Patrol Captain

Early the next morning, the summit of the Ninth Mountain was shrouded in mist and bathed in sunlight.

"Step aside!"

"I demand to see the Imperial Envoy!"

A shout shattered the tranquility.

Before the Ninth Mountain Palace, heavily armored soldiers stood in their way, but the newcomer charged through them, and a group of officials forced their way through.

The leader, dressed in a purple robe, with arched eyebrows, walked with a square gait and exuded a menacing aura.

It was that Imperial Censor Fang.

Following behind were eleven or twelve officials, of various ranks, who had been ordered by His Majesty to accompany the army into Shu.

Facing the heavy armored figures, they exuded official arrogance and forced their way up the mountain. As ministers who could stand firm in the court, their own cultivation was not weak, and they still possessed the dignity cultivated over the years. The black-armored figures blocking their way were all shaken to the sides, and they headed straight for the Zhonglang Hall.

Amidst the clash of armor, more and more black-armored figures gathered around, forming layers of barriers on both sides in front of the Zhonglang Hall's main gate.

“ceng”

“ceng”

“ceng”

The sound of swords being drawn rose one by one, their tips pointing directly at the officials, their cold glint flashing. Their eyes were filled with murderous intent, like fearless wild beasts, waiting only for a command to pounce.

At this moment, three men in red armor blocked the path of these officials.

Yun Tiansheng, Liu Qing, Lu Ming.

The three men, hands on their swords, wore grim expressions. Yun Tiansheng, standing in the middle, spoke coldly and directly.
"My lords, the general is recuperating from his injuries and is not seeing anyone. Please return!"

The officials stopped. Fang La, the Imperial Censor and military advisor for the campaign, flicked his sleeves, glared at them, and gave a cold snort.
“In that case, we must see him. General Chen is the commander-in-chief of this expedition. It’s convenient for him to close the door like this, but he needs to give us a message about how to handle the current situation in the army.”

"As soon as he arrived, he completely ignored us. What is the reason for this? I must ask him."

As Censor Fang La spoke, he was filled with anger, recalling the scene from the previous day, which was truly terrifying.

Chen Yuan directly threw them into the demon camp, where they faced those hideous, surging demons without any prior knowledge of what was happening.

Having spent their lives in the imperial court, they had never seen anything like this before. While they weren't exactly terrified, their hearts were in their throats, and they were certainly at a loss for what to do at first.

He cursed loudly, believing that Chen Yuan was settling a personal score. Fortunately, no more dangerous demons appeared there, and they were not useless; they led their troops to break out of the encirclement.

Looking back on yesterday's humiliation and heart-pounding experience, I feel a sense of relief, like I've escaped a disaster, but also incredibly angry.

Yesterday, they hadn't even recovered from the intense battle against the raging demons when Fang La arrived early this morning, ready to demand an explanation.

Those who work as censors do this kind of job.

This debt must not be left unresolved.

"Step aside!"

Fang La, as the chief official of the Censorate, second only to the Grand Censor, was a second-rank minister of the court and a great master of martial arts. He naturally possessed an air of authority and treated Yun Tiansheng and his two companions, who were insignificant low-ranking generals, with disdain. He directly rebuked them and then continued to lead his men forward.

Yun Tiansheng's expression darkened, and he immediately raised his hand.

The surrounding soldiers, wielding long swords and clad in sharp black armor, stepped forward, their movements accompanied by a buzzing vibration. The restrictions on the Zhonglang Palace hummed, exuding an oppressive aura.

"how?"

"Do you dare to lay a hand on us?"

"It's up to you!"

Fang La snorted coldly, his feet not stopping, exuding an air of superiority, his body trembling with energy, forcing back the armored soldiers blocking his way.

Yun Tiansheng and the other two gritted their teeth, their eyelids twitching, really wanting to draw the knives from their waists.

Just then, a slow, somewhat deep voice rang out from inside the hall.

"Let the esteemed lords in!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the heavy black armor blocking the gate slowly opened, and light poured in from the outside.

Upon hearing the order, Yun Tiansheng and the other two turned around, bowed towards the hall, and respectfully said, "Yes, General!"

He then turned around, waved his hand, and the black-armored soldiers at the front immediately retreated to both sides like a tide.

Yun Tiansheng and the other two also stepped aside.

"Humph"

Fang La then shook his head, led his men up the steps, glanced at Yun Tiansheng and the others before stepping into the main hall, snorted coldly, and then stepped over the high threshold and strode inside.

A group of officials who served as military officers filed in and entered the main hall of the palace.

They spotted Chen Yuan sitting at the head of the hall at a glance!
When they all entered,
"Whoosh!"

The main hall doors slowly closed, cutting off the outside light and making the interior somewhat dim.

Upon hearing the door close, the officials felt a sudden unease, recalling the reputation and legends surrounding the patrolling angel, as well as the scene they had witnessed yesterday of one man fighting two great demons.

This is someone else's territory!

However, since everyone was a direct descendant of the emperor, no matter how outrageous this person was, he couldn't do anything too outrageous. Thinking of this, everyone felt a little more at ease.

As the gate slowly closed and the light gradually narrowed, they scrutinized the angel of the pilgrimage with surprised and doubtful eyes.

After yesterday's battle, he returned to Chengdu covered in blood and stayed indoors. Soon after, news spread from the local government office that he was seriously injured.

His face was rather pale, and the oppressive aura of the dragon and tiger seemed to have weakened. Could it be that he was seriously injured in the battle with the two great demons?
Amidst this suspicion and speculation, everyone still needs to maintain appearances.

"Greetings, Lord Chen!"

"This humble official greets the Imperial Envoy!"

"."

Everyone lined up on both sides and exchanged the customary greetings.

Fang La, who was in the lead, also put on an act, and then spoke in a stiff tone, "I heard that Lord Chen was injured in a fierce battle with demons yesterday. Everyone has come to show their concern. After all, Lord Chen is carrying out a royal decree and cannot afford to fail. Otherwise, if His Majesty investigates, we who accompanied and assisted him will also be held accountable for our merits and demerits."

Sitting in his chair, Chen Yuan watched the insincere Censor-in-Chief's expression, a cold smile playing on his lips. He glanced sideways and slowly began to speak.
"So Imperial Censor Fang knew about this."

"In yesterday's battle, several powerful demons appeared outside the city. I used all my skills to hold them back and seized the opportunity to send you all to the vicinity of the ancestral mountain to eliminate the remaining demons. And what was the result?"

"You led the most elite Heavenly Army of the Great Qian Dynasty, yet you were surrounded and attacked by a bunch of lesser demons, and finally returned in a sorry state, causing my painstaking efforts to be in vain, and my injuries to be suffered for nothing."

"It has utterly disgraced the imperial family."

Upon hearing this, the faces of the accompanying officials darkened, and the Censor-in-Chief, who was in the lead, was particularly furious. He hadn't even begun to make his move, yet Chen Yuan had turned the tables on him.
"You're just being unreasonable."

"We've just arrived here, we don't even know what's going on. Without any preparation, you sent us to the battlefield, causing the needless deaths of some of our elite soldiers." "This is a major strategic blunder. As the Military Advisor, I will record this truthfully. Let's see how you explain this before His Majesty one day!"

This Imperial Censor's anger level soared, and he was incredibly stubborn.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuan's eyes suddenly turned dangerous, and he slowly stood up from his chair.

The officials sensed something was wrong and involuntarily took a half step back. The Imperial Censor Fang La's expression changed slightly, but he stubbornly stood still.

The next second, Chen Yuan suddenly appeared in front of him, his eyes as ferocious as a beast, scaring him into staggering backward. Then, a powerful aura pressed him down, and he sat on the ground with a thud.

"What does this envoy need to explain?"

"His Majesty ordered us to take down Zushan and stabilize the situation. What a great opportunity it was yesterday! The three great demons appeared outside Jinguan City at the same time. Their fighting strength outside Zushan was naturally weak. I held them off, allowing you to take the opportunity to reclaim Zushan and take it down in one fell swoop. This is the opportunity."

"The demons didn't know we were coming. We could have caught them off guard, but instead, I fought a fierce battle with the great demons, while you were timid and cowardly, lacking any courage, only thinking about breaking through and returning, thus delaying the battle."

"Remember, this is a battlefield, where things can change in an instant! Do you expect those beasts to tell you to prepare before every battle?"

Chen Yuan looked down at them, his eyes filled with a chilling aura that startled the officials present, causing them to retreat in unison.

Meanwhile, Fang La, the Imperial Censor, felt breathless, his face turning pale and then flushed.

After a while, the stagnant air suddenly relaxed, and Fang La, panting heavily, regained control of his body. However, he no longer dared to meet Chen Yuan's gaze.

At this moment, Chen Yuan withdrew his gaze, looked at the others whose eyes were also darting away, and said in a deep voice, "I have done right by His Majesty, but you have not."

"If this matter were to reach the imperial court, and His Majesty were to learn that you are all hesitant to advance, what would His Majesty think?"

These words were so hurtful they were like a knife to the heart, leaving all the officials humiliated and causing them to lower their heads.

With the atmosphere reaching this point, Chen Yuan flicked his sleeve, and something landed squarely in the arms of Fang Zhongcheng, who had just gotten up from the ground.

"I was injured when I killed those two ferocious demons yesterday. Now is a critical time, and I must heal my wounds quickly, otherwise it will be difficult to deal with the situation ahead."

"For now, the plan to continue opening up Zushan can only be entrusted to you for the time being. You are responsible for opening up Zushan, and the troops of Fusi will guard Chengdu."

"Since Lord Fang is so loyal to the emperor and loves his country, he might as well take on this responsibility."

Before Fang La could explain, he felt something in his arms. Looking down, he saw a black box about a foot square, made of some unknown material. It was heavy and plain, without any patterns.

"What is this?" he asked, his voice trembling with suppressed anger.

"This is a formation bestowed upon me by the Martial Temple before my departure. It is extremely powerful and can be opened to trap enemies in times of great danger," Chen Yuan replied casually.

"No, how can such an important matter be entrusted to me? I have never led troops before." Fang La felt it was a hot potato and shook his head repeatedly, saying that he was about to return the box.

As a result, Chen Yuan raised his eyelids and coldly replied.

"This is an order!"

"Aren't there still loyal ministers among us?"

After saying that, his body gradually disappeared into the air, leaving only one sentence.
"I need to go into seclusion to heal my injuries, so I will not see you off."

A group of officials were left looking at each other in bewilderment inside the main hall.

And Fang La, the Imperial Censor whose face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

They came to demand an explanation, but instead were accused of being cowardly and hesitant.

The crucial point is that they actually thought what the angel said made a lot of sense, and they dared not utter another word.

"Lord Fang, what should we do next?" Chen Xun said he was going into seclusion to heal his injuries and would leave the rest to Fang La, so someone spoke up in a low voice.

"What to do? Just let it be!" Fang La said angrily, flicking his sleeve and turning to leave.

He could only put the black box into his sleeve.

After a cup of tea, and once the officials had left, three more people entered the Zhonglang Hall. Their armor clashed, clanging and ringing, their red armor gleaming like fire.

The door closed, and Yun Tiansheng and the other two knelt on one knee in front of the empty hall.

"General!"

"Everyone is gone."

As these words were spoken, Chen Yuan, who had just disappeared, reappeared with a smile on his face, standing in front of Yun Tiansheng and the other two.

"Get up and talk."

"Yes." Yun Tiansheng and the other two stood up, their eyes darting around, their backs ramrod straight.

Chen Yuan looked at the three of them. These were his three most trusted subordinates. They had been through a lot together. The three of them were loyal to their duties and had grown a lot. From the former Body Profound Captains, they had become the Dao Soldier Heavenly Gate.

"Liu Qing!"

He finally fixed his gaze on Liu Qing on his left.

"The general is here!"

Liu Qing bowed his head and clasped his hands in a respectful gesture, meticulous in every detail.

"How are the arrangements for the teleportation array going?"

"Reporting to the General, half a month ago, I arranged for my men to be teleported there as you instructed. They were divided into two groups, and the teleportation points were the two array points that you marked outside the Demon Forbidden Land."

"No errors occurred during the teleportation process. If any unexpected events occur later, the people on the other side will promptly destroy the teleportation coordinates. Currently, both teleportation lines are operational."

"Okay!" Chen Yuan nodded upon hearing this.
His gaze then swept over the three again, his eyes gleaming with a golden light.
"Soon, we're going to do something big."

"The timing is still uncertain, but preparations must begin."

"The three of you should first secretly prepare a list of your elite men, then ask Mr. Gongsun for some good stuff. It's from the armory of the Divine Capital Patrol Division. Give it to your men."

"Wait for the right time!"

Upon hearing the general's words, Yun Tiansheng and the other two's eyes lit up instantly, and then they spoke in unison,

"Yes!"

Then, time passed amidst the noise.

As more and more people flocked to Chengdu, news spread throughout the city.

Various grottoes and caves appeared one after another, each person as powerful as a dragon; famous young masters and beauties of the martial arts world vied for attention, causing a stir throughout Europe; and some old monsters who were once renowned in the martial arts world were also being talked about by word of mouth in various teahouses and taverns.

It was a scene of utter uproar and extraordinary events, making the entire city of Chengdu the most bustling place in the martial arts world!
A day later, at night, news of an explosion spread.

An unknown human dragon-tiger broke through the blockade and attacked the ancestral mountain!
Then, before dawn the following day, another dragon and tiger broke in and severely injured the mountain-guarding demon.

Just as everyone was getting restless, half a day later, another human dragon-tiger powerhouse unleashed a sword aura that stretched for dozens of miles across the sky, cleaving the demon camp outside the ancestral mountain in two. Suddenly, two great demons appeared, and a tremendous battle erupted, killing the dragon-tiger powerhouse in one fell swoop. Blood stained the sky, causing the city of Chengdu to tremble in shock.

As a result, at dusk on the third day, a tremendous change occurred at the ancestral mountain. A beam of light shot into the sky from behind the mountain, revealing the ruins of a celestial palace! (End of Chapter)