Start with a red name

After taking down the "Three Passes", Geng Xuan handed over all the follow-up work to Fu Yunfeng, as well as two newly promoted peak Marrow Refinement cultivators who had recently been promoted at "White Horse Ridge" for their abilities and loyalty.

Their tasks were numerous: to screen and persuade thousands of prisoners, and to plunder the entire "Sanya Pass".

—As the team expands rapidly, the consumption in all aspects is also increasing dramatically.

Food alone is an extremely terrifying expense every day, given each cultivator's appetite, which far exceeds that of ordinary people and is almost gluttonous.

So far, apart from initially obtaining some grain and meat from the Iron Arrow Mountain Villa to "Wild Wolf Gorge," Geng Xuan has not planned this matter separately again, nor has he had the time.

The reason why there are no problems with food and supplies now is because Geng Xuan has been ruthlessly collecting all the resources, especially food, meat and fodder, from every bandit stronghold he has conquered.

However, these places are already extremely short of supplies.

Even in the deductions of high-ranking members of the Dark Night Division, such as Tie Lang and Yang Qian, who were more familiar with the situation of the Sand Bandits than many of the Sand Bandits themselves.

If too many bandits gather and no one is spared to fill the gaps, they might not even last ten days.

Therefore, with no other way to fill this huge hole, Geng Xuan could only pack up and take away all usable supplies from each bandit stronghold he conquered.

The average consumption of the bandits who joined the Black Wind Gang was much higher than before they joined.

The intense battles, the relentless long marches, the physical hunger resulting from the rapid improvement in cultivation, and the fact that many bandits had previously lived a life of irregular hunger...

After joining the Black Wind Gang, regardless of the quality and taste of the food, at least it's enough to fill you up, and there's an ample supply of meat.

This is entirely a short-term effect brought about by "draining the pond to catch all the fish".

On the one hand, wherever the Black Wind Gang goes, a large number of bandits are "eliminated" for various reasons and buried deep in the desert.

As the total number of bandits decreases, the shortage of supplies will naturally be alleviated to some extent.

On the other hand, for the bandits, even if they were starving, a mount was still an essential necessity.

Some larger teams also have extra reserves for backup.

As the bandits of Xuanyou and Erzhou were quickly wiped out by the "Black Wind Gang," tens of thousands of Azure Horses naturally fell into the Black Wind Gang's pockets as well.

He was killed in the battle.

Or they might have trampled each other to death in a panic.

He was nearing death due to old age, weakness, illness, and the exhaustion of his life force after being stimulated by the "Horse Judging Technique" of the Perfect Realm.

They will all be handled uniformly.

After skinning and deboning, the large quantity of horse meat obtained, regardless of its taste, ensured a sufficient meat supply for tens of thousands of cultivators.

In this way, the rapidly expanding Black Wind Clan doesn't have to worry about supplies for the time being.

However, apart from Geng Xuan, all the other high-ranking members of the Black Wind Gang saw the fatal flaw of this supply method being unsustainable.

Therefore, whenever they conquered a bandit stronghold, they didn't need Geng Xuan's instructions at all; they would take the most professional approach and thoroughly "extract" the land from it.

The places they "visited" were cleaner than places swarmed by locusts.

Watching them do this, I saw their serious, almost obsessive, attitude.

Geng Xuan couldn't help but think that if he hadn't strictly ordered all the dead bandits to be buried deep, they might have treated these corpses the same way they would treat horse carcasses.

Dong Guan's practice of using human food to supplement the army's food shortages was no secret in the Xuan and You prefectures.

In "Wild Wolf Gorge," the best-run and most renowned restaurants are also those that prioritize people.

If he just loosens his grip a little, the Black Wind Clan can easily overcome this invisible barrier.

However, Geng Xuan naturally explicitly forbade this.

……

Seeing that the finishing work at the "Three Passes" was progressing smoothly, Geng Xuan did not linger. He instructed Fu Yunfeng and the others to take care of everything and then left directly.

At this point, apart from "Yanlai Peak" further east and Xuanyou Prefecture, all other places where sand bandits gathered were swallowed up by the Black Wind Gang.

After leaving the "Sanya Pass", Geng Xuan headed east at a speed of 200 kilometers per hour.

Without stopping along the way, it only took about four hours to return to "Wild Wolf Gorge".

It is now the sixth day of the first lunar month, just before dawn.

Upon entering "Wild Wolf Gorge," Geng Xuan used the hundreds of sand wolves he had casually contracted to confirm the current location of Zhang Kai, Guo Nan, and the others.

Geng Xuan estimated that, given the slow pace of their main force's march, they would arrive around noon.

— Zhang Kai and the others were unaware of the specifics of "Wild Wolf Gorge" and assumed that, like "White Crane Beach," "Golden Leaf Cliff," and "Rapid Stream Cave," it was the next target for the Black Wind Gang to devour.

Since Geng Xuan had informed them in advance, Song Mingzhu and the others did not arrange for anyone to make prior contact or investigate; they simply waited quietly for the other party to come to their door.

With five or six hours left to spare, Geng Xuan, who had just reunited with Song Mingzhu and the others after entering "Wild Wolf Gorge," didn't just sit idly by. Instead, he took the opportunity to resolve quite a few issues.

The first step is recruitment.

The "Wild Wolf Gorge," which was completed at the end of last year, has been presenting a harmless and normal image to the outside world all this time.

Bandit groups gradually gathered in this area.

Because of the constant presence of dark and calamistic influences, the number of bandits absorbed by "Wild Wolf Gorge" significantly exceeded that of the other seven locations.

—During this period, the Black Wind Clan, which had been constantly attacking and expanding, was always in a state of one calamity after another.

To date, more than four thousand more bandits have gathered here.

Apart from those who died, the rest became prisoners of the Black Wind Gang.

The bandits' usual "hospitality" had been used countless times.

For this reason, the recruitment process went very smoothly, with very little "impurity".

After this recruitment ended, the Black Wind Gang had nearly 10,000 members in just the "Wild Wolf Gorge" area.

Then comes good fortune and blessings.

This consumed a total of 31,982 points of good fortune.

Not only did two late-stage Marrow Refinement cultivators gain his favor and be "promoted" to break through and reach the peak of Marrow Refinement, but he also "promoted" them to the peak of Marrow Refinement.

Like Tie Lang, Song Mingzhu took another step forward from the peak of Marrow Refining, achieving the perfection of Body Tempering.

There were many more people who took the opportunity to break through to higher realms, whether they were above or below the Marrow Refinement stage.

After doing all this, while waiting for Zhang Kai and the others to arrive, they spent all their time brewing the auxiliary medicine.

—Not only in "Wild Wolf Gorge", but also in other places where bandits gathered, many medicinal herbs were plundered.

Previously, due to time constraints, there was no time to deal with it, so it was left unresolved.

Considering the Black Wind Gang's urgent need for such resources, Geng Xuan has decided that he will set aside some time to brew them all.

While doing these things, Geng Xuan also kept a close eye on the movements of Zhang Kai and others.

When he sensed through the "earth-listening spider web" that Zhang Kai and the others had approached to within thirty miles of "Wild Wolf Gorge".

After Geng Xuan finished brewing the last pot of medicine, he gave instructions to Song Mingzhu and the others, and then headed east alone to meet up with Zhang Kai and the others.

……

"Captain!"

"Captain!"

"..."

Upon seeing Geng Xuan reappear, Zhang Kai, Guo Nan, and others rushed over to pay their respects.

After exchanging greetings, Zhang Kai immediately inquired about how to conquer "Wild Wolf Gorge".

“I’ve already taken over ‘Wild Wolf Gorge.’ All you need to do is go and meet up with them,” Geng Xuan said.

"..."

Although somewhat surprised, considering his methods, no one was entirely unsurprised.

Moreover, he was always in a hurry during this period, which clearly indicated that he was operating on multiple fronts.

Besides their efforts, other achievements are also understandable.

Geng Xuan then accompanied them on the last leg of their journey, entering "Wild Wolf Gorge," where they reunited with Song Mingzhu and the others.

From then on, more than 90% of the bandits in Xuanzhou, except for those who died, were gathered here.

The scale exceeds 20,000.

Geng Xuan first gathered Song Mingzhu, Hu Yuan, Xiang Jinxiu, Gong Mu, Tong Hui, Cao Ao, as well as Zhang Kai, Guo Nan, Ren Jun, Dai Ming, and other high-level officials from both sides together to facilitate direct communication.

Then, it was also the goal he valued most on his return journey eastward.

Reorganization.

The more than 9,000 people at "Wild Wolf Gorge," as well as the more than 13,600 people who came here with Zhang Kai and others, will be completely dispersed and reorganized by him.

Traveling from "Baihetan" to this point, and experiencing various things along the way, more and more people have realized that the so-called "Dark Night Division peripheral organization" is just a false front.

But there are always some people who are not very bright, or who, for various practical reasons, wishfully believe this fact.

Now, there is naturally no need to hide it anymore, nor can it be hidden any longer.

Most people readily accepted this change.

If they had been told before joining the Black Wind Gang that it was a force that would contend with Dong Guan, they might have hesitated more.

But now, having experienced the miraculous blessings of good fortune, let alone opposing Dong Guan, even if they were told that the Black Wind Gang's goal was to end the chaos and unify the Nine Provinces, few would choose to jump ship.

But ultimately, some people still wavered in the face of such facts.

However, there are not many such people, less than fifty in total, and their wavering will not have any impact on the Black Wind Gang.

The vast majority of these people were spies of the Dark Night Division.

Considering their contributions, Geng Xuan did not kill them, but temporarily sealed their cultivation and had Song Mingzhu take them to keep Yang Qian, the Chief of the Dark Night Division, company.

As for the other wavering individuals who were not originally from the Dark Night Bureau, they were simply "destroyed".

From then on, there were a total of 23,316 members of the Black Wind Gang in "Wild Wolf Gorge".

—Among them, 1107 people who were seriously injured or disabled had to be put on hold for the time being due to a lack of sufficient fresh "materials".

Geng Xuan reorganized them into 2300 squads, 460 companies, and 46 brigades.

After discussing with Song Mingzhu, Zhang Kai, and others, Geng Xuan temporarily abandoned the idea of ​​establishing a larger organization above the brigade.

A brigade consists of about 500 people.

If you hand over one or two large teams to them, they can command them very well, as if they were extensions of their own arms, and can even create amazing effects.

This is their comfort zone.

However, if one rashly expands the size of their forces to two thousand or even five thousand, they will be unable to maximize the effectiveness of their strength.

Such improvement cannot be achieved through mere theoretical speculation; it requires more practical experience.

This reorganization lasted a long time.

From just past noon until nightfall, it took them a while to finally mold the two "snowballs" back into one complete ball.

When Geng Xuan added the last person to the team, he looked around and saw that the surroundings were densely packed with people.

More than 23,000 people gathered together in an orderly and silent manner.

The visual impact alone is a powerful force that can awe people.

Without any deliberate command, a solemn and imposing aura naturally emanated from it.

Not only are there many people, but the quality is also very high.

Among those with combat strength above the Marrow Refinement level, there is one person at the Perfect Realm (Song Mingzhu), 11 at the Peak, 63 at the Late Stage, 206 at the Mid Stage, and 531 at the Early Stage.

If we only compare this point, even the most elite forces under Dong Guan, of the same size, could never have such a high number of those at the Marrow Refinement level or above.

Even among those below the Marrow Refining stage, the Bone Refining stage, considered the backbone of the group, numbered an astonishing four thousand.

This miracle only occurred because of the positive energy that brought the index to over 130,000 points.

After dealing with everything here, Geng Xuan gathered Song Mingzhu, Zhang Kai, and the others together and said:
"Next, all you need to do is conserve your energy and wait patiently."

Song Mingzhu asked, "Commander, are you still leaving?"

Geng Xuan nodded and explained, "The situation in Youzhou has also reached the final stage, and I must personally oversee it."

Song Mingzhu, Zhang Kai, and others were not surprised by this.

In fact, his frequent and hurried comings and goings, coupled with the changes that occurred in Xuanzhou, and the "disappearance" of the Iron Wolf, all contributed to this.

This would allow them to imagine what the current situation of the bandit community in Youzhou is like.

"Then... will you come back tomorrow?" Song Mingzhu asked nervously.

They all already knew that the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry would appear nearby around tomorrow evening.

Although, from any perspective, the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry that came to "Wild Wolf Gorge" could not possibly be too large in scale, at most only three to five thousand.

With the strength at their disposal, even using the simplest tactics—surprisingly, overwhelming the enemy with sheer numbers—would be enough to completely annihilate them.

But those are the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry!

Moreover, this step will officially mark their complete confrontation with Dong Guan, the overlord who has ruled the Xuanyou and You provinces for decades.

Never die.

Just thinking about it makes everyone's mouths go dry.

Even if reason tells them that with Geng Xuan pushing the situation to this point, victory is practically a certainty.

However, they cannot feel at ease if Geng Xuan himself is not by their side.

Geng Xuan was perfectly aware of what they were thinking.

He reassured her, "Don't worry, I'll be back then."

Upon hearing this, Song Mingzhu and the others visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

...After leaving "Wild Wolf Gorge", Geng Xuan did not go straight west back to "Three Passes".

Instead, they headed south, spending several hours secretly "visiting" the outposts of the Xuan You Iron Cavalry along the Xuan Qinghai coast, hundreds of miles away.

Based on their movements, Geng Xuan was even more certain that they would indeed complete their assembly around this evening, about two hundred miles south of "Wild Wolf Gorge".

—Just as Geng Xuan was heading south to investigate, the time had quietly shifted from the sixth day to the seventh.

After completing the assembly, the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry, numbering around two thousand, would head straight for "Wild Wolf Gorge" to carry out a series of operations, including pressuring, intimidating, taking over, and escorting the bandits gathered there south.

"Only about two thousand people... that's a bit few, not even enough to fill a tooth gap," Geng Xuan thought with some regret.

After obtaining firsthand information, Geng Xuan set off north, making a short detour along the coast of Xuanqinghai before heading west to "Sanyakou".

He could also choose to cross the Xuanqing Sea, which would be a shorter route.

However, having only mastered the art of water movement to a minor degree, his speed in water is far slower than on land.

Even though traveling by land involves a longer route, it will still be faster in terms of time.

……

Geng Xuan arrived at the "Three Passes" almost simultaneously with the first ray of sunlight.

At this moment, after more than a day of almost non-stop trekking, the supply train escorted by Iron Wolf has arrived, and figures can be seen sleeping soundly everywhere.

Geng Xuan finished dealing with the unfinished business at Sanyakou in less than two hours.

— Recruiting new members and bestowing good fortune.

From then on, the Black Wind Gang had grown to a size of 13,000 people.

Even excluding the wounded and disabled, there are still about 12,000 available troops.

Then, Geng Xuan, along with Tie Lang and nine thousand cavalry, rode swiftly away from "Sanya Pass" and hurried towards "Yanlai Peak," more than seven hundred miles away.

Fu Yunfeng, along with four thousand men—including about a thousand wounded—escorted a large amount of supplies looted from Yulinwu, Baimagang, and the Sanyakou Pass. After leaving Sanyakou Pass, they traveled eastward along an arc-shaped path heading north.

With this arrangement, they were destined to miss their first direct confrontation with the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry.

This was already the best option that Geng Xuan could think of under the current circumstances.

When the nine thousand Azure Horses, activated by the Perfected Realm "Horse Judging Technique," began to rush eastward across the sand plains, burning their life force in the process.

Geng Xuan, however, entrusted the task of leading the team eastward to "Yanlai Peak" to Tie Lang.

He once again set off alone, traveling at a speed far exceeding that of the nine thousand cavalry, heading rapidly southeast.

……

Around one o'clock in the afternoon.

Geng Xuan found the Xuanyou Iron Cavalry, who had left their respective garrisons and were heading north while constantly reuniting with their companions.

Each garrison station has at least a dozen or twenty riders, and at most forty or fifty riders.

After continuous integration, it is like streams converging into rivers, growing larger and larger in scale and momentum.

The ultimate destination of these mysterious iron cavalry all points in the same direction.

Yanlai Peak.

If there are no unforeseen circumstances, they will arrive at Yanlai Peak around this evening as well.

However, because Yanlai Peak is farther from the coast of Xuanqinghai.

These Xuanyou Iron Cavalry who gathered at Yanlai Peak were basically mobilized from the garrisons along the western coast and surrounding areas of Xuanqinghai.

According to Geng Xuan's estimate, they will arrive at Yanlai Peak one to two hours later than at "Wild Wolf Gorge".

This is all without any unexpected circumstances.

Geng Xuan, who wanted to balance both sides, came here this time to create some surprises for them.

Half past one in the afternoon.

Geng Xuan seized the opportunity, grabbed a Xuanyou rider who was acting as a messenger and traveling between various Xuanyou cavalry units to deliver messages, and buried him in the ground.

Then, he transformed into his original form and continued his mission.

Riding the Xuanyou horse, they shuttled back and forth between one Xuanyou cavalry team after another that was heading north.

A tiny bit of dark luck, like quicksand, flowed through his fingertips and merged into the bodies of his targets.

His technique was very gentle.

Each target will only receive a small to a large amount of bad luck as a "gift".

Based on Geng Xuan's personal experience, given the cultivation level and strength of these Xuan You riders, such a calamity wouldn't even bring them death.

However, as this bit of bad luck and misfortune lingered, accidents naturally occurred during the northward journey of the various cavalry teams.

……

Xuanyou Horse "accidentally" stepped into a seemingly ordinary sand pit, which was actually softer and crisper than other places.

As a result, both the rider and the horse were thrown off.

The others in the riding team realized that the seemingly ordinary sandy landscape around them might hold a hidden secret.

Slow down the horse's speed.

accident.

……

In some riding teams, the horses and the ground were fine, but the riders would inexplicably fall off their horses.

When asked why, it turned out that he was distracted; while riding on horseback, his mind was preoccupied with a movement technique that was remarkably similar to his.

For a moment, he forgot he was on horseback, mobilized his strength, and gave it a try.

Then, he lost his balance and fell off his horse.

accident.

……

accident.

……

accident.

……

Various seemingly normal accidents came together in this "unexpected" way.

This not only severely slowed down their northward journey, but also fostered a sense of dread and horror in everyone's hearts.

Everyone looked at each other.

An accident is an accident.

Both of these incidents could also be considered accidents.

However, similarly, there are dozens of seemingly normal accidents, which can be quite unsettling and unsettling.

"How to do?"

"Something's obviously fishy!"

"..."

They whispered among themselves.

Ultimately, everyone made the same decision.

Slow down and head north slowly.

They would not dare to turn back now and stop heading north, openly defying Dong Guan's orders, even if they had ten lives.

However, given these unusual signs, it is reasonable for them to slow down, proceed cautiously, and head north at a more prudent pace.

……

"Slow down."

While disguising himself as a Xuanyou rider and passing supplies between various cavalry teams, Geng Xuan also took the opportunity to contract some Xuanyou horses.

Through this connection, he can clearly sense their current location and distance, thus determining their overall speed of movement.

Therefore, he clearly sensed that this Xuanyou cavalry, which also numbered around two thousand, seemed to have been mired in an invisible swamp, and their northward speed had visibly slowed down.

To achieve this effect, Geng Xuan only released thirty-five points of dark luck, less than the amount he "gave" to Xiao Jingwen that day.

"So be it."

Having done all that needed to be done, Geng Xuan, riding on his Xuan You horse, turned the reins and prepared to head north to reunite with Tie Lang and the others.

At this moment, Geng Xuan suddenly stopped his horse and looked up again.

Just now, a feeling of joy and self-satisfaction suddenly came from high above.

Then, Geng Xuan saw four small black dots chasing each other high in the sky.

Four?

Geng Xuan was slightly taken aback.

A subtle, wondrous change occurred in his pupils; the four tiny black dots rapidly magnified in his eyes, becoming clearer.

Those four black dots are four Xuanqinghai sand eagles.

Among them, the three that belonged to him were arranged in a triangle, surrounding the fourth Xuanqinghai Sand Sculpture in the middle.

No matter how it charged left or right, it couldn't escape the "triangular formation" set up by the three of them, and could only helplessly move along with the rapid movement of the triangular area.

They are "escorting" this dark blue sea eagle, quickly returning to themselves.

Yes, it means "escort".

As long as you can see their condition, you can easily make such a judgment.

As they approached, their altitude decreased rapidly.

Soon, the four Xuanqinghai sand eagles flew to a height of less than a hundred meters above Geng Xuan.

But at this altitude, no matter how much the three Xuanqinghai Sand Eagles threatened it, the one Xuanqinghai Sand Eagle absolutely refused to descend any further.

Geng Xuan estimated the maximum distance of the "Crane Control Hand" technique at the Perfect Realm.

—Since heading north from Yuanzhou, Geng Xuan has been traveling back and forth between Xuan and Youzhou.

There is also a considerable amount of time available for practicing the "Heaven and Earth Stance".

The three skills, "Crane Control Hand," "Heart-Shattering Roar," and "Blood-Draining Hand," have all taken a step further from the Grandmaster level, reaching the state of perfection.

"At this height, the power will be greatly diminished, but the individual strength of the Xuanqing Sea Sand Sculpture is only equivalent to that of the Blood Refining Realm... We can give it a try."

With this thought in mind, Geng Xuan stretched out his hand upwards, and a surge of immense power poured out from his palm in an instant.

If he simply wanted to bring it down, whether by throwing a hidden weapon or by using a directional sonic attack, the effect would be better. But what he wanted was not just to bring it down, but to control it as perfectly as possible.

In this situation, the "crane controller" is the better choice.

The invisible palm formed by the force surged upwards, and when it extended to a height of 100 meters, Geng Xuan could clearly feel a sense of "shaking".

The cold wind blowing in the air seemed to risk blowing it off course or scattering it.

Fortunately, Geng Xuan managed to grab the Xuanqing Sea Sand Sculpture before the energy completely dissipated.

Amid its struggling and hissing, it was quickly pulled back.

When it came in front of him, Geng Xuan firmly grasped it in his hand.

The Grandmaster-level "Flying Eagle Technique" instantly completed the contract connection, and the large bird that was frantically flapping its wings just a moment ago instantly became docile and quiet.

"Are you the only one in this team?...Didn't you say you were a family of three?...Oh..."

The sand sculptures of Xuanqinghai are quite intelligent.

Through the contractual connection with Geng Xuan, it can understand Geng Xuan's meaning and make simple responses.

Geng Xuan then understood that every Xuanyou cavalry unit heading north was accompanied by a Xuanqinghai Sand Eagle.

The other two "family members" of this large bird were assigned to its west side, namely "Sanyakou", and its east side, namely "Yelangxia".

They will reunite after this mission is over.

After understanding all this, Geng Xuan remembered something else and was suddenly startled.

He immediately said to the large bird in his hand:
"Could you bring me your 'family member' who was assigned to the west?"

-

The Xuanqinghai sand sculptures gave an affirmative answer.

Having just turned him from an enemy to a friend, Geng Xuan immediately extended his hand and said, "Go."

The large bird standing in his palm immediately kicked off and soared high into the sky, quickly flying towards the "Three Passes".

Just now, Geng Xuan thought that the Xuanyou cavalry team that went north to "Sanyakou" would find that the place had become a dead zone, with no living people except for the hastily buried corpses.

The supplies inside had been looted, so they would naturally search the surrounding area.

Even if Fu Yunfeng and his men, who were escorting the supplies, could evade the Xuan You Iron Cavalry's reconnaissance, they would still find it difficult to avoid the Xuan Qinghai Sand Eagles' search.

The target of a movement involving thousands of people was still too conspicuous on the open sand plain, under the commanding view of the Xuanqinghai sand sculptures.

This arrangement fills this gap.

Geng Xuan said to the other three large birds, "Go east to 'Wild Wolf Gorge' and bring those large birds over there to me as well."

Contrary to the concerns of the "Three Passes", from the perspective of the Xuanqinghai Sand Sculpture, it is difficult to completely conceal the movements of the more than 20,000 members of the Black Wind Gang.

The best solution is to remove it completely, thus crippling its ability to see in the sky. (End of Chapter)