Having captured the two military redoubts, Wei Yuan dispatched several reconnaissance squads to scout the surrounding enemy dispositions.
Each of these reconnaissance squads was centered around an eight-wheel-drive chariot, supported by a dozen or so cavalrymen. Although the chariots were not fast and could not outrun the Liao Clan's iron cavalry, their mobile firepower and defense far surpassed anything cavalry could muster—they were veritable mobile harvesters of life.
No sooner had these reconnaissance squads been sent out than one of them was surrounded by hundreds of Liao cavalry.
Yet the Qingming troops remained entirely unfazed. Anchored by their chariot, they defended themselves while falling back. The chariot's gunfire and flying-sword guns were an outright nightmare for the Liao horsemen, whose heavy arrows could not penetrate the chariot's armor at all.
In the end, at the cost of over a hundred dead, the five hundred Liao cavalry still failed to overwhelm this dozen-man squad, letting it break through the encirclement and make a clean getaway.
The reconnaissance squads were merely Wei Yuan's means to draw Northern Liao's attention; the true reconnaissance was carried out by his various dharma idols.
Across the barren wasteland, a tiny flying squirrel scampered, fleeing the pursuit of a fox behind it. Stopping and dashing in bursts, they suddenly caught sight of a bizarre tree.
The tree stood no more than a zhang tall, its branches bearing only a sparse scattering of leaves, yet it hung heavy with watermelon-sized fruit. Each fruit was a deep green, varying in tint.
For some reason, the ground around the tree was exceptionally desolate, nearly devoid of a single blade of grass. Within several li, amid the yellow dust, only this lone tree retained any green.
Finding a burrow beneath a boulder, the flying squirrel dove right in. Immediately, it poked its head back out to survey its surroundings, mostly checking whether the fox had followed.
Instead, what greeted its eyes was an odd, rugged, yet strangely handsome face. The Liao youth bared his teeth in a grin at the palm-sized flying squirrel and chuckled, "Hello, dinner!"
A glint of cold light flashed as the Liao warrior thrust a heavy arrow clutched in his hand straight at the squirrel!
The strike drew upon the spiritual energy within a hundred zhang around them—this Liao warrior was strikingly an apex powerhouse among those at the Dharma Idol realm!
With a shriek, the flying squirrel whipped around to flee into the hole, but found its body held fast by the other's magic power, drawn helplessly toward the arrow's point.
In desperation, it grabbed the arrowhead with a claw!
A thrust potent enough to pierce through most defensive magical treasures was actually halted by its claw!
Immediately, the little flying squirrel unleashed a roar like a dragon's chant, rattling the Liao warrior's mind with faint dizziness. By the time his senses cleared, the squirrel had already revealed its true form, morphing into a flying sable. Summoning a ripple in the void before it, it leaped right inside.
With lightning speed, the Liao warrior drew his bow and loosed an arrow into the ripple. A faint wail echoed from within before the void ripple vanished entirely.
He soared into the air to search in all directions, but found no trace of the flying sable. He knew then that the little creature's travel through the void had exceeded the reach of his senses.
"A pity..." Shaking his head, he returned beneath the tree, sat back down, lowered his eyelids, and began dozing lightly.
In the military affairs hall, Wei Yuan was adjusting the models of the two captured Liao redoubts. To hoist artillery onto the ramparts required certain modifications to the fortifications. The Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World had already finalized an optimized plan; construction was underway beforehand, awaiting only the arrival of the cannons from the rear.
Right then, Wei Yuan felt a sudden stir in his heart. A ripple in the void opened before him, and the flying sable leaped out. But on its hindquarters was a gaping wound, unmistakably an arrow strike by its shape.
Seeing the flying sable grievously wounded, Wei Yuan was greatly alarmed. He hurriedly summoned Perfected Chuhe and Sun Yu to treat it. The two split the duties: Sun Yu took charge of healing the wound, while the old Daoist calmed its frayed spirits.
As it was being treated, the flying sable manifested everything that had just occurred into an illusory projection.
Though it was only a projected image, the instant Sun Yu and Chuhe saw the Liao warrior's eyes, their Dao power instinctively surged, and a chill struck Wei Yuan's heart as well.
The flying sable had already begun traversing the void, yet the warrior had still managed to fire a trailing arrow that severely wounded it. This Liao warrior's cultivation and archery were terrifying indeed, his strength far exceeding Sun Yu's. How he measured up against Feng Chutang or Feng Tingyu remained unknown, but in terms of cultivation realm, he surpassed both of them as well.
The bizarre tree found by the flying sable was roughly twelve hundred li from the garrison city where Wei Yuan was currently stationed, fairly deep behind enemy lines. For some reason, despite his usual fondness for spiritual flora, seeing this tree filled Wei Yuan with deep discomfort, even revulsion.
Wei Yuan pondered for a moment, then stroked the flying sable's head. "Don't be afraid. I'll avenge you."
Just then, He Fang arrived, having received Wei Yuan's summons. Wei Yuan pointed at the tree in the projection and asked, "Do you recognize this tree?"
He Fang's expression shifted drastically. "That's a Red Earth Tree! They've planted one all the way out here?"
He Fang then gave a detailed explanation. The Red Earth Tree looked like a tree, but was actually a creature caught between demon and spiritual flora. The trunk exposed aboveground appeared modest, but its roots underground could extend dozens of li away.
Given enough time, across a radius of dozens of li and more than ten li deep into the earth, the ground would be completely overrun with its root system.
Once planted, it took only two or three years to drain all spiritual energy and vital essence within a radius of nearly a hundred li, turning the region into a barren, lifeless wasteland that could not recover naturally for over a century.
The fruit it bore after absorbing vital essence was intensely toxic; a human needed only to catch a whiff of its scent to succumb and die. The Liao Clan was no exception.
One could say this tree was a malignant tumor between heaven and earth, utterly useless for anything other than destruction.
The Liao Clan had originally planted Red Earth Trees along the border of the Northern Mountain Gate to halt the sect's territorial expansion. In recent years, after seizing land belonging to the Northern Mountain Gate, they would also plant them there to completely ruin the region's vitality and undermine the Northern Mountain Gate's foundation.
According to He Fang, the Red Earth Tree seen by the flying sable had probably been planted only a little over a month ago, yet it had already rendered everything within several li completely barren of grass, and its roots had likely penetrated over a hundred zhang deep.
Wei Yuan, however, saw further into the matter. That Liao warrior sitting vigil beneath the Red Earth Tree had likely nothing to do with cultivation; he was waiting for someone. Specifically, for Wei Yuan.
Chronologically, of course, it was unlikely that this Liao warrior knew Wei Yuan had arrived. In keeping vigil here, he was probably waiting for other high-cultivation youths from the Palace of Grand Beginning's younger generation, aiming to hone himself through life-and-death combat and turn his opponents' flesh and blood into stepping stones for his advance.
Yet Wei Yuan automatically dismissed the possibility that the warrior was waiting for anyone else. Just moments ago, through the flying sable's memory and eyes, Wei Yuan felt that the Liao warrior had shot a glance straight at him!
Instantly, an inexplicable fury flared in Wei Yuan—he felt offended!
Since this fellow wanted to challenge high-level cultivators, Wei Yuan felt that none was more qualified than himself.
However, to guard against enemy deceit, Wei Yuan said to He Fang, "Notify the sect. Request the True Monarch on rotation to stand guard for me and use the sect's grand array to inspect that stretch of heaven and earth, guarding against any ambush by enemy Scenery Command experts. I'm going out to meet that fellow right now."
Far from Qingming as he was, Wei Yuan could not receive the blessing of Qingming's domain power, nor could he unleash the karmic attacks of the Peerless Dao Domain.
Even so, Wei Yuan's karmic luck was currently abundant. Within the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World, Longying, the Civil and Martial Guards, six dharma idols, and hundreds of Dao Foundation cultivators lay waiting with weapons drawn, ready for battle. Most importantly, Maiden Yin-Yang still possessed the power for one full-force strike.
When it came to single combat, therefore, Wei Yuan had never feared anyone.
On second thought, however, he decided he still had to exclude Eldest Senior Sister, and his teacher once she cultivated her dharma idol in the future would also have to be excluded. As for Bao Yun, her dharma idol could block domain power and seal off the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World, not to mention the Wondrous Dance of the Heavenly Demon she might have in store... And so, yet another person was added to the list.
Chapter 695