Chapter 700 507: Luring In

The Royal Court's banners had left the Northern Court, marching southward. This lean man silently sat in the carriage, his complexion far from pleasant.

The power of the Shanyue was always dispersed; only during Ganixi's reign had the world followed suit. Shanyue from the western foot of Li Mountain had crossed over the mountains to join him, while the rest of the Shanyue royal and noble families governed alongside the aristocracy, always sharing power with the priests.

In his hands, though the priests were sternly governed, the land was dotted with over a thousand villages. When he, as the Royal Court, now called for troops, the response was alarmingly sparse.

'They're all testing... waiting for Witch Mountain's reaction.'

The Royal Court had only managed to gather three thousand miscellaneous troops on top of his own elite five thousand. Timing the march, even a week might not suffice to reach Moonlight Valley, fueling his anxiety.

'One must never underestimate Dahe Mingfang's capabilities! With the aristocracy wavering, they are likely to tacitly condone him. Although there are five thousand soldiers in the valley, we must be incredibly vigilant.'

As one who had seized the throne through his own means, the Royal Court was no mediocre ruler. Right then, he silently hopped off the carriage and summoned that Great Han, saying with a deep voice,

"You lead the troops forward, and do not miss the deadline!"

He then led a variegated tiger beast over, mounted it, and, accompanied by a retinue of guards with cultivation levels, dashed out like an arrow, swiftly heading south.

All Shanyue were cultivators; their troops moved with great speed. Within just half a day, they had already arrived at the large town before Moonlight Valley. The Royal Court grabbed the clan leader in front of him and said coldly,

"Have the troops from the six towns assisted Moonlight Valley?"

Indeed, the Shanyue before him hesitated, breaking out in a sweat, clearly not expecting the Royal Court of Witch Mountain to arrive overnight. He stammered,

"Without... the king's command...we dare not move our troops."

The Royal Court's face turned from pale to nearly laughing out loud as he "clang" unsheathed his waist knife and cursed,

"To hell with your 'dare not'!"

The lean face of the Royal Court flushed with anger as he raised his long knife high. As the man was yet to react, his head had already soared into the air, blood spraying everywhere. The Royal Court kicked away the corpse and lifting the head, said coldly,

"Deliver the order to the six towns, commanding all departments to immediately send troops!"

When he was the one to dispatch orders, they would need to be repeated thrice and no one would budge; now, as enemies attacked the passes, they played the card of not having the king's command. Still fuming, his gaze, sharp as a knife, swept over the Shanyue chiefs' faces, and he cursed,

"You damned dogs, if you don't dispatch troops, what are you waiting for here? To taste my blade?"

The generals did not dare to wipe the fresh blood from their faces as they followed the Royal Court out. After another half-hour or so, they barely managed to muster two thousand troops. With a dark face, the Royal Court drove the troops out, sent people to inquire about the situation in the valley, and charged out of the formation at full speed.

But after traveling two li, seeing the road ahead deserted, the scouts unreturned, and the six-town troops unmoving, his dissatisfaction grew. He called one of his men over and said with a stern voice,

"The six towns are negligent; I fear more delays if I leave. Zhong Dui, you lead the troops to assist while I regroup the forces."

Zhong Dui nodded, and the Royal Court further instructed,

"We don't know the situation in Moonlight Valley, so be cautious on the way."

Seeing the man nod repeatedly, and considering his usual steadiness, he felt somewhat relieved and returned with his confidants to the town. Bursting into another town, he indeed saw the clan leader consulting and dragging their feet with others in a hushed tone, immediately enraging him.

"You bastards!"

The Royal Court had certainly placed confidants in the six towns, but they were originally large clan strongholds, not so easily subdued. His anger mounting, he drew his sword again and said coldly,

"You're just waiting to die, you cowards!"

It was a misunderstanding for the crowd; they had just seen the severed head when the Royal Court burst in right on its heels. The king of the Northern Shanyue brooked no excuses, and blood soon covered the floor, with heads rolling everywhere.

When the Royal Court finally calmed down and sheathed his blade to leave the tent, he saw someone racing toward him, covered in blood. His heart leaped, and he saw the man tumble down from his horse, cup his fists, and say with a tragic voice,

"Great King! Moonlight Valley has already fallen silently! That Dahe Mingfang...he passed through Narrow Valley and set up an ambush on the road. Sir, the several thousand soldiers all perished on their way...Only a few hundred have returned..."

The Royal Court was stunned for a moment, his heart pounding. He asked only,

"Where is Zhong Dui?"

The weeping Shanyue replied,

"I fear that he..."

The Royal Court's legs suddenly gave out beneath him. With no time to grieve, no time to ponder how such an important pass could be overtaken in just a few days, the next question arose:

"Dahe Mingfang must be approaching... fight or flee?"

...

While the Royal Court was in turmoil, Zhong Dui remained loyal as ever, riding fast toward Moonlight Valley. His troops, gathered from various departments, were in disarray and could only be forcefully commanded to move forward. He thought to himself,

'Only when we reach the pass can we reorganize...'

After traveling over ten li and leading the men into the woods, midway through their journey, they heard a thunderous crash, and troops burst out to attack from both sides. Caught off guard in his own territory, Zhong Dui cried out in shock,

"Form up! Retreat slowly!"

No sooner had he spoken than he saw flashing lights ahead. A shadow swooped down like a fierce wind. The iron armor glinted coldly in the night, and a long halberd flickered in the distance for a moment before thrusting in front of him.

Zhong Dui was too shocked to speak. With only the cultivation level of Fetal Breathing Third Layer, how could he withstand such a charge? He managed to raise his weapon and was sent flying through the air like a cloud. A crushing pain exploded in his chest, and amidst stars flashing before his eyes, he dimly saw his ordinary horse torn to shreds beneath him.

Five hundred troops descended on the enemy like tigers upon sheep, stirring up a bloody turmoil. Zhong Dui fell, dizzy and dazed, and heard the clang of metal. A white, iron-colored long halberd plunged deep into the ground by his neck, causing the hair on his skin to stand on end.