Immortal Road.

Chapter 166 Gongsun Family
Three months later, the Demonic Path East China Sea Temporary Headquarters issued a general mobilization order for war.

All logistical monks and wounded soldiers recuperating in the rear of the East China Sea must immediately rush to the front line of the Luosong Mountains inland to provide support without delay.

Now, the altar purifiers, including Lin Shan, had to be forced to accept the transfer order from the headquarters.

After all, this time is different from ten years ago, when the Demonic Path camp was strong and well-equipped with experts. Now the troops are stretched to the limit, so naturally everyone is recruited.

The transfer order that Lin Shan accepted was to go to the Central Theater to report to the newly formed Ninth Detachment. The captain of the team was still his old boss Yan Yuanchun, which showed that the Demonic Path was a little more understanding in this regard.

After several months of training, he had finally managed to stabilize his cultivation in the middle stage of foundation building, and he thought that he would be able to fight against others without any problems.

……

Half a month later, a passenger flying boat was quietly flying in the hinterland of eastern Song Dynasty.

In the spacious cabin hall, Lin Shan sat cross-legged in a corner, silently regulating his breathing. There were nearly a thousand demon monks sitting around him, two-thirds of whom were old, weak, sick and disabled.

These people were originally logistical personnel or wounded soldiers, but when the fighting on the front line was tight, they had to be mobilized to make up the numbers. At this time, some of them were in twos and threes, and some even formed a circle, exchanging information they had learned from the channels.

"I heard from my brother-in-law in the sect that in recent months, there have been major battles every three days and minor battles every two days on the front line of Luosong Mountain Range. It's all been a bloody grind."

"That's right. My senior brother on the front line sent back a message saying that reinforcements from the northwest and southwest of the righteous sect are coming in continuously. Our Demon Sect coalition is afraid..."

"Your information is outdated. I heard that two of the dozen camps at the entrances to the Luosong Mountains were breached ten days ago. Now they are robbing Peter to pay Paul!"

"According to rumors, a considerable number of the clans and families in the eastern part of the Song Dynasty that surrendered earlier have already wavered. These fence-sitters may become a hidden danger to our hinterland."

"I have a rumor that the Great Yan State Huangquan Sect and the South Sea Linyuzhai have secretly discussed withdrawing their troops. Without the restraint, Qianyun Pavilion and Yushou Valley will probably join the battle soon!"

"Then won't the number of righteous people participating in the war at the Nascent Soul stage increase to double digits?"

……

There were many different opinions in the hall, and no one knew who was more reliable, but each of them described the situation very vividly, and even Lin Shan, who was regulating his breathing, was frightened by what he heard.

The reason why the three sects of the Demonic Path were still holding on to the various places in the Luosong Mountains was because the other two major sects of the Righteous Path were pinned down by their allies. This allowed them to wait for reinforcements from the Lu State Headquarters without worry. When the new reinforcements arrived, they would still be able to gain an overwhelming advantage over the Zixiao Sect.

After all, there was only one "Dan Shu Jin Zhi", which was a one-time consumable item that would be gone once used up. Moreover, even if it could still be used, Zi Xiao Zong would not be able to find a second super spiritual vein to supply and activate it, so the three sects of the Demonic Path still had a chance.

But all of this is based on a delicate balance. If the reinforcements from the rear do not arrive in time, and the allies in the north and south really retreat, then how can they fight this war?

Moreover, even if those rumors were just a cover-up, there had been several gaps in the front line before, and even if they were later plugged, there was still a possibility that some fish would slip through the net.

These people are very likely to be causing trouble behind the demonic camp, fanning the flames and misleading the people.

Lin Shan's heart was heavy. Now was different from the past. The Demonic Path was in decline. It was hard to say whether the allies in the north and south would continue to contain the Demonic Path. The fence-sitters in the eastern hinterland who had surrendered to the Demonic Path might indeed wait and see.

No wonder Lin Fan, a good brother from the same clan, had come from afar to send him a letter, asking him to leave the evil path as soon as possible. It was obvious that the righteous people had probably received some inside information, and they were already full of confidence, thinking that if the war continued to stalemate, they would have a good chance of winning.

……

The flying boat flew across the sky, arrived at the front line of the Luosong Mountains, and stopped steadily at the edge of the camp outside the Dirty Drug Canyon.

At this moment, the camp was unexpectedly deserted. There was neither a solemn atmosphere nor a large number of elite demons gathered. There were only a few patrolling monks.

A vulture on the arrow tower at the entrance of the camp stared at him with cold eyes and spoke in human language:

"Stop, show your identity, and verify your identity!"

Thousands of demon monks in the flying boat got off the boat and lined up at the gate of the camp to be checked. In front of them were two humanoid puppets with white light in their eyes. It seemed to be some kind of detection method that could distinguish the authenticity of the identity token and the person himself.

Lin Shan did not cut in line. He went over to accept the investigation honestly, and then entered the camp safely.

At this time, there were already more than 20 people in the camp who had been waiting for him for a long time. When they saw Lin Shan coming in, they all ran over to hug his thighs.

"You are finally out of seclusion, my lord envoy. I missed you so much!"

"Without you, we would have lost our backbone, and we would have narrowly escaped death every time."

"It's still safer and more reliable to follow you. I almost lost my life in the past few years~"

"I thought I would never see you again, woo woo. No, I mean it's great that you're still alive, right? I'm talking about myself."

……

Lin Shan was originally quite happy to see a group of brothers, but when he heard one of them curse him, he felt as uncomfortable as if he had eaten a fly. He glanced at the boy and suddenly remembered that this guy seemed to be the weirdo who crossed the Dirty Poison Canyon and stayed in the Poison Mist Forest alone for three or four days.

"Huh? You have actually completed the ninth level of Qi training?"

When he first took office in Donghai, he had hundreds of people under him, but now there are only about twenty of them left, which makes him feel very emotional.

Now, after ten years of training, most of these brothers have improved their cultivation to the late stage of Qi training through merit points. The best ones, like this kid, have already perfected the ninth level of Qi training and reached the level where they can impact the foundation building stage.

"Well, that's right. Oh no, where is the red-faced monk?"

He remembered that the Red-Faced Monk had also achieved perfection in Qi training, but there was no such person in the crowd.

At this time, his number one confidant, Old Man Zhong, stood up and explained hesitantly.

"Ten years ago in the Bianliang camp, a red-faced monk came with your sound transmission talisman, and I arranged for him. But after the shocking battle against the Zixiao Sect, he suddenly left the team and disappeared."

It is strange to say that in that shocking battle between Zixiao Sect and the Demonic Alliance, the coalition suffered heavy losses.

Even though Lin Shan's team were all slippery and opportunistic, they were able to escape safely from such a desperate situation under the leadership of old man Zhong. It has to be said that these guys are quite capable.

As for the Red-Faced Monk, no one knew what was wrong with him, but he left the team on his own initiative and his whereabouts are still unknown.

After hearing this, Lin Shan couldn't help but sigh. It was a pity for this person's eloquence. He had originally thought that if he had the opportunity to go to the Joyful Sect in the Viruo Desert in the future, it might be convenient for him to go with this person. However, separation and death are normal, and he has become more open-minded and didn't dwell on these things too much. After reminiscing with a group of his men, he walked into the central army tent alone.

At this time, there were three Black Lotus Sect Jindan-stage guardians sitting cross-legged in the big tent, discussing military intelligence with each other.

Seeing that Protector Yan was busy upstairs, Lin Shan did not disturb him but waited quietly by the side.

After a while, the other two guardians walked out of the tent, and now only Yan Yuanchun and Lin Shan were left.

"Greetings, Lord Protector. This is my transfer order."

Lin Shan handed over the transfer order of the East China Sea temporary headquarters. Yan Yuanchun simply put it away, nodded casually and didn't look at it any further.

"You are so lucky, you managed to avoid the battle with Zixiao Sect at the right time. It's a pity for Yuchun, Huanchun, Yunchun and the others."

Most of Yan Yuanchun's direct descendants were defeated in Zixiao Sect, and the other three female cultivators in the foundation-building stage all died. These people were her disciples who she had cultivated with great effort in Yichuan, and it was inevitable that she would feel sad after losing so many of them at once.

Lin Shan didn't know how to comfort her, so he had to change the subject: "That little girl Luanchun."

Guardian Yan thought of Luanchun and showed a doting look again: "She's fine. I have sent her to the rear to carry out the mission."

At the same time, he seemed to have thought of something and asked mischievously, "Why do you care about her so much?"

Lin Shan paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Nothing, just a greeting from a fellow disciple."

Yan Yuanchun carefully observed Lin Shan's expression and saw that his eyes were frank and clear, without any shyness or evasion, so she couldn't help but sigh. In fact, she really wanted to bring Lin Shan and Luanchun together. After all, this boy was young and his cultivation was not bad, and she knew him well over the years.

The war situation is not favorable now, and I can't take care of everything in many situations. So I feel more at ease to entrust Luanchun, whom I treat as my own child, to him. It's a pity that this kid doesn't have that intention. It seems that he gives people a feeling that he is ambitious.
Could it be that this boy has very high standards? Even Luanchun doesn't like him?
Yan Yuanchun thought about it for a moment and gave up, not dwelling on the matter any further.

Lin Shan also raised the doubts raised by what he saw and heard on the road.

"Master Protector, I heard that there have been battles every other day on the front line of Luosong Mountain Range. Why is it so quiet here?"

Yan Yuanchun patiently explained to him that some time ago, several teams of righteous monks had indeed rushed out of the Dirty Poison Canyon, but they were all defeated by the main camp here who took advantage of their leisure time.

Later, the righteous coalition forces opened up breakthroughs in the north and south, that is, the areas under the jurisdiction of the Hundred Ghosts Gate and the Blood River Palace, which caused excessive pressure on the defense lines on both sides. In addition, the Dirty Poison Canyon was a natural dangerous place, so the elite troops were withdrawn to support the friendly forces.

The old, weak and sick people from the East China Sea were replaced to symbolically guard the Dirty Drug Canyon camp.

The most intense battles in the Central Theater of Operations are currently taking place at Chaisang Port and Dongmen Pass, where battles take place every day both on land and at sea. The flesh-and-blood millstone rumored by the outside world refers to that place.

"It just so happens that you are here. I also have a task for you."

Yan Yuanchun spread out the map of the Song Dynasty in front of the big tent, his eyes constantly scanning the mountains, rivers and plains.

"There isn't much fighting going on in the Dirty Poison Canyon, but the eastern part of the Song Dynasty is the heartland of our demonic sect. Many small and medium-sized sects and families in the cultivation world are playing both sides, and they waver when they see the defeat on the front line."

"I received a new secret report that some sects and families have secretly contacted the righteous monks a few days ago. We in the Demonic Path will never tolerate such people who waver between the two sides. If we find out, there will be two words:
Destroy the whole family! "

Lin Shan was secretly surprised when he heard the cold voice of Guardian Yan, but he changed his mind. Now that the Demonic Path is at a disadvantage, severe punishments should be used in troubled times. It is indeed necessary to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys and suppress the evil.

"There are other people to take care of stabilizing the rear. Now the fighting is intense in many places on the front line, and a large number of manpower is also needed to fill in. The task I give you this time is to request reinforcements."

Yan Yuanchun turned around and gave him instructions solemnly.

"There is a cultivation family called Gongsun in Shangdang County. They were subordinate to our Demonic Sect a thousand years ago, and their ancestors were true disciples of the Black Lotus Sect. They are one of the more trustworthy families. You are going there to convey the order and bring back reinforcements."

"I will give you the transfer order of the newly established United Front Work Department in a moment. If you can bring back reinforcements, bring them back. If not, just stay there and wait and see. It will be the same whether you are here or not."

After hearing this, Lin Shan's body trembled slightly. He understood the hidden meaning of Guardian Yan:
If you don't bring back reinforcements, just stay there and don't go back to the front line. This is considered as avoiding war in a legitimate way, and no one can find fault with it.

It seems that Protector Yan is not optimistic about the upcoming war and has started to leave a way out for her subordinates in advance. It is estimated that the little girl Luanchun was sent out according to her wishes.

"Thank you, sir. I understand."

Lin Shan once again talked with Yan Yuanchun about matters concerning cultivation. Being in the Jindan stage, Yan Yuanchun naturally gave him some pointers on his cultivation, which benefited him a lot.

Half an hour later, Lin Shan collected the United Front Work Department's transfer order and walked out of the central military tent.

The scorching heat of the dog days of summer scorched the earth, the crows outside the camp were buzzing incessantly, and the poisonous canyon in the distance was shrouded in clouds and fog, which made him feel involuntarily heavy.

He summoned all his subordinates to go with him to carry out the mission and visit the Gongsun family. Everyone understood immediately that they could leave the front line and go to the rear, so naturally everyone was overjoyed.

Clean up a bit and take a short rest.

A day later, Lin Shan led everyone to fly north on the Cloud-Falling Banner.

……

At the same time, in a cave in a hill somewhere in the east of the Song Dynasty, a group of righteous monks gathered in a circle and were discussing something. Outside the cave entrance and around it, there were monks hiding in groups of three or four, keeping watch.

"The general offensive on the front line is scheduled for two months later, when Qianyun Pavilion and Yushou Valley will attack together."

"Yes, our righteous all-out counterattack is about to begin. It's a pity that I can't be there in person to witness the grand event!"

"Master Mang, don't worry. We are stirring up the storm behind the Demonic Path. We may be able to start a spark that will turn into a prairie fire."

"This is a very kind statement. The various sects and families in the east have suffered from the devil for a long time. As long as they show kindness, they will be able to become good people again."

"According to previous secret investigations, there are more than 30 forces that have the potential to rebel, including Jiangdong Kurong Tower, Lingnan Ancient Sage Village, Huaibei Jinyu Sect, Yanmen Wuyang Palace, and Shangdang Gongsun Family."

……

Five days later, Lin Shan and his companions rode on the clouds and slowly arrived at the Gongsun family, a family of immortal cultivators.

(End of this chapter)