Chapter 63

One person rode a horse in front.

Seventeen people rode horses behind.

Dressed in winter garb, wearing horse boots, with a crescent moon saber at the waist.

Head covered with a black cloth, face masked, only the eyes showing, murderous aura rising.

On horseback, a strong bow, eighteen arrows.

Behind them flowed a long cape, on which the words "Western Depot" were written.

"The Eighteen Riders of the Western Depot are here—open the gate!" the leader shouted at the city guards on the wall of Southern Border City.

"There are Southern Heaven Gate soldiers ambushed in the distance; we cannot open the gate!"

With a wave of the leader's hand, the eighteen riders drew their bows and fired eighteen arrows!

The dozens of city guards on the wall all fell from it!

The eighteen arrows struck down over a hundred people.

Wrapping their winter garments around themselves, the Eighteen Riders of the Western Depot charged straight at the gate!

"Bang!" Their bodies were harder than mountain boulders as they stormed into Southern Border City, heading straight for the Returning Geese Tower.

Xiao Feng smiled faintly, standing atop the Returning Geese Tower, looking far into the distance, able to see the whole Southern Border City at a glance. "Heh! Looks like Eunuch Zhang has arrived! The famed Eighteen Riders of the Western Depot who command wind and cloud!"

In Xiao Feng's eyes, the Eighteen Riders of the Western Depot appeared as a dense cluster of black dots, rapidly rushing toward his position.

"Eunuch Zhang has brought out his own banner—no wonder the Embroidered Uniform Guard didn't bring a single man," Nan Zhongyi said with a smile. Seeing the Eighteen Riders of the Western Depot, he felt everything was secure, even more so than the soldiers of the Southern Heaven Gate.

At that moment, an elderly person in plain robes climbed to the top floor, smiling and saying to the two chatting individuals, "Why not sit comfortably on the tenth floor, yet you insist on climbing to the roof?"

"Hahaha! So it's Senior Feng! I wondered why we had no reaction at all before someone appeared beside us!" Xiao Feng laughed loudly.

Feng Yichu is an elder of the Hua Shan Sect, over seventy years old, with flowing white beard yet a youthful visage, immortal aura, and unfathomable cultivation; rumor has it his swordsmanship has reached the divine, and in the Fourth Heaven realm he has never met an equal!

"Alas, old, old..." Perhaps the view from the Returning Geese Tower was too beautiful, or perhaps Zhang Beihai's death was too tragic; Feng Yichu's first words were a mournful sigh.

"If you say you're old, where does that leave us two juniors?" Nan Zhongyi countered.

For thousands of years, the Hua Shan Sect has been a pillar of the martial world, its fame rivaling Shaolin and Wudang; like the Southern Heaven Gate sect, it supports the Great Zhou Dynasty, preserving peace and stability on the Peaceful Heaven Continent, so its members have always been close to the imperial court.

"My disciple Beihai has only just assumed the sect leadership for half a month, alas..." Feng Yichu pointed at the Thousand-layer Gate and declared firmly, "I will personally exterminate this scourge! To avenge Beihai and wipe clean the shame of Hua Shan!"

For some reason, upon hearing Feng Yichu's words, Xiao Feng and Nan Zhongyi's previously anxious hearts suddenly eased.

Tie Gang stood beneath the Returning Geese Tower and shouted upward, "Wait for me to come up—aren't you afraid I'll collapse this tower?" His voice was loud and powerful, reaching deep into the chest; as a member of the Iron Gate, he possessed such inner strength!

The Eighteen Riders of the Western Depot also arrived.

Xiao Feng, Nan Zhongyi, and Feng Yichu floated down from the Returning Geese Tower.

The leader removed his mask—unimaginably, it was Eunuch Zhang! Though Eunuch Zhang was clearly stooped, his steps unsteady, and obviously frail with age, now he bore no trace of an old man! Who could imagine that Eunuch Zhang was not only the chief of the Western Depot but also the captain of its Eighteen Riders?

The Eighteen Riders of the Western Depot were personally led by Eunuch Zhang, once shaking the world! Eighteen men slaughtered a city, eighteen men destroyed a nation, just like the Southern Heaven Gate, they earned great merit for the stability of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The Eighteen Riders of the Western Depot always operated in secrecy; this blatant intrusion into Southern Border City shows how great the fury of Emperor Wen of Zhou and Eunuch Zhang is!

This is also to expose the crimes of the Thousand-layer Gate to the world!

Li Lan led the Embroidered Uniform Guard, hurrying here to report to Eunuch Zhang. Li Lan dismounted, knelt, lay prostrate, and trembled as he paid his respects: "Subordinate… I… I pay my respects to Eunuch Zhang!"

"You're truly useless!" Eunuch Zhang didn't even glance at Li Lan, nodding toward Xiao Feng and the others while stepping on Li Lan as he dismounted.

No one saw Eunuch Zhang draw the crescent moon saber at his waist, but they heard it being resheathed; Li Lan's head had already hit the ground. "Ah, truly not reassuring—looks like the Western Depot will still need this old man to step forward personally."

"Eunuch Zhang, I hope you've been well!" Xiao Feng stepped forward and clasped his fists.

"Long time no see!" Nan Zhongyi also clasped his fists.

This is Eunuch Zhang's prestige—the top favorite beside the emperor; who could deny him face?

"Count me in as a Blade Palm master of Bei Du! Friends, I've arrived late." Approaching was an old man carrying a great blade on his back—Ouyang Lie's father, Ouyang Zhuo—declaring, "Acting on Heaven's will, to avenge my son!"

On the Peaceful Heaven Continent, such a scene had not occurred in many years: first, it stirred the Eighteen Riders of the Western Depot; second, it gathered at least five Fourth Heaven experts.

"The Thousand-layer Gate is deeply rooted in Southern Border City; this time we cannot let a single person escape—we must uproot it completely." Xiao Feng told the crowd, "Now that I think about it, inside are merely seven elders; though strong, we outnumber them and have the strength to contend and fight!"

"I'll rip open their crotches!" Tie Gang could no longer hold back; his iron armor was far larger and thicker than his son's! In the Iron Gate, the thicker the armor, the greater the strength!

The iron armor is Tie Gang's pride, a rare genius of the Iron Gate, yet the Thousand-layer Gate's conspiracy claimed his young life—what father could forgive the murder of his son?

Ouyang Zhuo felt the same.

"In a moment, the Eighteen Riders of the Western Depot will pierce the Thousand-layer Gate's seal barrier; you charge in, capture the elders alive if possible, otherwise kill them!" Eunuch Zhang's emphasis may have been neither masculine nor feminine, but his vigor was undiminished.

The Eighteen Riders of the Western Depot led the way, while Xiao Feng, Nan Zhongyi, Feng Yichu, Tie Gang, and Ouyang Zhuo—five Fourth Heaven masters—followed behind.

Some have inferred the strength of the Eighteen Riders of the Western Depot merely from their feats of slaughtering a city and destroying a nation; each hides their true power, all being top-tier experts, yet they willingly sacrifice everything for the Great Zhou Dynasty, content to be nameless warriors.

The Western Depot uses the Embroidered Uniform Guard for brawls, but for duels of masters it still needs the Eighteen Riders to act; as their captain, Eunuch Zhang's strength has never been to be underestimated.

The area within several kilometers of the Thousand-layer Gate has been placed under lockdown, preventing civilians from approaching; the original city guards of Southern Border City were all arrested by the soldiers of the Southern Heaven Gate.

The civilians of Southern Border City panicked; the Thousand-layer Gate they had relied upon overnight became a target of universal condemnation, yet no one knew why. A few days ago someone petitioned Nan Zhongyi and was immediately beheaded; after that, nobody dared to speak out.

Some civilians whispered in private, "Even if the court and the martial world join forces, they may not be able to uproot the Thousand-layer Gate's thousand-year foundation!"

"Indeed! It's eerie; I often hear ghostly wails from inside the Thousand-layer Gate late at night—can you hear them?"

"That sounds like an exaggeration… so frightening…"

Yet most are supporters of the Thousand-layer Gate: "The Thousand-layer Gate has guarded peace in Southern Border City for generations—what right do the people of Bei Du have to slap a label on it just because they arrived?"

"This is clearly jealousy of our Southern Border City!"

"Who knows? We're just commoners; what can we do against officials and soldiers? We only hope the elders will decide for the Thousand-layer Gate and Southern Border City—worst case, we'll have nothing to do with Bei Du."

Meanwhile, all major and minor sects in the martial world were watching Southern Border City and the Thousand-layer Gate. Because this time the Thousand-layer Gate had selected ten individuals, and the seven elders had sent out limited letters, many masters remained in a wait-and-see stance, daring not to relax in the slightest, fearing they would miss many exciting scenes.