Chapter 2010: Arrived

He had expected that when he withdrew, the Green Guard supervisor would object, as these Bajia people never concealed their arrogance and tendency to micromanage.

To his surprise, the supervisor just shut his mouth and retreated.

Guo Baiyu had fought a frustrating battle and couldn't be bothered with him. As the supervisor retreated, he understood that his role was effectively over. He then went to find the divine vessel and the demon puppeteer within the army.

Before they set out, the Palace Master had privately told him that capturing the most valuable target didn't necessarily have to happen on the battlefield; there were other ways.

Timing was crucial.

The best timing might not occur on the battlefield.

The Fan couple, along with the Miancheng residents, escaped through the west city gate.

They stumbled through the darkness, grateful for the county's road construction project that had made the western road flat and straight. Fan Shuang looked back several times but didn't see Tu Shanfang following.

Flames lit up the city sky, as Guo Baiyu's army was likely plundering freely and temporarily oblivious to the fleeing civilians.

They ran towards the mine, following the winding official road up the mountain. Soon, the city was obscured by the forest.

After an unknown period, the sound of galloping hooves echoed behind them, and everyone's faces paled.

Indeed, an enemy force burst out from behind, brandishing their blades and closing in, utterly ferocious.

“Pursuers, pursuers are here!” Mrs. Wang stammered, her teeth chattering with fear.

The couple exchanged desperate glances. They hadn't expected to flee from Yaoguo, wander all this way, only to still be caught in the ravages of war!

At that moment, Father Fan finally had the most direct experience of the words “living in the morning, dying in the evening; human lives are like blades of grass,” which his son and He Lingchuan had often lamented.

It spoke of their Fan family's misfortune, and the destiny of these Gold-Flash commoners!

The enemy cavalry's iron hooves trampled two fleeing civilians and in a flash, stood before Father Fan. A strong gust of wind hit them. The couple had nowhere to run and simply embraced, closing their eyes to await death.

Suddenly, from behind, came the whizz of an arrow, striking down an enemy rider.

The rider fell, causing his horse to swerve.

From the forest ahead came a rustling sound, then hundreds of elite soldiers charged out, their voices like thunder:

“The Black Armored Army is here!”

“Kill! Slaughter all of Guo Baiyu's remnants!”

Like a black streak, dozens of cavalry galloped past them in an instant. Father Fan slowly slid to the ground, his heart still pounding wildly:

“Saved, we're saved!”

At the last moment, help had finally arrived!

Watching the black torrent rush down the mountain, seeing the glinting weapons, the blood spattering in the air, witnessing some cut down and others kicked into deep ravines, and smelling the pungent scent of blood, hearing the fierce roars and screams… the fleeing Miancheng residents, inexplicably, cheered wildly even as tears streamed down their faces.

Before long, the enemy soldiers were scattered, and the Black Armored Army pursued them towards Miancheng.

A few riders stopped before the crowd and instructed, “The official road to the mine is now clear; you may proceed safely! The battle on the front lines is fierce, and we must hurry back to fight the enemy!”

Seeing them pull their reins to leave, Father Fan urgently asked, “Has Emperor Jiuyou arrived?”

“General Wanqi is currently assaulting Miancheng, and Deputy General Liao specifically ordered us to come and rescue the elders and people of Miancheng,” the soldier patiently replied. “We are in urgent pursuit of the enemy, move aside!”

Father Fan stepped aside, and they galloped down the mountain to pursue the enemy.

Suddenly, a coolness touched their faces as raindrops began to fall, one by one...

The Imperial Dew had arrived; it was a fine drizzle.

It was unclear if it was divine intervention, but the Imperial Dew descended before the Dragon God Army even reached Baihao Tower.

As the spiritual rain gently touched their faces, the spiritual energy in the world rapidly increased.

The dark forest exuded a wild, verdant scent. This stretch of road was particularly difficult, as the trees in the mixed forest were thin and sparse, but extremely close together, making it hard even for people to pass, let alone horses.

The Dragon God Army had to divide into three teams, with specialized personnel at the front of each team swinging machetes to clear the vegetation and open a path.

“Baihao Tower is still eight li away,” He Lingchuan ordered. “Stay alert; this terrain is very suitable for an ambush.”

Just then, the eastern flank suddenly erupted with shouts:

The grassroots beneath their feet and the tree branches around them suddenly grew wildly, wrapping tightly around their legs or waists, binding them immobile.

Many were dragged and then hung upside down.

“Man-eating tree demons, use fire,” He Lingchuan's command was concise.

At this moment, numerous treemen and grassmen jumped down from the trees. The tallest were no more than three feet, and the shortest were palm-sized, but their hands and feet were covered in sharp thorns, stabbing anyone they landed on.

Being stabbed by them was more painful than being stung by a hornet.

Cries of pain rose one after another.

Having never seen man-eating trees fight like this, Tao Ran suddenly shouted, “Wood Spirit!”

He then shot an arrow into a nearby tree trunk.

Before the arrow struck, a faint green light escaped along the branches of the trunk.

He Lingchuan told Tao Ran, “Take it down!”

Unless that thing was dealt with, the army couldn't advance.

Tao Ran nodded and led over a hundred people in pursuit of the Wood Spirit.

No sooner had he left than a dense volley of arrows rained down from the front.

He Lingchuan pulled his cloak, and the incoming arrows, striking the fabric, simply slid off.

This long, densely wooded slope was called Tuoyue Slope. At this moment, a familiar voice came from the hilltop:

“He Xiao, do you dare to fight me?”

He Lingchuan looked up to see torches blazing on the hilltop, where a contingent had appeared. The leading figure had a spear pointed directly at him.

It was General Chongwu.

By the moonlight, He Lingchuan saw two long scars on the general's face. It seemed the war he experienced in Yaoguo had not been easy.

General Chongwu roared again, “He Xiao, we have no personal enmity, and Bixia has never wronged you. Why must you exterminate us all?”

“Precisely because we have no personal enmity, if you surrender the city, this war will end, saving lives and resources,” He Lingchuan retorted, too lazy to argue grand principles with him. “Otherwise, neither you nor your son will see tomorrow's sunrise.”

“This is your own undoing,” General Chongwu gritted his teeth. “Fine, let's settle the score for how you framed me!”

Others were confused, but He Lingchuan knew exactly what he meant.

On the night Xue Zongwu was killed, both He Lingchuan and General Chongwu were staying at Zhuo'an Inn. Afterward, the Yaoguo royal court always suspected General Chongwu was responsible, and if Qingyang hadn't stepped in to strongly vouch for him, the foreign General Chongwu's fate would have been uncertain.

Furthermore, when General Chongwu was commanded by the king to pursue the Three-tailed Fox Demon, He Lingchuan again interfered, preventing him from capturing the fox demon and reporting back. Instead, the high-ranking official's son who was accompanying them to gain military merit was severely wounded. After this incident, the Yaoguo King also heavily punished him.

Now that the truth—that “Emperor Jiuyou is He Xiao”—had surfaced, General Chongwu, recalling various details, could connect the dots and attribute the blame for both incidents to He Xiao.

This fellow had caused him such misery, and now he was leading an army to destroy his country!