Chapter 509 - 305: Departing for Celestial Treasure Continent, a True Gentleman Watches the Game in Silence, the Four Sages of the Confucian Temple

Lu Mingyuan could only sigh and pat her on the back.

Seeing this, Sui Yuqing, who stood to the side, felt a little awkward and couldn’t help but turn her head away.

She was envious of their bond.

Anyone could see that when it came to her place in Lu Mingyuan’s heart, no woman could compare to the Empress.

Not even her junior sister, Yun Qinghe.

’But my own relationship with Your Majesty... what is it, really?’

At this thought, the light in Sui Yuqing’s eyes dimmed.

...

「Another month passed.」

It was now the end of the year, and the final countdown had begun.

A number of major events had transpired over the past month.

The war within the Nanli Dynasty’s borders had taken a new turn.

Emperor Nanli had pleaded for aid from all quarters, sending letters to numerous powers. Nations including Great Yan and the Golden Crow all received his requests.

But few, if any, answered the call.

Most nations could barely protect themselves, let alone find the spare resources to help the Nanli.

The Great Sui Dynasty dispatched several thousand troops, but it was a token gesture that made little difference.

The Silver Frost Empire offered only verbal support, condemning the Demon Race for their shameless cruelty and depravity.

The Nanli Dynasty’s Four Great Sacred Lands dispatched numerous expert Qi Cultivators, but they were unable to turn the tide. A Great Demon named Gangzhu, ranked among the Twelve Thrones, slaughtered them all, hanging their corpses from the city walls.

More than half of their territory, including the Grotto Heaven Blessed Lands along the way, had fallen, becoming strongholds for the Demon Race’s army.

The Buddhist Sect dispatched three thousand Golden Martial Monks, along with one of its four great Bodhisattvas, the Divine Distinct Bodhisattva, to provide reinforcements.

The Dao Alliance, though too far away to arrive quickly, issued a Daoist Alliance Decree, calling on all Qi Cultivators scattered across the land to aid the Nanli. Some righteous individuals took the initiative, becoming registered Tributors for the Nanli Dynasty and joining the war effort.

The Confucian Temple sent Great Scholars from the Confucian Family, while Sword Cultivators from the Military Family accepted invitations from the Nanli Dynasty to help resist the Demon Race’s invasion.

It was only through the combined efforts of these various powers that the Demon Race’s army was prevented from annihilating the Nanli Dynasty outright and seizing the Celestial Treasure Continent.

The front line stalled in the heartland of the Celestial Treasure Continent, at a place called Dragon Peak Mountain.

In the Ancient Era, Dragon Peak Mountain was an altar to the Fire God, and it once housed an Ascension Platform.

However, a strange development occurred at Dragon Peak Mountain.

The Golden Martial Monks, led by the Divine Distinct Bodhisattva, were ambushed by Gangzhu. The two sides battled for three days and three nights until the Divine Distinct Bodhisattva struck, shattering the mountainside of Dragon Peak Mountain.

This revealed that the inside of Dragon Peak Mountain was actually a Grotto Heaven left behind by an Immortal.

The exposure of this hidden Grotto Heaven instantly altered the course of the battle.

Now, anyone who stepped into the area would be drawn into the Pocket World Barrier.

The Grotto Heaven had become the new heart of the battlefield.

The Human and Demon Races were now locked in a brutal struggle within this Grotto Heaven.

Overall, the situation was not in the Human Race’s favor.

The Demon Race held the upper hand.

This was mainly because the Demon Race had a greater number of experts; their ranks of Demon Kings, Demon Venerables, and Demon Monarchs were several times larger than what the humans could muster.

The Wilderness World was pouring the entire strength and energy of its world into invading the Central Plains.

The Central Plains World, however, had not mobilized its full strength—or even half of it—in resistance, making the defense incredibly difficult.

If the Grotto Heaven at Dragon Peak Mountain were to fall, it would essentially mean the Celestial Treasure Continent was lost to the Human Race. The demons would establish a permanent foothold in the Central Plains World, build a major base of operations, and sever the vast western lands from the rest of the continent. It would be a catastrophe for the entire Human Race.

During that month, a letter had also arrived from Prince Zhenbei.

Prince Zhenbei stated that he would obey His Majesty’s decree. He was sending one hundred thousand armored cavalry, led by his three adopted sons, from the Border Pass to the Imperial Capital to rendezvous with the Holy Emperor.

Lu Mingyuan, for his part, had made all the necessary arrangements and was ready to depart for the Celestial Treasure Continent.

The one hundred thousand armored cavalry were now on the verge of arriving at the capital.

It was a vast and mighty force, a dense, dark forest of black armor. Every soldier of the Northern Garrison Army was exceptionally tall, with corded muscles in their arms and overflowing vitality. Each one was a powerful Martial Artist in their own right.

They were truly worthy of their reputation as the battle-hardened Armored Warriors who guarded the Northwest and defended the Border Region.

In no way were they inferior to the Great Yan Dragon Riders.

Prince Zhenbei had spent sixty years building this Northern Garrison Army, and every single soldier had been trained with a fortune in gold and silver.

Moreover, the recruits were all chosen from the towns along the Northern Great Wall.

Faced with such a formidable force, Lu Mingyuan took the matter very seriously and intended to greet them personally at the city gates.

「On this day.」

Lu Mingyuan arrived at the city gates fully armed. A saber hung at his waist, and he wore the Hundred Steel Meteor Flame Armor, its scarlet stripes accented with gold. A Golden Imperial Crown held his long hair in place, adding to his heroic, martial aura.

"GIDDYAP!"

Three Generals in red cloaks broke away from the dense mass of armored cavalry and rode up before Lu Mingyuan.

All three were well over six feet tall, with one towering at nearly seven feet, looking like a young giant among the others.

’Two Dragon Gate Realm Martial Artists, and even one at the Vajra Realm. It seems Prince Zhenbei truly has a wealth of talent under his command.’

Lu Mingyuan narrowed his eyes, having seen through the three men’s Cultivation.

He hadn’t expected to find a Vajra Realm Martial Artist among them.

In the Great Yan Army, someone at the Sea-Viewing Realm could become a top general, someone at the Dragon Gate Realm could be enfeoffed as a Marquis, and someone at the Vajra Realm could be made a Titled King.

Prince Zhenbei, Yang Xiao’s, three adopted sons were clearly no ordinary men.

And that was just their individual Cultivation. When combined with military formations and Combat Skills, these Martial Artists could unleash even greater power.

’An army of a hundred thousand ferocious warriors... I wonder how much Momentum they can amass, and how high their Cultivation can be raised?’

Lu Mingyuan was quite curious to find out.

The first to speak, a young general in silver armor holding a heavy long spear, knelt and saluted, his voice filled with excitement. "General Zhongwu, Yang Zaixing, greets Your Majesty!"