Chapter 245: 238 Uninvited Guest

Mai Shiyu turned her head, only to see a little girl in red slowly walking up the stairs.

The little girl was only five or six years old, her round face like a red apple, with delicate features, like a porcelain doll; the clothes she wore were brightly colored and very exquisite. If she had seen her at a friend's house, Mai Shiyu would surely have been very fond of her and reached out to pinch her cheeks.

But at the break of dawn, suddenly seeing this out-of-place young girl on the dark city tower, it was hard not to make one's hair stand on end.

In a moment of shock, Mai Shiyu felt a chill in her heart, drew her sword from its sheath, and shouted, "Who are you?"

Immediately after, she realized this girl looked familiar, and after recalling carefully, she had an impression, saying, "Ah, I remember now, I saw you at Zhang Xiansheng's house. Are you a member of Zhang Xiansheng's family? Are you his daughter?"

When she first visited Zhang Rong, she had seen a little girl in red in his room, who had quickly slipped to the back and never came out again upon seeing her visit. Although it was only a fleeting glance and she didn't remember the face, she still had an impression of the stature and clothing, and it should be this girl.

If she was a junior of Zhang Rong, then she was not an enemy; perhaps she was sent by her elder to deliver a message. Mai Shiyu softened her tone and said, "Is there something Zhang Xiansheng sent you to do? Is he coming to the city tower?"

Although she could never fully trust Zhang Rong, he was a Sword Guest, and with manpower in short supply at this time, if he could come, he would be no small help.

The girl's expression was serious as she said, "No, Deputy Envoy. I came to find you..."

Just as she was speaking, they heard Jiang Shenyi say, "They're here!"

Mai Shiyu turned her head and saw Jiang Shenyi flying back with his wings spread.

Before landing, Jiang Shenyi had already called out, "I saw the enemy, coming from the north. It is very spectacular, a vast, dark mass."

Mai Shiyu frowned and said, "That's impossible, Yunzhou is not Lingzhou; there are officials above and Great Heroes below. Who could hide an army of thousands under our very noses? Could they have been teleported?"

If it really were an army of thousands, then there would be no need to face the enemy in battle; they should just close the gates, fortify the city, and wait for the Marquis to send reinforcements.

Yunzhou is the territory of the Gaoyuan Marquis; the true elite pillars are not these few people from the Land Inspection Division, but the real grand legions. The Land Inspection Division is only used heavily because it is the most flexible and convenient for daily tasks.

Jiang Shenyi said, "It's not people, nor is it an army. It's a group of skeletons, all being manipulated, and the ranks are very large. There are also several huge Fierce Beasts holding the line; it's likely the work of Death Charms and Beast Charms. Oh, or perhaps they are called Death Spirit Officials and Beast Spirit Officials."

The north—that is the direction of the Xun City cemetery. Most of the people of Xun City, whether rich or poor, are buried there. After so many years, I fear there are millions of corpses and bones sleeping underground?

Mai Shiyu was furious and shouted, "These turtle bastards, they dug up the ancestral graves of the people of Xun City? They truly deserve to be struck by lightning; they deserve to die!"

Jiang Shenyi added, "It's not just the skeletons of commoners; I saw the skeletons wearing armor and holding weapons. They don't look like ordinary skeletons."

Mai Shiyu was slightly confused, and the young girl beside her said, "They must be from the Ancient Battlefield. No wonder the turtle bandits were sneaking around there, enclosing land and causing trouble. So they wanted to utilize those ancient corpses buried on the battlefield."

Mai Shiyu was startled and immediately thought of the Battle of Xun City from hundreds of years ago. Tang Zhao and the others might not know much about it, but how could Mai Shiyu, having been in Xun City for over two years, not know the history of Xun City? The Battle of Xun City back then was brutal, with both sides locked in a stalemate for nearly a year, until finally, the trend of the times prevailed, and the Great Jin won the final victory.

In general, every battle on a battlefield is cleaned up by designated personnel, especially precious materials like iron armor, which could never be wasted, but there were a few battles that were truly tragic. Especially that time when the army was shaken to death by a bell; that was indiscriminate slaughter of both friend and foe. In the end, while the Jin army was wiped out, there were few Wei soldiers left defending the city either—where would they have had the manpower to clean the battlefield? In the end, they used the bronze bell to collapse a valley and buried the tens of thousands of corpses from both sides together.

What the Death Charms are using now must be these corpses. Thinking carefully, that Ancient Battlefield is at a suitable distance and has hills and wild forests for cover; it is truly the best place for an ambush.

Mai Shiyu was suddenly enlightened, and then asked in surprise, "Who are you? How do you know these things?"

This girl not only knew a lot, but her tone of voice was also too mature; she was definitely not an ordinary child.

The young girl sighed, "Me? I'm just an unlucky soul."

Mai Shiyu wanted to ask more, but Jiang Shenyi said hurriedly, "The skeletons are advancing in an orderly fashion, and there are war chariots dug up from who knows where. The Fierce Beasts leading the vanguard will be here soon. Do you want me to clear a wave for you?"

Mai Shiyu remembered the priority at this moment and said, "No, I will handle the first wave of the killing array; with the advantage of the home field, I expect it will be fine. Your speed is the greatest and your vision is broad, so fly up into the sky and help me see where the bandit leader is. If there is an opportunity, we must naturally capture the ringleader first."

Jiang Shenyi said, "Alright, I also have landmines specially made with my junior brother; the effect is great, they can blow a Sword Guest into a state of being half-paralyzed. I'll set a few more. Oh, right..." He hesitated for a moment and said, "I think I saw people from your Land Inspection Division."

Mai Shiyu was shocked and suddenly had a thought, wondering: Could someone in my Land Inspection Division have defected to the turtle bandits? She asked hurriedly, "Who?"

Jiang Shenyi said, "I don't recognize them either. But judging by their appearance, their official rank is not small. As for the person, they are old and ugly; it seems to be your..."

Mai Shiyu found it inconceivable and blurted out, "The Town Guardian? He, he..."

Could he have defected?

Jiang Shenyi said, "Hmm, he is being held hostage by a woman; he has been taken prisoner."

Oh, not a defection, he was captured.

Then it's fine.

Wait—

Fine my ass!

"The Town Guardian has been taken prisoner?!" Mai Shiyu was completely frantic, "How is that possible? The Town Guardian is a veteran of the Land Inspection Division, has repeatedly performed meritorious service, and has a famous reputation..."

Jiang Shenyi spread his hands and said, "I don't know about that. Anyway, he looks half-dead, being carried by others, and doesn't seem to have any ability to act. I'll see if I can rescue him for you."

Mai Shiyu's heart was in chaos; she nodded distractedly and added, "Besides the Town Guardian, are there any other prisoners? Are there any other people from our Land Inspection Division?"

Jiang Shenyi said, "He is the only one I can see. The rest are just Fierce Beasts and skeletons. I didn't see the bandit leader either—unless that woman is the one."

Mai Shiyu whispered, "He went out with so many brothers; did they all fall? Was the whole army wiped out? Are the turtle bandits that powerful? Not a single one has returned to report in these past few days, and there were no prisoners. Could it be..."

She dared not think further, suppressed her mind, and said, "Shen Yi, you... help me watch the Town Guardian; save him if you can. But if you see the bandit leader, prioritize killing the chief villain. As for me..."

Her face was pale, and petals began to stir behind her, as if falling in the rain: "Naturally, meeting the enemy is the priority. And for the brothers... I will take revenge!"

Jiang Shenyi nodded and flew away, flapping his wings.

At this moment, the little girl in red touched her forehead and said, "Shi Yu, don't be anxious."

Tang Zhao was very anxious and very busy.

The entrance to the Empty-Type Demon Cave was very difficult to seal.

After all, he had only simulated the methods for sealing an entrance and had never practiced it—Empty-Type Demon Caves were too rare. He could only accumulate theory; he had no opportunity to practice.

Moreover, contrary to what he had imagined, the entrance to the Empty-Type Demon Cave was very unstable. After all, this entrance was formed by spatial dislocation, equivalent to a wound caused by the friction of two spaces; the wound was irregular and unaffected by human power. Furthermore, the spatial friction was still ongoing; the wound expanded in some directions and healed in others, always changing, and the shape of the entrance was sometimes round, sometimes flat, in a thousand different forms.

This fluctuation made the difficulty of sealing it worse, and it was also a threat to his safety.

Tang Zhao was standing near the entrance; if space shifted slightly to the side, it could split him in two out of thin air. This process didn't even have any sound, and he wouldn't bleed for a while, yet it was an irresistible terror. Therefore, he could only hide behind a Strange Stone and use the Rune Formula cautiously.

He was a bit anxious in his heart; this was not the time for him to meticulously craft a seal to ensure absolute success. He was in a hurry to finish the sealing and rush to provide support. There were few people defending the city now, and every person was very important; if he could get up there, he could use more methods.

Forget it, don't seek to relocate the Demon Cave; prioritize the sealing, then—cut the Gordian knot.

Sword Law Array—Beidou Array!

Tang Zhao flicked his hand, and a Star Stone from Longyuan bloomed; seven rays of starlight flew out, like seven chains, blocking the entrance to the space horizontally and vertically.

That's right, it was exactly the Seven Stars Beidou Array used by Beichen to block the Profound Armor Army!

Back then, to deal with the Profound Armor Army teleported by the turtle bandits and that unknown Pillar of State, the Beichen Hall Master released this Beidou Array to block the invading enemies from all directions. Except for that Pillar of State who left no name, everyone else, including the spatial vortex, was firmly blocked by this array, which shows how formidable this array is.

This is an array at the level of Sword Law.

Tang Zhao left Longyuan, and Longyuan gave him many gifts; this star stone was one of them, containing the trump card Sword Technique of Beichen, and it is also one of the strongest sealing Sword Laws to be found in the world.

Tang Zhao had not originally intended to use this, as it was not specifically meant for dealing with spatial vortices, and its duration was limited; it was merely an expedient measure.

Of course, it was also because this star stone was not a Rune Formula Dharma Artifact, but a Dharma Artifact carved directly by a Sword Technique; it was merely a one-time use item, gone once consumed.

Now that he was racing against time, he could not afford to worry about so much.

Seven starlight chains fixed the spatial entrance with a special Array, not only sealing the exit like a spider web but also anchoring the boundaries like a hook; furthermore, they gradually tightened, just like using starlight as thread to stitch a wound.

Tang Zhao proceeded with the utmost caution, slowing the stitching of the starlight to avoid being too forceful and triggering a spatial tremor instead. At the same time, he used sealing Rune Formulas to assist from the side, finally forming a stable entrance no more than ten feet in length and width. And it was an entrance with a closed door. The chains were the door bolt, blocking entry and exit.

The last chain secured the top and bottom, and it was temporarily safe.

For now, he would leave the Demon Cave here; there was no rush to explore it, as Tang Zhao had to go take a look—

Boom!

Suddenly, a massive fist reached out from the Inner side of the space, striking out with a punch, and with a *pfft* sound, it hit the starlight chain spanning the entrance!