Chapter 719

Chapter 719: Convergence in the Hidden Valley

In the twilight mountains.

By now, the sky had fully brightened. These border troops of Xiyou Prefecture had, after a day and night of high-speed marching, crossed over the undulating mountains and arrived deep within the twilight mountains.

Compared to the outside world, the soil here was rich with dense Nine Yin Nether Qi, unsuitable for the survival of plants and animals. Although they had entered this place to fight, they could not stay for long, aiming to achieve quick victory. Tu Hao’yang also knew that many old adversaries were watching him in the court, and if things dragged on, all sorts of unexpected events would surely occur.

Therefore, he not only brought his personal troops out of the city but also dispatched a few of the red-blooded dragon riders he could command to the Hidden Valley. On one hand, this was to provide rescue, and on the other, to ascertain the true situation in the Twilight Mountains.

Although the straight-line distance wasn’t long, the terrain was difficult, and various lurking beast demons attacked them, forcing them to halt their battles repeatedly.

Fortunately, the inspector envoy from the Gold Chrysanthemum Xuanhua Mansion used the secret art of the Dragon Vein, allowing the army to proceed smoothly, conserving much effort and preventing excessive fatigue.

After hacking and slashing their way through, they finally approached their destination. But at this moment, the border troops encountered a cluster of demon creatures in the Twilight Mountains.

Since the Chi clan had relocated their people near the Hidden Valley, other areas had become desolate and uninhabited. For these demon creatures that emerged from the cracks in the ground, there was naturally no food around. Gradually, they followed the faint traces and soul signals, gathering near the Hidden Valley.

Their numbers amounted to about 3000, with most being Demon Creatures of the Necromancer Sequence 3, though there were also some of Sequence 5-6.

Tu Hao’yang stood mounted in the midst of the army, gazing at the demon creatures rampaging and occupying the hills and wilderness, feeling a sense of relief. It was fortunate that he had chosen to enter the Twilight Mountains. If these creatures were allowed to escape, causing chaos inside the prefecture, it would have been difficult to handle later.

It was easier to search in the open field, and there were no ordinary civilians. However, within the prefecture, even a single demon creature escaping would require great efforts to capture. This was especially true given such a large number.

The best strategy was to repel the enemy outside. His previous conservative mindset had undergone some changes.

“Have the fire wagons prepare,” he raised his hand and ordered.

“Yes, Sir.” A general wearing a gold-plated feather helmet bowed and saluted, waving his flags. Soon after, changes began to appear at the rear of the army formation as several red-painted iron carts were pushed out, adjusting their angles and directions under the guidance of soldiers.

The military equipment of the House of Plantagenet seemed quite abundant. Lolan Hill, riding among the troops, observed the fire wagons readying themselves under the rapid operations of the soldiers.

Just like how the mages of Rourna manufactured airships and golems as war machines, the armies of the Eastern Dynasties also had their own unique characteristics. The use of firearms was not less than in the West, although the methods differed slightly.

In the open field, upon seeing so many humans, the demon creatures initially charged forward excitedly, but soon they learned their lesson.

The border troops of the Dynasty were not comparable to the impoverished Chi clan. Dense red shields were arranged tightly and orderly, forming an impenetrable barrier when viewed from the front, akin to the scales of a red dragon. As the bloodthirsty demon creatures approached, black crossbows protruded from behind the shields, aiming and firing at them.

Powerful crossbow bolts pierced through some weaker demon creatures, pinning them to the ground, while some Sequence 4 demon creatures inevitably suffered severe injuries.

After several rounds of shooting, only the powerful demon creatures of the Necromancer Sequence 5-6 could approach the army formation.

“Raise the guns!” Several loud orders echoed through the army, followed by the archers stepping back. Then, sharp spears emerged from behind the shields, each nearly 4 meters long, densely arranged, enveloping the front of the army formation like a porcupine.

Several face-patterned ghost snakes charging too fast collided with the sharp spear tips, creating sudden bloodstains. The spears then pierced through and retracted, tearing out surging pale flesh.

Sss—

After being wounded, these ghost snakes were enraged, lifting their heads, the patterns on both sides glowing with a dim light, seemingly trying to intimidate and extinguish the souls of these humans.

But this was merely a last-ditch struggle. Under the concerted efforts of nearly thirty thousand soldiers in the army, such a degree of soul impact was like a light rain on an iron plate, unable to shake the foundation.

Seeing the powerful demon creatures ahead fall, those behind hesitated. While these humans were indeed delicious prey, the demon creatures were hesitant to sacrifice themselves for the kill. They had no moral principles; surviving was their top priority.

Seeing the demon creatures hesitate and dare not advance, Tu Hao’yang sneered, as expected.

Demons were disorganized, seeking benefits while avoiding harm, retreating at the first sign of difficulty.

“Release the arrows.”

“Yes!” A flag with a red border and gold background was raised high and then swiftly lowered, and immediately afterward, the fire carriages behind were set ablaze.

Thick arrows lay on the launching positions of the fire carriages. The arrows bore the seal of the Winter Office’s workshop, ensuring their lethal power. Once lit at the fletching, these arrows would be propelled by flames and fuel, speeding forward and continuously spinning in the air until they streaked across the sky like fiery lines of light, striking the enemy ranks.

Whoosh— Whoosh—

Arrows after arrows were launched from the iron carriages, illuminating the wilderness with dazzling firelight. They carried high temperatures and smoke, piercing into the bodies of the enemies.

Some demons of Sequence 4-5, such as ghost apes, nightmare tapirs, and wraiths, were directly pierced by these enchanted arrows. The explosive force of the intense dragon blood qi contained within the arrows caused their extraordinary cores to shatter, and some weaker souls were completely annihilated in this barrage.

Seeing even the black demon turtle clad in a rocky shell unable to withstand these inscribed arrows and being cooked from the inside out, Lolan Hill understood why the Necromancer Sequence could unify the Western Continent and establish the Mercury Dynasty, while it had not been able to do so in the Eastern Continent.

Unfortunately, the dragon veins on this land provided too many advantages to the Dragon Sequence, forcing the Necromancer Sequence to yield.

After about half an hour, once all the fire carriages had finished firing, the wilderness was littered with burnt and roasted demon corpses, each impaled by metal arrows, filling the air with a pungent smell of smoke.

A large number of demons perished, while a small portion fled in fear. However, there were few left, and they would not pose much threat for now.

After the battle, the casualties on the border troops’ side did not exceed ten, with less than 20 injured, most of whom were accidentally hit by the fire carriages’ rockets.

Once the battle ended, Tu Haoyang ordered some soldiers to stay behind and clean up the battlefield, eliminating any remaining demons and collecting salvageable materials before leading tens of thousands of troops northward to the nearby幽谷 (Yōugǔ).

“This Tu Haoyang is quite generous,” Bu Moyin said as she rode alongside Lolan Hill, following behind the main camp.

“Madam Jialan might not know, but although these fire carriages are powerful, they consume a lot of money. Normally, provincial governors use them sparingly. But look at Tu Haoyang, he pushed out over thirty of them. Each rocket is an inscribed silver-grade artifact, and a single carriage can fire sixty gold plates worth. That’s a total of two thousand gold plates right there.”

“In times of urgency, a little waste isn’t too bad, after all, military funds are meant to be spent,” Lolan Hill replied, shaking her head slightly.

“You, however, seemed very anxious about the Kui Clan earlier. Why are you suddenly concerned about spending money?”

“Because I’ve seen too many people die for just a few silver rings,” Bu Moyin sighed.

Though she grew up in Luo Capital, her frequent travels outside had given her insight into life across the dynasty. Some prosperous areas were better off, but remote regions often saw villagers risking their lives for a few silver rings.

“I roughly estimated that even if we bought all the goods in the valley, it would only amount to two hundred gold plates, yet this is what nearly three hundred thousand people produce in a year.”

“In other words, this rocket display has wiped out nearly ten years of the Kui Clan’s savings,” Bu Moyin lamented, despite understanding that Tu Haoyang’s actions were justified.

“It will get better,” Lolan Hill comforted her, holding her hand, as they approached the secluded valley that had been separated for days.

—

In the Yōugǔ Shrine, Granny Ge Luo sat quietly in the main hall, closing her eyes to perceive the condition of the dragon vein beneath her.

After nearly half an hour, she slowly opened her weary eyes.

“How is it, Granny Ge Luo?” she asked.

Apart from Granny Ge Luo, only Seiryoku, the shrine maiden, was present. Seeing her grim expression, Seiryoku felt a wave of concern.

Granny Ge Luo shook her head and spoke.

“It’s still not possible. The Nine Netherworld Miasma in Ximu Mountain Range has erupted, polluting several dragon veins that were once clear, gradually losing their sensitivity.”

“If this continues, without the疏导 (shūdǎo) of these dragon veins, the miasma will accumulate deeper and deeper, potentially giving rise to more and stronger demons.”

“Is there no solution?”

Seiryoku asked anxiously.

“It seems this cannot be resolved easily. If the entire Ximu Mountain Range’s miasma erupts, it might require mobilizing armies from neighboring provinces and joining forces with five major clans to suppress it.”

Gradually eradicating them, and finally re-sealing them to restore the previous balance.”

“Now, these damaged heavenly gates are like a hole poked in paper window; as the wind blows faster, the hole grows larger, and it becomes increasingly difficult to mend.” As she spoke, the elderly witch seemed to age even more.

“Lord Jialan has already persuaded the governor to send troops. After that, the Xiangyu Sect and Zhaoye Palace are expected to send reinforcements. Even so, can this problem not be resolved?” Qing Ling seemed to seek some comfort.

“If they can arrive quickly, perhaps it might be possible.” Granny Ge Luo was also uncertain about whether the major sects today were still as powerful as they once were. After all, too many changes had occurred.

The sun hung high in the sky. After defeating the demons in the wilderness, these elite border troops finally arrived at the entrance of the valley.

“Attack!”

The few demons occupying the area outside the valley retreated when they saw this continuous army approaching. However, since the border troops had now reached their destination and no longer needed to rush, they changed their laissez-faire attitude and began dispatching forces to pursue the demons.

It was precisely the ‘Xuan Bao Cavalry,’ led by Tu Hao’yang, who took on this task. These cavalrymen clad in black-and-yellow armor, wielding halberds, with black-and-yellow cloaks on their backs, and with apricot-yellow plumes on their helmets, pursued these isolated demons recklessly across the wilderness.

A halberd swung down from a galloping horse, drawing a gruesome streak of blood, directly severing the head of a ghost ape, which rolled to the ground. The headless corpse then slowly fell.

On another side, a slow-running nightmare貘was surrounded and killed by over ten ‘Xuan Bao Cavalry.’ They charged repeatedly, driving it away, and then plunged their halberds into its body one by one until the man-eating nightmare貘exhausted itself and fell, being cut into pieces by the blades.

Under such iron hooves sweeping across, the wilderness outside the valley finally cleared up, and the great gate at the mouth of the valley slowly opened.

Hundreds of demon-slaying envoys gathered at the gate, standing on both sides, with long knives at their waists, standing upright.

Although the Chi Clan was already extremely weak, they still wanted to retain their remaining dignity when accepting rescue from the House of Plantagenet.

Seeing this scene, Tu Hao’yang was neither surprised nor moved. He had long understood the stubborn self-esteem of these alien races when he governed the Huaxu Continent.

Sometimes, as long as these customs did not violate the laws and rules of the dynasty, he was willing to accommodate them, which could eliminate many unnecessary conflicts.

“Dismount.” As they approached the gate, the governor dismounted from his horse, bringing his attendants and generals with him to slowly enter this deep, cold, and dark valley.

Beside, those black-clad people let out a sigh of relief.

If the governor rode his horse proudly into this final settlement, even if they were their saviors, the Chi Clan would find it hard to feel gratitude.

Fortunately, nothing like that happened. The governor maintained his appropriate gentleness, no longer excessively provoking the Chi Clan.

After entering the valley, Lolan Hill looked at the crowded faces within, feeling somewhat surprised. She hadn’t expected that the camp outside the valley would fall so soon, and now the entire Chi Clan had withdrawn to this valley. From the looks of some people, they seemed to have undergone a bitter battle, and many were injured.

She wished they could gradually recover. Following the governor ahead, Lolan Hill slowly climbed the steps leading to the shrine.

The valley became quiet at this moment. Although people’s emotions were complex, most were relieved to have survived the disaster.

“Greetings, my lord.” A group of Dragon Knights in bright armor stood guard in front of the shrine. Upon seeing Tu Hao’yang, they stepped forward to report.

“Mm, very good.” Tu Hao’yang nodded slightly, then raised his hand to signal the people around him to stop, stepping alone into the tranquil shrine.

He had heard of Granny Ge Luo before, and today he wanted to meet her again to understand and verify the situation.

“Excuse me.” This simply dressed governor removed his shoes and stepped into the shrine, his footsteps making slight sounds on the wooden floor.

“I am Ziqiu Ge Luo, grateful for the governor’s rescue,” Granny Ge Luo bowed.

“No need for formalities, Witch Ge Luo. I came today to inquire about how to thoroughly resolve the issue of the sunset,” the governor stated clearly upon arrival, pointing out the purpose of his visit. He was not a sentimental good person but a pragmatic one, albeit with far-reaching goals.

“This…” Granny Ge Luo, despite serving in the valley for decades, had never thought she could solve this millennium-old隐患 in her hands. After all, even the Five Virtues Phoenix had failed to do so, and at her strongest, she was only at Tier Eight.

The scene momentarily fell silent. Fortunately, shortly after, a graceful figure entered the shrine from the side door.

“Sorry, Granny Ge Luo, there are some things I didn’t tell you before.” Lolan Hill slowly approached the two of them.

(End of Chapter)