The closest city to the Ruo Hai Strait, besides Jie Fu City, was Xuan Shan City. A swift red bird, weaving through the clouds, suddenly plunged downward upon reaching the skies above Xuan Shan City. Its glide was rapid; in mere moments, it burst into a wide hall at the heart of the City Lord's Estate.

At this time, Xuan Yuan Tong sat high upon the main throne in the hall. To his immediate sides were the seats of Marquis Zhu Jun and Lin Shi Na, both of their expressions incredibly grave. Following them, countless armored generals were also arrayed in attendance.

Xuan Yuan Yi Ren stood behind Xuan Yuan Tong, her expression fraught with anxiety.

"Tan Tao said he could not persuade Shou'er and had no choice but to accompany him to his death. Seven days ago, I commanded Hai Tian Yuan to lead thirty thousand elite cavalry to rush towards the Ruo Hai Strait day and night. I don't expect to save all four thousand men, only to clear a retreat path for Shou'er and his group, saving as many as possible. Hopefully, there is still time. However, for this battle to reach a conclusion, a full army must be mobilized. The hidden dangers within my body are now completely purged. I only need to suppress my internal qi to delay my advancement, which should be enough to protect Xuan Shan City for several months after. This battle, I leave to you, Marquis. Gather the Lords from all cities; you should be able to muster forty-five Garrisons. Take my elite personal guard as well—I wonder if that will suffice? I don't care about the spirit stone mines in the Ruo Hai Mountain Range, but by no means can you allow Shou'er's group to be stopped from passing through the Ruo Hai Strait. Nor can you let them successfully build fortifications and block the passage."

Xuan Shan City's military structure was: five men formed a Squad, ten men a Shi, fifty men a Company, one hundred men a Brigade, commanded by a Brigade Commander. Three hundred men formed a Battalion, headed by a Colonel. One thousand men formed a Regiment, led by a Regiment General. Three thousand men formed a Division, commanded by a Division Captain. Ten thousand men formed a Garrison, overseen by a Commander. The cities east of the Lin Yun Continent generally followed this structure.

Only elites like the Black Fox Iron Cavalry and the Black Armored Wind Dragon Cavalry were somewhat different. For the same military rank, if stationed externally, they would be two to three levels higher than other soldiers and generals of the same tier.

And forty-five Garrisons meant a full army of four hundred and fifty thousand men!

Marquis Zhu Jun's brow twitched upon hearing this. He had absolutely no confidence in fighting the armies of the two cities of Qian Tian and Lie Yan with just four hundred and fifty thousand men.

However, his greater concern was the safety of Xuan Shan City itself. Although it boasted a supposed million troops, the majority were stationed externally, suppressing the surrounding territories. Deploying forty-five Garrisons would drain nearly every soldier stationed within Xuan Shan City.

Lin Shi Na, seated next to him, bit her lip hard, her expression somewhat resentful. Things had just calmed down for ten days, and now this happened again. That Zong Shou had some talent—excellent swordsmanship and unity of spirit and martial arts—but did he think those four hundred thousand soldiers were made of straw? How dare he dare to charge into the Ruo Hai Strait? Wasn't that the equivalent of throwing himself into a wolf's jaws?

With only a little over four thousand men by his side, what could he possibly accomplish?

She wanted to curse Fan Ju aloud, but when she caught sight of Xuan Yuan Yi Ren's slightly pale face, she sighed again and suppressed it.

She supposed that since Zong Shou was protected by an ancient hidden sect, he should be safe. But the people around him, she feared, were likely doomed.

The attending military officers seated below the two leaders remained silent, uttering no words. Although their expressions were all slightly strained, and the mortals among them looked particularly grieved, not a single one showed any sign of timidity. Anyone admitted to this hall was a pillar of Xuan Shan City; with just one command from Xuan Yuan Tong, they would not hesitate to go to their deaths.

"I know the numbers are few. But I truly cannot spare more men. My years of seclusion, ignoring outside affairs, actually allowed Lin Lan City to rise again; this is my fault. This battle is not just for my son-in-law, your Young City Lord. It also concerns the future of my Xuan Shan City—" Xuan Yuan Tong paused, seeming to realize how weak his justification sounded.

He sighed softly. "We owe an immense debt to Brother Wei Ran; we cannot fail to repay it!"

As he spoke, Xuan Yuan Tong suddenly raised his eyelids. A flash of red shot into the hall.

Without any visible movement, a surge of true qi materialized. With a remote grip, he snatched the bird out of the air, retrieving the message cylinder containing a tightly written slip of paper. Xuan Yuan Tong stared at it, and his expression became a cascade of emotions: sudden ecstasy, then contemplation, then daze, then disbelief, shifting constantly.

Lin Shi Na found this very strange. In her husband's entire life, apart from that incident in the Tie Gang Hall, he had never shown such a loss of composure.

Whatever information was on that slip of paper had clearly brought Xuan Yuan Tong immense joy.

She considered snatching the paper away, but hesitated, aware of the watchful eyes around her. Lin Shi Na could only cough lightly and ask, "Husband, what could possibly make you so happy?"

She then signaled to Xuan Yuan Yi Ren with a look. Yi Ren understood and lightly kicked under the Grand Tutor's chair.

Xuan Yuan Tong finally startled back to reality, glaring angrily at his daughter behind him. Then, with a careless sweep of his hand, he flung the paper towards Marquis Zhu Jun.

"It seems we don't need to go to the Ruo Hai Strait after all. This is a message from Tan Tao: Shou'er's subordinate, Zong Yuan of the Purple Thunder Spear Sect, led our three thousand Xuan Shan Iron Cavalry to shatter two thousand Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, then crushed fifty thousand Cloud Scar Mountain Cavalry, and in the span of the next fifteen minutes, consecutively broke through seven formations. They routed the forty thousand of Yun Xia Lie Yan!"

Hearing that they no longer needed to travel to the Ruo Hai Strait, the assembled generals all showed clear relief.

But when Xuan Yuan Tong spoke the rest of the message, they were all stunned where they stood, almost unable to believe their ears. Marquis Zhu Jun also shuddered, hurriedly looking down at the paper in his hand.

Then the entire hall erupted in a thunderous clamor.

"With three thousand Iron Cavalry, they crushed an army of forty thousand? How is this possible?"

"We've had dealings with the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry of Cloud Scar Mountain before. I'm not exaggerating when I say our Xuan Shan Black Armored Wind Dragon Cavalry are actually half a step inferior. In a thousand-man clash, our Xuan Shan City would surely lose! How could two thousand Tiger and Leopard Cavalry be routed by just three thousand men?"

"Given Tan Tao's nature, he wouldn't joke about something like this. Could it be a forgery? This fact is simply too preposterous. I heard that this time, blocking the Ruo Hai Strait involved no fewer than six experts from the Xuan Wu Sect. Add Feng Yu Xiong Kui, that makes eight, plus two Huan Yang Spirit Masters—how could they possibly have been defeated?"

The entire hall was buzzing with discussion. Under Lin Shi Na's second seat, a man suddenly stood up abruptly, bowing towards the dais. "City Lord, I heard that when Zong Yuan came to our Xuan Shan City, he had just broken through to the third meridian of the Earth Wheel, reaching the threshold of the Martial Sovereign realm, is that correct?"

Xuan Yuan Tong glanced at the man; it was one of his major generals, named Long Bao. He smiled and nodded, "Indeed! However, just a few days ago, Zong Yuan advanced to the fourth meridian of the Earth Wheel, and on the battlefield, he comprehended the Fierce Thunder Spear Intent. When charging the formations, he successively slew four men—Yang Xuan, Mu Ling, Xie Nu, and Mu Jiang—and finally decapitated the Young Lord of Cloud Scar Mountain, Feng Yu Xiao. Tan Tao said he is an unrivaled formation breaker, an unparalleled military talent!"

The hall fell into another dead silence. Several people could not control their mental fortitude; the seats beneath them cracked, sending splinters flying.

Everyone exchanged glances, stunned into silence.

To speak of unparalleled renowned generals, the Eastern Lin Yun Continent had produced several. But each one invariably rose with the ascent of a dynasty, and even the worst among them managed to unify the majority of the Eastern Lin Yun Continent. They were all invincible on the battlefield, dazzling for a time.

Lin Shi Na's eyes widened in disbelief. She recalled the pale, somewhat handsome young man standing behind Zong Shou that day, whom she hadn't paid much attention to. She never imagined that this seemingly listless fellow possessed such terrifying ability?

Forgetting all decorum, she quickly stepped forward, snatching the paper from Marquis Zhu Jun's hand. Her expression then shifted uncontrollably.

"Fierce Thunder Spear Intent, Unrivaled Formation Breaker, Unparalleled Military Talent—"

Long Bao muttered repeatedly, then slightly bowed, "If this is true, it is a great fortune! However, I also heard that Zong Yuan has always served only Zong Yang and Zong Hao?"

"That is true. But immediately after the battle, Zong Yuan swore a blood oath to become my son-in-law's servant. And I believe there was a celestial omen at the time—"

Seeing that most people in the hall remained skeptical, Xuan Yuan Tong smiled slightly and stood up. "Whether this news is true or false, I cannot judge definitively. But if Tan Tao’s report is accurate, this news should sweep across the Continent within the next two or three days, known by everyone! Then the truth will be clear!"

As he spoke, Xuan Yuan Tong, with his hands behind his back, walked toward the outside of the hall. Stepping out the main door, he stood on the stone platform, gazing into the distant sky.

"Three thousand Iron Cavalry, crushing a thousand armies? Shou'er, you truly gave me a surprise—"

The contents of the written message were slightly different from what he had just stated. The fifty thousand cavalry of Cloud Scar Mountain were broken by Zong Shou himself, who remotely controlled Zong Yuan with a demonic artifact.

In other words, while Zong Yuan was indeed an unparalleled talent, Zong Shou was even more unfathomable.

Xuan Yuan Tong was unwilling to reveal this to his subordinates. If the tree towers too high, the wind will surely destroy it; without sufficient strength, the best policy is to continue concealing it.

He then stood still, gazing northward. Thanks to his son-in-law, Cloud Scar Mountain was severely wounded. Now, he truly could free up his hands to decisively resolve the trouble waiting there.

If the eastern front was not stable, he wouldn't have the confidence to help Zong Shou intervene in the Yin Dragon Valley.

But this unparalleled military talent had been recruited by his son-in-law. Could it be that his son-in-law was destined to be the future Lord of the Eastern Lin Continent?

XXXX

Barely half a day later, in a city bordering the cloud-laden banks on the western side of the Eastern Lin Yun Continent—a city not as grand as Xuan Shan City, but the only major city in this region spanning two thousand li—

Within the largest complex of buildings in the city center, a study facing south, decorated with extreme elegance, suddenly emitted a loud crash, causing the guards outside to exchange bewildered glances. They had no idea what had caused such an astonishing sound inside.

At this moment, inside the study, Xu Zheng Yuan was staring blankly at the letter in his hand. Before him, the writing desk, crafted entirely from somber dark wood, had been reduced to fine dust and sand under the force of his palm.

After a long while, Xu Zheng Yuan's expression seemed to finally settle slightly. However, his eyes remained filled with disbelief and astonishment. Pacing to the window, he gazed out at the small lake and muttered to himself distractedly.

"In the Ruo Hai Strait, three thousand Iron Cavalry crush a coalition army of forty thousand! Such an unparalleled military talent truly exists in this world—" (To be continued)