The silver-haired, handsome youth Zhao Danchen frowned: "That lake must be covered by the mountain range! Since the Yu Emperor's treasure is at the bottom of the lake, it must be deep beneath the Dayan Mountains."
"Martial Uncle, the Yu Emperor's treasure is indeed beneath the great mountains; that much is certain. However, the Dayan Mountains span over a hundred li from north to south! For a mountain range this vast, even the Yu Emperor in his prime couldn't possibly turn the entire mountain over." Elder Hu shook his head, and the thirteen innate experts present instantly fell silent.
Ever since they suspected that the Guiyuan Sect harbored a Void Realm expert, they had felt immense pressure!
A sect possessing a Void Realm expert, situated in the same Yang Province as their Qinghu Island—this was a massive threat! After all, across the entire Nine Provinces, although there were countless martial artists, and innate experts formed the backbone of the major sects, Void Realm experts were exceedingly rare.
If a sect could secure even one, that sect could not be destroyed! It was estimated that there were perhaps only ten Void Realm experts across the whole of the Nine Provinces!
Who would have thought the Guiyuan Sect would suddenly produce one!
This only fueled Gu Yong and the others' desperate desire to acquire the Yu Emperor's treasure!
"Island Master," said the purple-robed woman, "the people most familiar with the Dayan Mountains are the mountain folk living nearby. Especially those who hunt for a living; they frequently venture into the mountains and know the Dayan Mountains better than anyone. If we go through them... we might find the Yu Emperor's treasure quickly!"
Gu Yong's eyes lit up, and he praised, "That is indeed an excellent idea!"
"Yes, using the mountain folk to search for the Yu Emperor's treasure is a fine approach," Zhao Danchen nodded as well.
"Junior Brother Lan! Immediately issue an order, command men to lead the Silver Flood Dragon Army. Capture more mountain folk! Remember, only those who frequently enter the mountains!" Gu Yong commanded.
"Yes, Island Master."
...
The orders were quickly relayed. Squads of one hundred Silver Flood Dragon Army soldiers headed either south or north, generally following the foothills of the Dayan Mountains, searching for villages nestled deep within the mountains.
"Hiyah!" "Hiyah!" "Hiyah!"
The sounds of rapid, violent horse hooves filled the air. Hundreds of soldiers in heavy armor galloped on warhorses. The heavy armor of these soldiers was uniformly black, accented with silver markings. The sight of hundreds of heavy cavalry thundering forward was enough to inspire terror in any outsider on the official road.
"There's a manor ahead, proceed," the leader barked.
"Yes, Young Island Master."
The hundred riders charged forward swiftly. The heavy drumming of their hooves had already put the manor's villagers on high alert. Many of the strong men in the village held long spears with red tassels, and the main gate was tightly shut.
"Hmph!" Leading the charge was the Young Island Master, 'Gu Shiyou.' His eyes turned cold, and the black spear in his hand instantly blurred into a black afterimage—
Thrust!
The spear tip pierced the door latch of the manor gate instantly, and his mount then rammed the gate open.
"Everyone stand clear!" The clansmen inside the manor dodged frantically.
"Neigh~~" The hundred Silver Flood Dragon heavy cavalry charged into the manor's open training ground before slowly bringing their horses to a halt.
Gu Shiyou swept his gaze over the terrified villagers below and coldly commanded, "Send your chief over here!"
"Esteemed Sir!" Soon, a stout man dressed in a beast-hide robe, whose hair looked like tangled straw, holding an iron spear, stepped out from the crowd respectfully. "May I ask what command you have for our Tie Family Manor, Sir?"
"Listen closely," Gu Shiyou’s gaze was icy, his voice chilling. "Send out the three best hunters from your village to accompany us! Remember, the best three hunters! If we discover you lied later, hmph... my Qinghu Island can wipe out your small manor in the time it takes to brew a cup of tea!"
Many clansmen in the training ground turned pale with fear, and the small children dared not utter a sound.
Qinghu Island? The chief of Tie Family Manor gasped internally.
Seeing the visitors' warhorses and heavy armor, the chief realized these individuals were far beyond the capability of the White Horse Gang. He had seen the White Horse Gang's 'White Horse Battalion' before; neither the warhorses, the heavy armor, nor the sheer imposing aura could compare to those before him. Wiping out their manor in the time it took to brew tea... yes, that was entirely plausible.
"Esteemed Lords of Qinghu Island, it is an honor that you think highly of the men of Tie Family Manor. Third Brother! Huzhi, Tietou. The three of you, come with the Lords of Qinghu Island!" the chief immediately stated.
Three sturdy men stepped forward at once.
Gu Shiyou glanced them over.
"The three of you will ride double with my soldiers. Quickly, mount up," Gu Shiyou commanded.
Although the three hunters were restrained, they quickly mounted up with three Silver Flood Dragon soldiers.
"Let's go!" Gu Shiyou wheeled his horse around and gave a loud shout.
Immediately, the hundred riders roared away, quickly vanishing at the end of the official road, leaving the assembled villagers to worry for their three clansmen... but there was nothing they could do; living in such chaotic times, simply ensuring the clansmen survived was accomplishment enough.
...
Gu Shiyou's group rode along the foothills of the Dayan Mountains towards the northwest, having already captured twenty-seven men along the way, taking three from every manor they encountered.
On the official road, the twenty-seven men riding the warhorses were all filled with anxiety.
These were all men with mettle.
But upon hearing the name 'Qinghu Island,' who wouldn't be afraid?
In their eyes, the Guiyuan Sect was the heaven of Jiangning Commandery—the supreme existence! And Qinghu Island was a major sect far more powerful than the Guiyuan Sect. Never mind killing them; to Qinghu Island, killing the formidable 'White Horse Gang' seemed as easy as crushing an ant.
In the presence of the Qinghu Island contingent, these brave men could only obey.
"Halt!" Gu Shiyou roared.
Instantly, the hundred riders stopped abruptly. Gu Shiyou turned to look at the constrained men: "I ask you! Along the foothills of the Dayan Mountains, whose hunters are the most skilled?"
The men exchanged glances.
"Speak," Gu Shiyou’s face hardened.
"Within a radius of several dozen li, the most skilled hunters are naturally those from the Teng Family Manor!" Finally, a thin man spoke up. "Many of our hunting teams dare not venture too deep into the Dayan Mountains. But the hunting teams from the Teng Family Manor dare to go anywhere in the Dayan Mountains."
A bald man wearing a beast-hide robe next to him added, "The men of the Teng Family Manor are the fiercest men within several dozen li of us! Back then, several thousand horse bandits charged in, but they were routed and fled by the Teng Family Manor."
"Even the White Horse Gang doesn't dare demand annual tribute from the Teng Family Manor," they added.
One by one, the men began to speak, clearly imbued with admiration and envy for the Teng Family Manor.
"They have a truly remarkable hero in their Teng Family Manor, named Teng Qingshan! He is now the commander of the Black Armored Army in the Guiyuan Sect—a truly extraordinary figure... Back then, at only ten years old, that Teng Qingshan could slaughter wolf packs in the Dayan Mountains as easily as mowing grass."
When the Teng Family Manor was mentioned, Teng Qingshan inevitably had to be brought up.
"Hmm?" Gu Shiyou frowned, then a slight smile played on his lips as he thought to himself, "Teng Family Manor... Teng Qingshan! This Teng Qingshan truly originated from a mountain manor in Yicheng. What a coincidence... that I should run into him." Gu Shiyou knew quite a bit about Teng Qingshan.
"You point the way. We head to the Teng Family Manor now," Gu Shiyou commanded.
"Sir, that is the hometown of the Black Armored Army Commander," the men looked at Gu Shiyou anxiously.
"I told you to point the way," Gu Shiyou snapped.
"Yes, Sir."
The men dared not resist.
As hooves flew, Gu Shiyou glanced between the scenery of the vast mountains and the cultivated fields.
"Teng Qingshan grew up in this place since childhood?" Gu Shiyou mused. "A brat who crawled out of some poor, barren wasteland!" If Gu Shiyou had held a measure of confidence when facing Teng Qingshan previously, knowing now that Teng Qingshan had reached the Innate realm filled Gu Shiyou only with jealousy!
Growing up in a poor mountain village, only joining the Guiyuan Sect at sixteen, and achieving the Innate realm by seventeen!
Gu Shiyou could not fathom it.
What Gu Shiyou did not know was that while Gu Shiyou might yearn for fame across the world, Teng Qingshan was different.
Teng Qingshan's primary goal was to ensure his kinsmen back in his hometown, the Teng Family Manor, could live good lives. To guarantee those good lives continued, he needed to become stronger! Because behind him stood over two thousand clansmen! His second objective was the pursuit of the pinnacle!
...
The Teng Family Manor, the largest manor within a radius of several dozen li.
"Hah!"
"Kyah!"
A group of sturdy men, despite the winter, wore only single layers of clothing, some even bare-chested, constantly practicing the 'Tiger Fist' techniques passed down by Teng Qingshan! They found that while practicing with spears for long periods caused fatigue, once they found the rhythm practicing the Tiger Fist actually made them feel more energetic the longer they trained!
The Teng Family Manor now boasted several strong men with the strength of a thousand jin!
The Teng Family Manor's Armory.
The armory had been expanded and could now accommodate ten blacksmiths forging weapons simultaneously.
"Steady! Agen, the first thing for your hammer swing is stability. Don't focus on speed; every strike must be solid and deliberate," Teng Yongfan walked between the furnaces, hands clasped behind his back, wearing only a single garment, frequently admonishing them. The entire armory was a scene of intense activity.
There were over twenty people in the armory.
"Stop!" Teng Yongfan suddenly shouted loudly.
The bellows-pullers, the blacksmiths, and the apprentices hauling materials all fell silent at once. As soon as the quiet descended, they sensed a slight tremor in the ground.
"Horse hooves! The hooves are heavy enough that I can feel the ground shaking even in here. Those warhorses must be heavily laden and moving fast," Teng Yongfan frowned.
"You all stay here, I'll go take a look," Teng Yongfan reached out, grabbed a spear made of fine steel, and strode toward the outside.
"Yes, Master."
Teng Yongfan had barely walked out of the armory when a young clansman rushed towards him from a distance, shouting anxiously: "Clan Head! Outside, a group of horsemen has arrived. Judging by their warhorses and heavy armor, they are not inferior to Brother Qingshan's 'Black Armored Army.' However, they don't seem to be the Black Armored Army." Now that the Teng Family Manor was stable, the old Clan Head, Teng Yunlong, was enjoying his retirement; Teng Yongfan had inherited the title of Clan Head.
His son was the commander of the Black Armored Army, he himself was the foremost blacksmith, and after mastering the Tiger Fist, his own strength was formidable.
Teng Yongfan, serving as Clan Head, commanded universal respect.
"They don't seem like the Black Armored Army? Hurry!" Teng Yongfan felt a sense of foreboding and rushed towards the training ground.