Secular world: My destiny has no taboos

Chapters 559 & 569: Nightfall (Part 5)
The blood moon appeared quickly in the sky; it took almost no time for a crimson halo to spread out, filling the twilight.

Liu Yu's hand was soaked with cold sweat from the list of supplies, and the edges of the paper were crumpled from being gripped so tightly.

He looked up at the eerie blood moon, and a faint sense of fear rose in his heart.

This fear did not diminish over time; instead, it grew stronger.

If the mortal gods belong to the category of terrestrial deities in the secular world, then the great mortal gods are the true immortals.

Chasing stars and the moon, changing the world... those things that only exist in folk myths and legends and seem unbelievable to people are actually possible for the great folk gods.

The blood moon in the sky was like a signal, telling everyone in Liangzhou that the goddess Zigu had arrived.

Liu Yu turned around and saw his soldiers staring blankly at the strange phenomenon on the horizon, just like him, still in shock.

Most of his soldiers were new recruits or those who had never been on the battlefield.

Even Liu Yu himself led only a handful of battles.

However, the thought that their team might soon have to face the Goddess Zigu made him feel suffocated.

Liu Yu turned his head to look at the soldiers of the Northern Underworld Army and found that after a brief moment of surprise, they returned to normal and showed no sign of being nervous about the arrival of the Goddess Zigu in the army.

"This is what a strong military should look like!"

A hint of envy flashed in Liu Yu's eyes, and soon he witnessed the Beiming Army's execution capabilities once again.

Fox Spirit God ordered the entire Northern Underworld Army camp to retreat thirty miles to an open plain.

Because the Beiming Army's main camp is currently located in a mountain valley, with a plain in the middle and two mountain peaks on both sides.

Before the arrival of the Goddess Zigu, this place would have been an excellent strategic point, preventing the evil spirits and the evil army from launching a large-scale surprise attack on the Northern Underworld army. The number of people at the mountain pass would be limited, and the final battle would be entirely up to the Northern Underworld army.

But when the goddess Zigu arrived, the situation changed, indicating that her mortal gods were planning to join the battle.

With the power of a mortal god, moving mountains and filling seas is not easy, but it is not too difficult either. If the other side were to cut off the two mountain peaks, the Beiming army would probably not even have time to escape and would be buried under countless boulders.

Therefore, after discussing with Luo Bingzhong, Wu Huo, and others, Fox Spirit God immediately ordered the Northern Underworld Army to move their main camp to an open plain.

Although this area is likely to face a full-scale attack from both sides, at least it will not be vulnerable to the enemy using its geographical advantage to gain a strategic advantage.

So Liu Yu and his army had only been at the Beiming army camp for a short time when they received a notice to move with the army.

This was also the first time he had witnessed the formidable execution capabilities of the Northern Underworld Army.

"Tens of thousands of troops moved away as soon as they were told to, and the entire camp was cleared in just one hour. The whole army packed up and set off. This speed is simply unheard of."

Liu Yu's army lagged behind during the transfer.

They had just received the supplies from the Northern Underworld Army, so they should have been at the forefront and the fastest.

However, he had just loaded the supplies onto the carriage when he heard an urgent horn sound from ahead.

The soldiers hurriedly packed their bags, and the clanging sound of supplies falling could be heard from time to time in the ranks.

In contrast, the Northern Underworld Army had already advanced towards the plains like a black torrent, their orderly footsteps causing the ground to tremble slightly.

Is the gap really that big?

Liu Yu moved his dry lips, wanting to say something, but a thousand words were stuck in his heart, and in the end he could only shout at the top of his lungs.

"Hurry! Speed ​​it up!!"

The transfer of tens of thousands of troops stirred up thick smoke on the land, which, under the howling of the biting cold wind, resembled a dragon rolling in the earth.

Under the blood-red moon, the retreating army suddenly stopped. Although Liu Yu was behind the army, he could still hear the sounds of fighting suddenly rising in front of him.

He quickly caught up with the last detachment of the Northern Underworld Army and approached one of their generals, who was wearing a large ghost-head sword at his waist, and asked him a question.

"Brother, what's going on up ahead?"

As soon as Liu Yu approached, he felt a fierce aura rushing towards him. His vision blurred inexplicably, and he saw ghostly figures, with countless vengeful ghosts who had died under the blade wailing miserably.

After a moment, he came to his senses and looked at the young-looking general in front of him in shock.

Xing Liang turned his head to look at Liu Yu, who had suddenly stepped forward to stop him. After looking him up and down, he asked.

"Are you the person sent by the previous dynasty to support our army?"

"That's right." Liu Yu gradually composed himself, clasped his hands in greeting, and asked, "May I ask your name, General?"

Upon hearing this, Xing Liang waved his hand and said, "I am not a general, do not address me casually."

"My name is Xing Liang, and I am just a captain in the Beiming Army."

"Captain?"

Liu Yu stared at Xing Liang in disbelief. He could sense that Xing Liang's aura was in no way inferior to his own, and that Xing Liang was at the same Divine Realm, or even more powerful.

Yet, this very person was only a captain in the Northern Underworld Army.

"I just heard from the front that the Goddess Zigu and several mortal gods under the command of the Evil Spirit True Lord are trying to launch a surprise attack on our Beiming Army. Our mortal gods are currently fighting them to stop them," Xing Liang said calmly.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yu feigned sudden realization: "So that's how it is. Are the mortal gods beginning their intervention?"

“That’s normal. After fighting for so long, both sides have suffered heavy casualties. It’s pointless to drag this out any longer. It’s time to determine the outcome of the battle,” Xing Liang analyzed expressionlessly.

"Judging from Brother Xing's appearance, he seems to have experienced quite a few battles."

"experience?"

Xing Liang stroked the hilt of the ghost-head saber, the half-drawn blade gleaming with a ghostly blue light, making his eyes appear even colder.

"Not a lot, but not a little either."

“I have been following the Prefect since before he recovered Luozhou.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Yu's eyes narrowed. He hadn't expected that the person in front of him was a veteran general of the Beiming Army who had risen to power with Lin Beixuan. No wonder he had such a terrifying aura. If he were in an ordinary army, he would at least be a deputy general.

He took a light breath and said, "I didn't expect that Brother Xing, with such qualifications, would only be a captain in the Beiming Army."

Before Xing Liang could speak, his deputy sneered and glanced at Liu Yu, saying, "What do you know? We are the flanking battalion in the Beiming Army responsible for dividing the battlefield. Don't look down on our general just because he doesn't have a general's rank yet. His actual merits are already enough to make him a Left General in the Beiming Army, just like General Zhang He." "He just can't bear to part with us, so he's remained a captain."

The deputy gradually approached Liu Yu. Although his strength was only at the Opening Mansion Realm and he was smaller than Liu Yu, his aura was in no way inferior when the two faced each other.

He lifted his outer armor, revealing several medals lining the armor.

These medals vary in color and shape; some are brass-colored and have an inscription on the front depicting a sword stuck in the corpse of a starving ghost.

Some are silver-white, and the carvings on the front are also different, depicting a long knife and sharp claws clashing in an X-shape.

There was also a brilliant gold color, with a huge demonic sword on the front, and a giant dragon coiled around it...

"This is?"

Liu Yu looked at the several medals tucked into his deputy's lining, his eyes filled with a mixture of doubt and curiosity.

The deputy proudly counted the five medals on his chest and said, "These are unique war merit medals of our Northern Darkness Army. Anyone who has experienced important battles or made heroic contributions on the battlefield can receive one medal."

“I have five of these medals, but my general has nine.”

"After this battle, the number of medals may exceed ten or even eleven."

In the Northern Darkness Army today, merit is above all else, and the best way to demonstrate a person's merit is undoubtedly through the medals awarded to soldiers after a major victory.

Xing Liang's nine medals are among the best in the entire Beiming Army, ranking high.

Liu Yu never expected that simply asking some questions would lead him to discover some inside information about the Northern Ming Army.

Although the merit system wasn't something that needed to be hidden, Liu Yu might never have known about it in his lifetime if no one had brought it up.

He looked curiously at the medals on his deputy's body, and inexplicably felt that he would like to have these medals that represented his war achievements.

This represents a soldier's honor, something more worthy of remembrance than the scars on his back.

These armies, even after a major battle, don't know why they fought. Those who die in battle simply turn into a handful of dust, unaware of what the war represents.

However, the Beiming Army made it very concrete. In a conversation with his deputy, Liu Yu learned that as long as one participated in an important battle, everyone from high-ranking generals to ordinary soldiers could receive a basic medal.

Above this basic medal are the promotion medals for that battle.

These promotion medals are no longer the same as the basic medals, but come in all shapes and sizes, and some are even specially made for those who are brave and outstanding.

Upon hearing this, even Liu Yu, an outsider, couldn't help but imagine what supreme honor those medals, unique to each individual in battle, must represent for a soldier.

"I heard from those celestial officials that the basic merit medals for this battle have been completed. They're called the Contender Medal. Just listen to that... how imposing a name is!"

Xing Liang's deputy was so engrossed in his conversation that he squinted his eyes, completely forgetting that Liu Yu was still standing beside him.

Liu Yu frowned and said, "The war isn't even over yet, and you've already made the victory medals? Isn't that a bit too fast?"

The deputy turned his head and stared directly at Liu Yu, his aura suddenly increasing, his eyes like those of a wolf or a tiger, as he slowly drew the sword from his waist.

This subordinate, a mere commander at the level of a general, whose military rank was far inferior to Liu Yu's, still dared to draw his sword against him.

This scene had a tremendous impact on Liu Yu's mind, because he was certain that the reason the other party dared to draw his sword was not because Xing Liang was there, but because his words had aroused the other party's killing intent. Even if there were only the two of them present, the deputy would not hesitate to draw his sword and slash.

"enough!"

Just then, Xing Liang looked coldly at his deputy and said, "Go ahead and ask when we can set off."

Upon hearing this, the deputy's killing intent gradually subsided. He sheathed his long sword, glared at Liu Yu, mounted his horse, and rode off.

Seeing his deputy leave, Xing Liang turned around, a fierce smile appearing on his lips, and said in a gloomy tone.

"Heh heh, in the mind of my Northern Underworld Army, no matter who we face, we have no chance of losing. Just for saying that, if General Wu Huo heard you, he would chop off your head immediately."

"And I advise you not to say these things to any of my soldiers in the Northern Darkness Army."

“We are different from the armies of your past dynasties. We don’t take gold and silver, but exchange merit for what we want.”

"Here, gold and silver are the lowest of the low. Miraculous medicines that can bring the dead back to life, cultivation methods that lead directly to the Great Dao, wondrous treasures, and even organs of the gods... We gamble with our lives, and any suggestion you make about the possibility of losing is a denial of our lives."

Liu Yu was stunned by Xing Liang's words. After a long while, he slowly cupped his hands to Xing Liang and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Brother Xing! I, Liu, will remember it!"

Xing Liang ignored Liu Yu and turned back to his own group.

Liu Yu looked up and saw that the same army he had come from was still the same as before. There was very little sound coming from the army. Only the bright long swords were wiped clean with coarse cloth, reflecting the indifferent faces of the Beiming soldiers.

Liu Yu felt as if his heart had skipped a beat, and he returned to the Li army in a daze.

When the deputy general saw Liu Yu return, he quickly went up to ask him what was wrong.

Liu Yu simply recounted what had happened ahead before standing on a steep slope where he could see the backs of the Beiming army.

No wonder the Beiming Army entrusted their backs to this Li Army with peace of mind. It wasn't that they trusted him, but that they weren't afraid that the Li Army would suddenly turn against them.

The two sides are simply not on the same level.

Liu Yu even had the illusion that if they wanted to rebel and launched a surprise attack on the Beiming army from behind at this time, the enemy would probably only need to send a thousand men to crush their 30,000-strong army.

He looked back at the troops he had led. Although they still maintained some military discipline, their expressions were scattered and dazed, as if they didn't know what they should or shouldn't do. His heart sank instantly.

Without a doubt, they will be utterly crushed.

"Your Majesty, what kind of mission have you assigned me! Sending the weakest army to the most terrifying battlefield, where they don't even qualify to be cannon fodder!" Liu Yu couldn't help but sigh to the heavens.

Just then, he heard the bugle call sounding from the front, and the army that had been stationary began to move again.

Clearly, the mortal gods under the command of Zigu Goddess and Evil Spirit True Lord failed to intercept the Northern Underworld Army's path.

Liu Yu did not know how many casualties the enemy had suffered, nor did he know the situation on his own side.

He couldn't fathom how a battle between mortal gods would ultimately unfold.

He was clearly leading 30,000 troops, but he was like a wrecked ship caught in a storm, tossed about by a group of large ships. The ship could neither carry people nor anything, and he could only drift along with the large ships, through the wind and rain, and through the waves.

As for the final outcome, it had nothing to do with his dilapidated ship.

(End of this chapter)