Chapter 514 - 308: The Prestige of the Northern Garrison Army, the Origin of Dragon Peak Mountain, and the Method of Entry

Winter was approaching.

On the battlefield, a bleak wind whistled. Clad in Profound Black Battle Armor and wearing cold, terrifying ghost masks, the Northern Garrison Cavalry wielded their Black Long-Handled Sabers and charged the dense ranks of the Demon Race army.

They were like a sharp dagger, plunging straight into the belly of the Demon Race army.

The entire battlefield was saturated with the grim, murderous aura of clashing steel and warhorses.

The Northern Garrison Cavalry was superbly equipped. Each soldier had three superior warhorses and carried a variety of weapons. Their Dragon-Scale Horses were even fitted with Heavy Armor, allowing the cavalry to advance unstoppably and switch tactics with fluid ease.

Even a Demon King would be hard-pressed when facing a cavalry unit composed of such elite Martial Artists.

"ROAR!"

A hyena Demon King let out a sudden, thunderous roar. The dull sound was powerful enough to shatter the gravel on the ground.

Despite this, the Northern Garrison soldiers showed not a hint of retreat.

They wrapped their eardrums in Primordial Qi to protect themselves from the sonic assault. A five-hundred-man squad instantly formed a defensive turtle formation to face the hyena Demon King.

The hyena Demon King scoffed. "Wretched humans," he snarled. "You think this can trap me? You’re courting death!"

He swung the Blood Saber in his hand, smashing it down on the soldiers before him.

"THUD!"

"THUD!"

"THUD!"

As the Demon King struck, ten soldiers raised their shields in unison. They were Large Shields, big enough to cover a man’s entire body. They embedded them in the ground, and the impact sent a metallic echo through the air.

With a loud BANG, the ten of them perfectly blocked the attack.

The remaining soldiers grabbed black contraptions from their warhorses, aimed their crossbows, and fired.

SWISH! SWISH! A rain of arrows fell like a cascade, sinking into the Demon King’s body and drawing furious roars of pain.

"How do you like that? The Golden Crow Crossbow Arrows of our Northern Garrison Army aren’t so pleasant, are they?"

A human man, well over two meters tall, stepped out from the crowd. He wore black Puxiu Heavy Armor with Purple Gold bracers. A faint smile touched his lips before he vanished into an afterimage and reappeared behind the Demon King.

SQUELCH!

He thrust his hand directly into the Demon King’s chest and ripped out its bloody Demon Pill.

Without its Demon Pill, the Demon King’s strength failed, and it quickly collapsed to the ground, dead.

This man was none other than one of Prince Zhenbei’s three adopted sons, General Xiao Wu, Yang Cunxiao.

Yang Cunxiao hailed from the border passes. He was a Demon hybrid with some Earth Demon blood in his veins, granting him innate Divine Power. He was strong enough to lift the Nine Tripods and had a massive physique. At just eight years old, he towered over his peers and was ostracized for it.

Fortunately, Prince Zhenbei was a man who trusted his own judgment. He recognized Yang Cunxiao’s talent, took him in as an adopted son, and gave him the chance to serve the Court at the Northern Great Wall.

Yang Cunxiao’s gaze was steady as he looked ahead and issued his next order. "Another one down! Press the attack!"

His frame was immense. His brawny arms were thicker than the thighs of the soldiers beside him, making him look like a human-shaped beast.

This scene was but a small vignette on the vast battlefield.

Similar scenes were playing out all across the field.

The Demon Kings and Demon Venerables within the Demon Race army found themselves surrounded by soldiers rallying under the Great Yan Military Banner, caught in a desperate struggle.

Nearly every member of the Demon Race realized that the caliber of the army before them seemed to surpass that of any they had ever faced.

From the lowest soldier to the highest general, not one was an easy opponent.

Even a Tenth Realm Demon Venerable was no match for the three valiant human generals they faced.

The Great Yan Army was closing in on the Dragon Peak Cave Heaven at an incredible speed. They had already torn a hole in the Demon Race’s encirclement, leaving a trail of blood and gore in their wake.

From his vantage point at the entrance of the Floating Palace, Lu Mingyuan looked down upon the battle and couldn’t help but nod in satisfaction.

’No wonder those three became Prince Zhenbei’s adopted sons. Each of them has his own unique abilities.’

’It seems the Northern Garrison Army has guarded the border pass for sixty years and remained undefeated by relying on its own true strength.’

Qi Muxue nodded slightly as well. "Prince Zhenbei’s Cultivation surpasses even that of the Champion Marquis. Thirty years ago, he had already stepped into the Vajra Realm. By now, I fear he has already entered the Eleventh Realm of Feathered Transformation. Each of the adopted sons he has trained possesses immense talent and potential."

Hearing this, Lu Mingyuan understood.

He finally understood why his father, the Emperor, had been so wary of the Northwest during his reign.

The power Prince Zhenbei commanded was already a significant threat to the Great Yan Court.

With such a fierce army at his command, no nation, large or small, would dare to offend him. He could easily declare himself an emperor in his own right.

But Lu Mingyuan wasn’t like Emperor Yong’an, prone to excessive suspicion.

That was a sign of a lack of confidence.

It was Great Yan’s dwindling National Fortune that had made Emperor Yong’an so fearful of a rebellion from Prince Zhenbei.

’If the National Fortune had been on an upward trend, would he have ever had such fears?’

Lu Mingyuan was confident that he could keep Prince Zhenbei in check.

Besides, with Yang Yingchan as an intermediary, Lu Mingyuan had already made an agreement with Prince Zhenbei. This had happened back when he was still the Crown Prince, before he attacked the Capital City.

He had pledged his absolute support for Prince Zhenbei’s house to guard the Northwest for generations to come, and promised to never interfere.

For the time being, there would be no conflict of interest between them.

Lu Mingyuan gazed down from the Floating Palace at a huge, furnace-like stone platform, and beyond it, a vast, scarred mountain range.

"RUMBLE!"

The floating Golden Palace shuddered violently. After steadying himself, Lu Mingyuan realized they had collided with an invisible wall.

"This appears to be a flight-restricting barrier. Judging by its construction, it wasn’t set by any ordinary Cultivator. It seems we’ve arrived," the Chess Saint said, looking out the door. He nodded and stroked his beard.

"Dragon Peak Mountain."

Lu Mingyuan looked down. A crimson mountain range, over a thousand li long, stretched out before them. It was formed of red rock and enveloped by a massive Array, from which a vast and majestic aura emanated.

This was their destination: Dragon Peak Mountain.

This was the entrance to the Middle Ancient Immortal Ruins Cave Heaven, the very place where the great powers of the Human and Demon Races endlessly funneled their armies.

In recent times, Dragon Peak Mountain was busier than ever. At any given moment, great numbers of Flying Ship Treasure Vessels would arrive from all directions, delivering hordes of Cultivators to this place.

The Demon Race army had also set up numerous ambushes here, waiting for the Human Race to walk right into their trap.

But Lu Mingyuan knew the true battlefield was likely inside the Grotto Heaven itself.

The Golden Martial Monks led by Divine Distinct Bodhisattva, the Military Family Sword Cultivators from the Confucian Temple, and the armies of various dynasties, including the Nanli Dynasty, should all be inside the Grotto Heaven.

Great Yan was a latecomer to the party.

Clearly, everyone’s target was the Ascension Platform.

"We’re almost at the entrance to Dragon Peak Mountain. How do we get in?"

Lu Mingyuan asked, puzzled.

Qi Muxue smiled. "Husband, do you know why Dragon Peak Mountain is called Dragon Peak Mountain?"

"Why?"

Lu Mingyuan truly didn’t know the answer.

The mountain’s origins were quite obscure; if it weren’t for Dragon Peak Mountain being a major battlefield on the Celestial Treasure Continent, it likely wouldn’t be known to the world at all.

Qi Muxue explained, "Because long ago, a Ten-Winged Fire Dragon in the service of the Fire God once stood guard on its peak, watching over the hottest furnace in the world."

"That furnace was the source of all fire for the Human Race during the Mythical Era. If anyone wanted to use fire, they had to borrow it from the Fire God."

"Logically, with the Fire God dead and his Ten-Winged Fire Dragon long gone from the Mortal World, that should have been the end of it. However, the scriptures of the Fire God Sect record that a remnant of the Ten-Winged Fire Dragon’s soul still lingers within this mountain. Whenever someone approaches the summit, they can hear a dragon’s roar—hence the name, Dragon Peak Mountain."

Lu Mingyuan nodded and asked, "What does this have to do with entering the Grotto Heaven?"

"She speaks correctly."

The Chess Saint had emerged from the main hall at some point, his eyes filled with appreciation.

"To enter the Grotto Heaven, we must disturb the remnant soul of the Ancient Dragon here. Divine Distinct Bodhisattva and Gangzhu were teleported into the Grotto Heaven because their battle destroyed the mountainside and startled the Dragon Soul. We must also find this Dragon Soul."

’So, to enter the Dragon Peak Cave Heaven, we need to find the ancient Dragon Soul? This mountain range isn’t small. That’s probably going to be a lot of work.’

Lu Mingyuan sized up the area around Dragon Peak Mountain.

He had no idea which peak the Dragon Soul might be in.

"Reporting to Your Majesty! There is a city ahead occupied by the Demon Race. A Great Demon is attacking, and our army’s advance has stalled."

Just then, a Sword Cultivator from the Thunder Pool Daoist Academy flew over on his sword to report to Lu Mingyuan.

"Oh? What about the three generals?"

"They are fighting the enemy at the front. The battle is extremely fierce," the Sword Cultivator replied, his expression worried.

"Let’s go take a look."

Hearing this, Lu Mingyuan prepared to go see the situation for himself.

However, the Chess Saint at his side didn’t move a muscle.

"Aren’t you coming, Senior?"

"It’s just a few Demon Monarchs. You can handle them yourself."

With that, the Chess Saint turned and headed back into the main hall.

Lu Mingyuan was left speechless.

’I’m getting the short end of the stick here,’ he thought.

’I thought after recruiting the Chess Saint, this whole trip would be smooth sailing.’

’But it feels like I’m the only one doing any work!’

...

「On the battlefield ahead.」

The leaders of three major demon clans had gathered. All of them were Great Demons with fearsome reputations, worthy of being recorded in the Ten Thousand Beasts Atlas. Their presence exerted immense pressure on the Cultivators.

At this moment, the three great generals—Yang Cunxiao, Yang Zaixing, and Yang Zhaoyuan—were all present.

Prince Kunpeng, wielding a Trident, spoke in a cold voice. "Hurry and call out your Emperor. With your level of Cultivation, you’re beneath my notice."

"There’s no need for His Majesty to intervene. I alone am enough."

Yang Zhaoyuan held up a belt that looked incredibly heavy. It was made of ten curved jade stones pieced together, each one etched with arcane markings and patterns.

He channeled his Primordial Qi into the belt, and instantly, a boundless blood-red mist appeared before him. The deafening sound of war drums echoed, as if a vast cavalry charge was surging toward him.

WHOOSH—

Twelve towering, armored figures emerged from the sea of blood. Standing upon its surface, they began to perform a variety of profound and unfathomable techniques.

Their Palm Technique was grand and majestic.

Their Spear Technique was as fleeting as a phantom.

Their Saber Technique was world-sundering.

Twelve figures, twelve different Martial Daos.

Yang Zhaoyuan then fastened the belt around his waist, mobilized his Primordial Qi, and poured it inside.

CRACK! CRACK!

The jade belt immediately erupted in a brilliant, blood-red glow. Plates of armor began to form, spreading out from his waist until they enveloped Yang Zhaoyuan’s entire body.

The brilliant gold armor shimmered with a radiant light, and within it, countless specks of light twinkled like stars.

Yang Zhaoyuan clenched his fists. The armor let out a loud CLANG, and the figures of the twelve generals materialized around him, appearing in all directions.

...