Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 291 Immortal Qin
Deputy General Luo's voice was calm and cold. The blood mist in the air, without the protection of spiritual power, was blown away by the strong wind and disappeared without a trace.

The three Foundation Establishment cultivators who were just moments ago are now gone from this world.

The three of them had no chance to resist and were instantly reduced to ashes.

A tremendous wave of shock and horror swept through everyone's hearts.

Golden Core Realm!?

The oppressive aura was like a mountain pressing down on them. Although it had mostly subsided, the lingering aura still made the Foundation Establishment cultivators present feel breathless and their spiritual energy circulation difficult.

Those Qi Refining cultivators turned deathly pale and almost collapsed to the ground.

A suffocating silence enveloped the vast training ground, with only the battle flags fluttering jarringly on the high platform.

Scattered drops of blood mist drifted on the battle flag in the wind.

The crowd finally saw the ancient character clearly.

Qin.

The cultivators were thrown into chaos for a moment, but were forced to quiet down. Song Yan stood among them, his eyes filled with not only fear but also confusion.

"This Deputy General Luo, with the strength of the Golden Core Realm, is only a deputy general..."

The thought flashed through my mind like lightning.

The overwhelming power he displayed had already shocked everyone, but what made Song Yan even more apprehensive was the "General Bai" he mentioned.

For a Golden Core warrior to be relegated to a subordinate position, that General Bai's cultivation level must be...

The changes at this ancient battlefield site of the Immortal Dynasty are far beyond imagination.

There are even living Golden Core cultivators inside the ruins, and... is it even possible that there are Nascent Soul cultivators?
This completely overturned the predictions of him and all the other cultivators who had entered to explore the secrets.

Ordinary ruins usually contain inanimate objects, mechanisms, remnants of spirits, or resources.

This is the first time we've seen a living, breathing army.

Fantasy?

If any illusion could instantly kill three late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, what level of formation would it be?

His divine sense swept over the cultivators around him who had also been teleported here.

Except for a few who managed to maintain a semblance of composure, most people's faces revealed bewilderment and fear.

Faced with a Golden Core cultivator who could easily annihilate them, and a commander whose cultivation level was unfathomable, any resistance was meaningless.

They originally came here to search for treasures, but unexpectedly, they seem to have become soldiers on the battlefield.

At this moment, Deputy General Luo slowly concealed his aura, and the phantom of the spear in his hand also dissipated.

His sharp gaze swept over the ragtag group of a dozen or so men once more, and his brow furrowed even deeper.

There were only a dozen or so people, and apart from a few late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, the only ones who barely caught his eye were a few mid-stage and early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Overall, it's actually not weak.

However, firstly, there were too few of them, and secondly, he didn't trust them at all and was unwilling to devote his attention to leading them.

"Hmph!" A muffled snort, undisguised contempt and impatience: "Ugly melons and cracked dates."

Deputy General Luo waved his hand casually, turned around and walked forward, shouting in a deep voice.

Listen carefully!

"This is the training ground for the vanguard battalion of the Tiger and Wolf Army! I am Luo Zheng, the deputy general of the vanguard battalion! I have been ordered by General Bai to set out to quell the rebellion!"

“No matter where you come from or what kind of petty thieves you are, once you have been conscripted here, you are soldiers.”

"Military orders are absolute; those who disobey will be executed!"

He walked slowly to Song Yan and the others, and looked at them in a deep voice: "What are your names, what do you cultivate, and what is your realm?"

The cultivator being watched by him was filled with mixed feelings, unsure whether it was a blessing or a curse.

"Chen Li, a Daoist Qi Refining cultivator, is at the mid-stage of the Foundation Establishment realm."

"Wu Caidie, a Daoist Qi Refining cultivator, is in the mid-stage of the Foundation Establishment realm."

"Wei Zhi, a Daoist Qi Refining cultivator, is at the mid-stage of the Foundation Establishment realm."

Luo Zheng's gaze swept over the three of them, his scrutiny seemingly able to penetrate their flesh and bones, revealing their aptitude and foundation.

Luo Zheng's expression grew increasingly dissatisfied.

A foundation that is weak is clearly built on elixirs.

A voice and a weak demeanor, as if the person hadn't eaten enough.

The last one was barely acceptable, but his eyes were shifty and his mind was unsettled.

He shook his head slightly and walked to the next person.

The young man was tall and slender with an upright posture, and he was carrying something on his back.

"you?"

“Song Yesheng, sword cultivator, early stage of Foundation Establishment.”

Song Yan originally intended to give a false name, but in this strange and unpredictable ancient battlefield, standing in front of him was a Golden Core cultivator.

Any inappropriate action could lead to unnecessary trouble or even death.

If they discover anything they've hidden, they'll likely end up like those three.

So he simply gave his courtesy name, which wouldn't be considered hiding anything.

As soon as the words were spoken, they attracted the attention of the dozen or so cultivators.

Although they were trembling with fear and dared not whisper to each other, they still fixed their gazes on the young man.

Luo Zheng's gaze swept over, and this time it seemed to linger on Song Yan for an extremely brief moment.

Such a young Foundation Establishment cultivator has a limitless future.

He instinctively felt that the young man's eyes were quite calm, a stark contrast to the panic of those around him.

However, he didn't bother to investigate further, assuming that he was either terrified or still had a strong will.

“Our Tiger Wolf Army’s small temple cannot accommodate you big Buddhas. If you cannot tolerate it for now, you shall form your own group.”

"We are short of officers, and you... though of poor quality and shallow foundation, are better than nothing!"

There was a hint of helplessness in Luo Zheng's voice: "Temporarily appoint him to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, as a 'Deputy General'! If there is any mishap, immediately remove him and demote him to hard labor!"

Then he turned his gaze to the Foundation Establishment cultivators, including Song Yan: "You are hereby appointed as 'Captains'!"

"Qi Refining cultivators will be assigned to the various captains as infantry!"

The order was coldly relayed.

The Qi Refining cultivators turned pale, and under the intimidation of the Golden Core cultivator, they didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

They could only tremble and stand behind the assigned early-stage Foundation Establishment captains.

"I don't have time to give you any time to adjust. Go, each of you collect your identity badges and military supplies!"

"Assemble here in half an hour! Anyone who is late will be punished with thirty lashes!"

Having said that, Luo Zheng ignored these greenhorns, whom he considered a burden, and turned to walk towards the neatly arranged military formation on the side.

The crowd felt as if they had been granted a pardon, but they dared not relax and immediately rushed towards the stone house.

The stone house was quite simple, with only an old soldier with a numb expression and a sullen voice in charge of distributing the items.

"Captain, Song Yesheng."

When Song Yan gave his name, the old soldier didn't even lift his eyelids, and tossed him his military ID and a few other items.

The so-called identity badge was a rough token made of an unknown, grayish metal. The front was engraved with the ferocious words "Tiger and Wolf," while the back simply had the name and position engraved on it.

It feels cold and heavy to the touch, and vaguely exudes a menacing aura.

A neatly folded cloth armor.

A small cloth bag contained five shiny black pills, which had a strange smell.

However, Song Yan vaguely sensed the violent energy contained within it.

"Marching Pill".

It appears to be a rather inferior elixir for replenishing spiritual energy and blood.

Finally, there was a rough animal hide with the shockingly brief "Rules of the Tiger and Wolf Army" written on it in ancient seal script.

Although it was short, its strictness left even a determined person like Song Yan speechless with astonishment.

"Xianqin, the Tiger and Wolf Army..."

Song Yan murmured.

It seems familiar; I've heard it somewhere before.

...A canyon, a temporary encampment.

The night was deep, and the campfire flickered.

A temporary team of more than ten people, consisting entirely of outside cultivators like Song Yan, was assigned to guard this place.

They did not participate in suppressing the rebels; they simply followed other teams and guarded this canyon.

This place is relatively remote compared to the canyon pass, so there's probably not much going on here.

Although Luo Zheng said he didn't have time to manage it, he still sent a close aide to "keep an eye on" them.

"General Wang, what is the origin of these rebels?"

The cultivator named Chen Li, with a fawning smile on his face, asked, "You actually summoned General Luo to come in person..."

The attendant beside Vice General Nalu was only a minor general named Wang Shengguang.

This attendant of the king was naturally not as imposing as Deputy General Luo; in fact, he was quite approachable.

He waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "I am not worthy of the title of general."

Wang Shengguang pondered for a moment: "That rebel leader was originally a colleague of Deputy General Luo and one of General Bai's right-hand men."

"Later, due to a certain battle, he disagreed with General Bai's decision and also had some disputes with General Luo. He harbored resentment and led some soldiers to defect."

"I've only heard about these things from veteran soldiers; I don't really know the details."

Chen Li suddenly realized: "So that's how it is... So the rebel leader is also at the Golden Core stage?"

Wang Shengguang shook his head: "That was true before, but before his defection, he seemed to have lost his fighting spirit and only had the combat power of a pseudo-core cultivator."

"In the past, due to the tense situation of the war, and because General Bai and Deputy General Luo were mindful of their old friendship, they never took action against him."

"Now……"

These dozen or so outsiders took their positions around the temporary encampment.

"Sister, let's not talk about finding treasure now. How do we get out of here?"

The atmosphere within this fierce and ruthless army was so suffocating that Wu Yun found it hard to bear.

His gaze swept over the people around him.

Wu Caidie held a jade slip in her hand and said, "Ayun, don't be impatient."

"No one expected this incident at the ruins. We must at least ensure our own safety first."

Wei Zhi smiled憨厚ly: "Yes, Ayun, listen to your sister. There's no use in rushing. We might as well wait and see."

Wu Yun scoffed at Wei Zhi with disdain.

I looked toward a figure not far away.

He muttered to himself, "I never expected that such a barbaric land as Chu would have such a young Foundation Establishment cultivator."

Upon hearing this, Wu Caidie and Wei Zhi also looked towards the person at the edge of the camp.

Wu Caidie shook her head: "You don't need to make people think too badly of you."

“Even in a barbaric place like Yue Kingdom, it wouldn’t be difficult for a sect to use all its resources to create a ‘genius’ with elixirs and spiritual treasures.”

"It wouldn't be surprising if the State of Chu had one or two."

Song Yan sat alone in a corner, stroking the Sword Sect jade seal in his hand.

"I can't teleport... Where am I?"

He pondered for a moment, then looked at Wang Shengguang, the lieutenant general, and a golden light slowly emerged in his eyes.

Observe the void.

"These people's physical bodies lack vitality, but their spiritual energy flows very purely..."

“Apart from this, he is no different from an ordinary cultivator.”

It's amazing.

I wonder how things are going on with Gousheng.

Were they also drawn into this battlefield?
Or perhaps, things took a different turn.

Song Yan had indeed heard of the Immortal Qin Tiger Wolf Army.

When I was in Changping, I heard some local monks talk about the legend of Ghost Mountain.

Legend has it that the spiritual energy of Changping is polluted because of the ancient war between the celestial dynasties.

At that time, the several immortal dynasties wanted to annex each other, resulting in frequent wars and the deaths of countless cultivators.

But what's most astonishing is the Battle of Changping.

The specific details are only passed down orally by some elders. They only know that the two sides fought a bloody battle, and one side suffered a great defeat. In one day, more than 400,000 defeated cultivators were buried and killed in the Corpse Abyss.

This caused the defeated immortal dynasty to collapse and soon perish.

If some kind-hearted people heard this story for the first time, they might feel that slaughtering surrendered generals was against the natural order.

But on the battlefield, there is only one truth: the victor lives and the loser dies.

If Song Yan remembered correctly, it seemed that the one who committed such an act was the Xian Qin Tiger Wolf Army.

"Xian Qin..."

According to Sheng Nian's investigations over the years, this battlefield was originally where three armies belonging to different immortal dynasties clashed.

One of the immortal dynasties was the Sui, while the Tiger Wolf Army he was currently in belonged to the Qin.

I don't know what the name of the third immortal dynasty is.

His gaze fell upon the monks who had entered the ruins with him.

Including myself, there were seven Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The remaining eight people were all at the Qi Refining stage.

The original three late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators had been killed by Vice General Luo with a single spear thrust. Now, the one with the highest cultivation level is Chen Li, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

But Song Yan's focus was not on him, but on that small group of three.

When Deputy General Luo was reviewing his troops earlier, he learned the names of several men.

On the way from the military camp to this canyon, I overheard Chen Li talking to them and learned roughly about their relationship.

The female cultivator and the young cultivator were siblings, and the other person was a close friend.

Wu Caidie and Wei Zhi are both at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, while Wu Yun is at the early stage.

What concerned Song Yan the most was that these three people should not be local cultivators from Chu, yet they had traveled thousands of miles to get here.

These three people must have some knowledge of this site.

Perhaps these people know how to break this strange situation.

Just as he was pondering this, he heard a noise coming from afar.

Before everyone could react, they heard a muffled horn sound coming from afar.

At the edge of the camp, Song Yan stood up from the rock.

The rest of the group also went into a state of combat readiness.

A strong killing intent was surging towards this place.

"Enemy attack!" Wang Shengguang's expression changed: "It's the rebels!"

With such a powerful military force surrounding them, if the rebels in this canyon wanted to break out, this would naturally be the most suitable place for them.

The troops were weak and the defenses were poor.

That's perfectly normal.

What truly puzzled everyone was how such a small group of rebels could have escaped when Deputy General Luo had personally intervened.

"kill!"

"Break through here and go home!"

"Anyone who stands in my way will die!"

The roaring sound drew closer, and figures appeared indistinctly, the mist being dispersed by the violent flow of spiritual energy.

A remnant of the rebel army, numbering about a hundred.

His body was covered in blood, his armor was tattered, but his eyes burned with madness and a will to survive.

Like a ferocious beast, it is charging towards this place without regard for anything else!

They had clearly discovered this enemy position, which was weakly defended and guarded by newly recruited soldiers, and were now making a desperate attempt to break through from there.

(End of this chapter)