Mountain Patrol Military Officer
Chapter 285 - 249: Chen Yuan: Act quickly to capture and kill! (Requesting monthly ticket)

Chapter 285: 249: Chen Yuan: Act quickly to capture and kill! (Requesting monthly ticket)

Fulong Ridge.

A thousand six hundred li southeast of Weiyuan Pass, this place is only over six hundred li away from the Mist Sea, the mystical barrier separating the Ten Thousand Mountains from the land of Shu, stretching for tens of thousands of li, a prohibition formed by the sealing of the Ten Evils by numerous Heaven and Earth Great Divine Ability Users of yesteryears. This kind of mist can seal a person’s five senses and six consciousnesses; once one enters, they will become completely lost within it. What’s more, the ceaseless Wind Mastery within it, bone-scraping and soul-destroying, is extremely tyrannical; even a person from the Martial Vault cannot cross it.

Thus, such a forbidden area was constructed, trapping the Ten Evils’ Demons within it. It is rumored that within the Mist Sea, more terrifying than the loss of five senses and the endless Wind Mastery, lurks a kind of monster named "Xi Yi".

Legend has it, a person becomes a Ghost upon death, a Ghost becomes a Ji upon death, a Ji becomes a Xi upon death, and a Xi becomes a Yi upon death, invisible to the eye called Yi, inaudible to the ear called Xi.

Over the centuries, countless lost humans and Demons wishing to break free have perished in this Mist Sea. Their resentment lingers, some dying over and over again, transforming into strange creatures, not falling into reincarnation, hard to eradicate, and exceedingly vicious.

With the gradual dissipation of the prohibition of the Ten Thousand Mountains, the Mist Sea, tranquil for a millennium, began to erupt like a boiling volcano, furiously spewing mist outward, spreading in all directions.

At this moment, outside Fulong Ridge, the setting sun was blood-like, creating a magnificent sight in the world.

Looking south, a dozen li away, heaven and earth merged into one, and the mist surged up like giant waves against the sky. A fierce wind gushed from within, carrying with it sand that filled the sky, scraping the mountains and land into a barren desert.

In the distance, amid the rolling sands, a horse’s whinny pierced the air, followed by the swift emergence of a big yellow Horse, its mane fluttering in the wind, bearing a silhouette dressed in ordinary clothes, with double swords strapped to his waist, and a resolute face, charging toward Fulong Ridge.

After traveling about ten li and reaching a concealed valley, the figure lifted his head, looking through the dusty twilight, his gaze sharp as an eagle’s, scanning the sky and then all around, before raising his hand, placing two fingers to his lips, and sending out a clear, bird-like whistle.

After this artful birdcall, it seemed to signal something to the surrounding forests. A few breaths later, various cries and roars of birds and beasts echoed in succession.

Having completed these actions, the person spurred his Horse on and continued deep along the valley, galloping for several li until he disappeared among the scattered rocks.

When he reappeared, he was in a vast natural cave, the dripping sound of water falling from the stalactites above, forming minute droplets. Inside the cave, a faint firelight flickered, and there were torches stuck to the stone walls, extending inward from the cave entrance.

"Whirrrrr"

With the arrival of this individual, a clashing sound of iron armor was heard at the entrance of the cave. Under the dim light of duck-yellow flames, faces smeared with blood and dirt appeared, their hair disheveled, their eyes shining brightly in the darkness, their iron armor reflecting a chilling cold light, an ominous aura assaulting the senses.

"Colonel!"

"Military Officer Yun!"

"....."

Along the cave, on either side, Armored Soldiers followed the individual as he passed, each one whispering in a low voice.

At that moment, hurried footsteps echoed from inside the cave, shaking the firelight reflected on the cave walls.

"Tap tap"

"Tap tap"

The sound of footsteps approached rapidly, and soon two tall figures in Green Armor appeared.

"Old Yun, how’s the situation outside?" one of them asked, with thick eyebrows and a broad face, his expression solemn and his shoulder wrapped in bandages; it was the Leading Military Officer, Liu Qing, with Lu Ming by his side.

The one who had rushed from outside was Yun Tiansheng, covered in dust on his clothing, eyebrows, and hair.

Yun Tiansheng ignored these, his brows tightly furrowed, and quickly spoke: "The mist from the Mist Sea is spreading very fast, and the Wind Mastery blowing from the outskirts is something I, with my newly achieved Heavenly Barrier cultivation, can hardly withstand for even an hour, let alone day. It’s estimated that it will reach here within a day. We need to move; how is the situation with the General now?"

Yun Tiansheng had only breached the Fourth Heavenly Barrier Realm two days ago, fueled by a buildup of life-and-death struggles, he managed to break through in one go.

Liu Qing shook his head decidedly and said sternly, "No, Mr. Gongsun and seven other seniors are casting spells to help the General overcome this difficult time. It’s a critical moment, and we cannot afford to disturb them!"

"There is still time!"

"This place is close to the Mist Sea, which conceals our energy and movements well. The General has been seriously injured for our sake; we must guard him well. The Six Mountain Demons outside will certainly not let this go. If we move, we might expose ourselves and then all is in vain. Now is the critical moment; we cannot afford any mistakes!"

"Old Yun, Old Liu is right; we can’t move rashly until the very last moment." Lu Ming nodded, his expression turning stern.

"Old Yun, did you notice anything unusual when you were outside just now?" Liu Qing inquired intently.

Yun Tiansheng’s eyes flickered, he carefully reviewed everything, and then affirmed, "There shouldn’t be anything; I was very careful. I let out the Contracted Demon to keep an eye on any movements outside and circled around the valley to double-check before I came in."

"Good."

"All personnel, keep to your repair and stay alert. All we can do now is wait. I wonder how the evacuation at Guang’an Prefecture is going. It has been exactly six days since we left Guang’an Prefecture, and we should have already reached the next pass, Jiaxing Pass. As for the reserve Troops of the Government Army, they have been ordered to retreat separately, precisely because we fear the pursuit of the Six Mountain Demons. Hopefully, they are safe."

Liu Qing spoke with a heavy heart, bearing tremendous pressure.

The General was gravely injured, and to protect him and elude the pursuit of the following Demons, they chose the unexpected strategy of retreating towards the southeastern direction, arriving at the borderline of the Mist Sea, and then taking refuge in this cave, all maintaining silence.

At this moment, they had lost contact with the outside world deliberately to avoid exposure and any slip-ups; after all, if their location were revealed, it would mean the lives of so many.

As the words fell, a loud boom suddenly emanated from the cave, followed by a tremble.

The three of them immediately exchanged glances and quickly rushed towards the depths of the cave.

As they passed through several forks, the three arrived at an underground cavern several acres in size. At this moment, the cavern was bathed in brilliant Spirit Light, the earth shook and the mountains trembled. At the center, seven light shadows were seated cross-legged in a triangular formation, suspended in the air. Seven beams of light simultaneously surged into the body of an old man with white scholarly robes and a goat beard.

This person was Gongsun Yang.

Gongsun Yang had his eyes closed, his lips moved slightly, murmuring incantations. In front of him, tiny golden characters the size of tadpoles emerged, wrapping around a six-zhang tall golden shadow seated cross-legged.

The golden shadow seemed like a Bodhisattva with downcast eyes, with hands conjoined as if holding something in the palm; a grayish-green figure was seated within it.

More precisely, it was an eight-foot-tall stone statue!

After Chen Yuan’s Primordial Spirit shattered, some protective mechanism was triggered, and his entire body became encapsulated in stone.

At this moment, on the forehead of the statue, between the brows, a golden vertical eye slowly opened.

Instantly, the entire cavern shook violently, and the golden tadpole-like characters around the golden shadow surged like a tsunami into the gold vertical eye.

Stalactites from above snapped off, falling onto a yellowish earthy Light Mask below, releasing a terrifying aura as if reviving, threatening to collapse the cavern. The Array that wrapped around it also shook precariously on the verge of falling apart.

"Hurry!"

"Call for help."

"Keep the Array intact, don’t let the disturbance leak out, the Great One seems to be awakening."

Liu Qing, both shocked and delighted, shouted, and outside the cave, the clashing sounds of iron armor were heard as soldiers poured into the cavern. Then, with shouts, Array Flags were thrown out, stabilizing the teetering great Array.

However, at this moment, within the Array, Gongsun Yang’s face was filled with horror, for he saw that the Qi Fortune Incense Fire Golden Body, which had hitherto had no facial features, was now as if being carved by an invisible hand on its hazy face, gradually revealing a mouth, nose, ears, eyes, and eyebrows, quickly emerging beyond his control.

Then, with a sound of golden resonance, within those newly formed large eyes, two dots of golden lacquer abruptly solidified.

In that moment, divinity manifested!

A sacred aura of Incense Fire instantly filled the void, with a loud bang, the Array exploded.

The golden shadow suddenly shook and its body swelled in size, smashing through the roof of the cavern. The cave collapsed with a thunderous roar, and stones fell in torrents but froze in midair the next second, as if time itself was paused.

The burgeoning golden shadow suddenly halted its growth, expanding to a colossal thirty-zhang height. Its massive head lowered to reveal a pair of radiant golden pupils filled with an indifferent and icy divine presence, evoking reverence and an involuntary submission in onlookers.

"General!"

"Great One!"

"You have finally awakened."

Exclamations rang out, followed by the rustling of uniforms, as rows of Armored Soldiers, their faces flush with excitement, kneeled on one knee in unison.

But the golden shadow spoke, its golden eyes flaring up fiercely with overwhelming killing intent,

"I, the General, am not yet fully awakened. I am in the midst of reconstructing my Primordial Spirit and cannot be distracted. Someone is killing our people. Go capture and kill them!"

As the words were spoken, two brilliant beams of light shot out from those golden eyes, striking the void and conjuring an image within it.

In a forest scene, horses were dismembered, their blood staining the woods red, soldiers kneeled on the ground in humiliation, their necks brutally snapped. In one scene, next to a bloodied and mangled corpse, lay a cracked wooden carving.

The carving was only the size of a ruler, depicting a figure wearing silver-painted armor and holding a black Three-pointed Double-edged Blade.

Despite the crude craftsmanship, this scene enraged all onlookers.

Because, within the image, the soldiers of the Ninth Mountain saw a young man in white robes emotionlessly wiping the blood from his face with a handkerchief.

These soldiers had not died on the battlefield fighting Demons, but disgracefully at the hands of their own.

They deserved death!

To be cut to a thousand pieces!

The soldiers of the Ninth Mountain roared in fury.

And Chen Yuan’s Qi Fortune Incense Fire Golden Body spoke icily,

"Go and capture them. Should you encounter irresistible forces, you shall chant—"

"Heaven and Earth Mysterious Sect, Demon Slayer that binds evil, Eight Directions commanding respect, grant me the natural order."

"This incarnation of Qi Fortune shall protect you!"

"Go now!"

"Yes!"

"Your subordinate is honored to serve!"