Zhongshan Shenzhu Chi

Chapter 98 Allied Forces

"Where are we?"

Beside the Luo River, a general dressed in black armor inquired.

The lieutenant beside him opened the map and gazed at the stars in the twilight sky for a while.

"Between Chunhua and Xia'an City, northwest of Xia'an City—approximately 150 li."

"Yes," Zhao Polu nodded in response.

Without turning his head, he continued to look at the dried-up riverbed in front of him.

The silt at the bottom of the river had been dried up by the sun, and like the earth, it was riddled with cracks.

The white bones lay scattered across the scorched, bruised earth, standing out starkly.

"Our informant reports that the Majian and Lancao Rivers have dried up. As for the Luo River, although it appears to be dry, there is still water flowing underground."

"There's still water?" Zhao Polu asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yes, the source is the great swamp in Chunhua City."

"For some reason, that large swamp has never dried up. It's as if something from the north is constantly supplying it with moisture."

After speaking, the adjutant cautiously glanced at Zhao Polu's resolute but expressionless profile.

He asked, "General, should we go and give that marshland to—"

"What? Do you want to be doomed forever?" Zhao Polu glanced at him coldly.

"I wouldn't dare," the adjutant said, bowing his head in apology.

"We came to Yongningzhou to slay the monstrous serpent that slaughtered the city. Let's not cause any unnecessary trouble."

"Forward, set up camp in Cheyenne City tonight."

"promise."

After a brief rest, the army set off.

A total of 70,000 people, their entire bodies covered in armor engraved with unknown runes.

No logistics are needed; each centurion carries a storage item containing supplies.

The Zhao family chose the former, Zhongtian Zunzhang, over the Red Serpent.

A supreme being who has left his mark on the vast history and who rules over the stars.

A mythical creature, nameless, with only the shape of a dragon, but without a real name.

It's a good choice.

The night is deep.

The army set up camp fifty miles from Xia'an City.

Unexpectedly, Xia Ancheng did not react at all.

There was neither welcome nor hostility; they were simply allowed to set up camp peacefully on the outskirts of the city.

Zhao Polu sat by the campfire, thinking of the girl he hadn't seen in a long time.

There was no sense of blame in his heart.

If he were in Yongning Prefecture, he would probably make the same choice as Zhao Ying.

The current dynasty is certainly not a good choice, but the presence of the Venerable One Zhongtian is enough to dominate the world.

High-ranking officials in the imperial court can be replaced every three hundred years.

"Those in positions of power should fulfill their responsibilities. The dynasty needs time to rise from the ashes."

Some sacrifices are inevitable.

Zhao Polu stared at the flickering flames before him and muttered to himself.

"Well said."

Suddenly, a fat chicken was placed on the fire and roasted.

A gentle, warm voice rang out.

"This is the attitude that the Zhao family should have."

"Li Zhengliao?" Zhao Polu turned his head in surprise.

A man dressed in black sat down next to him.

"Why are you here?"

"I brought you something." As he spoke, Li Zhengliao took out three iron balls from his pocket.

A blood-red seal was sealed directly above the three iron balls.

"With Zhanlu Mountain closed, every one of these items used is one less available."

"I'm leaving it all to you. Make sure you kill that red serpent."

"And those dragons from the East China Sea that come to compete for water transport, let's bury them all at Zhongshan as well."

Zhao Polu did not take them immediately, but looked at the three iron balls that resembled chicken eggs with a complicated expression.

He recognized this thing.

The immortal techniques of Zhanlu Mountain are a product of the meteorite flow that opened the heavens.

The setting sun.

The seal script above was personally printed by Zhu Tiangong, the master craftsman of the five realms of Zhanlu Mountain.

Even cultivators at the fifth level of the imperial dynasty would have to go all out when facing this falling sun.

If one relaxes even slightly, the spiritual energy within their body will be assimilated by the falling sun and explode into pure yang heat, reducing their cultivation and even their life to ashes.

"Hasn't your Zhao family already signed an alliance with the Venerable Zhongtian? You are not worth the Venerable Zhongtian digging his own grave and breaking the alliance."

"Hmm." Zhao Polu's face seemed to be wearing a mask; in the firelight, there was not a trace of expression on his face.

No wonder the imperial court didn't send any cultivators at the fifth realm.

turn out to be----

He took the setting sun and asked, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to visit the snowy mountains in the north."

"Let's see who's causing trouble, insisting on supplying moisture to Yongning Island during this drought—"

"The chicken's finished, let's hit the road tomorrow morning."

After saying that, Li Zhengliao's figure disappeared.

Zhao Polu put the three falling suns into his pocket.

It was a bit cold at night.

He tightened his inner lining and hugged his armor tightly.

I stared at the campfire all night.

early morning.

The army set off.

Seventy thousand soldiers, clad in full Daoist heavy armor, stood in neat rows, their steps synchronized.

As we passed through Xia'an City, a row of people stood on the city wall.

Their eyes gleamed with hatred as they looked at the army.

This hatred stemmed from the deaths of Li Zhengyuan and Li Zhengming.

The drought that Yongning Prefecture was suffering from was a once-in-hundred-years drought, but the imperial court turned a blind eye to it.

They must also advance and attack the very foundation upon which their survival depends.

Under the gaze of countless eyes as deep and unfathomable as abyss, Zhao Polu felt an even greater chill.

"He who loses the hearts of the people loses the world—I hope the dynasty can truly rise from the ashes."

The army marched on the road.

Suddenly, white mist drifted in from the distant sky above Yunxi Continent.

Within the thick fog, a colossal dragon shape silently meandered.

Its back is azure, its belly is pure white, and its scales grow upwards towards its head.

Zhao Polu and the Dragon King of the East Sea exchanged a glance.

Under the golden light.

The waters surged in from the East China Sea.

Inside, countless slender shadows intertwine, resembling the ancient tree branches that cover the head in an ancient forest.

There is a giant beast.

The Teng is a green-bodied, long snake without feet, with two wings on its back.

It has brown-black fur, a snake-like body, and four legs.

Zhao Polu understood the look in Shen's eyes.

He raised his hand and touched the three suns, shaped like chicken eggs, that were placed on his chest.

"They're all demons, they're all demons."

The general drew his long sword and pointed it at Zhongshan Mountain.

Without a word, the army immediately advanced, like a dark tide, pressing down on Zhongshan.

The waves of the East China Sea surge up Zhongshan Mountain, rushing straight towards the mountain and water caves.

Due to the drought, vegetation on Zhongshan Mountain is sparse.

Only some drought-resistant low shrubs and weeds stubbornly survive on this parched land.

The advancing allied forces relentlessly crushed and shredded these stubborn creatures.

The anticipated resistance did not materialize.

This massive mountain, which stretches between Yunxi Continent and Yongning Continent like an insurmountable chasm, now bears no trace of any living creature.

Forward, towards the mountains, waters, caves, and grottoes.

The further Zhao Polu went, the more he felt something was wrong.

He always felt like something was watching them.

He could draw his sword and look around, but what he saw filled him with bewilderment.

Apart from the rocks and scorched earth, there were no enemies.

"Is it just my imagination?" Zhao Polu sheathed his sword and casually glanced around at his surroundings out of the corner of his eye.

Without any purpose or intention.

This relies on the innate spirituality of humans to perceive their surroundings.

Suddenly, a flash of crimson appeared.

I turned my head suddenly, but I couldn't see anything.

Zhao Polu felt even more uneasy.

My heart was pounding violently, as if it wanted to burst out of my chest and escape from Zhongshan.

Something must exist!

From the moment he entered the mountains, he followed him and kept watching him.

I can't find it, I can't find it anywhere!

The unease in my heart exploded.

Cold sweat dripped from his forehead.

A large, crimson serpent raised its head directly behind the army.