Xiong State's Main Force

The Western Border was a military region heavily garrisoned, and it was continuously developed and accumulated by generations of people, including Zhou Yafu and Cheng Bushi, eventually becoming a major military stronghold in the northwest region of the Great Han.

This area is a vast and interconnected city. Not only would a legion of 300,000 men be insignificant there, but even a million men could be stationed there without feeling crowded.

Zhang Xuezhou passed through Yanmen Pass several times, but there were fewer than a hundred soldiers stationed at the Yanmen Pass.

However, if any fighting or looting occurs, thousands of elite cavalry will quickly arrive from the military camp ten miles away.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't know the exact location of Mayi, but he knew where Yanmen Pass was.

"Do we have any orders from our junior officers? We could just go down and ask for directions with those orders!"

"Can't I ask questions without military orders?"

"We can disguise ourselves as passersby and ask for directions to Chang'an City, but we can't ask about Mayi, or we'll get arrested!"

Driving the Sky Shuttle from Chang'an City, Zhang Xuezhou had to replenish his power with two Creation Pills halfway through the journey to barely maintain control of his Law Treasure.

Solo flying and manned flying are indeed different, especially long-distance flights, which even Zhang Xuezhou finds too strenuous.

He was somewhat parched; the new emperor's initial urgency had turned into an unavoidable reality.

Not only did he not know where Mayi was, but the day's flight had also left him starving. He had been holding his urine for a long time, and when he could no longer feel it, he was thirsty.

Things that seem insignificant in ordinary times can be deadly at this moment.

The Empress Dowager is right. His individual strength is influenced by many external factors. The fierce battles in the palace demonstrate the upper limit of his abilities, but the strength he displays in the competition is far from reaching that upper limit.

The new emperor disagreed at the time, after all, with the help of the Spirit Silk Jade Lotus, his individual strength was completely changed, almost undergoing a qualitative change. His upper limit was constantly rising, and his lower limit would inevitably rise as well.

The overly simplistic and rapid travel system led to a host of problems for the new emperor.

Of course, eating, drinking, and relieving oneself can help, and one can even take pills to tide them over, but getting lost is the real problem.

The direction of Chang'an City is easy to find, and the direction of Mayi County is also easy to find, but Mayi, the small town where horses are raised, is not easy to find.

Even though Mayi County is named in honor of the place where horses were raised, this original grazing and horse-raising area is not the core of Mayi County, but rather a symbolic place. Over the decades and centuries, it has remained just a place for raising horses.

Upon hearing Zhang Xuezhou's response, the new emperor felt both relieved and troubled.

The good news is that the military discipline in the Western Border is quite good, and the soldiers on duty are vigilant. However, the problem is that they are also being kept out and it is difficult for them to obtain accurate information.

"How about I write an imperial edict on the spot?" the new emperor suggested.

"How could a lowly soldier recognize an imperial edict? It can only be reported up the chain of command..."

"Don't!"

The emperor's status is far less useful on the frontier than that of a minor general, especially since the new emperor is currently traveling incognito and does not possess the bearing of an emperor.

If you were to flaunt your status in such a place, you would most likely be mistaken for an imposter, thus causing a lot of trouble.

After he ascended the throne, he continued to travel in the name of the Marquis of Pingyang. Some poor people who did not know the Marquis of Pingyang did not care about his identity at all. At most, they regarded him as a rich man from the city who came to show off.

The new emperor encountered several robberies outside the city. If it weren't for Li Guang's protection and his own considerable strength, the new emperor would hardly be able to describe the experiences he might have suffered.

Zhang Xuezhou, for example, also experienced looting by the poor.

It may seem like just asking the stationed soldiers for directions, but such a simple matter can actually cause a delay.

"Mayi is a major horse-breeding area, so its terrain must be flat. The constant transport of these livestock requires year-round transport, and the destination must have relatively wide roads. North of here is the exit from the pass, south requires Realm Entry, and east is a mountain range. We'll search west first. As long as Mayi relies on Yanmen Pass, we'll surely find it by searching back and forth." The new emperor pondered for a few seconds before responding in a deep voice, then added, "Fly as high as possible, to avoid any accidents!"

"I'll do exactly what you say!"

Zhang Xuezhou took a deep breath.

If all you need to do is find the location, it's not a big deal; just keep looking and you'll find it.

But what to do after finding them, whether their intrusion will cause problems, whether they will encounter risks, or whether they will be observed by the hawks of the Xiong State —all of this is uncertain.

Given the current state of the soldiers at Yanmen Pass, and the fact that there was likely no unrest in the vicinity, Zhang Xuezhou was genuinely worried that the stray aircraft might collide with something unexpected.

He took a Creation Pill and put it in his mouth, which then pulled the Sky Shuttle, which had already flown a hundred feet high, up again.

Looking down, even the nearly 30-meter-high city wall of Yanmen Pass was no longer noticeable, and the soldiers stationed there, who were once as thin as hair, were now completely invisible.

Unless there are large buildings or heavy military presence below, it's difficult to see anything from this height.

The new emperor's eyes widened. He was about to tell Zhang Xuezhou to descend a little when he suddenly saw a hawk circling and soaring below. He immediately swallowed his words.

"It seems to be a hawk tamed from the Xiong State. Be careful not to disturb it!"

The eagle that the new emperor could see, Zhang Xuezhou could also see.

He even saw a ring on the eagle's leg, a mark that only the royal family of the Xiong State would make.

Mayi may indeed be located in the area below, and it was being constantly examined by the Xiong State at this time.

Although the Empress Dowager's plan had flaws, it did attract powerful figures.

There are very few forces capable of controlling the royal family of the Xiong State; this would involve at least the Sacred Land level.

"Did they fall into a trap, or did they turn the tables on it?"

Driving the Sky Shuttle to wander high in the sky, Zhang Xuezhou finally saw a vast expanse of darkness below.

Given the number of eagles patrolling this area, it's undoubtedly the Xiong State's legion below.

"Did the Empress Dowager say she wanted to fight the Xiong State's army head-on?"

After questioning him for a while, Zhang Xuezhou asked the new emperor in a low voice.

"The Empress Dowager's intention is to gather superior forces to crush the forces of the Xiong State's Sacred Land and slaughter top cultivators such as Zhu Jiuyin, Lu Ya, and Nine Spirits," the new emperor said solemnly.

"The main cavalry force of the Xiong State has been mobilized!"

Zhang Xuezhou stood up straight on the Imperial Shuttle, and saw that the black dots below stretched for more than ten miles.

This number is at least tens of thousands, and the Xiong State is almost entirely composed of cavalry, skilled in group charges and archery. The arrows fired by this main force on horseback are enough to strike thousands of times.

Without sufficiently thick cover, even feigning death wouldn't escape trampling and blind firing, let alone ambushes.

Zhang Xuezhou frowned, repeatedly recalling the Empress Dowager's demeanor at that time.

He was momentarily convinced that the Empress Dowager truly wanted to avenge Emperor Jing, but at the same time, he couldn't tell whether she was leading a large army to their deaths.

In this carefully orchestrated ambush, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't say who the real hunter was.

Individual strength seems insignificant at this point; few can control everything, and the answer will only be clear when the results are in.