Daqin Zhentiansi

With an almost obsequious smile on his face, he cupped his hands and announced loudly, "Sun Siqi, Magistrate of Linfeng County, Qi State, respectfully welcomes Princess Yunqin back to her country! Congratulations to His Highness Duke Cheng on his return to court! Greetings to His Excellency Marquis Qingyang of Great Qin!"

Without moving the carriage curtain, Chen Wu, the commander of the personal guards, rode out from the ranks. His black armor and mask were icy cold, and his voice was completely flat: "The Marquis has ordered that the carriage not enter the city, and all welcoming and escorting along the way are to be waived. Magistrate Sun, please return."

Sun Siqi's smile froze for a moment, but did not fade. Instead, he stepped forward, lowering his posture even further, almost humbly: "Your Excellency is busy with military affairs, as I am well aware."

"However... I have set up this humble banquet here not to disrupt the army's journey, but because there is a matter concerning the heroic spirits of your country and that has lingered in the hearts of the people of Linfeng for eight hundred years, which I wish to inform you of, my lord."

"This banquet will not involve any formalities, only simple tea and wine, and will be held in a pavilion by the roadside in a short while."

He paused, his tone tinged with admiration: "Eight hundred years ago, your country's general Li Guiyun led five hundred isolated soldiers and encountered a heavy enemy encirclement outside this place, 'Jue Long Gorge'."

"General Li fought a bloody battle for thirteen days, single-handedly covering the rear to protect his comrades!"

"His sword was dulled, his armor shattered, yet he fought on relentlessly until he died from exhaustion! His spirit and heroic bearing were like those of a god or a demon, and even after eight hundred years, the people of this place still speak of him by word of mouth, regarding him as the greatest warrior!"

"I have searched through ancient books to collect his remains and clothing, and built a cenotaph in the gorge, where I offer sacrifices and sweep the tombs in all four seasons..."

The car remained silent.

Sun Siqi, as if he had received tacit approval, took out an ancient wine pot from his bosom, raised it above his head with both hands, and bowed deeply to Zhang Yuan's carriage: "This wine is made from the water of the local thousand-year-old cold pool, supplemented with hundreds of herbs, and is called 'Remembering the Heroic Soul'."

"This humble official dares to offer this cup of wine on behalf of the people of this place who have been grateful for the general's spirit for generations, to pay tribute to the Marquis! And even more so to the five hundred soldiers whose bones are buried in foreign lands, whose heroic souls will forever guard the backbone of the Qin Dynasty!"

A silence.

A moment later, a corner of the black curtain was lifted by a hand with distinct knuckles.

Zhang Yuan sat in the car, his gaze as deep as a still pool, fixed on the glass of wine in Sun Siqi's hand.

Sun Siqi maintained a respectful posture, the wine in his glass rippled slightly, reflecting the sunlight, showing no sign of anything amiss.

Zhang Yuan reached out his hand.

Chen Wu immediately dismounted, took the wine cup from Sun Siqi's hand, and examined it carefully. Although he did not find anything unusual, his vigilance remained undiminished. He then presented it to the carriage.

Zhang Yuan accepted the cup of "Remembering the Heroes," without smelling or uttering a word, and under the watchful eyes of the crowd, tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.

The cup was casually tossed to the ground, making a crisp shattering sound.

"Where is General Li's cenotaph?" Zhang Yuan's voice was low and unreadable.

A glint of triumph flashed in Sun Siqi's eyes, but his face still showed admiration as he pointed to a treacherous mountain gorge not far away that plunged deep into the clouds, revealing only a sliver of sky.

"It's right there in that 'Dragon-Slaying Gorge'! To honor General Quan's lofty and unparalleled spirit, I specially chose this secluded and perilous spot within the gorge to build his tomb. However..."

He looked troubled: "The road inside the gorge is winding and steep, barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side, and full of jagged rocks. It would be difficult for a large army of cavalry to pass through..."

Zhang Yuan pushed open the car door, his black marquis's robe fluttering slightly in the wind, his figure as imposing as a deep pool and a towering mountain.

His gaze swept over the treacherous canyon entrance, which resembled a prehistoric beast with its jaws wide open, and then he gave Sun Siqi a cold look.

"Chen Wu."

"The general is here!"

"Protect the convoy; no one is to approach it. I will be right back."

"My lord! This..." Chen Wu's sharp gaze swept over Sun Siqi, hesitating to speak.

"It's alright." Zhang Yuan's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable determination. "Prepare the horses. Have a hundred riders accompany us."

Sun Siqi could hardly contain his joy and quickly bowed, saying, "This humble official is willing to guide you, Your Excellency!"

Zhang Yuan neither agreed nor disagreed, and instead mounted a black steed that had been prepared beforehand.

A hundred black-armored guards silently stepped forward and followed closely behind.

The group of people, like a black stream, surged into the "Dragon-Slaying Gorge" that swallowed up light.

Upon entering the gorge, the light suddenly dimmed, and on both sides stood towering, gray-black boulders, their tops invisible, as if they might collapse at any moment.

The mountain wind howled like a ghost's wail in the narrow passage, and underfoot were slippery moss and jagged rocks. The sliver of sky overhead was fragmented and torn apart by the distorted cliff face.

The air was heavy and stagnant, carrying a strong earthy and decaying smell. The road ahead was winding and twisting, as if stepping into the intestines of an ancient beast.

Upon reaching a slightly open area in the gorge, a large, flat blue stone stood beside the road, completely blank.

Sun Siqi stopped, pointed at the blue stone, and the humility and respect on his face vanished instantly, leaving only a twisted resentment and wild joy: "Lord Qingyang! Look, this is the 'Hero's Tomb'!"

He whirled around, bursting into maniacal laughter, black blood spilling from the corner of his mouth: "Hahaha! Zhang Yuan! Zhang Qingyang! You butcher! Thousands of wronged souls in Tianyu Town are watching you! The blood feud of the thousands of righteous men of my Great Qi will be avenged today!"

"Li Guiyun? Hero? Bah!" He spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes filled with confusion and venom. "You vicious and tyrannical Qin dogs all deserve to die! You all deserve to be buried here! Never to be reincarnated!"

“We Confucian scholars cannot fight on the battlefield like you warriors… but we can still die for our country!” Sun Siqi was like a madman, his body convulsing violently from the poison and excitement, but his voice became increasingly shrill, “That cup of ‘Heart-Questioning Powder’ was made with my heart’s blood as a catalyst…”

"Ordinary poisons can't harm a monster like you with a body that's considered sacred... but they can dissipate thirty percent of your aura... That's enough! That's enough! Hahaha... Die! Die here!"

The words have not yet been spoken!

"Om-!"

The entire Jue Long Gorge suddenly trembled violently!
Countless dazzling runic lights suddenly erupted from the towering rocks on both sides!

These rays of light instantly linked together to form a net, creating a huge light shield that covered the entire open valley.

A powerful force of confinement and suppression descended suddenly, instantly draining all the spiritual energy within the canyon. The air became as thick as lead and mercury, and the heavy pressure caused the warhorses beneath the hundred Xuan Guards to neigh restlessly!
Isolated from the world, they were instantly unable to sense the location of the army outside the canyon!
at the same time!

The thunderous sound of horses' hooves surged forth from the narrow canyon ahead like rolling thunder!

It was like a long-suppressed torrent of steel!

"together!"

"together!"

"together!"

Amidst deafening shouts, a group of knights, clad in dark, heavy armor and as solid as iron cans, burst forth as if from a mountain wall!

It was none other than the renowned and strongest army of the Qi Kingdom—the Tianyuan Heavy Cavalry!
Two thousand riders, their longswords like a forest, their blades gleaming with a chilling, deathly light!
Heavy iron hooves pounded the ground, sparks flew, and rocks were crushed. With an invincible and domineering momentum, they formed a charging arrow formation and rushed straight at Zhang Yuan and the hundred riders behind him!
The condensed martial spirit was actually a phantom of a giant blade that cleaved through the sky, which was the martial arts divine intent of "Overlord Blade Slaughter," the Grandmaster of the Qi Kingdom's Heavenly Ranking!

At the same time, several figures with profound auras appeared at the top of the light shield!
Taoist cultivators surrounded by talismans made hand seals, summoning thunderous heavenly lightning!

A Buddhist master, holding a jade ruyi and a precious pearl, chanted mantras and transformed them into a giant golden hand that slammed down!
Several more evil and monstrous creatures transformed into black smoke and silently swept towards the army formation!

Trap!

A decisive victory!

The formation locked down heaven and earth, heavy cavalry charged into the formation, and immortals focused their fire! Sun Siqi looked at Zhang Yuan, who was completely sealed and suppressed in the formation, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, and his smile became more and more ferocious, as if he wanted to watch this arrogant Qin marquis be completely torn apart!
However, faced with this desperate situation and the magistrate's harsh curse, Zhang Yuan's gaze did not fall on Sun Siqi at all.

His gaze remained as calm as a frozen abyss, only lightly sweeping over the two thousand Heavenly Abyss heavy cavalry advancing like a wall, their killing intent overwhelming, and over the sharp light intertwined in the sky.

His hand slowly rested on the hilt of the Dragon Sparrow Blade at his waist.

The movement even carried a hint of the leisurely ease of an old swordsman stroking his beloved blade on the battlefield.

A cold, calm voice, yet seemingly containing an endless storm of killing intent, rang out clearly amidst the rumbling of the formation and the thunderous roar of the iron cavalry, striking the heart of everyone like the clash of metal.

"Martyrdom?"

"Ah."

"I fought my way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood to get here..."

You've probably forgotten—

“Zhang Yuan, this ‘Marquis of Qingyang’…”

"It was carved out, step by step, with every blade, over corpses!"

The instant the last word fell!
"Qiang——!"

The Dragon Sparrow Blade roars as it is drawn from its sheath!

The gleaming blade illuminated the dark bottom of the canyon!
An indescribable Qiongqi War Beast Martial Soul, seemingly emanating from the deepest part of the primordial battlefield and condensed with billions of iron-blooded and murderous auras, burst forth with a powerful yet domineering Grandmaster-level aura, despite being suppressed!
"wind!"

A long shout, like a thunderclap from the heavens, resounded through the canyon!
"wind!"

"wind!"

“Gale——!”

The hundred Xuan Guards behind him forgot all their fear and suppression in that instant, like dry tinder that had been ignited!
With a desperate, hoarse response, the bloodthirsty instinct honed by the fires and blood of the East China Sea deep within his bloodline was fully awakened!

Everyone's eyes turned bloodshot instantly, and their blood and energy burned wildly and recklessly!

The blood and murderous aura of a hundred people, under the command of Zhang Yuan's martial spirit and will, forcibly broke through the array's suppression and condensed into a blood-red Qiongqi phantom that, though slightly faint, was extremely ferocious!
"A hundred riders, spearhead—!"

Zhang Yuan's voice boomed amidst the roar of the array and the thunder of iron hooves, instantly drowning out all other noises!
Without the slightest hesitation, without the slightest delay in issuing instructions.

"wind--!"

The hundred Xuan Guards responded as one, roaring furiously!

The group that was originally following closely behind Zhang Yuan changed instantly.

The front row of heavy cavalry automatically tilted their flanks, and their thick arm shields suddenly came together and moved forward, instantly forming a huge, layered steel triangular cone!
The heavy armor clashed and clicked together with a dull thud, like the precise locking of a machine!

Dozens of sturdy shields rose up like city walls, their surfaces adorned with runes, bracing against the overwhelming killing intent that surged towards them!
"crossbow--"

The second command followed immediately!

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

Between the shields and in the rear of the formation, hundreds of Blood-Quenched Armor-Piercing Crossbows were instantly leveled and raised, their cold arrowheads gleaming with an eerie light, aiming at the densest core of the charging Tianyuan Heavy Cavalry in the same breath!

"Arrow Rain! Break the Formation!"

Zhang Yuan's voice carried a fierce intensity that pierced the very soul!

"Buzz—Clang!!!"

It was no ordinary buzzing sound, but a terrifying symphony of hundreds of bowstrings being released at high speed and the crossbow mechanism vibrating!
A dense mass of dark shadows burst forth from the dim light of the canyon!

This rain of arrows was not scattered and indiscriminate, but rather seemed to come alive, precisely converging on the very front of the Tianyuan Heavy Cavalry's arrowhead formation—

That is the "spearhead" where the power of the battle formation converges and the charging force is strongest!
Each arrow was imbued with the murderous intent of Xuanwei's burning blood and qi, and also carried the killing intent that Zhang Yuan's divine sense had drawn through the hundred riders, with golden and red light emanating from his Qiongqi martial soul swirling around the arrow shaft!
"Puff puff puff puff puff—!"

The dull, piercing sound, like tearing silk, swelled into a symphony of death!

The front row of dozens of heavily armored Tianyuan warriors, the strongest in cultivation, were struck down as if by an invisible primordial hammer!
The heavy runic armor, strong enough to withstand sword and axe blows, shattered like paper before the arrows imbued with the baleful aura of the military formation and the battle intent of a grandmaster!
Fresh blood gushed out from the front and back openings like squeezed juice!

The man and horse's remains were thrown backward by the violent impact, instantly crushing a patch of wheat like harvested stalks!
The blade tip, formed from the Martial Soul's sharpness, was forcefully severed and shattered by this round of desperate barrage!
The invincible iron torrent of the Tianyuan Heavy Cavalry was thrown into chaos and stagnation for a moment, as if it had crashed into an invisible reef!
This brief pause is a fatal flaw on the battlefield!
"open--!"

The blade flashed like a dragon's roar!

Zhang Yuan moved with the sword, and the man on horseback seemed to be surrounded by a surging wave of blood from the hundreds of riders gathered behind him!
The Dragon Sparrow Blade transformed into a dazzling ribbon that tore through the dark canyon!
He was not charging alone; a hundred riders followed closely behind, maintaining a wedge formation!

The triangular cone formation suddenly cracked open during the high-speed impact, which made Zhang Yuan's blade the sharpest point of the cone!
The shield instantly adjusted its angle as his blade pointed, and the formation moved accordingly!

The blade flashed!
"Pfft!"

More than five cavalrymen who were trying to regroup were cleaved in two, horse and rider!

A wave of blood surged skyward!
The blade flashed and slashed back!

He swept several heavy cavalrymen who were trying to attack from the side into the air, along with their longswords!

He even directed the movement of the army formation while charging forward: "Left flank advance, shields hold—!"

The shield of the left-hand guard slammed forward, smashing the Qi army's iron cavalry that had been pushing forward, sending them flying!
"Right side, crossbow replacement—!"

Another burst of crossbow bolts erupted from the gap in the right shield, blasting down a large number of enemy soldiers who were rushing to fill the pit from the back!
Under Zhang Yuan's icy, knife-like commands, the hundred-man army nimbly strangled, pierced, and cut through the narrow canyon!
Every flash of the blade, every shift in battle formation, was connected to the blood, killing intent, and even the depth of breathing of the hundred riders behind them.

His unparalleled will and battle experience transformed the strength of these hundred men into an indestructible drill!

Even though their individual cultivation levels were suppressed, the killing power of this military formation, which combined the will of a hundred people with Zhang Yuan's will, far surpassed its combined power!

"Overlord Blade Slaying the Heavens!"

Finally enraged, Ba Dao Kuang Tu roared like thunder, wielding the huge treasured sword "Kuang Tu" in both hands. Man and sword became one, carrying the sword intent that could shatter mountains and split seas, and crashed down from the side cliff like a meteor!

The enormous blade shadow was almost solid, threatening to cleave Zhang Yuan and the army formation behind him in two!

"roll!"

Zhang Yuan roared angrily, completely ignoring the sky full of runes and lightning above his head!

His instinct for battle and killing has reached a state of perfection!

"combine--!"

He shouted a short, sharp word!
Following the command, the hundred Xuan Guards moved with perfect concentration, their blood and killing intent instantly piling up behind Zhang Yuan, like a boiling sea of ​​blood!
The golden-red aura on Zhang Yuan's Dragon Sparrow Blade suddenly surged!
This time, it wasn't just his personal strength!

The faint phantom of Qiongqi roaring behind it suddenly contracted, transforming into a condensed crimson radiance that completely wrapped around the Dragon Sparrow Blade!
The blade contained not merely the imposing aura of a grandmaster, but the deadly will of an invincible army formation! (End of Chapter)