Chapter 736: Besieging Black Gale Fort
Chapter 736: Besieging Black Gale Fort
Black Mountain, a winding serpent, stretched for tens of thousands of miles, bordering more than a dozen large provinces.
It was a rare 'lawless' area within the Dafeng Dynasty.
There was no other way; inside Black Mountain were ravines and dense forests, teeming with ferocious beasts and venomous insects.
Even the bandits who roamed here dared only to occupy certain areas within the mountain, making a living by robbing passing merchant caravans.
However, a long time ago, news of mountain bandits ceased to come out of Black Mountain.
It was as if the bandits had completely vanished from within.
On this day, outside Black Mountain, an enormous, dark mass of troops had gathered at some unknown time.
These troops numbered around seven to eighty thousand, blocking all the mountain passes and exits of Black Mountain as if facing a formidable enemy.
Even a powerful dynasty like Dafeng would need to mobilize troops from several provinces to gather such a massive force of seven to eighty thousand.
If they were to do so, they would undoubtedly face a significant disturbance, one that could impact the foundations of several to ten or even twenty provinces within the Dafeng Dynasty.
Since the establishment of the Dafeng Dynasty, there had been very few occasions where such a large-scale mobilization had taken place.
Most of these instances were to deal with remnants of the previous dynasty.
In the early days of the Dafeng Dynasty, the remnants of the previous dynasty were still quite powerful.
But as the Dafeng Dynasty continued to suppress them, these remnants grew weaker.
Decades ago, they had degenerated into third-rate forces like the Lotus Sect, which didn't even have Daoist Mages.
In the end, they were eliminated by the Imperial Dao Bureau.
Within the massive dark army, a seemingly young soldier gazed at the winding Black Mountain in the distance, puzzled, and said, "What's so special about this Black Mountain? Could they have discovered some earth-shattering treasure?"
The young soldier, who was from another province, couldn't comprehend why such a large force of seven to eighty thousand had gathered here.
Seven to eighty thousand troops were not just a number; they also included numerous logistical support personnel.
In other words, the Imperial forces outside Black Mountain at this moment were estimated to be close to two million.
Two million people's daily food, water, and other necessities alone would cost an astronomical amount of silver.
Even a wealthy and powerful dynasty like Dafeng would not casually mobilize such a force.
This was a true test of national strength.
Unless there was some tremendous benefit, like an earth-shattering treasure.
"There's no earth-shattering treasure, though," said an older soldier with a bulging temple, standing next to the young soldier.
"Then what's the reason?" The young soldier's curiosity piqued, and several other soldiers nearby also turned to the older soldier.
They wondered if he knew some inside information.
"Hehe."
A smile appeared on the older soldier's face. "Our purpose here is just to block the road. The real powerhouses are the adults from the Imperial Dao Bureau, at least at the level of Daoist Mages, and it's said that even a Daoist Grandmaster will make an appearance."
As the older soldier finished speaking, he intentionally lowered his voice, adding an air of mystery.
"A Daoist Grandmaster from the Imperial Dao Bureau?"
The surrounding soldiers gasped.
Daoist Grandmasters were already formidable enough to dominate a region, let alone those who had joined the Imperial Dao Bureau.
Not all Daoist Grandmasters could join the Imperial Dao Bureau, which was the most powerful and core institution of the Dafeng Dynasty. To become a member, one had to pass through rigorous screenings.
Of course, the Daoist Grandmasters who joined the Imperial Dao Bureau would receive the full support of the Dafeng Dynasty, and their strength and means would surpass other Daoist Mages by a significant margin.
They would have access to various Daoist Secret Arts at the Grandmaster level and special psychic weapons.
The fact that a Daoist Grandmaster from the Imperial Dao Bureau had appeared among this gathered army made the hearts of the soldiers cold with apprehension.
"What's the reason for all this?"
The young soldier who had spoken first couldn't help but ask.
"Gentlemen,"
The older soldier looked around to ensure no one else was eavesdropping and then spoke in a low voice, "Have you heard of the Martial Gate?"
The Martial Gate?
The soldiers on the field felt their hearts tremble.
They had, of course, heard of the Martial Gate.
The Martial Gate was an organization that had suddenly risen to prominence forty years ago.
Its rise was due to its possession of a method that allowed ordinary martial artists to confront Daoists.
However, this method was only effective against ordinary Daoists and was still no match for Daoist Mages or Daoist Grandmasters.
Even so, it was enough to drive countless martial artists into a frenzy.
Since the Dafeng Dynasty's establishment, the previous dynasty, and even the one before that, had records of Daoists being the symbol of the elite.
Martial artists were merely commoners.
Even the weakest Daoist could easily toy with them.
For a martial artist to confront a Daoist was unprecedented.
But soon after the Martial Gate's rise, it faced suppression from the Dafeng Dynasty.
Despite the Great Flame Dynasty's strict prohibition and suppression, the martial arts community continued to idolize the Wumen.
It was like a spark that could set the plains ablaze.
"Are you saying that Black Mountain is related to Wumen?" asked a young soldier with a solemn expression.
If that were truly the case, it would be understandable.
In fact, the emergence of martial artists capable of rivaling ordinary Daoist practitioners was beneficial for the Great Flame Dynasty.
However, it threatened the interests of the Daoist practitioners.
Many of the Great Flame Dynasty's Daoist practitioners held high positions and naturally did not want to see this situation occur.
Martial artists and Daoist practitioners were inherently opposing camps.
Furthermore, even if only the Daoist practitioners opposed, it wouldn't affect the true decision-making of the Great Flame Dynasty.
The reason the Great Flame Dynasty vigorously suppressed Wumen was because of this method of cultivating martial artists to counter Daoist practitioners.
Even if there were such methods, they could only be controlled by the court.
Such means that could shake the foundation of a nation must never be allowed to fall into the hands of outsiders.
"Yes," nodded the older soldier.
His brother-in-law was a deputy general who knew many inside stories.
"Wumen," the soldiers sighed with admiration.
They were also martial artists, and naturally, they eagerly anticipated methods to counter Daoist practitioners.
At the same time, they held Wumen in high regard.
It broke the myth of the invincibility of Daoist practitioners.
The fact that Wumen had endured the court's suppression for so long and eventually attracted the siege of nearly a million troops was awe-inspiring.
It even forced the Daoist Administration to deploy a Sage-level Grandmaster.
One could only imagine the power of Wumen.
In the rear of the army, within a large camp, twenty-three figures gathered.
These twenty-three figures exuded faint strands of psychic power, forming an invisible Heavenly Earth Cage around the entire camp.
It was a Sage-level Heavenly Earth Cage.
These twenty-three figures were all Sage-level experts.
For this operation to besiege Black Mountain, even the middle and upper echelons of the army only knew that a Sage-level Director of the Imperial Dao Bureau might appear.
However, they had no way of knowing that twenty-three Sage-level Grandmasters would show up.
Twenty-three Grandmasters! Even for the Great Flame Dynasty, deploying so many powerful individuals at once was a risky move.
"Black Mountain," said the most powerful of the twenty-three Grandmasters, a middle-aged man who was the Director of the Imperial Dao Bureau, second only to the Emperor in the Great Flame Dynasty.
The deployment of nearly a million troops and so many Sage-level Daoist Grandmasters was his decision.
As the Director, he had a thorough grasp of intelligence throughout the realm.
This operation was not aimed at Wumen.
"Black Gale Fort," the Director thought of the information he had obtained.
His expression grew slightly grave.
The origins of Black Gale Fort within Black Mountain were so profound that it was almost unbelievable.
Not only was it the source of Wumen, but nine of the current realm's ten wealthiest merchant guilds were suspected to be connected to Black Gale Fort.
Additionally, over the past few decades, many court officials had unclear relationships with Black Gale Fort.
Of course, these officials might not even know about Black Gale Fort, but the people supporting them from the shadows, as investigated by the Daoist Administration, traced back to Black Gale Fort in Black Mountain.
Finally, at least thirty of the realm's ninety-nine provinces had been infiltrated by a mysterious force, and the source was also Black Gale Fort within Black Mountain.
They possessed the means to enable martial artists to rival ordinary Daoist practitioners.
They had immeasurable wealth.
They had immeasurable influence over numerous court officials.
They controlled a potential force spanning over thirty provinces.
Any one of these four aspects could raise the court's vigilance, and any misstep could lead to unprecedented chaos.
What if all four aspects were combined? The Director had a feeling that if the leader of Black Gale Fort wished, they could easily shake the foundation of the Great Flame Dynasty.
Precisely because of this, despite the vehement opposition from the court officials to deploying such a massive army, the Director disregarded their concerns and insisted on eradicating Black Gale Fort.
"Gentlemen, you should be clear about what needs to be done next," the Director said as he looked at the other twenty-two Daoist Grandmasters.
"The Black Gale Fort within Black Mountain must be eliminated, or the Great Flame Dynasty will be in peril."
These twenty-two Daoist Grandmasters were cultivated by the Great Flame Dynasty and followed the Director's orders without question.
They were one of the Great Flame Dynasty's most formidable forces.
To thoroughly deal with Black Gale Fort and eliminate potential threats, the Director was determined to pay any price.
"Understood," they replied.
"Rest assured, Director, we are loyal to the Great Flame Dynasty, as we are nourished by its wealth."
"Yes, this time we will surely remove all obstacles for the Great Flame Dynasty."
"Each of the Daoist Grandmasters spoke up."
The Director of the Imperial Dao Bureau nodded slightly upon hearing this.
This was the benefit of nurturing their own Grandmasters—absolute loyalty to the Dafeng Dynasty.
If these Grandmasters were from the other eighty-nine provinces, one could only imagine the trouble they might cause.
At most, they would outwardly obey the Director's orders, but secretly, they would definitely not give their all.
"However, if possible, it's best to capture the Lord of Black Wind Fort alive." The Director of the Imperial Dao Bureau spoke up.
The Lord of Black Wind Fort possessed a power that threatened the Dafeng Dynasty.
It would be ideal to capture him alive.
This way, the impact could be minimized.
The Dafeng Dynasty could also use the captured Lord of Black Wind Fort to regain control over his forces.
If the Lord of Black Wind Fort were to die, even though his forces might not be able to unite, the ensuing chaos would undoubtedly have a significant impact on the Dafeng Dynasty.
The Director of the Imperial Dao Bureau wanted to capture the Lord of Black Wind Fort alive, not only for the reasons mentioned above but also because he wanted to meet this opponent he had never seen in person.
For decades, the Director of the Imperial Dao Bureau and the Lord of Black Wind Fort had been secretly clashing.
While the former controlled the most powerful forces of the Dafeng Dynasty, he had repeatedly suffered setbacks against the Lord of Black Wind Fort, being led by the nose.
The Director was curious: What kind of person was this Lord of Black Wind Fort who could achieve such feats under the overwhelming might of the Dafeng Dynasty?
"Let's go."
"Let's depart now."
The Director rose and stepped out of the grand camp.
The other twenty-two Daoist Grandmasters followed him out.
With the combined might of twenty-three Daoist Grandmasters, they could easily sweep through any place outside the capital city.
Even a million-strong army would be helpless against the twenty-three Grandmasters, who could kill or escape as they pleased.
A single Daoist Grandmaster could only rival a thousand-man army.
It didn't mean that ten Grandmasters were equivalent to a ten-thousand-strong army.
Each additional Grandmaster would bring a qualitative leap in strength.
Moreover, these twenty-three Grandmasters had an extremely tacit understanding among themselves, which was the Director's confidence in annihilating Black Wind Fort.
"Lord of Black Wind Fort, you've made a grave mistake by leaving such a flaw." The Director's gaze deepened.
Even with the Imperial Dao Bureau's methods, it was impossible to uncover everything about Black Wind Fort hidden within Black Mountain.
Until they discovered the traces inadvertently left by the Lord of Black Wind Fort.
After numerous confirmations and cross-referencing with other intelligence, the Director concluded that Black Wind Fort within Black Mountain was the greatest threat to the Dafeng Dynasty in recent decades, possibly the greatest since its founding.
Whoosh!
Under the moonlight, the twenty-three Daoist Grandmasters stealthily infiltrated Black Mountain, heading towards Black Wind Fort.
Soon, Black Wind Fort came into view.
"It's there," the Director said, gazing from afar.
He quickly approached with the other twenty-two Grandmasters.
Meanwhile, deep within Black Wind Fort, in a meditation chamber, a young man sat cross-legged.
His black hair was as dark as ink, and his expression was calm, like a deep and majestic abyss.
If not for his closest associates, no one would have known that this young man was already an 'old man' of eighty-eight years.
In this world, even the most powerful Daoist Grandmasters could only live for a little over a hundred years.
By the age of eighty or ninety, their physical bodies would begin to decline, inevitably showing signs of aging.
It was only because Lin Yuan had complete control over his vital energy that he could maintain such youthful vitality.
Of course, it was just youthful vitality; it wouldn't enhance his true lifespan.
[At eighty-eight years old, the traces you intentionally left years ago have finally drawn the Director of the Imperial Dao Bureau into action. He leads the most elite group of Daoist Grandmasters from the Dafeng Dynasty deep into Black Mountain.]
Line after line of text appeared and disappeared in his line of sight.
A decade ago, Lin Yuan had already reached the pinnacle of power in this world, the true pinnacle, unable to progress any further.
It was then that Lin Yuan began planning to weaken the Dafeng Dynasty's power.
Leaving traces intentionally to attract the Director's attention was part of Lin Yuan's strategy.
By doing so, he aimed to lure the most elite group of Daoist Grandmasters from the Dafeng Dynasty into a trap.
Only by doing this could he have a smoother time dealing with the Dafeng Emperor in the near future.
[At eighty-nine years old, you order your army and Daoist cultivators to besiege the capital of the Dafeng Dynasty.]
[With all the forces of the capital occupied in defense, you stealthily infiltrate the Imperial Palace and finally encounter the Dafeng Emperor, sitting on the throne, filled with anxiety and fear.]
[You strike directly, slaying the Dafeng Emperor.]
(End of Chapter)
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