Sacred Capital City, East Straight Street, at the city gate.
The long ranks wound like dragons and serpents, colorful streamers and silken banners fluttering in a forest of poles. In the vast clearing before the gate, civil and military officials, troops from every camp, government officers, and commoners all stood solemnly. Even the arrogant soldiers and fierce generals serving the Demon Kings had reined in their usual swagger and meekly waited in the bitter wind of the twelfth lunar month.
It was now the auspicious fifth day of the twelfth month. The Grand Preceptor was returning to court, and marching home in triumph with him were the full six hundred thousand troops he had taken out!
This was an overwhelming force truly capable of reshaping the Capital Region. Even setting aside Grand Preceptor Hu's prestige, reputation, cultivation, and strength, as well as the Martial Kings, Great Monsters, divine soldiers, and divine generals under his command, this army alone was enough to command everyone's solemn respect.
Yue Dongyang and Lu Yuan stood at the head of the officials, their eyes eager as they rose slightly onto their toes and gazed toward the far end of the official road.
Suddenly, a banner appeared. Behind it came rumbling carriages and neighing horses. More and more standards unfurled, warhorses advanced at a measured pace, and a procession like a long dragon came into view.
"They're here, they're here..."
"Grand Preceptor Hu's carriage has arrived!"
This dragonlike procession was merely the vanguard of Hu Ze's army, but its soldiers were strong, its horses sturdy, and its equipment excellent. It carried the imposing bearing of a mighty host tempered by a hundred battles.
Before long, Hu Ze's Avatar's carriage finally appeared, accompanied by his personal guards and surrounded by the elite troops of his core legion,