Patrol Captain

Amidst swirling clouds and ancient, vigorous pines, Dongxuan Mountain boasts a magnificent mountain gate that stands like the entrance to a fairyland.

The mountain gate is built of simple, ancient bluestone, its surface weathered by time, exuding a rustic and mysterious aura. Above the lintel are the three large characters "Dongxuan Mountain," simple yet elegant!
At this moment, a commotion arose, and amidst the clouds and mist, a group of disciples dressed in light blue outfits, each wielding a green sword, retreated in a semi-circle towards the back of the mountain gate. The direction their swords pointed was precisely into the thick fog below the mountain gate steps.

The next second, several groans of pain rang out, followed by several figures flying backward from the mist below, crashing directly into the disciples behind them, eliciting muffled groans and the clanging sound of swords hitting the ground.

Then, as the disciples guarding the mountain retreated amidst their shocked and angry gazes, three tall horses emerged from the mist below, their hooves clattering on the stone steps. Several figures with extraordinary auras, dressed in martial arts attire, looked down at them with disdain.

"Who are you? You didn't even present your credentials before trespassing into my Dongtian Mountain. How dare you!" A disciple guarding the mountain, holding a sword in one hand and supporting his fellow disciple who had been knocked away with the other, glared angrily, his chest heaving.

But then, to the left of the three horses, stood a pale-faced scholar in a white robe, holding a folding paper fan, his robes fluttering in the wind. His eyelids slanted to the side, giving him an air of cold indifference.

"A bunch of juniors, you are not worthy to know our names. Tell your mountain lord to come out and greet us!"

"You all shouldn't go too far..." One of the mountain-guarding disciples said, his sword still pointed, his heart filled with resentment. The other party didn't take Dongxuan Mountain seriously at all.

Seeing this, the pale-faced scholar raised an eyebrow, folded the open folding fan in his hand, and closed it with his other hand.

"Noisy!"

With a cold shout, he suddenly leaped off his horse and transformed into a streak of light, flying up the steps while holding a folding fan and striking at the mountain-guarding disciple who had spoken.

Just then, a figure descended from the sky and quickly met the pale-faced scholar.

"boom"

"boom"

"boom"

Several muffled popping sounds echoed in the air.

Soon, the pale-faced scholar flew backward, his body performing several elegant aerial turns to dissipate the force, before flipping over and landing steadily on the horse's back below.

Above, in front of a group of disciples guarding the mountain, stood a middle-aged man dressed in black with gold woven patterns. His figure was as strong as a pine tree, his face was not kind, his thick eyebrows were cold and stern, and he had an inherent sense of authority. His eyes were calm.

"Elder!"

The visitor was an elder from the sect's Law Hall.

Upon seeing this person, the disciples behind him quickly spoke up, their voices rising in anger as they all tried to say something.

The elder turned slightly to the side, raised his hand to signal them to be quiet, then turned back, his eyes falling on the three people on the horse below, and from left to right, he revealed their identities.

"Chasing the Wind, Yun Lang!" This was the martial arts title of the pale-faced scholar with the folding fan. He snorted coldly, looking somewhat displeased, because in the previous exchange of blows, his skill had been inferior.

"Mo Qiansheng, the master of Chuixue Pavilion." The person being called was in the middle, dressed in a dark blue robe with a black jade belt around his waist. He was about forty-five or forty-six years old. A few strands of silver hair were mixed in, but it was not styled into a bun. It was loosely tied behind his head with a jade hairpin of the same color. A few strands of hair fell in front of his forehead. His face had deep features, high brow bones, and slightly sunken eye sockets. His eyes were a very deep brown, like a cold pool covered with a thin layer of mist, and seemed to carry a bit of indifference.

"Liuyun Sword Wu Mo," on the far right, is a middle-aged man dressed in minimalist black outfit, carrying two swords on his back, with graying temples. The other party clasped his hands in a fist salute to him.

The elder glanced at the three, then his gaze swept over the figures vaguely visible in the mist behind them. He frowned, then looked away, his tone slightly cold.
"What is the reason for the sudden appearance of three renowned figures in the martial arts world and masters of martial arts at Dongxuan Mountain, who then injured my mountain-guarding disciples without a word?"

As he spoke, he raised his hand and waved it downwards, and a gust of wind swept the leaves down the steps, creating a strong gust of wind.

Then, the three renowned figures in the martial arts world remained calm, their bodies surging with energy, directly breaking through the oncoming wind.

Several muffled explosions rang out, leaves fluttered down, and the surrounding mist dispersed.

This revealed the procession behind the three renowned figures in the martial arts world!

There were about twenty people, with a black carriage in the middle. They were closely guarded all around. The men exuded a fierce aura, each with a dignified air, standing solemnly with eyes like tigers.

A chilling aura!

The elder of the Law Hall narrowed his eyes slightly.

At this moment, the Snowfall Pavilion Master, one of the three renowned figures in the martial arts world, raised his hand, revealing a white jade token with red gold inlay on the edge. It was about five or six inches long and was carved with a four-clawed python dragon. The dragon's head was wide open in anger, its whiskers were slightly curled, and the scales were clearly visible. The two characters "Bei Liang" were engraved in the center of the front, with strong and powerful strokes, and auspicious cloud patterns were engraved on both sides.

"We are under orders from the King and wish to see the lord of your mountain. Please inform him of our presence!"

Although he was somewhat polite, the indifference in his words carried an air of undeniable authority.

The elder of the Law Hall stared at the white token, naturally noticing the words "Northern Liang" and the python dragon engraving on it, and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I never expected that you three, renowned figures in the martial arts world, would come here so rashly and end up entering the Northern Liang King's Palace."

"I wonder which distinguished guest of the Prince's residence is inside the carriage, that the three of you would so condescend to drive the horses?"

The elder felt a chill run down his spine. These three martial arts masters, renowned figures in the Northern Liang martial arts world, had somehow joined the Northern Liang royal court. And just as he had said, who was in the carriage that made these three martial arts masters willingly drive the horses in front? He found this strange.

"No comment!"

"Please report this." The Snowfall Pavilion Master's words were brief.

The elder of the Law Hall frowned. These people were arrogant, yet they had degenerated into lackeys of the royal family, humiliating his disciples. Dongxuan Mountain would not tolerate such behavior. His eyebrows were like mountains, exuding a strong aura, and his robes fluttered in the wind.

The next moment, it suddenly rose up and swiftly flew towards the group of people from the Prince's Mansion like a startled swallow, while its body surged with powerful true energy.

With the powerful aura of Musashi at his peak propelling him like a cannonball, he charged directly at the group from the royal palace.

The expressions of the three men—Chasing Wind, Flowing Cloud Sword, and Snowblower—which had been cold or indifferent, all changed instantly, and they all let out an angry snort.

Immediately, his body transformed into three beams of light of different colors, blocking the way.

"boom"

A loud bang as the air collided.

A layer of light shone from the stone steps below.

Those three so-called renowned figures in the martial arts world were directly knocked aside in the brief exchange, and the horses beneath them were smashed to pieces by the aftershocks.

Meanwhile, the elder of the Law Hall, with his amazing skill, traversed a distance of over a hundred feet and peered directly at the black carriage!
“ceng”

“ceng”

"Be bold!"

Shouts and the sound of swords being drawn echoed from all around the carriage. The guards, like tigers pouncing on their prey, slashed at him. The elder of the Law Hall flapped his robes, shaking off the attackers. Then, he transformed his palm into a claw, closing to within three zhang of the carriage. He grabbed at the carriage curtain, trying to peek at the face of the person inside.

Suddenly, an extremely powerful aura burst forth from the carriage, like a heavy hammer, and charged towards the elder.

"Bang" sound.

The body, which was originally diving, was struck as if by a heavy hammer. A muffled groan came from its throat, and its body flew backward.

It flew directly over the heads of the disciples guarding the mountain and then fell to the ground.

"Deng deng deng"

Even after landing, he staggered backward, clutching his chest, each step crushed under his feet.

Elder Han!

Elder Han!

"."

The disciples guarding the mountain exclaimed in surprise and rushed forward to help the elder of the Law Hall.

Unexpectedly, even Elder Han, who was so highly respected in Dongxuan Mountain, was defeated.

Han Zhong staggered back more than ten steps before regaining his footing. He waved his hand, signaling the disciples around him not to help him, then raised his eyelids to look at the carriage below the mountain gate, his eyes filled with surprise and doubt.

Could it be that the King of Northern Liang has come in person?
Just as he was about to speak, he quickly raised an eyebrow, then his expression calmed down, and he addressed the group below.
"Come with me!"

"The mountain lord already knows that you are here, and is waiting for you in the council hall."

As he spoke, the elder of the Law Hall turned around and silently waved his hand, "Make way and let the distinguished guests of the Prince's Mansion into the mountain."

The disciples guarding the mountain were filled with righteous indignation, but having received instructions from Elder Han, they could only reluctantly step aside.

Below, the three renowned figures from Northern Liang also fared poorly. The imposing stance they had adopted upon arrival was shattered by Elder Han, and even their horses were hacked to pieces.

With a grim expression, he took to the air and followed the elder surnamed Han into the mountain gate. The carriage behind him returned to calm, and the others resumed their formation and followed.

And so, the group followed them into the mountains!
Upon entering the mountain, a hidden paradise unfolds, with towering ancient trees forming a forest that serves as a gateway to a fairyland. Beyond the mountain gate lies a vast plaza paved with pristine white marble. In the center of the plaza stands a colossal sword furnace, a hundred feet square, cast in bronze with an ancient and imposing design. Thousands of swords are embedded within the furnace, their sword energy swirling and dancing in the air above the plaza, sometimes emitting a whooshing sound, sometimes a metallic clang.

Behind the square is a sheer cliff shrouded in clouds, so deep that nothing can be seen inside.

"Draw your sword!"

"These are the credentials to enter my cave heaven; otherwise, you will be destroyed by the restrictions. Please choose yourselves!"

Elder Han leaped onto a sword shadow in mid-air, uttered a soft utterance, and the sword shadow beneath his feet whistled as it hurtled towards the cliff.

Behind them, the royal guards were all sharp-eyed and well-trained, and there was no chaotic scene. They all stepped onto their sword energy and sped towards the cliff and the sea of ​​clouds.

Soon, they passed through a vast sea of ​​white clouds and rushed into a range of red cliffs and Danxia landforms. Ancient trees towered among the mountains, lush and verdant, and occasionally, lithe deer and cranes could be seen flitting about. Their movements were graceful, their fur as white as snow, exuding a lively spirit, as if they were the very souls of the mountains.

At this moment, sunlight shines through the clouds, illuminating the mountains with golden rays that create a dreamlike scene. Mist swirls among the mountains like a veil, and the distant, rolling peaks appear and disappear in the mist, resembling a celestial palace in a fairyland, inspiring awe and longing.

Among them, streaks of rainbows weaved through the mountains, and within the rainbow light were disciples of the grotto-heavens.

The once peaceful Dongxuan Mountain was disturbed by the appearance of this group from the Northern Liang Royal Palace. The disciples passing by stopped in their tracks, watching as the group descended into the Qitian Hall of the main mountain.

The disciples discovered that those people had actually lifted the carriage on top of the horse-drawn carriage, turning it into a sedan chair, and carried the sedan chair directly inside, causing a great deal of discussion.

"Who are these people?"

"Entering my grand hall without even dismounting from your sedan chair, what an imposing manner!"

"How dare you be so arrogant and rude?"

"Oh, I heard they're from the Northern Liang Prince's Mansion."

"."

Just after this group of people entered the mountain, a pale blue bird, flitting its wings, flew from the southeast into Dongxuan Mountain, weaving through the sea of ​​clouds.

This bird seems to have a unique way of staying oriented within the cloud sea barrier, its tiny golden-green eyes gazing down at the mountains below.

Its small eyes darted around, and it flapped its wings, discovering that a number of disciples from Dongxuan Mountain had gathered around a mountain, and these people were gathered in the square in front of a magnificent building.

The pale blue bird, with its tiny golden eyes, darted around a few times before landing on the mountain. It circled a few times, then folded its wings and landed on an ancient tree in the square. Its beady eyes sparkled with intelligence, and its head was tilted as if listening to something.

About half a cup of tea's time later, a terrifying energy fluctuation emanated from the main hall, booming and spreading outwards, accompanied by howling winds.

Outside, disciples cried out in surprise, their clothes fluttering as they stepped back. Then, the murmurs grew louder as they speculated about what had happened inside the council hall.

The pale blue bird perched on the tree swayed with the rustling of the ancient tree in the wind, its wings flapping, but its claws gripping the branches tightly. In particular, its small golden eyes, like a human's, suddenly contracted, and the golden light turned into a speck of gold paint.

Soon,
The voices of the surrounding disciples could be heard.

"Look, they're coming out!"

The group from the Northern Liang Prince's Mansion emerged from the council hall; it was the same group of people, along with the black sedan chair.

As this group emerged, they looked down with disdain at the Dongxuan Mountain disciples who were watching them from all sides, and soared into the sky with an air of authority.

Amidst these watchful eyes, no one noticed a pale blue bird perched among the tree branches, its two golden spots gleaming strangely as it watched the black carriage soar into the sky.

Elder Han Zhong of the Law Hall emerged from the council hall with a furrowed brow. He leaped into the air and landed on a mountain peak several miles away from the main peak.

There, amidst pavilions and towers, shrouded in mist, lies his sacred ground!

He landed in front of a building, frowned as he pondered something, and prepared to go inside.

Just then, a voice suddenly rang in his ear.

"Master, a letter has arrived from Third Junior Brother!"

Han Zhong looked up, following the sound, and saw his second disciple walking towards him with a paper kite. (End of Chapter)