Just as the Beiliang troops outside the border were sending messages back, preparing to launch a real siege.
Inside Tianxiong Pass, within Colonel Palace.
The local Colonels Wei Zhong and Qi Tian, along with their two deputy generals, sat silently in the conference hall, their eyes showing signs of fatigue.
For several days, they had not rested day or night, either stationed on the city wall or in discussion within the Colonel Palace.
The attacks from the Beiliang army just outside had kept them fully on guard, their nerves strained.
As the warfare progressed, they increasingly felt that the conflict would soon escalate.
The probing by the Beiliang army outside the pass would end soon, and a full assault on the city was imminent; then, it would be a real battle of blood.
Yet now, the Heavenly General Qi Tian, who oversees Tianxiong Pass, has not been seen for days.
"General Wu, still no news of General Qi?" Colonel Wei Zhong stood by the edge of the sand table in the hall, his hand gripping the edge, questioning the vice general surnamed Wu beside a general.
The other party had just returned from outside, shaking his head, "The General said it was an important matter but didn’t specify what. He gave us a few simple instructions and then disappeared."
Upon saying this, he asked back, "Colonel Wei should know better than me. I remember a few days ago, Mr. Gongsun, who was by the side of the one from Yunding Mountain, came to meet the General. That day, the General disappeared saying he had matters to attend to. I wasn’t there then, so I don’t know the actual situation. I heard Colonel Wei was present. Do you know what Mr. Gongsun discussed with the General?"
Wei Zhong shook his head at the words, "I indeed went outside with the General to greet him, but Mr. Gongsun said he needed to discuss an important matter with General Qi, and that’s all I know."
"The only thing known is that this matter was something Marquis Chen sent Mr. Gongsun to discuss. It must be important. Now, with our 100,000 sons from Shu heading south, the General bears the heavy responsibility of guarding the northern gate. There’s definitely something entrusted, no need to worry about other matters, Marquis and others have their plans."
The others nodded in agreement, seeming to find no flaw in the reasoning.
"But now, with the rebel army outside at the city gates, these days they are clearly probing our details. I feel they are becoming more impatient, and it is very likely they will launch a major attack in these coming days..." Someone pointed out the current pressing issue.
With our 100,000 sons heading south, the Mountain-cutting Army originally defending Tianxiong Pass has left, reducing the local defending forces. Without a central figure, everyone feels a bit uncertain.
"When the soldiers come, we block with generals; when water comes, we cover with earth. Marquis Chen and General Qi possess mighty divine powers. They are likely playing a higher-level game. Let us do our duties to the best of our ability," Wei Zhong said with a determined gaze.
Now Wei Zhong has impressively advanced from Heavenly Pass to Martial Vault, not wasting those years of hardship.
And while the generals at Tianxiong Pass were pondering about the absence of General Qi, on that very night, far away on the serene Yunding Mountain, 8000 miles away.
In the pitch-black night, the Ninth Mountain, with the mountain breeze swirling, fire torches flickering, and the cold gleam of armor reflecting in the firelight.
The patrolling soldiers, as usual, guarded this most sacred domain of Shu.
At some moment, a beam of light shot into the sky from the Heavenly Patrol Hall at the mountain peak, piercing the rolling darkness of the night.
The Ninth Mountain shook with heaven and earth’s tremors, causing alarmed voices.
Before the patrolling soldiers realized what was happening, the colorful light beam that surged from the hall disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, fading into the night sky.
At the same time, inside a quiet dark room within the Heavenly Patrol Hall, Chen Yuan slowly opened his eyes and withdrew his raised sleeve.
He then stood up and walked to the door of the darkroom, reaching out to push the door open.
Immediately, blinding light streamed through the door crack into the room.
Stepping out, Chen Yuan was suddenly amidst flying eave pavilions; the sky was not night but as bright as day, with rainbow-colored clouds filling his sight.
He looked up towards the most dazzling point of the light.
A silver-white Heavenly Holy Tree was akin to a divine wood connecting heaven and earth, towering immeasurably. Above it, clouds created a brilliant vision, colorful swirls wrapped in gilded radiance slowly converging, gradually forming a massive funnel.
Under the funnel, a person sat cross-legged, clad in Flying Cloud Purple Gold Armor, with a tall figure.
It was none other than the General Qi Tian, who had been missing from Tianxiong Pass for several days!
At this time, this Demon Suppression General had his eyes tightly closed, multicolored clouds above his head wrapping around the imposing essence and pressure, suspended above him, producing a heart-pounding aura.
Chen Yuan watched this scene, his eyes slightly narrowed.
As he watched, he suddenly moved his brows and flicked his sleeve towards a nearby door.
The door opened, allowing two figures to emerge, one could even hear a voice saying, "It’s open, it’s open."
Among them was Gongsun Yang.
And the other, surprisingly, was Old Man Dong, who was helping Chen Yuan guard Qingshan County.
The two appeared and immediately saw the anomaly above the Yin Mountain Holy Tree.
Old Man Dong smoothed a few strands of hair blown by the wind, smacking his lips and brightening his eyes, "Goodness, is this the Heavenly Sign of breaking through to Martial Saint?"
After saying that, he turned to Chen Yuan and spoke,
"Chen, I heard from Gongsun that you are too good to your old superior, sparing no efforts to help him break through."
"You must not favor him too much. If you get the Demon King’s Primordial Spirit in the future, help this old man too."
Due to the strong wind stirred by the Heavenly Sign, his voice was shouted.
Chen Yuan, not bothering with the old wine-lover, kept his eyes fixed in Qi Tian’s direction, raising a hand to point across at the Yin Mountain Holy Tree.
Suddenly, the Yin Mountain Holy Tree shook violently, its crisp silver leaves scattering like a shower of flowers, flying towards the sky of his Inner Heaven and Earth, turning into shining stars adorning it.
"Moving Stars and Changing Dipper."
As the Star River swiftly brightened, the Inner Heaven and Earth, quaking with the rainbow light, rapidly stabilized, with the scattered grand aura swiftly gathered and confined to the central area.
Chen Yuan performed the Moving Stars and Changing Dipper divine skill, masking the heavenly secret to prevent Qi Tian’s Martial Saint breakthrough aura from leaking out.
Recalling the last time on Yunding Mountain, Qi Tian’s Martial Saint breakthrough triggered a Heavenly Sign, drawing out many hidden old monsters who had not appeared for ages, secretly causing trouble, and resulting in a great battle, indirectly leading to Qi Tian’s failure in his breakthrough.
At this critical moment, Chen Yuan naturally did not want history to repeat. He was assisting Qi Tian in his Martial Saint breakthrough, and this information must not leak out.
Hence the current scene!
Using his own Inner Heaven and Earth as the venue, and with great divine power concealing the heavenly secret, locking the Heavenly Sign aura within his Inner Heaven and Earth.
After finishing all this, Chen Yuan withdrew his hand, placing it behind him, his eyes sparkling brightly,
"This is just the beginning."
"More time is needed."
"Over at Tianxiong Pass, the people from Beiliang may be running out of patience."
After speaking, he turned his gaze to Old Man Dong, whose eyes were wide open and shimmering while watching the anomalous heavenly phenomenon, and laughed,
"Elder Dong, there is something I would like to ask you to help with!"

Comments

Loading...