Bearing the blue sky

Chapter 219 Infiltrating Yuanyang City!

For the next three days, the camp was bustling with activity.

At dawn, before the sky was even bright, the shouts and cries of battle echoed across the drill ground.

Zhao Tieshan led the warriors in practicing sword and shield coordination, advancing with shield walls and thrusting with spears.

The soldiers were practicing changing between circular, conical, and square formations, their steps were synchronized, and they obeyed orders without question.

In the morning, the Confucian scholars sat cross-legged on the open ground of the camp, reciting classics, their literary spirit surging.

Yu Xiucai stood in front, holding a brush, and wrote the character "kill" in the air one after another, and the Confucian scholars followed suit.

Eighty "kill" characters appeared simultaneously, radiating golden light and turning the sky above the camp into a golden hue.

In the afternoon, Liu Jianjian led the demon beast army out of the camp for training.

The mantis and the mighty monkey circled in the air, the giant black-scaled python slithered on the ground, and the stone monster rolled on the hillside, leaving a deep ravine behind.

Tens of thousands of demonic beasts roared in unison, their voices shaking the heavens, and wild animals within a radius of several miles were terrified and scattered in all directions.

Zhu Ge was also busy.

During the day, he inspected the various departments and gave instructions on training. At night, he practiced the water-refining method of the "Great Sun Lapis Lazuli Body," each time for twenty seconds, followed by applying medicine, and repeated the cycle.

My body's resilience is increasing day by day, and my blood and energy are becoming more refined.

Three days later, everything was ready.

Zhu Ge stood at the highest point of the camp, gazing at the outline of Yuanyang City in the distance.

"Today, I'm going to scout ahead," he said to the men behind him. "You stay at the camp and wait for my news."

"I have a special method. The Plague God Sparrow and the Red River Dragon Python may not be able to detect me. In fact, it is easier to be detected if there are too many people."

"Understood, then you must be careful." Yu Xiucai nodded.

Zhu Ge nodded, flipped onto the bamboo pole, and ran towards Yuanyang City.

Yuanyang City is the heart of Honghe Prefecture, lurking high in the sky. A red river rises from the earth, flies into Yuanyang City in the air, passes through it, and then falls back to the ground.

Magnificent and incredible.

However, this once glorious city was shrouded in a dark green plague cloud, and huge black shadows appeared and disappeared in the Red River below the city.

Has it changed again?

Zhu Ge stopped ten miles from Yuanyang City.

"Ma Zhu, wait for me here." Zhu Ge patted Ma Zhu.

"Yes, Master, be careful." Ma Zhu could feel his body trembling as he approached the plague cloud.

Zhu Ge dismounted, had Ma Zhu hide in a grove of trees, used the [Stealth] trait to lower his aura, and walked forward.

The closer they got to Yuanyang City, the thicker the poisonous fog became, the grass and trees on the ground withered and turned black, and even the soil emitted a putrid smell.

"Brother, this time there was no soul attack," Hua Liusha thought to himself. "Something new must have happened."

Zhu Ge nodded slightly.

Not only that, the pervasive plague disappeared, and the number of animals and monsters in the surrounding area also decreased.

There haven't been many along the way.

This made Zhu Ge secretly wary.

There's definitely something wrong!

"It looks like something big is about to happen—"

Zhu Ge narrowed her eyes.

The final battle!

Previously, the City Lord of Yuanyang, the Great Immortal Hongmi, had already been seriously injured, but the Plague God Sparrow and the Red River Dragon Python showed no reaction whatsoever.

It is clearly not in its complete form.

Now, it seems that it's almost time; the Red River Dragon Python and the Plague God Sparrow are ready.

"I wonder when the great battle will begin—"

Zhu Ge sensed the smoke of war, and his plans began to take shape.

However, this can only happen after he meets with the Lord of Yuanyang City, the Great Immortal Hongmi.

He needed to determine exactly what position the only person at the Great Master level in Honghe Prefecture should hold in his plan.

"Perfect timing, let's go."

Zhu Ge glanced at the situation, then walked straight out of the forest.

The [stealth] trait is not just about optical invisibility like a chameleon, but also about being overlooked.

As long as he possesses this trait, he can be subconsciously ignored by others.

Even if I see him, I can't concentrate.

It can be said that the strength of this trait is in no way inferior to that of the Kunpeng and the Spider.

Unfortunately, while [Kunpeng] and [Spider] gave him the ability to possess clones, [Hidden] did not allow his soul to form new fragments.

"Thump!"

Zhu Ge arrived at the Red River and plunged straight in.

Even if there are other things around, they will subconsciously ignore him and think that he is just a stone that has rolled in.

Then, Zhu Ge's figure moved forward in the motion of a breaststroke.

With the essence of martial arts at his heart, he can mimic any animal with incredible speed.

Before long, his breaststroke looked more like a frog's than a real frog's.

He originally wanted to mimic fish swimming, but after trying it, he found it was more strenuous than the breaststroke.

I guess frogs have four limbs, just like humans.

So he swam upstream against the current in a frog-like motion and soon arrived at the sluice gate.

Normally, people enter and leave Yuanyang City by ferry on the Red River.

However, with the Plague God Sparrow and the Red River Dragon Python causing trouble, the ferry boats have naturally stopped operating.

Zhu Ge had no choice but to swim up from the river.

However, a formation appeared at the gate, shrouded in murderous aura.

"A formation?"

Zhu Ge was stunned as she looked at the array that enveloped the entire gate.

The Red River flows through Yuanyang City via one of its channels and canals.

A red river, after entering Yuanyang City, divides into thousands of channels to irrigate crops, and then the thousands of channels converge into one and flow out of Yuanyang City.

Fortunately, the concept of sewers didn't exist in this era, and sewage wasn't discharged into the Red River, otherwise Zhu Ge would have stank to death.

However, when he reached the mouth of the river, he was out of options.

Eight pale red rice plants were planted in the flowing water, standing motionless like mountains in the rushing current.

Yes, even though there were only eight rice plants, Zhu Ge felt as if eight mountains were blocking her way.

Zhu Ge had no doubt that if he swam any further, he would likely be crushed into dust by a single grain of rice on the rice paddy.

There's no way around it; Zhu Ge's [Secret] can only target conscious life forms.

Just like how, even after he wears the "Invisibility" device, he can still touch the air and the sunlight can still shine on him.

This formation can still kill him.

"A prayer song from Jianshui City, I have come to request an audience with the City Lord!"

Left with no other choice, Zhu Ge immediately revealed himself, then clasped his hands in a fist salute and said to those ahead, "This concerns the thirteen cities of Honghe Prefecture; please allow me to enter!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Ge immediately felt the hairs on his body stand on end, a clear sign that he had been scanned by divine sense.

Still seven or eight!

It seems there are many experts at the third realm in the city — Zhu Ge realized in his heart.

A moment later, a voice came.

"Zhu Ge? Jianshui City? What proof do you have?" It was a cold, female voice.

Zhu Ge immediately took out the purple clay teapot and a document.

The document was exactly the appointment document for the Jingzhe official that Mr. Langhao had previously given him, appointing him as the Jingzhe official of Jianshui City.

Of course, he didn't actually collect taxes either.

"Is that really the case? Please wait a moment. I have already informed the city lord, and we await his decision."