it... related to the Wu family's unusual military deployment and the sudden changes in the ancestral land?
The answer will be revealed in the next moment.

"The ancestral mountain...what a strong aura! So interesting!" Tang Xin's figure was looming in the storm. He seemed to turn his head and cast a fanatical gaze in the direction of Tianliang's ancestral land. The tremendous fighting spirit contained in his gaze made Sima Cuo's skin sting even though they were dozens of miles apart!

"…Shouldn't you be heading north? Why are you at the southern pass? Are you a lunatic who doesn't even know the direction?"

Meng Pan kept shouting in his heart. Although he heard Tang Xin's clear voice, he found it completely difficult to understand. He even suspected that the other party did not take action when the country was destroyed. Did he get lost?

Almost at the same time, Tang Xin frowned very slightly.

He was already several miles away from the Iron Wall Pass. He seemed to have just noticed the annoying border town under his feet, as well as the Qin army on the city wall, which were ready for battle with flags flying. He said calmly, "But before we leave, we still have to deal with some troubles."

Then, all the Qin soldiers saw Tang Xin move much closer and stretched out his hand towards the front with a grasping gesture.

Countless metallic vibrations rang out!
Clang! Clang! Swish!
Inside the Iron Wall Pass, all the sabers and swords on the soldiers' waists, the spare weapons piled up in the barracks, and even the shining arrows from the new ordnance that have not yet been fired... at this moment, they seemed to be summoned by an invisible king, and let out a deafening cry!

They broke free from the control of their master, broke free from the constraints of the warehouse, and turned into streams of light, like rivers flowing into the sea, frantically converging towards Tang Xin's bluffing five fingers!

The black sandstorm that covered the sky and the sun also began to shrink and condense inwards suddenly!
Countless gravel, frozen soil, and even metal ore chips in the air, mixed with the collected knives, swords, and arrows, instantly transformed into a huge "weapon" phantom that spanned the sky and the earth!
It looks like a knife but it is not a knife, it looks like a sword but it is not a sword!
Under the invisible force, the metal let out a shrill scream, collided, and sparks flew like a waterfall. The huge sword first solidified in the air, and then as Tang Xin clenched his fist, he struck forward and slashed straight into the steep cliffs on both sides of the "Wolf Throat Gorge" that were towering into the clouds!

"Oh no! He wants to cut off the gorge and block the road!" Sima Cuo's eyes were bloodshot and he instantly understood Tang Xin's intention.

Judging from the other party's clothing, combined with the most common "eccentric" characteristic of the strong, this person has probably lived with ordinary herdsmen of the Wu family over the years, and perhaps they have developed feelings for each other.

When he sensed the changes in Zushan, he was eager to go there for a fight, but he was worried that after he left, the Qin army would take advantage of the Wu family's emptiness to cause trouble and send troops to launch a surprise attack. So he decided to use the most violent and direct way to block the main passage for the Qin army to go north, and create a deterrent to the entire Yinshan military town!

Despite being so powerful, he acts according to his heart. He is really willful to the extreme!
No skills, no fancy moves, just the ultimate expression of strength and will!

boom--! ! !
There was a terrifying noise that could not be described in words! The ground shook! The entire Iron Wall Pass seemed like a small boat tossed in the waves.

It was visible to the naked eye that the hard rock wall on the side of the canyon, which had been eroded by wind and rain for thousands of years, suddenly collapsed and shattered, and a fracture hundreds of feet deep was cut open!
Countless huge rocks as big as houses rolled and collided, carrying hundreds of millions of tons of mud and snow, crashing down towards the canyon passage like a landslide! Smoke and dust rose into the sky, forming a new, turbid "cloud wall", instantly completely submerging the entire "Wolf Throat Gorge"!

A violent shock wave swept over, and the thick walls of Tiebi Pass shook violently, groaning under the heavy burden.

Countless ordinary soldiers who were weaker and had never entered the country were directly knocked unconscious, and countless of them vomited blood from their mouths!
Sima Cuo and Meng Pan stood on the edge of the tower, using their own strong cultivation to resist the impact, their robes rustling, their faces as pale as paper. They watched helplessly as just one blow! The canyon gap connecting Qin and Wu, a must-fight for military strategists, was completely blocked by jagged rocks!

In the smoke and dust, Tang Xin's figure had long disappeared, leaving only a cold word, like ice piercing the ears of every surviving Qin soldier: "This place is closed for three days. Anyone who dares to cross will be killed."

"During this period, if one of the Wu clan members is injured by the Qin people, I will kill ten of them to pay for it!"

Before he finished speaking, the flying sword fragments did not fall to the ground. Instead, they were swept up by the remaining violent energy and suddenly ignited into a raging red flame!
They turned into millions of meteors with long tails, like a retrograde rain of fire, tearing through the sky and heading towards the northwest Tianliang Zushan, leaving countless sad and short red lines in the gloomy sky, which lingered for a long time.

"What a...Sword Emperor."

Sima Cuo took a deep breath, suppressed his surging blood and fear, and squeezed every word out from between his teeth. "Order: All troops, reinforce the city defenses and be on high alert. Repairing Yuncha has been given the highest priority! Secret report...send it!"

"There must be some shocking secrets in the places where the enemy does not want me to get involved. Your Majesty must know them."

……

At the same time, Zhao Qing, who had been soaking in the Fountain of Youth for more than half an hour, seemed to have absorbed enough vitality. He chose to leave temporarily and walked towards the ancestral mountain, stepping on a natural mountain path facing the spring.

"Tang Xin's moves just now are a perfect example of simplicity and simplicity. Ten thousand blades converged and the sword's will soared into the sky. This style is quite unique and has its own style... I am looking forward to our next meeting."

Although the distance was thousands of miles, it was impossible for even the strongest divine consciousness to reach such a far place, but she whispered to herself and made an objective evaluation, as if she had witnessed it with her own eyes. (End of this chapter)