Chapter 39

"You all first send Marshal Sun Tiejun's corpse back, the battle at Humen Pass is about to be victorious. No mistakes allowed; as for what exactly happened, this general will investigate thoroughly."

"What Marshal Sun Tiejun said about Shen Tianxing might just be a temporary hallucination; the current Shen Tianxing should still be holding the North City Gate, and we don't know if he's alive or dead; this general still needs to go reinforce."

"Saying this is also to protect Shen Tianxing; the key is that there is no evidence proving Shen Tianxing did it; as long as we can confirm Shen Tianxing has been guarding the North City Gate all along, then no one will suspect him."

"Of course Yang Hongyue also has her own selfish motives; with Sun Tiejun dead, she no longer has to marry him, which is the best outcome for her. As for Sun Tiejun's death, even if it truly is related to Shen Tianxing, Yang Hongyue will do everything to cover it up."

"Yes, General Yang!"

"All the soldiers responded in unison; shortly after, several hundred people escorted Sun Tiejun's corpse away, while the rest followed Yang Hongyue all the way to the North City Gate, fighting."

"After tallying the spoils, Shen Tianxing took Zhao Lingfei and went out to kill again; don't ask why Hong Yi didn't go, mainly because when Shen Tianxing summoned her back, she had already activated Single-person Visible Mode."

"That is to say, besides Shen Tianxing, no one else can see her; this is a basic function of the system, and it can be used on this Subsystem."

"Commandant Wang and the others were also fighting hard; seeing Shen Tianxing rush out again, with every strike fatal, they were deeply impressed, for at this moment Shen Tianxing was covered in blood, making it impossible to tell whose blood it was."

"Even a few archers in the distance shot cold arrows, nearly hitting Commandant Wang, but Shen Tianxing cut the two cold arrows in half with one blow, without saying a word, and charged all the way to kill those distant archers."

"Commandant Wang was moved to tears; this wasn't just one person—almost every soldier Shen Tianxing could see, if they were in danger in the Da Zhou Army, he would be the first to step forward."

"\"How could Marshal Sun target someone like this? In the midst of chaos, one can not only kill enemies but also risk life to save comrades; having such a person in our Da Zhou Army is truly a great fortune, and it's good that we came. \""

"Commandant Wang thought this way; most of the soldiers who followed him, and even the captains of thousands and commanders of ten thousand, thought the same; at this moment, Shen Tianxing's image grew tall in the hearts of Commandant Wang and his many subordinates."

"But actually, Shen Tianxing was just doing it offhand; after all, the Killing Value gained from putting them in danger is usually substantial, and the double profit from the God Slayer Mask surely requires targeting those who are strong."

"\"Congratulations, Host, for slaying a Dawu soldier, gaining 2 Killing Value, Martial Arts Experience +1. \""

"Such prompt sounds kept ringing in Shen Tianxing's ears; the Martial Arts Experience shown on the Character Attribute Panel just now was increasing at an extremely slow Suodu, from 0% to 8.5%, and upon reaching 100%, he could advance to Sixth Grade Second Layer."

"Having stepped out of the Novice Comfort Zone, Shen Tianxing instantly became a monster-slaying worker; this was mainly because he had killed a few Captains of a Hundred and Captains of a Thousand, otherwise it would be impossible for him to grow this fast."

"Of course, this is much faster than normal cultivation; you know, normally to go from Sixth Grade First Layer to Second Layer, aside from those with heaven-defying talent, it takes several months or even a year."

"Yang Hongyue also went through a fierce battle, only then bringing the great army to the North City Gate; the result left everyone somewhat dazed, as Shen Tianxing busily killed enemies front and back, and the Dawu Army had almost no one left."

"Commandant Wang and the others became those standing aside to form ranks for him; those who had escaped were responsible for killing, and if not, they were left for Shen Tianxing to perform, their eyes full of admiration."

"Why is Shen Tianxing fighting so hard? Mainly because his Martial Arts Experience, through his relentless effort, has risen to 99%, just 1% shy of reaching Sixth Grade Second Layer."

"You know, after this great battle at Humen Pass, the Da Zhou won; thus, the next war likely won't start until spring next year, making it hard to kill enemies and earn Martial Arts Experience."

"\"Congratulations, Host, for successfully raising Martial Arts Experience to 100%, advancing the Martial Dao Realm to Sixth Grade Second Layer, rewarding one Intermediate Lottery and three Beginner Lotteries. \""

"Martial Arts Experience finally reached 100%; Shen Tianxing, who had wished to advance to Sixth Grade Second Layer, discovered that he also received a lottery reward, and his mood improved greatly."

"Shen Tianxing pretended fatigue and quickly withdrew; Commandant Wang, seeing this, immediately led his men forward, and Yang Hongyue, seeing this, also looked toward Shen Tianxing."

"\"You've been here all along? What about your men? Did they leave just now? \""

"\"General Yang, you've finally come; of course I've been here all along, my brothers are in the gatehouse, there aren't many left, I don't know what's going on, Commandant Wang and his lot arrived a bit late, we almost all died. \""

"Shen Tianxing feigned ignorance a bit, but it was also an honest report; Commandant Wang and the others were utterly ashamed, only able to fight bravely, hoping to make up for their earlier mistake."

"Yang Hongyue rode forward, dismounted, and leaned close to Shen Tianxing's ear."

"\"Sun Tiejun is dead, you do it; don't think you did it flawlessly with no one suspecting you, but this general knows your strangeness. \""

"\"No matter how you killed Sun Tiejun, it's no longer important; what matters is that these people present can vouch for you, that you've been here all along, and that's enough. \""

"Shen Tianxing also didn't expect Yang Hongyue to be this smart; normally it shouldn't be exposed, but thinking that he would later marry Yang Hongyue as his wife, this frankness now is just a test."

"\"I knew I couldn't hide anything from you; it's indeed me who did it, but no one will know, they can all prove I've been staying here, and Sun Tiejun's death has absolutely nothing to do with me. \""

"\"That's best, but don't get cocky; what you did this time really went too far. \""

"\"I don't think so; if it weren't for my methods and the people sent by my family behind the scenes helping me, how could I hold the North City Gate? I guarded it for over three hours, while they only just arrived an hour ago; who do you think ordered this? \""

"Shen Tianxing laughed as he answered; Yang Hongyue slightly frowned, then said nothing more, turned, mounted her horse, and led her soldiers in a charge, seemingly venting her inner anger."

"\"What a fine woman; you must cherish her—she knows what you've done and still helps you cover it up; although you've shown no flaw, it's truly precious. \""

"Hong Yi laughed and teased; Shen Tianxing merely rolled his eyes, said nothing, waited quietly, and when the battle ended completely, the system prompt sounded."

"\"Congratulations, Host, for completing the side quest, holding the North City Gate; rewarding 50,000 Killing Value points, a top-grade strong bow Baodiao Bow, an Infinite Common Quiver, a Basic Archery Mastery Book, an Intermediate Third-Level Archer Summoning Token, and one thousand silver. \""