Patrol Captain

The next day, as soon as the sun broke through the sky, it was like spring returning to the earth, sweeping away the gloom.

Golden light swept across the land from east to west, reaching the Ghost Cry Mountain, which had been shrouded in darkness for many days.

The great battle came to an end, the smoke of gunpowder dissipated into a pale gray mist, and from a high vantage point, the entire mountain forest was reduced to ruins and desolation.

The corpses of warhorses littered the valley; broken helmets and shattered breastplates were embedded in the scorched earth, reflecting a fragmented, cold light; banners flew askew like a dense, desolate forest, the broken royal flags leaning precariously, their tattered surfaces stained with blood, drooping limply, only the edges trembling slightly in the breeze. Broken swords and shattered blades intertwined with the corpses.
The scene was horrific!

The battle lasted all night, and now the final cleanup work is underway.

On the battlefield, armored soldiers of the mountain-climbing army were cleaning up the battlefield. In the mountains and forests from three directions, troops who had gone to pursue the defeated army were returning one after another, their horses neighing.

In the Riftwind Valley, atop a collapsed, shattered mountain, Chen Yuan, his cloak billowing, stood facing north, his head bowed as he played with an object.

It is a long spear made of white bones!

It was that holy soldier who became the old ghost of the holy land!
Chen Yuan stared at the sacred weapon for a while, his expression thoughtful. He wondered if the old ghost was truly dead. Although he had countered the ghost's supernatural powers, those powers were still strange. When the old ghost fled, its primordial spirit multiplied into ten, then into a hundred, disappearing into the ground and scattering in all directions. Although he had used his Heavenly Eye to see through the illusion and annihilate all the fragmented spirits he saw, even exploding the old ghost's sacred weapon, he still felt a lingering sense that he hadn't killed it all.

Just as he was brooding over this uncomfortable feeling, he heard a whooshing sound in the air.

Then, a figure descended from the northern sky and landed beside Chen Yuan, causing the rocks on the ground to tremble.

The newcomer was dressed in purple-gold armor and held a blood-stained halberd. He was Qi Tian, ​​the Demon-Suppressing General, whose blood and qi surged and whose body was steaming with white vapor.

Chen Yuan held his spear upright behind his back, put his hands behind his back, turned to look at Qi Tian, ​​his gaze falling on the general. He noticed the cracks in the general's purple-gold armor and the bloodstains on it, and asked:

"What was the result?"

"One has escaped, and the other has already surrendered!" Qi Tian was referring to the two Dragon Tiger Generals of Beiliang. Seeing that their Martial Saint had been defeated, the two generals decisively ordered a retreat and then led their troops to break through the encirclement. Qi Tian then pursued them, heading straight north.

In the end, one of the two great generals of Beiliang died and the other was injured!
"I originally intended to snatch that King's Seal, but unexpectedly, once it fell into my hands, it was as heavy as a thousand pounds, and I couldn't support it at all. It then fell to the ground and disappeared. I can't find it no matter how hard I look for it." Qi Tian felt a little regretful.

Chen Yuan didn't feel sorry. "That seal condenses the fortune of Beiliang. Only those who possess the fortune of Beiliang can wield it. Even if you manage to snatch it, it's just for show and won't cause any real harm. On the other hand, General Qi was able to kill one and injure the other when the two Dragon Tiger Generals joined forces to unleash the Kingly Seal. It seems that it won't be long before he can advance to the Martial Saint level."

Qi Tian's eyes flashed with a hint of helplessness. "It was just a coincidence! Those two generals from Beiliang expended too much energy to resist your attack. Besides, I also have the sacred weapon bestowed by Lord Helian to protect me from the bombardment of the King's Seal. To be honest, I'm still a little short of advancing to Martial Saint. I don't know when I'll be able to cultivate that little bit. I just hope to gain some insight as soon as possible and be able to lend you a hand in the upcoming situation, Chen Yuan!"

As they talked, Qi Tian's expression turned serious when the topic turned to the current situation. Shu was facing too many crises, and he also wanted to break through to the Martial Saint rank as soon as possible so that he could have more strength in the current situation.

Chen Yuan understood what the demon-suppressing general meant, nodded, and took a step forward.
"Once this battle is over, that rebel king will probably calm down in the north. He will have to worry about whether Chen will penetrate deep into our territory and cut off his retreat."

"However, our main threats right now are the Ten Thousand Mountains and the Eight Demon Kingdoms. In addition, we are short of troops, so we naturally have no time to deal with the fight between the two brothers, Emperor Wu and Emperor Wu."

"As you know, I have no interest in their family affairs."

"Helian Shan wants to hand over power to me, but the imperial court won't agree. I'm currently in power privately, and my decisions might go against the emperor's wishes. General Qi, have you thought it through? Do you want to take the brothers of the mountain-crushing army and risk your lives with me?"

At this point, Chen Yuan stopped, turned his head, and looked at Qi Tian's face.

Upon hearing this, Qi Tian's brows furrowed like iron blades, and deep, chiseled lines appeared at the corners of his eyes. He remained silent for a moment before speaking in a muffled voice.
"A general in the field may disobey the emperor's orders. At this critical moment, even the Grand Preceptor Helian is willing to fight for our Shu region. How can I and my comrades in the mountain-crushing army stand idly by? Don't say such things again."

After saying that, he flicked his sleeve and turned halfway around.

A smile played at the corners of Chen Yuan's eyes. "General Qi, please don't be angry."

"The mountain-climbing army is one body, but since you and I bear the lives of our comrades on our shoulders, we should speak our minds so that we can work together in harmony."

"I, Chen, will help the general break through to the Martial Saint realm as soon as possible!"

"In the end, I can't hold up the whole tree by myself."

Upon hearing this, Qi Tian turned around and said without any politeness, "Then I won't stand on ceremony with you."

His voice had a rare touch of lightness.

Around that time, a whooshing sound came from behind, flying towards them.

Immediately following, Yun Tiansheng, Liu Qing, and the other two cavalrymen, clad in red armor, landed at the spot, quickly stepped forward to greet Chen Yuan and Qi Tian, ​​and then reported to Chen Yuan:

"General, the battlefield has been basically cleaned up, and the troops that went to pursue have returned one after another. We are still waiting for the brothers from other hilltops to report and summarize the battle losses. Now, the only thing left is how to deal with the remains of those Northern Liang cavalrymen?"

The Mountain-Cleaving Army searches the mountains to subdue demons and fight against monsters, never considering these issues.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuan's cold and intimidating eyes seemed to realize something, and he finally lowered them, speaking softly.
"Give them a proper burial. The battlefield is ruthless, but soldiers have their integrity. We won't let their bodies lie exposed in the wilderness."

"Yes!"

Yun Tiansheng and the other two responded emphatically and then left.

Chen Yuan walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down into the valley below, where tattered banners fluttered in the smoke of battle.
"We don't know how long this battle will last."

"Killing demons is much more satisfying!"

After saying that, he gathered his thoughts.

"Let's go, General Qi, we're almost done. Let's go inside and wait."

As soon as he finished speaking, he soared into the sky and flew towards the former site of the royal palace in the south. Without saying a word, General Qi Tian behind him also transformed into a streak of light.

Half an hour later, as dawn broke, the sound of gongs rang out from the former site of the royal palace, which resembled a heavenly palace.

"Let's call it a day!"

Thus, under the light of day, streaks of armored light rose from the battlefield below, riding horses and ascending into the sky, converging into several torrents of steel that flowed into the royal palace suspended in the heavens.

Soon after, a huge spatial rift appeared above the floating palace, emanating a terrifying suction force that quickly pulled the palace inside.

Then, the spatial rift that stretched across the sky slowly closed, and a milky white beam of light shot out from it!

“xiu”

A powerful spatial fluctuation arose at the location where the spatial rift disappeared, distorting the void before quickly vanishing as the pillar of light shot into the sky.

Ghost Cry Mountain quickly became deathly silent, leaving only the battlefield banners fluttering in the wind.

Another day passed, and on this morning, news broke in Chengdu that the Ninth Mountain had sent troops north and fought a great battle against 100,000 elite cavalry of the Northern Liang, a thousand miles north of Tianxiong Pass, resulting in the Northern Liang army's defeat and retreat to Guiku Mountain.

Teahouses, taverns, and streets and alleys were abuzz with the news, causing a stir and restoring the city to its former bustling atmosphere.

Inside a teahouse, there was much discussion.

"It has to be the Ninth Mountain. As soon as they send troops, the situation in the north will be immediately eased. The imperial court will be extremely grateful." "If we take advantage of this victory and head north to take over the hometown of the King of Northern Liang, that would be really interesting."

"Hasn't the news already spread? Hasn't this prince's hometown already been taken over by our General Chen? Haha."

"I heard from a rumor that after the Ninth Mountain finished fighting at Ghost Cry Mountain, they withdrew their troops."

"Is that so? Why not take advantage of the situation and head north to expand the war?" someone wondered.

"What do you know? If our Martial Saint Chen leads his troops north, who will keep order in our Chengdu and the entire Jiannan Road? We don't want our home to be raided. You've all heard that many powerful figures are dissatisfied with Yunding Mountain." One of the tea drinkers, who had been speaking loudly at first, lowered his voice towards the end, becoming increasingly cryptic.

There have been several instances where mysterious powerful figures have attacked them at Yunding Mountain.

"To keep order? The imperial advisor from the court would do. He just quelled the demonic tide in the west and his power is at its peak. He should be returning to Chengdu soon." Someone offered their opinion.

"Well, in my opinion, this isn't a question of whether or not to head north, but rather whether we should. Right now, we have demons eyeing us from the west and south. We should concentrate our efforts on resolving the internal problems in Shu. To fight external threats, we must first secure our internal stability. My personal guess is that General Chen's decision not to pursue them after they were driven back was because he wanted to resolve the internal issues before taking action against the demons."

"Another crucial point is that the military strength in Shu is currently insufficient, which everyone can see!"

"."

Just as the teahouse was buzzing with discussion and excitement, the sound of horses' hooves echoed from the street outside the window.

Then, a voice called out from outside, "It's the Ninth Mountain!"

Inside the teahouse, the patrons were discussing the deeds of Ninth Mountain when they heard someone outside calling out for him. They immediately became alert, some listening intently, some getting up, and others opening the windows.

Then, a troop of soldiers wearing Ninth Mountain armor galloped through the street, carrying something that looked like a document.

"drive"

"drive"

"drive"

"......."

Armored soldiers rode their horses and galloped down the street.

At each street corner, one of the men would stop, quickly dismount, and swiftly post a document on the street.

They then mounted their horses again and headed to the next location.

This immediately aroused everyone's curiosity.

As soon as the soldiers left, curious onlookers gathered around. Looking at the post, someone read it aloud.

"Now demons knock on the gates, wolves harbor wild ambitions, flames of war rise across the land, and the common people are plunged into misery: cities are ruined, bones exposed in the wilderness; fields lie barren, women and children weep by the roadside. The land once cultivated and sericultured is now a battlefield; the once joyous place of song is now a realm of lamentation."

"All my loyal subjects, swiftly gather at the foot of Mount Yunding to fight for righteousness. Those who follow this cause will be remembered for generations to come."

"This is the Mountain Expeditionary Army recruiting soldiers!"

Someone immediately understood what it meant and exclaimed in surprise.

"Where? Where? Let me see?" The crowd was noisy, and people kept pushing their way in.

"When the Mountain-Cutting Army recruits soldiers, does that include the Ninth Mountain as well?"

"Definitely, the familiar feeling is back. That general from the Ninth Mountain still has the guts; he's going to make a big splash and fight the demons to the death!"

"Oh dear, wouldn't that mean a lot of people will die? When we recruited soldiers for the front lines, Chengdu was filled with white silk ribbons."

"Look at that spineless coward's words, where is the registration place?"

"According to this, it should be at the foot of each mountain in Yunding Mountain."

“Let’s go! Why shouldn’t a man carry a sword? Who will go with me and become my comrade-in-arms?”

"I'm a man, of course I'm going."

"And I."

"Let's go together!"

"."

Immediately, many people responded at this street corner.

Some were thrilled, their blood boiling with excitement at the ongoing battles, feeling that this was how a true man should act; others admired the might of the mountain-climbing army, and having acquired their own skills, they felt it was time to strive for success.
Compared to the deserted crowds in front of the conscription notice three years ago, today is completely different. This is the prestige earned by the mountain-climbing army. Coupled with the chaotic times, it is a world where the great waves sift out the sand and create heroes.

And so, as the Ninth Mountain soldiers, carrying documents, raced through the four city streets, posting conscription notices in every alley, the streets and alleys were bustling with activity, and shouts of excitement rose up.

Thus, along the main street of Sicheng, figures gathered like water droplets, gradually forming a river, heading straight towards Yunding Mountain.

Among them were impoverished young men, their eyes filled with excitement, who called upon three or five friends to go and give it a try;
A young master from a noble family, dressed in fine clothes with a sword at his waist, walked out of the vermilion gate, turned around and clasped his hands in greeting to his parents, then leaped onto the white horse led out by a servant. "Your son is determined to go to the battlefield to fight for fame and glory. Thank you, Father and Mother, for your support. Giddy up!" The silver saddle shone on the white horse, and it swiftly rode like a shooting star.

In front of a small courtyard in the northern part of the city, several magnificent horses stood in front of the gate. On the horses sat six young men from the martial arts world, dressed in tight-fitting clothes, with extraordinary temperaments, and each of them had an excited expression and bright eyes.

A short while later, the door to the small courtyard was opened from the inside, and Gongsun Wuji, dressed in black with a cold expression and carrying a sword box on his back, walked out.

"Brother Gongsun, we're just waiting for you! Get on your horse!" his friend called out with a laugh, tossing over the reins.

The others joined in the laughter.

Gongsun Wuji took it, leaped onto the horse, and moved with graceful, fluid movements.

"Let's go, let's join the army!" The friend cracked his whip, laughed loudly, and finally got his chance.

"drive!"

"drive"

"drive"

Seven chivalrous heroes rode their horses down the long street, full of vigor and high spirits, heading towards Cloud Peak Mountain with the flow of people.

, (End of this chapter)