Yue Ridge, White Earth Slope.
This place is located on the edge of Yue Ridge, and a hundred years ago, some farmers still cultivated wasteland here.
With the proliferation of Demon Beast and evil creatures, the villages here have long been deserted and dilapidated.
The wooden houses have decayed into ash over a century of wind and rain, with only some brick and stone stoves and walls remaining as traces.
Xie Lingyun led the Fire Phoenix Army to the edge of the Yue Ridge and set his sights on White Earth Slope, a place with a commanding view and a river below to ensure a water supply.
The Fire Phoenix Army built a military stronghold on the site of the original village.
The Yue Ridge are full of trees and rocks, and most of the building materials can be sourced locally, which saves a lot of trouble.
After more than half a year of construction, this military camp has already reached a considerable size, even larger than the military camp of Golden Sands Fort, and its defensive fortifications are more solid.
In addition to the thousand Fire Phoenix Army, there were more than a thousand auxiliary soldiers and laborers, bringing the total number of people to nearly three thousand.
Xie Lingyun manages so many people all day long, and he also has to outwit and outmaneuver General Wang Zhenyuan, as well as fight against barbarians, Demon Beast, and Devil Cultivator.
The main problem was that the war had dragged on for too long, and the barbarians seemed to keep coming in endlessly; one group would be driven back today, and another would appear tomorrow.
Xie Lingyun spent more than half a year in White Earth Slope Village, Heavenly Capital.
With winter fast approaching, Xie Lingyun was even less inclined to stay here.
But since the imperial court had not issued any orders, he could only endure it.
Xie Lingyun was frowning at the map on his desk when a personal guard rushed in, beaming, and said, "General, True Person Hongde is here to visit, he's at the East Gate—"
Xie Lingyun was first startled, then overjoyed, "Why don't you welcome them in?"
He then stood up and said loudly, "I will go to greet you personally."
Xie Lingyun was getting really annoyed dealing with a bunch of roughnecks all day long in the mountains, so he was overjoyed to hear that his good friend was coming to visit.
Xie Lingyun led a few personal guards to the East Gate and saw Zhou Wuji in the distance, dressed in blue and carrying a sword. Among a group of rough soldiers, Zhou Wuji stood out like a crane among chickens.
"Brother Wuji, you've finally arrived!"
Xie Lingyun strode forward to greet him, and upon seeing his friend, he was so excited that he almost cried.
He couldn't find anyone to talk to in this military camp; he was so lonely.
Zhou Wuji cupped his hands and said, "This humble Daoist greets General Who Pacifies the Distant."
After Golden Sands Fort saved Princess Taihe Yin Le, Xie Lingyun was rewarded and promoted to the Subordinate Third Rank General Who Pacifies the Distant, and later given the title of Vice Commissioner, a proper high-ranking official of the Subordinate Third Rank.
Xie Lingyun knew Zhou Wuji was joking, so he laughed and went up to Zhou Wuji's arm, "Come in quickly, it's been so long since we've seen each other, you must stay a few more days—"
Zhou Wuji also smiled, "It has been a long time since we last met. Brother Lingyun, you look much more haggard."
Xie Lingyun is only two years older than him, twenty-seven this year, but looks like he's thirty-seven.
His face was covered in stubble, his eyes were dark, his skin was dull, and even his eyes were filled with fatigue.
He looks like an old man whose energy has been completely drained by his wife, currently in a refractory period, and has little interest in anything.
Even his smiles seemed somewhat perfunctory.
"Sigh, it's a long story!"
Xie Lingyun finally found someone to confide in. He pulled Zhou Wuji into the central command tent and, without Zhou Wuji having to ask, recounted his experiences over the past year.
Zhou Wuji listened patiently to Xie Lingyun's grievances until Xie Lingyun was hoarse from talking, at which point Zhou Wuji thoughtfully offered him tea.
Xie Lingyun poured out her pent-up frustrations, which made her feel much better.
He chuckled dryly, "I can't even find anyone to talk to in the military camp. Wuji to have made a fool of myself in front of you, Wuji."
" The Yue Ridge are remote and desolate, and the barbarians keep killing them; it's truly a problem."
Zhou Wuji understood this quite well. Although Xie Lingyun was extremely skilled in martial arts and could endure hardship, he came from a prestigious Aristocratic Clan and preferred to enjoy life.
Having endured this for over a year, and having a strained relationship with superiors, one is bound to have various emotions.
Xie Lingyun sighed, "I thought the barbarian invasion would end soon, but now it seems this war will last for many years—"
The mountains and forests Yue Ridge are dense and the environment is complex. Once the invading barbarians retreat into the Yue Ridge, it is almost impossible to pursue them.
The barbarians always maintained the initiative, coming and going as they pleased.
Even if some barbarians are killed, the loss is negligible compared to the millions of barbarians.
The biggest problem is that Yue Ridge is too far from Yunze. After more than a year of attrition, more than 100 of the 1,000 elite Fire Phoenix Army have been lost.
Although soldiers were replenished through various means afterward, morale among the Fire Phoenix Army, who were far from home, was somewhat shaky.
Zhou Wuji understood this perfectly; if a person is doing well away from home, they might not even miss their family.
Life outside is so hard and dangerous, and there's no hope in sight. How could anyone not miss home?
He couldn't help with military matters either. He casually asked, "How's Wang Zhenyuan?"
"This guy is clearly a spoiled brat, but he's been winning every battle in the last six months, it's unbelievable!"
Xie Lingyun spoke of this with a look of surprise and bewilderment, "It's as if someone is tipping him off; he always manages to seize the opportunity to defeat the invading barbarians."
"They also ventured deep into the Yue Ridge several times, annihilating several barbarian tribes."
Xie Lingyun lowered her voice and said, "I heard that Wang Zhenyuan also seized a gold mine and obtained countless amounts of gold."
"Is that so?" Zhou Wuji was somewhat surprised. Gold mines were extraordinary, especially since gold and iron were controlled by the state, and no Lineage or organization had the right to operate or sell them.
If a gold mine were to be discovered, Wang Zhenyuan would certainly report it to the imperial court, which would then send someone to handle it.
How dare this general conceal information and seize the gold mine for himself?
Xie Lingyun was also unsure. "I've only heard some rumors, I'm not sure."
He dared not report such a serious matter without solid evidence, and could only discuss it privately with Zhou Wuji.
Xie Lingyun then whispered, "I suspect Wang Zhenyuan is colluding with the Yin Yang Dao Devil Cultivator cultivators, which is why he was able to know the barbarians' movements in advance."
Able to win every battle.
"Do you have evidence?" Zhou Wuji asked.
Xie Lingyun shook his head. "How could I possibly have evidence of something so secretive?"
"However, Wang Zhenyuan's military talent was mediocre, and although the supervising officer Qian Bin was skilled in martial arts, he was not good at commanding battles."
"The two of them were beaten badly before, but in the past six months they've been beating the barbarians so badly they're completely disoriented. It's outrageous."
"There's only one explanation: they have an inside man among the barbarians."
Zhou Wuji nodded. Xie Lingyun's guess was reasonable, at least much more reasonable than the gold mine rumor.
He said, " The Devil Cultivator of the Yin Yang Dao are treacherous. It's normal for them to be so fickle."
"However, Wang Zhenyuan has colluded with the Devil Cultivator and is now tasting the benefits. He will be used by the Devil Cultivator in the future."
"This is a real problem."
Zhou Wuji had dealt with many Devil Cultivator from the Yin- Yin Yang Dao. These Devil Cultivator were all mentally unstable and spent their days causing trouble.
The Devil Cultivator of the Heavenly Ghost Sect and the Myriad Devils Sect are clearly motivated by profit, but the Yin Yang Dao seems to be purely driven by destruction.
He then asked, "You said you discovered Devil Cultivator, what's that all about?"
Xie Lingyun said, "The military camp is arranged according to military formations, and with Devil Cultivator frequently coming to spy on it, it's inevitable that they'll give themselves away—"
The Xie Household was able to form the Fire Phoenix Army because of their secret military manuals, which allowed them to train soldiers to form battle formations, including corresponding formations for setting up camps.
Gathering soldiers into battle formations is Secret Method used by various families to become generals. This is how military families have passed down their skills from generation to generation.
Xie Lingyun was extremely skilled in military formations, and he often discovered the clues when Devil Cultivator came to spy on him.
However, he was not skilled in these Daoist techniques, and as long as the Devil Cultivator did not enter the formation's range, he could not find their traces.
His main concern was that Wang Zhenyuan was colluding with Devil Cultivator, Devil Cultivator in turn colluded with barbarians, and might be plotting something against him.
For example, if the barbarians were lured in to first destroy the Fire Phoenix Army, and then Wang Zhenyuan sent troops to destroy the barbarians, he could kill two birds with one stone, thus becoming a stepping stone for Wang Zhenyuan's promotion and advancement.
Zhou Wuji understood Xie Lingyun's concerns, after all, they had together seriously offended Wang Mingzhen and the Wang Household.
It's perfectly normal for Wang Zhenyuan to scheme against Xie Lingyun.
He said, "I'll stay here for a while and see if I can find that Devil Cultivator."
Xie Lingyun was even happier. "Stay here a few more days, let's brothers have a good get-together."
"The mountains and forests are remote, but fortunately there are various kinds of Demon Beast and wild fruits, which taste quite good----"
He immediately ordered people to prepare a banquet to properly entertain his good friend.
That evening, the two had a big meal. The various Demon Beast and birds, cooked by the chef, tasted quite good and were also very nourishing.
After the banquet, Xie Lingyun secretly drank some wine and was already a little tipsy, so he went to rest.
Zhou Wuji was in the next room, where he first did his daily routine.
He had taken the Dragon Saliva Grass before coming here. This spiritual plant has strong spiritual power and nourishes and strengthens the physical body from the inside out.
After two days, he had only absorbed 30% of the medicinal power; the remaining 70% was still in his body and needed to be slowly processed and absorbed.
This was only possible because he possessed a perfected Fourth Rank Army-Breaking Sword, blood as deep as mercury, and a spine as strong as a dragon, allowing him to absorb the spiritual power of the Dragon Saliva Grass so easily.
If it were Shui Wushang, it would take at least two to three months to absorb the power of the Dragon Saliva Grass.
Su Wuyi was in even worse condition; she had to take the medicine in multiple doses and use other medications to neutralize its effects.
Zhou Wuji slowly practiced his fist techniques in the room, which was the external training method of the Army-Breaking Sword.
His Qi and Blood surged like fire, but the contraction of his skin and flesh sealed off all his Qi and Blood power.
At this moment, he transformed into a human furnace, guiding the surging, invisible flames to temper his internal organs, Sinew Refining, muscles, and blood.
He checked some of the sect's records, but there was no mention of Third Rank body refinement in them.
Even martial arts experts who have mastered external physical training need to use True Qi to reach the Third Rank; there is no record of a purely physical training Third Rank.
According to the Army-Breaking Sword, once a cultivator reaches the Third Rank rank, their muscles, bones, and internal organs become as hard as iron yet as soft as water, their blood is like molten iron, full of intense Qi and Blood power, and they can exert the force of ten thousand jin with a single movement of their arms.
At this stage, the cultivator's physical body is like a divine weapon, immune to all poisons and evil spirits, fearless of water and fire, able to traverse the void, and possessing all sorts of incredible divine power.
Zhou Wuji, relying on his stable connection with the Big Dipper Seven Stars, subtly resonated with the Army-Breaking Star in the sky while practicing his fist techniques, guiding the star's power to flow naturally within his body and entering a very mysterious state.
Zhou Wuji, who was completely immersed in the essence of the Army-Breaking Sword, suddenly sensed something: someone was watching him!