Patrol Captain

Two thousand miles south of Liangzhou lies a prefectural city called Zhangye!

Around 9:00 AM that day, the originally clear sky suddenly darkened, as if veiled by a layer of gauze. Then, the southern horizon darkened by half, and the clouds on the horizon slowly turned red. It wasn't the warm orange-red of the sunset, but a bright red like blood staining white cloth, as if a pool of blood had been spilled from the clouds and was flowing down through the gaps in the clouds, staining the southern sky. An inexplicable sense of oppression gradually permeated the world.

Many residents in the city felt a dull, oppressive feeling in their chests, like the calm before a storm.

"Why did the weather change?"

"Look in the sky, what's that?"

"Why are those clouds so bright red, like...like blood..."

"Pah, pah, pah, what nonsense are you talking about?"

"........."

Many people in the city noticed the strange phenomenon in the south and couldn't help but stop and look at the large, blood-red clouds. They were surprised but also felt a vague unease, which they couldn't quite put their finger on, and they began to whisper among themselves.

Within the city, however, some highly skilled and insightful individuals keenly sensed the anomaly. They felt the oppressive atmosphere even more intensely, and streaks of light shot into the sky, their eyes fixed on the south, filled with astonishment and uncertainty.

"This is definitely not a simple celestial phenomenon!"

"Something must have happened in the south. Let's go check it out."

The martial arts experts in this city quickly made a judgment. The oppressive feeling of tightness in their chests was undeniable, and they immediately had the idea of ​​investigating.

And so, some people, filled with astonishment and doubt, transformed into streaks of light and went south one after another to explore.

They left the city, their movements swift and rapid, and gathered together, attempting to uncover the origin of the blood cloud.

After streaks of light flew for hundreds of miles, they finally arrived at the edge of the blood cloud. Only then did they realize that the sky was covered with a blinding blood-red cloak, stretching as far as the eye could see. This sight gave them a suffocating feeling and made them very uncomfortable.

"What could possibly cause such a bizarre celestial phenomenon that seems to have no end in sight?"

"Keep exploring further in!"

Some people, upon witnessing this scene, felt a strong sense of suffocation and were filled with fear, so they dared not continue forward and stopped there. However, some people were skilled and daring, and despite the oppressive feeling brought by the blood cloud, they continued to move forward, wanting to explore the truth behind it.

But these people continued to fly through the void, a hundred miles, two hundred miles... and were shocked to find that the blood clouds stretched endlessly, and they became even more horrified.

In the vast天地 (heaven and earth), blood-red clouds pressed down, and they, standing beneath them, were as insignificant as ants, gazing towards the south.

"What exactly happened in the south?"

A sense of unease lingered in everyone's hearts, refusing to dissipate. The powerful figures within the manor did not stop, seeking answers. Their robes fluttered as they moved through the vast celestial landscape, until at a certain moment, the wind suddenly froze, and a sound came from afar, like muffled thunder. But soon, the sound grew clearer as it approached.

"Boom"

"Boom"

"Boom"

The sound was like the beating of war drums, like hammering the sky, growing ever louder and louder.

A group of powerful figures from the manor felt each drumbeat strike their chests, their bodies jolted out of the escape light. Their minds were shaken, and they sensed something was wrong. They tried to flee, but the drumming approached at an extremely fast speed, giving them no time to react or escape. The sound shook the void, causing the sky and earth to tremble, and they were thrown about. Some of the weaker ones cried out in alarm and fell from mid-air.

Soon, blood-red clouds churned in the distance, as if the heavens and earth were being torn apart by an invisible hand. Then, a shocking scene crashed into the eyes of the crowd, causing their pupils to dilate and their hearts to feel as if struck by a giant hammer—a colossal figure, a thousand feet tall and towering, carrying a mountain of earth in his hands, stepped out of the blood-red clouds. The void beneath his feet trembled, and rolling lightning accompanied each step. His back was as heavy as a mountain, yet also like a god descending to earth, carrying an undeniable pressure. Each step covered tens of miles, causing the heavens and earth to lose their color. The deafening boom was the sound of his footsteps.

Amidst the horrified gazes of the group, the towering giant seemed to sense something, lowered his head, and glanced at them with eyes as bright as the sun.

With just one glance, everyone felt their blood freeze, as if they had fallen into an ice cellar. Their eyes were filled with terror, and their minds were almost torn apart. Fortunately, the towering giant ignored them and strode away into the air.

The feeling that death could strike at any moment receded like a tide, and these people felt as if they had just walked through the gates of hell. They broke out in a cold sweat, feeling lingering fear, followed by uncontrollable horror as they stared in the direction the giant had gone.

Not long after, the giant "moved the mountain" and passed through Zhangye City, where countless people witnessed this awe-inspiring scene.

Objects crashed onto the city's bluestone slabs with a thud, and the people stared wide-eyed, pointing towards the sky, their voices trembling:
"Then, what is that??"

"It's a god! It's a god moving mountains!"

In teahouses and taverns, on streets and alleys, figures looked up amidst the waves of exclamations, witnessing giants moving mountains, as if gods were shifting mountains.

The moment the giant in the sky lifted his foot, the entire city seemed to tremble. The bowls and plates in the teahouse clattered and clanged, and everyone in the room forgot to make a sound, staring only at the sky-covering figure.

The wind was filled with the sound of gasps for air. Whether it was children in the city, farmers on the ridges of the fields, or woodcutters in the mountains, everyone forgot their work and just stared at the direction in which the towering giant was walking through the air. They didn't even dare to breathe too heavily, for fear of disturbing this giant who had come out of mythology. Then they saw the giant walk through the air and quickly disappear into the distance.

After the giant, who resembled a god, left, the entire city suddenly erupted in commotion and excitement, with everyone discussing the giant's origins and what had happened. Everyone was astonished and shaken.

As dusk fell, news arrived from Liangzhou in the south, causing the city to erupt in chaos.

In Liangzhou, on the day of the new crown prince's investiture at the Northern Liang Royal Palace, Chen Yuan, the Martial Saint of Shu, single-handedly entered Liangzhou, taking on half of the Northern Liang martial arts world. He fought against thousands of soldiers, slaughtering them and suppressing the Northern Liang King. Later, he even engaged in a fierce battle with the celestial beings behind the royal palace, killing them and causing celestial anomalies, resulting in a rain of blood. Thus, King Xiao Zhongtian of Liang was defeated and fled, Liangzhou became a living hell, with countless deaths and injuries. Finally, the entire royal palace was uprooted by the Martial Saint Chen Yuan, who had transformed into a giant…

In this battle, celestial beings from the upper realm perished, the thousand-year-old foundation of the Northern Liang King's Mansion was destroyed, the Liang King raised an army, and countless people in Liangzhou died or were injured, all due to the power of one person!
Chen Yuan, the Martial Saint of Shu!
Imperial Envoys on Inspection Tours in the Southwest!
The news spread like wildfire, with unparalleled speed, from Liangzhou outwards, causing earthquakes and widespread panic and outrage! (End of Chapter)