With the descent of the Mountain-Stabilizing Stele and the convergence of multiple Liao Clan armies, the Palace of Grand Beginning had its own countermeasures ready.
Five thousand Dao soldiers and one thousand Dao Foundation cultivators belonging to the Sky Azure Hall had already been transferred from other locations to reinforce the Seventh Town.
This was merely one column. Multiple units were successively redeployed from various directions thereafter. In the end, Wei Yuan had fifty thousand Dao soldiers under his command, including two thousand at the Dao Foundation realm. Combined with the one thousand Dao Foundation cultivators brought over from Qingming, he now had three thousand Dao Foundation experts at his disposal.
Most of these Dao Foundation cultivators had established their foundations in Qingming and held Wei Yuan in immense reverence. Meanwhile, the Sixth and Eighth Towns on his left and right flanks were also reinforced, their troop counts bolstered to thirty thousand each. In addition, the Master of Haotian View specifically sent Wei Yuan an authority token, which allowed him limited command over the power of the Northern Mountain Gate.
The power of the mountain gate was similar to the domain power of Qingming, though not quite as formidable. After all, the Northern Mountain Gate spanned a vast territory that required defense at every turn against surprise raids by the Liao army.
When the Mountain-Stabilizing Stele fell, even though Wei Yuan believed it was aimed at Feng Chutang, his Seventh Town bore the brunt of the threat. Consequently, he adjusted his strategy.
Two flying boats docked in Qingming had originally been laden with troops, tents, rations, and other supplies. Upon receiving Wei Yuan's orders, all the troops disembarked so the vessels could urgently reload with ammunition, breastplates, and fire guns before taking off at the earliest opportunity to rush toward the Northern Mountain Gate.
At the same time, Bao Yun, who remained behind in Qingming, summoned the major merchant associations and requisitioned two more large flying vessels, each packed with enough weaponry and equipment to outfit ten thousand men, and sent them winging toward the Northern Mountain Gate.
Wei Yuan stood amidst the howling wind and churning dust, design plans in hand, directing hordes of Dao soldiers to race against the clock and modify the garrison fortress. Two encampments left behind by the Liao Clan were abandoned because they jutted out too far, and Wei Yuan pulled all his forces back.
Having abandoned the Liao redoubts, Wei Yuan began building several small satellite forts less than five li from the garrison fortress. Each satellite fort featured walls two zhang high, with multiple trenches dug to connect them directly to the base of the garrison fortress.
The fortress walls themselves were urgently widened rather than heightened, and infantry guns were mounted along the parapets. The side gates were widened and reinforced so that combat chariots could pass in and out freely.
Under the concerted labor of thousands of Dao Foundation cultivators and more than fifty thousand Dao soldiers, the fortifications progressed with astonishing speed. The construction was fully completed before the Liao army had finished massing and begun their southward sweep.
Ten days after the Mountain-Stabilizing Stele was erected, the first vanguard of five hundred thousand Liao cavalrymen finished gathering and rolled south in a tidal wave.
Wei Yuan stood on the ramparts of the garrison fortress, gazing at the three satellite forts arrayed in a line before him, flanked by two more on either side. If the Liao army wanted to attack the fortress, they would have to skirt around the satellite forts first, enduring a relentless barrage of fire from them, or else raze the satellite forts directly, which would expose them to the fortress's covering artillery fire.
It was near noon when a rolling wall of sand and dust resembling a mountain range crept steadily toward them along the distant horizon.
Wei Yuan narrowed his eyes, pulling his vision closer, and spotted countless cavalrymen within the dust storm, their military qi fully blended with the roaring wind and sand.
Upon reaching fifty li away, the Liao cavalry began selecting ground to pitch camp. Simultaneously, they detached tens of thousands of armored horsemen, splitting into more than a dozen units of several thousand men each to probe the defensive line. These scouts did not approach the fortifications directly; instead, they skirted the forts, and some dashed straight across the open ground toward the hinterlands of the mountain gate.
This was the classic tactic of Northern Liao. Liao cavalry moved like the wind, far outmatching mortal human cavalry in speed. Thus, Northern Liao often sent multiple cavalry detachments tearing behind human lines to harass, burn, pillage, and slaughter, withdrawing leisurely to the north by the time the human main host arrived.
However, penetrating the Palace of Grand Beginning's Northern Mountain Gate was no easy task. After these Liao detachments pushed more than ten li deep, several massive Daoist arts abruptly descended from the sky. In an instant, sticky spiderwebs clung to their bodies, and every man and horse was burdened with an extra thousand jin of weight, bringing their rapid pace to a sudden crawl.
Yet the Liao cavalry came prepared. Yellow light surged from every rider, dispersing the Daoist arts by combining their magical power with military qi. But the moment they broke free, fresh restraining arts fell from above. At the same time, multiple units of Dao soldiers charged out from all directions, augmented by the Divine Travel Technique as they swiftly closed in on the cavalry.
Wei Yuan also dispatched three thousand Dao soldiers on horseback from the town. Simultaneously, he deployed his only three combat chariots, accompanied by one thousand horsemen, to drive straight into the Liao cavalry's rear and sever their retreat.
The main Liao detachment showed no fear whatsoever. Thousands of horsemen yelled battle cries as they charged directly at Wei Yuan's improvised battle line. Wei Yuan stood atop one of the chariots, watching the Liao cavalry charge, and gave the command: "Dismount, form ranks, aim!"
All the horsemen dismounted at once. A small number led the steeds behind the chariots for safekeeping, while the rest planted massive shields taken from their horses into the earth and folded out two support stands behind them. Rows of heavy shields—three feet wide and four feet high—locked together to form a shield wall. The warriors sheltered behind the formation, aiming their flying-sword guns at the rapidly closing Liao cavalry.
"Fire!" Wei Yuan ordered once more.
The three chariots immediately fired their guns. Amidst the deafening roar, more than a dozen Liao riders were blasted into the sky! One explosion erupted directly beneath a mount, sending horse and rider soaring high into the air before crashing heavily back to earth. Equipment scattered everywhere; the rider lay motionless, while the warhorse thrashed in agony.
Artillery shells rained down rapidly, throwing the Liao cavalry into slight disarray, yet the main host remained fiercely indifferent to death, surging forward en masse. At about two hundred zhang, volleys of flying swords arrived in flashes, striking down all the foremost Liao cavalrymen from their mounts.
Yet the Liao horsemen charged wave after wave, braving death. At the cost of horrific casualties, they finally collided with Wei Yuan's intercepting battle line. Several riders crashed into the ranks first, battering through three or four heavy shields in succession before grinding to a halt.
The moment their horses stopped, several flying swords slammed into them from all sides, cutting the riders down.
Several other cavalrymen reached the flanks of the chariots and slashed with their blades, but neither blade qi nor steel edges could inflict the slightest damage on the chariots' armored plating.
Eight Dharma swords flew out from within the chariots, chopping these cavalrymen into pieces before shrieking back and forth around the vehicles to slaughter any Liao rider who dared draw near.
From the distance, heavy arrows and armor-piercing Dharma arrows whizzed in continuously, yet they struck the chariots only to bounce off or lodge shallowly, wholly incapable of penetrating the hulls, which were thick as four layered heavy shields.
Some Liao soldiers soon spotted the chariots' weak points and began loosing arrows directly at the gun muzzles. The people of Northern Liao were natural archers on horseback, capable of striking a muzzle squarely even from dozens of zhang away.
However, beside two gunners and a vehicle commander, each chariot housed eight Dao Foundation cultivators serving as power operators. With the chariots stationary, their hands were free, and they used their divine senses to manipulate flying swords, intercepting the heavy arrows aimed at the muzzles.
Wei Yuan, who had held back until now, finally made his move, deflecting the heavy arrows that flew true and allowing the chariot guns to keep up continuous fire.
It was the first time the Liao Clan had encountered such a method of warfare. In the blink of an eye, their casualties mounted catastrophically, forcing them to pull back. Only after regrouping with several other units to assemble ten thousand cavalry did they launch another assault. By then, tens of thousands of horsemen had also poured out of the Northern Liao main camp to relieve them.
Unwilling to be pinched between two forces, Wei Yuan ordered the cavalry to break formation, mount up, and withdraw to the garrison fortress, recalling the three thousand Dao soldiers at the same time.
Having converged, the tens of thousands of Liao cavalry would not leave easily. Instead, they attempted an assault on Wei Yuan's fortifications. Sweeping forward like a whirlwind, they began loosing heavy arrows toward the parapets of the satellite forts and the fortress from a hundred zhang out.
To bolster defense, Wei Yuan had earlier ordered steel shields bolted behind every embrasure of the satellite forts. Even if a Liao captain's heavy arrow could pierce a three-foot-thick parapet wall, it could not penetrate the steel shield behind it.
Meanwhile, the defenders on the walls were armed with flying-sword guns boasting a range of three hundred zhang. Though slightly inferior to the heavy arrows in sheer reach, this was more than enough to bring the Liao cavalry into range. Moreover, flying swords traveled far faster than arrows, making them exceedingly difficult to evade once fired.
In the first exchange of fire, the Liao cavalry was caught off guard, and over a hundred riders were shot down instantly.
Wei Yuan stood atop the fortress walls and ordered the cannons to hold fire, observing the Liao movements carefully.
Suddenly, an enraged roar erupted from within the Liao cavalry: "Brat! Come trade a few blows with your Grandpa Muhawen!"
A Liao soldier dressed in the garb of an ordinary horseman leaped into the air, trailing afterimages as he flew with speed that outstripped even a heavy arrow!
Wei Yuan's pupils constricted slightly. On this Liao warrior, he sensed the lingering trace of immortal power from the Worthy Prince of the Left!
In an instant, a Daoist art dropped onto Muhawen, attempting to strip away the immortal power infusing him. Yet a flash of yellow immortal radiance gleamed across Muhawen's body, nullifying the art completely.
A savage grin touched Muhawen's lips as immortal radiance flared on the short blade in his hand. This strike was imbued with the immortal power of the Worthy Prince of the Left; once locked on, it was guaranteed to hit.
Yet Wei Yuan's figure vanished like a popping bubble. He had failed to lock onto Wei Yuan at all!
With the strike missing its mark, Muhawen's sheer momentum carried him across the sky above the fortress in an instant. Radiance flashed incessantly over his body as Wei Yuan cast one curse after another upon him, trying to dispel the supernal movement technique that was likewise fueled by immortal power.
Muhawen sneered inwardly. The immortal power infused into him was called Wind Edge, driving an infallible strike through peerless mobility. Against ordinary dharma idol cultivators, it was an absolute one-hit kill. The targeting lock also drew on the Worthy Prince of the Left's immortal power; under the suppression of pure realm status, ordinary dharma idols had no way to evade it.
Muhawen did not understand why that strike had failed. Perhaps it was just a fluke; if he tried again, he did not believe he would miss.
As for Wei Yuan's attempts to dispel his movement-enhancing technique, he found them utterly childish and laughable. If an immortal's arts could be dispelled so easily, the world would have descended into chaos long ago.
Wheeling around, he accelerated toward Wei Yuan once more, triggering his lock-on the moment he closed the distance!
Once again, the strike struck empty air.
Muhawen could scarcely believe it. How could he have missed twice in a row? He could not lock onto Wei Yuan at all. Did this kid possess some kind of immortal treasure as well?
Yellow immortal radiance continued to flicker over his body, dispelling Daoist arts one after another. Yet Wei Yuan was like a stubborn mule, frantically casting dispelling arts with dogged persistence. Dozens of arts descended within a single breath. The downpour of spells was so relentless that even Muhawen felt a twinge of dread.
Muhawen thought to himself: if the third strike failed as well, it would confirm that Wei Yuan possessed an immortal treasure. In that case, he would have to withdraw and find another approach; this merit was not his to seize.
His figure flickered between existence and illusion, crossing a thousand zhang in a heartbeat as he brushed past Wei Yuan. Once again, it missed!
Before he could escape, a Daoist art dropped squarely atop his head, the faint image of a three-eyed bird head shifting within it. The yellow immortal radiance on his body flared brightly—and then dissolved.
The Worthy Prince of the Left's immortal art had actually been dispelled?!
He froze for barely the span of a finger-snap, but Wei Yuan dropped dozens more Daoist arts upon him. There were binds, slows, weight increases, and numbness, alongside several arts imbued with the true intents of pungency, grease, foul stench, and stickiness. In an instant, Muhawen felt as though he had plunged into a swamp of rotting mud, his movements slowing to a crawl.
Darkness fell before his eyes, cutting off all sight and perception. The only thing he felt was an entire row of ribs mysteriously snapping.
Muhawen seemed to hear a scream. Senses rushing back in an instant, he discovered his chest completely caved in, as though trampled by some colossal beast.
Not far away in the air, a remarkably adorable girl squatted, dry-heaving non-stop.
Then, a flawless woman appeared before Muhawen, her presence towering like a mountain as she reached straight for his shoulder!
Only now did the delayed, agonizing pain catch up with his body. Enduring the agony, Muhawen lashed out with a backhand slash toward her arm.
Yet that strike, bolstered by immortal power, barely sliced through her flesh before catching against the bone.
Completely unbothered, the woman grabbed his shoulder and gave a casual shake. A dense barrage of cracking sounds echoed through Muhawen's body. He instantly counted ninety-seven fractures and breaks among his bones. His sea of consciousness was nearly shattered, leaving his origin soul reeling in a daze.
Yet the woman's face suddenly flashed with panic. She retreated instantly, pulled out a handkerchief, and began frantically wiping her hands.
Wei Yuan appeared behind him at the right moment. Extending a large hand, he used the Nine Nether Soul-Seizing Technique to yank Muhawen's dharma idol straight out of his body. At the same time, he pulled Sun Yu through the air to his side and barked, "Swallow it!"
Sun Yu's Cauldron-Bearing Giant Scorpion dharma idol manifested, gulping Muhawen's dharma idol down in a single bite.
Only then did Wei Yuan let out a breath of relief. Loosening his grip, he tossed Muhawen's corpse into the town below and smiled. "That was close! This man had immortal power backing him and couldn't be taken alive. A moment later and he would have self-detonated his dharma idol. We wouldn't have gained a thing then."
Only after saying all this in one breath did Wei Yuan notice the odd atmosphere around him. Sun Yu stood where he was, utterly expressionless, and simply asked, "Why didn't you swallow it yourself?"
The question caught Wei Yuan flat-footed. He didn't have the ability to devour dharma idols. Or rather, if he did, it was limited to devouring human dharma idols to feed the three-eyed bird head. The bird head had little interest in the dharma idols of foreign races.
At this time, Feng Chutang's Submerged Flood Dragon had not yet finished digesting its previous prey, so its devouring efficiency would be poor, and Wei Yuan worried it wouldn't digest it cleanly. In his haste, he had called upon Sun Yu instead.
Wei Yuan shifted his gaze, only to notice that behind Sun Yu, the Cauldron-Bearing Giant Scorpion was violently throwing up.
Chapter 700