Free Web NovelChapter 182: Chapter 182: Variable
Shenfu Mountain was now surrounded three layers deep by the Lingzhou Army, making it impossible for any ordinary person to get in.
Ji Chang had even set up countless hidden sentries.
The goal was to ferret out any members of the Divine Mansion Sect who had fled only to return to Shenfu Mountain.
Many from the Divine Mansion Sect had been killed in the battle that night.
But it was far from enough.
The Shenfu Sect Master, Murong Tian, was still at large.
The Divine Mansion Army, far from being crippled, had retreated deep into the mountains.
Besides the Divine Mansion Sect’s Peak Master within the Northern Garrison Army, several other Peak Masters were also on the run.
The Divine Mansion Sect was proving tougher to break than Ji Chang had imagined.
Recently, Lingzhou Army soldiers had been turning up dead in their tents. It was, without a doubt, the work of the Divine Mansion Sect.
This was also why the Lord General wanted to install Shi Bai Mountain as the new Sect Leader of the Divine Mansion Sect.
Once uprooted, these Divine Mansion Sect members scattered across Huanglong Prefecture would become deadly assassins. With the Lingzhou Army operating in the open, defending against such an enemy in the shadows would be impossible.
Ji Chang was now getting a taste of the same torment the Divine Mansion Sect had once faced.
It wasn’t a head-on confrontation they feared, but these endless assassinations. Though not crippling, they were relentlessly agonizing.
Fortunately, these were just growing pains.
Once the Lord General obtained the treasure from the Divine Mansion, the Lingzhou Army would withdraw, and they would no longer have to clean up this mess.
...
「Somewhere on Shenfu Mountain.」
"They’re dead. All dead."
A colossal man collapsed onto the ground in despair.
This was none other than Hu Ben, Commander of the Divine Mansion Army’s Gang Camp.
The bloody massacre that night hadn’t reached the Divine Mansion Army forces stationed elsewhere, all thanks to Yu Hui, the man beside him.
Yu Hui was naturally cautious. Though the Divine Mansion Sect had its own relay stations, he had gone to great lengths to establish a personal intelligence network.
The Lingzhou Army had already sealed off the sect’s stations, but thanks to his own network, Yu Hui learned what had happened on Shenfu Mountain the very same day.
He had immediately led the Divine Mansion Army in an escape into the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
No matter how capable the Lingzhou Army was, they would never find a trace of the Divine Mansion Army in that ten-thousand-mile sea of forests.
After shaking off their pursuers, he had left Liu Li and the troops behind in the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
He and Hu Ben, meanwhile, had secretly traveled north to infiltrate Shenfu Mountain and investigate.
The situation was even worse than they had imagined. Upon arriving at Shenfu Mountain, they discovered the place was crawling with Lingzhou Army soldiers; not a single member of the Divine Mansion Sect was to be seen.
"Let’s get out of here first."
Yu Hui murmured. There was no point in staying on Shenfu Mountain any longer; it would only increase their risk of exposure.
But just as they were about to turn and leave, a familiar voice suddenly called out from behind them.
"Commander Yu, Tiger Commander."
Yu Hui whipped around to see someone dressed as a Lingzhou Army soldier, who had appeared behind them without them noticing.
Upon seeing the Lingzhou Army soldier, Hu Ben immediately raised a fist the size of a wok, ready to kill the man and silence him forever.
But then the soldier reached up, pulled at his face, and revealed his true features.
Seeing the man’s real face, Yu Hui’s expression lit up with joy. "Bai Yuan?!"
The man before them was none other than Bai Yuan, disguised as a Lingzhou Army soldier.
Hu Ben’s descending fist froze in mid-air. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
’This disguise is way too realistic!’
Bai Yuan said, "Follow me."
Yu Hui and Hu Ben exchanged a glance, then immediately followed Bai Yuan away from the Divine Mansion Sect’s grounds.
The Lingzhou Army’s defenses were tight, but unless Ji Chang himself came looking, no one would be able to spot the three of them.
Yu Hui and Hu Ben followed Bai Yuan all the way out of Huanglong Prefecture City.
They finally stopped in a valley outside the city.
"Commander Yu?!"
Ruan Xiuluan and Liu Donghai’s faces lit up with pleasant surprise when they saw Yu Hui and Hu Ben.
The Divine Mansion Army was the backbone of the Divine Mansion Sect. As long as the army existed, the sect still had a chance to be restored.
"Peak Master Ruan, Peak Master Liu?"
Yu Hui was just as overjoyed to see Ruan Xiuluan and Liu Donghai.
He and Hu Ben had already visited the Thirteen Peaks, only to find the ground littered with bodies that had yet to be cleared.
They had assumed Ruan Xiuluan and Liu Donghai had been killed by the Lingzhou Army; they never expected to see them again.
Yu Hui scanned the surroundings, then asked quizzically, "Where are the people from the main peak?"
At Yu Hui’s question, Ruan Xiuluan’s face fell. "Nephew Meng Ruo led the Elders and disciples of the main peak. They all fought to the death."
Even with a heart hardened by years of war, Yu Hui couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow.
"He was a true man."
His previous impression of Murong Jiujiang had been average; he always felt the future Sect Leader lacked a killer instinct. It seemed now that he had underestimated the genius of the Murong Family.
Just then, Zhao Han and Xu Siwan stepped out from the crowd.
Seeing the commanders of his own Slaughter Camp and Wei Camp, Yu Hui nodded in satisfaction. "You two are quite capable."
He hadn’t expected them to survive such a catastrophe.
The Lingzhou Army’s main target that night had been Shenfu Mountain, so they hadn’t moved against the Slaughter Camp and Wei Camp stationed in the city.
By the time Ji Chang led his men back into the city, Bai Yuan had already spirited away the Divine Mansion Army soldiers, leaving the Lingzhou Army with nothing.
According to Ji Chang’s original plan, not a single person from the Divine Mansion Sect in Huanglong Prefecture was supposed to be left alive.
But thanks to Bai Yuan’s unexpected intervention, Ji Chang’s plan had been far less effective than anticipated. frёewebnoѵēl.com
When Ruan Xiuluan heard from Yu Hui that the main force of the Divine Mansion Army was still intact, she looked at him expectantly. "How is the Sect Leader?"
As long as Murong Tian was alive, the remaining strength of the Divine Mansion Sect was more than enough to stage a comeback.
Yu Hui sighed softly and shook his head. "I don’t know either."
He and Murong Tian had been putting down revolts, one in the north and one in the south, so he had no news of Murong Tian’s situation.
However, since the Lingzhou Army had made their move, Murong Tian would have been their primary target. The odds were stacked against him...
Silence...
After a long pause, Bai Yuan broke the silence. "Commander Yu, you just said the Divine Mansion Army is in the Hundred Thousand Mountains?"
Yu Hui nodded.
Bai Yuan turned to Ruan Xiuluan and Liu Donghai. "Peak Master Ruan, Peak Master Liu, we should also follow Commander Yu to the Hundred Thousand Mountains. We can decide our next move after we’ve ascertained Meng Ruo Sect Master’s situation."
Ruan Xiuluan and Liu Donghai exchanged a look, then nodded in agreement.
The valley where they were taking shelter would be discovered by the Lingzhou Army sooner or later. Hiding in the Hundred Thousand Mountains was clearly the wiser choice.
Bai Yuan immediately led the Divine Mansion Sect members from the valley south and into the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
...
「Dingzhou, the Northern Plains.」
「Northern Garrison Army.」
"That’s my good brother, all right."
Lu Yu gazed at the intelligence report in his hand, clucking his tongue in admiration.
Hearing Lu Yu, Fatty Huang, who stood to the side, couldn’t help but peer curiously at the slip of paper in Lu Yu’s hand.
The paper was covered in tiny, densely packed characters describing the recent events in Huanglong Prefecture.
This included Bai Yuan’s terrifying battle record.
"He actually beat that monster, the Kaiyang Taoist?!"
Fatty Huang’s eyes widened.
Both he and Lu Yu were from Lingzhou and considered prodigies within the Lingzhou Army. They often sparred with the talented disciples of Longevity Palace.
Fatty Huang had fought the Kaiyang Taoist once and had been completely overwhelmed by the man’s Innate Vajra physique.
It wasn’t just him; Lu Yu had also suffered a defeat at the hands of the Kaiyang Taoist.
"That’s our brother for you. He’s just that strong."
Fatty Huang grinned widely, casually claiming Bai Yuan as his brother now.
Lu Yu rolled his eyes.
This intelligence hadn’t come from the Lingzhou Army; he had his own sources.
He had previously sent a letter warning Bai Yuan to be wary of Ji Chang precisely because he’d heard his father, the General, planning a move against the Divine Mansion Sect.
He just never expected his brother to perform so exceptionally.
Not only had he survived, but he had also rescued numerous experts from the Divine Mansion Sect.
Ji Chang had really botched this whole affair.
But Lu Yu was ecstatic. He’d had it in for that old dog Ji Chang for a long time.
"I have to find a time to have a proper fight with Brother Bai!"
Lu Yu grinned.
He had now broken through the Blood Refining realm and was an Entering Martial Artist, just like Bai Yuan. Both were geniuses, so of course, he no longer felt he was inferior to Bai Yuan.
...
「Seven days later.」
A group of over a hundred people emerged from the vast sea of trees in the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
"We’re almost there."
A middle-aged man in the lead called out to the group behind him.
Anyone familiar with him would have recognized the voice of Yu Hui, Commander of the Divine Mansion Army.
Indeed, Bai Yuan had disguised all hundred-odd people in the group.
They walked for about another hour.
At last, they saw a wide clearing dotted with wooden huts.
Yu Hui tore the mask from his face and strode toward the clearing.
This was the encampment he had chosen beforehand.
It was deep within the Hundred Thousand Mountains, a place almost impossible for anyone to find.
Ruan Xiuluan and Liu Donghai also removed their masks, their gazes falling upon Bai Yuan, who stood before them. Their journey had been far from peaceful; they had run into the Lingzhou Army at least ten times.
But Bai Yuan’s masterful disguises had allowed them to break into smaller groups and pose as merchants, easily evading detection.
That was how he had managed to bring everyone deep into the Hundred Thousand Mountains to rendezvous with the Divine Mansion Army without a single person lost.
Just then, Liu Li, the Vice Commander of the Divine Mansion Army, emerged from the camp.
His face lit up with pleasant surprise upon seeing Bai Yuan and the others.
Even Ruan Xiuluan, who had her share of past conflicts with the Divine Mansion Army, was a welcome sight.
He immediately instructed his soldiers to arrange accommodations for the members of the Divine Mansion Sect.
Liu Li looked at Yu Hui curiously. "Commander Yu, what’s the situation with the sect?"
Yu Hui briefly explained to Liu Li what had happened on Shenfu Mountain.
When Liu Li heard that Bai Yuan had single-handedly saved over a hundred people, he exclaimed that his judgment of the man had been right all along.
"Old Shi... I never liked him. If I’d known, I would have cut him down myself."
He let out another string of curses upon hearing that Shi Bai Mountain had betrayed them.
Bai Yuan had already told everyone about Shi Bai Mountain’s betrayal.
If Shi Bai Mountain hadn’t betrayed them and leaked the Divine Mansion Sect’s defense plans, the Lingzhou Army would never have infiltrated Shenfu Mountain so easily, and the main peak wouldn’t have been completely wiped out.
Yu Hui looked to Bai Yuan. "What do we do now?"
Over the course of their journey, they had subconsciously come to see Bai Yuan as their leader.
Bai Yuan considered this for a moment. "Commander Yu, you all should stay here for now. I’ll go out and investigate Meng Ruo Sect Master’s whereabouts."
Murong Tian’s fate—whether he was alive or dead—remained unknown.
If Murong Tian was alive, then the Divine Mansion Sect was not truly gone.
Of course, finding Murong Tian wasn’t Bai Yuan’s only objective.
He glanced down at his status panel.
[Name: Bai Yuan]
[Class: Demon Hunter, Sword Ghost, Boxer, Spirit Cooker, Skin Painter]
[Skills: Broken River Saber (Legendary), Gui Shan (Legendary), Demonic Qi Lure (Master), Thousand Faces Technique (Legendary), Sunflower Acupoint Strike (Master)...]
[Enhancement Points: 0]
Though it had been a crisis, it had also been a tremendous opportunity for him.
He had killed countless experts from the Lingzhou Army, earning so many enhancement points that he had been able to max out his Gui Shan Saber Technique.
Ordinarily, he would have had to slay an untold number of demons to earn that many points.
To him, the Lingzhou Army soldiers roaming Huanglong Prefecture were a walking treasure trove.
’Killing a few remnants of the Demon Sect... perfectly reasonable, right?’
