The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 169 The Three Mountain Lords Arrive in Person

Once the order was given, the rear guard immediately became the vanguard, the central army held firm at the heart of the command, and the left and right armies followed suit. The more than 100,000 troops moved in one after another like a surging tide.

Looking at the camp he had abandoned, the old general felt a tightness in his throat, and an overwhelming sense of exhaustion seeped out.
The strength or resilience of the rebel army far exceeded his expectations.

Since the start of the war, the enemy has forced him to change his strategy three times, from quelling the rebellion in March to defeating the enemy at the end of the year, and now to proceeding slowly and steadily.

Both sides have suffered heavy losses and excessive consumption in the fighting so far.

Fortunately, he had the support of the imperial court, which enabled him to steadily advance his strategy with continuous reinforcements from the rear.

Just when things were beginning to look promising, such a huge mess occurred in the rear that he had to give up everything he had.

All efforts were in vain.
Is it really impossible to quell this unrest in the southwest?

After a long sigh, the old general suppressed all his thoughts, mounted his horse, and moved slowly with the army.
-
On Hansong Mountain, Wang Pingzhang and Zhang Wei naturally received news that the General had arrived with his troops.

It wasn't just the generals at the front who came; more than 10,000 troops from Cangzhou in the rear also came.

It seems the governor of Cangzhou was also frightened and wanted to cooperate with the general to crush their chaotic army from both sides.

The situation was extremely dangerous, but they remained calm because they were waiting for the general to arrive.

With a true immortal here, what is there to fear?
If the immortal lord can use his magic to break through the general's mental barrier, this crisis will naturally be resolved quietly.

Furthermore, it seems that the immortal lord is about to complete the refining of his golden elixir.

Because the herbs from the nine mountains, the mud from the ten lands, and the clothes for the people that the immortal lord wanted are almost all gathered.

I glanced at the fireworks that had already shot into the sky the day before, and I could no longer see the increasing intensity of the flames with the naked eye.

Zhang Wei asked Wang Pingzhang:
"I remember the immortal master has almost gathered all the materials he needs for alchemy, right?"

Wang Pingzhang nodded and said:
"Indeed, we're almost there. We're just missing the last one: the Nine Mountains Herb."

Just then, a loud shout came from the mountain path behind them:

"We've found them all! We've found them all!!!"

Everyone looked on with delight, and saw a fast horse carrying a disaster victim galloping towards them.

As soon as the enemy arrived in front of Wang Pingzhang and his companion, the cavalrymen reined in their horses and stopped.

The disaster victims carrying baskets on their backs also dismounted.

"Found it?" Wang Pingzhang and his companion hurriedly stepped forward.

The disaster victim excitedly took down the basket and said:

"Found it! Found it!"

Everyone crowded around and saw that the basket was full of green grass. The grass was so lush and green that it didn't look like it would grow in a long-parched place. Even after traveling through the mountains, it was still as fresh as ever.

"Wow, this grass, this grass looks so fresh, like it was just picked!" Wang Pingzhang exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, it's really novel!" Zhang Wei also exclaimed in amazement.

The disaster victim said with immense excitement:

"Generals, we found this in a crevice in the rocks!"

"Not only is there running water, but the warm sun also shines through the cracks in the rocks. If it weren't so small, we would have thought we had stumbled into a fairyland at first glance!"

The disaster victims described what they saw with increasing excitement:
“We were certain from the start that this was the one we were looking for. And look, after traveling all this way through the mountains, its color hasn’t changed at all! This must be a precious treasure imbued with spiritual energy!”

The others nodded in agreement.

"A good omen, a good omen!"

The last material not only arrived, but it was also such a wonderful thing imbued with spiritual energy.

Having said that, Wang Pingzhang hurriedly stepped aside and said:

"Quickly, the Immortal Lord is inside! Hurry and deliver it to him, lest we be late!"

"Okay, I'm going right now!" the disaster victim replied, then quickly stepped inside carrying a basket.

People along the way exclaimed in surprise.

Everyone felt that this time, the Southwest could truly be saved!
After the disaster victims entered, Wang Pingzhang and Zhang Wei looked at each other and said:

"I never expected it to be so easy this time."

"Yes, I really didn't expect it to be this easy."

As the two were talking, the richly dressed young man rode a donkey slowly down the mountain path.

He said from afar:

"Uncle, I heard that the last material has been found?"

Wang Pingzhang turned around and smiled:
“Nephew, you’re right. It was just delivered there. And let me tell you, this last of the Nine Mountains Herbs is incredibly potent!”

The elegantly dressed young man had already dismounted from the donkey and stepped forward, smiling:
"How exactly does it possess such spiritual energy?"

"Not only was the place where we found it surrounded by flowing water, but even after being picked for so long, it's still incredibly vibrant and fresh! How could it not be full of vitality?"

The elegantly dressed young man nodded and said:
"It certainly has a certain spiritual energy, but wait, no!"

But as he spoke, his expression suddenly changed.

This puzzled Wang Pingzhang and the other man, who said:
"How is it wrong?"

The elegantly dressed young man said urgently:
"Because it could be found at the beginning or in the middle, why is it only when the army is pressing in and it's just one step away that such a strange 'spiritual herb' is found?!"

The other disaster victims still didn't quite understand, only wondering if this young master was overthinking things.

However, both seasoned veterans who had fought countless battles paled in shock:

"not good!"

Just as he finished speaking and was about to turn around and call out to the disaster victim, he discovered that the man had already delivered the basket to the immortal.

Looking at the baskets that the disaster victims brought with smiles.

Du Yuan raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly before frowning at the smiling, honest-looking disaster victim in front of her and saying:
"Your Excellency, are you truly unwilling to offer these thousands of disaster victims a way to survive?"

A hint of confusion appeared on the honest faces of the disaster victims:
"My lord, what are you saying? I don't understand."

But looking at Du Yuan's unchanging expression and her unmoving figure standing in front of the fire, he was deeply moved.

The disaster victims slowly dropped their naive and honest demeanor, and instead revealed a scrutinizing look of interest as they sized Du Yuan up and down.
"Even though we're on a mountain, and you must have been through countless trials and tribulations, you were still able to see through my disguise. You old Taoist, your eyesight is quite good!"

Du Yuan looked at him solemnly and said:

"You're too arrogant!"

The person who said this shook his head repeatedly:

"What a sharp-tongued Taoist priest! But since that's the case, let's see who's truly skilled!"

The disaster victims picked up the baskets and then turned them over and dumped them on the ground.

In an instant, the green grass turned into silt, and the black mud poured down to form a river.

However, when Mount Sumeru was reached, the heavens and earth changed color, and all things became dark.

The refugees and government troops on and around Hansong Mountain were all plunged into pitch-black darkness.

The only things that could be heard were those two sentences:

“I am the Lord of the Three Mountains, ruling over the Eastern Pole, Yuemi, and Anqin Mountains. Wherever the earth’s veins extend, it is all within my jurisdiction.”

"Do you know that the Cold Pine Mountain beneath your feet is also within my territory?"

(End of this chapter)