Daqin Zhentiansi

Spring Mountain Cave, babbling brook, the aroma of tea remains.

The painting hanging at the core suddenly burst forth with unprecedented brilliance, and an aura that spanned eternity instantly permeated the entire cave!

"Om-!"

The dim yellow light on the twenty-one tall stone seats flickered violently, and blurry figures solidified from nothingness at an unprecedented speed!

Almost the instant the light and flames illuminated, all the codenamed phantoms were already in place!
Everyone at the gathering place was from the Qin Dynasty and had no connection with the prehistoric world!

"Lord Qingyang!" The eldest prince of the Hidden Dragon Clan, Ying Rong, solidified his movements the fastest, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, his composure tinged with urgency.

"Lord Marquis!" The phantom of Ji Liang, the Marquis of Xichang with the Broken Spear, revealed a sharp edge as sharp as a spear.

"My Lord!" Bai Shi Sun Qi, as a senior military official, immediately grasped the significance of this urgent summons.

……

The moment Zhao Yu's figure solidified, his gaze instantly locked onto the dark-clad figure in the main seat!

The long-sealed grotto has reopened, and the person I've been longing for day and night, burning with anxiety, has finally appeared, but only in this urgent summons filled with the aura of eternity!

In an instant, she was overwhelmed by intense longing, worry, and the immense fear brought on by the scene before her!
Her bright face instantly drained of color, turning as pale as snow. Her delicate body trembled uncontrollably, her lips moved violently, but she was momentarily speechless due to the extreme emotional shock. She stared intently at the figure she longed for, as if trying to etch his safety into her soul.

The phantom of Consort Qi leaned slightly forward, the hazy mist unable to conceal her solemnity.

"Black Tiger!" Wang Anzhi's voice was more urgent than ever before. "What's the matter that's so urgent?"

Without exchanging any pleasantries, Zhang Yuan raised his hand and swept it across the center of the cave, revealing a phantom formed from dark mist!
"Buzz!"

A chaotic storm raged across the shattered battlefield, and a scene of devastation unfolded!

This is the scene of the three-mile fortress at the core of Yunhe Ridge being besieged by an endless tide of demons!
Deep within the demonic tide, red and black light spots representing terrifying behemoths are frantically converging, their arrows pointing directly at the fortress!
Inside the fortress, the golden halo of the Rock Camp and the seven extremely faint life points of Cloud Ridge were clearly visible!

"Ten breaths!" Zhang Yuan's voice pierced the silence like an ice blade cutting through a cave, carrying an undeniable resolve. "The situation is clear! Should we retreat, seeking a sliver of hope? Should we hold out, awaiting certain death? Or... find another way out? I need an answer within ten breaths!"

The moment the scene unfolded, all the phantoms within the cave gasped in unison!
A desperate horde of demons, a fortress hanging in the balance, a stark disparity in troop strength...

A suffocating pressure instantly enveloped the area.

Zhao Yu's delicate body trembled violently. She suppressed her surging emotions and almost lunged at the scene of the battlefield.

Her fingertips traced and deduced rapidly in the air, so fast that they left behind afterimages.

His pale face was taut, his eyes fixed on the few faint altar nodes that Zhang Yuan had forcibly ignited around the fortress and behind the demonic tide, and the trajectory of the golden arrow symbolizing Zhang Yuan's actions.

"Our retreat has been cut off! The main force of the demonic tide is closing in on our flanks!" Su Jing's voice was cold and swift.

“We can’t hold on! That gathered energy… is at the Venerable level!” Kong Lingyun’s voice trembled slightly.

“Another way…another way…” Zhao Yu murmured, his gaze fixed on the altar nodes and the trajectory of Zhang Yuan’s earlier tearing through the demonic tide. A flash of inspiration struck him like lightning. “Counterattack! Only by putting ourselves in a desperate situation!”

It's the ninth breath!
Zhao Yu suddenly looked up, his voice trembling uncontrollably from extreme tension and the exhaustion of the deduction, yet it resounded clearly throughout the cave: "Don't retreat! Don't defend!"

"Taking advantage of its initial surge of fury and its unstable formation, we will use the ignition of the altar as a catalyst, and the resonance with the Heavenly Dao as a foundation, to integrate all our forces and launch a counterattack against its weak points on the flanks and rear! We will use this momentum to disrupt its core energy flow, buying time to... to ignite more points! Disrupt its source! This is... our only chance of survival!"

After she finished speaking, it was as if she had used up all her strength, and even her illusory figure swayed slightly.

Zhang Yuan's dark, illusory figure turned slightly towards Zhao Yu, and their eyes met.

The cave was deathly silent, as if time had frozen.

"good."

Zhang Yuan only uttered one word.

"The party is over."

As soon as he finished speaking, the power in the center of the cave vanished instantly.

All the phantoms, carrying with them extreme shock and lingering fear, faded and dissipated rapidly like illusions.

In reality, Zhao Yu suddenly opened her eyes.

She was drenched in cold sweat.

The long-suppressed worries, the shock of witnessing a desperate situation, and the immense mental exhaustion after offering a solution all erupted at once. She could no longer hold on, her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, her body trembling uncontrollably.

Her mind was filled with images of the desperate battlefield and Zhang Yuan's resolute figure, and the tears she had been holding back finally burst forth.

In the main hall of the imperial city, Yu Kuizhen sensed the dissipation of the power of the cave heaven, and his soul trembled violently!
Without a second thought, he scrambled toward Qianyang Palace, his voice trembling with sobs: "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! The Marquis... the Marquis is in the abyss! He has reopened the Spring Mountain Grotto!"

Emperor Yuankang abruptly stood up, his dragon robe billowing even without wind, and a terrifying glint flashed in his eyes: "Speak!"

Yu Kuizhen recounted Zhang Yuan's dilemma in rapid succession, her voice choked with emotion at the end: "The Marquis... the Marquis ordered a decision within ten breaths, and Princess Yu Sui offered a counter-strategy! The Marquis... he accepted it!"

Emperor Yuankang's body trembled. He took two quick steps in the hall with his hands behind his back, then turned abruptly. His voice was resolute, carrying an unquestionable imperial will, with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor: "Find an opportunity to tell Marquis Qingyang! I know! Great Qin is his strongest backing!"

"I grant him permission to spare no expense and utilize all available resources of the empire to ensure success! But—"

The emperor's voice suddenly rose, each word like metal striking the ground, carrying the deepest entrustment:
"Tell him! I do not want anyone to sacrifice! Zhang Yuan must not be harmed! He must come back alive! This is an imperial edict!"

"Yes! I will send the message using a secret method right away!" Yu Kuizhen kowtowed heavily and scrambled out of the hall.

----------------------

A surge of demonic light filled the sky.

Zhang Yuan's figure stood tall like a mountain.

Traversing the long river of time to initiate the gathering in the Spring Mountain Grotto Heaven put immense pressure on Zhang Yuan's soul.

I managed to hold out for more than ten breaths just now, which was already the limit.

At this moment, there was still some turbulence in his mind.

However, with Zhao Yu's deductions, he had already made a decision.

Ignoring the deathly silence of the demonic tide outside, Zhang Yuan turned around and looked at the seven struggling, bewildered, and somewhat incredulous survivors inside the shield wall.

His voice was calm, yet it pierced clearly through all the noise of the battlefield, like the clang of metal on metal:
"Can we still fight?"

Commander Cangyun shuddered. Looking into Zhang Yuan's calm yet boundless eyes, a long-extinguished flame suddenly surged up from the bottom of his heart!
He suddenly straightened his hunched back, and with all his might, roared in a hoarse but incredibly clear voice:

"Yes!!!" "We can fight!" The remaining six soldiers, as if injected with new life, struggled to their feet from the blood and grime. Although they were swaying, their eyes rekindled their flames, and they roared in unison!
Zhang Yuan's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he turned around abruptly, pointing towards the depths of the demonic tide!

"Rockstone Battalion, heed my command!"

"Disarm! Pick up the awl!"

"Target ahead!"

"Charge! Charge! Charge! Charge!"

"boom--!!!"

The order was like a thunderclap!

The three thousand soldiers of the Rocky Camp did not hesitate at all!

"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang..."

The heavy tower shield crashed to the ground, embedding itself deeply into the scorched earth!

Three thousand armor-piercing cones, gleaming with cold light and wreathed in demon-slaying lightning patterns, instantly appeared in my hands!

The entire army's momentum instantly shifted from extreme defense to the most ferocious attack!
Like a sleeping mountain that has transformed into an erupting volcano!
Yue Zhenshan roared, "Pan Shi Camp—Kill!!!"

"kill--!!!"

Three thousand heavily armored elites, enveloped by the seven-colored halo of the Qilin Holy Son, surged forth like a torrent of black liquid bursting its banks, forcefully breaching the steel barrier they themselves had just constructed.

With Zhang Yuan as the spearhead, they launched a tremendous counter-charge against the densely packed demonic tide that had just been thrown into brief chaos by the fall of the giant beast!
This scene was vaguely projected onto the sand table light and shadow in the central hall of Jielei Pass through certain covert observation methods!
When they saw the golden dot representing Zhang Yuan's location, instead of holding its ground, it actively broke away from the golden defensive circle that had just been painstakingly erected, and pierced into the dark area representing the demonic tide like a sharp knife—

Inside the main hall, chaos erupted instantly!

Countless gasps and incredulous whispers merged into a cacophony of sound:

"What...what is he doing?!"

"He's gone mad! He charged out?! He abandoned the defense?!"

"A reverse charge?! Leading three thousand men to charge into the boundless demonic tide?! Who does he think he is?!"

"This is suicide! This is suicide!"

Venerable Li Xing stared in disbelief, then burst into sharp mockery: "Utterly arrogant! Ignorant fool! You barely managed to hold off one wave of attack, and you dare to be so presumptuous! You're courting your own destruction!"

Even Venerable Zhaowu and Venerable Zichen's pupils shrank sharply, their faces filled with extreme shock and... deep bewilderment!

This goes beyond any rational military judgment!
This is practically suicide!

Young Master Xuanlan stared wide-eyed, his mind completely blank.

However, something even more incomprehensible happened!

The faint aura representing the Three Thousand Rock Camp, under Zhang Yuan's leadership, was not instantly submerged in the demonic tide!
Like a red-hot branding iron, it pierced the relatively chaotic flank of the demonic tide with astonishing speed and sharpness!
Wherever that golden arrow passed, large swaths of the dark light and shadow representing the demons were extinguished and scattered!
Instead of directly confronting the Demon Tide's strongest center, it used an extremely cunning and ruthless method to cut open the Demon Tide's relatively weak joints, and then... circled around to the side and rear of the Demon Tide's main force!

The golden arrow suddenly turned around, like a tiger turning its head, and pounced fiercely on the relatively vulnerable rear of the demonic tide!

"He's... launching a flanking attack on the rear of the Demon Tide?!" Finally, someone realized what was happening, their voice changing in surprise.

"He...he wants to break up the encirclement?!"

"How is that possible?! That's the main force of the Demon Tide!"

Immediately afterwards, an even more chilling scene appeared on the sand table's lighting and shadows!
The golden arrow that had been rampaging wildly behind the demonic tide like a meat grinder did not linger after crushing part of the rear army. Instead, it sent a small force, like a serpent, to pounce on several abandoned and dimly lit node markers on the outer perimeter of the Cloud Ridge battlefield!

Those node markers can still be vaguely identified as abandoned small altar nodes left over from the "Primordial Barrier" defense system back then!

Suddenly, those dim spots of light burst forth with faint yet extremely bright flames, carrying a strong sense of the will of Heaven!
One place!
Two places!

Three places!

……

Like a spark that has been ignited!

Those ancient altars that had long been dormant and covered by demonic filth were forcibly activated and ignited at this moment!

The faint yet pure aura of the Heavenly Dao, like a spark thrown into boiling oil, instantly disrupted the chaotic demonic energy order of that area, triggering a resonance with some kind of mysterious law!
Inside the main hall, there was a deathly silence.

Everyone, including Venerable Li Xing and Venerable Zhao Wu, stared intently at the few altar lights that had been forcibly ignited on the sand table, as well as the golden arrow that was still surging forward in the demonic tide, causing chaos and upheaval.

Countless whispers merged into a suppressed buzzing sound:
"He...he's setting the altar on fire..."

"He's triggering the Heavenly Dao's response... What is he planning to do?"

"A madman... what is he trying to do..."

For the first time, an unbelievable glint appeared in Venerable Zichen's turbid eyes.

The chaotic storm roared and howled like billions of ferocious beasts, its turbulent currents carrying destructive energy tearing the void apart.

The dilapidated Sanli Fortress at Yunhe Ridge, like a lone boat about to capsize in a raging storm, is besieged by an endless, putrid tide of demons.

The viscous demonic energy surged and rose, condensing into a filthy cloud that blotted out the sun and completely blocked out the starlight and moonlight.

Only faint runic light emanating from the cracks in the broken fortress flickered like the last breaths of a dying man, on the verge of being extinguished.

In the central hall of Jielei Pass, on the entire sand table, the crimson dot symbolizing Yunhe Ridge has completely darkened and fallen silent, like a dead, stubborn rock.

In stark contrast to this breathtaking scene, a blazing point of light, as intense as the golden sun, is leading three thousand tiny yet incredibly solid golden arrows, resolutely piercing into the extremely dangerous crimson area at the edge of the sand table—an area constantly writhing and representing the edge of a chaotic vortex!

"Insane! You're courting death!" Venerable Li Xing of the Heavenly Punishment Hall pointed his withered finger fiercely at the sand table, and the sneer from his throat sounded like metal scraping. "A mere three thousand exhausted soldiers, plunging headlong into the edge of a chaotic storm that could strangle even a Venerable, and still dare to dream of impacting billions of demonic tides?"

"Zhang Yuan is arrogant because of his achievements. He's just going to be another blood meal for those demon cubs! Your Majesty, you should quickly stop the spiritual energy consumption with the Seventh Battalion of the Bing-character fortress and protect the reserve force of the Wu-character fortress!"

The Heavenly Palace stewards beside him nodded repeatedly, their faces full of contempt.

"Li Xing! Stop barking!" Venerable Zhaowu's eyes were bloodshot, his muscles bulging beneath his armor, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles cracked, as he stared intently at the stubbornly charging "Golden Sun." "Open your dog eyes and see! Those are three thousand true heroes who dare to face death!"

"Zhang Yuan dares to charge, he must have something to rely on! The backbone of our human race is not broken, how can we allow a rat like you to make a racket here!"

His hair and beard bristled, and an overwhelming aura of authority emanated from him, causing the temperature inside the hall to plummet. (End of Chapter)