Deep Sea Hunter, but Deep Sea Titan

As a mobile fortress city, Yumen Pass is special because it is related to a famous martial arts TV series from Yan Kingdom called "Yumen Fengyun".

It successfully transformed Yumen into a fairly popular tourist destination, with everyone wanting to see if this fortress city in the desert truly possessed the chivalrous spirit of the martial arts world depicted in TV dramas.

The man stationed here was Zuo Le's father, Zuo Xuanliao, a veteran general who had fought many battles in the northern frontier.

In addition, the eldest brother of the Sui family, Shuo—or rather, Grandmaster Chongyue—whose combat strength still ranks first in the Sui family even though he has sealed his authority, makes this fortified city even more impregnable.

He always wore a loose-fitting mandarin jacket with a dark base and light yellow trim, his resolute face revealing his heroic spirit and dashing demeanor.

Although there are no visible signs of aging, maturity and composure are his most prominent qualities.

In the vast desert where yellow sand swirls, the most common comfort in the military tents, which are strong enough to block the wind and sand, is tea transported from the interior of Yan.

For Chongyue, a martial arts master, receiving a letter from home was enough to stir his emotions.

The letter that Xi sent finally reached him after several twists and turns.

Amidst the steaming tea, Chongyue unfolded the letter.

"Second brother, you have ultimately gone astray."

Chongyue put down the letter that Xi had entrusted Si Suitai to deliver. After hesitating for a while, he finally threw the letter into the charcoal brazier after reading it repeatedly.

The mention of "Gonggong" in the letter and the strange phenomena in her painting had already made Chongyue aware that his second brother had become even more restless recently.

However, he had also heard about the alliance ceremony held in the capital recently. Given the current crisis, it is a blessing for the world that he is willing to step forward.

"The court does not recommend intervening in this matter any further."

Zuo Xuanliao, the garrison commander of Yumen and Marquis Pingchong, is a slightly aged but highly decorated military general who holds a considerable position in the Yan Kingdom's court.

This once spirited Phidia general has inevitably shown signs of fatigue and aging under the ravages of time.

After the Shan Hai Zhong incident eighteen years ago, he began to distance himself from the so-called "people of the martial arts world," but this crisis of trust was exactly what Shan Hai Zhong wanted to see.

"General Zuo, my second brother's matter is also a family matter, and I have to get involved."

Chongyue had already guessed that his second brother's pretense of cleverness had offended the old man Gonggong. Before things got any worse, he naturally hoped to find a way to stop his second brother's paranoid and mad behavior.

Otherwise, if Gonggong were to truly be driven to murder and decide to kill, I'm afraid no one could save my second brother's life.

"Grandmasters also have their own difficulties, and I know that, of course."

Among the Sui family, this eldest brother was the most worldly and loved this world the most. He loved it so much that he abandoned his identity as "Shuo" and instead defined himself as the Grandmaster Chongyue.

This could have been a prerequisite for the court to place even greater trust in him, but Zuo Xuanliao couldn't help but worry that the Grand Master was too deeply involved in military and political affairs, and that the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of War, and many other departments were watching him closely.

Sometimes, even he himself is often powerless to control his own destiny.

"General Zuo, His Excellency Gonggong is approaching Yumen Pass."

The military officer brought news that Luo Ting was about to arrive at Yumen Pass.

Upon hearing this news, Zuo Xuanliao sighed deeply. The court had informed him in advance that Gonggong would pass through Yumen on his way to Tianji Pavilion and was very likely to take action to eliminate the Shanhai people.

He fought against the Shan Hai Clan for eighteen years, and personally eradicating them was his long-cherished wish as a veteran border guard.

Now, having to rely on external forces—which he considers "inhuman"—to solve the problem is ultimately a source of embarrassment and regret.

However, for the sake of the overall situation and the well-being of the people in the city, this scourge of the Mountain and Sea Clan could no longer be allowed to linger.

At this time, Luo Ting had already entered this fortified city. Although it was a fortified city, it was also a city. Despite being stationed in a desolate place for many years, the people in the city still maintained normal production and life, adding a bit of vitality to the desolate desert city beyond the Great Wall.

Laurentina and Skadi's mucous membranes, which are typical of Agorians, are extremely painful due to dryness, but they are unwilling to remain hidden in the Mountain and Sea Scroll forever.

The drought was enough to make them uncomfortable and slow them down, but they were deep-sea hunters after all, and the dryness of the environment alone was not enough to cause them to lose most of their fighting ability.

In the original work, the Mountain and Sea Clan were able to launch a frontal assault after their schemes were foiled, all thanks to Ya's help. However, Ya has now become a bound spirit of the Mountain and Sea Scroll.

Once they can be identified from the people of Yumen, eliminating them will be quite easy.

As for their old lair, a small geological shift by Lotin would be enough to completely erase it from the map.

"Your Excellency Gonggong, I am sorry to trouble you to come from afar. Please come with me to the camp to rest for a while."

The military officer and a centurion from Yumen led Yumen's elite troops out of the camp to greet them.

It seems that although the people in this remote area have not yet widely recognized "Gonggong," at least the people in the imperial court have already grasped the situation.

Because Luo Ting was too tall to fit inside the tent, Zuo Xuanliao and Chong Yue had to greet him in the open-air camp in front of the tent.

"Your Excellency Gonggong, this remote and desolate place has no worthwhile tribute to offer. We have only a few cups of new tea sent from the mainland to serve you. Please forgive us."

Zuo Xuanliao clasped his hands in greeting to Luo Ting. This was simply the straightforwardness and roughness of a martial artist, and could not be considered a bad attitude.

"Thank you for taking care of my three younger sisters."

Chongyue also clasped his hands in greeting to Luoting. He could feel the power emanating from this ancient being. Compared to the ancient "Gonggong" in his memory, the aura of the person in front of him was even stronger.

"It's just mutual help. Your sisters paid some tithes and wanted to relax in my Mountain and Sea Scroll. It's not really a favor."

Is there a water shortage near Yumen?

Looking out at the endless yellow sand, Luo Ting sighed at the desolation and harsh conditions of the place.

"With the full support from the mainland, we are able to maintain our daily expenses."

"That would require a lot of manpower and resources. As a small gift for our meeting, General Zuo can choose a suitable place, and I will grant you a river as a reward for the soldiers and civilians guarding the border."

Using the power of the "Mountains and Seas Scroll" skin to change the local climate and hydrological distribution is not actually that difficult.

"Your Excellency Gonggong is so generous in bestowing upon us this sweet rain. On behalf of the people and soldiers of Yumen, I am deeply grateful. However, I have heard that Your Excellency has come for the sake of the Shanhai people. These Shanhai people are secretive and treacherous. I am afraid that they may harm innocent civilians. Therefore, I am not in a position to take action in a large-scale manner."

Zuo Xuanliao directly stated the biggest difficulty he had faced over the years: the most difficult step in suppressing the Shanhai bandits was how to avoid harming the Yumen people who had been invisibly turned into shields for these bandits.

“What’s so difficult about that? The leader of the Mountain and Sea Clan has already submitted to me. All I need to do is lure him, and these thieves from the Mountain and Sea Clan will reveal themselves in an instant.”

This is the source of Luo Ting's confidence in dealing with the Shan Hai people without harming the innocent.

All he needed to do was summon the Ya from the Mountain and Sea Scroll and tell it that dealing with the Mountain and Sea Clan would help him seek revenge on the Sui Beast.

This is essentially saying, "Your bosses are all my men, what do you have to fight me with?"

In the eyes of these people, Ya had only disappeared from the Mountain and Sea Scroll for a period of time. The Mountain and Sea Clan, who already had only a superficial understanding of giant beasts, were completely unaware of what had happened between Ya, Wang, and Luo Ting.

Moreover, as a colossal beast, Ya has countless ways to appease these people from the mountains and seas.

Chapter 203: Karma and Retribution

Eighteen years ago, the Originium technology used by the Terrans was much more primitive. Of course, this excludes islanders like Iberia who relied on advanced islander technology for development. Their most prized technologies were gradually lost after the Great Tranquility.

Back then, conditions in Yumen were far more difficult than they are now, and the manpower and resources required to maintain its operation were far greater than they are today. Indeed, there were quite a few martial artists from the Yan Kingdom who assisted the Yumen garrison in guarding the frontier.

However, allowing unofficial armed forces to interfere in the defense of regular armies is ultimately a violation of the principles of modern armies. In the vacuum period before the separation and handover of responsibilities between the two, the Shan Hai Clan took advantage of the ease of travel between the civilian martial artists in Yumen and infiltrated the city in an attempt to destroy Yumen's core power.

The participation of martial arts practitioners in the regular army's garrison duties was merely a temporary measure during a difficult period. The complete handover of the Yumen defense to the regular army was only a matter of time. However, the interference of the Shan Hai Clan completely disrupted the originally peaceful transition.

Thus, Zuo Xuanliao parted ways with those martial artists who had voluntarily dedicated their lives to Yumen, and the resulting rift allowed the Shan Hai gang to remain in Yumen City for an even longer period.

The key figure among them was Meng Tieyi, the owner of the foundry and a highly respected figure among the martial arts practitioners of Yumen.

Eighteen years ago, the Shan Hai Clan's opportunistic invasion created a significant rift between him and Zuo Xuanliao, to the point that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they became enemies.

"It's a pity that I really have no time to deal with General Zuo's personal grudges."

Just as the poisonous sore that had plagued Yumen for eighteen years was about to be eradicated, Luo Ting saw the desolation and regret on Zuo Xuanliao's face.

"In the face of matters of national importance, Zuo's personal grievances are not worth mentioning."

The general frowned, closed his eyes in frustration. Eighteen years ago, the Mountain and Sea Clan's takeover attempt forced him to kick away those civilian martial artists who had once risked their lives for Yumen, in a manner that was almost a betrayal.

But he could only endure it, just as he had to make a choice eighteen years ago: to drive away and cut off these folk martial artists in order to prevent the Shan Hai Clan from carrying out further rampant destructive actions in the short term.

Too much responsibility was placed on the shoulders of the Yumen garrison commander; he had no choice.

"Then I'll call that person out."

Luo Ting unfurled the scroll depicting mountains and seas, allowing the remnants of Ya's soul to return to the mortal world.

"Yumen! Gonggong, why did you call me out here?"

Ya couldn't possibly be unaware of where this place was. He once intended to destroy this fortress, originally built for hunting giant beasts, with a natural disaster, and at the same time find the whereabouts of the Sui beast's remains.

"Let some of the pieces you discard and no longer use leave the game."

"Those people from the mountains and seas who worship the Year Beast."

As soon as Luo Ting finished speaking, Ya's remnant soul let out a few sneers.

"With your power, wouldn't it be easy to destroy those foolish puppets along with this ant nest?"

Ya was puzzled. Even among the mortals whom He regarded as ants, the Mountain and Sea Clan was a rather weak and disorganized mob. Why would Gonggong specifically target him?

“Compared to fighting the behemoth, there are other things to be wary of at Yumen, and I don’t want to cause too many unnecessary sacrifices.”

"All you need to do is get them to launch a full-scale attack and expose their presence."

"Don't worry, I'll let you humiliate the Sui Beast in the Mountain and Sea Scroll when the time comes."

By exploiting the fanaticism and blind obedience of the Shan Hai people, Luo Ting was able to lure them out of their hole using Ya. As for the greatest collaborator of these Shan Hai people, the owner of the sword-making workshop who felt betrayed, and the madman who attempted to use natural disasters to "reunite" Yumen, Luo Ting was able to do so.

Upon hearing that the beast could be beaten to its knees and humiliated in every way, Ya instantly became interested. Wasn't this just a matter of holding one's nose and coaxing those ants?

He can just coax him.

“Ya…”

Seeing that the once proud and ancient behemoth had lost some of its arrogance, Chongyue guessed what had happened.

"Your Excellency Gonggong, is it true that I, your foolish brother, am ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth, usurping the Mountain and Sea Scroll, instigating Ya, and dragging you into this scheme?"

In Chongyue's memory, his second brother was indeed the one among his brothers and sisters who was most disgusted with the world. He found the human world boring and uninteresting, and this troublesome second brother left the deepest impression on him, the eldest brother.

“Your Excellency Chongyue, I never get angry for no reason.”

“Ya can also testify. He voluntarily became a black piece of Hope in exchange for the opportunity to personally avenge himself against the beast of the year.”

From Luo Ting's words, Chong Yue also understood that the person now providing Ya with this opportunity for revenge had become Luo Ting.

"After my third sister passed away, my second brother became somewhat paranoid, and eventually went mad and went insane."

With Zuo Xuanliao present, Chongyue felt it inconvenient to talk much about his third sister.

It's shameful to admit, but my younger brother is partly to blame for how things have turned out this way. As the eldest brother, he failed to take good care of his younger sister.

But Chongyue will not try to protect Wang because of this. They have been fighting each other for a long time. Chongyue will not show favoritism because he cares about the common people, and Wang will not turn back on this path of no return.

However, if Gonggong himself were to resolve the matter, he might be able to save his brother's life even if he were to be shattered to pieces and vanish into thin air.

But Chongyue knew even better that Gonggong was a vengeful person who could not tolerate even the smallest grievance. He had the ability to stop Wang from bringing about his own destruction, and of course, he also had the ability to tear him to pieces.

"Is Your Excellency Chongyue going to plead for leniency for this heinous criminal before General Zuo?"

In Luo Ting's mind, Chong Yue, the upright and incorruptible eldest brother of the Sui family, would not let Wang continue playing this game. However, his words just now were clearly a test to see if Luo Ting had any intention of killing Wang.

Upon hearing this, Zuo Xuanliao's expression immediately became even more unpleasant. Although he respected Yue Wei as a master and regarded him as a hero of Yumen, he also harbored resentment towards this elder brother of the Cansui family. "There is a difference between humans and animals," was a prejudice that Zuo Xuanliao was unwilling to let go of.

This also reflects the general attitude of the Yan Kingdom's official authorities towards the remains of these mythical beasts.

This is why Luo Ting always felt that these people were trying to curry favor with him but were met with indifference.

"I only hope that Your Excellency Gonggong will show mercy and spare my life."

Chongyue had no intention of covering up Wang's crimes; he only wanted to give him a chance to reform out of brotherly affection.

"Your Excellency Chongyue is overthinking it. I have my own ways to punish such a madman who has already found his way to death."

Let him live to witness his plans crumble, his chessboard shatter, and all his meticulous calculations come to naught—that's the only truly effective way to deal with this kind of madman.

"General Zuo need not be nervous. Grandmaster Chongyue has no intention of showing favoritism or protecting anyone."

"Let's leave the matter of that heinous criminal here and focus on resolving the immediate issue."

"Ya, is Master Meng from the sword-making workshop the one who serves as the Shan Hai Clan's shield and informant in the city?"

Generally speaking, Ya disdains to remember the names of such ants, considering it meaningless, but this one surnamed Meng does leave some impression on Him.

"It's him, Meng Tieyi from the sword-making workshop. He provided many conveniences for the Shan Hai Clan in their operations within the city."

Zuo Xuanliao, who had just calmed down, was once again overwhelmed by the information provided by Ya. This was like bringing up a sore spot. Meng Tieyi happened to be the leader of that group of Yumen warriors. For the sake of the greater good, Zuo Xuanliao had wronged him in many ways.

In the end, he still couldn't escape the karmic retribution of those eighteen years.

Chapter 204: Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole