Guling Mountain's Immortal Traces

Two days have passed, and the two commanders are now one sick and one dead. The expressions of the generals were extremely serious, and the atmosphere was incredibly somber.

However, as their gazes swept over Wang Liu's corpse, a strange smile clearly played on their lips. Everyone had heard of death from sexual excess, but no one had ever witnessed it firsthand.

No one doubted the cause of Wang Liu's death. After all, Wang Liu's notorious womanizing and excessive indulgence were common knowledge.

"General Feng, the Xuanwei Camp can only be led by you now. How should we handle this matter? Please decide, General Feng!"

The other deputy generals were far inferior to Deputy General Feng in terms of seniority and prestige.

The generals spoke in unison, and Qin Sang echoed their sentiments.

Deputy General Feng repeatedly waved his hands, "I am untalented and dare not make decisions arbitrarily... In my opinion, this matter must be reported to the Admiral, and he should be the one to make the decision."

The Admiral had been unconscious. Qin Sang followed the generals into the command tent and was startled by the Admiral's sunken features and sallow complexion.

Truly, illness strikes like a mountain collapsing.

The army doctor was ordered to forcibly wake the Admiral. Deputy General Feng briefly explained the situation in his ear. The Admiral's listless eyes suddenly widened, a flush of unhealthy red spread across his face, and he began to cough violently, his lips trembling.

Judging by the shape of his lips, he was likely saying "useless."

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the Admiral arduously handed the command seal to Deputy General Feng before fainting.

By the time they had discussed how to handle Wang Liu's funeral, dawn had broken.

Qin Sang returned to his military tent, only to find Wu Chuanzong waiting inside.

"Sir," Wu Chuanzong began hesitantly, "How will General Wang's funeral be handled? I heard they plan to kill the two women in the tent?"

It seemed Wang Liu's scandalous affairs had spread throughout the camp overnight, as even Wu Chuanzong knew about it.

Qin Sang was not surprised. Wang Liu had always been arrogant and had offended countless people, who were more than happy to help spread rumors about him.

"Don't say anything out of line when you go out," Qin Sang said lazily, leaning back on the bear-pelt seat. "General Feng has already issued a gag order. General Wang died from worrying about military affairs and working day and night. Naturally, those inside and outside the tent at the time must die... Huh?"

Qin Sang sat up straight. "Did you take a liking to one of them, kid?"

Wu Chuanzong blushed beet red and waved his hands repeatedly. "No, no... Sir, please don't misunderstand. I just heard them say that those two girls were both victims forced by General Wang. Back in Hening County, if it weren't for you, my brothers and sisters would have either starved to death or been killed by rogue soldiers. At that time, I prayed every day for heaven to open its eyes and give us a way out, and then I found you. I think their feelings now should be the same as mine were then..."

Qin Sang let out an "Oh." During this time, Wu Chuanzong had stayed by his side and consistently adhered to his principles, and Qin Sang had not interfered.

"The county magistrate's wife learned the truth and committed suicide in prison last night. The girl is still alive. I will ask General Feng shortly to arrange for you to handle the aftermath. Be discreet."

"Yes!"

Guling Mountain, ancient thousand-year-old path.

Before the appointment of a new Admiral, the Xuanwei Camp was temporarily managed by Deputy General Feng.

With Wang Liu no longer obstructing them, and with accurate intelligence from scouts locating the ancient path, Deputy General Feng immediately dispatched half of his forces to feign an attack on Guling Pass to confuse the enemy's line of sight. Qin Sang, meanwhile, led the First, Eighth, and Supply Battalions to clear the ancient path.

Qin Sang stood on a mountaintop at the entrance of the ancient path. Ahead, mountains stretched endlessly, and the view was not very deep.

Although overgrown with vegetation, upon closer inspection, traces of excavation could still be faintly discerned on the cliff faces in some areas.

It was hard to imagine how such a treacherous ancient military path could have been carved out of these rugged mountains solely by human labor.

"Do you remember now? Where is it?"

Qin Sang turned his head to ask the herb gatherer beside him.

This herb gatherer was the one captured by Wang Liu, the one who encountered an immortal on Guling Mountain. Wang Liu had intended to keep him alive to silence him, and he had miraculously survived.

After Qin Sang found the herb gatherer, he had spoken with him a few times. He didn't seem like a madman, but he had been thoroughly frightened by the fierce soldiers.

The herb gatherer trembled and pointed deep into the ancient path. "I remember now, it's right there."

Following the direction the herb gatherer pointed, Qin Sang's expression suddenly turned grim. He coldly rebuked, "You dare lie to me again! With just a few herb gatherers like you, could you have traveled this far?"

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare..."

The herb gatherer's legs were shaking, and he nearly lost his balance. "I... I entered the mountain from over there. There's a game trail where I could... ride a donkey. Later, they were eaten by wolves, and I was scared... I ran... I ran the wrong way..."

Qin Sang's expression softened slightly, and he nodded. He then said to those around him, "Descend the mountain and clear the path!"

Even with the manpower of three battalions, clearing the path was not easy. Some of the trees in the ancient path were as thick as several men embracing them and could not be cut. They had to create alternate passages beside them.

Fortunately, their objective was a surprise attack, and there was a large supply depot at Crow's Mouth. They did not carry much baggage or provisions. The army traveled light, and even with the narrow path, they could barely pass.

As they became more proficient, the soldiers of the three battalions spread out, and their speed increased. In just half a day, they had advanced a considerable distance. If things continued like this, they would be able to open up the ancient path before long.

Qin Sang had been busy for most of the day, finally arranging the personnel, and was about to lead the herb gatherer into the mountains to search when a commotion suddenly erupted ahead. Someone rushed over to report, "General, a cliff has collapsed ahead and blocked the ancient path."

"A landslide?"

Qin Sang's expression changed slightly. If the ancient path was impassable, it would not just be a matter of delaying the battle.

"What exactly is the situation, and how severe is it?"

The soldier stammered, "A section of the cliff broke off and fell. It looks like... like it was cut off by a knife."

The soldier looked utterly bewildered.

Upon hearing this, Qin Sang's heart suddenly stirred, and he said repeatedly, "Quickly take me there."

The soldiers at the very front had already gone quite deep. After passing through two mountains, Qin Sang finally saw the broken cliff. As the soldier had said, a section of the peak had broken off, and the fractured surface was as smooth as a mirror, truly appearing as if it had been cut by a knife.

The falling stones smashed onto the ancient road, completely blocking it with rubble.

"Send someone to have the supply camp bring equipment to clear the path!"

Qin Sang absentmindedly gave the order, then looked around, impatiently activating his movement technique to ascend the highest nearby peak.

The herb gatherers said the immortals they saw were flying in this direction!

Could it be that cultivators were actually fighting within Guling Mountain?

Qin Sang's heart raced with urgency, and he swept to the mountaintop at his fastest speed.

The peak had collapsed, rocks were shattered, ancient trees were broken, and vegetation was flattened.

In addition to this, there were signs of burning, and even more astonishingly, ice crystals remained on the plants and trees in some shaded areas. This region seemed to have experienced all four seasons overnight.

This scene made Qin Sang's mind immediately recall the banks of the Chenshui River, filling him with a mixture of surprise and joy.