Genesis Year Seven, August 28, three days before the duel between the two emperors.
As the blazing sun climbed overhead, the vanguard of the Ravenous Wolf Guards reached the edge of the Mount Tai Mountains first. They still moved in units of ten thousand, with the following units stretched out in a single line, spaced anywhere from several miles to more than ten miles apart, spanning a hundred miles.
Meanwhile, the Great Huan Office's Huan-Clad Guard and the China Alliance, who had entered the Mount Tai Mountains ahead of the army, continuously relayed intelligence to the Forbidden Guard's gathering point. Across the mountains, the Great Chu Forbidden Guard also reached the northern foothills and assembled. The difference was that the Great Chu Forbidden Guard immediately pitched camp, while the Great Huan Forbidden Guard merely waited for the rest of its army to arrive!
Neither Huan Emperor Xiao Ying nor Great Huan's nobles and senior generals took part in this operation. It was chiefly conducted by the Great Huan Office, the Martial-Pacifying Office, and the China Alliance, working alongside eight hundred thousand Forbidden Guards.
Overall command rested with Lan Ge, the Martial-Calming King and head of the Martial-Pacifying Office, assisted by Eunuch Qiu, the Heavenly Charm Marquis and head of the Great Huan Office. The Great Huan Forbidden Guard's eight chief commanders, including Ji Xing, Xun Xiong, Hou Sai, Bian Rang, Bai Tong, and Ning Xuan, led the army, while the China Alliance assisted in a role akin to martial-world fighters.
Notably, the various factions seemed to overlook the China Alliance either subconsciously or out of habit. This Otherworlder force appeared to be a heap of loose sand, yet its combined strength was by no means inferior.
Only as the sun sank in the west did the Huan Martial Guards, marching