Patrol Captain

The night was like a huge black curtain.

But the clamor tore through the night.

"That's a burial ground!"

"All those who ventured into the mountains before died there."

"Great beings with extraordinary abilities joined forces to carve out a passage, where the aura of immortality emanated. Humans and demons alike surged in, leading to another great battle."

"A dragon and a tiger were ambushed by demons, their physical bodies perished, but their primordial spirits escaped."

"."

A strange event occurred at the ancestral mountain, leading to a chaotic battle between humans and demons. Powerful beings with great supernatural abilities successively entered the ancestral mountain, and many others followed, triggering a riot in the ancestral mountain. Astonishing news began to circulate from within.

In Chengdu, the night was bustling, but the strange phenomenon at Zushan, seven hundred miles away, had not disappeared. There, the sky was filled with rosy clouds, while the void outside Zushan was shattered like a mirror, filled with killing intent, and the ground was littered with corpses severed by spatial rifts.

But that still couldn't stop some people from taking the risk!
Outside the city, the sound of hooves thundered, raising dust that billowed in the night. A troop of cavalry galloped in, their armor gleaming coldly in the moonlight, charging straight over the city wall to deliver the message back to the governor's office. On the city wall, beneath the gleaming armor, a turbulent undercurrent surged. The torches in their hands cast long shadows that flickered and swayed on the wall, like menacing claws.

Inside the brightly lit brothels and taverns of Chengdu, the conversation naturally revolved around Zushan.

Amazing speculations about that ruin;
Those renowned figures in the martial arts world gathered together to storm Zushan, creating a magnificent spectacle and becoming a legend.
Amidst the turbulent times, there are endless topics to discuss.

"What do you think that Ninth Mountain General is doing? Did he also go there?" In this land of Shu, one name is always mentioned, and someone couldn't help but bring up the person in question.

"Who knows? This guy is quite a figure, dominating the Shu region. It's a pity we didn't see him make a move during the day, otherwise it would have been quite a spectacle."

"I heard that he fought against two great demons a few days ago and was seriously injured. Also, this person is now a patrol angel, wielding great power in the three realms."

The scene shifts to a cliff halfway up the Ninth Mountain, where a dark figure suddenly emerges from the void, which is filled with layers of restrictions.

He looked up at the sky, then down at the foot of the mountain, where the Ninth Mountain Camp was located. It was brightly lit, and on the battlefield, soldiers were being called upon. When a name was called, a soldier had to step forward and be led to another location.

The dark figure had a sinister gaze.

"He wasn't injured, but his cultivation has only improved. He deliberately spread the news of his injury and hid in these mountains, not getting involved in the affairs of the ancestral mountain. Yet he's gathering troops and generals in the middle of the night. What is this Lord Chen planning?"

The man seemed to be talking to himself, his voice wavering. Then, his eyes, which shone like cold stars in the night, looked across hundreds of miles towards the distant ancestral mountain, flickering like will-o'-the-wisps.

“Things from a thousand years ago should be buried in the earth. If they are dug up now, it will probably cause another catastrophe.”

"I shouldn't get involved with this old body of mine. Let's see what General Chen is up to on behalf of His Majesty."

The eerie light in his eyes dimmed, and then his figure transformed into a cloud of mist, heading straight down the mountain to the camp, where he quickly disappeared from sight.

Not long after, in the camp at the foot of the mountain, a name was called out.

Jiang Wen

"Step forward"

"Go to the Ten Departments and collect the new military equipment!"

The Ninth Mountain Zhonglang Hall.

Night fell like thick ink, shrouding the Zhonglang Hall of the Ninth Mountain in darkness. Outside the hall, flickering candlelight was bound by iron chains to animal-shaped lamp bases, its dim yellow glow struggling to penetrate the night and casting dappled shadows on the cold bluestone floor.

The mountain wind howled across the mountaintop, making the copper bells on the eaves ring. One by one, armored warriors clad in black iron armor stood like statues on both sides of the palace gate. The surface of their armor gleamed with a cold, eerie blue light, which, under the candlelight, swirled like lurking dragons.

Long swords hung at their waists, their eyes sharp as eagles, alerting everything around them. Every now and then, patrolling soldiers would raise torches, the clanging of their armor particularly clear in the silent night.

As night deepened, the Zhonglang Hall, under strict protection, resembled a lurking giant beast, exuding an awe-inspiring majesty.

Inside the hall, the flickering lights illuminated the figures.

Chen Yuan was the leader, followed by Old Man Dong, Yang Shan, Zhao Quanzhen, and Yi Cangtian.
Chen Yuan has already informed everyone of his plan. This matter is of utmost importance; success or failure hinges on this. To be on the safe side, fellow Daoists, please remain in the Zhonglang Hall and wait for the opportune moment with Chen Yuan.

At this moment, everyone in the main hall was an old acquaintance, but everyone's expression was very serious, even showing a hint of tension.

Charge into the Ten Thousand Mountains!
They've done it before.

But this time it was different. Before, it was a passive situation. At that time, the demons mobilized almost all their troops on the front line to cooperate with the rescue plan. In addition, Chen Yuan made a breakthrough from a desperate situation and completed that feat.

This time it's different; they took the initiative.

Moreover, it's not as simple as just a malevolent mountain.

Just thinking about it makes my heart race, and everyone's emotions are in turmoil. But strangely enough, despite feeling that it was extremely dangerous, no one refused.

Even Old Man Dong, who looked like he'd been tricked, only hummed a couple of times.

They initially gathered together out of a sense of duty. Although they weren't exactly close friends, they were comrades who had gone through the battlefield together and had developed trust. Moreover, they were open about their relationship and followed Chen Yuan, which brought them many benefits.

At this moment, people inside the hall had various expressions.

Old Dong drank the medicinal wine that Chen Yuan had prepared for him, brewed with the blood of various great demons and demon bones, and swayed his head.
Chen Yuan's follower, Zhao Quanzhen, the second son of the Vice Minister of War, sat upright, his eyes gleaming like lightning, eager to make a move.

Yangshan sat cross-legged on a chair with his eyes closed, his face solemn yet dignified, his hands forming the Zi-Wu Mudra.

It was almost dawn, and the sky outside was gradually turning blue, just before sunrise.

Outside the Zhonglang Hall, in the shadows cast by candlelight, the heavily guarded soldiers parted to make way for a path.

The clanging sound of armor clashing receded to both sides like a receding tide.

Soon, heavy footsteps could be heard outside.

Then, the door opened, and Yun Tiansheng's three trusted confidants strode in, subsequently kneeling on one knee.
"General!"

"My men are armed and ready!"

"Teleportation array is in place!"

"News has just come from outside Zushan that a second group of demons has appeared and entered the mountain."

The rapid, loud voices startled the others, who sat up straight and focused their attention.

At the head of the table, Chen Yuan patted the armrest, his eyes gleaming with golden light, and his aura emanated from him.

"Send the order!"

"Teleportation begins at 1:15 AM!"

"During this time, let those soldiers write a letter home, after all, the place we are going to is the lair of the Ten Fiends."

"Yes!"

Yun Tiansheng and his two companions straightened up, bowed, and then rose and retreated. They turned and left quickly at the palace gate, their actions and conversations concise and efficient – ​​the mark of soldiers. At this moment, Chen Yuan rose from his seat, slowly walked forward, and looked towards the door, his gaze intense, a hint of menace in his eyes.

"Gentlemen, heroes from all over the world have gathered here. It is time for us to show our skills!"

Everyone then stood up, while Old Dong, a drunkard and a notorious mood spoiler, swayed his head and shook his head.
"It's quite exciting."

"Let's drink three large cups of wine."

On the other hand, Zhao Quanzhen and Yi Cangtian were serious and solemn, with sharp glints in their eyes, as if they were already prepared.

Chen Yuan glanced around, laughed heartily, and the entire hall trembled. He then strode towards the outside of the hall, and after a few steps, he transformed into a streak of light and rushed out of the hall.

The others also transformed into Musashi and followed.

At 1:15 AM, as the sky turned blue, the bustling city of Chengdu was at its most exhausted. At the foot of Ninth Mountain and on its summit, several large, silvery-white trees began to hum, followed by a silvery glow.

Beneath the great tree, figures clad in armor and array rose with the shimmering silver light, transforming into streaks of white light that shot into the sky, directly towards the sacred Yinshan tree.

In an instant, the Yinshan Sacred Tree roared, and a silver-white pillar of light shot into the sky, piercing through heaven and earth, causing a vast spatial fluctuation.

This time, no demons attempted to stop or kill them.

Those guys all rushed off to explore the ancestral mountain.

Then, streaks of white light shot into the sky along with the teleportation beams and disappeared into the night.

After a dozen or so breaths, the silvery-white pillar of light slowly shrank until the humming of the Yinshan Sacred Tree stopped and calm returned.

In Chengdu, some people witnessed this scene, and while they were surprised and uncertain, they couldn't guess what it was all about, and the conversation eventually fizzled out.

The topic returned to the ancestral mountains.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of miles away, deep within the Hundred Thousand Mountains, lies a forbidden area.

This place is barren and desolate, with only the faintly visible dried-up riverbeds, dead trees, and endless sandstorms.

As the wind howled, waves of sand surged across the dunes, resembling rolling golden wheat fields. Amidst the blowing sand, skeletal white animal bones occasionally appeared, scattered across the yellow sea of ​​sand.

Deep in the desert, the scenery was magnificent. The world was a vast expanse of white, and the endless storm tornadoes seemed capable of shredding everything in their path.

The thin ones can be several miles in diameter, and the thick ones can stretch for tens of miles, which is extremely frightening to behold.

This is the "City of Sin," which sounds like a place of exile, but it is actually a forbidden area for demons in the Ten Thousand Mountains.

The outermost storm in the sea of ​​sand was like a sharp steel blade, which even an ordinary Musashi could hardly withstand, and his life force would be extinguished. At this moment, in a space hundreds of feet underground outside the storm, a lush silver tree grew and swayed, its silver light shining brightly.

This is a branch of the sacred tree of Yinshan!

Back when Chen Yuan led his troops to conquer Yinshan, he risked leaving behind teleportation coordinates in this place.

There are two locations in total; this is just one of them!
At that moment, the silver tree blazed with silver light, and a moment later, a milky white beam of light slammed into the tree, followed by streaks of white light falling like a meteor shower.

Soon, this vast underground space, spanning several miles, was filled with figures.

Clad in golden armor, he exuded an imposing and awe-inspiring presence.

There were over a thousand armored soldiers!
These men were the elite of the Ninth Mountain, selected and equipped with the superior weaponry brought by Chen Yuan from the armory of the Divine Capital Patrol Division. It was a complete upgrade from ragtag weapons to powerful ones, and they looked very imposing.

Most of these people were veterans who had followed Chen Yuan in his campaigns, and they worked together seamlessly.

At this moment, Chen Yuan, along with the other six Musashi, appeared one after another atop the giant silver tree.

The moment Chen Yuan appeared, the fleshy crease between his eyebrows suddenly opened, golden light flowing within it, as he looked upwards and surveyed his surroundings.

He acted cautiously, first observing his surroundings for any unusual signs. In addition, he needed to confirm whether the transmission fluctuations had caused any errors that might have exposed his presence.

After a full cup of tea's time had passed, Chen Yuan finally felt a little relieved. Finding nothing unusual, he closed his eyes.

Then, he leaped up, flicked his sleeve, and his flowing sleeves expanded, releasing a powerful suction force that enveloped the underground space.

First, the six Musashis were sucked in without any resistance, their figures disappearing like a wisp of smoke.

Then came the more than a thousand soldiers and armored soldiers, who seemed to be drawn in like golden clouds.

After doing all this, only the silver tree remained in the space, and then Chen Yuan's figure disappeared within it.

An hour later, on a golden sand dune in the outer edge of the forbidden area, a grim beast skeleton lay half-buried in the sand. Between the empty eye sockets of the skull, a small lizard stood motionless, its head held high, like a sculpture. Its eyes, located on either side of its head, bulged outwards, their eyelids closed, leaving only a narrow slit.

Suddenly, a gust of wind arose from nowhere on the sand dune, and then the sand pile below gathered together, a swirling cloud of yellow sand that quickly coalesced as it spun.

As the sandstorm gathered, it even swept in the dozing lizard.

Soon, a figure materialized from the sandstorm. Then, the sand swirled down, and the startled lizard fell down with it. Then, as if its four legs were powered by motors, it sprinted down the sand dune, disappearing quickly into the sand.

The figure that appeared was none other than Chen Yuan, who had emerged from the storm teleportation point!

At this moment, he frowned slightly, looking at the vast expanse of yellow sand in the distance and the wind pillars that connected heaven and earth.

The storm has expanded!
He just discovered it.

He clearly remembered his teleportation marker, which was on the outskirts of the storm. He hadn't chosen to go deeper because he had encountered two monsters there.

Just now, when he came out of the storm, he was surprised to find that he was much farther away, about seven or eight miles away, although it did not have any impact on his current cultivation level.

However, he worries that as the storm continues to expand, the outer perimeter will become the eye of the storm, and the wind pressure inside will destroy the teleportation markers.

Therefore, after he came out, he realized something was wrong and went back to reinforce the formation.

This change made Chen Yuan a little sensitive, as he knew very well that this forbidden area might lead to the ancestral mountain.

This was something he had specifically verified when he was searching for the Crown Prince of Northern Liang.

He speculated that something might have happened inside Sin City, causing the storm on the outside to change.

At least, there is one very obvious point: when he was teleported back, he caught a glimpse of a corner of the forbidden area in the passage.

This teleportation was shrouded in mist, as if the secrets of heaven were being obscured, or perhaps it was due to changes in the storm; he was unsure.

Chen Yuan looked at the yellow sand swirling in the distance, his eyes flashing. Plans can't keep up with changes, and things can't always go as he wishes. He could only hope that there wouldn't be any major changes later on.

After all, we've come this far; this opportunity won't come again.

It's just one step away from being a goal!

Thinking this, Chen Yuan turned and soared into the sky, heading in the opposite direction from Yinshan! (End of Chapter)