Patrol Captain

Inside the tent, Commander Lu Jiang was decapitated, his blood splattering on the tent cloth, and his head flying off.

As he sat down, several of his generals' pupils dilated as they looked up at the flying head, followed by a burst of exclamations.

"Commander!"

"Enemy attack——"

Chaos erupted instantly inside the tent; tables were overturned and military seals were scattered all over the floor.
Then, each of them, as fierce as tigers and leopards, leaped up, tore through the tent cloth, and rushed out of the tent, intending to cut off Lu Jiang's head.

And this shout struck the camp like a thunderclap!
“ceng”

“ceng”

“ceng”

The sound of swords being drawn rose up, and cries of alarm from the enemy attack spread from near to far.

Outside the tent, the clanging of armor from the soldiers' armor clashed loudly, and almost simultaneously, a sharp whistle ripped through the sky.

“xu”

The whistle pierced the air above the camp, causing a stir among the soldiers inside, and streaks of light shot into the sky.

But as the generals rushed outside the tent, the commander's head was already speeding toward the eastern horizon, quickly turning into a tiny black dot and disappearing!

"Chase!"

The soldiers activated their escape techniques and chased after the enemy to the east!

Several miles away, on a cliff, sword energy flew over and shot towards Chen Yuan.

The head's eyes were wide open like copper bells, its pupils flashing with shock, anger, and fear. Blood vessels like spider webs covered the whites of its eyes, and its mouth was wide open, letting in a gust of wind that made a hoarse, bellows-like sound.

Her long hair was disheveled, with strands of black hair flying wildly, stained with blood. The cut on her neck was extremely clean, a mark left by a sharp sword strike. The pale pink muscle fibers were turned outwards, and dark red blood was still oozing from the cut.

It was truly ferocious!

Behind Chen Yuan, Chu Yu and the other two were shocked to see this scene. He could kill people with his sword, taking their heads from a distance with such ease.

Lu Jiang was suddenly beheaded, and even his primordial spirit could not leave his body. He was shocked and angry, and secretly gathered supernatural powers to break the confinement. However, after seeing Chen Yuan, fear overwhelmed him like a tide.

His bloodshot eyes widened as he recognized the renowned Martial Saint General. He gasped for breath, blood swirling in his throat.

"General Chen, why did you try to harm me?"

He questioned in a hoarse voice.

Chen Yuan lowered his eyelids, looking at the other party with the gaze of someone looking at a dead man, and said indifferently, "From the day you brought the Western Regions Holy Maiden to the Tenth Mountain to see Huo Zhen, it was decided that you would die by my hand!"

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Lu Jiang's head, completely extinguishing any sliver of hope he might have had.

It turns out that everything they did was right under someone else's nose.

It's a joke!
His eyes were filled with resentment and bitterness, and his broken throat roared rapidly, "That bitch lied to me, that bitch deserves to be torn to pieces. You can't kill me, I am a member of the Northern Liang Governor's Office, and also a third-rank official of the imperial court, you have no right to kill me..."

His hair was disheveled, and his eyes bulged, revealing a struggle and resentment.

Chen Yuan looked at his resentment and anger with indifference, as if he were looking at a clown, his tone as sharp as a cold knife.

"If I want to kill you, no one can stop me."

"I originally intended to let you live a few more days, but I heard that the Northern Liang Prince's Mansion is going to establish a new heir. I was going to prepare a small gift, and I'll use your head as payment!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Jiang's pupils turned ashen.

Just then, a series of whooshing sounds and shouts came from the west.

"They've gone this way!"

"Hurry and chase after them! We must find the commander!"

"..."

It was the soldiers who had been pursuing them from the main camp who caught up with them.

Upon hearing this voice, a glimmer of hope rose in Lu Jiang's eyes, which had been filled with despair.

Although even if all the soldiers in the entire camp combined could not possibly defeat a martial saint of the world, making a big fuss might give them a chance to survive.

I'm here!

He screamed with all his might, like a drowning person trying to grab a lifeline on the shore.

Not far away, streaks of light flew swiftly to the top of the cliff.

But these people seemed not to see anyone on the cliff and continued flying straight eastward.

Some soldiers even flew right up to him, the cold glint of their armor reflecting off Lu Jiang's face, but he didn't react at all and continued forward.

"Not here."

"no"

"Keep chasing!"

The armor clashed and then departed.

Lu Jiang's initial hope was extinguished, plunging him into hysterical despair as he shouted at his departing subordinates.

"I am here!"

"Where are you going?"

"Waste, waste"

"........."

But no one could hear his voice.

Chen Yuan watched the other person's struggles and hysteria with indifference, as if he were watching a show from the sidelines, without interrupting.

He enjoys it this way, seeing these guys in despair, it allows him to vent some of the anger in his heart.

When the other party finally stopped screaming, Chen Yuan produced a two-foot square wooden box in his hand.

Then he used his other hand to grab Lu Jiang's head.

The other party immediately panicked and begged for mercy.

"Lu Jiang is willing to atone for his sins with meritorious service, and begs the general for mercy..."

"Please, General, grant me a..."

The opponent's head flew directly into the box, and as the wooden box closed, the opponent's pleas for mercy came to an abrupt end.

After doing all this, Chen Yuan flipped his hand, and the wooden box disappeared into thin air. Then, with one hand behind his back, he turned around and his eyes fell on Chu Yu and her fellow disciple.

The two had just witnessed this man kill with his breath, especially with the murderous intent hidden in Chen Yuan's eyes. They felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, and secretly groaned in their hearts.

Being with this big shot, the two of them were like lambs, trembling with fear.

If only they had known, they shouldn't have been so greedy. After all, even if the two of them were foolish, they knew they seemed to have been caught in some incredible vortex. How could two people from the martial world like them get involved in such a high-level court affair?
The two men dared not meet his gaze and lowered their heads.
"Let's go, the gifts are all prepared, it's time for us to head to Beiliang!"

A sound reached their ears, followed by a lightness in their bodies, and then a strong and familiar push-back sensation returned.

After being forcefully blasted with several mouthfuls of cold air, the two used their inner energy to resist the powerful wind pressure. However, this time they learned their lesson and covered their hair as well.

And so, the three of them vanished like fleeting glimpses of light, heading straight north!

Shortly after Chen Yuan and the other two disappeared, news of Lu Jiang's beheading in his tent reached the Chengdu Daofusi.

Helian Shan listened to the report from the armored soldiers below, his wrinkled, tree-bark-like old face contorted with rage.
"It seems to be a sneak attack by demons from the Western Demon Kingdom!"

"Pass on my orders: all military camps on the western and southern fronts are to be on high alert. Also, instruct my commander to conduct a thorough investigation and find this demon!"

"Is General Qitian to oversee this matter!"

"Yes!"

Soon, the sounds of clashing armor gradually faded away from the Heavenly Patrol Hall.

After everyone had left, Helian Shan's furious expression vanished like a receding tide, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

He raised his hand and waved it forward, and twelve bronze mirrors flew out from his sleeve.

He lit one of the bronze mirrors from a distance!
The bronze mirror flew right in front of them, its surface radiating a bright blue light, and images flashed by rapidly within it.

The image always features one person: Lu Jiang!
This bronze mirror was used to monitor this person's every move, and at this moment, Helian Shan was using this mirror to recall the scene.

As he expected, a section of the footage today was completely blurred out; it must have been the part where Lu Jiang was beheaded.

Someone intervened, obscuring the secrets of heaven; and this person was an unparalleled martial saint, otherwise the bronze mirror would have warned him in time.

Helian Shan quickly thought of someone, and his guess was almost certainly right. He couldn't think of anyone else but that person.

As for his claim that it was the work of demons from the Demon Kingdom, it was merely an attempt to define the matter, find an explanation, and silence some people.

However, Helian Shan couldn't help but frown, looking somewhat annoyed. What exactly was this guy trying to do?

The fact that the Western Regions saintess was killed last time is not a big deal.

They killed this person suddenly without warning, and the killing was far too crude.

If Huo Zhen, the general of Beiliang, knew about this, he would probably become suspicious and cause trouble.

Chen Yuan can ignore everything, but I can't; I have to clean up his mess.

I clearly said before that I would leave it to him to handle and not interfere, but he said everything anyway.

Helian Shan was furious, but he had to put out the fire.

"Thunder Five!"

His voice was somber as he called over a trusted person from his inner circle and summoned a name.

As soon as he finished speaking, lightning suddenly flashed between the cloud patterns on the beams and pillars of the Heavenly Patrol Hall. The auspicious cloud patterns on them came to life, as if the clouds and mist were dispersing. A silver lightning bolt crackled out from it and landed two zhang away from the main seat.

A flash of lightning illuminated a tall figure that swayed and rose from the lightning, exuding an imposing and awe-inspiring presence.

This person had a face as blue as indigo, hair as red as cinnabar, bulging eyes, a mouth like a thunder god, and a height of over two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters). His entire body was a watery color, and a pair of "wind and thunder wings" grew from his back and ribs.

"Lord Helian!"

This strange man with the thunderous mouth held a large silver hammer in one hand, surrounded by silver lightning, and a sharp, black nail chisel in the other.

He bowed deeply towards Helian Mountain, his tall figure imposing, his voice booming like muffled thunder.

These extraordinary individuals are known as the "Thunder God" clan. They are born with a bloodline of thunder, passed down from ancient times. Belonging to an ancient clan, though few in number, each member is powerful. This clan followed the founding emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty in his uprising, conquering vast territories. Later generations were highly valued by the court, essentially the emperor's "private ministers," firmly bound to imperial power. Their clan possesses a unique supernatural ability: using their inherited bloodline to strike thunder, they can transmit messages to clansmen thousands of miles away—a truly mystical feat.

In the past, when Chen Yuan led the troops of the two passes at Tianxiong Pass to fight against the imperial army of 150,000, there appeared a strange person from the Leigong clan who used his Taoist weapon to strike the thunder and report to the heavens.

Actually, there were two members of the Lei Gong clan who came with Helian Shan, and the one who appeared at this moment was one of them.
Helian Shan flipped his hand, and a streak of fire flew out towards Lei Wu. Within the fire was a silk net with dragon patterns on it, radiating extraordinary divine light. This was a sacred weapon designed to trap enemies, called the Heavenly Net.

"Lead the Holy Weapon of this National Preceptor to the front line of the Demon Kingdom and keep a close watch on Huo Zhen!" Helian Shan narrowed his cloudy eyes, a cold glint flashing within them.

"Also, arrange for some demonic creatures captured from the front lines to make an appearance outside the camp where the incident occurred, cause some trouble, and then kill them. Then, inform General Qitian and smooth things over."

Helian Shan did this to shift the blame onto the demons of the Demon Kingdom, in order to prevent the army from losing morale.

Qingmian Lei Wu took the Heavenly Net, bowed again with his tall body, then stood up, snorted like thunder, and suddenly spread his wings on his back, crackling with electricity. Then, he leaped up and transformed into a bolt of lightning, soaring into the sky and disappearing above the dome of the hall.

From his seat of honor, Helian Shan made a series of arrangements. Next, he needed to find out what Lord Chen was planning to do.

"Somebody come!"

"The legend goes that Gongsun Yang of the Ninth Mountain is here!"

Little did he know that Chen Yuan, the very person he had been cleaning up his messes for, had already left Shu after being teleported to Tianxiong Pass and was heading straight for Beiliang.

On that very day, tens of thousands of miles away in Liangzhou, under the vast blue sky and amidst the boundless wilderness, the official road at the foot of the Qilian Mountains was bustling with activity.

Dust flew, horses galloped, clothes fluttered, and banners with horns were displayed.

A streak of light flashed across the sky, and a strange beast strode through the air, majestic and extraordinary, with figures dressed in fine clothes on its back.
There were also giant ships rumbling across the sky, with bright flags flying on them that read "Murong," a powerful and influential family in Northern Liang that had produced powerful warriors.
For a time, carriages and horses of all kinds came and went in an endless stream at the gate of Liangzhou City.

Various powerful and ferocious mounts and beasts, disciples of various sects dressed in their insignia and robes, and the banners of aristocratic families fluttering on their magnificent carriages—all gathered in Liangzhou City, creating a lively and bustling scene.

The commotion also reached the teahouses and taverns in the city.

Someone sipped their tea, pointed at a carriage outside the window, and exclaimed with excitement, "I've lived for thirty years and never seen Liangzhou City so lively! So many magnificent carriages and strange beasts, it's really frightening! Just now I saw Murong's carriage, the wheels alone are wider than my door!"

A bodyguard dressed in short clothes, holding a wine bowl, said with some surprise, "The Prince's Mansion is establishing a new heir tomorrow, and the ceremony is so grand? I remember that when the last heir was established, the ceremony was not this grand."

"This is only today. Many powerful clans won't arrive this early. The main event is the banquet at the Prince's Mansion tomorrow!"

"Judging from this, most of the well-known people in Beiliang will probably be there. It's hard to imagine what a grand occasion it will be."

"That's right, our Prince is of noble birth, guarding the northern frontier, and is renowned for his prestige. He is also known as a wise and virtuous king because he is respectful to scholars. Who wouldn't want to show his face?"

"Tsk tsk!" someone shook their head and clicked their tongue. "This is going to be interesting!"

On this day, Liangzhou City was bustling with activity, its prosperity as vibrant as a blazing fire.

On the other side, in a secluded courtyard within the Northern Liang Prince's Palace, Xu Liang, the special envoy of the imperial court and the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, stood by the window, gazing into the distance, at a loss for what to do.

In the distance came the lively sounds from the Prince's mansion. Servants were busy in the pavilions and towers, moving between them, where lanterns and decorations were hung.

Tomorrow, the Northern Liang Royal Palace will hold a "Banquet for the Establishment of the Crown Prince," officially establishing the new Crown Prince of Northern Liang.

Their mission, ostensibly dispatched by the imperial court, is nearing its end.

The first is to mourn the deceased crown prince, and the second is to establish a new crown prince.

However, the investigation that His Majesty had secretly ordered has made no progress.

Although they made contact with the informant lurking inside the Prince's mansion, the information he provided was very limited, and they had not yet detected anything unusual.

Even he himself began to have doubts. Could His Majesty's information be wrong? (End of Chapter)