Patrol Captain

The Tenth Mountain, formerly the garrison of a mountain-climbing army, is now the garrison of the Liangzhou Governor's Army.

At the mountaintop, in the Zhonglang Hall, there is a study in the backyard. The bright sunlight shines through the window, while the light and shadow play inside.

Inside the study, incense was burning in a burner, and wisps of white smoke curled around the screen painted with a majestic eagle.

The screen was replaced with an eight-foot-long silk scroll, on which a majestic eagle spread its wings as if about to take flight. The ink, varying in shades, depicted the wings as sharp as if carved by a knife, the wingtips cutting through the flowing clouds, as if one could hear the whistling of the surging air. The eagle's head was slightly raised, its eyes, dotted with gold powder, piercing the mountains below with piercing gaze. Its beak was slightly open, as if about to unleash a cry that would shake the heavens, encapsulating an arrogant and domineering air.

The light and shadow slanted across the screen, making the eagle feathers outlined in gold powder shimmer with tiny golden light. The dark shadows flowed with the light and shadow, making the eagle seem alive, as if it wanted to break through the silk and possess the power to swallow mountains and rivers.

Behind the screen, a large figure leaned against the wall, wearing a purple brocade robe that reached the ground. The cuffs were embroidered with qilin and cloud patterns, and only a yellowed book could be vaguely seen between his fingertips. The pages made a soft rustling sound as he turned them.

On the left side of the screen stood an ebony weapon rack, on which sat a long spear with a silver beast-head hilt. Next to it hung a majestic heavy armor, with an oval breastplate inlaid on the front and back, the edges of which were engraved with lotus scroll patterns. The shoulder armor was layered, with a beast-head shoulder guard, the tiger's head holding the armor plates with its eyes wide open in anger, and its teeth as sharp as knives.

At this moment, in front of the screen, a general dressed in light blue armor stood with his hands at his sides. His brow bones were high and prominent, and the tips of his eyebrows drooped down, giving him a somewhat sinister look. His eyes were long and narrow, with unfathomable black pupils. His complexion was pale, as if he had never seen sunlight in years, but his cheekbones had a sickly red glow.

His aura was subtle and unpredictable.

The study was quiet for a while, until the rustling of pages turning behind the screen stopped.

“I remember telling you not to come here unless it’s urgent. Why are you here instead of patrolling outside the city?”

Behind the screen, the figure sitting at an angle slowly spoke, seemingly frowning with displeasure.

"Also, you don't look well."

"Is it your prince again, causing me trouble this time?"

Judging from this, the blue-armored general is not one of his men. However, the pattern and style of the armor clearly indicate that he belongs to the Liangzhou Governor's Office.

The blue-armored general raised his sinister eyebrows, his face expressionless, his voice somewhat muffled, and he lowered his head slightly.

"I dare not disturb you, but someone has approached me, wanting to go into the mountains to see the general."

After saying this, the blue-armored general suddenly glanced to the side, his eyes turning cold and filled with a hint of apprehension.

"You'd better behave yourself and not try anything funny in front of the general. If you upset him, just finish your business and leave."

His expression was very strange, and there was no one beside him; it seemed as if he was talking to himself.

As soon as he finished speaking, something seemed to surge up from the depths of his unfathomable black pupils. Then his pupils shrank to needle size, and the whites of his eyes rose up, almost taking over his entire eyeballs.

Then, his head suddenly turned 180 degrees, and his scalp rolled strangely behind his head. In a short while, a woman's face appeared on it.

This scene is eerie and terrifying!

As the woman's face appeared, a melodious female laugh echoed in the study.

Just then,
"boom"

A rapid, brief burst of air noise occurred in the room.

The screen suddenly parted to both sides, and a tall figure appeared abruptly in front of the blue-armored general. He stretched out a hand, grabbed the general's neck, and lifted him up.

At the same time, a vast, dragon-tiger aura enveloped the suddenly mutated figure.

A burly man dressed in a purple Qilin robe appeared, his skin bronze, like a tempered bronze statue, exuding a menacing sharpness.

His face was as if carved by a knife and axe, his nose was high and straight like a hanging gall, his lips were pressed into a cold and hard straight line, and his eagle eyes were narrow and sharp, giving people a strong sense of oppression at a glance.

It was none other than Huo Zhen, the Demon-Suppressing General of the Northern Liang Commandery!

Huo Zhen held the blue-armored figure in one hand, his sharp eyes fixed on the beautiful face growing from the back of the figure's head, flashing with a cold, sharp light.

"What are you, trying to deceive even my senses? What are you?"

Huo Zhen's voice was filled with murderous intent, and the energy in his arm surged into the blue-armored man's body.

The woman's face was stunningly beautiful. Her pupils were a very light amber color, and her eyes, when they moved, seemed to have hooks that could captivate the soul. Her nose was small and delicate, with a slightly upturned tip, giving her a charming and coquettish look.

But the fact that this face suddenly appeared on the back of a general's head was truly horrifying.

"giggle"

The beautiful woman seemed oblivious to the murderous intent; instead, she giggled sweetly.

"This humble woman comes from the Western Regions and has come specifically to pay her respects to General Huo. General, please do not be so rough and hurt this humble woman."

The laughter was alluring, yet it sent a chill down the spine of the dignified Demon-Suppressing General of Beiliang. He even considered whether to simply kill the other party along with the owner of this body.

A flicker of disgust crossed his eyes, but he held it back.

He tossed the other person aside, flicked his wrist to the side, grabbed a handkerchief to wipe his hands, and asked with a cold, disdainful look, "Are you from that Holy Church?"

Huo Zhen had already guessed the other party's origins.

This method, coupled with its origin in the Western Regions, confirms that Beiliang has had contact with the Western Regions and has also been in contact with that Holy Sect, so he knows some of their background. These people are extremely wicked, and even he doesn't want to have much contact with them. However, he knows that the Beiliang Royal Palace and this Holy Sect in the Western Regions have a deep connection.

The "person" landed and stumbled back a few steps to regain her balance. When she saw Huo Zhen wiping his hands with a handkerchief, the alluring beauty's face contorted for a moment, but she quickly smiled.

"General, your insight is truly remarkable. This young lady is indeed from the Holy Church."

"Hmph!" Huo Zhen snorted coldly, giving the other party a cold glance.
"You've got some nerve. This is the Shu Prefecture, with the current Martial Saint in charge. The Ninth Mountain's troops are searching everywhere for any trace of your Holy Sect. Once discovered, you'll be annihilated and die without a burial place."

But then the beautiful woman smiled and said, "That's why I borrowed this person's body to enter the mountain and see General Huo. This Cloud Peak Mountain is now heavily guarded and cannot be entered by ordinary people. I had no choice but to take the liberty of doing so."

"Hehe, but being able to meet the General makes it all worthwhile."

"Stop flattering me. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you right now?" Huo Zhen waved his hand, and the light in the study suddenly dimmed, as if it had been distorted.

Huo Zhen's killing intent was intense and genuine. He knew that Chen Wusheng of the Ninth Mountain was searching for this group of people and had personally intervened.

This "woman" is asking for trouble, but he hesitates, wondering what she's relying on.

The "beautiful face" remained calm, her smile fading. "Since I dared to come, I naturally came prepared."

“My Holy Sect has some private ties with the Northern Liang Prince’s Mansion. Friends of friends are friends, and I don’t think the General would harm my daughter.” “Are you threatening me?” Huo Zhen’s voice turned cold, and the room became even darker, the air temperature dropping.

"I dare not! It's just that the one from the Ninth Mountain is now digging out our Holy Sect's hidden pawns everywhere, causing us heavy losses. All the hard work we've put in is about to be destroyed. Now that the Prince's Mansion is in the north, it's too far away to help us. We can only seek the General's help." When the beautiful woman said this, her emotions suddenly became unstable, her face twisted, filled with intense hatred, and even her voice changed.

She still remembered the humiliation he had inflicted on her in this very city of Chengdu last year, but she could only suppress it in her heart. Now, she could only be like a rat in a gutter, not daring to face him directly like she did last year.

This "beautiful face" is the same as that holy maiden from the Western Regions, only now she has a different face!

Upon hearing this, Huo Zhen ignored the resentment in the other party's words and instead chuckled in anger, "What, do you expect me to deal with a renowned Martial Saint?"

But then the Western Regions saintess's eyes flickered, and she smiled gently, "It's not impossible!"

When Huo Zhen heard the woman spouting nonsense and talking grimly, he heard her say another sentence...
"What if our Holy Sect could provide the General with a path to advance to the Martial Saint realm?"

The atmosphere in the room suddenly froze upon hearing this.

Huo Zhen's eyes widened, and he suddenly turned his gaze to the side, finally looking directly at the Western Region Saintess who had possessed him. Accompanying this was a powerful pressure, like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing down on the Western Region Saintess, instantly turning the entire study space as solid as metal.

The Western Region Saintess's expression changed slightly. She spat out a finger, which was deathly white, as if it had been soaked in water for a long time. At the severed finger, there was crimson flesh and blood, with fleshy buds wriggling on it. Instantly, an evil and terrifying aura spread out, blocking the dragon and tiger's oppressive power three feet away from her.

At this moment, Huo Zhen instantly teleported in front of the Western Region Saintess, and the immense wind pressure pressed down on her, forcing the evil finger back a foot.

His eyes narrowed, gleaming with a sharp light. Looking at the severed finger, he felt a stinging sensation in his eyes and couldn't help but frown.

There was a strange energy within the severed finger that even made his eyelids twitch; he had no idea where it came from.

His eyes flashed rapidly a few times, the killing intent between his brows diminished, and finally his gaze shifted to the face of the Western Region Saintess, his eyes sharp.

"Words are meaningless; how can I believe you?"

Huo Zhen was tempted.

In particular, not long ago, he personally witnessed the grand occasion when Qi Tian, ​​the local demon-suppressing general, attempted to become a Martial Saint. Although the opponent ultimately failed, it was clear that with the experience from the previous attempt, the opponent's success rate in his next attempt to become a Martial Saint would greatly increase.

Thinking of his own ambitions, and seeing the current turbulent situation with various powerful figures vying for power, he was naturally unwilling to become just a background figure.

Seeing that the general who suppressed demons in Liangzhou was finally moved, the Holy Maiden of the Western Regions smiled radiantly.

"As I said, I made preparations for this visit, and this is the gift I prepared for our first meeting."

She smiled and pointed to the pale, wriggling finger in front of her.

It looks like he's still alive!
"Please prepare a pen and paper, General. It will convey the sincerity of our Holy Church!"

Huo Zhen looked down, his gaze hardening.

Then his face twitched, and he raised his hand in a gesture.

At this moment, the sun was high in the sky above Yunding Mountain, the wind was strong and the clouds were light, and the sky was as blue as if it had been washed.

At the summit of the Ninth Mountain, the Zhonglang Hall stands majestically.

A mountain is not valued for its height, but for the dragon that dwells within; and this peak now appears all the more blessed by the beauty of heaven and earth.

At this moment, in the backyard of the palace, under a covered bridge pavilion near the cliff, facing the direction of the tenth mountain, two figures stood.

A man dressed in a white brocade dragon robe stood with his hands behind his back. His third vertical eye between his eyebrows looked toward the tenth mountain, which was more than ten miles away. Images flowed in his vertical eye.

On the left rear half of the body, Gongsun Yang, wearing blue armor and sporting a goatee, stood quietly with his head bowed, frowning.

A golden bell hung from his waist.

This golden bell is the original bell that Chen Yuan bestowed upon us, a magical artifact distributed to the Heavenly Gate Captains who went down the mountain to search for and subdue demons. However, it contains only a few strands of divine power and true essence.

The original body remains on the Ninth Mountain!
The Ninth Mountain troops descended the mountain and headed north, searching everywhere for those Western Region Holy Sect members. How could they possibly overlook their own spring? If they were fighting outside and their spring was taken over by those evil members of the Holy Sect, it would be a huge joke.

After all, the methods of those evil people are hard to guard against, as I have experienced before.

And today, the golden bell suddenly rang.

This alerted Gongsun Yang, who was secretly overseeing the Ninth Mountain!

The direction the bell sensed was not the Ninth Mountain, but rather the direction towards the Tenth Mountain. However, this affected a very large area, and the Tenth Mountain was also where the troops of the Northern Liang Daofu Division were stationed.

Gongsun Yang sensed something was amiss and wouldn't act rashly, so he used his best skill to quickly "call for backup"!
Chen Yuan then descended in a clone!

At this moment, Chen Yuan was using his Heavenly Eye to observe the Tenth Mountain, while Gongsun Yang waited quietly to the side.

Then, Chen Yuan frowned, and a glint of light appeared between his brows.

The entire process lasted about half an incense stick's time. Finally, the light from Chen Yuan's third eye between his eyebrows subsided, and his third eye slowly closed, forming a golden vertical line.

At this moment, in the Tenth Mountain Palace, the door to the study opened, and the blue-armored general with sinister eyes emerged from it with a calm expression. He twisted his neck and headed straight down the mountain.

Chen Yuan lowered his gaze, piercing through the clouds.

Then, with a flick of his sleeve, he swept the mountain clouds over, and the clouds changed shape, as if being kneaded, gradually forming a human figure, which then transformed into the appearance of the blue-armored general.

"Wait, send someone to investigate this person secretly!"

"No need to follow him. We just need to know his information to avoid alerting him. He seems to have been possessed by that Western Region Saintess willingly, and I suspect he is from the Northern Liang Royal Palace."

Gongsun Yang's eyes sharpened. "Western Regions Holy Maiden... what did you just see?"

Gongsun Yang knew about this saintess. He had guided the general's avatar to descend and kill him on the spot, but she didn't die. Now she has reappeared, and she has appeared on the tenth mountain.

Chen Yuan stopped, a cold smile playing on his lips. "I've seen something interesting."

"Our Demon-Suppressing General from Liangzhou seems to be quite influential over there. He has people from the Northern Liang Royal Palace and the Western Region Holy Sect by his side. Just now, that Western Region Holy Maiden offered this Demon-Suppressing General a very tempting deal."

"However, the Western Regions Saintess took out something that blocked my Heavenly Eye!"

As Chen Yuan spoke, his eyes narrowed slightly. (End of Chapter)