The Immortal Master's Base
On the top of the stockade wall, Lin Weiyuan leaned against the battlement and looked down the mountain.
On that cement mountain path, a group of soldiers were attacking upwards, with those in front holding shields and those behind carrying ladders.
Lin Weiyuan waved his hand, and all two hundred guards in the village climbed onto the wall, each holding a crossbow and aiming it at the mountain path.
The one directing the operation down the mountain was none other than Deputy General He Kui.
He stood in a spacious spot at a bend in the mountain path, raised his hand and waved, and the shield bearers pressed forward.
Upon reaching the base of the wall, Lin Weiyuan gave the order, and two hundred crossbows fired simultaneously, raining down arrows.
However, the soldiers were all holding shields, and the arrows clattered against the shields, failing to injure many of them.
Seeing Lin Weiyuan took out a megaphone from his pocket, brought it to his mouth, and shouted down the mountain.
"Listen up, officers and soldiers! This is Azure Cloud Immortal City, the residence of the Immortal Masters!"
"I'll let you off this time since you were unaware of the situation. Now get back home!"
"If you dare to attack again, and anger the Celestial Master, you will all be destroyed!"
The sound traveled down the loudspeaker, and the soldiers on the mountain path all heard it.
"Immortal Master?"
"What kind of immortal master?"
The officers and soldiers looked at each other in dismay. No one had expected a celestial master to appear out of nowhere. Their movements slowed down as they relayed the message from one level to the next.
He Kui stood at the bend, staring at the stockade wall, when he vaguely heard the words "Immortal Master's Residence," and his brows furrowed.
A short while later, a guard ran over to report.
"General, the people in that stronghold say this place is the abode of some kind of immortal master, and they want us to retreat."
Upon hearing this, He Kui's face showed a hint of disdain.
He was a veteran, of high rank, and knew that there were cultivators in this world, and that the royal family worshipped an ancestor who was Foundation Establishment Immortal Master. But he didn't believe that a small Yuxi Prefecture and a bunch of peasant rebels were worthy of bringing up an Immortal Master to intimidate people.
He sneered to himself, "A bunch of petty rebels, they can't beat us, so they bring out a celestial master. Our dynasty isn't without celestial masters!"
"Keep playing tricks and keep attacking!"
With a wave of his hand, the shield bearers pressed down again, the siege ladders were erected, and arrows from the mountain path began to fly towards the wall once more.
Shen Jingchuan had just finished breakfast.
Just as he was about to go out to find Lin Weiyuan for a cup of tea, a guard rushed in.
"Young Master Shen, the Government Army are attacking! The old man has already climbed the stockade wall."
Shen Jingchuan nodded, said "I understand," and then followed him out the door.
Upon arriving at the entrance of the Hall of Gathering Righteousness, he could already hear Lin Weiyuan shouting through a megaphone.
He stood there listening for a while, thinking that if his shout could scare people away, then so be it, and he wouldn't need to show himself.
But no sooner had he finished speaking than arrows began to fly again from the foot of the mountain, and the attack showed no signs of stopping.
Shen Jingchuan's face darkened.
"Damn it, that's giving me no face at all."
He leaped up, summoned his flying sword, and soared to the top of the city wall in the blink of an eye, where he sheathed his sword.
Lin Weiyuan stepped forward and pointed down the mountain.
"My dear son-in-law, I've already warned them that this is the Immortal Master's territory, but they won't listen and are still attacking."
He then pointed to the bend in the mountain road.
"Look, the one standing at that corner looks like a leading general."
Shen Jingchuan looked in the direction he was pointing.
The mountain path wound its way through the mountains. At the bend, about three or four hundred meters from the stockade wall, the area was spacious, and beyond that, the stockade gate was no longer visible. An old general in armor stood there directing the troops, surrounded by a circle of personal guards.
Shen Jingchuan, seeing this, didn't want to waste any more words.
If he doesn't listen the first time, and you expect him to go and talk to you again in person, what about his pride?
He summoned his flying sword again, leaped into the air, and a beam of sword light shot straight towards the bend.
When the soldiers below the mountain saw a figure flying over, they were dumbfounded, mouths agape, and even forgot to shoot their arrows.
Shen Jingchuan arrived at the bend in the mountain road in an instant.
He Kui had just drawn his golden-backed broadsword and hadn't even had time to react when Shen Jingchuan lunged forward, grabbed him by the collar, and lifted him up.
He Kui was both shocked and furious. He instinctively swung his knife and slashed at Shen Jingchuan's arm.
With a clang, as if striking fine steel, the blade bounced off, but Shen Jingchuan's clothes remained untouched, and a faint Spiritual Power shield floated around him.
He Kui swung his sword twice more, but each time it was deflected, and he was completely dumbfounded.
I finally realized, this guy is a damn immortal master.
He loosened his grip, and the broadsword clattered to the ground; he dared not resist any longer.
Shen Jingchuan held him in mid-air, turned around, and spoke to the soldiers on the mountain path. His voice was not loud, but it carried clearly.
"I'll tell you again, this is my base."
"If you dare to attack the city again, this will be your fate."
As soon as he finished speaking, he tightened his wrist.
With a sharp crack, He Kui's neck was snapped, his head lolled to the side, and he was lifeless.
Shen Jingchuan casually tossed the corpse to the ground, turned around, mounted his sword, and landed back on the stockade wall, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
On the mountain path, the officers and soldiers watched this scene with stunned silence.
It took a while for someone to come to their senses.
"Retreat! Retreat now!"
An officer gave the order, and the troops turned around and ran down the mountain, carrying He Kui's body up and slinking away.
On the stockade wall, the guards watched as the Government Army retreated completely, and then burst into cheers.
The officer in charge of the troops dared not linger and led the remaining soldiers down the mountain in haste to catch up with the vanguard officer ahead.
Qin Biao, the vanguard commander, was on the march when he heard that the defeated troops had returned. He reined in his horse and called someone over to ask what was wrong.
The officer then recounted the events at Azure Cloud Stronghold in detail, and Qin Biao gasped upon hearing it.
"Good heavens, there's even a celestial master?"
As a nobleman, he had naturally heard of people who cultivated immortality, including those in the royal family, though he had never seen one. Knowing he had gotten himself into serious trouble, he dared not act on his own and quickly sent a message to the commander of the rear guard.
The rear guard, led personally by Duke of Jing Xiao Chenglie, was also approaching the foot of Azure Cloud Stronghold.
On the official road, Xiao Chenglie saw a group of defeated soldiers running towards the vanguard from afar. Their armor was disheveled and their expressions were panicked.
Just as he was wondering what was going on, the messenger arrived on horseback and knelt before him, reporting that Azure Cloud Stronghold was the residence of the immortal master and that He Kui had been killed.
Upon hearing Xiao Chenglie, Xiao Chenglie's expression changed, and he subconsciously turned his head to look to his right.
Two mounted men followed him to his right. They were dressed in ordinary clothes, but their demeanor was extraordinary. They were the two monks secretly sent by the royal family as a precaution.
These two are from the Xiao family's lineage of immortal cultivation. In terms of seniority, they are Xiao Chenglie's cousins. One is named Xiao Xuan, and the other is named Xiao Zhen. Both are at the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining.
They remained hidden within the army as attendants, and outsiders only regarded them as advisors to the Duke; no one knew they were immortal masters.
Xiao Chenglie looked at them, and the two men, who had also heard the military report, exchanged glances.
Xiao Xuan lowered his voice and said, "How about the two of us go over there, wipe out that rogue cultivator, and that'll be the end of it."
Xiao Zhen shook her head.
"We're here to conceal our identities; it's best not to reveal ourselves unless absolutely necessary. This is a war among mortals; it's not appropriate for us to get involved."
"It's not too late to deal with him after this battle is over."