The morning.
Furong Prefecture, outside Chun'an City.
After a flash of light surged within the teleportation array, a general riding a fierce steed, clad in armor, swiftly emerged, it was Wen Hao, the holder of the tiger tally.
Following Wen Hao were a group of second and third-rank military officers, along with a contingent of strategists and several eleventh-realm cultivators. All the important figures of the Southern Commander's faction were gathered in Chun'an City.
"Great Marshal!"
Outside the teleportation array, warhorses stood in rows. A group of generals from Furong Prefecture and the border army dismounted simultaneously, knelt, and cupped their fists.
"Generals, please rise!"
Wen Hao flicked his hand, and an invisible fist intent lifted them all. He looked at the assembled officers and said gravely, "Are the troops of your respective commands ready?"
"They are ready, Great Marshal, please give the order!"
"Good."
Wen Hao raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "Jade Gate Pass is about to be fiercely attacked by forty thousand barbarian cavalry. Once Jade Gate Pass falls, the southern gateway of our Great Shang Dynasty will be wide open. This battle must be won, not lost. Generals, remember this!"
"Yes, Great Marshal!"
They all bowed their heads and cupped their fists again.
Just then, the morning sky suddenly became turbulent. Gusts of cold wind swept through, and faint rumblings of thunder could be heard in the distance, as if some celestial phenomenon was about to occur.
"What is it?" a Nascent Soul realm general frowned, his expression stern.
Wen Hao also turned to look, a chill in his eyes.
Moments later, strands of grey mist flowed through the wind, slowly coalescing into a figure clad in a gray-white robe. Beneath the hood of the robe was a hideous, terrifying face, crisscrossed with golden lines. Above his head, a damaged divine throne slowly rotated, emanating divine power.
The Old Ancestor of the Five Peaks, a wisp of his spirit, had somehow sensed the changes within Furong Prefecture.
"Buzz!"
Wen Hao's body flickered slightly, almost losing his balance. At this moment, his mind went blank, and an extremely terrifying feeling washed over him.
"Do you truly intend to march your troops against my forces?"
The Old Ancestor of the Five Peaks slowly opened his eyes, which were grayish-brown, marked with ancient golden divine veins – eyes filled with divinity but devoid of humanity.
Wen Hao clenched his fists. At this moment, all things in heaven and earth seemed to vanish, leaving only him and the Old Ancestor of the Five Peaks facing each other in a desolate, pale void. He had no support, and could only confront this terrifying existence alone.
"Is life truly so unimportant?"
The Old Ancestor of the Five Peaks narrowed his pale golden eyes and smiled. "Back then, for wealth and status, you didn't even acknowledge your brother Lin Zhao. How captivating must that wealth and status be..."
He sneered, "The mansion in Bai Di City, the fertile land and fine houses outside the city, the beautiful wife and three concubines in your inner court, one of the Three Dukes of the court, with thirty-six carriages for your processions, no different from the Son of Heaven, save for a nine-gem coronet. Don't you, Wen Hao, desire such honor, being second only to one man in all the realm?"
"..."
Wen Hao's body trembled slightly, his heart enveloped by this immense dread, rendering him speechless.
"Or perhaps..."
The Old Ancestor of the Five Peaks squinted and smiled. "You believe you can take a gamble, to see if you can use the fifty thousand men of Furong Prefecture to destroy my forty thousand barbarian soldiers? A gamble, that your Heaven Origin Realm and a group of eleventh-realm cultivators can slay me?"
"You..."
Wen Hao gritted his teeth, his shoulders feeling as if they bore the crushing weight of the heavens. He was about to kneel, but his last vestige of dignity told him not to, lest he despise himself.
"Truly a pathetic worm."
The Old Ancestor of the Five Peaks laughed heartily and gently waved his sleeves. Instantly, a rolling flame of the Unyielding Heart Demon surged forth. Wen Hao stood rooted to the spot, unable to move. He hastily summoned a surge of potent fist intent, intending to resist the heart demon flame with his martial practitioner's true qi.
In the next moment, the Unyielding Heart Demon flame swept over. Wen Hao's fist aura was almost instantly eroded, his body engulfed by the flames, transforming him into a man of fire.
He knelt on the ground, writhing in agony. The burning of the heart demon flame was not only a physical torment but also a spiritual one. This Unyielding Heart Demon Flame burned away Wen Hao's last shred of dignity and the pride he held as the Southern Commander of the human realm.
A gust of wind blew, and Wen Hao's charred remains, having endured the Unyielding Heart Demon Flame, turned to ash and scattered. But as the wind passed, a whole Wen Hao knelt on the ground again, as if nothing had happened.
"I gave you a chance."
The Old Ancestor of the Five Peaks sneered. "You have seen the consequence of opposing me. I hope you will not be foolish. If you truly intend to march south, then do so, but the ultimate outcome will be as you wish."
With that, the Old Ancestor of the Five Peaks let out a cold laugh, and his body slowly dissipated with the wind.
"Hoo--"
Wen Hao's mind plunged into abyss, then suddenly returned to his body. He was now drenched in sweat, his spirit in turmoil, as if he had died once.
"Great Marshal."
Beside him, Li Yu, a first-rank general and veteran, frowned. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
Wen Hao waved his hand dismissively.
"In that case, shall we immediately lead the army to march?" Li Yu said gravely. "The cavalry from Furong Prefecture and Huang Prefecture will go first, and they should reach Jade Gate Pass by noon. Marshal Chen Xi is waiting at Jade Gate Pass for reinforcements and has already sent three urgent messages via flying fish post. We must hasten."
"Wait."
Wen Hao looked visibly shaken. "Has the grain transport been dispatched?"
"Grain transport?"
Li Yu's expression turned serious. "Furong Prefecture is a land of abundance. The grain reserves from various prefectures and counties are ample. Even if we depart now, we can still mobilize grain from the prefectures bordering Jade Gate Pass in time. After all, we are fighting within the country, and grain will not be an issue."
"Li Yu!"
Wen Hao frowned. "You and I are both commanders who lead troops. We know the principle that an army marches on its stomach. Immediately send our people to oversee the grain matters. Prepare twenty thousand shi of grain. The army will march with the grain. I cannot allow my soldiers to fight the barbarians on an empty stomach."
"But..."
A young cavalry captain tugged at his reins, approached Wen Hao, dismounted, and cupped his fists. "Great Marshal, Jade Gate Pass is in imminent danger. Our immediate priority is to dispatch elite cavalry to reinforce Jade Gate Pass. This place is not far from Jade Gate Pass, and grain will certainly not be a problem."
"Don't rush."
Wen Hao said calmly. "The forces coming from the Southern Barrens are far more than just Meng Rong's barbarian soldiers. There are also cultivators from the mountains in the Southern Barrens. If we lose our composure ourselves, things will be dire."
He raised his voice and frowned. "Li Yu, immediately send people to expedite the grain matters. And make it quick!"
"Sigh..."
Li Yu sighed and cupped his fists. "Yes, your subordinate will attend to it at once!"
"Set up camp here."
Wen Hao said solemnly. "The entire army will rest here, recuperate, and prepare for the decisive battle with the Southern Barbarians!"
"Yes, Great Marshal!"
Everyone returned to their camps.
Wen Hao's heart grew heavier. He hoped that Chen Xi could hold out at Jade Gate Pass against those forty thousand barbarian cavalry. As for himself, delaying was better than going to Jade Gate Pass to die.
As for Chen Xi, her fate was in her own hands, depending on her fortune.
...
Upper Realm, Chen Jian Mountain.
Lin Qing'er, dressed in a cyan long skirt, gazed down at the star river, her beautiful eyes filled with worry. After seeing Su Qingjiu being driven deep into Wutong Mountain by five immortal mountains and sealed underground, she had been restless.
And when she saw Su Xiao murdered by the Old Ancestor of the Five Peaks, Lin Qing'er's eyes welled up with tears.
Years ago, when she was traveling in the mountains, she passed by a village. It was a heavy snowfall that day, and Lin Qing'er found Su Xiao in swaddling clothes at the village entrance. Su Xiao's cries were loud in the snow.
It could be said they were fated. She immediately took Su Xiao back to Changming Mountain. Their years of constant companionship were more like master and disciple than not.
Now, seeing Su Xiao perish in the world, Changming Mountain ravaged by the Old Ancestor of the Five Peaks, and countless disciples killed, Lin Qing'er's heart felt as if it were being torn apart.
She slowly stood up, and a clanging sound reverberated around her. Golden chains appeared around Lin Qing'er. She had been cultivating on Chen Jian Mountain, refining these heavenly dao shackles, intending to confine herself to Chen Jian Mountain until she attained enlightenment.
But now, the vast and boundless fourteenth realm forced her to descend.
For a moment, the clanking sound continued incessantly. One by one, the golden sword dao shackles were broken by Lin Qing'er. When the shackles were completely broken, her sword dao aura as a thirteenth-realm sword cultivator reached its absolute peak, worthy of being called a true peak thirteenth-realm sword cultivator!
At all costs, she had to descend to the mortal realm to save Changming Mountain.
Lin Qing'er leaped up, opened her palm, and a rumbling sound echoed through Chen Jian Mountain. In an instant, a beam of brilliant light fell into her hand, condensing into an ancient sword radiating immense power. Lin Qing'er held the ancient sword and, with a single sword strike, headed south.
A short while later, a dark immortal mountain hung suspended between heaven and earth.
Void Mountain, the passage connecting the Upper Realm and the mortal world. It was said to have been created by the ancient goddess Nüwa. Since then, cultivators in the mortal world had the cultivation to ascend and become immortals. All ascendants in the mortal world had to enter the Heavenly Gate and ascend to the Upper Realm via the Heavenly Ladder of Void Mountain.
Now, Void Mountain was desolate.
"Rustle..."
Lin Qing'er floated onto the Heavenly Ladder of Void Mountain. Instantly, her body bore the pressure of the Great Dao, making it quite strenuous even for this thirteenth-realm sword immortal.
She glanced into the distance, feeling a sense of strangeness. The figure of the old wine-drinker, who was guarding Void Mountain, was missing from the pavilion. This was highly unusual.
In the pavilion, in place of the old wine-drinker, stood a young sword cultivator with a sinister expression. He was also a thirteenth-realm cultivator, holding a long sword, leaning against a pillar of the pavilion, and squinting at Lin Qing'er without speaking.
...
She could not bother with it anymore.
Lin Qing'er brandished her sword, and a dense sword intent surged around her. Her body rapidly descended towards the mortal world, about to descend.
But suddenly, Lin Qing'er reined in her sword intent, hovering in the air, and halted her descent.
"Sword Immortal Lin, leaving in such a hurry?"
From the depths of the green mountains along the Heavenly Ladder, a figure in a cyan robe emerged. She was a rather beautiful woman, but a sinister smile played on her lips, a stark contrast to her exquisite beauty. Moreover, her immense spiritual energy and Great Dao aura clearly indicated she was a fourteenth-realm spirit cultivator.