For three consecutive days, Zhao Xing led an aggressive assault on Min City, Heshui City, and Yuyou City. Even during the retreat, he did not idle.
He ordered the Shenwei Army, Xuanjia Army, Zhenhai Army, Tiger Jiao Army, and Lieyang Army to each leave behind six teams of cultivators. Every day, these teams took turns casting two specific spells outside the three cities.
One was Flying Sand and Rolling Stones, and the other was either Cloud Law or Fog Law. These spells were deliberately used to create disturbances, making it seem like an attack could resume at any moment.
Because of the intense three-day offensive, Zhao Xing and his forces had also executed feints to lure the enemy out of the cities. As a result, the commanders of Min City, Heshui City, and Yuyou City were now solely focused on defending, completely abandoning any thoughts of sending scouts outside.
"If we don't make mistakes, we won't be blamed. As long as we hold the city and prevent the Great Zhou army from securing supplies, that's already a great achievement!"
Thus, when Commander You Yun finally arrived at Min City, Heshui City, and Yuyou City with reinforcements, he found nothing but echo shells spread across several miles.
"Hui~ Hui~"
From the echo shells came the sounds of warhorses neighing and metal being forged.
The Echo Formation buzzed incessantly, but upon closer inspection, the military cooking stoves in the vicinity had long since gone cold.
Commander You Yun expressionlessly crushed an echo shell in his hand, his gaze sweeping over the commanders of Min City, Heshui City, and Yuyou City.
"You claimed the enemy was ferociously attacking the city, refusing to give up until they breached the walls. Now tell me—where is the enemy?"
The three city lords exchanged uneasy glances, at a loss for words.
You Yun's face darkened. "Are you all such cowards? Not even one of you had the guts to send scouts outside to investigate?"
"What use does the Royal Court have for useless trash like you?!"
The three city lords didn't dare utter a word.
Although they were part of the regular army, their ranks were far lower than elite forces like the Nine Nether Army.
Send people out? Would they be throwing their lives away? They had followed orders to hold the city strictly. If the enemy had left, how could that be their fault? Why didn't You Yun blame himself for arriving too late?
Of course, such thoughts could never be voiced. Instead, they simply kept repeating that the enemy was too cunning and offered their apologies.
You Yun took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to cut down these three incompetent fools.
Since they had no idea when the enemy had left, it was impossible to determine their next move from these useless men.
Left with no choice, You Yun had to gather intelligence from other nearby garrison cities and dispatch scouts to search for clues.
Strangely, even after searching for three days, he still couldn't determine Zhao Xing's whereabouts.
It wasn't until the seventh day that he finally received some news.
"Commander, the Ten Sun Army has appeared at the northern border between Lanhe Prefecture and Cangzhou Prefecture. They are in the vicinity of Tage City and Xueying City."
You Yun frowned. "Why would they go there? Tage and Xueying aren't even shaman cities—one is just a minor ninth-rank town. What could they possibly be after?"
"If they move further northwest, they'll run into two seventh-rank cities. They won't be able to get through—how do they plan to rendezvous with Dong Ze?"
"This strategy makes no sen—Wait! Bring me the map!"
A sudden thought struck You Yun, and he immediately snatched the map from his adjutant's hands.
His eyes quickly landed on two ferry crossings on the eastern half of the Tianshui River: Songshan Ferry and Yangshan Ferry.
His heart sank. "Don't tell me... they've doubled back to the southern region of Ping Prefecture!"
Ping Prefecture was a massive county, a crucial territory within Lanhe Prefecture. Fengwu City, Tianshui City, and Xichang City were all located in its southern region.
"Why would they do that? They just broke out of our encirclement, only to turn back again? This is bad—Fengwu City only has 1,500 troops under Zang He! This is going to be a disaster!"
"Songshan Ferry and Yangshan Ferry are to the southeast, while Fengwu City, Tianshui City, and Xichang City are more to the southwest. There are no strong garrisons in this entire encirclement. If I didn't expect them to return, then no one else likely did either. But I've already wasted so much time here... Zang He is in danger!"
As realization dawned on him, You Yun felt a shiver run down his spine.
He had never imagined that Zhao Xing would dare to return and launch another assault on Fengwu City.
He wanted to send someone to deliver a message to Zang He in Fengwu City, but there was no response for several hours.
"Quick, return to Fengwu City!"
Commander You Yun roared in fury.
Fengwu City, City Lord's Mansion.
The blaring sound of a war horn pierced the night, jolting Zang He awake from his slumber.
He shoved aside the two fox-women lying beside him and didn't even bother putting on his clothes before he rushed to open the door.
"Guards!"
A personal guard stumbled in, his face pale with panic.
"L-Lord Commander..."
"Who's blowing the war horn? Where are the enemies coming from?!" Zang He barked.
"It's… the Ten Sun Army! They've already broken into the city!"
"What?! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Zang He was in complete disbelief. The Ten Sun Army had barely managed to break out of the first encirclement.
They were just inches away from being trapped in front of Tianshui City, forced into a desperate battle with their backs against the river. How could they be back here?!
Just yesterday, he had been chatting with Hou Ying, complaining that he wasn't included in the siege operation.
He had heard that Commander You Yun was currently in Min City, leading the encirclement against Zhao Xing. They had just talked last night, and now—before dawn—the Ten Sun Army had already stormed Fengwu City?
"Thirty thousand soldiers… at this distance, even a seventh-rank warship couldn't have brought them back this fast. Not to mention, there are no warships allowed inside the restricted zone!"
Zang He couldn't make sense of it. But the sounds of battle outside were real and drawing closer. His body trembled as he reached for his weapon.
"With me! We fight our way out!"
"You won't be going anywhere."
A sharp gleam of sword light illuminated Zang He's vision in the darkness.
"What?! You—"
"Boom!"
Zang He reacted instantly. With a low growl, he hurled his personal guard toward the incoming sword light while his own body surged with blood energy as he dashed toward the outer wall.
This was the awkward reality for martial artists—during a retreat, they couldn't escape by burrowing underground, and without reaching the Heavenly Gang realm, they couldn't even fly.
"Trying to run?! I've been starving out there in the wild for days, just waiting to feast on you, you fat pig! Where do you think you're going?!"
Long Xiao sneered.
Both he and Zang He were seventh-rank cultivators, but the difference between them was night and day.
Long Xiao was the number one sword cultivator in Pinghai Province, whereas Zang He had barely made it past the lowest threshold of seventh rank.
That he had managed to survive the first sword strike was only due to his desperate burst of power in the face of death. And because Long Xiao had been fighting for an extended period before this.
But he wouldn't survive a second strike.
"Pfft—"
Zang He's head flew into the air, his body splitting apart before it even hit the ground.
The last thing he saw was the City Lord's Mansion engulfed in flames, and a young man in Shennong Division robes standing atop the city walls, examining a command token in his hand.
"If only I hadn't exhausted myself last night… Maybe I could have blocked at least two strikes. Damn it, women are nothing but trouble…"
With endless regret, Zang He's consciousness faded into oblivion.
"Huh?"
Zhao Xing suddenly noticed a glow radiating from his body, followed by a powerful surge of warmth washing over him.
"I… reached mid-seventh rank?"
"I haven't even killed anyone since entering the city, but this 'power' keeps transferring to me…"
"It's like probability events are turning into certainties."
Among all cultivators in the Xuanhuang Realm, perhaps only Emperor Wu and Moon God had greater fortune than him.
Without playing the Fortune Dynasty game, Derivation Nine was the absolute limit of what an ordinary cultivator could achieve.
Of course, the Moon God was a special case, slightly superior even to him.
With such high-tier fortune, it meant that no matter who did the killing, most of the power transfer ultimately flowed to him.
When Long Xiao killed Zang He, Zhao Xing naturally advanced to mid-seventh rank.
"Earth Fiend Realm… I can finally burrow underground. I can finally sense the existence of the earth veins."
Zhao Xing sighed with emotion.
When he was eighth and ninth rank, he couldn't use earth-burrowing techniques—it was as if the earth veins didn't even exist in the world.
But now, everything was different.
"It feels like I'm on a completely different layer of reality. Only I can perceive it. I can unleash the full power of an Earth Fiend Realm cultivator, while everyone else is still stuck in another layer. In this entire city, perhaps only twenty or thirty people are on the same level as me."
With a swift motion, he vanished from the city.
Advancing from seventh rank to sixth rank required the greatest efficiency—killing other seventh-rank cultivators yielded the best results. If he were to kill eighth or ninth ranks, it would take merging tens of thousands of them just to level up.
Letting the lower-rank soldiers absorb the residual power was more beneficial for the Ten Sun Army as a whole.
More cultivators meant greater mobility and stronger combat effectiveness.
Long Xiao and the others could even form a battle formation now.
Outside Fengwu City, Zhao Xing gazed at the bloodstained command token in his hand. It was trembling incessantly before he casually crushed it.
This was a warning token from an unknown source. But ignoring it was the best response.
"Brother Zhao, you can come in now."
By the time the sky began to brighten, the battle was already over.
Fengwu City had fallen into Zhao Xing's hands once again.
Standing atop the city walls, Xia Jing exhaled deeply, still in disbelief that they had actually returned. And so easily at that.
"Zang He only had 1,500 men. There was no way he could defend such a massive city."
"And this city had already been breached once before—there were holes everywhere. Even if they wanted to repair it, they didn't have the manpower or the time."
Zhao Xing continued flipping through the reports, his gaze sharp and calculating.
"Many of the barbarian soldiers died in their sleep, completely unaware of what had happened." Xia Jing looked at the final compiled battle report and spoke solemnly.
"A force of fifteen hundred—nine-tenths of them are dead. Only a handful managed to escape."
"Our own side is still tallying the cultivation realms of the survivors, but I estimate that we've gained close to two thousand cultivators," Xia Jing added.
"We've also secured a massive amount of supplies. Heh, even though this enemy force was small, they were stationed at a logistical stronghold. Now, we're well-fed again!"
Zhao Xing smiled, "That's why I said from the start that there was no need to bring excessive provisions. Our neighbors stockpile grain, while I stockpile weapons. Our neighbors are our granary. As long as we maintain our combat strength, then our enemies become our food source."
The battle results were predictable. With such a small force defending this broken city, anyone who attacked would have achieved the same outcome.
Rather than fixating on the results, Zhao Xing quickly called for Wang Ji.
"Here!" Wang Ji leaped down from the rooftop. "Grand Shennong, what are your orders?"
"Any news from the imperial court?"
Wang Ji replied, "I managed to establish brief communication with a mechanist from the Wuyou Army, but we could only maintain the connection for twenty breaths."
"We're too far away."
"The Nine Nether God has begun a large-scale purge. The Wuyou Army is at least three thousand miles away from us, and even an Unbounded Matrix cannot cover such a vast distance."
"However, during those twenty breaths, I relayed your message and provided some details on our troop deployments."
"The Wuyou Army also sent back some key intelligence."
Zhao Xing asked, "What key intelligence?"
Wang Ji pointed at the map, "It includes details on the generals and factions under the Nine Nether God, the tribes they belong to, and their command styles."
"In addition, the sect outposts in Lanhe Prefecture and Cangzhou Prefecture can provide us with assistance, as long as we use the correct code phrases. General Li has already given me the codes."
"Finally, they asked me to relay that the imperial court is mobilizing a massive army for our rescue and that I should report our position at all times."
Zhao Xing frowned instead of rejoicing, "If the court knows, then the Nine Nether God must also be aware of my whereabouts."
"Originally, we only needed to deal with thirty thousand of the Nine Nether Army and local garrison troops trying to surround and cut us off. But now, we might be facing a force of four hundred thousand."
"No wonder reinforcements arrived so quickly when we attacked Min City."
Before the second retreat, Zhao Xing had no choice but to conduct guerrilla warfare in the Xueling and Tage regions for nearly half a month. Using a strategy of dispersing into sixteen separate units, they harassed the enemy and confused their movements.
"If nothing unexpected happens, multiple enemy armies are already closing in on us." Zhao Xing pointed at the map. "Wang Ji, go with Xia Jing and contact the sect members who surrendered. We don't need them to fight—just to provide intelligence on enemy movements. Any army passing through their territory, or about to, should be reported to us. That's a simple enough task."
The movement of large armies is difficult to keep secret. What Zhao Xing needed was real-time intelligence, which could be transmitted through three primary methods.
The first was to send someone physically, the second was through messenger hawks, and the third was the mechanists' Unbounded Matrix.
The first two were slow and risky, but the third was safe. However, it had a critical weakness—limited range.
Even with Wang Ji specially recovering to Seventh Rank, his communication range didn't exceed a thousand miles. Anything beyond that was up to luck.
"Nine Nether God…" Zhao Xing muttered, looking at his command token in the dim night.
"Are you telling me that despite all the forces deployed against them, You Yun still failed to annihilate Zhao Xing's Ten Sun Army and instead lost Zang He's life?"
The Nine Nether God, draped in a black robe, remained shrouded in darkness, only his eerie, glowing eyes visible. His presence exuded a powerful aura of darkness, as if capable of devouring all light.
"Yes." The mechanist reported, "You Yun says he is heading to Fengwu City and is determined to take down Zhao Xing."
"Fool!" The Nine Nether God was furious. "If he goes back now, he'll be falling into the trap again!"
"Tell him that I will personally take command of the encirclement. He is not to act recklessly."
"You must position yourself at the central hub between Lanhe Prefecture and Cangyue Prefecture; otherwise, mechanist communication will not be fast enough for real-time coordination. The only suitable command center is Guiyang Commandery."
"I will personally take charge from Guiyang Commandery." The Nine Nether God's voice was cold.
He was well aware that Great Zhou was rapidly mobilizing its forces, preparing to march into his territory from Keshan's domain. If he wanted to eliminate Zhao Xing, he had to do so before Great Zhou gathered sufficient strength.
Great Zhou was willing to pay any price for victory. Even the Moon Shaman had said—no cost was too great when it came to killing Zhao Xing.
As long as Zhao Xing was eliminated, Great Zhou would have no further reason to intervene. They would prioritize the overall strategic picture instead.
"Set out immediately!"
The Nine Nether God's figure flickered and vanished into the night.
Recapturing Fengwu City had bought the Ten Sun Army a valuable ten-day reprieve. Their supplies were replenished, and their cultivation realms had a chance to recover significantly.
But after two retreats across the Tianshui River, they had only barely managed to survive. The real danger had not been resolved.
Because at this moment, the Nine Nether God was enraged—his subordinates had been toyed with by Zhao Xing.
Thus, he personally moved to the central hub—Guiyang Commandery—to command the entire operation.
He understood that the Ten Sun Army had a highly unique combat style, excelling in mobile warfare. Their long training had resulted in unparalleled military discipline and organization. Coupled with an exceptional commander, they moved like quicksilver—if one wasn't careful, they would slip right through any encirclement.
Therefore, the Nine Nether God divided his four hundred thousand troops into seven separate forces, planning a new encirclement of Ping Commandery. He issued a strict order to all seven armies: fortify positions and engage in attrition warfare.
They would adopt a fortress-based strategy, advancing steadily and methodically. No unit was allowed to make reckless advances.
Step by step, they would tighten the encirclement. Bit by bit, they would restrict the movement space of the Ten Sun Army.
Until Zhao Xing had no room left to maneuver.
Until the Ten Sun Army was completely annihilated within Ping Commandery.
"Damn it, the entire four hundred thousand troops are really coming straight for me…" Zhao Xing muttered.
After securing Fengwu City, Zhao Xing leveraged his connections with the Wuyao Army, using secret communications to contact various sect members scattered across the two provinces. Through them, he obtained information regarding the movements of the Nine Nether God's army.
However, knowing their movements didn't help much.
"The enemy is tightly coordinated, leaving no gaps for our forces to maneuver. Sitting and waiting isn't an option—we must launch an offensive to break out." In the council chamber, Zhao Xing discussed the matter with his senior commanders.
"Right now, we have two choices."
"One, we attack the direct forces of the Nine Nether Army, led by Grand Commander Youyun, stationed at Tianhe Upper City (previously, we targeted only a smaller city)."
"Two, we strike at the subordinate forces of the Flame Light Court, specifically Wan Yansong's Disha City."
Long Xiao immediately voiced his opinion. "One is the main force, the other is a branch force. Clearly, we should go after Wan Yansong, right?"
"He's definitely the weaker target, easier to defeat."
"I agree, attacking Wan Yansong is the better choice."
"The Flame Light Court's troops aren't accustomed to the environment here in Lanhe Prefecture. The damp climate is unfavorable for them."
"We have a better chance of victory against them."
Most of the high-ranking officials expressed similar views. Seeing so many in agreement with him, Long Xiao couldn't help but feel a bit smug.
Looks like I made the right call!
"I propose we attack Nine Nether Army's Grand Commander Youyun instead," Zhao Xing suddenly stated.
"Huh? Why?" Long Xiao was confused, and the other generals also struggled to understand.
"First, although Wan Yansong of Disha City is indeed weaker than Youyun, that doesn't make him an easy target," Zhao Xing explained. "To his north, Hou Ying commands 36,000 troops, and to his southeast, Wu Tingye has 48,000 troops."
"Both Hou Ying and Wu Tingye are direct subordinates of the Nine Nether Army."
"If they receive orders from higher up, they will rush to his aid immediately."
"If our siege drags on, Hou Ying and Wu Tingye could flank us from both sides, cutting off our retreat. This would put us in a dire situation."
"Second, even if we take the city, we won't be able to hold it. When the seven allied armies arrive, it will be meaningless. So why would we fight for something we can't keep? Think carefully—we're not fighting just for the sake of fighting. The loss or gain of a single city doesn't matter."
"I've emphasized this many times: If we hold the land but lose the people, we lose both; but if we keep our people and give up land, we can reclaim everything."
"Our goal is to carve out a new battlefield!"
Zhao Xing's words made everyone fall into deep thought.
"So if we target Grand Commander Youyun, does that mean Wan Yansong might not be able to support him in time?" Xia Jing asked.
"Exactly. Brother Xia, you have considered it well." Zhao Xing nodded with a smile. "Wan Yansong follows the faith of Kegshen, not Nine Nether God. In fact, the Flame Light Court has long been at odds with the Holy Light Court—one is cold and dark, the other is intense and fierce. This divide is dictated by their culture and beliefs. Even if he does send reinforcements, it won't be immediate, and he won't go all out."
"After all, he commands a weaker force, so his priority will be self-preservation rather than earning merit. From past battle reports, we can see that he is a cautious individual."
"But Hou Ying and Wu Tingye will definitely come to support Youyun," Zhao Zheng pointed out. "They won't hesitate or delay."
"You're right," Zhao Xing acknowledged, "but compared to sending reinforcements to Disha City, it will take much longer for them to reach Tianhe Upper City. This time difference is exactly what we need."
"That's why our real target should be Grand Commander Youyun. If we successfully take Tianhe Upper City, we'll be able to severely wound the enemy's main force and create strategic flexibility for our next move."
"What if we can't take it?" Chen Shijie asked.
"If we can't take it, we withdraw south across the Tianshui River," Zhao Xing replied. "We will make it appear as though our forces have suffered a defeat and are urgently retreating southeast across the Canglan River to regroup with Dong Ze's army."
"This will lure all enemy forces toward the southeastern region of Tianshui River."
"This creates a favorable situation for our next strategic maneuver."
"Crossing again?" Long Xiao was completely lost. "All this running back and forth—what exactly are we trying to do?"
On March 17th, the Ten Suns Army began a rapid movement, departing from Fengwu City and advancing toward Tianhe Upper City, where Grand Commander Youyun was stationed.
Due to Zhao Xing's formidable reputation and the strict orders from Nine Nether God, Youyun immediately treated the situation as a major crisis. While preparing the city's defenses, he also sent an urgent request for reinforcements.
Within half a day of the battle, scouts and Wang Ji both reported that Hou Ying and Wu Tingye were already mobilizing emergency reinforcements.
Advance forces of 2,000 to 3,000 troops could arrive within a single day.
"Cease the siege!"
Zhao Xing didn't hesitate. He immediately issued the order to halt the attack.
The siege ended around 2 PM, but Zhao Xing didn't withdraw his troops until nightfall.
First, this allowed time to reorganize the forces and establish proper formations. Second, it ensured that Hou Ying and Wu Tingye's armies had fully departed from their bases.
"Proceed with the original plan. Cross the Tianshui River from Tianhe Lower City and Sanwan Beach."
"Will we have enough time?" Liao Rulong was worried. "You waited until nightfall to move, but crossing the river isn't fast. We'll still need to find enough boats—"
Xia Jing and Zhao Xing exchanged a knowing glance and then laughed. "Boats? We already have them ready. Don't worry, when we get there, you'll definitely have a boat to ride. We're not going to make you swim across the river in this freezing weather."
"Uh…" Liao Rulong immediately fell silent.
Xia Jing added, "As for why we waited until night, first, we needed to regroup. Second, we had to confirm that Hou Ying and Wu Tingye had left their strongholds. Third, nightfall makes tactical maneuvers easier."
"I get it now," Liao Rulong suddenly understood.
Though, in reality, he still wasn't sure why they were crossing the river. But since Zhao Zheng was nearby, he wasn't too worried.
There were plenty of strategists in the Ten Suns Army to handle the thinking.
On March 19th, at the original port of Tianshui River Lower City.
A barbarian general with bluish skin looked at Zhao Xing and his forces, who had appeared suddenly like divine warriors descending from the heavens. His face turned pale with shock.
"You… You guys again?!"
"Yo, what a coincidence, you're still guarding the city?" Xia Jing chuckled. This guy had been on guard duty when they crossed the river the first time, though he had taken the chance to flee back then.
Who knew how he managed to talk his way around it, but somehow, the Grand Commander of Youyun had actually assigned him to guard this run-down city again.
This time, the defending general immediately gave up.
He had no choice—there were only five hundred men under his command, even worse than when they attacked Zang River. The city hadn't even been fully repaired yet.
"Should we kill him?" Long Xiao asked.
"Ah, great immortals, please spare me!" The general, who looked like a green toad, immediately dropped to his knees with a loud thud. "I'm just a lowly squad captain! I have a mother over three hundred years old and a wife and children waiting to be fed! The only reason I'm here is that I can speak sixteen different tribal languages, so I can coordinate the different groups of soldiers. I've never even killed anyone before! Waaaah—"
Everyone: "..."
"Forget it, let him go," Zhao Xing said, looking at his pathetic state, too lazy to kill him. "Let him spread the word—let Youyun and the others know that we've crossed the river."
"Ah, I won't say anything! Great immortals, just go ahead. I'll pretend I didn't see a thing!" the toad-faced general pleaded again.
Zhao Xing had no interest in listening to his nonsense.
But his goal was to make sure word got out that they had crossed the river.
Whether this general said anything or not didn't matter—it was actually better for him if he did.
"Unlike the previous two times, this time, we won't be moving in secret. We will advance with great fanfare," Zhao Xing declared from the middle of the river. "Once we land, we will attack every city we see and avoid no one we encounter."
"Huh? Wouldn't that make it easier for them to track us?" Liao Rulong was confused again.
"I want Youyun's scout airships to see us," Zhao Xing smiled. "If we don't do this, how will the Nine Nether God mobilize his main army across the river to encircle us?"
"Chen Shijie."
"Present!" Chen Shijie immediately stepped forward.
Zhao Xing waved his hand, and a straw figure appeared beside him.
"Transform!"
Mid-tier technique—Illusory Form Straw Puppet.
Now that Zhao Xing had reached the Seventh Rank, the Illusory Form Straw Puppet was lifelike enough to be indistinguishable from a real person.
"Gather a Shennong team—anyone proficient in paper talismans or straw puppet techniques, group them together."
"Yes!" Chen Shijie immediately left to make the arrangements.
"Wang Ji."
"Here."
"How's the modification of the Riftbreaking Airships I asked you to do?"
"The modifications are basically complete."
"Excellent."
Zhao Xing smiled.
"Deploy all Riftbreaking Airships—let them take to the skies."
"Have all our avatars and Dharma Bodies board the airships."
"At the same time, contact the sects near the border of Lanhe Prefecture and Cangyue Prefecture in Guiyang Commandery. Select a few individuals to deliberately leak our movements. Make sure the Nine Nether God gets the news. These people must be willing to die because once they deliver false information, they won't survive afterward. They need to be mentally prepared for that," Zhao Xing instructed.
"Understood," Wang Ji immediately went to handle it.
"Grand, Grand Shennong," Zhao Zheng, who had been listening all along, finally couldn't hold back. "How do you know that the Nine Nether God is in Guiyang Commandery?"
"Let your Brother Xia explain it to you," Zhao Xing waved him off. "I have things to do."
Watching Zhao Xing stride away, Xia Jing sighed helplessly and explained, "The reason is simple—if the Nine Nether God wants to control the battlefield remotely, he must ensure that his Mechanists can cover the entire army."
"Looking at the map, only Guiyang Commandery allows him to effectively command four hundred thousand troops, relaying orders instantly while also monitoring our every move."
"If he were stationed elsewhere, his communication would be delayed. Even a half-hour delay would be unacceptable."
"I see!" Zhao Zheng suddenly understood.
After crossing the Tianshui River a third time, the Nine Nether God was quickly informed of Zhao Xing's movements.
He glanced at the map and couldn't help but laugh.
"Zhao Xing is truly at his wit's end. He's crossing the Tianshui River again to attack the three cities of Min Territory? Does he really think he can repeat the same trick and cross through Song Mountain again?"
"He has no idea that my seven divisions have already blocked all the exits. If he dares to take that path again, it will be no different from sending himself to his death."
"Your wisdom is unparalleled, Divine Seat," a burly middle-aged man with sword-like brows and piercing eyes praised. "It seems that within seven days, Zhao Xing and his Ten Suns Army will be annihilated in Min Territory."
"Once this is over, you can finally rest easy, Divine Seat. We can take advantage of the chaos when Great Zhou retreats in panic and march north to crush King Luo's imperial guards. We can attack Dong Ze, or we can strike at Li Hao, or even Northern Star King."
"What a pity I can't see him die with my own eyes," the Nine Nether God's eyes flashed with a cold light.
After crossing the Tianshui River for the third time, Zhao Xing dispatched approximately 3,500 people, spreading them out over a large area, openly traveling on Riftbreaking Airships as they passed through towns.
Since the ships were filled with avatars and talisman-paper incarnations, there were actually very few real people on board. But the ships themselves were high-quality—the Riftbreaking Airship was considered one of the best aerial vessels in Absolute Heaven's Path.
Zhao Xing boldly announced that he had successfully shaken off his pursuers and was now carrying powerful weapons. He invited sect members from all over, as well as the tribes of the Southern Barbarians, to join Great Zhou. He declared that they were sure to take the three cities of Min Territory. As long as they could cross the Canglan River, they could link up with Dong Ze.
As for the so-called Nine Nether God, he was nothing more than an insignificant figure.
He boasted that his combat prowess was unparalleled, and if he ever encountered the Nine Nether God, he could take his head even in the midst of ten thousand troops.
Such brazen statements made the Nine Nether God scoff in disdain.
Zhao Xing had successfully escaped from the heavily encircled army three times in a row. He was likely recovering well and had become somewhat overconfident.
"But this time, you won't be so lucky."
Nine Nether waved his massive hand as if he were about to decapitate Zhao Xing.
At that moment, when everyone believed that the army was advancing towards Min Prefecture—
The real Ten Sun Army had never headed to Min Prefecture at all. Instead, they had used Mist Concealment techniques to disperse and hide within the mountains. They moved northeast in the opposite direction and reappeared near the northeastern segment of the Tianshui River.
On the evening of March 22nd, over thirty thousand soldiers silently crossed the Tianshui River from the Longyou Shoals and other crossing points.
Since this wasn't their first time executing such an operation, everyone was already well-practiced. They fragmented into smaller groups and slipped through the gaps of the four-hundred-thousand-strong army undetected.
By March 25th, most of Nine Nether's four hundred thousand troops had already crossed south of the Tianshui River, preparing to launch an all-out offensive to capture Zhao Xing and the Ten Sun Army.
They were completely unaware that Zhao Xing and his forces had already moved north of the Tianshui River.
What remained in Min Prefecture was nothing but a pile of seemingly valuable equipment and a few scattered living men—everything else was merely "straw puppets."
On the first day of April.
Nine Nether conducted his routine inquiry about the ongoing siege against Zhao Xing and the Ten Sun Army.
In previous reports, he had always received the same response—Zhao Xing had been located, and his forces were being pursued.
However, today's response was different.
"Hou Ying's division has spotted Zhao Xing. You Yun has also spotted Zhao Xing. Wan Yan Song has spotted Zhao Xing as well—"
Nine Nether smirked slightly. "So, Zhao Xing couldn't help himself. He's trying to use straw puppet clones to confuse me."
"But these straw puppets of his are far too crude."
"Divine Throne, your wisdom is unparalleled. Without reaching the Fifth Rank, he simply cannot unleash the full power of the straw puppet techniques." A tall and handsome man beside him smiled.
"As for the Fifth Rank's [Heaven and Earth Guard], it would be nearly impossible for Zhao Xing to obtain it. The time is too short. In just a few months, he couldn't possibly gather enough accumulations to reach that level."
"Unless, in every single battle, eighty to ninety percent of the achievements were credited solely to him—but how could that be possible?"
Nine Nether nodded in agreement. Indeed, it was highly improbable.
After all, he was merely a Grand Shennong. How could he possess such immense Fortune?
Guiyang Commandery – A Hidden Mountain Gate.
Here lay a renowned Shennong Sect—Guiyuan Sect.
It had once been united with Kunyuan Academy, but later, just like Xuantian Academy, it had split apart.
At this moment, the sect master of Guiyuan Sect, Guiyuan Divine Sovereign, was waiting at the mountain gate for something.
Suddenly, a young man emerged from the ground and appeared before him.
"The Grand Shennong is indeed bold. Even at the early stage of the Sixth Rank, you dare to meet me, a Fifth Rank, face to face?" Guiyuan Divine Sovereign laughed heartily. "Aren't you afraid that I might be pretending to surrender?"
"I believe in you," Zhao Xing responded earnestly. "I am willing to stake my trust and bear any consequences."
Guiyuan Divine Sovereign's eyes flickered with emotion. He nodded slightly and said nothing more. Then, he gestured behind him.
Instantly, a group of people emerged from behind the mountain gate.
Zhao Xing's pupils constricted—there were actually two Fifth Rank experts among them, along with fifty-seven Sixth Rank cultivators!
Such a force was no smaller than the one that defected when the Mist Walkers pledged allegiance in the past!
"Today, meeting the Saint of Shennong, have you all fulfilled your life's wish?" Guiyuan Divine Sovereign asked.
"The true deity of the Four Crossings of the Tianshui River—no regrets in death!" A group of elderly elders stroked their beards and chuckled.
"To hear the Dao in the morning, one may die at night without regret," Guiyuan Zi said solemnly. "We are willing to contribute our humble strength to the Grand Shennong's path of ascension. We only ask that the Grand Shennong lead the younger disciples of our sect back to Great Zhou."
"You all—" Zhao Xing suddenly understood something. He bowed deeply to them.
When he raised his head again, the entire sect was now filled only with young disciples.
Guiyuan Divine Sovereign and the group of elders had committed suicide, transferring all of their accumulated permissions to Zhao Xing.
The younger disciples within the sect were protected by a formation barrier, remaining completely unharmed.
At that moment, Zhao Xing broke through directly to the Perfection Stage of the Fifth Rank!
"Rest assured, I will take them with me on my path to ascension," Zhao Xing declared, waving his hand. He led all the younger members of Guiyuan Sect away from the mountain gate.
And so, on April 1st, Zhao Xing and the Ten Sun Army appeared within Guiyang Commandery.
The massive army arrived outside the nearly empty Guiyang City, pointing their blades directly at Nine Nether!
That evening, when Nine Nether inquired about Zhao Xing and his army's supposed escape towards Min Prefecture,
His subordinate trembled as he replied, "D-Divine Throne, Z-Zhao Xing and his army have… have arrived outside Guiyang City."
"Wh-What did you just say?!"
Nine Nether was momentarily dumbfounded.