Returning to Changming Mountain.
The moment Su Qingjiu appeared on Changming Mountain with the Searching Deer Sword, Liang Xi, Xu Qingcheng, and other Changming Mountain disciples were overjoyed. A group of women rushed forward, some weeping with joy, all celebrating their survival.
Long Dongjun, Lü Fengxian, Liu Chenqing, and others once again bowed respectfully to the white-clothed female immortal.
"Little Martial Aunt!"
Gu Lingyu floated over. Seeing Lin Zhao safe and sound, her face was filled with relief. Then, she saw the white-clothed woman. Her profound Dao foundation was so immense that it unsettled even Gu Lingyu, a disciple of Confucianism known for her gentleness, punctuality, frugality, and deference. She quickly cupped her fists and said, "Greetings, Upper Immortal!"
"Mm."
The white-clothed woman smiled and nodded.
Next, Xu Zhi, Tang Guangjun, Chen Ben, and Yu Wanling also arrived, each bowing respectfully. The white-clothed woman smiled and nodded to them one by one.
Xu Zhi saw Lin Zhao safe and sound, even having broken through his martial arts realm. She pursed her lips and secretly rejoiced. As for how much she had suffered and endured under the flames of her inner demon, it was not worth mentioning.
Tang Guangjun looked at the white-clothed woman, his Dao heart trembling. He felt that she could transcend him with a single palm strike. Before her, his twelve-realm Sword Cultivator foundation was simply not worth mentioning. He even knew that Ding Muchen, the sect leader of the School of Military Arts, was her disciple!
Such a person, Tang Guangjun wished he could immediately call her Ancestor, Great Aunt, the most beautiful Sword Cultivator in the Three Realms, anything, as long as she didn't annihilate him with a single palm. After all, Tang Guangjun had acted arrogantly in the past. When encountering such a being of the Righteous Dao Immortal Emperor level, he was a little apprehensive.
She possessed a divine throne bestowed by heaven and earth! This was no trifling matter.
The level of this bestowal was even higher than that of the Martial Saint and Confucian Saint, who were also bestowed by heaven and earth!
"Marshal Lü!"
Lin Zhao stepped forward and said solemnly, "What is the situation at Yumenguan?"
"Still a bloody battle!"
Lü Fengxian frowned and said, "To prevent Yumenguan from falling, Commander Chen Xi led one hundred thousand Cangnan cavalry out of the pass for a field battle against four hundred thousand Southern Wilderness cavalry. They have been fighting fiercely for nearly a day and a night. The Cangnan cavalry has suffered heavy losses. This battle will likely result in at least fifty to sixty thousand casualties."
"Are there no reinforcements?" Lin Zhao asked in surprise.
"There are."
Lü Fengxian hesitated for a moment and said, "Grand Minister Wen Hao received the imperial decree in Baidi City and is leading five hundred thousand troops from Furong Prefecture to reinforce Yumenguan. However, he seems unwilling to head south directly. He has been dithering outside Chun'an City and has been delaying his advance outside the ancient Southern Wilderness path, unwilling to directly engage the barbarians in battle."
"What is he thinking?"
Lin Zhao frowned. "He has been Grand Minister for decades; has his backbone truly been worn away?"
At this moment, Lin Zhao was extremely disappointed with Xiao Shitóu.
Su Qingjiu's delicate brows furrowed, but she remained silent. She disliked scolding people behind their backs; she preferred to beat them soundly to their faces. That was the most satisfying.
"Marshal Lü!"
Lin Zhao said solemnly, "Are there reinforcements from Wuzhen Tower?"
"Yes."
Lü Fengxian replied respectfully, "My deputy general is leading thirty thousand Wuzhen Tower warriors to the battlefield."
"Good!"
Lin Zhao nodded and glanced at the map. "You will immediately lead thirty thousand warriors to advance along the ancient Southern Wilderness path. Move quickly. If Wen Hao is unwilling to go south, you will go south. Flank them from the side and cooperate with the Yumenguan defenders to attack the Southern Wilderness cavalry. Also, who is defending the pass, and how many troops are there?"
"Commander Bei Ming of the Dinghai Army, with approximately one hundred thousand troops."
"Understood."
Lin Zhao frowned. "Try to get the Dinghai Army to also engage in battle outside the pass. With the pincer attack of three forces, we can kill as many barbarian cavalry as possible. This battle must make them feel pain and ensure that the Southern Wilderness barbarians are severely weakened for decades and dare not look north."
"Yes, Commander Lin!"
Lü Fengxian cupped his fists and said solemnly, "Your subordinate will carry out the order immediately!"
With that, Lü Fengxian waved his hand and led the remaining 1000+ Wuzhen Tower warriors northward.
"Sect Leader Long."
Lin Zhao stepped forward, cupped his fists towards Long Dongjun, and said, "There are some matters that I wish to overstep and ask your Iron Floating Mountain to handle."
"Mm?"
Long Dongjun smiled slightly. "Lin Zhao, feel free to speak your mind."
Lin Zhao said solemnly, "When the Five Peaks Ancestors attacked Changming Mountain, only the Lingteng Sect helped them attack this mountain gate of the human righteous path. Therefore, the Lingteng Sect must be punished. I hope Sect Leader Long will lead your disciples to pursue them all the way to the Lingteng Sect and completely annihilate them as a warning to others."
"Good!"
Long Dongjun's gaze turned cold. "I had the same intention. These cowards whose spines have been broken deserve such retribution!"
Immediately, Long Dongjun rose into the air and, with a group of Iron Floating Mountain disciples, headed south.
...
Yumenguan.
The sounds of killing came from the east. Soon after, a large number of Wuzhen Tower warriors emerged from the wilderness. They either fought bare-handed with their fists charged with intent, or wielded sabers and spears. The soldiers of Wuzhen Tower were all martial artists, with formidable strength and combat power far exceeding that of ordinary human armies.
Therefore, when the 30,000 elite troops of Wuzhen Tower appeared behind the barbarian cavalry, Chen Xi's eyes lit up. This way, there was a real possibility of destroying this barbarian cavalry.
On the ramparts.
A figure floated over, clad in armor, with a pale gold cloak fluttering behind him. It was Marshal Lü Fengxian of Wuzhen Tower.
"Greetings, Marshal Lü!"
Bei Minghai cupped his fists. Although they were of the same rank, Lü Fengxian had extremely high prestige in the army and was a Rebirth Realm martial artist, even hailed as the second Chen Wanli.
"Marshal."
Lü Fengxian returned the salute with cupped fists. "Commander Lin has ordered me, Lü Fengxian, to lead thirty thousand warriors to secure the ancient Southern Wilderness path and intercept the retreat of the barbarian cavalry. My thirty thousand warriors have arrived. As for the Dinghai Army, Commander Lin also has a secret order."
"Oh?!"
Bei Minghai said solemnly, "Please state it!"
"Commander Lin ordered that Bei Minghai only needs to leave a small contingent to guard the pass. The rest of the Dinghai Army's elites should all march south and join the Cangnan cavalry and the Wuzhen Tower army to attack the Southern Wilderness cavalry. We must severely cripple Meng Rong's barbarian cavalry and let them truly know the might of the Great Shang Dynasty's armor."
"Yes!"
Bei Minghai cupped his fists and bowed. He then instructed his deputy, "Immediately mobilize the army and march out of the pass to engage the enemy!"
"Yes, Commander!"
Not far away, a beautiful woman holding a pipa slowly walked over. It was Shi Hanyin. She pursed her red lips and asked Bei Minghai, "The Commander Lin you mentioned, is he...?"
"That's right!"
Bei Minghai smiled. "Among the six Grand Commanderies, we would not call that brat Lin Ruo 'Commander Lin'. The only Commander Lin in the world is this Lin Baiyi. Now that the situation at Changming Mountain that Commander Lin faced has been resolved, he finally has the spare capacity to command the battle at Yumenguan."
Shi Hanyin couldn't hide her smile. "Then... that's truly wonderful."
Bei Minghai cupped his fists. "Miss Shi, Yumenguan is in the midst of a major battle, and I will be heading south to engage the enemy soon. You should take your people and leave. This is a vital battlefield, and it's not a place for a woman like you who can't even lift a chicken."
"Ah?"
"Guards, escort Miss Shi away."
Bei Minghai waved his hand. He did not want Shi Hanyin to suffer any mishap at Yumenguan. If some barbarian with no eyes shot Shi Hanyin with a cold arrow, the cultured scholars of the human world would likely blame him, Bei Minghai, for his incompetence.
"..."
Shi Hanyin frowned and glanced in the direction of Changming Mountain. She really, really wished she could see him one more time, but it seemed there was no opportunity this time.
Shortly after, Shi Hanyin, holding her pipa, left Yumenguan in a carriage, escorted by a group of fifth-realm guards, and headed north, returning to Yun Prefecture.
...
In the sky, a furious thunderclap erupted.
Lü Fengxian descended onto the battlefield as a Rebirth Realm martial artist. With a single punch, the heavens and earth shook, turning hundreds of barbarian cavalry into dust. Then, with a flick of his fist, the Rebirth Realm martial artist blew the body of a Southern Wilderness Sea-Crossing Realm general into a bloody mist. His actions were swift and decisive.
"Marshal Lü."
As Chen Xi led the Cangnan cavalry in their charge, he said to Lü Fengxian with concentrated sound, "Five li south of our army is the central camp of the Barbarian King Meng Rong. Do you dare to slay the general amidst a million troops? Go and kill Meng Rong!"
"Alright."
Lü Fengxian soared into the air and asked, "Anything else to convey?"
"Only kill Meng Rong!"
Chen Xi smiled slightly. "I only want Meng Rong's head. As for the leaders of other tribes, Marshal Lü only needs to disperse them; there's no need to actually behead them."
"Oh?"
Lü Fengxian was surprised. "What is this reasoning?"
Chen Xi smiled meaningfully. "With Meng Rong dead, the barbarians in the Southern Wilderness will be leaderless. Therefore, killing Meng Rong is a very necessary matter. As for the other leaders... let them go back and regroup. The Southern Wilderness is already a mess, and they will surely fight amongst themselves, which will have nothing to do with us."
"..."
Lü Fengxian said solemnly, "Understood."
At this moment, Lü Fengxian had a new understanding of Chen Xi. This lord of Yun Prefecture, the successor of Chen Wanli, hailed as one of the twin pillars of the dynasty, was indeed formidable. Not only was his boxing skill excellent, but his schemes and strategies were also outstanding. There was no such thing as a permanent solution to the barbarians; causing them to engage in internal strife was the superior strategy!
The next moment, Lü Fengxian's figure flashed. Although he was severely injured, his Rebirth Realm foundation remained. His body was enveloped in a majestic fist intent. He fiercely smashed into the chaotic army, directly sending the Barbarian King, who was only at the Heavenly Origin martial artist realm, into the mud from his horse.
Heavenly Origin Realm, Rebirth Realm. Although they were the eleventh and twelfth realms of martial artists, the gap between them was indescribable!
"Quick, save the King!"
A group of barbarian soldiers desperately tried to rescue him, but it was useless. Lü Fengxian's punch from above landed on Meng Rong's chest, shattering countless ribs. Then, with a horizontal chop of his hand, Lü Fengxian, covered in blood, returned to the Wuzhen Tower formation, carrying Meng Rong's head.
...
Deep in the Southern Wilderness, Lingteng Sect.
"Boom!"
A giant golden footprint spanned the air. The moment it stomped down, the Lingteng Sect's mountain protection formation trembled.
"It's over!"
Sect Master Li Yuchen looked up at the continuously spreading cracks on the mountain protection formation, his face filled with despair. Who had the Lingteng Sect offended? Long Dongjun sought a duel; who could withstand that?