Xu Yuan looked at the man kneeling before him. Drawing upon the power of the Saint's remnant soul, he lifted him up.
"Colonel Wang, I am no noble-minded saint. I am merely doing what lies within my power."
Seeing the young man lift someone like him—a fourth-rank Body Integration expert—without so much as touching him, Colonel Wang's pupils contracted slightly. Yet a moment later, he gave a smile of quiet relief.
"Young Master Zhou is being too modest. You have neither ties of blood nor friendship with Shengshan County. If you had not made a special effort to come and warn us, I might still be completely in the dark even now. Most likely, even when the city fell, I never would have suspected that the Wanxiang Sect was pulling the strings from the shadows.
"That you are willing to make an attempt for our Shengshan County is already more than enough."
Information that seemed trivial and worthless to some was heavier than a thousand catties of gold to others.
Xu Yuan did not waste time with pleasantries, speaking plainly:
"What I just described is the ideal scenario. Colonel Wang, you had best prepare for the worst."
With that, Xu Yuan pointed toward the Illusory Mist Grand Array hanging over the dome of the sky.
"If I breach the array and cannot find the control node, or if we find it only to discover that the Wanxiang Sect has destroyed it, this formation will in all likelihood continue spiraling out of control."
Colonel Wang fell silent for two seconds. A smile touched the corners of his lips—a helpless smile.
"Young Master Zhou, one can only do what is humanly possible and leave the rest to fate."
Looking at the deep resignation in his eyes, Xu Yuan pondered briefly, then asked in a low voice,
"When the demonic beasts attacked, did you notify the surrounding commanderies and counties?"
Colonel Wang hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Naturally, we did. Are you thinking of seeking reinforcements, Young Master Zhou?"
Xu Yuan replied as if it were obvious:
"If we cannot regain control of the Illusory Mist Grand Array, then the only option left is to seek aid from the neighboring commanderies and counties. With your current military strength, it is impossible to hold out against a beast tide of this magnitude."
A moment of silence fell.
Colonel Wang's gaze turned complicated, but he still said,
"Young Master Zhou, asking for help is useless."
"Why?"
"Aside from a few vital strategic passes, every border city along the Wanxing Mountain Range can barely look after itself during the spring beast tide each year. It is most unlikely that any would spare troops to come to our rescue."
Xu Yuan rejected Colonel Wang's assessment.
"Colonel Wang, let me offer you another piece of intelligence.
"The total number of demonic beasts in each year's spring tide is virtually fixed. If more beasts descended upon Shengshan County this year, fewer will attack the neighboring towns."
Along the Wanxing Mountain Range's one-hundred-thousand-li frontier, over a hundred thousand border troops were killed or wounded every year, and several hundred thousand demonic beasts of various kinds were slaughtered.
After the fighting subsided, every border garrison town reported detailed statistics. Once the Chancellor's Manor collated all that intelligence, it was easy to deduce that, barring a few unusual years, the total size of the beast tide was practically constant from year to year.
"But what if the Wanxiang Sect colluded with the demon race in secret?" Colonel Wang no longer harbored any doubts about how low the Wanxiang Sect would sink.
Xu Yuan shook his head.
"That would be evidence that could destroy their entire sect. So long as they are not utter fools, the Wanxiang Sect would never hand such leverage over to the demon race. At most, they simply used something like beast-attracting incense along the route to redirect the course of the beast tide.
"Colonel Wang, I need a token of authority from you to seek reinforcements."
After a brief hesitation, Colonel Wang reached into his breast pocket and produced a medallion carved with a lion-heart tiger, presenting it to Xu Yuan with both hands.
Xu Yuan swept his gaze over it. Faint strands of spiritual qi clung to the medallion, and the characters for "Shengshan" were carved into its face; one could tell at a glance that it was no ordinary object. Even so, he did not reach out to take it.
"What is the meaning of this, Colonel Wang?"
A tiger tally for mobilizing troops—could such a thing truly be handed over so casually?
Colonel Wang smiled slightly and murmured,
"A letter alone would probably not convince the other commanderies and counties of what Shengshan County is facing. But upon seeing this tiger tally, the local commandery governor will naturally understand the gravity of the situation. Furthermore, if you fail, there will no longer be any need for this tally to exist anyway."
Pondering for a moment, Xu Yuan accepted the tally.
"I will also need a letter in your own hand."
"Of course."
Colonel Wang gave a faint smile, then cupped his fists toward Xu Yuan.
"May I ask if there is anything else our Shengshan border army can do to assist you, Young Master Zhou?"
"Help me?" Xu Yuan was surprised.
Colonel Wang smiled. "Shengshan County naturally cannot accept your benevolence for nothing."
Just as he had said before, this Young Master Zhou shared no bond of blood or friendship with the Shengshan border army. His willingness to help Shengshan County was pure grace.
Having received such great kindness, regardless of whether they survived this crisis, the debt had to be repaid.
Hearing this, Xu Yuan's instinct was to decline, for he did not believe a remote border county town like this would have anything he needed. Yet in the end, he spoke softly:
"I stopped here in Shengshan County to procure medicinal herbs. Colonel Wang, does your Shengshan border army happen to possess any soul-attribute herbs?"
"Soul-attribute herbs?" Colonel Wang raised an eyebrow.
"If not, think nothing of it." Xu Yuan held no real hope.
"We do," Colonel Wang grinned.
With that, he summoned an adjutant and whispered a few words to him. The adjutant immediately took to the air, speeding toward the storehouses in the city.
Watching the man's silhouette vanish into the dark, Colonel Wang turned to Xu Yuan with a smile.
"I've sent my adjutant to fetch them. Please wait a moment, Young Master Zhou."
Xu Yuan glanced toward the city's commercial district and asked, "Yet as far as I've seen, none of the shops in the city offer such herbs for sale."
Colonel Wang gave a helpless smile.
"They are indeed rarely seen in shops. Our Shengshan border army only has a stockpile because we picked them up on the cheap."
"Picked them up on the cheap?" Xu Yuan asked.
Colonel Wang explained in a low voice:
"If you truly want to buy firsthand precious herbs, it's best not to visit the established shops. You should check the street stalls instead.
"Many low-rank martial apprentices and warrior bands can't appraise goods properly. People selling Longyan ginseng as ordinary mountain ginseng are everywhere. Much of the precious medicine our Shengshan border army has acquired came from hunting bargains among their wares."
Toward the end, a look of profound helplessness crept into Colonel Wang's eyes.
"..." Xu Yuan fell silent.
A quarter of an hour later,
The adjutant returned, carrying a large cloth sack on his back. When he laid it out on the ground, more than a dozen jade boxes of various sizes were revealed.
Xu Yuan swept his eyes over them. Such a large quantity took him aback, though he quickly understood.
As a border city, Shengshan County was undoubtedly poor, but the sum of its collective resources was still extraordinarily vast compared to what an individual possessed.
Pondering for a moment, Xu Yuan picked out several of the jade boxes and said softly,
"Then I shall not refuse your generosity."
Colonel Wang gave a slight smile and said directly,
"Young Master Zhou, all of these are yours."
Xu Yuan's gaze sharpened.
The smile on Colonel Wang's face was untainted as he cupped his fists. "Young Master Zhou, to be frank, I originally planned to resell these soul-attribute herbs at a high price to provide supplementary pay for the troops. But most likely, there will never be another chance to do so. If you need them, please take every last one."
After a brief silence, Xu Yuan retrieved two flawless, translucent crystals from his Sumeru ring and held them out before Colonel Wang.
The moment the two crystals emerged, the surrounding Source Qi surged in density.
Yet Xu Yuan did not stop there. Several large, sealed wooden barrels were produced from his Sumeru ring, the sound of sloshing liquid audible from within.
"This is...?" Colonel Wang's pupils contracted slightly.
Xu Yuan liked taking advantage of good deals, but he had no desire to take advantage of a man like Colonel Wang.
"Source Crystals and spiritual liquid. Consider these herbs bought and paid for."
"But..." A flicker of temptation appeared in Colonel Wang's eyes, yet he still did not accept immediately. "These herbs are not worth nearly this much—"
"Colonel Wang,"
Xu Yuan cut him off, enunciating each word clearly. "You must know what those of you remaining inside the formation are about to face."
"..." Colonel Wang parted his lips, but no words came out.
He understood what Young Master Zhou meant.
At this juncture, for the Shengshan border army to attack the Illusory Mist Grand Array was practically announcing to the Wanxiang Sect that they had discovered their plot to slaughter the city.
The Wanxiang Sect's reaction was all too obvious.
Next, the Shengshan border army guarding the populace would face the frenzied onslaught of tens of thousands of ferocious demonic beasts.
Under such circumstances, Shengshan County's city-defending grand array was undoubtedly their lifeline.
There were two sources of power for a city-defending grand array. The first was the ambient Source Qi of heaven and earth; during ordinary times when the formation was not active, specialized formations would gather and store Source Qi. The second consisted of natural treasures formed from condensed Source Qi, such as Source Crystals and spiritual liquid.
A wealthy metropolis like Jingjiang Prefecture would typically stockpile vast quantities of Source Crystals for emergencies, but judging by Shengshan County's dilapidated state, Source Crystals were most likely non-existent here.
Relying solely on the tampered energy reserves that had been dwindled to a mere twenty percent, the city-defending formation would probably burn out after running at full capacity for only a few days.
If Xu Yuan and his companion managed to slay the Wanxiang Sect experts controlling the formation, all would be well. But if they had to seek reinforcements, a round trip would take at least ten-odd days. Without the city-defending grand array, it would be impossible for the ten thousand troops of the Shengshan border army to hold the city on their own.
Xu Yuan lifted his hand, pushing forward once more the two Source Crystals he had obtained from Xu Changge.
"Take them. Every bit of extra energy for the city-defending array can only help."
Colonel Wang took a step back, cupping his fists, and moved to kneel before Xu Yuan once more.
"Young Master Zhou's righteousness knows no bounds."
Xu Yuan immediately drew upon the Saint's soul power to support him once more, waving a hand.
"Enough of that. Prepare to breach the array in one hour. I need to make some preparations on my end."
Colonel Wang nodded solemnly. He was just about to leave when his footsteps paused slightly. Amid the silence, he asked softly,
"May I know Young Master Zhou's true name?"
Amusement flickered in Xu Yuan's eyes. "What, do you intend to erect a living shrine for me as well?"
"..." Colonel Wang said nothing.
Xu Yuan waved his hand with a laugh.
"I deal in information; I have no need for such things."
Colonel Wang departed.
As the commander of the city, there were countless matters requiring his coordination and command.
Cold wind blew through his long hair. Standing atop the city wall, Xu Yuan gazed at the misty grand array in the distance, his eyes dark and deep.
Minutes and seconds ticked by.
Amid the silence,
the teasing voice of the Saint's remnant soul suddenly echoed in the depths of Xu Yuan's mind:
"Since when did you become so righteous and noble-minded, kid?"
The sudden voice gave Xu Yuan a brief pause. He chuckled softly and countered,
"Righteous and noble-minded?
"Giving away a couple of Source Crystals and a few barrels of spiritual liquid counts as righteous and noble-minded?"
"You didn't have to give them anything at all," the Saint's remnant soul said with a low chuckle.
Xu Yuan shook his head, his tone flat.
"Do you think I lack such things?"
"You don't," the Saint's remnant soul replied.
Looking toward the direction where Colonel Wang had disappeared, Xu Yuan murmured,
"I actually admire men like Colonel Wang. He clearly could break out and escape, yet for the sake of the common folk of Shengshan County, he still chose to stay behind and defend the city.
"Defending a city with nine deaths to one life...
"To me, Source Crystals and spiritual liquid are trivial, but to them, they truly can save lives—the lives of four hundred thousand people.
"If there were more men like Colonel Wang, it would be a blessing for Great Yan, or at least for the people of Great Yan.
"What's more, consider this wiping my foolish adoptive sister's backside for her.
"So the answer to this choice is obvious, isn't it?"
The Saint's remnant soul gave an equivocal response:
"I thought you'd be more cold-blooded, brat."
"I'm not an old fossil without a drop of blood like you. Mine is still running warm," Xu Yuan shot back sarcastically.
The Saint's remnant soul chuckled genially.
"Kid, warm blood or not, deep down you and I are cut from the same cloth."
Xu Yuan fell silent for a moment, not denying it.
"Perhaps.
"Enough about me. Old Man Luo, have you finished refining those soul-attribute herbs?"
Naturally, his reason for gathering soul-attribute herbs was to replenish the soul power of the Saint's remnant soul.
The Saint's remnant soul checked briefly and murmured,
"Recovered seventy or eighty percent."
Looking down at the orderly formations being deployed below, Xu Yuan murmured,
"Then let's wait for Colonel Wang to send word."
Saying this,
Xu Yuan asked in a distant tone,
"To tell the truth, what happened here in Shengshan County has truly opened my eyes. Hundreds of thousands of people...
"Hey, Old Man Luo, to transcendent powerhouses like you, do ordinary mortals no longer count as your own kind?"
The Saint's remnant soul did not answer directly. Instead, he asked in return:
"Kid...
"What do you think these demonic beasts throwing away their lives attacking the city are to the demons of Guyuan?"
In Great Yan's military, a battalion consisted of five thousand men. The Shengshan border army had two battalions in total, forming one corps with an establishment of ten thousand soldiers. However, years of unending slaughter had long since depleted their ranks below full strength.
The army's high cohesion and efficiency were displayed to the utmost in this time of crisis.
Relieving the guards at the demonic beast exits of the Illusory Mist Grand Array; convening meetings with the leaders of the city's major merchant caravans, warrior bands, and escort agencies; hauling siege-defense equipment and supplies from the storehouses to the city walls; distributing specialized defense crossbows; admitting the refugees outside the city walls in organized batches...
Within one hour, the Shengshan border army operated like a piece of high-precision machinery, coordinating each task in methodical order.
Time slipped by, second by second.
Before anyone in the city could anticipate it, a phantom lance ten zhang long condensed without warning above the military formation outside the walls. Then, with the speed of thunder, it struck hard against the thick mist beyond. In the instant the colossal phantom lance tore across and clashed with the dense fog in midair, the Illusory Mist Grand Array ripped open with a resounding crack, leaving a breach three zhang wide. Looking outward through the tear, the bright moonlight was plainly visible!
Immediately afterward, a slender black-clad figure wearing a veiled hat flashed through midair like a fleeting streak of light, darting with pinpoint precision through the three-zhang gap before vanishing.
A few breaths after the figure disappeared, the torn gap quickly closed and healed.
No, that was not all.
The moment the mist in the air sealed shut, the number of ferocious demonic beasts surging from the fog doubled in an instant!
Standing atop the city wall, Colonel Wang gripped his long saber and roared,
"Shengshan Army, form ranks! Prepare to meet the enemy!"
Chapter 146