Chapter 43: Ancient Spirit Mountain Immortal Traces

The Mortal Realm

In just two days, one commander fell ill and the other died. Several generals looked extremely serious, and the atmosphere was incredibly tense.

However, as their gazes swept over Wang Liu's corpse, a strange smile was clearly visible at the corners of their mouths. Everyone had heard of "death in the saddle," but no one had ever witnessed it firsthand.

No one doubted the cause of Wang Liu's death, as his lecherous nature and excessive indulgence were well-known to everyone.

"General Feng," they urged, "only you can take charge of the Xuanwei Camp now. Please decide how this matter should be handled!"

The other deputy generals' qualifications and prestige were far inferior to Deputy General Feng's.

Several generals spoke in unison, and Qin Sang also echoed their words.

Deputy General Feng waved his hands repeatedly. "I am of limited talent and learning; I dare not make decisions on my own," he said. "In my opinion, this matter must be reported to the Grand Coordinator, and he must make the decision."

The Grand Coordinator had been unconscious. Qin Sang followed the generals into the main tent and was startled to see the Grand Coordinator looking so gaunt, with sunken features and a waxy yellow complexion.

Indeed, illness had struck him down swiftly and severely.

The military doctor was ordered to forcibly wake the Grand Coordinator. Deputy General Feng briefly explained the situation, leaning close to his ear. The Grand Coordinator's dull eyes suddenly widened, a sickly flush appeared on his face, and he coughed violently, his lips trembling.

Judging by his lip movements, he was likely muttering the words "useless trash."

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the Grand Coordinator struggled to hand the commander's seal to Deputy General Feng, then fell unconscious.

By the time they finished discussing how to handle Wang Liu's funeral arrangements, it was already dawn.

Qin Sang returned to his military tent and found Wu Chuanzong waiting inside.

"Sir," Wu Chuanzong began hesitantly, "how will General Wang's funeral arrangements be handled? I heard that the two women in the tent are to be killed?"

It seemed that Wang Liu's scandal had spread throughout the camp overnight; even Wu Chuanzong knew about it.

Qin Sang wasn't surprised. That fellow Wang Liu was inherently arrogant and had offended countless people, who were all eager to spread his disgrace.

"Don't speak carelessly when you go out," Qin Sang said, leaning languidly on the large bearskin chair. "Deputy General Feng has already issued a gag order. General Wang died from overwork, worried day and night about military affairs. Naturally, anyone inside or outside the military tent at that time must die... Hmm?"

Qin Sang straightened up. "Are you interested in one of them?"

Wu Chuanzong blushed deeply and waved his hands repeatedly. "No, no... Sir, don't misunderstand," he stammered. "I just heard them say that those two girls were poor souls forced by General Wang. Back then in Hening County, if not for you, sir, my siblings and I would have either starved to death or been killed by rogue soldiers. I constantly hoped for heaven to open its eyes and give us a way to survive, and then you came. I think their feelings now must be similar to mine back then..."

Qin Sang simply uttered "Oh." During this time, Wu Chuanzong had stayed by his side, always adhering to his own principles, and Qin Sang had never interfered.

"The county magistrate's wife committed suicide in prison last night after learning the truth. The girl is still alive," Qin Sang explained. "I will go and petition Deputy General Feng shortly to arrange for you to handle the aftermath. Be discreet and thorough."

"Understood!"

Mount Guling, the Ancient Path of a Thousand Years.

Until a new Grand Coordinator was appointed, Deputy General Feng was temporarily in charge of the Xuanwei Camp.

Without Wang Liu's obstruction, and with precise intelligence from scouts locating the ancient path, Deputy General Feng immediately detached half of his troops to launch a feint attack on Guling Pass, to distract the defenders. Meanwhile, Qin Sang led the First Battalion, Eighth Battalion, and the Logistics Battalion into the ancient path to clear a way.

Qin Sang stood on a mountaintop at the mouth of the ancient path. Before him, mountain ranges stretched endlessly, though he couldn't see very far into them.

Although overgrown with vegetation, upon closer inspection, traces of excavation were faintly visible on some cliffs.

It was hard to imagine how mere human effort could have carved out such a perilous military path amidst these towering mountains.

"Do you remember?" Qin Sang asked. "Where exactly is it?"

Qin Sang turned his head to ask the herbalist beside him.

This herbalist was the one captured by Wang Liu, the same man who claimed to have encountered immortals on Mount Guling. Wang Liu had kept him alive to silence others' doubts, so he had narrowly survived.

After Qin Sang found the herbalist, he had spoken with him several times. He didn't seem crazy, but he had been terrified by the fierce-looking soldiers.

The herbalist tremblingly pointed deep into the ancient path. "I remember now, sir. It's right there."

Following the direction of the herbalist's finger, Qin Sang's expression suddenly darkened. He coldly snapped, "How dare you lie to me, your general! Do you think a few herbalists like you could have come this far?"

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare..."

The herbalist's legs were trembling, and he almost lost his footing. "Sir... I entered the mountain from over there," he stammered. "There's an animal trail, and we could... we could ride donkeys. Later, they were eaten by wolves, and I got scared... I ran... I took the wrong path..."

Qin Sang's expression softened slightly, and he nodded. He then ordered his men, "Down the mountain, clear the path!"

With the manpower of three battalions, clearing the path was still not easy. Some trees in the ancient path had grown so thick that several people together couldn't encircle them, making them impossible to fell. They could only carve out alternative passages beside them.

Fortunately, their objective was a surprise attack, and there was a large military storehouse at Raven's Mouth, so they didn't carry much in terms of supplies and provisions. The army traveled light, and even if the path was narrow, they could just barely pass.

Once they got the hang of it, the soldiers of the three battalions spread out, and their speed increased. In just half a day, they had already advanced a considerable distance. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before the ancient path was cleared.

Qin Sang had been busy for most of the day and finally had his men organized. Just as he was about to take the herbalist deeper into the mountains to search, a commotion suddenly erupted ahead. A soldier hurried to report: "General, a section of the cliff has collapsed, blocking the ancient path."

"A collapse?"

Qin Sang's expression changed slightly. If the ancient path was impassable, it wouldn't just be a matter of missing a strategic opportunity.

"What exactly happened? How severe is it?"

The soldier stammered, "A section of the cliff just broke off and fell down. It looks like... like it was cut off with a knife."

The soldier's face was full of disbelief.

Hearing this, Qin Sang's heart suddenly stirred. He quickly urged, "Take me there at once."

The lead soldiers had already gone quite deep, past two mountains. Only then did Qin Sang see the broken cliff section. Just as the soldier had reported, a section of rock had broken off, and the fracture surface was smooth as a mirror, truly looking as if it had been sliced by a blade.

The fallen rocks had crashed onto the ancient path, and the debris had completely blocked it.

"Send men to tell the Logistics Battalion to bring equipment to clear the path!"

Qin Sang gave the order distractedly. Then he looked around, impatiently activated his movement technique, and climbed the highest peak nearby.

The herbalist had said that the immortals they saw had flown in this direction!

Could cultivators truly be fighting on Mount Guling?

Qin Sang's heart pounded with urgency as he swiftly ascended to the mountaintop.

The peak had collapsed, rocks were shattered, ancient trees were broken, and vegetation lay flattened.

In addition, there were scorch marks. Even more astonishingly, ice crystals remained on vegetation in some shaded areas, as if this area had experienced all four seasons overnight.

This scene reminded Qin Sang abruptly of the banks of the Sinking River, and he couldn't help but feel a mixture of surprise and delight.