Chapter 507: Inducement

Xiandu’s military banner had left Beiting and was heading south. The gaunt man sat silently in his carriage, his expression far from pleasant.

The power of the Shanyue people had always been decentralized. Only during the reign of Ganjixi did the entire land fall into line; Shanyue tribes from the western foothills of Mount Li even crossed the mountains to pledge allegiance. All other Shanyue kings and clans, regardless of size, ruled in conjunction with nobles, and were compelled to share authority with priests.

While he had managed to bring the priests into submission, mobilizing troops was proving difficult. Over a thousand villages were scattered across a thousand li of land, and when Xiandu called for soldiers, the response was surprisingly sparse.

'They are all testing the waters, waiting for Wushan's reaction.'

Besides his own five thousand elite troops, Xiandu had only managed to gather three thousand irregular soldiers. Calculating the time, it might take a full week of marching to reach Moonlight Valley, and this filled him with intense anxiety.

'I must never underestimate the capabilities of Daahe Mingfang! With the nobility currently unstable, they will likely intentionally indulge him. Although there are five thousand troops in the valley, we must be extremely cautious.'

Xiandu, having seized the throne through his own cunning, was by no means an ordinary man. He quietly dismounted from his carriage, found the burly man, and said in a deep voice:

"Lead the troops forward; do not miss the deadline!"

He then took a spotted tiger-beast, mounted it, and, accompanied by a group of his cultivated personal guards, galloped away like an arrow, swiftly heading south.

As all the Shanyue were cultivators, their army moved extremely fast. In merely half a day, they had already reached the large town in front of Moonlight Valley. Xiandu pulled up the clan leader before him and said coldly:

"Have the troops from the six towns provided aid to Moonlight Valley?"

As expected, the Shanyue man in front of him stammered and sweated profusely. He clearly hadn't imagined that Xiandu, who had been at the royal court, would arrive at the valley entrance overnight. He stuttered:

"Without... the king's order... I dare not mobilize troops."

Xiandu's face turned ashen, and he almost laughed aloud. With a "clang," he drew his waist-saber and cursed:

"To hell with your 'I dare not'!"

Xiandu's gaunt face flushed. He raised his long saber high. Before the man could even react, his head flew into the air, and blood splattered. Xiandu kicked the body away, picked up the severed head, and said coldly:

"Send this head to the six towns and order all tribes to immediately dispatch troops!"

When he tried to mobilize them, he had to give repeated orders, yet they were still unwilling to move. But now, with the enemy attacking the pass, they were quick to claim "no king's order." Still not appeased, Xiandu's gaze, sharp as a knife, swept over the faces of the Shanyue beneath him, and he cursed:

"Are you damned dogs not going to mobilize troops, but waiting here to taste my blade instead!"

The subordinate generals dared not wipe the fresh blood from their faces and followed Xiandu out. After another half an hour, they barely managed to gather two thousand troops. Xiandu, with a dark expression, drove the troops out, dispatched someone to inquire about the situation in the valley, and then galloped out of the formation himself.

But after he had gone two li, seeing the road ahead empty and the scouts not yet returned, and the troops from the six towns behind him showing no movement, he felt displeased. He called his subordinates forward and said in a deep voice:

"The six towns are being negligent. If I leave, they will probably drag their feet again. Chongdui! You lead the troops to reinforce them; I will continue to gather soldiers."

Chongdui nodded, and Xiandu further instructed:

"We don't know the situation in Moonlight Valley, so be cautious on the way."

Seeing his subordinate nod repeatedly and thinking that this person was always steady, he felt reassured. He then returned to the town with his trusted aides and found another town to raid. As expected, he found the clan leader and various tribes gathered, whispering and procrastinating, which immediately enraged him.

"You dogs!"

Xiandu had, of course, planted trusted aides in the six towns. However, the six towns were originally large strongholds of major clans, each representing an entire tribe, so they were not easily subjugated. His anger grew, and he drew his saber again, saying coldly:

"Worthless cowards waiting to die!"

These people were also wrongly accused; they had just seen that severed head, and then Xiandu broke in right behind it. Xiandu, the King of the Northern Shanyue, would not tolerate any excuses. In an instant, the ground was covered in blood, and heads rolled.

When Xiandu calmed down, sheathed his saber, and stepped out of the main tent, he saw a person galloping towards him, covered in blood. His heart immediately tightened. He then saw the person tumble off their horse, cup their fists, and say miserably:

"My King! Moonlight Valley has already been lost without a sound! That Daahe Mingfang actually... crossed the narrow valley and set an ambush on the road. Your Lordship's several thousand troops were all lost on the way... only a few hundred escaped..."

Xiandu froze for two breaths, his heart pounding. He only asked:

"Where is Chongdui!"

The Shanyue man cried:

"He has probably already..."

Xiandu's legs instantly went weak. There was no time for sorrow, no time to ponder how such a crucial pass could be conquered in mere days. The next question had already surfaced:

"Daahe Mingfang will certainly rush here... To fight or to flee?"

While Xiandu was in a desperate plight, Chongdui remained loyal. He rode all the way to Moonlight Valley. His troops, hastily gathered from various tribes, were chaotic and undisciplined; he could only force them forward, thinking to himself:

'I'll deal with them once we reach the pass...'

He had only gone a little over ten li, leading his troops into the forest, and was halfway through their march, when he heard a muffled thunder-like roar. A multitude of soldiers surged out from both sides. Chongdui never imagined that they could be ambushed while marching in their own territory. In his shock, he cried out:

"Form ranks! Retreat slowly!"

No sooner had he spoken than he saw a cold glint ahead. A dark figure swept towards them like a gale. Iron-colored armor gleamed coldly in the night, and a long halberd, having flashed for an instant in the distance, was already thrusting towards him.

Chongdui was too terrified to speak. He was only at the third level of Embryonic Breathing cultivation; how could he withstand such a charge? He could only brace his weapon, and was sent flying as if riding on clouds. Amidst a crushing pain in his chest and seeing stars, he vaguely saw that the ordinary horse beneath him had been torn to shreds.

The five hundred soldiers surged into the enemy like tigers into a flock of sheep, raising a bloody tide. Chongdui fell, dizzy and disoriented. He then heard a clang, and a white iron halberd plunged directly beside his neck, making his hair stand on end.

The cold light made it hard for him to open his eyes. Chongdui was covered in blood, afraid to move. His skin could faintly feel the chill from the halberd as a deep voice sounded:

"I thought Xiandu had come himself, so I came to meet him personally. I didn't expect it to be just a junior general."

Li Zhouwei watched him silently. All around, there were wails and blood everywhere. But the young man paid no mind, revealing a smile, and gently pulled the halberd from the ground, turning it over.

The halberd pointed diagonally at the ground, and crimson blood dripped down, drawing a long red-black line on the ground. He rode his horse forward, thinking:

'He might be useful; faking reinforcements to trick open Moonlight Valley won't be a problem.'

Chongdui struggled to stand up, looking around. Beyond the silently standing Daahe armored soldiers, only scattered corpses remained. He knelt down and said:

"I am willing to serve Your Majesty."

Daahe Mingfang seemed even more amused, his voice bright as he smiled:

"Look at me."

Chongdui reluctantly looked up, only to see the black-brown pupils beneath the long eyebrows subtly contract, glowing with a faint golden light. The terrifying young man raised his chin, uttering words that made Chongdui's limbs grow cold and his entire body break out in a cold sweat:

"You are loyal; no wonder Xiandu sent you here. But your cultivation is too low to deceive this King."

Chongdui's expression instantly turned fierce, but it was no match for the speed of the halberd. With a flash of cold light, his head flew high into the air, his corpse fell to the ground, and crimson blood spurted out, dyeing the only clean patch of ground entirely red.

Li Zhouwei merely lowered his gaze, reined his horse forward, and took a few steps. Only then did the head fall with a thud into the forest.

Moonlight Valley had many cultivated soldiers and was deep within Northern Shanyue territory. On the mountain, there were cultivators at the fifth level of Embryonic Breathing who had developed spiritual sense and could detect cultivation levels. Therefore, Li Zhouwei did not let Li Wushao act, but instead launched two probing attacks first.

The enemy sent out two detachments of troops, both of which were completely destroyed, and immediately dug in, refusing to come out. A slow attrition battle ensued. Li Zhouwei watched the fierce battle in the valley and, not wishing to waste time there, took his cultivators. While the two passes were in a standoff, he quietly took a detour, passed through the mountains, and arrived behind the pass.

This, of course, was inseparable from Dilile's guidance. He ordered Chen Yang and Dilile to hold Moonlight Valley in check. He himself led troops out, ambushed on the road for two days, calculating the timing almost perfectly, and then consumed the talisman pill to break through to the sixth level of Embryonic Breathing.

'The Shanyue reinforcements are truly pathetic.'

The mountain roads were difficult to traverse, so he only brought five hundred elite troops. He had set aside several days to wait and stabilize his cultivation. Yet, to his surprise, he had to wait a full five days before a disorderly group of soldiers slowly arrived, completely lacking any order.

Only this junior general was somewhat decent. Li Zhouwei indeed lacked a capable royal Shanyue man among his subordinates, but unfortunately, he couldn't take him in.

He pondered for a few breaths. His subordinates had already interrogated information, and Dilile bowed, saying:

"My King, Xiandu is in Chongwu Town."

Li Zhouwei spurred his horse forward, gradually picking up speed. Dilile rejoiced, saying:

"My King! Why not advance immediately and first capture this Lord of the Northern Shanyue?"

The five hundred soldiers slowly gathered, but Li Zhouwei did not head directly north to Chongwu Town. He unrolled the map in his hand and said in a low voice:

"Xiandu must think that I broke through the pass and am leading the army north. If he flees in a hurry, it will either be to the east or to the west..."

He calculated Xiandu's troops; the six towns might number five thousand. And his main force had not yet arrived. In fact, he could also defend the six towns. He couldn't help but smile, asking Dilile beside him:

"Will he defend or flee?"

Dilile was immediately stumped, unsure how to answer. Li Zhouwei stood with his halberd, turned his horse's head, and said in a low voice:

"If he abandons the six towns, Northern Shanyue will be hollowed out at its core. And with no news from Wushan, it would be no different from suicide! Xiandu is no fool; he will naturally defend!"

"We don't actually have five thousand troops breaking through the pass. If he flees, he can naturally try to break through the enemy lines. But if he defends, how can we capture the six towns? We must first secure Moonlight Valley, then plan further."

"Bring Chongdui's banner, clean it with the Cleanse spell, and head south."

He gradually sped up, and Moonlight Valley already appeared before his eyes. He put his halberd into his storage bag and stopped at the foot of the pass. The five hundred soldiers rested briefly and then stealthily made their way up the mountain.

The battle at the front of the pass was raging, yet the defending general had not relaxed his vigilance. The rear was also closely guarded. The troops had only traveled a short distance when someone quickly came to ask:

"Are these reinforcements? Which unit?"

Dilile quickly stepped forward and replied in a Shanyue accent:

"Chongdui, sent by the King's order to reinforce!"

The man simply said:

"I don't recognize Your Excellency. General Sidu has set a rule that he must be personally called for. Please wait a moment."

Dilile could only look at Li Zhouwei. Seeing him nod, he immediately drew his saber and split the man in two. He then pulled out Daahe Mingfang's banner, and the soldiers charged forward with a roar, assaulting the various arrow towers.

Li Zhouwei drew his long halberd, which glowed with a reddish hue. With one strike, he smashed the stockade gate to pieces. His halberd swept across, and a swath of Shanyue fell like cut grass. Like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, he single-handedly charged south.

Moonlight Valley had originally been able to defend against the southern troops with ease, but after being besieged for several days, the soldiers were weary and the horses exhausted. Now, instead of waiting for reinforcements, an enemy force surged out from behind them, immediately putting them in a precarious position.

Chen Yang, having seized this opportunity, launched a fierce attack, triggering a chain reaction. Although the defending general was highly capable, his troops were simply inadequate, making it impossible to maintain the defense.

Xiandu, on his end, urgently gathered troops, rectified the six towns, arranged everything, and erected layers of stockade walls. He breathed a sigh of relief, but after asking several times, there was still no news from the south.

The scouts he sent out gained nothing; not one returned, as if they were blind men groping in the dark. Xiandu could only wait until his main elite forces arrived, finally realizing:

'I've fallen for Daahe Mingfang's trick! He snuck over through the mountain path!'

Xiandu was filled with remorse, yet it wasn't due to a lack of intelligence on his part. Mountain roads were difficult to traverse; in merely one day, at most only one or two hundred soldiers could pass... How many cultivators could a small tribe possibly have? He never imagined they could utterly defeat Chongdui!

Thoughts turned in his mind, and joy immediately appeared on his face:

'No news at all means there's a problem! Daahe Mingfang went to great lengths to intercept my scouts, and none returned. Moonlight Valley must have some issues; it should not have been conquered yet!'

Xiandu gritted his teeth and immediately ordered:

"The entire army will set out! We will attack Moonlight Valley while he is not yet established and his troops are weary!"

He made a decisive decision, took his long spear, mounted the tiger-beast, and charged out like the wind. The army slowly marched out of the town. Xiandu was anxious and led his troops very quickly.

On the way, they encountered several detachments of Daahe troops, presumably those who had intercepted the scouts. The leader's cultivation was very high, which explained why the scouts hadn't returned. Upon seeing the large army, they fled at the mere sight of them.

Xiandu's doubts were slightly eased. Soon, he saw Moonlight Valley, looking into the distance. Fires were blazing in the valley, and about two hundred people were attacking the stockade below. They were clearly elite, strong men, but seemed somewhat listless, apparently exhausted from the charge.

"Hahahahaha! As expected! No wonder he went to such lengths to avoid detection!"

The pass was also in a precarious state, at its last gasp, and on the verge of falling. Xiandu arrived just in time, and was immediately overjoyed.

"Good! I knew it! This is the most fortified pass in the entire country, guarded by Sidu Xun, a cultivator at the peak of Embryonic Breathing; how could it be easily lost!"

Xiandu was immediately overjoyed, leading his main force to quickly reinforce them. The army advanced, shouting:

"Reinforcements have arrived!"

"Reinforcements have arrived!"

His subordinate troops also shouted excitedly, their cheers shaking the heavens for a moment. Xiandu charged to the base of the walls, creating a pincer attack. The hundred-plus enemies had to turn back to defend, and cheers erupted from the pass.

After Xiandu fought for a moment, a thunderous roar of battle suddenly came from behind him. Several thousand soldiers surged out from both sides, cutting his main army into two sections. On the pass, numerous figures also appeared, showering arrows down, and raising dazzling banners with the name:

"Daahe Mingfang!"

Xiandu instantly felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. He reined in his horse and looked back. A mass of soldiers was surging out from the forest, and on the opposite slope stood a black warhorse. A young man, his armor glinting with a cold light, stood holding a halberd, gazing at him from afar, seemingly with a faint smile.

He felt as if he had been targeted by a wolf or tiger, his hair stood on end, and he stood dumbfounded, drenched in cold sweat, murmuring:

"Daahe Mingfang!"