Overdraw the future and become a peerless martial god

Chapter 136 Closing the Gate and Locking the General
Chu Ning looked up and saw several soldiers standing on a high platform in the shadow of the city wall. Their armor was tattered, their cloaks were torn, their halberds were rusted, and their quivers were empty.

Their gazes were dull and weary, and none of them actually looked into the distance.

It was a silence of utter despair, like a dead person trapped in a body, clinging to the last shattered "line of defense of fate" by instinct alone.

Chu Ning took a deep breath, walked to the sealed city gate, and took out the Zhenwu Token given to him by Xie Chengjun from his bosom.

"Report," he said calmly. "I am on orders from Marquis Xie Chengjun to travel to the far north."

The wind and snow howled, sweeping past the sealed iron gate in front of the Great Wall.

Chu Ning stood on the snow, holding a heavy black iron token high in his hand.

That was the Zhenwu Xuanling, personally bestowed by Xie Chengjun. It could mobilize 300,000 border troops in the north and was recognized by the entire Daqian court as the "key to the nation's gate."

But on the city wall, a centurion clad in black armor sneered disdainfully, his voice as cold as a blade piercing through snow.

"Marquis Xie?" He exhaled a breath of icy air. "That happened half a month ago."

“He had long been stripped of his military power by Prince Duan and sent back to Qingzhou to recuperate.”

"Your token is nothing but scrap metal now!"

Chu Ning's gaze turned cold, a surge of lightning energy quietly welled up within him, and his voice was as steady as a mountain:

"Without Marquis Xie in the north, who will guard the nation's gates?"

The centurion gave a mocking smile but didn't say anything more. He simply raised his hand and pointed to the beacon tower at the highest point of the city wall.

Chu Ning looked in that direction and saw the beacon tower that had once been used to light the fires that carried messages across thousands of miles, but now it was shrouded in a layer of gray mist.

A figure stood on it.

Clad in black robes and silver armor, his figure stood tall and immovable as a mountain amidst the wind and snow.

The man had a sinister face, slightly upturned eyebrows, and eyes as sharp as a hawk's, looking down at the snow-covered ground in front of the pass.

He gently toyed with a blood-red jade talisman in his hand, its surface engraved with patterns resembling wriggling blood worms, and a nauseatingly sweet and fishy smell emanated from its chilling aura.

“General Li Wujiu,” a guard whispered.

"The newly appointed commander of the Northern Wall."

"Personally conferred by the Emperor."

Chu Ning's heart sank.

On the beacon tower, Li Wujiu slowly bowed, his voice not loud, yet clear and resonant like rolling thunder:
"I now hold command over the North."

“Anyone who holds Xie Chengjun’s token shall be regarded as a traitor.”

Before he finished speaking, he waved his right hand.

"Start the machine."

The mechanisms on both sides of the city wall rumbled and started moving, and more than ten giant crossbows rose up, their black bolts arranged in rows.

Each arrow was engraved with incantations, the runes were dark and swirling with thunder soul-locking patterns, which were actually of the same origin as the runes on Qin Wuye's Soul-Locking Banner.

"Arrow lock".

"boom."

The cold arrows were all aimed at Chu Ning.

The killing intent pressed down like a mountain, and Chu Ning dodged back several feet.

In this oppressive silence, a sharp shriek suddenly came from the far horizon.

A colossal black shadow soared into the sky from the depths of the snowstorm, its wings flapping like thunder. It was a flying behemoth with white scales all over its body, its wingspan exceeding thirty feet, and its eyes like scarlet flames, hurtling straight towards the Great Wall.

It roared as it crashed into the top of the Great Wall, where the hundred-foot-high wall met the sky, and suddenly a circle of transparent ripples appeared.

"Om-"

The sky trembled, and an invisible barrier appeared like a magic circle, blocking the giant beast.

The behemoth roared and struggled, its wings whipping against the gale, but the barrier reflected its force like a mirror, causing it to let out a low, painful groan as it plunged into the white expanse of the north with its remaining momentum.

Chu Ning's pupils contracted slightly, and he whispered:

"That is……"

An old soldier whispered to himself:
"Stop looking. That 'sky curtain' is a barrier set up using the fortune of the Great Qian Dynasty."

"It's said to be to prevent attacks from flying beasts, but in reality, it also blocks the entry and exit of our own martial artists."

"Now, everyone along the Great Wall, whether it's people or beasts, has to be mindful of their mood."

Chu Ning frowned, and when he looked at the barrier again, he saw that the ripples had dissipated and the wind and snow had returned to deathly silence.

Strangely, none of the guards on the city wall moved in the face of the flying beasts' attack.

They just stood there blankly, not even glancing up.

It's as if such shocks have become commonplace.

It's as if this "defense line" is no longer for defense, but merely for separation.

Chu Ningjing stood amidst the wind and snow, gazing up at the border wall that stood over ten zhang high. Frost had condensed on it, and the Soul-Locking Crossbows stood in rows like a forest, their gloomy, cold light emanating from their slots, as if they could take lives at any moment.

He stared for a long time, speechless. After a moment, he slowly lowered his head and gently sheathed the Snowbreaker Blade. The sound of the blade being sheathed sounded particularly cold and clear in the snow.

“It can’t be broken now.” He murmured softly, his tone calm but revealing a suppressed sharpness.

"Then, let's wait until night to break through."

He turned and left, his steps firm and unperturbed, as if the entire Great Wall, countless arrows, and swirling snow were nothing more than insignificant scenes in his eyes.

He walked through the snow and retreated into the border city.

That was once a strategically important location where the Zhenwu cavalry was stationed, but now it resembles an empty, ghost town. In the streets and alleys, the snow is ankle-deep, and frozen snow hangs from the eaves. Most houses have their doors and windows closed, leaving only the north wind blowing through the corridors, swirling the falling snow like sand.

Occasionally a few pedestrians would pass by, dressed in shabby clothes, hurrying along, not daring to linger.

Chu Ning walked through an old alley and brushed past an old soldier. The man was hunched over, hugging his knees to the wall to avoid the wind. His armor was tattered, and he had long since left the military. He had nothing at his waist, but his eyes still held the blood of battle from when he once fought on the snow-covered battlefield.

The city was silent, yet filled with the lingering echoes of suppressed fighting spirit, like thunder locked in place, slowly awakening beneath the snow.

Chu Ning turned into an alleyway, snow fell on the eaves, and a familiar figure suddenly blocked his way.

The man, wearing a gray cloak, was tall and straight, his face weathered and worn; he was none other than Commander Zhao Tianyu.

Chu Ning was slightly taken aback:
"you……"

Zhao Tianyu didn't answer, but quickly stepped forward, grabbed Chu Ning's arm, and pulled her inside:
"follow me."

At the end of the alley was an inconspicuous inn with a crooked signboard and peeling paint.

Stepping inside, the stove was burning brightly, several waiters were wiping tables and sweeping snow, the owner behind the counter was organizing the accounts, and a brisk waiter was serving tea and water—everything seemed normal.

However, Chu Ning had only taken a few steps when he raised an eyebrow.

Every single one of them is a ninth-rank martial artist.

He even sensed a murderous intent that could drive away a thousand enemies as the waiter turned around.

Seeing his surprised expression, Zhao Tianyu smiled and waved his hand, saying:
"take it easy."

"They, like me, are all former subordinates of the Zhenwu Division."

"Now they have all been demoted to commoners, unable to leave the border or enter the city, and can only gather together to open this 'Listening to Snow Inn'."

Chu Ning looked around; the "shop assistants" were watching him with great interest.

Zhao Tianyu said loudly:

"Come on, let me introduce you."

"This is the 'Thunder Blade Master' that you all keep talking about."

"On the Qingyun Arena, a single slash shattered the formation, and thunderous energy swept across the sky."

A low murmur suddenly filled the inn.

"Is that him? Thunder Blade Lord?"

"He's so young?"

"The person whom the Marquis took a liking to back then was indeed extraordinary."

"I heard that he perished together with the evil spirit Tun Yuan during the lightning tribulation in Qingzhou..."

In a corner of the inn, people were whispering among themselves.

Zhao Tianyu glanced at the man, waved his hand to interrupt, and said in a soft but authoritative tone:

“You all believe nothing but rumors.”

He stepped forward, patted Chu Ning on the shoulder, and his expression changed from relaxed to serious:

"Speaking of which, what exactly happened after that battle at Qingyun Arena?"

Chu Ning smiled wryly and shook his head slightly:

"It's a long story. There's nowhere for me in this world, so I can only flee to the far north."

After listening, Zhao Tianyu's expression turned serious, and he slowly said:

“I sensed something was amiss during that storm. After your hundred victories, I was transferred back to the Great Wall by the Marquis, who personally led an army of 100,000 to blockade Qingzhou… I knew then that something big was about to happen.”

He paused, a suppressed sadness appearing in his eyes.

"But who would have thought that as soon as the Marquis left, all his former subordinates who had come out of the pass with him were stripped of their armor."

“Some were demoted to commoners, some were exiled to the border towns… and we were locked up in this dead city, not allowed to leave the pass even a step.”

As he spoke, he turned and pointed to the corner of the inn, to the broken battle wall where military flags had once been hung.

A faded battle flag still hangs on the wall, its corners torn by the wind, revealing the faintly discernible characters "Zhenwu".

But the two characters "Zhenwu" were clearly half burned off by fire, leaving only mottled scorch marks, as if a belief had been brutally cut away from the years.

Zhao Tianyu stared at the tattered flag, his voice low and deep:

"Though we have laid down our armor, we have not laid down our souls."

(End of this chapter)