Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting from Immortal Martial Arts

"Beat the drums, muster the troops!"

At the western camp, where Jia Tang's headquarters were located, Wang Dazhuang led his troops to the scene and immediately began beating the drums.

"Knock knock knock!"

The war drums beat and the bugles sounded.

Jia Tang's cavalry began to assemble, and the officers quickly arrived at the command platform.

The Liaodong Iron Cavalry Battalion consisted of six men: Liu Ruoniu, Xu Yunshan, and Li Shui (all commanders), and Wang Tian, ​​Zhang Kedi, Lin Jimin, Sun Lu, Sun Wei, and Xu Peng (all captains).

In addition, the seven descendants of Wu Xun who joined the newly established camp after the New Year—including Qianzong Niu Chengxian, Liu He, and Hou Zunqi, Bazong Chen Chong and Ma Yong, Xie Jing's eldest son Xie Yun'e, and Jiang Zining's eldest son Jiang Shuquan—currently have no troops besides their personal guards and need to be replenished at the Jiangnan camp.

"By order of Wu Yingbo, Xu Yunshan is ordered to lead his troops south..."

After Wang Zhuang finished speaking, he led his soldiers out of the western camp of the city, and after identifying the south, they went directly into the mountains and forests, intending to catch up with Jia Tang and the others on foot.

···

The following day at the court assembly, Minister of War Niu Jizong stepped forward and reported: "The Ministry of War of Yingtian Prefecture has submitted a memorial stating that there are cases of stolen military equipment being sold privately in Jiangnan, and they request assistance. After communicating with the military government, I have ordered Xie Jing and Jiang Zining, the guerrilla generals of the Beijing Garrison, to lead two battalions of troops south to investigate this matter."

The civil and military officials were in an uproar. Xie Jing's Fenglin Battalion and Jiang Zining's Shanhuo Battalion were two battalions jointly built by the founding lineage over the past decade. Their strength reached 50% in the third realm, and once they set up their formation, they were invincible.

Now that these two battalions are heading south at the same time, coupled with the Jia family's tiger horn that sounded in the city yesterday, a massive upheaval is about to unfold.

After the court session ended, civil and military officials went about their own inquiries, and secret letters flew around the city like snowflakes. Many of their retainers also rode away from the capital.

···

It was late at night, just past midnight.

Under the pale moonlight, shadowy figures emerged from the houses surrounding Ningrong Street, heading towards the quiet and desolate Ningguo Mansion.

When about fifty shadowy figures reached the gate of Ningguo Mansion, the leader took out a cone-shaped spike covered with cracks from his pocket, aimed it at the faint protective array light screen in front of him, and suddenly activated his qi.

With a whoosh, the spikes pierced through the light barrier and exploded, creating a huge circular hole in the defensive formation.

The leader was overjoyed at the sight and shouted in a low voice, "Go!"

His eyes blazed with fiery red energy, and he, along with two other men in black who were also internal energy cultivators, flew through the air toward the Ning Mansion's treasury.

The other shadowy figures around them rallied and leaped into the Ning Mansion. Among them were two groups of Fifth Realm warriors, their hands and legs shrouded in a thin veil of blood.

Just then, the guards on duty discovered that the defensive formation had been breached and immediately roared loudly.

"Enemy attack! Sound the horn for help!"

Within the two prefectures, the soldiers and able-bodied men quickly lit torches and oil lamps, and horns blared, attracting the attention of various forces in the western part of the city.

"In the front yard."

The patrolling soldiers leaped onto the rooftops and searched the area. When they discovered the man in black had entered the front yard, they rushed forward and intercepted him at the ceremonial gate.

The three black-clad men at the first level of inner strength ignored the commotion behind them, secretly pleased that no one was stopping them; it seemed they had all followed Jia Tang south.

The three of them looked at the quiet mansion courtyard in front of them and descended into the courtyard.

After a flash of fiery energy in his eyes, the leader drew his sword and slashed at the dark door of the main hall.

"choke."

Sparks flew everywhere.

A molten gold knife emerged from the crack in the door, clashing with the thief's blade and producing a scraping sound.

The next moment, the door opened wide, and Wang Dazhuang, wearing tiger-patterned iron armor, strode out of the hall, glaring angrily at the thief in front of him.

The leader chuckled, the sound of flowing water emanating from his body filling the air. His aura grew even stronger as he mocked, "So you really are here. You presumptuously sneaked into the mountains outside the western camp, only to make matters worse. The three of us brothers came here for you."

"You wicked scoundrel, die!"

Wang Dazhuang roared, his blood energy surging and covering his armor as he breathed out golden energy, and he launched an attack on the three of them.

"A strange noise from surging waves? Quickly join forces and take him down."

The remaining two, their bodies surging with blood and qi, and the sound of raindrops falling, joined the battle. The four of them clashed in the courtyard, causing walls to collapse and gatehouses to crumble.

As the battle began, a squad of Fire Tiger Guards, clad in armor, suddenly appeared in the front hall. Their blood-red robes shrouded them in mist, and they joined the battle in the front courtyard, resulting in a one-sided massacre.

Two groups of bandits from the Fifth Realm? You idiots!

On the roof of the front hall of Ningguo Mansion, a slender figure stood silently, disappearing into the darkness. Watching the unfolding battle below, he pondered, "Have they all used their backup plans?"

After an incense stick's time, both sides had suffered casualties. In the inner battleground of the treasury courtyard, Wang Dazhuang even lured two inner warriors with his own body, quickly killing the enemy and sustaining serious injuries. He barely managed to fight the remaining bandits to a standstill.

Seeing this, the slender man no longer hesitated. His inner energy surged and flowed like water, his limbs were covered in fiery energy, and he flew swiftly towards the treasury.

Suddenly, a yellowish-brown blade of energy shot out from behind, striking the figure in the back in an instant.

"Bang."

With a muffled thud, the blade's energy struck the thin man's protective aura, causing him to stagger and bleed from the corner of his mouth.

The slender martial artist turned his head with a grave expression, and upon seeing the tall and stout Zhao Daniu, exclaimed in panic and astonishment, "Old devil from the Ning family, you're still alive?"

Damn, that old bastard is really cunning.

If it weren't for the chilling sensation as I forcefully used my inner energy to protect my back, I would have been severely injured, if not killed, by this attack.

Zhao Daniu raised an eyebrow, his tone nonchalant: "Oh, I didn't expect anyone to recognize this old man?"

In those days, besides the four great generals under Jia Yan and Jia Yuan, the most famous were the Five Spirits of the East and West, which were divided according to the five phases and five directions.

As everyone knows, the Jia brothers were assassinated in their later years. The Five Spirits of the Eastern Mansion disappeared after the battle, and four of the Five Spirits of the Western Mansion gradually passed away, leaving only the Eastern Spirit alive, who guards the Jia family in Yangzhou.

"Excellent tactics, Jia's tactics are truly excellent."

Knowing that things were unlikely to end well tonight, the thin man roared, "Retreat!"

Zhao Daniu said nothing more, leaned in, and took advantage of the man's weakness to kill him.

In the pitch-black night sky, streaks of dazzling blade energy swept across, slicing through the air with a mournful sound.

The thin man parried Zhao Daniu's deadly moves one after another. The two fought and retreated, gradually arriving at Fucai Lane in the south of the west city.

Just as Zhao Daniu unleashed his inner energy, his long sword flashing with a cold light as he slashed towards the thin man, a dense aura of literature instantly enveloped them. From the rooftops of the houses below, one could hear someone chanting: "Swords flashing, shadows piercing the air."

In the next instant, swords and blades, each five or six zhang in size, condensed from ink-black literary energy and gleamed with a cold light, slashing down at Zhao Daniu.

"Swish, swish, swish~"

"A mid-stage first-tier literary cultivator?"

Zhao Daniu's eyes widened in surprise. He unleashed a torrent of powerful energy, slashing and striking. The energy collided with the ink energy, creating a violent explosion that dissipated in an instant.

Upon seeing this, the slender man's dantian essence burst forth, and dense blood energy surged into his internal organs, generating boundless internal energy. He then arrived before Zhao Daniu and engaged him in battle.

At the same time, an elderly scholar dressed in scholar's robes reappeared in front of them. His body was shrouded in ink-like aura, and he stared at Zhao Daniu in a cold voice, saying:

"A vast army."

Soldiers clad in black armor materialized from mid-air, brandishing swords and lunging forward.

Zhao Daniu barely managed to withstand the combined attack of the three men, his body constantly retreating, facing imminent danger.

Within a few breaths, several gruesome wounds were torn open on his chest and back, and blood gushed out.

From the rooftop below, Wen Xiu, dressed in a purple robe and wearing a square headscarf, spoke again, pressing his advantage: "Bathed in blood..."

Before he could finish reciting his battle cry, a sharp, azure blade of energy slashed straight at him, startling him so much that he quickly changed his words: "Swift as the wind and lightning."

Without hesitation, the man in purple robes took to the air, transforming into a streak of blue-purple light as he sped towards the elderly scholar.

The next instant, the cyan blade energy slashed at the roof of the house, and the energy exploded, turning the house to dust.

The aftershocks extended to the earth, where a four-colored light film appeared, canceling them out.

Even if the defensive formation of the Immortal Capital is used passively, it is not something that a mid-stage first-order cultivator can break through.

Zhao Ergou appeared beside Zhao Daniu, grinning sinisterly, and together they attacked the thin man.

"Old Ghost Mu!!"

The slender martial arts practitioner was secretly terrified. Another one had come. Just how many more were the Jia family hiding?

You must understand that he was merely a martial artist who had forged an iron body and whose qi flowed like water; he was no match for these two old ghosts whose bodies were as strong as gold.

The merging of rainwater and the flow of water are not a case of the two of you attacking me!

They couldn't even beat one, let alone two, especially since they were tricked at the beginning.

If another one comes, it could withstand the combined might of the two Wen Xiu beside him and kill him right here.

"Help me quickly!"

Not far away, the elderly scholar watched Zhao Ergou and several martial artists from the founding lineage flying in from afar. He extinguished his thoughts of fighting, sighed, and said calmly, "A covert maneuver."

The next moment, a round log with black flames burning on its surface shot straight towards the Zhao brothers, who retreated to avoid the log's attack.

Just as they were about to retaliate, the log split in two, hollow inside, and wrapped around the slender man from both sides before reforming into a log. It then turned around and flew back behind the two scholars, heading towards the outer city.

The Zhao brothers were stunned. They hadn't fought in decades, yet these scoundrels had become so adept at using their methods.

While the two were still stunned, the man in purple robes continued, "Double the speed."

Suddenly, gusts of wind appeared, lifting the two people and the log rapidly, soaring over the city wall in front of them.

The two men and the wooden figure were enveloped in a magical aura, which helped them defend against the arrows shot by the soldiers guarding below. Suddenly, a pair of fiery red hands appeared in front of and behind them, growing to a size of twelve feet in the wind.

"Come in? Then come in!"

As soon as he finished speaking, with a bang, his palms clasped together, and ripples spread through the air. The two people and the piece of wood were crushed into a pulp, and in the next instant, they were annihilated into nothingness in the fiery aura.

Suddenly, several voices began to murmur from the dark corners of the room.

"Only their voices are heard, but their bodies are not seen. This is the condensation of void, a second-tier great cultivator."

"What a Jia family! They still have a second rank left."

"Tsk tsk tsk, those two old devils in the Jia family are really ruthless."

"Let's leave. We won't get a chance to pick up the scraps."

Zhao Daniu arrived with his younger brother Yu Gang. Hearing the whispers around him, he sneered, "Hmph, a bunch of scum. If you dare to show your faces, I'll make sure you die."

The surroundings were silent, except for the humming that echoed in all directions.

The martial arts practitioners from various prefectures who came to support them were stunned to see the fiery red hand suddenly appear and kill the three people in an instant.