The True Lord has arrived

Chapter 43 Unparalleled Courage (Please read further and vote with monthly tickets)
Yin Zichuan's expression seemed to freeze. It took him a while to understand what Zhou Yan's words meant. He pointed to himself and said, "Huh? A document imitating the imperial decree conferring titles upon the mountain god?"

"Who?"

"I?"

Zhou Yan nodded: "It's you."

He explained the current situation.

After Yin Zichuan understood what Zhou Yan wanted to do, hesitation appeared in his eyes.

"I am a scholar of the Great Tang Dynasty, my lord!"

Zhou Yan simply took out a bag of money: "It's all yours once it's sold."

Yin Zichuan looked at the money, but finally shook his head, saying, "My lord, no, it really won't work. For this thing to be effective, it needs at least some kind of justification, not just the emperor's seal, right?"

Zhou Yan took out the second bag of money.

The scholar said, "This Taoist scripture says that the best thing is for Heaven and Earth to recognize it, then for the emperor of the dynasty to bestow it, and then, at the very least, for the imperial court to issue orders from all levels and for the local government to recognize it, and for it to have an official seal."

"But right now, we don't have a seal. A fake seal can only fool ordinary people, not luck."

"Now Heaven doesn't recognize it, Earth doesn't accept it, and the Emperor is even less likely to accept it."

“My lord, you must either have an official seal or a token of royal blood. Without these two, even if I am bold enough to do this with you, it is useless.”

Zhou Yan paused slightly. Just when Yin Zichuan thought it was impossible, he saw Zhou Yan slowly reach out, rummage in his pocket, and take out an item—a jade thumb ring, extremely ornate and clearly a royal possession.

Yin Zichuan was stunned and asked, "Whose is this?"

Zhou Yan said, "She is a princess."

This was given to him by Li Zhiwei when they were escaping from the market town of Qingmingfangzhu. He never expected it would still be useful now. The young man naturally did not know that it was given to him by Li Zhiwei's mother, who was personally chosen by the current emperor to marry the Prince of Guangping as a concubine.

This thumb ring is a token bestowed by the current emperor.

So, Yin Zichuan licked his lips, a hint of eagerness appearing in his eyes.

"Imperial decrees are acceptable, but misuse of them will backfire."

"My lord, if there is still royal blood..."

Zhou Yan reached into his pocket.

The talisman I pulled out was also given to me by Li Zhiwei.

It was in the market of Qingming Fangzhu that Li Zhiwei dripped his blood to send messages to the outside world. Of course, the blood had long since dried up, but it was still royal blood, and extremely pure.

Now, the royal token, the royal blood, and the power of the mountain king are all gathered together.

The only thing missing is the imperial decree, which is, of course, the most important step.

It's something that many people in this era would rather die than cross that line.

And now.

A chivalrous knight from another world, and a gossipy scholar who makes a living by forging documents—a man and a ghost, their eyes locked.

It is often said that among three people, one will automatically become the idea king.

The good news is that there are only two people now.

The bad news is, they're all just idea generators.

"Done?"

"Done!"

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

Li Zhenyue led thirteen heavy cavalrymen forward.

Because their ability to track was concealed, they could only resort to military tracking methods again. They knew these tracking techniques, but they were not used to the magical prowess of tracking that they had relied on before.

A cavalryman scouted ahead and said, "Captain, there are horse hooves here."

"Shen Cangming and Zhou Yan left from here."

Li Zhenyue looked at the hoofprints on the mountain road, then raised his sword and examined them carefully before saying, "Not here, it's too obvious."

He spurred his warhorse forward, carefully observing the surrounding tree branches and subtle traces, simulating what had happened, and said, "Those places with many hoofprints were deliberately left by Shen Cangming."

"This is the path they took."

"Take this path."

These heavy cavalry were indeed the elite of the Tang Dynasty, but it was precisely because they were elite that they fell into the trap. Li Zhenyue slowly moved forward, and the wind and rain gradually subsided, but he suddenly realized that something was wrong.

This is an intuition belonging to battle-hardened veterans and military officers.

He tightened the reins and shouted, "Be on guard!"

But it was too late. With a rumbling sound, the rocks in front suddenly collapsed. The heavy cavalry couldn't react in time, and after the mountain road collapsed, the path was no longer able to support the warhorses. Rocks were still crashing down from above.

To avoid falling with their horses, several cavalrymen had to abandon their mounts, tumbling down the mountainside. Their eyes were bloodshot as they watched their horses tumble down the slope. Li Zhenyue's heart was bleeding; gripping his sword, he managed to remain rational and say:

"Form ranks and retreat!!"

With the sound of blades being drawn, the heavy cavalry slowly retreated in formation, intending to move to a more spacious and safe place. They were extremely cautious, but soon, the accompanying Taoist priest noticed a faint magical fluctuation.

Fang Haoyue glanced to the side and saw ancient characters emitting a faint light on the rocks beside her.

This is?

Sogdian magic?
Fang Haoyue's pupils suddenly contracted. He was a Xuan Guan [Patrol Officer], skilled in tracking. With the help of magical artifacts, he could see demonic energy with his naked eye and obtain feedback from celestial bodies and earth veins to determine the location of fugitives.

However, both his physique and martial arts skills were average.

At least there's no way to react to spells at such close range.

Sogdian Taoist priests excel at unleashing spells instantly using specific texts and materials. While these spells are weaker than those of Taoist priests, their key characteristic is their instantaneous nature.

boom! ! !
Fang Haoyue crossed his arms, intending to take the hit head-on. His eyes reflected the exploding flames and the flying debris that shot towards him along with the bursting flames, and he saw the runes emitting a red light.

This is one of the original texts of that ancient sect, meaning explosion.

A flame that rotates eternally.

The Tang Dynasty embraced all nations, and the Taoist officials of that era possessed vision and knowledge surpassing any other generation.

Fang Haoyue instinctively defended herself, but immediately realized what was happening.

This burst, this explosion, is not meant to attack oneself at all, but rather to blast rocks apart. Under the influence of this powerful primal magic, the rubble will strike one's face like a bolt of crossbow.

Fang Haoyue was on guard against magic at first, but she didn't expect this.

Even the best outcome would be blinding. At the same time, he subconsciously stepped back, but the path had narrowed in the collapse. With this step, Fang Haoyue would at least be blinded, resulting in a fall off the cliff.

Their combat experience and combat skills were completely overwhelmed.

Fang Haoyue felt a chill in his heart, but at that moment, a tremendous force pushed him away. With his cloak billowing, Li Zhenyue, wearing mountain-patterned armor, reacted instantly upon realizing the problem.

The heavy shields, one of the standard equipment of the Tang army, swept across the area, suppressing the spell completely.

With a deafening roar, Li Zhenyue blocked the explosion. The Xuanjia armor personally crafted by the Xuanxiang Bureau withstood the flames and debris. His reaction was extremely fast, preventing the loss of the team's most crucial member.

Li Zhenyue said, "Be on guard."

Fang Haoyue said, "Yes... Captain... No, be careful!"

Fang Haoyue's pupils suddenly contracted. In Li Zhenyue's blind spot, he saw a large black horse carrying a middle-aged man on its back. The man had a missing arm and was holding a horizontal sword. Beneath his curly black hair, his open eye was like the sharpness of an arrow.

That look in his eyes was like a lone tiger about to pounce on its prey.

Arrogant, disdainful, and calm.

...Shen Cangming!

Fang Haoyue felt as if his heart was being gripped, and a sense of dread, as if everything had been arranged perfectly, made his hands and feet go cold. He suddenly realized a terrifying truth.

All of this is preparation for battle, with the objective of a decapitation strike?!
They have always been the pursuers.

However, they arrogantly ignored the possibility of the other party launching an attack.

"My lord, watch out!!!"

Fang Haoyue exclaimed in surprise. The Tang soldiers who raised their shields instinctively defended themselves, which led to one outcome: Shen Cangming and the black horse charged down the mountain at full speed. This black horse, which liked to eat bean cakes, was now like a dragon, making the mountain road look like flat ground.

If it rushes too fast, it will definitely crash straight down the mountain.

But the black horse showed no fear whatsoever, rampaging wildly. While ordinary horses would have their eyes covered when charging, the black horse's eyes gleamed with the ferocity of a wild beast.

It leaped up suddenly, its roar like a dragon.

Carrying Shen Cangming on its back, the horse's hooves slammed heavily onto the heavy shield.

Then, with a hiss, he leaped up, his sword unsheathed, and crashed directly into the shield formation that had been transformed into heavy infantry. At the moment when Li Zhenyue had exhausted his old strength and had not yet generated new strength in order to save Fang Haoyue, Shen Cangming's gaze was indifferent and murderous.

It crashed into the protective perimeter.

The blade is drawn, and a powerful slash follows!

The target was Li Zhenyue, the core captain of this group.

In an instant, the formation of this elite Tang army collapsed.

One pair of fourteen.

Even in dire straits, there is still the courage to take the initiative and break the deadlock.

Only by facing death can one seek survival.

It is for——

Xingxiu River, Shen Cangming.

(End of this chapter)