Choose Liu Bei at the start, I am the only one who knows the plot of the Three Kingdoms.

The group moved forward silently and swiftly along a treacherous path—almost not a road—guided by the Qiang people, like a black stream flowing in the night.

Beneath your feet are loose pebbles and tangled tree roots, and on one side is often a bottomless, dark cliff. Every step requires extreme caution.

Even these carefully selected elite soldiers, marching in such conditions, had fine beads of sweat on their foreheads, but none of them complained; their eyes were filled with determination and resolve.

As they drew closer to their target area, the faint, sweet, and rotten smell in the air became clearer once more, like invisible tentacles reminding them that they were approaching a demon's lair.

As per the pre-arranged plan, the team split up behind a secluded crevice resembling a three-way intersection.

Guan Yu stood stroking his beard, his phoenix eyes flashing with a cold light in the night. He nodded slightly to Gu Rubing, then gathered two hundred elite soldiers skilled in attacking fortified positions and forming battle formations, and gave a low shout.

"Come with me!"

This group of men, like cheetahs blending into the shadows, stealthily made their way towards the dense forest near the cave entrance below. They would be like a nail, firmly wedged near the enemy's throat, waiting for the signal to attack.

Gu Rubing took a deep breath of the cold, strange-smelling air and looked up at the steep cliff.

He stayed with Zhao Yun, Zhang Fei, and another 150 elite soldiers, especially skilled in climbing and close combat.

They carried the most crucial tools for their journey: leather bags filled with kerosene, bundles of dry grass, specially made tobacco canisters, and long ropes.

"go!"

Without uttering any unnecessary words, Gu Rubing waved his hand and took the lead, following the Qiang guide Nuolu, as they began their winding climb up the cliff face where eerie smoke emanated.

This section of the journey was extremely treacherous, requiring travelers to find footholds on almost vertical rock walls.

With their weapons strapped to their backs, the group used both hands and feet, relying on the cracks in the rocks and the tenacious bushes, to inching their way upwards. Ropes were secured to some sturdy stalagmites as an extra layer of protection.

Zhang Fei muttered to himself as he climbed.

"This godforsaken place is no place for humans! When we see those freaks later, I, Old Zhang, will definitely give them a good thrashing!"

Although the journey was fraught with danger, it ultimately went smoothly. During the trip, they encountered two small "divine march" patrol teams, seemingly responsible for guarding the ridgeline.

But these patrol teams clearly did not expect that someone would be able to sneak up from such a desperate situation.

With the tacit cooperation of Zhao Yun and his elite soldiers, crossbow bolts were fired with precision, and short swords were used to silently slit throats. Before the two patrol teams could even understand what was happening, they were swiftly and thoroughly eliminated. Their bodies were dragged into rock crevices or pushed into deep valleys without any alarm being raised.

Finally, they arrived at their designated location—a semi-concealed platform directly above the cave, naturally formed by several huge protruding rocks.

Here, the strange smell, a mixture of medicine and a sweet, fishy odor, was even more intense and pungent.

Upon careful searching, several traces of human excavation were indeed found on the mountain rocks!

These holes are of varying sizes, clearly for ventilation.

One of the largest holes, about the diameter of a small person who could barely squeeze through, was now faintly glowing with a red light, and the nauseating, strange medicinal smell was emanating from it.

You can even faintly hear some indistinct sounds coming from deep within the passage, such as a dull thud, the gurgling sound of boiling liquid, and some indescribable low hum.

"right here!"

Zhao Yun lowered his voice, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

Gu Rubing approached the largest ventilation hole, and a wave of heat mixed with an even stronger odor hit him.

He held his breath and looked down, where he saw red light leaping in the depths, as if connecting to the entrance to hell.

Time is of the essence. Every second of delay could increase the pressure on Guan Yu below, or allow the enemy to discover the anomaly above.

Gu Rubing suddenly took a step back, his eyes sharp, and decisively waved his hand.

"Do it!"

The soldiers, who were already prepared, immediately stepped forward, their movements swift and orderly.

They peeled away the camouflage vegetation covering the holes and poured sacks of kerosene down the openings, the viscous liquid flowing down with a gurgling sound.

Next, the tightly bound bundles of hay soaked in kerosene were pushed in with a long pole, and finally, the lit torches were thrown in!

"boom--!"

A muffled thud came from inside the mountain. It wasn't an explosion, but the sound of flames suddenly encountering a large amount of flammable material and burning rapidly! The dazzling tongues of fire even shot upwards from several ventilation openings for a moment, then turned into thick smoke that poured back in!

At the same time, specially made smoke canisters were lit and thrown in. These canisters contained a mixture of irritants such as chili peppers and sulfur, which produced a large amount of pungent smoke when burned, making them particularly effective in enclosed spaces.

In an instant, several ventilation shafts turned into demonic mouths spewing flames and thick smoke, turning the entire mountainside into an eerie crimson glow. Acrid smoke filled the air, forcing even Gu Rubing and the others to step back and cover their mouths and noses.

Almost at the same instant the fire broke out on the mountain!

At the cave entrance at the foot of the mountain, deafening battle cries erupted!

"Dong dong dong——!"

"W-W-W-!"

The deafening sound of war drums and the mournful sound of horns shattered the tranquility of the night! Guan Yu, who was lying in ambush in the dense forest, saw the fire above as a signal and immediately swung his Green Dragon Crescent Blade. The blade drew a cold arc in the reflection of the leaping firelight.

"Follow me! Let's raze the demon's lair to the ground!"

With a voice as loud as a bell, Guan Yu took the lead and sprang up from the woods where he was hiding, like a tiger descending the mountain, rushing straight to the cave entrance!

The two hundred assassins behind him shouted in unison, their voices converging like thunder. Following closely behind, like a flood bursting its banks, they charged towards the "Divine March Army" guards at the cave entrance, who were somewhat stunned by the sudden attack and the strange changes on the mountain!
The incident happened too suddenly! The interior of the mountain was clearly thrown into chaos by this attack from both inside and outside, especially the sudden smoke and fire attack from within!
Even Gu Rubing and the others standing above could faintly hear, much clearer, shouts, violent coughs, chaotic running sounds, and the sound of overturned objects coming from the ventilation shafts! Clearly, the interior had fallen into great chaos! The guards of the "Divine Marching Army" did react quickly; they were well-trained, and even when attacked, they immediately formed a tight formation, using their spears and shields to block the entrance, trying to withstand Guan Yu's army's fierce attack.

These modified soldiers possessed immense strength and were fearless, posing a significant obstacle to Guan Yu's attack.

However, the narrow terrain at the cave entrance made it difficult to deploy troops, while Guan Yu's army was a well-prepared elite force, each soldier determined to die, and their offensive was like a raging storm.

Guan Yu himself was unstoppable. With each swing of his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, he brought with him immense and irresistible power. Every strike caused the shield formation of the "Divine Marching Army" to shake violently, and some shields were even shattered!
For a time, the garrison at the cave entrance, though barely holding on, was completely suppressed by this fierce offensive and could not spare any attention.

Gu Rubing and Zhao Yun exchanged a glance on the mountaintop, both seeing a resolute determination and a hint of excitement in each other's eyes.

"The time has come!"

Gu Rubing gave a low shout.

"Break through from here! Shoot straight at the heart of the enemy!"

He immediately ordered his soldiers to secure several thick, long ropes firmly to the protruding rock, with the other end hanging down into the largest ventilation shaft, which was now constantly emitting thick smoke and heat.

"I'll go first!"

Without hesitation, Zhao Yun grabbed a rope, tested its sturdiness, nodded to Gu Rubing, and then nimbly slid down the rope into the deep, scorching, and dangerous tunnel!

Gu Rubing followed closely behind, grabbed another rope, took a deep breath of the still fresh air, his eyes sharpened, and he also slid in!
The ropes scraped against the stone wall, making a rustling sound. The deeper they went, the thicker the smoke became, the heat hit them, and the pungent smell was almost suffocating.

Both men covered their faces with their sleeves, squinted their eyes, and, relying on their extraordinary courage and skill, quickly slid down.

In just a few breaths, his feet firmly planted on the ground, and he landed!

The foothold was a passageway that had clearly been carved out by hand, but still looked rough and uneven. It was only wide enough for two or three people to walk side by side, and the height was also somewhat oppressive.

At this moment, the passageway was filled with pungent smoke and scorching heat, severely obstructing visibility. One could only barely see by the flickering flames in the distance and the scattered torches on the walls.

Behind them, elite soldiers slid down the ropes one after another, quickly gathering behind the two men to form a simple defensive formation, vigilantly watching both ends of the passageway.

Gu Rubing and Zhao Yun adjusted to the environment, enduring their discomfort, and groped their way forward along the passageway.

We hadn't gone far when the view suddenly opened up ahead!
The sight before them sent chills down the spines of Gu Rubing and Zhao Yun, who were seasoned warriors and accustomed to seeing mountains of corpses and seas of blood. An indescribable chill and anger welled up in their hearts!
The mountainside had been hollowed out to create an astonishingly huge cave!
The cave ceiling is high and hidden in the smoke, so the top cannot be seen.

Inside the cave, the flickering firelight illuminated not some celestial abode, but a scene resembling a hellish landscape!
As far as the eye could see, there were countless huge pottery jars, some half a person tall, and some even as tall as a person, densely packed together. Some of the jars had their lids open, revealing viscous, dark green or dark red liquids bubbling inside, emitting a strong, nauseating smell of medicine and decay.

Next to it were rows of stone or metal troughs, in which some indescribable substances were soaking, with strange colors.

Even more chilling were the strangely shaped metal instruments scattered everywhere, covered with gears, pipes and sharp blades. Some of the instruments still bore dark red bloodstains, reflecting a cold luster in the firelight.

In many places, hoses are connected, but their destinations are unknown.

The entire space was permeated with an inhuman, cold, and evil atmosphere that treated life as mere material!
Many people dressed in uniform dark linen clothes, their faces pale like ghosts who had not seen the sun for a long time, were running around in a panic. Some were trying to extinguish the flames that had just spread with makeshift tools, while others were busy covering up the pottery jars and medicine troughs. The scene was chaotic.

Further away, by the flickering firelight, Gu Rubing and Zhao Yun could vaguely see that, deeper in the cave, there seemed to be rows of cages made of thick wood and iron bars, like livestock pens!

The cages were filled with shadowy figures, seemingly holding many people. Most of them were huddled up, thin and listless, with empty and lifeless eyes, as if they had long lost hope for life and were just numbly waiting for their unknown fate.

This place... is not a military camp or outpost at all; it is a huge, horrifying... living laboratory!

The hellish scene before him caused Gu Rubing's anger to explode as if doused with kerosene!

He originally thought that Penglai was at most training a powerful army, but he never expected that they would be carrying out such inhumane and desecrating evil acts in the belly of this mountain!

In the very center of the cave, there was a pool about ten feet square, made of unknown black stones, which was like the heart of the entire evil factory, emanating the strongest ominous aura.

The pool was filled with a dark red, viscous liquid, bubbling and churning. The nauseating, sweet, and rotten smell originated from this very spot!

The edge of the pool was inlaid with complex and twisted runes in some kind of dark metal. The patterns were no different from those found in the ruins before, only larger and more complete, and faintly radiated energy fluctuations.

"This...this is not a military camp at all!"
This is nothing short of a massive, evil, human-sacrifice factory!

Gu Rubing's eyes were bloodshot as he squeezed out these words through clenched teeth, his voice trembling slightly with extreme anger.

He could almost see those imprisoned in cages eventually becoming "materials" in the pool, or being stuffed into those huge terracotta jars, enduring unimaginable torture, and ultimately becoming monsters like the "God Marching Army"!

"How dare this sorcerer!"

Zhao Yun, standing to the side, was equally enraged. He had already drawn his spear and saw several "Divine March" soldiers, dressed in dark linen but with blank and empty eyes, rushing up to block him with their weapons. He shouted and moved like lightning to meet them in an instant!
"Puff puff!"

The silver spear, like a dragon, drew several deadly streaks of cold light amidst the firelight and smoke, precisely striking the throats, hearts, and other vital points of those "Divine March" soldiers!

Although these soldiers were strong and fearless, they were no match for Zhao Yun, a peerless general, especially in this narrow and chaotic environment!
The sound of the spear tip piercing flesh was dull and swift. The soldiers didn't even have time to scream before they fell to the ground like felled logs.

"Set it on fire! Smash it! Destroy all these evil things for me!"

Gu Rubing gave the order in a stern voice, his tone filled with a destructive intent.

At his command, the assassins following him scattered immediately, like tigers among sheep.

They frantically poured the remaining kerosene they were carrying onto the huge earthenware jars, medicine vats, and complex metal instruments, and then threw torches at them!

"boom!"

"Crack!"

Flames erupted instantly, engulfing the "materials" and equipment that had been painstakingly accumulated, costing countless lives. (End of Chapter)