I saw the true reliance of this Zong Shi Zong Yang—it turns out to be the fifteenth member of the Nineteen Spirit Lands, the Xuan Su Sect!”

Watching the figure in the long white robes, Hu Qianqiu shook his head and let out a faint laugh. But in the very next instant, his gaze narrowed slightly, revealing a hint of wariness.

“The one leading them… is that Li Hu Jichang?”

Qiu Wei’s eyes were equally solemn, carrying a sharp, cold edge.

Li Hu Jichang, though not renowned for military strategy, was counted among the few dozen strongest martial artists in Donglin Yun Continent below the Celestial rank.

Despite being in the Eighth Meridian of the Earth Wheel, he could defeat nearly ninety-five percent of the peak experts of the Ninth Meridian’s Xuanwu level. His prestige was second only to True Person Lan Ye, and he was also considered the most likely candidate to break through to the Celestial rank within the next decade.

Years ago, when Jichang challenged the famous experts of Donglin Yun Continent one by one, Qiu Wei had fought him. The result was a stalemate, a draw. Back then, Qiu Wei held a slight advantage in strength but could never secure a decisive victory.

In the years following, Li Hu Jichang entered a monastic seclusion within his sect; who knows how far his power has grown now.

His gaze then flickered again, sweeping towards the west. Another cavalry unit had entered the city.

There were about thirty riders, and every piece of black armor they wore signified they were above the Martial Sovereign realm.

The leader was dressed in Daoist robes, stood seven feet tall, with a broad and mighty physique. Yet, seated on his horse, his posture was so light it seemed as if he might drift away, possessing a distinctly ethereal, immortal bearing.

“This is Lan Ye’s junior brother, Wu Ye. Heh! Keeping his head hidden, it confirms His Majesty’s initial suspicion. These two hail from the Dao Ming Sect, one of the two great divisions of the Nineteen Spirit Prefecture. I almost believed they were solitary cultivators with no backing. The Dao Ming Sect sending such elite disciples—I wonder what their true intention is. I fear their scheme is not small.”

Hu Qianqiu maintained a mocking tone, yet his hands clenched tightly.

Coincidentally, True Person Wu Ye, at that very moment, looked up with a knowing glint in his eyes. Across a chasm of dozens of miles, their gazes locked—the instant their lines of sight met felt like a violent crack of lightning. Both figures trembled slightly, then, almost simultaneously, they both averted their gaze.

“Seeing Wu Ye after all these years, his cultivation has improved significantly. I can handle this fellow; cutting him down with the might of the main army won't be difficult. As for Li Hu Jichang, Qiu Tingzhu should be confident enough?”

Seeing that Qiu Wei remained silent, but the surge of vital energy around him continuously washed into the spiked club in his hand, his aura faintly merging with the topography of the entire mountain range, while a sharper light sparkled in his eyes.

Hu Qianqiu immediately burst into a loud laugh, dropping the inquiry, and fixed his sight steadily on the south.

“Now, the only uncertainty is who Grandmaster Yuan has managed to invite. Your and my guesses about the man behind Zong Shizong Yang are clear enough. But as for the true reliance of this Great General Right Tingzhu, I truly have no idea.”

The North and West city gates were controlled by Zong Shizong Yang’s loyalists. Only the Southwest gate was managed by Grandmaster Yuan’s former subordinates.

If Grandmaster Yuan had reinforcements, they would most likely enter the city through that passage.

Moments later, a group of riders indeed appeared, approaching the city gate on horseback.

There were only a dozen or so riders, yet their imposing aura rivaled that of True Person Wu Ye’s contingent. They wore white robes too, but flanking the sides of their heads, near the ears, were distinct sets of fox ears. Seen from a distance, the visages of this group were exquisitely handsome.

At this moment, Hu Qianqiu’s pupils constricted to pinpricks, revealing a look of genuine gravity for the first time.

“It’s people from the Snow Clan of the Eight-Tailed Celestial Foxes, whom His Majesty has vehemently tried to keep out. This Grandmaster Yuan truly deserves death!”

His words were laced with killing intent, and Hu Qianqiu’s eyes burned with extreme rage. Earlier, he had felt that Qiu Wei’s proposal to take Grandmaster Yuan’s life was excessive. But now, he wished he could immediately tear Grandmaster Yuan to shreds!

However, for the moment, he had to forcibly suppress the thought, striving to regain his composure.

The royal lineage of the Eight-Tailed Celestial Fox Clan, the Snow Clan, did not originally root itself in the Cloud Realm. Only in recent years have they begun cultivating influence in Donglin Yun Continent. Yet, the mere visible tip of their power was already sufficient to contend with the Ten Great Sacred Sects of the world.

And though these dozen people arriving were few in number, every one of them was an elite expert above the Martial Sovereign realm, proficient in both spiritual and martial cultivation, with combat prowess far exceeding their peers.

He recognized the one leading the charge, a man roughly twenty-five or twenty-six years old, riding at the front.

Xue Moyan of the Eight-Tailed Clan, at the Earth Wheel Eighth Meridian level. Yet, three years prior, he had managed to defeat the combined effort of Ling Faku and Chai Yuan before departing gracefully. His strength could be described as unfathomably deep.

Even he, Hu Qianqiu, held no absolute certainty of victory against him.

Frowning in thought for a moment, Hu Qianqiu finally offered a wry smile: “It’s him, after all. For the current strategy, we can only hope the Young Master and the others arrive quickly. With the Young Master here, no matter what tricks these people employ, settling things easily will be assured. Otherwise, we truly don't stand a chance.”

Hearing this, Qiu Wei was even more astonished. He knew that although Zong Lan was the commander of the personal guard, his martial prowess was comparable to Hu Qianqiu’s. Add to that Zong Yuan, who had shattered thousands of troops and slain four Xuanwu Grandmasters consecutively.

The combined force of the four, bolstered by the momentum of the army, should be enough to sweep away all these strong practitioners from the Snow Clan and the Xuan Su Sect of the Dao Ming Sect.

But within the city, there were also long-established experts like Chai Yuan, Ling Fakong, and Zong Ming, Zong Hao.

The strength of both sides seemed relatively equal. At most, after he and Hu Qianqiu combined forces, their side would have a slight edge.

But judging by Hu Zhongyuan’s tone, he sounded completely confident?

It was as if he placed immense expectation on the Young Master Zong Shou, who, by all accounts, could not cultivate martial arts.

Having no leisure to ponder the meaning behind Hu Qianqiu’s words, just as Xue Moyan and his group entered the city, a bell peal suddenly rang out from the summit of Qiantian Mountain.

Qiu Wei’s eyelids jumped instantly; he knew this was the signal bell summoning an assembly at the Chongzheng Hall.

He looked up again, gazing towards the main peak of Qiantian City, two thousand zhang away.

He saw about a dozen shadowy figures standing indistinctly along the edge of the high platform there.

The ones leading were Zong Ming, Zong Hao, along with Grandmaster Yuan and Ling Fakong.

Unexpectedly, Chai Yuan was not among them, which brought Qiu Wei a slight measure of relief. His cold gaze softened marginally, and Qiu Wei quickly swept past those individuals, fixing his vision on the figure in the center, Zong Shou, who stood implicitly as the head among the crowd.

He saw this youth looking down with a cold sneer, his eyes filled with mockery and disdain. His gaze was contemptuous, as if Hu Qianqiu’s life was already a possession in his palm.

Qiu Wei couldn't help grinding his teeth, feeling a surge of rage flood his chest, as if a thousand blades were hacking wildly through his sternum, finding no release.

This brat! Back then, His Majesty, considering familial ties, chose not to exterminate him along with the rest. And now? It only gave these remnants an opportunity to rise again.

His Majesty was wise his entire life, but this excessive sentimentality regarding family was truly deserving of criticism.

In the next instant, he heard Hu Qianqiu let out a slight snort, his voice dripping with derision: “Hmph! Just an ignorant piece of trash who doesn't know his place, what is he so smug about?”

Qiu Wei was startled again. While he loathed Zong Shou intensely, he couldn't deny that this most outstanding new talent from the Zong family in recent years was indeed a rare genius, inferior to no direct disciple of any major sect.

His methods were also extremely capable; in just a few days, he had integrated the three factions under his command. This wasn’t achieved merely by relying on the might of the Dao Ming Sect. Based on this skill in forging alliances, he was guaranteed a prominent place in the future of Donglin Yun Continent.

How could he be called mere 'waste' and 'trash' in Hu Qianqiu’s mouth?

xxxxxxxx

In the dark night, columns of knights clad in iron armor charged swiftly through the dense forest.

Under the moonlight, their talisman-inscribed armor emitted flashes of cold, brilliant silver light that was dazzling to behold.

Whether it was the thousand Black Fox Iron Cavalry or the Black Armored Wind Dragon Riders of Xuan Shan City, all possessed superb horsemanship. A full complement of eighteen hundred riders moved through the thick woodland as easily and swiftly as if they were in their own backyard gardens.

Furthermore, spiritual techniques veiled their passage; despite the thunderous pounding of hooves, not a single sound could be heard, nor did any dust rise.

They had already put two days between themselves and the slower contingent carrying the baggage and the rest of the Xuan Shan elite cavalry.

On that first day, under the command of Zong Lan, these eighteen hundred armored riders plunged directly into the forest. Each man took three horses, utilizing shortcuts to penetrate the interior.

Both Hu Zhongyuan and Zong Lan, Zong Yuan, were intimately familiar with the local terrain.

Traveling day and night, a journey that originally took four days was compressed into a mere two.

What surprised the members of the Black Fox Iron Cavalry and the Black Armored Wind Dragon Riders the most was that their Young Master, who appeared physically frail and had not cultivated martial arts, had actually managed to keep pace.

After two days and two nights of relentless speed, his complexion remained utterly composed, showing no change, and he never fell behind. No one knew where such prodigious stamina came from.

Just as the leading group finally burst through the dense woods.

Zong Lan suddenly raised a hand, signaling the thousand-plus riders behind him to rein in their horses. He then gazed far into the distance for a moment before riding up beside Zong Shou.

“Young Master, we have arrived. Zhenshan Pass is twenty li ahead! However, in my view, it would be better to rest here briefly before taking the detour!”

Zong Shou offered no comment, simply urging his Wind-Riding Colt forward. This left everyone around him perplexed, forcing them to follow closely.

This area was a flat expanse of open land, lacking any elevated vantage points from which to spy on Zhenshan Pass ahead.

Zong Shou continued forward until they had advanced another ten li or so. Only then did the vague outline of the massive fortress, shrouded in mist and clouds, become visible in the distance.

It stood forty-five zhang high, majestic and imposing. Ahead of it lay a gigantic chasm, bottomless and at its narrowest point two thousand zhang wide, serving as a natural moat that securely encircled Zhenshan Pass.

Connecting the two banks was a single, colossal suspension bridge made of iron chains, ten zhang long. Forty-nine massive chains, each as thick as a thigh, were firmly bolted into the stone walls on either side.