Chapter 447

Documents were sent through various official channels to Anyang City.

Wu Tie communicated with Mr. Li in advance, informing him of the contents of these documents beforehand.

In response, Mr. Li showed great approval, and Wu Tie even sensed from him the eager delight of sharpening knives for sheep and swine.

How great an upheaval would occur inside Anyang City, how much sword light and blade shadow, and how many people would be exterminated and left without burial because of the documents he sent—Wu Tie said he only needed to set the fire, regardless of how large the blaze grew.

Pei Feng was busy reorganizing the Black Phoenix Army.

After screening, a large batch of Divine Might Army soldiers—these troops coming from ordinary military households, lacking any notable general or aristocratic background—were forced to join the Black Phoenix Army, becoming a strong reinforcement for it.

With Old Uncle Ma and other veteran officers overseeing it, the matter proceeded smoothly without major disturbance.

The greatest risk lay within the Black Phoenix Army itself.

Those traitorous commanders were captured alive, not a single one escaping.

In the following days, more than a dozen senior Black Phoenix Army officers, unable to bear the psychological pressure, voluntarily approached Pei Feng to confess; they had all, under the pressure of the 'Phoenix Mountain Lord,' chosen to defect to the 'Phoenix Mountain Lord.'

This time, Sima Wolf nearly destroyed the Black Phoenix Army; the turmoil stemmed from those Black Phoenix Army officers who had defected to the Phoenix Mountain Lord, collaborating inside and out.

Pei Feng felt troubled, unsure how to treat these veteran Black Phoenix Army officers.

For several days straight, Pei Feng wore a grim face, drinking on the city tower. One after another empty wine jars were hurled down from the gate tower by her, shattering and scattering pottery shards across that stretch of the city wall.

Regarding this, Wu Tie and Old Tie didn't know how to persuade her.

Two rough old fellows—how much delicate thought could one expect from them?

Moreover, what standing did Wu Tie have to interfere in the internal affairs of the Black Phoenix Army?

In the days that followed, Wu Tie was very busy.

Clearing the battlefield, collecting the wreckage of ships—these vessels were made of fine material; after recycling, remelting them in the furnace easily yields good-quality metal, excellent raw material for forging low-rank spirit weapons.

At the same time, they had to rescue the dead and aid the wounded.

The brave soldiers of the Great Marsh Army suffered heavy casualties this time; the fallen needed graves built for them, the wounded needed treatment. Many soldiers left disabled could no longer fight, so they could only be sent back to Great Marsh City for resettlement.

With the cooperation of the Five Elements Spirits, the efficiency of Wu Tie's laborers and artisans in building forts increased greatly.

The water spirits prevented heavenly downpours from becoming a problem, and surface waters receded under their power. The earth spirits leveled the terrain, adept at construction projects. The metal spirits excelled at felling giant trees, while the wood spirits excelled at splitting timber.

The fire spirits' role was even greater; under their efforts, the flames of those huge furnaces surged severalfold, and the efficiency of refining the molten mix of rock and metal increased severalfold, providing ample raw material for those forts.

In just a few days, over fifty newly built forts took shape; together with the previously constructed forts, they formed in the mountains a fairly complete defensive circle, controlling a range of up to a thousand miles, sufficient to become a solid supporting defensive belt.

The fort construction was overseen by Huang Yu and Li Erhaozi leading personnel.

Li Erhaozi had lost an arm, and Huang Yu also bore serious external wounds, yet this time their energy was like that of a purgatorial furnace; both endured, and their vitality, spirit, and essence underwent great change.

They became more capable and experienced, their killing intent grew stronger, and their work efficiency saw a tremendous increase.

Since it was merely overseeing house construction, Wu Tie didn't need to worry too much; he let them handle it fully.

The two did not disappoint Wu Tie; the fort construction proceeded smoothly.

Furthermore, following the secret routes marked on the mountain-river geographic map given by the Military Bureau's Hall of Mechanisms, they organized a team of Five Elements Spirits and carved out in the mountains a road a hundred zhang wide and several hundred li long.

Along the way, all trees and their roots were cleared away; the earth spirits turned the soil into solid rock, and every mountain peak along the route was leveled, making it a nearly absolutely straight thoroughfare.

Such a thoroughfare will become one of the most important markers of this secret path.

Along this road, the Great Jin military will construct a solid defensive system, stockpile vast supplies and troops, and rely on it to launch a frenzied assault on the Great Martial God State.

Wu Tie's main focus, however, was placed on his own Dragon River fief.

As a sixth-rank marquis, the Dragon River Marquis's territory follows the Dragon River basin northeast of Great Marsh State, stretching 120,000 li long and 30,000 li wide, with dense water networks, fertile land, inexhaustible fish-and-rice bounty, and the highlands at the Dragon River's source abound in various ores, likewise able to supply ample metal materials.

If such fertile land were not properly utilized, Wu Tie could not forgive himself.

In just a few days, Wu Tie, accompanied by Old Tie, returned to Great Marsh City once, ordering Huang Liang to swiftly relocate residents into the Dragon River fief.

In just a few days, Huang Liang had already, among the frontier households of Great Marsh State, selected millions of civilians possessing a skill, struck them from the Great Marsh household registers, declaring them dead from plague, and then sent them all to the Dragon River fief.

An elite force of Five Elements Spirits also secretly marched to the Dragon River fief; they were to serve as the fief's first regular army, overseeing the relocated civilians in leveling fields, building cities, and simultaneously protecting them from ferocious beasts and certain alien tribes.

At the same time, their more important task was to select habitats for the Five Elements Spirits within the Dragon River fief.

The vast Dragon River fief is sufficient to accommodate all the Five Elements Spirits.

Wu Tie did not want the Five Elements Spirits to fall into the eyes of too many schemers; being able to keep them hidden, silently growing stronger, is the best situation.

After being busy for a while, Wu Tie also kept waiting for feedback from Anyang City.

Sima Wolf was beaten into a cripple, his Divine Might Army's main force nearly annihilated—this is absolutely an earth-shattering event.

Moreover, Wu Tie also slapped the charge of rebel faction upon Sima Wolf.

Heh, the illustrious heir of the Yao Prince's mansion would actually be a rebel!

Anyway, Wu Tie did just that; he eagerly awaited whatever response Anyang City might give him.

Besides the Yao Prince's mansion's reaction, Wu Tie also anticipated what response Hall of Mechanisms' Zhao Xiong might have.

Of the Hall of Mechanisms' 100,000 elite troops, aside from the thousands unlucky ones struck down by a barrage of wood-spirit arrows, the rest had their cultivation sealed by Wu Tie, demoted to mine slaves, and all were sent to the Black Phoenix Army's mines to dig as earth rats.

In the military bureau's documents, Wu Tie claimed that the Hall of Mechanisms' 100,000 elites were all slaughtered clean by Sima Wolf's men.

Whether Zhao Xiong would believe Wu Tie's words, Wu Tie felt that as long as Zhao Xiong's brain wasn't waterlogged, he would not believe it.

Thus, Wu Tie eagerly awaited to see what Zhao Xiong would do.

Even, he faintly felt a bit excited, wishing Zhao Xiong would quickly unleash thunderous wrath, sending someone to assassinate him or outright kill him… Having inherited the legacy of the Peacock Bright King and the Great Peng Bright King, Wu Tie's courage and confidence at this moment were unprecedentedly abundant.

What disappointed Wu Tie was that, after waiting several days in Great Marsh City, the millions of households declared dead from plague had already been sent to the Dragon River fief, begun digging foundations and building cities, while the Hall of Mechanisms still showed no reaction.

Furthermore, there was no news coming back from Anyang City either.

The Yao Prince's mansion remained silent.

The Yan Prince's mansion behind Sima You and others, as well as those clan aristocratic houses, also had no news arriving.

The great commotion stirred up by Sima Wolf was like a pebble tossed into the Weak Waters of Great Marsh State, not raising even a ripple.

Wu Tie originally wanted to stay a few more days in Great Marsh City, but a message sent back by Li Erhaozi forced him to return to the army.

The Five Elements Spirits moved swiftly, relying on their innate divine abilities and vast numbers; in just a short half-month, they had already carved out in the mountains a perfectly straight road stretching over ten thousand li.

Along the route, Li Er Haozu and company constructed many strongholds of various sizes, about a hundred or so. Inside them were stationed some soldiers and laborers, who performed daily maintenance and upkeep on the strongholds.

However, the road construction stopped abruptly here; a rift valley hundreds of li wide and hundreds of zhang deep, roughly extending east to west, blocked the highway, and the team led by Li Er Haozu halted here.

"Why did we stop? With the earth essences' methods, constructing numerous bridge piers and building a stone bridge over this rift valley is quite easy. It's merely a valley hundreds of li long and hundreds of zhang deep." Wu Tie asked Li Er Haozu and the others in puzzlement.

With the strength of the earth essences, once they condense rock and stone and cover their bodies with an external carapace, their size can easily reach several hundred zhang, making their bodies roughly as tall as this great rift valley. And experts like Tu Ba Pi can be even taller, reaching a thousand zhang or more, making this valley nothing to them.

This great rift valley should not, by any measure, become an obstacle to the project.

"Over there lies our mortal enemy." Tu Ba Pi crouched beside Wu Tie, pointing with his hand to the other side of the rift valley hundreds of li away.

Wu Tie opened the spiritual eye between his brows; a hazy gray light flickered, and he easily saw the situation on the opposite side.

On the cliffs above the opposite rift valley, scattered stood several hundred beings whose bodies resembled deer or horses, with human upper bodies.

Wu Tie had seen those half‑human, half‑horse beings in the subterranean world.

However, compared to the horse‑human tribes of the underground world, these surface dwellers are more stalwart, standing several zhang tall, with extremely long and thick arms, their knotted tendons and bones beneath the skin brimming with savage power.

The half‑human, half‑deer tribes are somewhat shorter, but still reach three or four zhang in height.

These half‑human, half‑deer beings have antlers on their heads; their donkey‑like bodies are covered in mottled spots, and large quantities of living vines entwine their forms, even bearing tiny flowers.

These deer people are practically moving flower pots, their whole bodies exuding a pleasant, natural fragrance.

Some deer people have mighty, extraordinary great eagles or similar raptors perched on them; observing the birds' behavior, it is clear they are especially intimate with the deer people, evidently serving as their war beasts and companions.

Various splendid tigers and ferocious monstrous pythons lurk near these horse‑ and deer‑people, occasionally scraping claws and jaws, exhaling breath; sometimes a giant python's tail lashes the ground in irritation, carving deep fissures into the hard rock.

Wu Tie and his companions stood here gazing into the distance, while far off those horse‑people and passersby stared at a huge bone plate.

Light flickered in Wu Tie's spiritual eye; he saw that the bone plate bore ancient patterns, from which great clouds of vapor erupted, forming a light curtain about a zhang in diameter that projected Wu Tie and his companions' every move onto its radiance.

Yet the image within the light curtain was strange, resembling a view from high above looking down.

Wu Tie raised his head and saw, high above the rift valley at a height of tens of thousands of zhang, an extraordinarily divine great peng bird spreading its wings, almost hovering in midair, its eyes faintly flashing with light as it stared fixedly at Wu Tie and his party.

"That is the herdsmen of the forest — that is, the eyes and ears of those deer‑bodied folk." Tu Ba Pi crouched beside Wu Tie, looking up at the great peng bird tens of thousands of zhang high: "They possess a secret art; whatever these feathered creatures can see, they can see as well."

"However, if it's too far away it won't work. This range is roughly about a thousand li." A Fire Essence Elder transformed into a fireball the size of a human head, hovering beside Wu Tie and speaking in a muffled tone: "However, a thousand li is also impressive; we lack such means."

"Are you and they mortal enemies? Why?" Wu Tie asked curiously of the Fire Essence Elder named Huo Zao Zao.

Huo Zao Zao lived up to his name, his temper extremely explosive; he blurted out: "Who knows all that? Anyway, our ancestors said we are mortal enemies, so we are mortal enemies. As long as we don't meet, it's fine; we take this rift valley as the boundary — if we don't meet, fine; if we do, we fight to the death!"

Keke, a strange laugh, Huo Zao Zao loudly said: "Those birds they raise are hard to catch, but once roasted they taste quite good."

Beside him, a Wood Essence Elder named Mu San Hua stroked his beard and said in a deep voice: "Holy Ancestor, speaking of this, it does have some connection to our wood‑essence folk… These forest herdsmen are innately able to control the propagation of plants and to drive the flowers, grasses, and trees of the mountains and forests."

"They can extract the wood‑essence hearts from the bodies of our wood‑essence people, enhancing their cultivation and extending their lifespans. Hence they often sneakily hunt our kin."

Mu San Hua gave a cold snort and said angrily: "Our five tribes share a common origin, are interconnected; when they attack us, the earth, water, metal, and fire essences surely clash with them. However, they possess various strange secret arts, while we rely only on our innate abilities to fight them, and we often come out the worse."

"Nevertheless, our tribes are numerous, and our people never fear death. Thus, over the years they have gained no advantage."

Mu San Hua glared at Huo Zao Zao: "These matters have been passed down orally by our ancestors, yet you, this fellow, don't even keep their words in mind."

Huo Zao Zao extended a flame‑condensed arm from his fireball and, with a Thud, punched Mu San Hua: "Cut the chatter; I only worry about fighting — why we started is none of my business."

The fireball spun rapidly, and Huo Zao Zao laughed loudly: "Now we have the technique granted by the Holy Ancestor; our combat power is rising swiftly, and we have all grasped some marvelous secret arts. When we fight them, hehe, they will surely be the ones to suffer."

As Huo Zao Zao's words left his mouth, two huge black eagles swooped down from the clouds above.

On the backs of the black eagles sat several huge apes; at an altitude of nearly ten thousand zhang, these apes seized chunks of hard stone the size of water jars, aimed, and hurled them forcefully at Wu Tie and his companions.

The boulders carried a dull, tearing‑through‑the‑air sound and struck down with great accuracy.