Lord of the Desert

Chapter 546 Powerful
North of Kuaiye Mountain, Zhenbei Zuowei.

The first day of the eleventh month, at the hour of Chen (7-9 AM).

The sky was overcast and filled with fine snowflakes.

On the official road, five horses, with their twenty hooves sinking into the shallow snow in turn, made muffled thuds.

"They've arrived at their destination. Judging by their pace, they should be there by this afternoon at the latest."

As Yang Haorang spoke against the wind on horseback, he felt as if a handful of ice shards were being poured into his lungs when he inhaled.

The four people who accompanied him on this trip were all martial artists who had reached the pinnacle of their skills, but while the martial artists could endure the hardships of traveling for days, the horses were not up to the task.

"Let's go upstairs."

He pointed with his whip to the low hill beside the road and turned his horse around first.

The road up the mountain was steep but difficult, and all five of them dismounted to save the animals' energy.

The hill is 100 meters high and is the highest point in the vicinity.

Yang Haorang stepped onto the ridge and looked around. The world was white, and he could hardly recognize the way he came. Only a cold world remained, immersed in silence.

"We have a panoramic view from here, so let's wait here."

He tightened his collar to keep the wind and snow from sticking to his skin and wetting his inner clothes, but when he turned around, he saw that everyone's eyebrows and beards were covered with a layer of white frost.

"You guys feed the horses, I'll dig a snowdrift, and we'll take turns going out to keep watch later."

Yang Haorang gave the order, and found a deep spot in the snow to activate his innate spiritual energy, quickly creating a snowdrift several meters square.

"Xiao Si, you'll stand in the first shift."

He made sure the place where he tied the horse was sheltered from the wind and snow, so he and the other three crawled into the snowdrift, leaving only a few dozen centimeters of opening.

With the snow covering the area, the surroundings became even more tranquil.

Before long, he even started snoring softly.

Yang Haorang leaned against the snow wall, imagining the appearance of the visitors in the fleeting eternity.

He should be two meters tall, weigh 250 kilograms, have a square face, broad shoulders and a thick waist, and a long beard...

Only in this way can one be worthy of the description "handsome and magnificent" on the list of geniuses.

Two shifts were changed amidst the rustling sound of snow being dug out.

Around afternoon, a shout suddenly came from outside the snowdrift.

"Captain, they're here! They're here!"

Yang Haorang opened his eyes immediately, rolled over and rushed up the ridge. He saw a long black worm emerging from a mountain hollow ten miles away, slowly and neatly wriggling in the snow.

Two large banners stood at the front of the procession, one inscribed with "Chisha" and the other with "Hong".

"That's it, it's them!"

Yang Haorang rubbed his palms together on the hem of his clothes.

"Get up, warm yourselves up, let's go over there..."

Just then, the group heard the sound of horses' hooves coming from below the ridge. Looking in the direction of the sound, they saw three elite scouts carrying red sand military flags.

"What do you do?"

A heavy Liangzhou accent.

“Yang Haorang, Commandant of Fengsui City”.

The burly, red-faced man sat high on the hilltop, cupped his hands in greeting, and returned the message.

"Coming to meet Captain Hong!"

······
The flag marched between the two mountains, hanging high amidst the falling snow.

Yang Haorang followed the scout on horseback and saw that the vermilion thread embroidered with the character "Hong" was still brand new and untouched by wear.

The scouts went away, and soon after, a report came from afar.

"Report! The commander of the city defense command of Fengsui City has arrived with four men to provide support..." The army marched silently on the official road without orders; the soldiers in the ranks, wrapped in thick cotton clothes, held their short weapons and looked at the approaching soldiers with wary and curious eyes.

Everyone says that the Red Sand Army is newly formed, but judging from the quality of the soldiers, Yang Haorang clearly sees that a large portion of them are veterans who have seen bloodshed.

The first to arrive were Xu Yuntao, Lü Yunshi, and Yi Hong, who were in the central command.

Seeing this, Yang Haorang straightened his back and mustered all his strength to avoid being looked down upon.

So which one is Blazing Star?

He observed carefully.

The first man has a scar on his face and exudes an imposing presence, but he is middle-aged and clearly not Hong Fan.

The second man was in his prime, exuding an air of nobility, but there was a lingering melancholy in his brows, making him seem less like Hong Fan.

The third person was burly and had a calm gaze. He deliberately lagged behind the first two in his movements, so it couldn't be Hong Fan.

Sure enough, when the three came up and introduced themselves, none of them were the person in question.

"Please wait a moment, Commandant Yang. The captain is on patrol and will be there shortly."

Yang Haorang remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was even more excited.

With his extensive experience on the battlefield, he easily discerned that Xu and Lü were both Qi Realm experts. Although the third person, Hong Lie, had a cultivation level similar to his own, the straight sword he carried at his waist possessed an imposing and dazzling power, clearly a rare divine weapon.

Who is it that can gather and manage such talents?

Yang Haorang grew increasingly expectant, and soon saw a group of fully armored guards emerge from the snow-covered landscape. The leader was a head taller than the others, with his left hand holding a Suanni Devouring Beast Longsword and his right hand leading a fierce-tailed tiger-eating beast.

[It's actually a full-fledged personal guard! This is the kind of grandeur only three great generals would have, and the commander of the personal guard is even equipped with divine soldiers?]

Yang Haorang was deeply shaken, and he couldn't help but imagine what kind of powerful and domineering hero, the number one innate talent in the Nine Provinces, must be, with three heads, six arms, and bulging muscles.
A strong wind howled, scattering the snow and revealing the person on the back of the strange beast.

He wore a tall crown with gold and silver wings, and a fiery red cloak; he was twenty years old, with a face as white as jade, and exceptionally handsome.

With just that face, Yong Yu, who prides herself on her fair skin and beauty, looks like a white bear that has lost its fur.

Yang Haorang was greatly disappointed.

Thick joints, broad back, and dark skin—none of these powerful and domineering characteristics of a strongman are present.
This slight lapse in concentration caused his stress to increase dramatically.

The three Innate Realm experts, more than ten Perfect Realm experts, and dozens of ferocious Penetrating Realm warriors present would not allow a mere Commander to show disrespect to their lord.

"Yang Haorang, the Commandant of the City Defense Division of Fengsui City, pays his respects to the Colonel."

Yang Haorang was startled and immediately knelt down on one knee.

"No gift."

Hong Fan dismounted and, seemingly slowly but actually quickly, approached Yang Haorang. With a casual lift of his hand, Yang Haorang felt as if he had been pulled up like a 200-pound chick.

[Those like Huan Chengji and Yong Yu, this new captain could probably take on four or five of them at once? This isn't just a dragon crossing the river, it's a tiger entering a flock of sheep...]

Yang Haorang recalled Suo Chengzhou and the others' previous words about "showing off their skills," "showing off their power," and "setting a balance," and couldn't help but feel bitter.

······
The heavy snow stopped at midnight.

The troops rested until dawn the next day, then prepared a meal and broke camp.

The winter sky in northern Xinjiang is dry and clean, and the horses' hooves crunch and squeeze as they walk on the snow.

"The Three Guards of Zhenbei comprise a total population of four million and thirteen cities, each governed by a different General's Office."

Yang Haorang rode alongside Hong Fan, trailing behind by half a body length.

"The Central Guard is currently controlled by the Kou family of Snowman City, the Right Guard is led by the Peng family of Fallen Eagle City, and the Left Guard is headed by the Huo family of Lin Yuan City."

Mount Kuaiye is covered with snow all year round. A large river originates in the north, and its basin has many waterfalls due to the large difference in altitude, hence the name Yuejiang (Leaping River).

Lin Yuan City is located at the confluence of the Ling River and the Yue River.

A few days ago, the Chisha army passed by in the distance. Hong Fan looked out over Lin Yuan City, which had a population of about 300,000, comparable in size to Duan Li City.

(End of this chapter)