The divine manifestations began at the Gongwei Division.

"Commander Zhang Xin of the Imperial Guard is here! Demons, prepare to die!"

A loud shout rang out in the air, like a thunderclap.

At the same time, a golden seal soared into the sky and appeared above Dragon City, like a blazing sun.

The priest's magical artifact!

A high-ranking official of the middle rank arrived.

Celestial Arts, Commander of the Guardian Division, Middle-Rank Third-Class Divine Official...

Have the reinforcements from the Imperial Guard arrived?

The bear demon's expression changed drastically.

It looked up towards the direction of Dragon City, and saw plumes of dust rising into the sky behind Dragon City and towards Shu Prefecture.

They're reinforcements!

The dust was clearly caused by a large group of people traveling!

When reinforcements from the Dai Viet Dynasty arrived, their rear was cut off by the flying mountain peaks.

With only a few thousand monsters by his side, how could he possibly contend with the reinforcements from the Great Yue Dynasty?

"Retreat, retreat quickly!"

The bear demon shouted loudly.

Even putting aside everything else, the commander of the Guardian Division is a third-rank cultivator, and it is definitely no match for him.

at this time.

The bear demon didn't even consider whether the reinforcements were real or fake.

It can't be fake.

Those who can perform the Heavenly Dipper Immortal Techniques are not ordinary celestial officials.

They actually brought a whole mountain!

And that golden seal—that was the work of a divine official, and clearly, it was no ordinary seal.

The bear demon was not an ignorant wild demon; it was a general of the demon court.

Those who possess such a golden seal are undoubtedly top-ranking officials of the Great Yue Dynasty.

A powerful celestial official and a powerful divine official arrived together; they must be the commanders of the Great Yue Dynasty's Guard Division.

If we don't escape now, are we just waiting to die?

At the bear demon's command, all the demons let out strange cries and turned to run away.

A towering mountain blocked their retreat. At this moment, they had no time to worry about anything else. They all transformed into their original forms, crawled on all fours, and fled over the mountain.

The people on the walls of Dragon City were prepared for a fight to the death, but this is what happened.

They watched helplessly as the demon court's army collapsed and fled, and for a moment they even forgot to pursue them.

"Commander Zhang is here?"

Chen Zhaowu scrambled to his feet from the ruins, using his knife for support, and said with some surprise, "Wasn't he supposed to be in Liangzhou to provide support? How come he's suddenly in Shuzhou?"

He looked up at the Heaven-Turning Golden Seal, then at the Flying Peak outside the city, his face full of questions.

Priests, immortal officials...

These methods all look somewhat unfamiliar.

Which of the company's top talents have arrived?

Xue Zhiwei stood on the city wall, looking back.

The smoke and dust continued, but there was no sign of reinforcements.

The golden seal vanished in a flash.

Zhou Heng, who was on the city wall, also opened his eyes.

Xue Zhiwei watched Zhou Heng's retreating figure, a thoughtful expression on her face.

She knew that Zhou Heng cultivated both immortal and martial arts, and she also knew that Zhou Heng's cultivation as an immortal official was not low.

But the priest—

Could it be that Zhou Heng is not a practitioner of both immortal and martial arts, but rather a practitioner of all three paths?

Is this really possible?

She was well-read and had never heard of anyone who could cultivate all three paths simultaneously and even make a name for themselves in it.

If this golden seal is indeed controlled by Zhou Heng, then his divine official cultivation must have reached at least the level of a Day Wanderer God.

The "Day-Roaming God" is another name for a fifth-rank divine official.

He was a fifth-rank martial artist, and also a fifth-rank divine official. Moreover, when Zhou Heng killed the little demon king in the street that day, he clearly displayed the strength of a fourth-rank immortal official.

All of these things were combined in one person, and Xue Zhiwei couldn't believe it was true.

"The Demon Court has retreated?"

The others exchanged glances and then cheered.

Zhou Heng opened his eyes, a feeling of exhaustion washing over him.

His legs went weak, and he almost made a fool of himself.

Xue Zhiwei appeared beside him and took his arm at just the right moment.

Although the action was somewhat overly intimate, Zhou Heng was currently powerless and could only use her as a crutch for the time being.

"Commander Zhang didn't come, did he? Are you just creating a diversion?"

Xue Zhiwei said in a low voice.

"Don't you know whether they're here or not?"

Zhou Heng calmly asked, "If the imperial court could send reinforcements, would you and Chen Zhaowu have come alone?"

Both the Xue and Chen families were prominent clans in the Great Yue Dynasty, and Xue Zhiwei and Chen Zhaowu were elites within their clans.

Logically speaking, they shouldn't be in Shu Prefecture. If they were to come, they should be bringing a large army.

But in fact, the two of them came alone.

This only shows that the situation in the Dai Viet Dynasty was worse than he imagined.

Even scions of prominent families are willing to take such risks, let alone ordinary people.

From the very beginning, Zhou Heng knew that reinforcements were unlikely to arrive.

In Shu Prefecture, the only thing he could rely on was his own strength.

As the last monster crossed the mountain peak, the red light before Zhou Heng's eyes gradually faded.

The danger countdown jumped twice and then reset to zero.

Zhou Heng talked to Xue Zhiwei while checking the harvest.

[You deceived the demon court's army, saving Shu Prefecture from ravages and averting a tremendous crisis yourself. You are rewarded with the Heavenly Craftsmanship Refinement Technique.]

A beam of light shone into Zhou Heng's brow, and he felt countless pieces of information flood his mind in an instant.

All of that information was related to weapon crafting.

The sheer volume of information gave Zhou Heng a splitting headache, and a look of pain involuntarily appeared on his face.

Xue Zhiwei's arms tightened involuntarily.

The soft touch lessened Zhou Heng's pain somewhat.

"How are you? I have some of Grandpa's medicine on me. Are you feeling unwell?"

Xue Zhiwei said softly.

Although she didn't know how Zhou Heng did it, she knew that Zhou Heng must have paid a considerable price for using the Heavenly Gang Immortal Technique.

Even if Zhou Heng possessed the cultivation level of a fourth-rank immortal official, moving a mountain would definitely not be so easy.

Zhou Heng's current suffering is probably a consequence of overdrawing his immortal energy.

Xue Zhiwei took out a pill and held it to Zhou Heng's lips.

"This is for restoring your divine energy—"

A blush flashed across her cheeks.

This was the first time in her life she had ever been so intimate with a man.

This is official business; I cannot let others see the garrison commander looking weak.

Xue Zhiwei told herself this.

While Zhou Heng was still absorbing the information from the Heavenly Craftsmanship Refining Technique, he subconsciously opened his mouth and swallowed the pill.

Their lips inevitably touched Xue Zhiwei's fingers.

Unbeknownst to him, Xue Zhiwei's face had turned completely red.

Fortunately, Chen Zhaowu shouted and climbed onto the city wall.

He had just been struck hard by the bear demon, his body was tattered and torn, and several bloody wounds were visible.

But he is indeed resilient.

Even though he was unsteady on his feet, he was still shouting with great energy.

Where is Lord Zhang? Where is Lord Zhang?

How did that bear demon escape? Lord Zhang, are you too weak to lift your sword?

Using his knife as a walking stick, Chen Zhaowu looked around, searching for Commander Zhang Xin.

Zhou Heng and Xue Zhiwei rolled their eyes at the same time.

If Commander Zhang Xin were here, he would definitely show you whether he could even lift a sword.

"Chen Zhaowu, shut up!"

Xue Zhiwei said in a deep voice, "Don't embarrass yourself!"

"Captain Chen, if you still have the strength, go and have someone set up defenses."

Zhou Heng said in a deep voice, "Let's go to that mountain."

Once I regain some strength, I will move a few more mountains to build a natural barrier between Shu Prefecture and the Demon Court.

"You moved mountains? You moved this mountain here?"

Chen Zhaowu's eyes widened. "When did you learn the Heavenly Gang Immortal Technique?"

"Wait a minute, aren't you a martial artist?"

Chen Zhaowu's brain was about to explode.

Xue Zhiwei glared at him, "Aren't you going to set up defenses?"

What if the Demon Court launches a surprise attack?

"Yes! We have to be careful of them; monsters don't know any martial arts!"

Chen Zhaowu gave an "oh" and, limping, beckoned his men to leave the city and set up defenses on Feilai Peak.

The mountain that Zhou Heng moved using the Heavenly Gang Immortal Technique was a hundred feet high and several tens of feet wide, standing like a tall city wall in front of Dragon City.

It perfectly compensated for the deficiencies in the Longcheng city wall.

"Celestial Arts of the Heavenly Gang, capable of moving mountains and overturning seas."

Xue Zhiwei turned her head and glanced at Zhou Heng. "How did you do that?"

Chen Zhaowu was a martial artist; he did not practice immortal arts. He was only surprised that Zhou Heng knew the Heavenly Gang Immortal Arts, completely unaware of how terrifying this matter was.

Xue Zhiwei is different; he is also a celestial official, and comes from a family of celestial officials.

She has been cultivating immortal arts since she was old enough to understand, and she has never lacked resources along the way.

They have resources, techniques, and talent.

She was promoted to the middle third rank before she was twenty years old, and was regarded as a genius by her family.

If she's a genius, then what is Zhou Heng?

Is it the light of a firefly or the brilliance of the sun and moon?

Without cultivating immortality techniques, one wouldn't know how terrifying Zhou Heng is.

Having cultivated immortal techniques, Zhou Heng only seems more terrifying.

When they first met in Qizhou, Zhou Heng was just a ninth-rank celestial official.

In less than a year, Zhou Heng had become a fourth-rank celestial official and mastered the Heavenly Gang Immortal Technique of Moving Mountains and Overturning Seas.

She, however, was still hovering at the level of a sixth-rank celestial official.

The gap was so large that even Xue Zhiwei dared not compare herself to it.

"Just cultivate step by step."

Zhou Heng said calmly.

In just a short while, he had absorbed the "Heavenly Craftsmanship Techniques," and his weakness had lessened considerably.

He subtly pulled his arm away from Xue Zhiwei's embrace and looked at Feilai Peak in front of him.

"Captain Xue, in your opinion, how many mountains would be needed to build a city wall between Shu Prefecture and the Demon Court?"

Zhou Heng asked thoughtfully.

Xue Zhiwei is a very suitable advisor. She comes from a distinguished family, is well-read, and has extensive knowledge.

"Using mountains as walls—"

Xue Zhiwei glanced back at the smoke and dust in the distance; she had already guessed how Zhou Heng had managed it.

He must have hired some people to stir up dust there, making it look like a large army was galloping in.

Therefore, they created a false impression, making the demon court see enemies everywhere. This is a military tactic of feigning weakness and making strength appear weak.

She hadn't expected that Zhou Heng was also an expert in military strategy.

As for using mountains as city walls, one can only say that Zhou Heng had the courage of a tiger. There were very few people in the Great Yue Dynasty who had such courage.

"Shuzhou is bordered by the Ten Thousand Mountains to the west. If we want to stop the Demon Court's army, we need to deploy troops in the western part of Shuzhou. This defensive line is more than three hundred miles long. If it is a Flying Peak of this size, we would need at least several hundred of them."

Xue Zhiwei pondered for a moment, then answered in a deep voice.

The Demon Court is testing them.

If it were a full-scale attack, they wouldn't have been scared away just now.

To make Shuzhou as solid as an iron barrel, this city wall must enclose Shuzhou completely.

Even if Zhou Heng knew the Heavenly Gang Immortal Technique of Moving Mountains and Overturning Seas, this was still an almost impossible task.

Zhou Heng looked thoughtful; the figures Xue Zhiwei had given were larger than Gao Shaojun's plan.

Regardless of which one it is, it's a huge undertaking.

Today he personally used the Heavenly Gang Immortal Technique to move mountains and overturn seas, and the consumption was greater than imagined.

Even if he were willing to work like a slave to do this, it would still take a very long time to complete this "Great Wall".

After all, his immortal energy needs time to recover after it is completely depleted.

"You just created a false impression and scared away the bear demon. As long as the demon court believes that we really have reinforcements, they won't dare to launch a large-scale attack for a while."

Xue Zhiwei analyzed seriously, "The Demon Court is indeed very powerful now, which has put the Great Yue Dynasty in a desperate situation."

But they are not as powerful as we imagine. As long as we hold out for a while, and the imperial court is free to intervene, they will naturally force the demon court out of the Great Yue Dynasty.

"The problem lies in this period of time."

Zhou Heng asked, "How long is this period of time?"

How long do you think Shu Prefecture can hold out with its strength?

"Therefore, we must keep the Demon Court on edge!"

Xue Zhiwei said seriously, "You were very successful in impersonating Commander Zhang Xin just now."

Also, they don't know how many reinforcements we have.

All you need to do is move a few more mountains, and we can do some tampering on them to make the Demon Court believe that we have a large military force stationed on them.

A single mountain can house tens of thousands of people, including tens of thousands of elite troops; this is enough to make the Demon Court hesitate to act rashly.

"If it's just a few mountains, it's not difficult."

Zhou Heng pondered, "I can do it in five or six days."

"What's the situation with Lord Qingyang? Was he killed?"

Xue Zhiwei asked thoughtfully.

"no."

Zhou Heng shook his head. "I was worried that I would force it to fight to the death, so I used the Tongtian Pill to make it temporarily leave Jiangyang County."

"I know you want to use the Heaven-Reaching Pill to attract the court's attention."

Xue Zhiwei pondered for a moment and said, "You mean if the imperial court wants to obtain the Tongtian Pill, it has to send experts to Shu Prefecture."

But I'm going to pour some cold water on you.

The imperial court cannot send anyone to Shu Prefecture at this time.

They will only order you to deliver the Heavenly Pill to the capital.

"You are the expert in the eyes of the imperial court."

Zhou Heng frowned slightly; he did indeed want to use the Tongtian Pill to draw the court's attention to Shu Prefecture.

But what Xue Zhiwei said is also possible.

Moreover, Xue Zhiwei understands the Great Yue Dynasty better than he does, so if she says that, there's a high chance those adults will do it.

"They don't care about the lives of the people of Shu Prefecture; they only care about the 'big picture'."

Xue Zhiwei said, "The Heaven-Reaching Pill will only attract heroes and demons from the martial world."

At that time, the situation in Shu Prefecture will only become more chaotic.

Zhou Heng's brows furrowed even more deeply, forming a deep frown.

I'm not saying you're wrong.

Xue Zhiwei quickly said, "Actually, the arrival of the Demon Saint Bone in Shu Prefecture was itself a source of chaos."

Rather than waiting for it to explode on its own, we should proactively ignite it.

What are your thoughts?

Zhou Heng asked in a deep voice.

The imperial court may not need Shu Prefecture, but Zhou Heng absolutely must.

He's determined to protect this Shu Prefecture.

"The Heavenly Pill is desired by both humans and demons."

We can definitely take a two-pronged approach.

On the one hand, this made the Demon Court paranoid and hesitant to act, and on the other hand, it bought some time for Shu Prefecture by using the Heavenly Pill.

We must convince the Demon Court that if they dare attack Shu Prefecture, they will cause the Heavenly Pill to fail in its refinement.

Xue Zhiwei said seriously.

"I want to represent Shu Prefecture as an envoy to the Demon Court to have some talks with them."

Xue Zhiwei said with a serious expression.