The True Lord has arrived

Chapter 40 Covering the Rear, The Promise (Please read further and vote with monthly tickets)

Li Zhenyue, with a solemn expression, led the elite troops of the Shuofang Army, relying on the Xuan Guan's [Tracing Tracks] ability to pursue them straight ahead. When they arrived at the foot of Wuyin Peak, the accompanying Daoist official frowned slightly.

The jade disc in his palm began to spin in a clearly abnormal way.

It started to become unstable, and the images gradually distorted until they turned into a blurry, sand-like trace, eventually becoming a blank space. Fang Haoyue, the [Tracing] expert, was silent for a moment before saying, "I don't know why, but the aura of this mountain is so mixed."

"The dissipated malevolent energy, resentment, yin energy, and a strong Buddhist aura are all mixed together. My cultivation level is not high enough; I am only a ninth-rank Xuan official. My magical methods are insufficient to find Shen Cangming and the others under these circumstances."

Li Zhenyue stretched out his hand, and raindrops fell softly into his palm.

The professional soldier from the Shuofang Army simply said in a cold voice:
"Chase."

They were sent out to hunt down Shen Cangming of Xingxiuchuan. Each of them was a Xuan Guan of the Shuofang Army. It could be said that they were the elite of each small corps, and then led by Li Zhenyue, who had made the first to charge.

Each one of them is a legion ace.

The Anren Army's battle record, as well as the fierce battles against the Tubo, were not clear to the Shuofang Army. They only knew about the sudden death of the unrecorded military governor of the Four Garrisons.

This led to a kill order for Shen Cangming and the deployment of an extremely powerful force.

Their warhorses were no ordinary creatures either.

Even stronger than these powerful and vigorous beasts are the spirit beasts that possess self-awareness and self-cognition. There is not much difference between the two in terms of pure physical strength, but spirit beasts can cooperate with Xuan Guan.

Above that are those who possess supernatural powers.

Either ride the wind, or drift aimlessly through the air.

Back then, [Dilu] was at this level.

Even clad in heavy armor, these elite troops braved the storm and plunged into the rain to begin their ascent. The muddy mountain paths and the rain only slightly slowed them down.

All of this—that murderous intent, that hatred—was subtly transmitted to Zhou Yan through the connection between the Mountain Lord's authority and Misty Peak.

Although this tiger did not receive an imperial decree from the human dynasty, it cultivated itself on this mountain and became a demon. Its connection with the mountain forest was actually very close. The first wisp of wind in the mountain conveyed the situation below to Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan's expression changed, interrupting the scholar who was still rambling on.

"Uncle Shen, there are enemies."

Shen Cangming looked at Zhou Yan; he knew Zhou Yan had a secret.

But he didn't say anything, only saying, "I know."

"Walk."

"it is good!"

Yin Zichuan said, "Ah? Great hero, young hero, and Ma Zhongxia, you can't leave like this. This child, you help the child..." He was a little anxious and wanted to say that he should perform a ritual to help the child pass on, but he really couldn't bear to say it in front of the child.

I was so frustrated that I started to pace around.

Zhou Yan tapped his right thumb against his little finger, and raised his ring, index, and middle fingers straight up, forming a hand seal, and said:
"Control ghosts and exorcise souls, by imperial decree!"

The power of the Mountain Lord Jade Talisman erupted.

As Zhou Yan felt his spirit weakening, the incessantly chattering Yin Zichuan transformed into a ball of blue flame and flew to Zhou Yan's side. Zhou Yan took out a porcelain bottle and had Yin Zichuan put it inside.

However, the little girl was trapped inside her body and could not be exorcised.

Zhou Yan picked up the child and placed him on the little yellow horse. Then he packed up the bamboo slips, Taoist scriptures, and other items that Wang Chun had left behind, turned them into a package, and hung it on the side of the saddle.

Turning his head, he said:
"Uncle Shen!"

Shen Cangming used his horizontal sword to draw blood from the tiger's brow and heart, placed it in the gourd at his waist, and tossed it to Zhou Yan. A huge rumbling sound came from the mountainside, like falling rocks, followed by the sound of a blade cutting through the air.

Shen Cangming remained expressionless and said, "You go first."

"I left the secret technique of Xuan Guan [Beacon Tower] in your package."

"Since it is a tiger demon that walks the path of earth veins, the combination of its inner core power and blood core can be used as the main ingredient for refining and advancing into a beacon tower. You can do the rest yourself."

Zhou Yan deciphered the hidden meaning in those words.

A powerful sense of panic surged within him in an instant, and he said:

"Uncle Shen?!"

Looking out of the cave and towards the mountain path, Shen Cangming could sense that the people coming were also elites of the Tang Dynasty. Shen Cangming had always had a strong tendency towards self-destruction, so this might be a good end for him.

Some people live in this world just to keep living, and they'll stop at nothing to do so.

For some people, the only purpose of living in this world is to find out how to die.

A place worth dying for.

Covering Zhou Yan's retreat and letting him escape is a good outcome.

But just as he took a step forward, his arm was grabbed.

Zhou Yan stared intently at him.

"Uncle Shen."

Shen Cangming remained silent.

Zhou Yan stared at Shen Cangming. From the moment Shen Cangming instantly killed the tiger, he knew the difference in strength between himself and Uncle Shen.

He is not yet a Xuan Guan (a high-ranking official), so he cannot unleash the power of the Mountain Lord Jade Talisman. If he insists on facing the enemy that even Uncle Shen values ​​alongside him, he will only become a burden and a weakness for Uncle Shen. Neither he nor Shen Cangming are the type to be sentimental and procrastinate.

He is not an indecisive person.

Zhou Yan slowly released his grip and exhaled: "I'll wait for you at the foot of the mountain."

After such a long period of life-and-death bond and the debt of gratitude for saving his life, not only did Shen Cangming regard Zhou Yan as family, but Zhou Yan also truly regarded Shen Cangming as family. Shen Cangming's resolve seemed to be wavering.

Zhou Yan grinned and said, "My swordsmanship is still too weak, and my martial arts are also poor."

Even if you told me the secret technique, I still wouldn't be able to learn it.

Zhou Yan reached out and took out the Xuan Guan secret formula from the package on the little yellow horse. This formula represented everything about the true [Xuan Guan Beacon Tower]: magic power, profound understanding, and even the ability of the beacon tower to sense the earth's veins.

The ability to sense the earth's veins is extremely important for the [Mountain Lord Jade Talisman].

With the beacon tower, Zhou Yan gained magical power, allowing him to use the jade talisman's spells more frequently. After gaining more cultivation, he could unleash even greater power with the [Hungry Ghost Jade Talisman], [Lantern Shadow Jade Talisman], and [Mountain Lord Jade Talisman].

It can be said that he went from being a mortal demon slayer to becoming a transcendent [Mystic Official].

This first step represents the possibility of a complete transformation.

It was also something that allowed Shen Cangming to face death with peace of mind.

Zhou Yan looked at Shen Cangming.

Then he picked up the bronze Buddha lamp, shook his hand, and the bronze Buddha lamp was lit. Zhou Yan threw the paper filled with the secret method for advancing the beacon tower into the Buddha lamp, and the golden flame burned it to ashes.

Zhou Yan said, "I'm waiting for you to teach me, Uncle Shen."

He mounted his horse without further ado, raised his sword, took a deep breath, turned his back to Shen Cangming, and said:

"Shen Cangming!"

His voice was calm: "Survive."

"drive!!!"

The horse neighed and charged out with Zhou Yan. Shen Cangming lowered his eyes, turned around, and patted the big black horse. The big black horse raised its head, and the muscles under its skin were clearly defined, like steel twisted together.

The black horse neighed softly, and beneath its mane, around its neck, was a ring of scales.

It looks like dragon scales.

Shen Cangming, carrying a knife, watched as Zhou Yan burned the secret technique, giving Shen Cangming, who was originally at peace and ready to die, a reason to live again.

Zhou Yan understood the meaning behind Shen Cangming's secret method being hidden.

Shen Cangming also knew Zhou Yan's purpose in burning the secret technique directly.

They just didn't say it outright. Sometimes, between people, only simple actions and words are needed to convey very strong emotions.

The silent man said, "Let's go."

"say hi."

"Then--"

"Survive!"

...........................

"The crescent moon hangs on the treetop, hey~ the token hangs behind my waist, oh~"

"Wearing rattan shoes, I crush the dewdrops; hey, don't disturb the dozing stone spirit."

"The old locust tree on the east mountain can blink, and the catfish in the west pool blows bubbles."

"Patrolling the mountain, not the one deep in the clouds, hey hey! When the fog rises, stop the gong and head back to the cave!"

On the other side of Misty Peak, the sound of singing drifted over. The voice was rough and unpleasant, with an indescribable strangeness. Accompanying the sound, a burly man with a waist tag swayed as he walked up the mountain.

It has a human-like face, but wolf ears, golden eyes, and wears human clothes, but underneath the clothes grows black fur. It has a token hanging on its waist and walks upright.

After finishing his song, he took off the gourd from his waist, tilted his head back, and gulped down the wine.

He wiped his mouth and said, "Hey, with all this commotion today, the shopkeeper said that the breakthrough ceremony of that 'Chang Gui' should be around this time. He asked me to come and inspect it to see the quality of this 'Mountain Lord.' Tsk tsk, this commotion looks pretty good."

"That should be about right, considering how many demon soldiers and horses they gave him."

The patrolling monster turned to the side and saw dozens of other monsters following behind it, all strangely shaped and extremely ugly. Some were hideous, some were ferocious, and there were even more behind the mist.

The monster sighed and said, "This mountain lord is really getting off easy."

"There's nothing we can do. After all, the sect leader needs to control demons and set rules for cultivation. Even if a mountain lord is just a mountain lord on the edge of Zhongnan Mountain, he is still a mountain lord, and he is still close to the edge of the immortal mountain of Zhongnan Mountain."

"I've heard that only those with the immortal charm of this sect are qualified to possess the Kunlun treasure."

"Alright, alright, let's send him these soldiers and horses, give him some ceremonial items, and ask for some dried meat and fine wine."

The patrolling demon cleared his throat, raised a demon general's flag, and shouted:
"The sun shines brightly on our backs, and the butterfly fairy is busy leading the way~"

"Gather a handful of dry firewood to exchange for wine money, hey yo, the leftover rouge peaches from the fox's marriage~"

"The snake's molt is half-rolled up around the branch, and a copper coin is hidden where a crow's feather falls."

"Patrolling the mountain, I don't pick up anything from the world; oh dear! Money stains my claws, and I'll never achieve true cultivation..."

Just as they were singing merrily, they saw a young man riding a yellow horse bursting out of the rain ahead. The demon stopped him and called out, "Oh, where did this fellow demon come from? I am Hei Feng, the Nine Provinces Inspector under the command of our Master Qingming. May I ask your name?"

He stared at the boy and grinned:

"Where did you come from, my lord, and where are you going?"

(End of this chapter)