Daqin Zhentiansi

Chapter 775 Marquis Qingyang, it's that mountain... (Combined Chapter)

Jiang Yuanliang's voice was filled with endless malice and a hint of madness, "The 'War Marquis of the Nation' of Great Qin, who intimidates all four borders, whose hands are stained with the blood of nobles in the East, and who has stirred up a bloody storm in the East Sea, has personally stepped onto the border of his Wei Kingdom!"

"Let him... 'take care of himself'! I think His Majesty Yuwen should know what to do!"

"Yes!" came a completely emotionless reply from the shadows, and then the figure vanished.

Jiang Yuanliang stared in the direction the messenger had disappeared, a murderous glint in his eyes.

Since we can't stop them openly, let's use someone else to do the dirty work!
Let those two people, whom he also fears and even hates, clash and fight!

Regardless of who wins or loses, Jiang Yuanliang is happy to see it happen.

Inside the main hall, several ministers looked at each other, their expressions complex as they gently shook their heads.

Emperor Jiang Yuanliang of Qi was already a rare and capable ruler, but unfortunately, he also went mad when it came to the struggle for the throne.

……

The capital of Wei, the Tianji Hall.

When the secret report from Qi was presented to the emperor by the secret guards, the already oppressive atmosphere in the hall, caused by the terrifying battle report from the East China Sea, instantly plummeted to freezing point.

Yuwen Tuo held the thin piece of paper tightly, staring at the words "Marquis of Qingyang Zhang Yuan" and "Escorting the Emperor's Return" on it. His knuckles cracked as he clenched the paper, and his expression shifted in the candlelight.

"Zhang—Qing—Yang!" These three words were squeezed out from between Yuwen Tuo's teeth, carrying a chilling intent and a hint of... fear that even he himself was unwilling to admit.

In the battle of the East Sea, even the "Demon Lord's Projection" was forcibly destroyed. Zhang Yuan's fearsome reputation had long been a nightmare that haunted the hearts of the Wei Kingdom's rulers and ministers.

"Your Majesty! Marquis Qingyang has personally come to the border! What... what should we do?" An elderly minister with white hair and beard trembled in his voice. "This man's military strategies are unpredictable, his combat prowess is divine, and he has even trained that... that terrifying army that swept away the demonic tide in the East Sea!"

"It is said that his personal guards are all fierce warriors capable of taking on a hundred men each! Now that he has arrived in person and is even protecting Jiang Zhengcheng... This is a blatant intimidation, even a provocation, against our Great Wei! Who dares... who dares to face his might?"

A profound silence fell over the hall; you could hear a pin drop. Fear spread silently.

The presence of the Marquis of Qingyang represents no longer just an individual, but the intimidating military might of the Qin Dynasty!

That was a boundless killing intent forged in the blood and fire of the East China Sea!
At this moment, Yu Yangzi, who had been standing by the alchemy furnace and was dressed in a dark blue Daoist robe, stepped forward. His voice was calm, but it carried a hint of venomous coldness: "Your Majesty, please calm down. Gentlemen, please be at ease."

"The elite troops trained by my Dan Sect are still familiarizing themselves with the power of elixirs on an isolated island in the East China Sea. They are too far away to be recalled and intercepted in time."

He abruptly changed the subject, a strange red light flashing in his eyes: "However... there is another batch of 'medicine people' in the furnace. This batch is led by the 'Heart Fire' formula and are the first generation of pill testers."

"The medicine is more potent, and their physical strength has increased several times over, that's true. But their temperament... tsk, most of their rationality has been burned away by the fire in their hearts, leaving only their animalistic and manic nature. They are more bloodthirsty, more fearless of death, and more difficult to control. It is feasible to mobilize them to 'welcome guests'."

Xuan Yangzi looked at Yuwen Tuo and said meaningfully, "Your Majesty, this method is dangerous. These 'test pill people' are extremely violent. Once they make a move, it will be a completely out-of-control torrent of blood beasts."

"The Qi prince Jiang Zhengcheng was also in the carriage... In the midst of the chaos, swords and spears have no eyes, so it was inevitable that he would be accidentally injured... or even die."

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Tuo was stunned for a moment, then his eyes flashed with a madness even greater than Jiang Yuanliang's!

Jiang Zhengcheng?
That pawn eager to rise to power?
He even brought along the Qin princess, hoping to use her influence to suppress his uncle.

"Injured is better?" Yuwen Tuo slammed his hand on the dragon table, making the items on it bounce. His face was filled with a morbid excitement and ruthlessness. "Haha! Daoist Xuan Yang is right! Accidentally injured—isn't that even better!"

"Jiang Yuan would be more 'surprised' than to see his own nephew splattered with blood!"

He abruptly stood up, his face contorted, and roared at Xuan Yangzi and the outside of the hall: "Send the order! Send those 'Beasts of Heartfire'! I don't care what method I use! Have them intercept and kill Qingyang Marquis before he sets foot in my Wei Kingdom, as quickly as possible!"

"Tear him apart! Let Zhang Qingyang taste the power of my Great Wei's Hellfire Army!" A maniacal laugh echoed through the Heavenly Mystery Hall.

————————————————————

Luoxia Pass, the eastern border of the Great Qin Dynasty.

The setting sun, like blood, soaked the arrow tower of the border town.

General Li Chongyi, the General Who Guards the East, stood at the pass with his hand on his sword, while his deputy Wang Xiong, the commander of the Ironclad Battalion Sun Jian, and other garrison generals from the eastern border stood solemnly behind him.

The wind swirled yellow sand beyond the pass, and the dark-colored carriage slowly moved to the boundary marker.

"My lord, this journey to Qi is a perilous three thousand miles. Are you sure you won't take a single soldier from our eastern border?" Li Chongyi asked in a deep voice, his fists clasped together, his gaze sweeping over the three thousand armored guards beside the carriage.

From inside the car came Zhang Yuan's calm voice: "The East Sea Demon Tide still needs the generals to guard it. Chen Wu—"

"Your subordinate is here!" Commander Chen Wu of the personal guard rode forward, his eyes flashing like lightning beneath his black iron mask.

"Before reaching the Northern Qi, anyone who came within a hundred paces of the carriage would be beheaded."

"Yes, sir." Chen Wu shouted, turned around, and looked at the soldiers behind him. "The Marquis has ordered that anyone who comes within a hundred paces of the carriage shall be executed."

"Yes, sir!" The three thousand soldiers shouted in unison, "Anyone who comes within a hundred paces of the chariot shall be executed."

Inside the carriage, Jiang Zhengcheng's expression was complex. Beside him, Zhou Jinzhong, the Vice Minister of Rites of the Great Qi, sighed softly and said, "Your Highness, this is actually the best choice for you, for me, and for the people of the Great Qi..."

Jiang Zhengcheng nodded.

He had witnessed the might of the Qin Dynasty firsthand.

Amidst the fluttering banners, three thousand black-armored guards escorted the wagon as it rolled over the boundary marker.

Wang Xiong watched the silent, iron torrent disappear on the horizon and whispered, "General, the Marquis only brought this many men..."

Li Chongyi's palm, pressed against the arrow stack, bulged with veins: "Did you see those dark patterns on the black armor? Last December, I personally witnessed three hundred men carrying twelve heads of demon generals crawling back from the Corpse Mountain in the East Sea!"

The car traveled a hundred miles.

Luanshiyu.

Three figures in black robes lurked on the mountain ridge, their hawk-like eyes fixed on the vehicle frame at the bottom of the valley.

"Eight hundred elite warriors feigning bandits—enough to test their mettle." The leader sneered through gritted teeth. "Emperor Wei wants to see if Zhang Qingyang's blade is still sharp!"

As soon as the words fell, a battle cry erupted in the valley!
From behind the rocks and through the withered forest, countless masked swordsmen emerged, swarming the wagon formation with poisoned arrows like locusts!

"Kill them, rob the convoy."

"Good heavens, black-armored escorts, easy prey!"

"Brothers, if you cross our territory, even wild geese will be plucked."

Amid shouts and wild laughter, those figures rushed to the front of the vehicle.

"Listen!" Chen Wu's voice rang out like the clang of metal.

Before the chariot, three hundred Xuanjia soldiers instantly formed an array.

The giant shields in the front row slammed into the ground and formed a wall, while the long halberds in the second row pierced out like venomous snakes from the gaps in the shields.

The arrows clanged against the shield, but not a single one penetrated the formation!

"Surround."

As soon as the sound fell, the left and right flanks swept forward like dark ghosts, instantly flanking the enemy's two flanks.

As the halberds clashed, waves of blood gushed forth, and the eight hundred bandits were trapped in a meat grinder-like iron prison!

The compass in the black-robed man's hand on the mountaintop shattered with a "crack": "Impossible! How can the wild goose formation have twelve variations..."

Before the words were finished, a final scream was extinguished in the valley.

Chen Wu trampled over the scattered limbs, his iron boots crushing the heads that rolled to his feet. Their black armor was stained with blood, yet their formation remained intact; only drops of blood from their halberds seeped into the yellow earth. Not a single breath was uttered by the three hundred men!
"Click."

A shattered piece of glass fell from a treetop in the distance.

The lurking spy accidentally dropped the spying artifact.

The mountain wind swept through, carrying a thick, pungent smell of blood, making the dark red East China Sea bloodstains on the armor even more glaring.

Inside the carriage, Zhou Jinzhong peered through the gap in the window.

Gazing at the fleeting carnage at the bottom of the valley, his voice tightened, filled with unspeakable horror: "This...this is the personal guard that Marquis Qingyang trained in the East Sea?"

"With just three hundred Xuanjia soldiers, eight hundred bandits were wiped out in a short time? Even the Heavenly Abyss Heavy Cavalry of my Great Qi is no match for this!"

His face was pale, as if he had personally felt the terrifying aura emanating from the three hundred Xuanjia soldiers when they formed an array, a aura as terrifying as a frozen abyss.

Jiang Zhengcheng's fingers gripped his knees tightly, his knuckles turning white.

Seeing it with your own eyes is far more shocking than hearing about it.

The iron-clad shield formation, the serpentine halberds striking with pinpoint accuracy, the ruthless indifference to a rain of arrows, and the army's silent retreat after the kill...

Every detail exudes a cold, efficient quality reserved for the most elite killing formations.

"What kind of army... what kind of killing..." he murmured to himself, his eyes filled with both the relief of surviving a disaster and the lingering fear and deep sense of powerlessness.

The armored soldiers who could slaughter mountains on the East China Sea battlefield had actually been tempered to such an inhuman level under the command of Marquis Qingyang!
With such a powerful army, how can the Eastern Qi possibly resist the Qin Dynasty?
Inside another vehicle frame.

Ying Biqin, now Princess Yunqin, lifted a corner of the carriage curtain with her slender fingers trembling slightly.

The strong smell of blood wafted in on the wind, causing her to furrow her brows slightly, but her gaze remained fixed on the silent, bloody, yet unyielding black-armored army outside the car window.

The brief but brutal battle just now, the iron-clad tactics that crushed the enemy like cutting melons and vegetables, were clearly imprinted in her eyes.

The personal maid beside her spoke in a low voice, with a hint of relief and emotion: "Your Highness, the Marquis of Qingyang's personal guards were truly like divine soldiers descending from the heavens... It seems that he was genuinely there to escort you and Your Highness back together."

"Princess Yu Ruo was right before she left. His Majesty... did not abandon you."

This seemingly simple relief at arriving safely actually reveals Ying Biqin's deepest worry and grievance: being married off to a foreign country means her fate is in the hands of others.

Ying Biqin remained silent for a long time, watching Chen Wu, who was leading the army, methodically directing the clearing of the battlefield and checking the casualties outside the window. Finally, she slowly nodded.

For the first time, a barely perceptible hint of relaxation and relief appeared on her icy, jade-like face.

"Ah."

She responded softly and lowered the curtain.

Marquis Qingyang and his Xuanjia guards proved with iron and blood that at this moment, the Great Qin was the only guarantee of their safety.

Eastern Frontier Camp, Commander's Tent.

The jade tablet, shimmering with light, displayed footage of the battle that had just been transmitted back by spies through special channels from Luanshiyu.

Although the footage was somewhat blurry, every action of the three hundred Xuanjia soldiers—forming an array, breaking through enemy lines, and clearing out enemies—was clearly recorded.

Duke Ningguo, Han Qi, his hair and beard bristled, slammed his large hand on the table, causing the teacups to jump. He seemed oblivious, staring intently at the jade wall, his voice filled with barely concealed excitement and admiration: "Excellent! What an impenetrable fortress! What a pack of fierce warriors! This... this is the true personal guard personally trained and honed by Marquis Qingyang!"

Marquis Pingyun, Xun Huo, stroked his beard, his usually calm face revealing his astonishment: "Terrifying. Eight hundred well-equipped assassins were as flimsy as paper in front of three hundred Xuanjia warriors."

"The shield is as strong as a mountain, the halberd as venomous dragon, the killing intent is condensed, and its control is as swift as an arm."

"Having surveyed the entire army, of the eighty million soldiers in the Eastern Frontier Camp, after nearly two years of training, those who can achieve this level of combat prowess... are probably less than one hundred thousand!"

Zhou Chang, the Vice Minister of War, sighed, his tone complex: "Before leaving the camp, the Marquis of Qingyang reported that his personal guard battalion could serve as a benchmark for the entire army and guide the direction of subsequent training. At first, I thought it was just ordinary encouragement..."

"Having witnessed it with my own eyes today, I know that what he said was true! This is more than just a benchmark; it is setting a monument of battle and conquest for the entire Eastern Frontier Camp and even for all the generals and commanders of the four armies of our Great Qin!"

He recalled Zhang Yuan's strict requirements for material supply, repeated revisions of the manuals, and brutal training of combat tactics when he was in charge of the training. Those measures that were once criticized as "inhumane" now found their answers in these black-armored guards.

Inside the tent, the three exchanged a glance, their expressions grave.

The heavy responsibility of reorganizing the army in the East became even more daunting at this moment.

Marquis Qingyang, that's the mountain...

Qi State.

Golden Palace.

The same photograph was played in front of Jiang Yuanliang, but it only brought a chill that felt like falling into an ice cave.

He stared intently at the overwhelming Xuanjia army formation on the screen, his eyes bloodshot and his face so dark it seemed to drip water.

Zhang Qingyang not only came, but also brought such terrifying power!

"We can't wait any longer!" Jiang Yuanliang abruptly waved his hand, scattering the image, his voice hoarse and urgent. "Summon the Hall of Worship! Issue a secret order to the 'Sinking Abyss Pavilion'!"

The atmosphere inside the hall suddenly turned somber.

Before long, several elderly men, whose auras were either as ethereal as clouds or as profound as mountains, appeared silently in the shadows beside the hall.

The leader was Xuan Chenzi, a white-bearded old Taoist priest who was a retainer of the Qi Kingdom and whose cultivation had reached the second level of the Grandmaster Realm.

Beside him was a sword master with eyes as sharp as an eagle and a murderous aura that was almost tangible. He was a retainer of the Qi royal family, known as the Overlord Blade Mad Butcher.

The Overlord Blade, a ruthless killer, is renowned on the Heavenly Ranking.

"Daoist Xuanchen, Senior Brother Kuangtu," Jiang Yuanliang's voice carried a naked allure and undeniable authority, "I know what you seek—"

"I happen to have one of the Ten Thousand Year Life-Extending Grass that Daoist Xuanchen desires; and I can also grant Senior Brother Kuangtu the rare fragment of the 'Wrathful Thunder Blade' scroll from the Rift Heaven Dynasty that he longs for!"

"After this is accomplished, three thousand miles of additional territory will be designated as your immortal abodes and training grounds! I order you to eliminate Zhang Yuan before Jiang Zhengcheng steps into the Imperial Ancestral Temple!"

His gaze swept coldly over the crowd: "I don't care what methods you use! Poisoning, curses, or encirclement! If necessary... sacrifice the fate of the nation, sacrifice the lives of the people! I only want Zhang Qingyang dead!"

"If you succeed, you will be the holy teachers of Qi, enjoying eternal worship! If you fail... your ancestral halls will become a wasteland of withered bones!"

A generous reward will surely attract brave men, especially the life-extending herb and the rare sword manual, which are enough to drive these masters crazy.

Xuan Chenzi's white beard moved without wind, and his cloudy old eyes burst forth with an astonishing brilliance: "Your Majesty, rest assured, although Zhang Yuan's physical body is that of a saint, he will eventually tire after a long battle, and he is not without weaknesses."

"This old Daoist, together with fellow Daoists, has set up the 'Ten Absolute Immortal-Slaying Formation,' borrowing the power of the Qi Kingdom's mountains, rivers, and earth veins. Even a Great Sage... can be challenged!"

Kuang Tu gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, his knuckles cracking, his eyes filled with greed and ferocity: "Fine! Your Majesty's request is granted! Zhang Yuan's head... is my blood sacrifice!"

Wei State.

Tianji Palace.

Yu Yangzi stood beside Yuwen Tuo and also finished looking at the group photo of Luanshiyu.

Far from showing any fear, a strange and cruel smile appeared on his withered face: "Heh...hehehe...what an iron wall formation! Zhang Qingyang's troops are indeed extraordinary."

"But Your Majesty, rest assured, before the methods of the Pill Sect, this military formation... is still nothing but paper!"

Yuwen Tuo turned his head to look at him: "Is the Imperial Advisor really confident?"

(End of this chapter)