"Whoosh"
Between heaven and earth, a wild wind howled.
Atop Yunding Mountain, in front of the Heavenly Patrol Hall, the twelve Mountain-cutting Banners fluttered violently in the wind.
Yet, many people who should be there were gone.
Pei Yanhu’s fierce gaze looked skyward, only to see a single line of cloud, its very presence causing the void to shudder, and amidst the mist, the thunderous roar of ancient war chariots rumbled across the sky, drawing near from afar, bringing with it an overwhelming pressure that descended from the heavens, leaving one breathless.
The wind between heaven and earth grew ever stronger, causing Pei Yanhu’s skin to ripple. The officials and Armored Soldiers standing behind him let out low cries, staggering as if drunk, and then a series of buzzing sounds arose; their internal qi was forced to burst forth in an attempt to withstand the terrifying pressure that left them in shock.
Before long, the thundering roar fell like rolling thunderbolts from the sky, and the clouds descended onto the airspace above Yunding Mountain. Bathed in Divine Light, the wisps of mist danced like colorful ribbons.
Among the clouds and high above, the first to appear were fiendish figures with enormous bodies, stepping forth, their bone-chilling howls and shrill cries shaking the void.
These were none other than various majestic and fierce Demon Exotic Beasts, each emanating a formidable presence, extraordinary without exception!
And atop these demon mounts, figures sat high upon the clouds, looking down from above, their eyes shining brilliantly, bearing a might that ordinary people dare not meet, their powerful aura stirring the winds in the atmosphere.
There were creatures resembling Qilins, their bodies covered in golden scales radiating Divine Light, flickering like leaping flames; their feet had dragon claws, and their heads bore antlers of elks with purple lightning sparkling amongst them, exuding an aura of imperial might and valor. Upon one such creature sat a man in his late twenties, wearing a Lotus Robe, with Divine Light flowing between his brows.
There were also Demon beasts with bodies covered in long green fur, emitting a greenish glow, resembling the body of a lion with a wolf-like head, two long white tusks extending from the corners of their mouths, their four feet treading upon the void, opening their vast maws to let out a roar towards those below. Seated atop was a woman in a colorful five-hued garment, her skin as fair as jade, with a spot of cinnabar between her eyebrows, and her eyes were imbued with a trace of arrogance.
There were also seven or eight creatures, some clad in menacing scales, others radiating Divine Light and shimmering brilliance. The figures seated upon them, both men and women, seemed to be in their twenties or thirties at a glance, but the aura they each displayed belonged to the Fourth Heavenly Barrier!
Among them, there were three or four whose presence was comparable to that of Pei Yanhu.
Below, in front of the Heavenly Patrol Hall, the sounds of heavy breathing resonated; the officials and Armored Soldiers of The Overseers felt as if a massive stone were pressing down on their chests, the air around them thickening. They gasped for breath as they made eye contact with the newcomers from above and couldn’t help but lower their heads.
At that moment, the aerial mounts and their riders up in the sky automatically parted to create a path. Then, an earth-shattering roar echoed between heaven and earth, and the clouds above transformed into a cascading cloud fall like the pouring of rivers.
The rolling clouds bore the might to shake mountains as they descended, causing the entire Yunding Mountain to tremble; the world seemed to rock and sway. Then, the clouds spun into two tornadoes, landing with a boom in the plaza about thirty feet in front of Pei Yanhu.
Following that,
"Thump"
"Thump"
Two figures, one tall and the other short, emerged from the midst of the mist.
As their feet touched the plaza’s ground, the shaking Yunding Peak immediately calmed down.
The clouds dispersed with the wind, and the true forms of the two figures were finally revealed,
One, nine feet tall but thin, with a face of prominent bones and unusually large earlobes; he wore a long, wide black robe and sported a long gray beard.
The other, dressed in white, was short and had wrinkled skin, with drooping eyebrows, appearing nothing more than an ordinary elder of advanced years.
Neither of them displayed any hint of their aura, but upon seeing the two elders, Pei Yanhu’s expression was filled with solemn respect. He quickly bowed deeply and respectfully said:
"Pei Yanhu, the Demon Suppression Envoy of the Left Path from the Jiannan Road Government Administrative Office, greets the two Grand Chamberlains!"
Behind him, The Overseers’ officials and Armored Soldiers also bowed in unison.
Given Pei Yanhu’s demeanor, it was clear that the two elders held great significance.
For even the Demon Suppression Generals who governed a region were required to pay respects when facing these two elders.
The Chamberlain, hailing from the Taichang Temple, an institution of the Daqian Dynasty responsible for overseeing rituals.
Seemingly inconsequential, yet this temple controls the Luck embedded in the world’s incense offerings for the court, issuing Imperial Decrees to all the lands and rivers, with its most crucial aspect being its connection to a mysterious location – the Martial Temple!
Those ranked in the Martial Temple, with their clay sculptures and colorful appearances, are like divine beings unto this world.
These individuals frequently serve within the Martial Temple, invisible to ordinary people.
At this moment, with both Chamberlains arriving together, the commotion must be significant.
Pei Yanhu, who had never seen such figures of legend, bowed his head, showing extreme caution, while waves of speculation rose within him.
"Uhm."
"Come in and speak!"
Suddenly, ten-odd zhang away, a tall and a thin elder, with neutral expressions, nodded slightly, then vanished on the spot, only to reappear in front of the Heavenly Patrol Hall the next second, stepping into the hall in unison.
Only a voice lingered by Pei Yanhu’s ear.
Pei Yanhu looked up, turned around, and gestured for the troops to disperse, then with one step at a time, he entered the Heavenly Patrol Hall.
Inside the main hall, both Chamberlains took their seats, with the tall elder’s protruding brows narrowing, he began to speak.
"The court has received your General’s message, and the Taichang Temple sensed the breaking of the Prohibitions in the Ten Thousand Mountains instantly."
"Tell us the full details of the events, and the current state of The Overseers!"
Pei Yanhu dared not delay, stepping forward and steadying himself, his eyes gradually became tranquil. Although he didn’t know why it wasn’t the highest court officials who came but rather two Chamberlains from the Taichang Bureau, he nonetheless began narrating from the beginning about the Demon Demon Tao Fruit Conference in the Ten Thousand Mountains.
"My lords!"
"Over half a month ago, The Overseers received intelligence that the Devil Race, originally sealed in the Ten Thousand Mountains, had convened the Demon Demon Tao Fruit Conference... a gathering that occurs once every Jiazi... These demons used unknown methods to appear at the major Prefecture, launching simultaneous attacks, causing countless deaths and injuries... Suddenly, The Overseers received news that Youmen Pass was breached and that the Demon Suppression Envoy had fallen. Now, aside from the two paths guarding the west, all the remaining ten paths of the Mountain-cutting Army have been deployed to the south, waging war against the Devil Race!"
"...Now, four Mountain-cutting Army forces have been wiped out, losing three Prefectures, a land stretching six thousand li!"
"My son has also died in battle!"
As Pei Yanhu spoke, his emotions began to surge without his notice, by the end, his eyes reddened, each word laden with blood.
In recent days, hearing one after another bad news from the south, including the death of his own son, had left him feeling utterly drained, under immense pressure and tumultuous emotions, leading to several sleepless nights.
Yet he could not afford to fall. The General was stationed in the west, he himself held position at The Overseers, and to the south, tens of thousands of soldiers fought against the surging Devil Race on the front lines, awaiting his support.
He struggled to control his emotions, but beneath each word, lay the souls of tens of thousands of soldiers and hundreds of thousands of civilians.
Upon hearing this, the two Chamberlains fell silent, and after a long while, the short-statured elder in the white robe let out a sigh.
"It has indeed been hard on you all, standing guard in this remote and barbaric land."
"In the early years, when the dynasty was established, the former Great Divine Ability Users gathered almost half of Shu’s Luck and together exerted their Great Divine Power to suppress these demons, driving them into the harsh cold of the Ten Thousand Mountains. Alas, now, the world is in turmoil, the Daqian Dynasty is in peril, Luck scattered, these Prohibitions have gradually developed flaws, and those Prefectures scattered throughout Shu, with thousands of civilians, are each a node of Luck. The Devil Race likely targeted them for this reason, employing methods to coordinate attacks on these Prefectures, slaughtering civilians, causing the nodes to fail, thus breaking through the barriers."
The white-robed elder unraveled this secret.
"The state of the world is a cycle of ebbs and flows, of rises and declines, an overwhelming tide that is difficult to stop, and it is not your fault!"
"These demons are of no minor concern, and certainly, the court will not sit idly by."
"We two have been bestowed with the dharma decree from the Martial Temple, and will personally make a trip to the Ten Thousand Mountains,"

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