Daqin Zhentiansi

The army marched swiftly along the main road for two days and two nights.

On the morning of the third day, a huge city finally appeared in the distance, standing in the morning mist.

The city wall was extremely high, its entire surface a dark gray with a faint sheen.

From a distance, the entire city looks like a giant rock growing out of the earth, so enormous that it seems like a creation from another world.

It looks more like a sleeping mountain range that has been artificially given the shape of a city wall.

The city gate tower was built almost twice as tall as that of ordinary cities.

The eaves of the rooftop jut out to both sides like a giant eagle spreading its wings.

But what truly halted the army's advance was not the size of the city.

It was the aura emanating from that city.

An invisible force field enveloped the entire Feihong City, like an inverted ancient bell, separating the city from the outside world into two distinct realms.

Those standing outside the city could not sense the specific form of that force field, but everyone could feel that the city wall was alive.

The ancient battle patterns engraved all over the city wall shimmered with a dark golden light in the morning light, each turn accompanied by a very low hum.

The buzzing sound pierced the earth and reached the feet of the 200,000-strong army.

The soldiers felt the ground beneath their feet tremble slightly, as if the heart of the entire city was beating.

Tuoba Shan gripped his spear tightly and muttered under his breath, "This city... is even more eerie than Zhaohua City."

Amu did not answer.

He just stared at the flowing battle patterns on the city wall, his hand unconsciously tightening its grip on the bow arm.

He was a hunter by birth and had a beast-like instinct for danger.

At this moment, his intuition was frantically telling him that every brick and stone on the city wall had been reinforced with battle runes.

Let alone attacking the city, even if 100,000 demonic beasts charged at the same time, they might not be able to break through that city gate.

Many people were standing on the city gate tower.

The clothing and armor worn by those people were more ancient and more elaborate.

Standing at the very front was a tall general.

He wore a heavy black iron armor, the surface of which was covered with silver-white patterns.

A long sword, entirely deep purple, hung at his waist, its scabbard inscribed with a line of ancient characters.

The sword was not drawn, but the air around the scabbard was a few degrees colder than the rest of the room.

His gaze fell from the city wall and swept over the 200,000-strong army below.

"Did you come from Zhaohua City?"

Tuoba Shan took a deep breath, stepped forward, and raised his head to proclaim loudly, "Indeed! Mr. Zhang Yuan has led his troops here!"

The general's gaze fell on Zhang Yuan, who was standing at the front of the army.

He was silent for a moment.

Then he clenched his right fist, held it horizontally in front of his chest, and lowered his head.

That was the ancient Tianyuan military salute.

This is not a courtesy to ordinary guests, but a courtesy to fellow countrymen.

"Lu Yuan, the garrison commander of Feihong City, has been waiting here for many days on the orders of the city lord."

Everyone on the city wall was stunned.

The elite soldiers, clad in ancient armor, looked at each other in bewilderment.

Lu Yuan is the city's garrison commander of Feihong City. He is a half-step Venerable and commands 50,000 elite troops in the city. Even the city lord treats him with respect.

He could count the number of times he had saluted in his entire life on one hand.

But now, he gave the Tianyuan Army salute to the young man below the city.

Zhang Yuan stood below the city wall, looking at the general on the city wall who was saluting him.

He did not return the gift.

He simply said, "Get up." Just three simple words.

His tone was flat, as if he were talking to a long-lost subordinate.

The soldiers on the city wall all changed their expressions.

This guy has such a big ego. When General Lu Yuan saluted him, he didn't even return the salute.

But Lu Yuan was not angry.

He paused for a moment, then spoke, his voice lower: "Sir, you must be tired from your journey. Please enter the city."

The city gate slowly opened.

It's not the kind of door that opens to the sides.

Instead, the battle patterns on the entire city gate lit up simultaneously, accompanied by a muffled rumble, and the ten-zhang-high city gate slowly rose and disappeared into the wall above the gate opening.

The suspension bridge also dropped at the same time.

The drawbridge wasn't made of wooden planks, but rather a single metal plate engraved with battle patterns. When it landed on the opposite bank of the moat, it made a muffled "thud," shaking the ground.

The army began to enter Feihong City in an orderly manner.

After everyone had entered the city, the city gates slowly closed.

Inside the city, laborers were already waiting, leading the soldiers to their designated encampments.

The food, lodging, and equipment for 200,000 people were organized in a very short time, in an orderly manner without any chaos.

It was as if the city had long been prepared for this day.

Zhang Yuan was not in a hurry to go into the city.

He stood outside the city gate, looking at the city walls covered with ancient patterns.

Those patterns and the battle patterns on the Zhenyue Token share the same origin.

Lu Yuan descended from the city wall, walked up to Zhang Yuan, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Mr. Zhang, the city lord has prepared a simple banquet at his residence. Please—"

He hadn't finished speaking.

A terrifying aura surged into the sky from the depths of the city!

The aura was icy, sharp, and unstoppable, like a divine sword that had been sealed for millions of years, finally being unsheathed today!
The sky above Feihong City trembled violently under the impact of that aura, and the clouds within a radius of dozens of miles were instantly swept away, revealing the clear blue sky behind it!
Everyone in the city felt that aura at the same moment.

The ordinary soldiers were so crushed they could barely breathe, and they had to frantically grab onto the walls beside them to keep their balance.

Even Lu Yuan's pupils contracted sharply, and his hand unconsciously gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist.

The 200,000-strong army remained completely silent.

Then a voice came from the deepest part of the city.

The voice was ancient yet resonant, as if it had pierced through millions of years of wind and sand, and countless cycles of life and death, carrying an indescribable wildness and passion, as it boomed across the entire city of Feihong.

"Hahaha--!"

That was loud laughter.

"Zhang Yuan! Is that you?!"

The voice was so powerful that it caused pebbles to fall from the city wall and ripples to spread across the surface of the moat.

The laughter contained ecstasy, excitement, and the uncontrollable surge of joy that comes from finally reuniting after a million-year wait!
Zhang Yuan stood still, and the moment he heard that voice, his pupils contracted slightly.

Then he laughed.

The smile was faint, but there was a light in his eyes that seemed to pierce through millions of years and see a scene so distant that it was almost forgotten.

He did not answer.

He took a step directly in the direction from which the sound came.

After taking that step, his figure had already appeared a hundred feet away.

The streets, houses, and pedestrians in the city seemed to be compressed beneath his feet, with each step covering several miles.

Lu Yuan stood there, watching Zhang Yuan's figure disappear after taking that one step, and remained silent for a moment.

Then he muttered under his breath, "As expected... it was him." (End of Chapter)