Slender willows sway in the breeze

Chapter 237 Exhausted

After recovering from his injuries, Gu Changzhou returned to the Molin Army.

On the first day after Gu Changzhou returned to the Molin Army's garrison, he ordered a bronze stele three zhang high to be erected in the training ground, with the names of 682 soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the Battle of Tianxu Palace engraved on it.

Holding the Xuan Tie sword, he swore an oath before the monument: "This sword will never return to its sheath until it slays demons and restores peace!"

Afterwards, he personally presided over three grand competitions, using the Starry Sky Sword Qi as a guide to test the purity of the soldiers' spiritual power.

Those whose spiritual power progresses too slowly will be transferred to the logistics department, while 1,211 elites will be retained to form the "Mysterious Armor Guards," each equipped with Star Armor capable of withstanding attacks from those below the Nascent Soul stage.

With the assistance of the Tianji Pavilion, the original single defensive formation was dismantled into the "Nine Palaces Star Formation".

Groups of nine people are formed, using the Big Dipper as a guide, with the remaining two holding the "Tai Xu Gui Xing Banquet". This allows them to temporarily change the formation's attributes during battle to achieve the best defensive effect.

In addition, in cooperation with Leng Xuan, they established the "Mo Lin Ambush" and set up contact points in various prefectures and counties. Each scout was equipped with a "Heavenly Secret Transmission Jade" which could transmit messages within a hundred miles. In this way, even people with low cultivation levels could accurately and timely transmit intelligence. Furthermore, they cooperated with the Wuji Tower established by Gu Changzhou.

However, this only applies to the area under Yu the Great. Countries like Fenglei Kingdom, Shengxuan Kingdom, and other small countries led by Minyue Kingdom still rely on "Molin's secret agents".

These are just general directions; the next step is implementation.

With the establishment of the Mo Lin spy network, Gu Changzhou assigned Gao Kuo to coordinate with Leng Xuan. Gao Kuo's cultivation had already reached the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, so he was able to handle the task with ease. As for Jiang Tai, he joined him in training the Mo Lin army.

At the beginning of the Yin hour, the entire army, carrying a hundred pounds of weight, ran along the mountain range where they were stationed, having to dodge arrows and traps along the way.

Gu Changzhou, wielding the Xuan Tie sword, rode alongside, his sword pointing directly at the weakest point, and those struck would have to carry an additional ten pounds of meteorite iron.

When the sun is high in the sky, Gu Changzhou sets up the "Burning Sun Heart-Burning Formation." Soldiers must maintain a clear mind within the formation while performing designated combat actions. This formation can temper one's Dao heart, and those burned by the formation will leave star-shaped marks.

At 3:45 PM, the entire army entered the Misty Forest blindfolded, and had to rely on sound to locate targets without any spiritual power to complete the assassination mission.

Gu Changzhou will suddenly release Netherworld Demonic Energy to interfere; survivors will receive a "Demon Suppression Token".

Furthermore, the entire army's weapons also need to be updated.

Gu Changzhou infused his own stellar power into five thousand Xuan Tie swords, causing ink-scale patterns to appear on the swords.

This sword can absorb moonlight to replenish its spiritual power, and after a thousand consecutive swings, it will automatically enter the "Star Tempering" state. As for the Star-Guiding Banner, it was specially made by the Refining Pavilion of Yougu Palace, and its surface is painted with a celestial constellation. When swung, it can draw upon the power of the stars to form a defensive barrier, the duration of which is proportional to the user's spiritual power.

Then there are the communication jade tablets, improved by Leng Xuan and made by the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion. Each jade tablet is engraved with the words "Mo Lin". The holder can bind the tablet with blood, and in a moment of crisis, crushing the jade tablet will allow Gu Changzhou's Xuan Tie sword to sense the location of the break.

At the same time, Gu Changzhou removed the commander's tent and ate and lived with the soldiers.

At every meal, the cooks would prepare three extra dishes, which would be placed in front of the nameless monument to show respect for the fallen soldiers.

A nine-story military merit tower was built in the center of the garrison, with each floor engraved with medals of different ranks. Ordinary soldiers who obtained the "Broken Army Medal" could be directly promoted to platoon leader; platoon leaders who obtained the "Greedy Wolf Medal" could meet with Gu Changzhou and make a reasonable request.

The mountain behind the garrison was transformed into the Hall of War Souls, where the cenotaphs of the past commanders of the Molin Army are enshrined. On the first day of each month, the entire army holds a "War Soul Ceremony" here, presided over by Gu Changzhou, who inscribes new achievements on a stone tablet with a black iron sword.

They trained day and night for a year without stopping.

That year, Jiang Tai was almost exhausted.

At this moment, I was incredibly envious of Gao Kuo, who had established secret agents in various prefectures and counties.

He was just lucky; he broke through his cultivation level while accepting the mission. He had only broken through to the Avatar stage last month. Jiang Tai was actually being tortured a lot, which is why he thought this way.

His personality is different from Gao Kuo's, and he is more intelligent than Gao Kuo. It is more suitable for Gao Kuo to set up the secret base.

This must be acknowledged.

That day, Gu Changzhou stood on the training platform, looking at the soldiers below, and said, "We have received reliable information that our people have discovered a remnant stronghold of the Tianxu Palace. You have practiced diligently this year, and now it is time to test your results."

When Gu Changzhou spoke, the soldiers were very excited, especially the elite Xuanjia Guards, who were eager to show off their skills.

Without wasting any words, Gu Changzhou took the lead, wielding his Xuan Tie sword and leading over 1,200 Xuan Jia guards in a surprise attack.

When they arrived, there were still more than 300 demonic cultivators inside the stronghold. They arrived silently and surrounded them. The Xuanjia Guards formed a nine-palace travel map on their own.

The Taixu Guiding Star Banner draws upon the power of the Heavenly Gang Stars.

For every ten people Gu Changzhou slew, a starlight would light up on the blade of his Xuan Tie sword. In the end, the entire sword would transform into a dazzling meteor, completely destroying the stronghold.

After this battle, the Black Armor Guard of the Molin Army became famous throughout the world.

Whenever the Mo Lin Army is mobilized, the phantom of Mo Lin will always appear in the sky, and the star trails beneath its feet terrify demonic cultivators.

Gu Changzhou's armor also features twelve new star patterns, each representing a major victory.

Emperor Yu was naturally pleased to have such a powerful army. The various sects were also very pleased, as having such a force would alleviate their pressure.

But the other countries, especially the Fenglei Kingdom, were not so happy!

Although Yu the Great never provoked the other country, having such a powerful neighbor always made him uneasy.

If one day we have to attack them, wouldn't they be completely defenseless?

More than a decade ago, they were defeated by the Mo Lin Army. Now, they would probably be crushed. The more they thought about it, the more uneasy Qin Yongsheng, the emperor, felt.

Especially when he learned that this Marquis Molin had actually started creating some kind of "Molin Undercover Agents" a year ago, his worries instantly reached their peak.

What do you mean?
Could it be that Marquis Molin is ostensibly reorganizing the Molin Army to deal with that Tianxu Palace, but secretly wants to help their emperor take over the Fenglei Kingdom?
Qin Yongsheng stood on the star-gazing platform, watching the faint star trails on the northern horizon, his fingertips digging deeply into his palms.

The Grand Astrologer behind him held the tortoise shell with trembling hands: "Your Majesty, last night Mars was in conjunction with the heart of the planet, which foretells calamity and war."

really!

Mo Linhou's actions were actually aimed at him.

The Heavenly Ruins Palace and the demonic cultivators are all just excuses.

For so many years, it has always been the Three Palaces and Six Gates. I have never heard of any Heavenly Ruins Palace. It is not surprising that there are a few evil cultivators in the world, but I have never heard of any demonic cultivators before.

In short, it's just Mo Linhou's excuse.

However, since Marquis Molin was also under the command of the royal family, it must have been the Northern Chen royal family that had this idea.