Chapter 353: Marching Out!

"Ah, it's General Pu."

Nie Siming quickened his steps and approached a massive, armored warrior who stood like a iron tower.

This man was Pu Xin, a famed warrior of Wu State.

He was known as the Eagle of Tianshan.

His realm was Third Rank, ranked 451st in the global martial evaluation.

Moreover, his formidable true qi external cultivation rendered his body utterly ruthless, making him invincible on the battlefield.

Nie Siming himself was born of the military.

He had always held such fierce warriors in high esteem.

"General Nie, how is the Marquis's health?"

Though Pu Xin looked rugged and coarse, his speech was slow and deliberate, utterly unlike his appearance.

Like a tiger delicately sniffing a rose.

"Very well," Nie Siming replied.

Pu Xin nodded with a smile: "Good, you've improved, boy."

He and Nie Siming were no strangers.

When Yuan Dingting once came to aid Wu State, all eight adopted sons were present; at the time, Pu Xin was one of the generals assigned to assist Yuan Dingting, so he naturally knew Nie Siming.

Yuan Dingting had personally come to aid Wu Country, and all eight of his adopted sons were with him then; he was one of the generals assigned by the new Wu Emperor to assist Yuan Dingting, so he naturally knew Nie Siming.

Pu Xin then turned to Yuan Xiong beside him.

"Little Xiong, you've grown as well."

After saying this,

he bowed to Liu Qing: "Master Liu, we meet again."

Liu Qing, standing behind Nie Siming, gave a slight nod: "General Pu, it's been a long time—ten years since our last parting."

In status, he, as the Marquis's advisor, was technically the highest.

But today he represented two nations.

He and Yuan Xiong held no official titles; standing ahead would be improper, so he stepped back one position.

This was the etiquette of a nation—must not be broken.

Yet Pu Xin treated him with deep respect.

Li Rui, Cao Wei, Jia Qi, and Yan Zhongxing, standing nearby, watched in fascination.

All four had only heard of Pu Xin's name; this was their first time seeing him in person.

After the introductions,

since Pu Xin was already familiar with Liu Qing, Nie Siming, and others,

matters became much easier.

Over the past few days, scouts had already gathered nearly complete intelligence on Zijin Palace—only three to five hundred people total.

Excluding servants, the true core numbered barely over a hundred.

Excluding the laborers, the true core numbered no more than a hundred.

on the battlefield, victory is never decided by common soldiers, but by the supreme combatants.

What truly gave them pause was the Blood Shadow Ancestor.

Decades ago, the Blood Shadow Ancestor was already a renowned Third Rank powerhouse; later, he broke through into Second Rank, his strength unquestionable, his blood arts strange and ruthless.

Blood Shadow Ancestor was already a renowned third-rank powerhouse decades ago, later breaking through to second rank; his strength was unquestionable, and his blood techniques were peculiar and brutal.

Too many people would hinder the operation.

The number of elites dispatched this time could not be excessive.

Liu Qing and Pu Xin ultimately settled on fifty.

These fifty were all elite soldiers and officials, each at least Sixth Rank like Ning Zhongtian.

In addition, there were some martial masters from sects friendly to the imperial court.

With Liu Qing and Pu Xin, two Earth Immortals, leading them, their combat power was not to be dismissed.

Li Rui, as head of the Anning Guard,

naturally could not avoid participation.

Yet battlefield affairs were not as bloody as the world imagined; with sufficient caution and adequate strength, survival was more than assured.

Moreover, among the several Primordials, he was far from the most outstanding.

After discussing the topographical map, Liu Qing and the others immediately decided to launch the attack tonight.

Speed is paramount in warfare.

The goal was to strike Ten Thousand Mountains before Zijin Palace's spies could react, catching them utterly off guard.

The goal is to strike the Ten Thousand Mountains before the Purple Gold Palace's spies can react, catching them off guard.

Dozens of elites gathered at the Anning Guard.

Then they exited the city through its western gate, heading straight onto the imperial road.

All were martial experts, each possessing superb lightness arts, needing no mounts, gliding swiftly along the road.

"Big brother, how confident are you about this mission?"

Ning Zhongtian asked, still breathing easily as he ran.

Li Rui shook his head:

"Zijin Palace is mysterious—caution is paramount."

"I think even if Zijin Palace is tied to the Ghost Ming Sect, it's probably no more than a branch level—hardly stronger than us."

"I think even if the Purple Gold Palace is linked to the Ghost Ming Sect, it's probably no more than a branch of the Ghost Ming Sect—hardly stronger than us."

"Fourth brother, when the fighting starts, survival comes first."

Ning Zhongtian grinned: "Don't worry, Big Brother—I'm no green recruit fresh off the battlefield."

He had already fought multiple rounds on Wu State's battlefields.

His ability to survive on the battlefield had undergone a qualitative leap.

Li Rui nodded, saying no more.

Or rather, before they set out, he had already told Ning Zhongtian everything worth saying.

Zijin Palace might harbor Exiled Immortals.

That would make things extremely difficult.

But since the Mountain Guardian He Qianian already knew the situation—and even Commander Yang Bing was aware—the imperial court must have prepared accordingly.

The world at large still did not know of Exiled Immortals; surely the court had its own countermeasures.

Since the decision to act had been made, it was no concern of a lowly Fifth Rank official like him.

Two hours later,

the rapid march halted in a dense forested valley; Nie Siming, in command, ordered the force to go into concealment while he, Liu Qing, Pu Xin, and others observed the situation.

Li Rui squinted,

gazing at the majestic palace complex ahead, nearly covering half the mountain.

"Hmm, quite the undertaking."

Though he had grown weary of hearing "Zijin Palace," this was his first time seeing it in person.

Indeed, extraordinary.

Carving such a vast palace out of rock and mountain was no small feat.

It was said His Majesty once wished to build a palace on Dongshan outside Jingcheng, to escape the summer heat.

But when he consulted Grand Secretary Zhang, he was immediately denied.

!

His Majesty flew into a rage and demanded an explanation.

Grand Secretary Zhang calculated the cost and found it absurdly high; His Majesty had no choice but to abandon the plan.

It wasn't merely the massive labor required—it was because His Majesty's palace was to be built from black obsidian stone.

Even His Majesty thought it too expensive.

Yet here, in Ten Thousand Mountains, such a vast expanse existed—clearly a grand gesture.

This revealed Zijin Palace's depth was far from ordinary.

Then Liu Qing spoke softly:

"The mountain-protection formation of Zijin Palace is intriguing—it's the Lost Dragon Array, lost for ten thousand years."

"The Lost Dragon Array?!"

Nie Siming, Pu Xin, and Yuan Xiong all gasped in shock.

Liu Qing nodded: "But I observe the array's core is unstable—it appears the original core has been displaced. This gives us an opportunity."

Pu Xin gazed at Liu Qing with admiration.

He knew better than anyone the capabilities of this Master Liu.

A killer who relies only on swift swordplay has already fallen into inferiority; in truth, beyond swordsmanship, Liu Qing excelled in many other areas.

Such as lightness arts, and especially breaking formations.

Though Liu Qing was no master of array design and did not know how to construct them, his insight was exceptional, and his ability to dismantle arrays was peerless.

He often treated great formations as if they were nothing.

Before joining Yuan Dingting's command, he had once shattered the protective array of a major sect and killed one of its Supreme Elders right before the Sect Master's eyes.

Quickly.

Nie Siming divided the group into several small teams.

I wonder if it was intentional.

Nie Siming assigned Li Rui to a perimeter guard unit, requiring no entry into the Purple Gold Palace.

He only needed to stand guard outside and prevent any survivors from escaping.

Undoubtedly, it was the easiest and least dangerous task.

Of course.

The downside was that it offered little chance to earn great merit.

Li Rui was overjoyed inside.

That fight with Nie Siming had been worth every moment.

He was delighted to have peace and quiet; merit meant nothing to him.

Five men remained behind, while Liu Qing led the others swiftly toward the Purple Gold Palace.

Among the five left behind,

Li Rui held the highest rank and greatest strength, and naturally became the leader.

"Each of you, stand guard. Do not let a single cultist escape."

"Yes!"

The others chorused in unison.

Soon, the Purple Gold Palace erupted into chaos—clashing weapons rang out, and shouts of battle filled the air.

"Big brother, the Purple Gold Palace is incredibly strong!"

Ning Zhongtian watched from afar.

The rapid advance was met with resistance at the palace gates; both sides were locked in stalemate.

Li Rui also stared intently toward the battlefield.

He had already brought his four subordinates to a position two li from the Purple Gold Palace.

From here, they could advance or retreat easily.

Though Liu Qing was in command, out of habit, Li Rui had chosen a spot from which he could flee quickly if things turned bad.

As Ning Zhongtian had said,

the Purple Gold Palace's elite fighters were truly formidable.

This force alone could have broken through even a major sect, yet it was halted by the Purple Gold Palace—clearly demonstrating its deep reserves.

As Li Rui pondered,

a figure appeared in the forest to the right of the group.

They were startled at first.

Then came a familiar voice: "Li kid, come with me."

Li Rui turned his head.

There stood He Qianian.

"Senior He."

Li Rui was not surprised.

He Qianian was a Mountain Guardian; if there were exiled immortals inside the Purple Gold Palace, he would surely come.

He had not shown himself at the start of the campaign—he must have been hiding in the shadows.

Now, he had finally appeared.

He Qianian looked at Li Rui and spoke calmly:

"Come. Let's go see what kind of power this Purple Gold Palace truly holds."

(End of Chapter)