The True Lord has arrived

Chapter 127 Turning the Tide: The True Colors of a Great Man
It felt like a replay of the past.

Wang Zhongsi was once entrusted with a critical mission, and now, the only one with enough battlefield experience, strength, and composure to complete such a dangerous task is none other than Wang Zhongsi's former bodyguard.

Sensing the gazes directed at him, Shen Cangming slowly opened his eyes.

The elderly Li Sanlang walked up to the one-armed man. This emperor, who had once achieved great feats, bowed deeply with his hands clasped and said softly:
"Please, General, put on your armor again."

"Protect our Great Tang!"

These words might mean nothing to others, and might even ignite their fighting spirit, but for Shen Cangming, who had gone through so much, they were enough to ignite the anger that he had suppressed for so long.

'Again?'

Shen Cangming looked at the elderly Li Sanlang in front of him. The wind and rain were getting stronger. Li Longji's white hair swayed slightly, and the wrinkles on his face were clear. With the blessing of that pill, Shen Cangming's foundation was strengthened, and his own magic power was re-circulated into a world, reaching the sixth rank.

He also understands the current situation.

Sensing the threat of the elite army, the Blood Egg Demon of Wofo Temple, even before it had fully matured, took the initiative to attack, releasing its vital energy in an attempt to assassinate the cavalry general, demonstrating the enemy's fear.

Under the current circumstances, there is no time or conditions for them to mobilize troops, or rather, there are no troops left to mobilize. Now, the only option is to concentrate all forces and fight to the death.

The man stood up, his tall figure casting a shadow that completely enveloped Li Longji. Li Longji looked at Shen Cangming, but in his eyes, did he see Shen Cangming, or the famous general who was almost like an adopted son?
Wang Zhongsi...

The sound of steel clanging broke the silence here.

Shen Cangming drew the waist knife that belonged to Wang Zhongsi. This horizontal blade tore through the dim light like a thunderbolt and was placed against Li Longji's neck. Li Longji at this moment seemed different from the old man he was now.

Without surprise, anger, fear, or retreat, he and Shen Cangming stared at each other.

!!!

Chen Xuanli's expression changed drastically. His horizontal sword was drawn a split second slower than Shen Cangming's sword, and it was placed against Shen Cangming's neck. Gao Lishi's expression changed drastically, and just as he was about to make a move, Zhou Yan's heavy sword was also drawn and pressed forward.

The situation instantly became tense!
Li Longji looked at Shen Cangming, who stared at the once accomplished monarch with hatred, resentment, and a host of other extremely complex emotions in his eyes. Li Longji raised his hand and said, "Xuanli, step down."

Chen Xuanli said, "Your Majesty!"

Li Longji snapped, "Step back!"

Chen Xuanli remained silent. After Li Sanlang fled Chang'an and went to Shu, his temperament gradually calmed down, and he became as peaceful as an old man. But at this moment, his aura as a king who could overwhelm the world reappeared.

Chen Xuanli slowly sheathed his sword, Gao Lishi remained still, Zhou Yan's Earth Soul Heaven-Shattering Sword pressed against the ground, and Li Sanlang calmly spread his arms, completely unguarded, gazing at the tall and majestic warrior before him.

"Should we avenge Zhongsi, or avenge the people of the Tang Dynasty?"

"You can do it all."

For the first time, hatred and anger appeared on Shen Cangming's face, along with many other emotions that Zhou Yan couldn't understand. His eyes flashed with fire, and he gritted his teeth, the words practically bursting from between them, dripping with blood and fire, as he said:

"Stone Fortress City, 60,000 brothers, all perished there because of your one thought, because of your stubbornness."

"Sixty thousand people, one stone fortress!"

"The general told you not to fight, so you withdrew him and even listened to slander and wanted to kill him. If it weren't for everyone's desperate pleas, you would have almost killed him. He was a general who made great contributions to the Tang Dynasty and protected the country."

"Those are comrades who risked their lives for their country!"

"Sixty thousand people, sixty thousand people..."

In the general's voice, through his clenched teeth, Zhou Yan could even hear a faint, blood-tinged sob.

Li Longji's former general, a captain in the border army and a cavalry commander who charged into battle.

From birth to the present, these forty-two years have been bathed in the glory of the Tang Dynasty led by Li Sanlang. When Shen Cangming was still a young man, the sage of the Tang Dynasty shone brightly in all directions, like the sun that would never set.

The year he was born, Yao Chong eradicated a plague of insects, and the Northern Protectorate of the Tang Dynasty was renowned throughout the land. The Censor Zhang Xiaosong led only 10,000 miscellaneous soldiers to defeat the Tibetans and the Abbasid Caliphate's Alada, massacred three of their cities, and his power shook the Western Regions, prompting many countries to surrender.

When he was fifteen, there were only twenty-four reported cases of death sentences throughout the entire year.

With the submission of the Kingdom of Humi, the Eastern and Western Turks vied to pay tribute.

The Tang Dynasty was at its zenith, its glory shining upon all nations!

Zhou Yan could not comprehend Shen Cangming's incredibly complex emotions toward Li Longji.

But now, this general took a deep breath and said:
"Li Longji!"

"How are you any different from Yang Guang, who conquered Goguryeo? You're a tyrant!"

"I'll really cut your head off with one stroke!!!"

A genuine look of grief appeared on Li Longji's face.

He opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.

This pain goes deep into the bone marrow.

It was even more painful than Zhou Yan confronting him about Yang Guifei.

He was not afraid of his political enemies, his relatives, or the so-called powerful families, but now, a man born in his Great Tang Dynasty, a veteran who had fought for the Great Tang for twenty-six years, was cursing him in such a way.

It felt like a knife stabbing into his heart.

Li Longji took a deep breath and said, "Well said!"

"Come, kill me, and then lead the elite warriors of my Great Tang to crush the evil spirits!"

"Listen up, everyone on either side!"

Li Sanlang spread his arms wide, and the Fengxiang cavalry behind him had arrived. They raised their lances, all pointing them at Shen Cangming. The atmosphere instantly became tense, the tension momentarily frozen. But then Li Longji shouted:

“Revenge has always been a matter of justice. This man who killed me shall be pardoned!”

"You must obey his commands and work together to defeat the demon!"

"all--"

"Put down your weapons!"

As Li Longji roared, the Fengxiang cavalry lowered their weapons. Shen Cangming looked at the elderly Li Sanlang before him, watching him spread his arms, his expression calm: "Make your move, Shen Cangming of Xingxiuchuan."

You were only sixteen when you joined the army, weren't you?

"Twenty-six years as a border soldier, your achievements and the wounds you have suffered are enough to warrant killing me." Shen Cangming's face showed extreme pain, and a stingy tear in his right eye. He gripped the knife tightly, and it was as if the Anren Army was still patting his shoulder and rubbing his hair. Suddenly, the knife rang out.

Finally, Shen Cangming moved his wrist.

As the sword swept across, blood flowed out. Chen Xuanli and Gao Lishi's expressions changed drastically, but Li Longji remained motionless. A cut appeared on his face, and hair from his temples flew out and fell to the ground.

In this era, the act of cutting off one's hair was extremely humiliating and serious.

Wang Zhongsi's sword swept past Li Longji.

Shen Cangming sheathed his sword, turned to look at the three thousand elite Fengxiang cavalry. No words were needed; these three thousand men were his opponents on the southern battlefield of Xiangji Temple. The tall man slowly stepped forward and said, "I am Shen Cangming of Xingxiuchuan."

"To which division do your legions belong?"

The cavalry deputy general dismounted and said, "My unit is the Shuofang Army."

"it is good!"

Shen Cangming gripped his knife: "My unit is the Anren Army."

"The two armies will merge, and I will lead these two corps."

The adjutant of the Shuofang Army's cavalry general looked at him, this man with one arm, his sleeves fluttering in the wind, with only one eye remaining. This was the last ember of the original Anren Army.

The lieutenant returned the salute:

"promise."

"Bring a horse for General Shen."

"No need."

Shen Cangming gripped the Mo Dao with one hand and let out a long howl. The howl reverberated around him, and soon, a sound like a dragon's roar responded. The sound of horses' hooves was like thunder. In the rain, a black horse galloped in, neighing like a dragon, carrying a heavy bundle on its back.

The package landed heavily, and when opened, the armor plates were imposing. Fine raindrops fell on the armor, and water splashed on the mountain-patterned armor plates, reflecting the sunlight as if shrouding this set of dark mountain-patterned armor in a layer of soft light.

Born into humble circumstances, he earned a full set of mountain-patterned heavy armor personally crafted by the Xuanxiang Bureau through his military achievements!

The Bright Light Armor was used by commanders from prestigious families, and this full set of mountain-patterned armor proved their bravery, strength, and well-known military achievements.

The three cavalrymen dismounted, and the lieutenant said slowly:
"To don armor for the general."

"promise!"

As Zhou Yan watched Shen Cangming put on his full set of heavy armor and helmet, this man, who was already over 1.9 meters tall, broke through to over 2 meters, and his power recovered to the sixth rank. He could use a long-handled Mo Dao with just one arm.

Zhou Yan was somewhat worried about Shen Cangming, but Shen Cangming placed his hand on Zhou Yan's shoulder.

"I went and solved the problem here."

"You have no armor, so wait here."

Zhou Yan looked at Shen Cangming without saying anything, only nodding. Holding the Earth Soul Heaven-Shattering Sword in his hand, Shen Cangming mounted his horse. Dahei revealed its true form in the rain; it was Bo, a mythical beast from the mountains and seas that preyed on tigers and leopards, and began to walk slowly.

Shen Cangming held a long-handled broadsword in one arm, pointing it forward.

This is different from the battles of the past.

This battle is not for the king.

Just to protect one person!
An aura like a blazing beacon appeared and then instantly dissipated. Zhou Yan could clearly feel that his own beacon vein technique had formed a connection with Shen Cangming, or rather, not with Shen Cangming, but with the entire legion.

Li Zhenyue said, "The essence of military strategy is that a large army must be formed before it can resonate with the people."

"When the military lineages are numerous and their lineages resonate, then the weakness of beacon towers and fortified walls in terms of mana consumption will be completely eliminated, and their recovery ability will be stronger... The Xuanguan army is far stronger than other lineages of the same number of people."

"It can be described as crushing."

With the fate of the previous cavalry general as a warning, this time Shen Cangming formed a formation, glanced back at Zhou Yan, and the cavalry charged forward with overwhelming momentum. The blood egg sensed unease and threat, and disregarded the fact that it had not yet completed its gestation.

In the distance, streaks of blood-red light exploded, and a graceful arm, like that of a Buddha, yet also like the limbs of an insect, slapped down towards Shen Cangming and the others. The great black beast roared like a dragon, its blood surging with the chilling atmosphere of the battlefield.

Suddenly, flames ignited in Shen Cangming's hand.

Flames spread, and the beacon towers served as the main battleground.

A wisp of intense fire appeared in the weapons of all the generals, their bodies becoming flames, their hearts communicating, the earth acting as their pulse—the military strategist—

boom! ! !
Zhou Yan saw that wisps of malevolent energy were gathering, and the power of three thousand people was converging.

A phantom of a warrior, over thirty meters tall, appeared behind this army. He wore armor with mountain-patterned patterns, held a long-handled broadsword in both hands, and was entirely composed of flames. He then slashed horizontally!
[Beacon Fire Slash!]
The enormous phantom instantly dissipated, transforming into flying fire.

With a tremendous roar, the blood eggs outside the Reclining Buddha Temple were torn apart, and those graceful and beautiful arms were severed, flying into the sky. When they fell, their fair skin dimmed and turned into insect limbs!

As Zhou Yan watched Shen Cangming and the others storm into the Reclining Buddha Temple to carry out the mission of breaking the node, he grasped the Earth Soul Heaven-Shattering Sword in his hand. Li Longji said, "Boy, come here!" Zhou Yan turned to look at the king, and Li Longji said, "Don't worry about them."

"The monster inside that blood egg hasn't hatched yet, so no one can trouble it. Now it's our turn..."

Gao Lishi has already prepared everything.

Li Longji wiped the knife wound on his face and said, "I have to thank Shen Cangming, which saves me from having to draw blood again. Now it's your turn, Zhou Yan, give me your blood." In Li Longji's eyes, there was still majesty and fire.

"How can I just sit and watch them fight each other?"

"We can never rely on luck when facing demons. Let's start preparing now."

Zhou Yan asked, "Do you still want to try to be granted an additional title?"

Li Longji said, "Haha, yes, let's try again. Who knows if we can do it?"

Zhou Yan asked, "How long will it take?"

Li Longji said, "You only need to stay here for a while. The rest is mainly my business. I just didn't expect to have the opportunity to do such a thing in this lifetime."

He smiled as he looked at Zhou Yan.

Fengshan.

(End of this chapter)