Chapter 699 506 Northward Advance_2

Li Zhouwei rode his horse, the golden specks in his eyes twinkling as he felt the troops mesmerized, following him as if the primal instincts buried within were surfacing incessantly.

He quickly reined in his horse, looking toward the stone tower at the camp's entrance. His troops were silently charging into the town like tides parting rocks, silently and madly rolling into the settlement.

A chorus of mocking voices rose around Li Zhouwei, and as he beheld the stone tower, an odd thought struck him:

"I should sit in the temple, atop the shrine..."

He stood quietly as a voice, like a chant, resonated amongst the Shanyue mountains, murmuring softly:

"Once the town is captured, first slaughter the nobility, then distribute their wealth and fields."

"Upon conquering the Great Jue Court, all lowly slaves should be emancipated."

The running Shanyue murmured to themselves, and as night fell, flickering flames rose from the towns. Shouts of killing grew louder, slowly coalescing into one cry:

"Great Dahe Mingfang!"

This cry caused the Shanyue to flush with excitement, while behind Li Zhouwei, Kongheng was spinning a string of plain wooden beads with a creaking sound, unable to hide his shocked expression as he murmured:

"The fame becomes clear... Great Dahe Mingfang..."

Grey smoke gathered and stopped beside Kongheng, carrying the ethereal voice of Li Wushao:

"Mage... what are you thinking about?"

Kongheng merely shook his head with a wry smile, responding:

"Wushao is perhaps too cautious..."

The two Foundation Establishment cultivators conversed quietly while Li Zhouwei spurred his horse forward, quickly passing everyone. He settled the people in the town before dashing toward the neighboring settlements, his following of troops growing by three to two hundred as they swiftly left the town, blood staining the ground behind them.

He sent Chen Yan and Dili Youjie out to lead troops and gather more soldiers, driving his horse forward without a second glance at the settlements, swiftly heading towards the next pass.

Before Li Zhouwei arrived, a gust of grey wind raced towards him, leaving two Jade Bottles in his hand—one green and one white, both exquisitely made.

Li Zhouwei checked them with his Divine Sense, swiftly putting them away as the valley ahead narrowed and troops were stationed on both mountains, the pass looking somewhat rundown, nestled between the valleys.

Halting in front of the valley, with his troops in orderly rows, Li Zhouwei lowered his head and asked a Shanyue soldier by his side:

"Is this Moonlight Valley?"

The Shanyue nodded and bowed respectfully, answering:

"Your Majesty, this once belonged to the Moonlight Clan. It is named after the rumored Priest's Moon Pearl. It was laid waste by the Easterners during the Great Drought but is still called Moonlight Valley."

Li Zhouwei narrowed his eyes slightly, replying:

"I am aware; it was my ancestors who vanquished them."

He raised his Long Halberd, gazing at the narrow valley ahead, whispering to himself:

"Once we seize this pass, we seek to break through."

...

Northern Shanyue Royal Court.

Flames quietly burned in the stone basins of the Palace Courtyard. Seated on the Northern Shanyue throne was a gaunt man, unkempt, holding a stone tablet and gently caressing the inscriptions on it.

The Northern Shanyue King, Xian Du, hardly looked imposing, his name but a common Shanyue one. Yet, his ability to secure the kingship amidst the cluster of nobles in the Northern Shanyue was undoubtedly remarkable. He stared silently at the stone tablet in his hand.

The tablet depicted a grand scene with a person adorned in feathers and bones standing atop a Sacrificial Altar, the sky above tumultuous, featuring a demon figure hovering in the air.

A High Priest dressed in animal bones and feathers kneeled on the ground. Xian Du, after staring blankly for a long time, inquired:

"Haven't we had a response from Witch Mountain yet?"

"Your Majesty, we've attempted for the eighth time. We can't contact them no matter what; there's no feedback whatsoever."

The High Priest silently shook his head, showing little panic and even some relief, responding:

"Your Majesty, it's arguably for the best... Our children no longer need to climb the mountain once they've surpassed the human and shaman stages... Of those who climb yearly, not one has returned... I fear they've all been refined by the elders."

"Now that we've received no response from Witch Mountain, perhaps it's because Jiao Zhongzi and Mu Mili have ventured towards the East Sea, wouldn't that greatly ease our burden?"

Xian Du's lean face was full of unease as he shook his head vigorously and gently set down the stone slab in his hand, speaking softly,

"Where did you look? If anything happens to Jiao Zhongzi, that Li Family lapdog Li Jiman will be eyeing us like a tiger its prey. Great Jue Court is only a hundred li from Chen Pass; two passes and six cities are nothing but a snap of the fingers before Foundation Establishment."

The High Priest nodded obediently, muttering inwardly,

"If something happens to Witch Mountain... Who could actually escape... It might be better to surrender to Li Jiman, and we can surely save our own lives..."

As Xian Du was pondering, he saw a Shanyue man come up from below and shout,

"My lord! There's trouble at Chen Pass!"

'Jiao Zhongzi indeed had a problem!'

Xian Du leaped up from his seat as if struck by lightning, gritting his teeth and saying,

"Is it Li Jiman who's come? Or which of the Li Family's forces!"

The Da Han was taken aback for a moment, then replied,

"My lord! The Li Family has stationed at Great Jue Court, and the surrounding tribes have no way out. So, they tricked Chen Pass open... The Guardian General Du Dou was captured and defected to their side, and now they've mobilized troops northward and have entered the pass!"

"It's a rebellion!"

Xian Du immediately felt a sense of relief and spoke in a low voice,

"Which tribe took the lead? Who is the leader? How many soldiers and cultivators are there?!"

The Shanyue man knelt and said,

"The rebel king is known as 'Dahe Mingfang'... It might be the Moonlight Clan, the number of soldiers is unknown, and it's rumored that the Dili Clan from beyond the pass is secretly supporting them."

"The Moonlight Clan? Never heard of it! What on earth is that!"

As the lord of the Northern Shanyue, Xian Du had memorized all the tribes with numerous members and large influence, including those of noble blood and strong power. Even the medium and small tribes usually had names, but after pondering in his mind, he realized there was no such name for this tribe.

Xian Du's brow furrowed immediately. He wasn't afraid of these few thousand men but worried that the Dili Clan was mostly under the Li Family's rule and wondered if they had received any hints from Li Jiman.

'This wretch undermines me every single day!'

Xian Du and Li Jiman were not simple rulers. Northern Shanyue and Eastern Shanyue had secretly competed, but both being vassals, neither dared to fight without orders.

Xian Du quickly realized it was just a rebellion and felt a lot of pressure lift from his heart, at least signifying that Witch Mountain had not encountered any issues yet. Otherwise, it would have been the Li Family attacking. Right away, he said,

"What's there to panic about? At most, they have three or four thousand soldiers and a few shamans. What significant threat can they pose!"

But he saw the Shanyue man was sweating profusely as he spoke softly,

"That Dahe Mingfang... claimed to have Witch Mountain's blessing... Frantically saying the king has lost contact with Witch Mountain... Please, my lord... Please, my lord."

Xian Du was instantly stunned and alarmed. Witch Mountain had indeed not sent anyone down for far too long. Seeing the man stuttering, Xian Du certainly understood his meaning but remained silent.

'Witch Mountain has not sent anyone down for so long, and the nobles in the kingdom are becoming restless... They want to use him to probe the situation at Witch Mountain!'

Xian Du quickly realized it was a hint from the nobility, yet he still forced himself to remain calm, speaking sternly,

"It's nothing but a minor disturbance; why should we disturb Witch Mountain? If blame falls, especially on you and me, can we bear it? Just wait for me to quell the unrest!"

"This subordinate spoke out of turn!"

The Shanyue man, scolded by him and sweating profusely, repeatedly knelt in apology, saying,

"It's just said that this person is like Ganixi. My lord must be careful!"

"I'm well aware!"

Hearing that the opponent had easily deceived Chen Pass, Xian Du had long understood that the person was no simple character. He glanced back at the map, silently abandoning the towns behind the pass, his eyes resting on Moonlight Valley on the map as he spoke softly,

"Mobilize the troops immediately; I'll personally lead the campaign to Moonlight Valley, blocking him on the outskirts."

He strode quickly down, kicking the big man on the way out. The Shanyue general hastened to his feet as Xian Du, at the peak of his Fetal Breathing cultivation level, suppressed his breakthrough for a long time, his strength quite considerable among those of Fetal Breathing. The kick left the man gasping and filled with dread.

Xian Du donned armor and took up his spear, swiftly descending from the Royal Court. As his mind raced, he commanded, sternly,

"Order Qian Zhunfu to lead five thousand of our kin down the eastern path along the lake, to probe entering the pass from the valley side. I will lead seven thousand of our kin to reinforce Moonlight Valley first, securing this place means no great harm done!"