Patrol Captain

Just as the city of Chengdu was busily preparing to build up its army, at dusk the next day, the Youmen Pass, stretching like a giant dragon, stood tall in the Tianyao Mountain Range, surrounded by clouds and mist on both sides. It was like a lonely island suspended in the vast sea of ​​clouds, appearing solitary, desolate, and lonely.

On the black city gate tower to the east, two figures stood with their hands behind their backs, gazing into the distance at the vast expanse.

It was late autumn, the autumn wind was bleak, all things were gradually withering, and there was a chill in the wind.

"I never imagined that the mist in the Misty Sea had spread this far. It seems that the restrictions from back then have completely failed and can no longer contain the demons of the Hundred Thousand Mountains."

Of the two, Chen Yuan's voice rang out. He was dressed in his signature blue robe, his hands behind his back, looking at the distant mist that stretched to the horizon, his brows slightly furrowed.

Before he could even finish a cup of tea, he personally visited Youmen Pass and discovered that the Tianyao Mountains on both sides of Youmen Pass had undergone a great transformation. He then came to the city gate tower to take a look.

Standing beside him was a man dressed in white with dark pupils; who else could it be but Luo Cheng, the king who ruled this city?

"I personally explored the mist, and the restrictive power within is indeed dissipating, but it will take time. After all, the fortune has been sealed for thousands of years, and the mist won't disappear in a short time. During this process, the mist will spread everywhere, and this mountain range will lose its protective function."

"To say something General Chen doesn't want to hear, the diffusion of the fog in this sea of ​​mist actually benefits the demons in the mountains, creating a hiding place for them. It makes it difficult to find traces of demons there, and they might suddenly appear from somewhere and take the opportunity to head north." King Luo Cheng seemed to have seen through Chen Yuan's thoughts and added a couple of sentences.

Chen Yuan's expression remained unchanged, but he frowned slightly and said:
"That's really troublesome!"

As he spoke, he tilted his head, glanced at King Luo Cheng, and asked:

"Given your past experiences, you must have participated in setting up such a sealing formation back then. Is there any way to stabilize the restrictive power of this formation?"

King Luo Cheng also turned his head, his dark eyes looking at Chen Yuan with a meaningful expression.
"You think too highly of me. A formation of this level cannot be accomplished by one person alone. It is like a dam that has burst, and the floodwaters pour down, vast and irreversible."

"Even if those people from back then reunite, it won't change anything. After all, it involves more of the dynasty's fortune, using that fortune to suppress it. But now you understand that too."

The king only spoke half of his sentence, but the rest of the meaning should be clear to everyone.

Chen Yuan understood, of course, that asking these questions was just a gamble, since there were eyewitnesses standing by, and perhaps they could come up with a solution.

Since the spread of the Misty Sea was unstoppable, Chen Yuan didn't dwell on the topic. He turned to the side, his tone casual.

"These guys in the Ten Thousand Mountains are trying to take advantage of the chaos and are eager to make a move. Now that I have regained control of Sichuan and taken over this mess, I have just finished dealing with things in the north and have come to the south to find my senior. It's a helpless situation."

"I wonder if you, senior, have any method to teach me?"

He came to "humbly seek advice," and even offered his hand and bowed.

King Luo turned away without changing his expression, saying, "I dare not accept such a courtesy from you."

"I've heard about your matter so many times, even if I were in this remote corner thousands of miles away, that I'd be sick of it. I suppose you have your own way of dealing with it. I've done what I can, and there's nothing more I can do to help."

"I have no desire to interfere in the conflict between the court and the demon race. I only wish to quietly recuperate and return to the celestial realm as soon as possible."

The white-robed king spoke very directly, indicating that he did not want to get involved in the matter, as the memories of his predecessor were still ingrained in his bones, and he did not want to repeat the same mistakes.

Chen Yuan was not surprised by the senior's answer.
"Senior has been kind enough to pass on his teachings to me, so I will not force you. However, I would like to ask for your help with a small favor."

"The beasts of the Ten Thousand Mountains are stirring. I, the general, am leading my troops and preparing to take action soon. Now, I need to ascertain the attitude of the monarchs who, like my predecessors, occupy the other six prefectures."

"Neutral, friendly, or hostile?" Chen Yuan asked, his eyes flashing with a golden light that was somewhat intimidating.

However, he quickly concealed it, his tone becoming firm.
"Chen needs to clarify the attitudes of several monarchs!"

"We hope that you, senior, can extend an invitation!"

However, upon hearing this, King Luo's brows, as dark as if painted with black ink, furrowed slightly. He lowered his eyelids, pondered for a couple of steps, then stopped, turned his head to the side, and said in a somewhat muffled voice:

"You don't come to my door without a reason, so I suppose that's why you've come to see me today."

"This has really put me in a difficult position."

"Although the seven of us were all celestial beings from the lower realms in our past lives, things have changed drastically. We seven fought our way out of countless corpses in that dark and sunless burial ground. Do you think we were all living peacefully?"

"Actually, there are conflicts and grudges between them. After all, they have been in that dark and sunless place for so many years. If they don't fight a few times, they will go crazy."

The white-robed king spoke with a hint of self-deprecation.

Chen Yuan understood what this person meant: these seven immortal monarchs were not on good terms; on the contrary, some of them had grudges and were at odds with each other.

However, if you put yourself in their shoes, that's indeed the case.

At this moment, King Luo continued speaking, his brows furrowing even more deeply, and he said in a low voice:

"And most importantly, all seven of us are inherently disgusted with the imperial court. Now that you have taken over the power in Shu, if you summon them here because of this matter, it is very likely to arouse their hostility and backfire!"

His words were meant to dissuade Chen Yuan from this idea.

unexpectedly,

"Who said I, Chen, represent the imperial court?" Chen Yuan smiled, a half-smile playing on his lips.

"What do you mean?"

Facing the gaze of the emperor opposite him, Chen Yuan said in a profound tone, "If it were for the sake of the court, I, Chen, would naturally not need to do such a thing. But if it were for my own sake?"

"After all, Mr. Chen has learned his lesson and doesn't want to be controlled by others anymore. Senior Luo, don't you agree?" He smiled as he said this.

Upon hearing this, King Luo Cheng's furrowed brows relaxed. "That's more like it," he thought.

"Then I shall give it a try!"

"No, let's forget about Chen's suggestion." Unexpectedly, Chen Yuan said this instead.

King Luo did not get angry, but quietly looked at Chen Yuan, waiting for Chen Yuan to explain.

"Senior just reminded me that there are grudges between your kings. If I were to invite you in your name, it would only arouse the hostility of the other kings and put you in a difficult position."

"Chen then used his own name to host a banquet and invite several monarchs to join him!"

"As for the location, let's choose Feiyun Mountain, which is located between Dingshan Pass and Zhennan Prefecture!"

"This place is located in the middle of the seven prefectures, so it's convenient to come and go."

"How about we set the time for 5-7 PM two days from now?"

"Okay." King Luo pondered for a moment and then nodded.

"Since that's the case, it's settled then. I, Chen, will have my men deliver the message to all the monarchs."

"I would appreciate it if you could help me out then, senior," Chen Yuan said with a smile, before offering his hand to the other person.

"Now that this matter is settled, I, Chen, shall take my leave."

King Luo Cheng nodded. "No need to see me off."

Upon seeing this, Chen Yuan jumped off the city gate tower and then vanished into the vast world.

After bidding farewell to King Luo, Chen Yuan did not return home but instead entered the Ten Thousand Mountains, heading south as darkness gradually fell.

As they traveled along the way, they indeed discovered that the traces of the demon race were becoming more frequent on the outskirts of the Ten Thousand Mountains.

However, his purpose for this trip was not these demons. He sped along without stopping, moving so fast that even his afterimage could not be seen.

Soon after, as night fell, Chen Yuan's figure appeared in a vast expanse of sky. In his field of vision, it seemed as if the sky had been pierced, revealing a huge hole that stretched as far as the eye could see.

The sky seemed to tilt in half, and within that enormous hole, the stars were shattered, transforming into countless heavenly fires that descended upon the world. Furthermore, lightning snakes crackled and leaped out of the void, flying everywhere. The space was in a state of extreme chaos, and countless broken mountains and trees floated, moved, and collided in mid-air, with endless booming sounds.

As for the earth, it had long since been torn apart, turning into countless abysses!
Seeing this horrifying scene again still made Chen Yuan somewhat frightened.

This is the location of the lower realm passage.
Golden light flashed in his eyes, and then lightning crackled and popped from his body. A burst of five-colored divine light followed, and the True Dragon Armor emerged from his body.

Then, he stomped his foot, transforming into a streak of rainbow light, and rushed into this chaotic land.

Hidden within are spatial rifts, streaks of fire falling from the sky, thunderous trees, and massive boulders floating in mid-air.
As Chen Yuan traveled deeper into the cave, the environment became increasingly harsh. Spatial storms swept through the area, whipping up debris and creating a dark and murky atmosphere, making it almost impossible to see anything. The storms also harbored a deadly intent.

Chen Yuan's rainbow light traveled unimpeded, but he clearly felt that the hole in the sky seemed to have grown much larger than when he entered this place with King Luo last time!
Like a black hole, it is expanding violently, eroding the Hundred Thousand Mountains!
Is this one of the reasons why the demons of the Ten Thousand Mountains are stirring up trouble?

Chen Yuan suddenly realized this.

However, just as he continued to walk deeper into the storm, he suddenly raised an eyebrow and flicked his finger in the direction of the storm.

A golden light shot out, piercing through the gale and darkness.

Soon, a loud "bang" rang out.

A beam of azure light flew out from the opposite side, only to be blasted backward by the golden light he unleashed.

Before he could make any further moves, a sharp aura rapidly surged from deep within his right shoulder.

A streak of fire flashed down, aimed directly at Chen Yuan, but Chen Yuan's True Dragon Armor immediately emitted divine light, blocking the incoming fire.

It's a reddish-brown throwing knife!
The throwing knife struck the light barrier, its blade humming and emitting a sharp sound.

"call out"

From the gale to the left front, another streak of light struck. Chen Yuan pointed his finger, and the wind from his finger directly froze the incoming object, which turned out to be a small cyan tower.

Also, directly above and below your feet.
Chen Yuan seemed to have stepped into some kind of restriction, as several weapons simultaneously locked onto him and attacked with lightning speed.

Seeing that they could not break through Chen Yuan's defenses, these divine weapons then shone brightly, grew larger in the wind, and became enormous, squeezing towards the center in an attempt to break through the outermost layer of the True Dragon Armor's defenses.

At the same time, several beams of light suddenly rose into the sky amidst the dark gale, unleashing a dazzling aura.

The figure has three pairs of flame-shaped wings behind it, raises a golden seal aloft on its right arm, and sits on a tiger, like an angry Vajra.

A figure with brows bristling like iron brushes, a thick beard with each hair like a steel needle, a wide-open mouth revealing gleaming white fangs, an indigo face, and bulging blue veins on both sides of his cheeks, exuding a violent and imposing aura, a fierce and malevolent presence.
These people were not demons; they exuded a strong aura of incense.

"stop!"

Just then, an aged voice rang out, causing the several divine weapons, whose divine light was surging, to pause and come to a halt.

As soon as he finished speaking, a ripple appeared in this area of ​​fierce winds, and a figure stepped out from it.

An elderly man, dressed in a yellow mandarin jacket, with white hair and beard combed meticulously, stepped in the air and waved his hand.

Several divine weapons flew back and shrank rapidly, clearing the view and revealing Chen Yuan's figure.

The old man's expression was somewhat strange when he saw Chen Yuan.
"Why is General Chen here all of a sudden, instead of staying in Chengdu?"

Chen Yuan removed the protective aura from his body. "I heard that the temple priest of Qiong Temple is guarding this passage to the lower realm. I happened to be here on business, so I came here."

As he spoke, his eyelids twitched slightly, and his gaze swept across the surrounding area, where beams of light and shadow stood erect amidst the raging winds—all of them were incense gods.

"General Chen, have you seen these people before? Don't you remember them?" Qiong Silou understood Chen Yuan's meaning, smiled, and stepped forward.

"Have you seen him before?" Just as Chen Yuan was wondering, Qiong Silou narrowed his eyes and smiled.
"General Chen, don't you remember the clay sculptures you saw when you first entered the Temple of Martial Arts?"

"So that's how it is!" Chen Yuan suddenly realized that these people were all deities and gods enshrined in the Martial Temple, such as Kangjin God General and Kuigang Demon-Slaying God Lord. He had heard the temple keeper of Qiong Temple introduce them before.

It turns out that these people were guarding this place together with Qiong Silou, the temple keeper of the Martial Temple!

"What brings General Chen here?" Qiong Silou asked at this moment.

"The demons of the Ten Thousand Mountains are already stirring, and I have begun preparing my troops."

"But before that, I plan to hold a banquet and invite the immortal kings who occupy the seven prefectures to see what their attitudes are."

Qiong Silou listened thoughtfully, "These people are not to be trifled with. They are hostile to the imperial court and it is not advisable to provoke them. This is a variable. Does General Chen really want to take the initiative to make contact?"

"These rulers are blocking the way between Shu and the Ten Thousand Mountains. We will have to meet sooner or later, so let's make things clear first."

"When?"

"The day after tomorrow at the hour of You (5-7 PM)!" Chen Yuan replied.

"General Chen, is there anything I can do to help you?" Qiong Silou thought Chen Yuan had come here to ask him for assistance in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

"Nothing much. I just happened to be passing by to drop by and ask why Lord Qiong strongly urged Helian Shan to let me take over Yunding Mountain?" Chen Yuan asked.

Qiong Silou laughed and said slowly:
"Just because General Chen dares to host a banquet for the seven kings the day after tomorrow!" (End of Chapter)