The Empress's First Running Dog

Chapter 640 Zhao Du'an's Despicable Tactics, Operation Infiltrating "Layuan" (5k)

In the dense forest, Zhao Du'an stood within the encirclement, surrounded by giants, and was clearly at a disadvantage.

Therefore, when he uttered the words "courting death," it didn't seem like a threat to the group of Liao people, but rather like impotent rage.

The barbarian looked down at them, speaking in a mocking tone:
"What did you say? Your voice was too soft, I didn't hear you."

His expression was exaggerated, but his eyes revealed a cunning.

As the second warrior of the Black Beast tribe, he was by no means a reckless man, so his actions were actually intended to provoke the other party.

Reality isn't a shonen anime. When people are provoked, they only reveal more weaknesses, not unleash their full potential.

Even though Bankone had complete confidence in his combat abilities.

Within the realm of the Great Laba God, even when facing a half-step Celestial Realm expert from the Yu Kingdom, he dared to challenge him to a duel, but he still maintained sufficient caution.

Zhao Du'an seemed to be enraged as expected, and actually walked towards him alone.

However, he did not draw his weapon or extend his fist.

This scene left Mangu somewhat stunned, not understanding the intentions of this mysterious Yu Kingdom person. However, as Zhao Duan approached leisurely, he instinctively felt uneasy.

"die!"

Man Gu's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and he suddenly swung out his exaggeratedly shaped giant axe!
The strong wind whipped up fallen leaves, which would have caused sand and stones to fly on flat ground.

This axe blow came extremely suddenly, almost without warning.

However, even when faced with the sharp blade that seemed to be about to cleave him in two falling from the sky, Zhao Du'an still put his hands behind his back, showing no sign of drawing his sword.

"Is this man insane? Is he courting death?"

The moment the thought arose, a sigh rang in the ears of the dozens of Liao people watching.

The most inconspicuous old man appeared in front of Zhao Du'an in a flash.

The old celestial master raised his right arm, and a hand emerged from the loose sleeve, effortlessly grasping the giant axe.

Then, with a gentle twist of the wrist.

With a "crack," the giant axe split open the spiderweb-like cracks, shattering into countless fragments that swept towards the barbarian bone like a raging storm!
"How can it be?!"

Barbarian Bone's pupils contracted, and almost instinctively, he leaped up and rolled backward to dodge.

The ferocious beast he was riding, which could rival any cultivator in the world, was unable to dodge in time and was riddled with holes by the torrent of steel. It didn't even have time to let out a wail before it became a pile of mangled flesh!

"You uncivilized wretch, how dare you be so insolent before this humble Taoist!"

Zhang Yan remained expressionless, coldly observing as dark gold characters appeared on his black robe.

"Great Priest!"

Barbarian Bone landed with a thud, finally realizing the old man's origins. His eyes, however, showed no fear; he grinned maliciously.

"Another stinky Taoist priest! You're all in cahoots!"

He slowly rose to his feet, his two fists, each the size of a sand bowl, clashed together in front of his chest. Thick blood vapor spewed from the pores of his body, slowly coalescing into a massive and ferocious bull behind him.

A terrifying force spread, and suddenly dark clouds rolled in the sky above the forest, causing the light to dim rapidly!
The situation changes suddenly!

"So what if he's a high priest? This isn't your territory, Yu Kingdom. Today, this general will taste the high priest's flesh and blood!"

The barbarian exhaled a scorching breath from his nostrils, his fighting spirit blazing.

He was already regretful that he couldn't go to the front line with the army because of the clan chief's transfer order, but now he has stumbled upon a merit that is delivered to his door. If he can kill this old Taoist, wouldn't that be a great military achievement?

"Can you withstand it?"

Seeing the sky change color and the surroundings plunge into darkness, Zhao Du'an glanced at Old Zhang with slight concern.

Zhang Yan said irritably:
"I was only reduced by a few minor realms, I didn't die."

With one hand behind his back, his black priest's robe fluttered in the wind. He spread his five fingers and gently pressed down on the Liaoren general, who was charging towards him like a demon god.

"boom!"

As the charging barbarian bone suddenly felt the entire world pressing in on him, it was as if a mountain was being carried on his back.

The immense pressure caused his giant body to groan in agony, first his feet shattered, then his leg bones, his sternum…

"Crack, click, click..."

A horrifying scene unfolded:

As Man Gu ran, his body shrank.

When he arrived in front of Zhao Du'an, he was completely crushed into the ground, the entire forest floor caved in, and a huge handprint appeared on the ground.

The general, who was capable of fighting a half-step Celestial, was now a bloody mess with his meridians broken!

quiet!
The forest fell into a deathly silence.

The surrounding elite Liao people all showed a look of horror on their faces, their scalps tingling.

The invincible Barbarian General was on the verge of death in a single move?!

Suddenly, a Liao man grabbed a flute from his waist, put it in his mouth, and tried to blow it to warn the village.

However, he only spat out a mouthful of blood before collapsing softly to the ground. Not only him, but at this moment all the Liao people had a seal character appear between their brows, their strength sealed, and they became lambs to the slaughter.

So fierce?
Zhao Du'an glanced at Old Zhang with surprise, secretly comparing him to Zhen Bao, who had defeated the Sword Immortal.

Zhang Yan slowly withdrew his hand, his aura returning to that of an unassuming old man. He glanced at him and said irritably:

"You brat, do you really have to test my abilities?"

Zhao Du'an chuckled, as if he had never been angry:
"What are you saying, Celestial Master? With you here, if I were to make the first move, wouldn't I be stealing your thunder?"

Smooth-talking… Zhang Yan smiled and shook his head with a laugh:
"Now I understand how you've won His Majesty's favor."

The barbarian bone, almost embedded in the ground, was still alive. It struggled to lift its head and heard the two talking as if no one else was around, and was shocked.

He spat out a mouthful of foul blood, his eyes widening:
"Are you Zhang... Zhang Yanyi... and... Zhao... Zhao Du'an?"

At this moment, how could he not understand the identities of the two people?

The immense shock caused his mind to freeze; he couldn't understand why these two people had quietly appeared here.
And the clan leader didn't notice anything? That shouldn't be the case...

"Bang!" Zhao Du'an raised his right foot and casually stomped down on Man Gu's head, looking down at him with indifference:

"Did I give you permission to speak? Answer my questions. When did you attack the Cloud Drift troops? How many troops did you deploy?"

Barbarian's heart sank; he knew he was likely doomed.
"You...don't even think about it..."

Another tough nut to crack. Zhao Du'an turned his head and gestured to Yu Xiu.

With a "whoosh," the flying sword in Yu Xiu's hand severed the head of a Liao man, eliciting a scream.

Barbarian Bone sneered, "You think... I'd be threatened by such despicable means? I absolutely won't..."

"Who asked you?" Zhao Du'an looked down at him strangely, then glanced at Yu Xiu:

"Translate this for me. Tell them that as long as they cooperate, I will spare their general's life and use him to exchange for prisoners. Heh, true warriors are willing to bear the infamy for their people. It's time to see who the real warrior is."

If anyone doesn't cooperate, I will take them back to the State of Yu, give them high-ranking positions and generous rewards, and spread the word so that the entire Liao people know that they are traitors who sold out their master for personal gain and accomplices in killing the Great General.

"Oh, right, just a reminder to these guys: even if they don't tell us, we can still use magic to search their souls."

"you!!!"

Man Gu stared wide-eyed, struggling to lift his head, only to find everything going black before his eyes. He couldn't believe that this Yu person could be so vicious!

He immediately wanted to shout to warn his men not to fall for the trap.

Before he could say anything, Zhao Du'an stomped his head back into the mud!
What kind of vicious scheme is this... Yu Xiu glanced at Zhao Du'an with a strange look, and reluctantly translated these words to the Liao prisoners.

She understood that for the Liao warriors, whose "warrior culture" was extremely prevalent, death was not terrible, but losing honor and becoming a traitor was unacceptable.

As expected, upon hearing Zhao Du'an's threat that anyone who did not cooperate would be rewarded with high-ranking official positions and generous salaries, the group of prisoners began to struggle.

After hearing Zhao Du'an's questions, which did not involve too much sensitive content, they finally couldn't hold back and yielded to this despicable hunter.

Next, Zhao Du'an asked and answered questions, using Yu Xiu as a translator, and finally learned the information he was concerned about.

Yu Xiu said:
"They said that the main force of the Liao people's army set off ten days ago, led by the tribe's greatest warrior. However, their chieftain did not leave but remains in the 'temple' within the main village..."

"Besides the First Warrior, there was another special 'military officer' leading the army. He was a man from the Yu Kingdom who represented the clan leader's will on the front lines."

Zhao Du'an was stunned. There were even people leading the way?

He frowned and asked, "A person from the State of Yu? Who is that?"

Yu Xiu said, "They couldn't explain it clearly, only that about ten days ago, two people from the Yu Kingdom arrived in Dajiang and were received by the clan chief. One of them was a warrior carrying a large spear; he was very powerful." Zhao Du'an was stunned for a moment, and almost subconsciously, a name came to mind:
"Could it be Xu Jianwen?"

A powerful martial artist wielding a gun undoubtedly fits Qi Yuchun's character.

But when did Xu Jianwen make contact with the foreign race? As the second prince of the royal family, even in the defeated version, there's no reason for him to become a "traitor"... right?

Zhang Yan glanced at him but didn't say anything.

Zhao Du'an continued to inquire carefully, but unfortunately, although these warriors belonged to the "Imperial Guard," their rank was not high enough, and they did not know more.

"Ask them again why they discovered us so quickly."

Zhao Du'an suppressed his doubts and asked a different question.

Yu Xiu said, "They said that a sorcerer sneaked into the vicinity of the stronghold, acting suspiciously. They discovered him and suspected him of being a spy, so Man Gu came out to chase after him."

That sorcerer was very strong; he was chased all the way and survived for a long time. However, halfway through, Barbarian noticed the fluctuations in the heavens and earth around us, so he changed his target and came looking for us.

They believe we are in cahoots with that shady sorcerer.

A sorcerer has infiltrated? Which expert is so audacious? Zhao Du'an's expression was strange.

He didn't remember Zhao Shixiong having any powerful sorcerers under his command.

However, there are indeed some reclusive masters hidden in the martial arts world of Yu Kingdom. For example, Zhang Yanyi's disciples are also wandering the martial arts world, their whereabouts unknown.
He kept these two pieces of information in mind and asked some more questions, but when it came to sensitive topics, such as the specific allocation of troops, these people either didn't know or resolutely kept quiet, even if threatened with promotions.

"Alright, that's fine then," Zhao Du'an said casually after squeezing every last drop of value out of it.

“I keep my word. Since they are cooperating so well, let them die gloriously.”

"Killing to silence is killing to silence..." Yu Xiu had a lot of complaints stuck in her chest, and she felt so uncomfortable that she simply controlled her flying sword to behead them one by one.

In a short while, only a pile of corpses remained on the ground.

Zhao Du'an also stomped hard, and with a "crack," sent the severely injured and dying Man Gu to meet his Laba God.

Such a powerful warrior died so tragically, so silently.

Because Zhang Yanyi had cast a spell beforehand to seal off the surrounding area, the commotion here did not spread.

"What do we do next?" The group looked at Zhao Du'an, the "captain."

Zhao Du'an fell into thought.

Bad news: The Liao people are serious; they have indeed gone to attack Yunfu.

Good news: The rear is undefended, making it easier for him to infiltrate.

However, his purpose in coming here was not to conduct guerrilla warfare, but to find the key that Lao Xu had hidden here.

But DJI has a huge area, so where could the key be hidden?
"Calm down... Since Lao Xu went to such great lengths to lead me here with clues, he certainly wouldn't let me wander around like a headless fly."

"Put yourself in Lao Xu's shoes, where would you hide the key? First, it would definitely be hidden... No, hiding isn't necessarily the key, the key is security. It won't be taken away by just anyone in the next six hundred years."

"Secondly, it must be eye-catching; it will never be in some inconspicuous corner, where you simply won't find it."

"Third, acquiring it must be difficult, otherwise there would be no need for celestial warriors to protect it..."

Considering all the factors above, the answer is obvious.

Zhao Du'an looked silently at Yu Xiu and asked, "What is the most dangerous place in the entire Xinjiang region?"

Yu Xiu paused for a moment, then replied:
"There are two places. One is the altar where the Liao people worship their gods. The other is the 'Great Village,' which is similar to a palace. It is where the chieftains of each generation have lived and it is protected by many experts."

Zhang Yan, with his sleeves tucked in and looking completely at ease, suddenly said:
"You suspect that the key is hidden in one of these two places?"

Zhao Du'an nodded, then suddenly smiled and said:

"Isn't the Celestial Master good at divination? Can he calculate it?"

Zhang Yan glanced at him and said speechlessly:
"If you could calculate it, would I need you to lead the way?"

Old Zhang, you useless piece of trash! What use are you?
Zhao Du'an stroked his chin and suddenly said:
"Is the main village of the Liao people always the same? Or has it been moved to a different location?"

Yu Xiu, being exceptionally intelligent, immediately understood his meaning, and her eyes lit up:
"In the tradition of the Liao people, the main village was indeed moved, but the location of the altar has never changed."

Zhao Du'an laughed and said, "Then most likely, our target is near the altar."

Speaking of which, where is that place, and what dangers does it hold? I remember you told me last time, Yuxiu, that you once infiltrated the altar?

A rare look of lingering fear appeared on Yu Xiu's face:
"I did infiltrate, but that was during the Liao people's sacrificial festival. I blended into the sacrificial procession and that's how I got in."

Because I was with the celebration procession, I didn't directly face the dangers involved, which can be considered lucky.

As for the location, it is called "Layuan". It is located in a valley. As the core sacrificial site of the Liao people, Layuan is closed all year round and Liao people are prohibited from entering or leaving. Most Liao people only have the opportunity to enter Layuan once every few years during the festival.

As for its location, it's not far from here.

He squatted down and used a twig to draw a simple map on the ground, making a circle in the direction where everyone was heading south.

He said:
"However, one danger is certain: the Great Laba God slumbers here. Legend has it that any intruder will be killed by a divine curse."

"..."

Zhao Du'an and Jin Jian exchanged a glance and looked at each other blankly.

A "La Garden" guarded by the gods?
How is this still playing?
The next second, Zhao Du'an, Yu Xiu, and Jin Jian all looked up at the old celestial master, staring at him expectantly, as if they were looking at the hope of the entire village.

Zhang Yan felt uneasy under that gaze, sighed softly, and shook his head, saying:

“In my prime, I might still be able to force my way into the Wax Garden. Even if I were not inferior to a true deity, I would still have the means to protect myself. But now that my magical power has been weakened by several layers, I'm afraid I won't be able to escape from the Wax Garden, a place where deities slumber…”

Just as all three of them showed disappointment.

But then the old master changed the subject: "However..."

"If we can lure the Laba God out of the Laba Garden and away from his altar, I can hold him off for a while."

Leading to the discovery of the wax garden?!
Zhao Du'an was taken aback, and his disappointed expression suddenly cleared up.

Yes, who says gods can't be lured away?

In his understanding, the power of gods also has limits, just like that of empresses.

The imperial dragon aura that the empress received from the throne also has its limits.

They are strongest in the palace, and become weaker the further away they are from the palace.

If the Empress hadn't rushed to Mount Luoshan to perform the Fengshan ceremony and left the capital, Wu Xiankui wouldn't have been able to succeed; at the very least, the chances of winning would have been 50/50.

The Western Regions Dharma King followed a similar logic, which is why he could not leave the Western Regions.

Even Zhang Yanyi, who left the strongest kingdom in the Heavenly Dao, was weakened, wasn't he?
Therefore, after the Laba God leaves the Laba Garden, it is similar to the Empress leaving the palace and going to the outskirts of the capital.

The drop may not be significant, but in a battle between experts, even the slightest difference can affect the outcome.

"Then how do we bring out the Laba God?"

Zhao Du'an frowned, then suddenly realized:
"Old Zhang... Master, what are you planning to do..."

Zhang Yanyi's smile spread:

“That’s right. As long as I make some noise and attract His attention, I can lure Him out. However, I can’t lure Him out very far.”

Zhao Du'an said, "So, while the Celestial Master is leading the Laba God away, I can take the opportunity to sneak into the Laba Garden and look for the key?"

Zhang Yan nodded and smiled:

“Yu Xiu has been to the Wax Garden before and can guide you. Jin Jian’er can cover your tracks, and if anything unexpected happens, you can use her teleportation technique to escape.”

Good heavens... Zhao Du'an's eyes were strange. He thought to himself, "Old Zhang, you arranged everything so clearly. Could it be that you had already guessed what would happen?"

The jade sleeve and the golden tablet also brought some surprises.

As long as the gods are not present, with the three of them possessing the highest level of cultivation, and given that the rear of the Liao people is currently the most vulnerable, the danger can be minimized.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Yan poured cold water on the three of them once again:

"However... the Great Laba God is different from the evil gods in the Yu Kingdom who are suppressed and attacked by the righteous gods."

Here, the Laba God is equivalent to the righteous god of the Yu Kingdom, and their powers are incomparable.

My room for maneuver is limited, and you don't have much time left. You must hurry, because if something unexpected happens and the evil god returns, and you fail to escape in time, your lives may be in danger!

-

The update is a bit late, but it's been a long time since I've posted 5,000 words.

(End of this chapter)