David_Lord
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Chapter 735
🕑 Added 2025-12-01 05:00:10 +0000 UTCThe Black Mountain stretched for thousands of miles, winding and sprawling, bordering over a dozen major provinces.
It was one of the rare âlawless zonesâ within the Grand Feng Dynasty.
There was little the court could doâinside the Black Mountain were gorges and dense forests, crawling with vicious beasts and deadly insects.
Even the bandits that roamed the area only dared occupy certain parts of the mountain, surviving by robbing passing merchant caravans.
But for a long time now, there hadnât been any word of bandit activity in the Black Mountain.
As if they had been wiped out entirely.
On this dayâ
Outside the mountain, no one knew when a vast, dark mass of troops had gathered.
This force numbered at least seven to eight hundred thousand, sealing off every route into and out of the Black Mountain, as if preparing for war.
Even a mighty empire like the Grand Feng Dynasty would need to draw upon elite troops from several provinces to muster an army of this size.
If they really did that, it meant they were dealing with a major threat.
One significant enough to shake the foundations of not just a few provinces, but ten or twenty.
Since the founding of the Grand Feng Dynasty, such massive mobilizations had been exceedingly rare.
Usually only to deal with remnants of the previous regime.
In the early days of Grand Fengâs rule, the remnants of the former dynasty had still been formidable.
But as Grand Feng continued its purges, they grew weaker.
Until, decades ago, they had dwindled into third-rate groups like the Red Lotus Sect, which didnât even have Dao Master practitioners.
Eventually, they were wiped out by the courtâs Dao-Suppressing Division.
Amid the dark tide of soldiers.
A young soldier, looking toward the winding Black Mountain in the distance, asked in confusion, âWhatâs in that mountain anyway? Donât tell me they found some kind of legendary treasure?â
He had come from another province and couldnât understand why such a massive force had been assembled here.
Seven or eight hundred thousand soldiersâthis wasnât just the soldiers themselves. With logistics and support personnel included, the total number of court forces outside the Black Mountain likely approached two million.
Two million peopleâjust feeding and maintaining them daily would cost a fortune.
No matter how wealthy or powerful the Grand Feng Dynasty was, it couldnât mobilize like this lightly.
This was a true test of national strength.
Unless there was some unimaginable benefit involved.
Like a legendary treasure?
âThereâs no legendary treasure,â an older soldier nearby said, shaking his head. His temples were bulging, clearly a seasoned veteran.
âThen why?â The young soldier was visibly curious, and the other soldiers nearby also turned to the older man.
Did he know something?
âHeh heh.â
The older soldier grinned. âWeâre just here to block the roads. The real action is being taken by the Dao-Suppressing Division. The ones acting are all at least Dao Mageâand I heard even Masters are showing up.â
He lowered his voice at the end, as if sharing a forbidden secret.
âMasters from the Dao-Suppressing Division?â
The surrounding soldiers sucked in a breath.
A Dao Master could already dominate a regionâlet alone one serving in the Dao-Suppressing Division.
Just being a Dao Master didnât guarantee entry into the Dao-Suppressing Divisionâit was the Grand Feng Dynastyâs most powerful and core institution, and joining required passing strict scrutiny.
Of course, those who did join received the dynastyâs full support, making them stronger than their peers outside the court.
They had access to numerous high-level Dao techniques and specialized mental weapons.
To mobilize Masters from the Dao-Suppressing Division in this campaign.
It made the soldiers uneasy.
âWhat could be so serious?â
The young soldier couldnât help but ask.
âBrothers...â
The older soldier looked around to make sure no one else was listening, then said in a low voice, âYou ever heard of the Wu Sect?â
Wu Sect?
The soldiersâ eyes widened.
Of course, they had heard of it.
The Wu Sect had suddenly risen to prominence forty years ago.
They had gained traction because they had developed methods that allowed ordinary martial artists to stand against Dao Seekers.
Granted, only against ordinary onesâthey still werenât a match for Dao Mages or Masters.
But even so, it was enough to drive the martial world into a frenzy.
In the Grand Feng Dynastyâwhether the previous regime, or the one before thatâsince recorded history began, Dao Seekers had always stood at the top.
Martial artists? Mere commoners.
Even the weakest Dao Seeker could toy with them.
So the idea of a martial artist standing up to one?
Unheard of.
But shortly after the Wu Sect emerged, they were suppressed by the dynasty.
Even soâ
They still drew massive support from the martial world.
No matter how hard the court cracked downâ
It was impossible to stamp them out.
Like a spark igniting a prairie fire.
âYouâre saying this Black Mountain is connected to the Wu Sect?â
The young soldierâs expression turned serious.
If that was trueâ
Then it made sense.
On the surface, giving martial artists a way to counter Dao Seekers should have been a good thing for the dynasty.
But it threatened the interests of those very Dao Seekers.
Many of whom held high positions in the Grand Feng Dynastyâand they certainly didnât want to see such changes.
Martial artists and Dao Seekers were natural enemies.
But if it were only the Dao Seekers objecting, it wouldnât influence national policy.
The real reason the dynasty cracked down so hard was that such techniques could only be allowed in the hands of the court.
Any method that could shake the foundations of the empire couldnât be entrusted to outsiders.
âExactly.â
The older soldier nodded.
His brother-in-law was a deputy generalâhe had inside information.
âThe Wu Sect...â
The soldiers sighed in admiration.
They were martial artists themselves, and naturally longed for a way to fight back against Dao Seekers.
They also deeply respected the Wu Sect.
For breaking the myth that Dao Seekers were invincible.
And for surviving under heavy court suppression, ultimately forcing the court to mobilize nearly a million troops, even forcing the Dao-Suppressing Division to send Masters.
The Wu Sectâs strength was clear.
At the rear of the army.
In a large camp.
Twenty-three figures had gathered.
A faint aura of mental power flowed among them, forming an invisible prison of heaven and earth around the camp.
A Master-level Cage.
All twenty-three figures were Masters.
Even among the armyâs middle and upper ranks, most only knew that a Master from the Dao-Suppressing Division might appear.
They had no idea there were twenty-three.
Twenty-three Masters! Even for the Grand Feng Dynasty, mobilizing so many top-level forces at once was a massive risk.
âBlack MountainâŚâ
Among the twenty-three, the one with the most powerful aura was a middle-aged man.
He was the head of the Dao-Suppressing Division, second only to the emperor himself.
The mobilization of nearly a million troops, along with so many Dao Masters, had all been ordered by him.
As head of the Dao-Suppressing Division, he had complete access to all intelligence in the realm.
And this operation wasnât truly aimed at the Wu Sect.
âBlackwind FortâŚâ
The division chiefâs expression turned grim as he recalled the intelligence he had gathered.
The Blackwind Fort, deep within the Black Mountainâits origins were nothing short of astonishing.
Not only was it the source of the Wu Sect, nine of the ten richest merchant guilds in the world were suspected to be linked to it.
And in court, many top officials from the last few decades had murky ties to it.
Of course, those officials might not even know about the Blackwind Fort.
But those backing them, according to the Divisionâs investigation, all traced back here.
Lastly, thirty of the ninety-nine provinces had already been infiltrated by mysterious forces.
All pointing back to the Blackwind Fort in the Black Mountain.
They held methods that let martial artists fight ordinary Dao Seekers.
They possessed unimaginable wealth.
They had influence over countless court officials.
And they had covert control over at least thirty provinces.
Any one of these would alarm the court.
Togetherâ
They were enough to shake the entire foundation of the Grand Feng Dynasty.
If the master of the Blackwind Fort chose to act, he could easily topple the empire.
That was why, even with fierce opposition from court ministers over the mobilization, the Division Chief pressed forward anyway, determined to annihilate the Fort.
âGentlemen, you all know what must be done.â
âThe Blackwind Fort must not be allowed to survive. Otherwise, Grand Feng is doomed.â
He looked at the other twenty-two Dao Masters.
They had all been trained by the dynasty, and followed his command without question, they were part of the empireâs deepest reserves of power.
To eliminate the Fort and remove this threat, the Division Chief had resolved to pay any price.
âUnderstood.â
âYou can rest assured, Chief. We serve the dynasty, and we are loyal to it.â
âYes. We will clear all obstacles for Grand Feng.â
One by one, the Masters responded.
The Division Chief nodded slightly.
That was the benefit of having trained them himself.
Their loyalty was absolute.
If he had to rely on the Dao Masters from the rest of the empire...
Who knew what kind of games they would play?
At best, theyâd follow orders in name only and drag their feet in secret.
âBut if possible, try to capture the Blackwind Fortâs master alive.â
The Division Chief added.
That person held the power to threaten the dynasty, tt would be best to take him alive.
That way, the court could minimize the fallout.
And potentially use the Fortâs master to take control of his forces.
If he died, even if his forces couldnât unite, the ensuing chaos would still impact the dynasty.
Beyond thatâ
The Division Chief simply wanted to see this elusive opponent face to face.
For decades, he and the Fortâs master had clashed in the shadows.
Despite commanding the strongest force in Grand Feng, he had been repeatedly outmaneuvered by this man.
The Division Chief was very curious: what kind of person could accomplish all this, even with the empireâs full might pressing down?
âLetâs go.â
âWe move now.â
The Division Chief stood and walked out of the camp.
The other twenty-two Dao Masters followed.
Together, the twenty-three of them could sweep aside anything short of the capital itself.
Even a million-strong army couldnât stop themâif they wanted to kill, they killed. If they wanted to leave, they left.
One Dao Master could match a thousand troops.
But ten didnât just equal ten thousand.
Each added master brought a qualitative leap in strength.
Especially with this groupâs unmatched coordination.
That was the Division Chiefâs confidence in this campaign.
âBlackwind Fortâs master⌠your greatest mistake was leaving that one flaw.â
His eyes gleamed coldly.
Even with all their resources, the Dao-Suppressing Division hadnât been able to trace everything back to the Fort.
Untilâ
They discovered a trail the Fortâs master had accidentally left behind.
Cross-checking it with other intel confirmed it:
The Blackwind Fort in the Black Mountain was the single greatest threat the Grand Feng Dynasty had faced in decades, perhaps since its founding.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh.
Under cover of moonlightâ
The twenty-three Dao Masters silently entered the Black Mountain, heading straight for the Fort.
Before long...
Blackwind Fort came into view.
âThatâs the place.â
The Division Chief stared at it from afar, then quickly advanced with the others.
Deep inside the Fort.
In a secluded chamber.
A young man sat cross-legged.
His black hair was like ink, his expression calmâlike a mountain in stillness.
Unless you were one of his closest confidants, youâd never know, this âyoung manâ was already eighty-eight years old.
In this world, even Dao Masters lived barely over a hundred years.
By eighty or ninety, the body began to fail, old age inevitable.
Only Lin Yuan, with perfect control over his vitality, could retain his youthful form.
Of course, this was merely appearanceâit did nothing to extend his true lifespan.
[At age eighty-eight, the trail you deliberately left years ago finally draws the attention of the Division Chief. He leads Grand Fengâs elite Masters into the Black Mountain.]
Line after line of text flickered in Lin Yuanâs vision.
Ten years ago, he had already reached the absolute limit of his strength.
The limit of this world itself, beyond which no further growth was possible.
From that point, Lin Yuan began orchestrating the weakening of Grand Fengâs forces.
Deliberately leaving a trace to draw the Division Chiefâs attention was part of the plan.
He aimed to trap Grand Fengâs finest Dao Seekers in the Black Mountain, only then could he move against the emperor with greater ease.
[At age eighty-nine, you command your army and Dao Seekers to besiege the capital.]
[The capital diverts all its strength to defend. In that moment, you silently infiltrate the imperial palace and finally come face to face with the terrified Grand Feng Emperor seated upon the throne.]
[You strike and kill the Grand Feng Emperor.]
Comments
Manar Kinder
Yes!! Progress Hahahahahah
Dustin Thomas
Short but great chapter
