Beichen Sword Sect's Headmaster's Secret Records

Chapter 431 Certificate of Surrender

A river, a road, a step apart, can be like hell on earth.

Yes, as soon as Tiedan crossed the river, he saw the chaotic soldiers massacring the city.

Of course, it might not be accurate to call them a chaotic army, since they carried out the slaughter in a rather orderly manner.

When the army arrived, the main force first stationed itself outside the city, occupying key locations such as the city gates and treasuries. Then, the displaced people were ordered to return home. Anyone who gathered without permission was to be beheaded, and anyone who went out without permission was to be killed. Once the streets were cleared, white arrows were distributed door-to-door, and people were instructed to stick them at their doorways. Every night, patrols were conducted, and anyone without an arrow was to be killed.

Then, on the first day, those who were the first to scale the walls, the elite soldiers who charged into battle, the best and brightest men, and their trusted servants were to enter the city in turn. No one was to be killed; they were to take only gold, silver, pearls, gems, and jade, and all the wealth they could plunder. They were to take as much as they could and keep it all for themselves. Therefore, the one who made the greatest contribution was to be rewarded.

The following day, elite cavalry and infantry were deployed into the city in order to search for wealthy households and confiscate their armor, weapons, provisions, military pay, poultry, and livestock.

The next day, barbarian barbarians from the border and former soldiers from Kangen entered the city in turn, searching and plundering house by house, leaving not a single grain of rice or grain. The soldiers swept through the city like a broom for three days, searching for all its resources, and then exchanged their black arrows for their white arrows.

On the fourth day, they entered the city in the same order as before. Each banner and guard independently selected craftsmen and skilled workers, young and strong men, who had their faces slashed with knives and were called "Ding." They were to compensate for the losses of the past few days and serve as cannon fodder and forced laborers for the army. This process of conscripting Ding continued for three more days, exchanging red arrows for black arrows.

With all the money and grain gone, the able-bodied men and women went hungry for six days, and the city was powerless to resist.

On the seventh day, the various tribes entered the city in the same order as before, naturally revealing their true colors: lewdness, cruelty, and violence, doing whatever they pleased. This licentious indulgence would continue for another three days before they finally stopped.

On the tenth day, after the previous victory, they broke through the city, searched for and captured the surrendered soldiers, seized the captured officers, and whipped the slaves. They then entered the city to search and kill everyone, leaving no survivors. Every single person had to be beheaded, and they had to bring back a red arrow to report back. This was called the pledge of loyalty.

Tie Dan just watched from the side. After all, it was a common occurrence, so he didn't feel much and was too lazy to interfere.

After all, in this day and age, things can be devastating at the drop of a hat, so saving someone would be pointless. Besides, the scene before us, a landscape of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, a hellish abyss, is just a normal occurrence in the North.

Back then, when the Great General swept through the Northern Plains, he slaughtered his way along the Yin Mountains. However, the northern Tartar tribes, the dens of demons and monsters, were not as prosperous as the Central Plains. They had few people and scarce resources, and could not withstand such a massacre every ten days. Most of them were dealt with in a day and a night.

Besides, don't be fooled by the fact that the Heavenly King's army is currently acting as if nothing's wrong, burning, killing, looting, and enjoying themselves. Now that the Earth-Sinking Formation has been activated, the entire area within a thousand miles has been drawn into the barrier. Calamity and misfortune are imminent, and they could unleash their killing intent at any moment. Dragons and snakes will rise from the land, and the world will be turned upside down. At that time, no matter what kind of refugees or rebels they are, they will all be in the same boat, like withered bones in a mass grave. Their fate is sealed, so they might as well pray for their own good fortune.

Just then, the city gates opened wide in the distance, and a large army was seen carrying cartloads of grain out of the city. The massacre of the city had probably only just begun a few days ago.

Caught in the midst of calamity, with the secrets of heaven obscured, Tie Dan couldn't figure out the location of the stone dragon. So he simply followed the caravan, carrying his nine-ringed sword, and strode towards the Heavenly King's camp.

Tie Dan was originally a fellow villager of the rebels, so he was naturally very familiar with the military system of the Northern Army. He could tell the size and structure of the camps just by looking at them. He knew that the cavalry consisted of a hundred men per banner, nine banners per battalion, plus some slave laborers. Each camp had about a thousand cavalrymen, a military commander, and two assistant commanders on the left and right.

The Military Commander was already a mid-level military officer in the system, with a rank equivalent to a thousand shi (a unit of grain), a bronze seal and a blue ribbon. He was in charge of the supply and logistics of a battalion of soldiers. He was awarded for his military merits and could receive the Tiger Tally and the Command Arrow. He could command battles independently. Even according to the rules of the Celestial Palace, he should at least be given a Divine Pill, his name should be registered, and the court should be informed.

Of course, Boss Shi is rich. With a wave of his hand, he directly wholesaled the Tenglong Zhonglang Generals, giving each one a Divine Infant Pill to win people's hearts. In addition, the fierce generals of the Northern Army have always been brave and fought their way out of danger. Most of the military commanders who can fight all the way from Yinshan to the Central Plains are real Nascent Soul generals, which are incomparable to those second-generation military officers in the Immortal Palace.

Tie Dan unleashed his killing intent, immediately attracting the enemy's attention. Then, three long howls rang out! Demonic energy swept in! A fierce aura soared to the sky! Three Nascent Soul cultivators were blasted out of the camp!
Good heavens, one chief and two deputy chiefs, that's three Nascent Soul cultivators for every thousand men, isn't that amazing? At least the nine centurions below them should be Divine Body cultivators, and every single one of the thousand cavalrymen should have an Outer Core Foundation Establishment, right?
It's no wonder that mere celestial soldiers couldn't defeat them. Even with a formation like the Earth-Pit Formation, it's reasonable that such a powerful army could hold out for ten years. No wonder the boss's defenses crumbled; this army was built with real money...

Tie Dan didn't rush forward to chop. He first propped up his large guillotine and stood in front of the camp, pondering his plan while observing the newcomer's methods.

Then, a cannon boomed in the sky, the camp gates swung open, and a general stepped out first. He had a red face and a bushy beard, wore a golden helmet and iron armor, rode a three-legged fire lion beast, and held a divine halberd. He shook his head and let out a lion's roar.

"Iron armor glows red in the sun, golden halberd cleaves the sky! Alone I charge through the mountains, and with a swift move, I'll behead you!"

Lion, "Roar—!"

Then, amidst the deafening sound of gongs and drums, a general galloped out from the left. He had a jade-like face and a long beard, wore white armor and a silver helmet, and held a steel lotus spear in his hand. He shook the spear flowers off, making them fall like snow. He rode a large, five-colored tiger with a long tail. It was none other than the divine beast Zouwu!

"The divine blade is frosty and gleaming, the iron spear shakes the heavens! The Zouwu gallops a thousand miles, and gods and demons all cower in fear!"

Zouwu, "Awooo—!"

Then, horns sounded in unison, and a general charged out from the right. He had a leopard's head and round eyes, broad shoulders and a thick waist, wearing a black cloak and black armor, carrying a pair of lead-filled black ice maces, and riding a single-horned divine beast with mottled markings!
"Black armor and purple lightning flash, mace strikes through a hundred passes! Flying horse tears tigers and leopards apart, soul-chasing ghosts tremble in fear!"

Refute, "Hiss—!"

Tie Dan, "..."

What's going on with this guy? After not fighting on the battlefield for several years, has he now evolved to the point where he recites a poem before even stepping onto the stage?

"Hey! Whose side are you on?!"

The red-faced man had a loud voice that was the first to attack. Before his angry roar had even finished, the fire lion under his horse was already riding on rolling fireworks, its huge fangs and jaws wide open, ready to bite at Tie Dan!

Tie Dan came here specifically to aid and abet evil; if he were to kill all of his own people right away, there would be nothing left to talk about.

So he didn't move his knife. He swayed to the left to escape the fire lion's pounce, bite, and pluck, and dodged to the right to avoid the halberd's thrust, flick, and parry.

He grabbed the lion's head by the hair with one hand, turned it over, kicked out the lion's front teeth and chin with both feet, and stomped on it.

He snatched the halberd handle and stabbed the red-faced general away. Before the general could even fall off his mount, he was impaled on the ground by the halberd.

"Military commander!"

"stop!"

The two generals on the left and right saw that things were not good. These dignified Nascent Soul generals had been captured along with their mounts in just three moves. They knew that this was a tough opponent, so they gritted their teeth and rode off to their rescue.

To be fair, all three are seasoned veterans, not just empty names. Although the red-faced one looks like trash, it's because he took the initiative to charge forward, not giving his opponent a chance to build up his power.

However, he did not expect that Tie Dan would use the Blood God's Turbo Fist, whose monstrous strength far exceeded that of ordinary martial gods. Even the Five Thousand Year Old Gang Fist could land two punches. Thus, he took the initiative and ended up giving away the opportunity right away, which made him look a bit foolish.

But at this moment, the other two fierce generals realized that Tie Dan was powerful and knew that they could not defeat him by force, so they immediately used all their skills!
"The wind and snow dance! A hundred lotuses shatter the mountain!"

The jade-faced, white-armored general roared, wildly thrusting his lotus-shaped steel spear, unleashing a flurry of spear strikes that sent gusts of wind and chilling starlight crashing against his face! Each move contained immense power, producing sonic booms and fierce winds! It all aimed directly at Tie Dan!
Just as the Hundred Spears technique was halfway through, the Leopard Head General in the Black Cloak attacked from the other side! He raised his lead-filled Black Ice Maces high and struck with both maces! "Clang!" The sound was earth-shattering, the metal clanging loudly. At the same time, he glared angrily, his beard and hair standing on end.

"Ghostly wails and divine howls! Mysterious Yin Soul-Capturing!"

With a furious roar, a sound like thunder, terrifying and terrifying! A chilling, bone-piercing gust of wind even spewed from their mouths and noses! It was as if they were exhaling countless ghostly figures! It rushed straight towards Tie Dan's face! These two were clearly seasoned veterans. Not only were they incredibly skilled and intuitive in their combined attacks, but each of their moves was a deadly technique, a battle formation killing move, showing no mercy, unlike any other Xuanmen combat.

Tie Dan could tell at a glance that the spear strikes were completely unpredictable and lacked any set pattern. They were just random attacks that left no trace, but each strike contained immense power. If there was even the slightest opening, he would definitely thrust his spear forward with all his might.

As for that wretched evil wind, it was extremely insidious, foul-smelling, and capable of causing damage to the primordial spirit. Even a person's nascent soul was blown away by the evil wind. No one knew where this ghostly trick came from, but it was truly wicked.

This coordinated attack was truly difficult to withstand. An ordinary person would only be startled by a single shout, momentarily losing their senses, before being struck by steel spears and maces, potentially fatal. Moreover, it wasn't just the two of them attacking; their two beasts, Zouwu and Bo, were also howling and neighing, one tearing at the gale with its claws, the other blowing icy arrows backward, whipping up dark clouds and demonic winds, stirring up flying sand and stones—a force not to be underestimated.

Of course, if Xuan Tian Ru Yi Zhen Jun were here, he could spit out sword qi in four directions and kill all that trash. Unfortunately, Tie Dan can't fight like that.

So, in order to maintain his persona, Tie Dan simply swayed his body and used the newly learned Cloud Escape technique to dodge the rain of gunfire and the evil wind, dragging the guillotine away.

Actually, the two generals knew what was good for them and didn't want to chase after them in a hurry. However, the two beasts couldn't stop and charged forward with "howling" and "neighing". They probably couldn't kill you with one headbutt, but they were sure to tear off a piece of flesh to taste.

However, the Cloud-Riding Escape Technique passed down by the Immortal Lord of the Nine Heavens was incredibly agile, and no matter how the Zouwu beast chased and bit him, or how wildly the spears and iron maces struck him, they couldn't harm Tie Dan in the slightest. Even the Soul-Seizing Evil Technique was useless against Tie Dan's Great Art of Confronting His Primordial Spirit.

After chasing for only ten miles, the two generals realized they couldn't do anything to Tie Dan and knew he was incredibly skilled and fast. They dared not pursue him any further and wanted to ride their beasts back to camp, fearing they might fall into an ambush.

Unfortunately, Tie Dan was already quite adept at the dragging-blade tactic. Seeing that the two generals were showing signs of retreat and were reining in their beastly mounts to leave, he immediately launched a counterattack! Taking advantage of the Zouwu's quick legs, he charged forward and swiftly executed a "White Tiger Leaps Over the Ravine!" With a "bang!", his blade smashed into the tiger's head!
Although the blade was wielded with the back of the sword, the nine-ringed iron sword was still quite heavy. With just one strike, it smashed nine grooves into the tiger's head, knocking the tiger unconscious with a loud "roar!"

The jade-faced general was greatly alarmed upon seeing this! He immediately brandished his spear wildly and sprayed it all over Tie Dan's body!
Leopard Head, standing nearby, shouted and charged forward on his horse, unleashing his trump card to come to the rescue!

But who knew that Tie Dan's movements were even more unpredictable! With a flick of his feet, he executed another graceful, cloud-riding maneuver! He dodged the spear and mace, darting past the Zouwu! His guillotine flashed and struck the horse's rump!
"Bah! Bah!"

The horse was jerked by the blow, and a cut instantly swelled up on its rump. It almost reared up and neighed, nearly knocking the leopard's head off its body!
The leopard-headed man lost his balance for a moment, and seeing the blade flashing straight at his neck, he was terrified, thinking he was about to be beheaded and die on the spot. He screamed "Waaah!" in terror! Luckily, the blade passed by, only shaving half of his hairy face! It turned out that this movement technique was truly unpredictable. His foot slipped, as if he had stepped on a skateboard, and he actually veered to the side of the Jade-Faced General. Even Tie Dan almost lost his grip and shaved off the man's head!

Well, this Cloud Riding Escape technique was only learned last night, and half of the Qi came from Ciyun Ferry. Tie Dan hasn't had time to fully refine and master it yet, so it seems he still needs to practice more...

But since he had already slipped through, it didn't matter who he hit. Taking advantage of the Jade-Faced General's surprise and unpreparedness, Tie Dan swung his sword, knocking away the steel spear. He then raised his hand and smashed the Jade-Faced General's face with the hilt of his sword, turning him into a bloody mess. The man was knocked over and knocked unconscious on the spot.

"Agh! Spare me! Spare me, brave warrior!"

That leopard-headed fellow was also quick-witted. Now that he was pinned down by his mount, he looked up and saw his teammates being beaten so badly they wouldn't even recognize their own mothers. Naturally, he didn't dare to fight anymore and immediately shouted that he was surrendering and losing half the battle.

"Ping!"

"Eh heh heh!"

Tie Dan swung his hand and threw the knife, which struck the leopard's neck, terrifying him so much that he broke out in a cold sweat and closed his eyes to await his death.

"Like a Mad Bear."

Tie Dan snorted coldly, then flung the Jade-Faced General and the Zouwu over, piling the two generals and two beasts together like a mountain of flesh. He leaped forward, stepping onto the hilt of his sword, and with a tilt of his body, pressed the blade down, as if to guillotine them.

"Aww aw ...

The leopard-headed man was pinned down and unable to move. As the broadsword came crashing down on his head, he cried like a raccoon, all his previous howling and shouting vanishing into thin air.

Tie Dan snorted coldly, straightened his body, and stopped his sword strike.
"Cherighana Baina!"

Leopard Head: "Huh, huh?"

Tie Dan angrily chopped off the guillotine.

"Where is Shi Jiao's camp? Are you playing dumb with me?!"

The leopard-headed man quickly said,
"Aww—Good sir, spare my life! I am Huyan Mo! I was originally the General Commander of the Gen Kingdom, and my family has been under the jurisdiction of the imperial court for many years! We have served the Immortal Palace in guarding the nine borders! Even if we have no merit, we have worked hard!"

Because the royal army was defeated by the rebels, and my whole family was in Hebei, I had no choice but to join the rebels. I really don't know the whereabouts of the traitor Shi!
"Please, brave warrior, spare my life! I am willing to atone for my crime by performing meritorious service! I will slay this scoundrel for the court!"

Tie Dan snorted coldly.

"Who told you I came here to kill traitors? I'm here to join the army!"

"Gah——"

The leopard-headed man nearly choked on his spittle, quickly swallowing back the words in his mouth and forcing a smile.
"Ah, ah, oh dear! So the hero has come to join us! That's great! That means we're all on the same side now!"
To tell you the truth! My lord is the second son of the Heavenly King! He is an envoy holding the imperial insignia! General of Chariots and Cavalry! Governor of Genzhou! King of Hejian!

The Crown Prince's ineffective regency has displeased the Heavenly King, resulting in repeated rebukes and beatings! He will surely be deposed!
Among the princes and crown princes, my lord, the King of Hejian, is the most skilled in military strategy, the most powerful, and has the most troops!
Everyone says that once Suiyang is captured, the Heavenly King will appoint my master as Crown Prince! Now is the perfect time to join us! I'm willing to guide you!

Tie Dan thought for a moment,
"How many sons does that guy have?"

“Ah, ah this…”

Leopard Head counted them down one by one...

Tie Dan was impatient.

"Those who are granted titles and command troops can come out and be selected!"

"Yes, yes, yes, besides the crown prince, six sons were granted the title of king, oh no, five..."

Tie Dan sliced ​​half of his neck open with a single stroke.

"How many are there?"

Leopard Head screamed in agony!
"Five! Five! The Heavenly King's beloved son, Duke Le'an, was assassinated before he could even be granted the title of king!"
The entire Tenglong Palace in Yedu was burned, slaughtered, and looted! This enraged the Heavenly King!
That's why the Crown Prince lost power!

Oh, I think that's something like that, I almost forgot...

(End of this chapter)