Chapter 1917: War Fire Burns Into Home

The Black Armored Army has captured Taojing; return quickly!

Baimountain Ridge marks Luodian's northwestern border, adjacent to the territory of the Longye tribe.

The Luodian army continued its southward advance to participate in the civil unrest in Yaodi.

Over a hundred years ago, Su Yuan was named for its abundant millet production. However, geological changes and soil degradation later transformed this fertile land into a barren wasteland where nothing could thrive. Fortunately, frequent Imperial Sap outbreaks in the last two years have blessed the area, allowing millet cultivation once more.

Qu Ruhai was locked in a fierce, mutually damaging struggle with Bai Tan when, unexpectedly, three urgent orders arrived consecutively from the rear:

Baimountain Ridge in the Northern Pass has been attacked!

Su Yuan, Luodian Kingdom.

This hasty retreat meant that the hard-won gains from his earlier campaigns would likely be appropriated by Bai Tan.

Kasha, Longye, and the Black Armored Army – they all deserve to die!

However, before his anger could fully erupt, another urgent dispatch arrived.

This message was much more detailed. As Qu Ruhai unfolded it, a chill ran down his spine.

The Longye and Kasha tribes, spurred on by the Black Armored Army, divided their forces and seized large swathes of land in eastern and western Luodian. The Great Emperor Jiuyou himself led the main Black Armored Army assault on central Luodian, first capturing Taojing, and has now reached the capital! Furthermore, the Celestial God has confirmed that the true identity of the Great Emperor Jiuyou is He Xiao, Lord of Yangshan Island!

Despite the letter's length, only the name 'He Xiao' registered in Qu Ruhai's mind.

He had dealings with He Xiao before, more than once, in Tianshui City, the old capital of Yao. That man was sharp, agile, articulate, and highly adaptable – truly the epitome of a great merchant. He even managed to persuade the Yao King to entrust him with a massive project like the construction of New Tianshui City.

He was a rare genius.

But the Great Emperor Jiuyou?

He Xiao, the Great Emperor Jiuyou? Qu Ruhai pressed his forehead, reading the line repeatedly, a sense of unreal absurdity washing over him.

If only he had, on a whim, killed He Xiao back then, would there have been no subsequent catastrophe of the Great Emperor Jiuyou?

No, that's not right. That fellow was able to kill the leader of the Green Guards under the Qingyang Regent on the spot. Looking back now, he must have been concealing his true abilities.

Qu Ruhai was consumed with anxiety, urging his army to hasten their return north.

He was the Left Ancestor of Luodian, and the king was his elder brother. If the capital were to fall, where would he and his brother find a place to stand?

As for why the Black Armored Army advanced so rapidly, Qu Ruhai had his own interpretation.

He didn't deny the Black Armored Army's strength; after all, legends portrayed them as invincible, which couldn't be entirely groundless, could it?

The more significant reason, perhaps, was that Luodian's national strength was depleted.

With stable neighbors and Luodian's long-standing desire for Yaodi, Qu Ruhai's southward campaign received strong support from the king. Supplies were promptly allocated, and the Southern Expeditionary Army was composed of elites drawn from various Luodian tribes, ensuring a smooth and effective campaign that would yield results.

Secondly, when Celestial God Miaozhan departed for the Upside-Down Sea, he also took nearly a thousand people from Luodian. These were undoubtedly the elite of elites, specifically requested by Luodian's chief deity. They included not only seasoned Luodian warriors but also numerous cultivators, shamans, and yokai, forming a force even stronger and more balanced than the army Qu Ruhai led to Yaodi.

With its resources being heavily drained by two major 'pipes,' Luodian's reserves, like a pond, naturally diminished rapidly.

As a general commanding troops, Qu Ruhai knew best: no matter how numerous, miscellaneous soldiers were just an addition; it was the elites and vanguard troops that played the decisive role.

Luodian was not a large nation to begin with, and with such a sudden reduction in its elite forces, its strength was bound to decline.

This was merely a temporary phenomenon, yet the Great Emperor Jiuyou keenly seized the opportunity to exploit this weakness!

Even after understanding this, Qu Ruhai's heart remained heavy.

How exactly did the Great Emperor Jiuyou silently subdue the two major tribes, Kasha and Longye?

What else did he do in the north?

Qu Ruhai admitted that Luodian was not large and its internal governance had always been relatively unrefined, but the speed with which the Great Emperor Jiuyou could fight his way from the northern border to the capital within days was still inconceivable.

No matter how mediocre Luodian's remaining forces were, they were still incomparable to the ragtag militias on the Shanjin Plains.

That night, the moonlight was dim.

He pondered as he marched, nearing the Chilingshan Mountains.

This was a land of red earth, with high ridges and low valleys, making travel difficult. However, once passed, the path to the capital would be straightforward.

Just then, a scout ahead suddenly blew an urgent whistle.

Three short, continuous blasts, a pause, then three more, repeated three times.

Enemy ahead, approaching fast!

Qu Ruhai was startled and immediately ordered the entire army to prepare for battle, though he also felt some bewilderment:

"Is the enemy commander an idiot?"

Ahead lay the Chilingshan Mountains, with narrow, confined mountain paths that would form a perfect ambush 'pocket' if blocked at both ends. Why did the enemy choose to confront him on a large plain with only a few small hills, instead of ambushing him there?

In warfare, terrain and topography are crucial.

The enemy's advance was simply too fast.

Qu Ruhai dared not pursue further glory on the Yaodi battlefield and reluctantly withdrew his troops to return north.

To his dismay, Bai Tan seized the opportunity to relentlessly pursue his retreating forces!

Qu Ruhai was stunned by these three urgent orders because Luodian's surrounding relationships had been stable for many years. Although Longye and Kasha were warlike tribes, they had been subdued by Luodian twenty years ago and, like Luodian, worshipped Celestial God Miaozhan.

Why would these two major tribes suddenly invade from the south? Was it because Celestial God Miaozhan had suddenly fallen?

As for the Black Armored Army 'capturing' Taojing, it was even more incomprehensible.

Qu Ruhai knew, of course, that the Black Armored Army belonged to the so-called Great Emperor Jiuyou, but they seemed only to kill people, not occupy territory, right? Why did the urgent order use the phrase 'captured'?

Most terrifyingly, these three urgent dispatches were issued within a total of six days. This meant that so much had happened in Luodian within six days!

Yet Taojing was already in central Luodian, less than seventy li from the capital!

The Kasha and Longye tribes are invading!

Temporarily withdrawing troops from a battlefield is inherently perilous; one misstep could lead to a rout. Qu Ruhai managed to retreat north of Yaodi with great difficulty, only to find that over seven hundred men had been lost during the withdrawal, leaving him deeply frustrated.

On his return journey, he once again passed through the millet fields, soon to be harvested, where waves of millet swayed in the evening breeze. But traveling day and night, he was in no mood for contemplation.

Qu Ruhai had felt a similar sentiment when he passed the millet fields on his southward journey. It was spring then, and he led his army to Yao, intending to seize a share amidst the chaos of that kingdom.

He did get his share.

If spiritual energy were more abundant and the climate wetter, the Luodian people might not need to raid outsiders, but could sustain themselves purely from the land's bounty.

How wonderful that would be?

The Yao King had been killed, the Yao Kingdom had fallen, and various factions were locked in internal strife, leaving them no time to attend to the borders. Qu Ruhai, with his Luodian soldiers, openly seized large territories in northern Yao. Along the way, he encountered General Chongwu, who attempted to intercept him.

However, due to his own circumstances and lack of support, Chongwu soon left Yao and retreated west to Bixia.

After the Immortal Disappeared.