Guardians of the Two Borders

"I'll be your underling?"

Before the Golden Toad Dharma King could even leap to the Ten Thousand Mountains, Jin Wanliang, residing in his secluded paradise, was already contemplating the future.

He solemnly presented his ideas to Zhang Xuezhou.

This made Zhang Xuezhou slightly open his mouth.

He didn't mind being someone's underling, but Zhang Xuezhou really wasn't prepared to be a toad's underling.

But Zhang Xuezhou's surprised expression vanished in an instant.

He was overjoyed, feeling that Jin Wanliang had unexpectedly offered him a lifeline when he was at his wit's end.

Jin Wanliang's future was uncertain, and so was his.

Don't be fooled by Zhang Xuezhou's current behavior of yelling at Jin Wan and speaking to the Golden Toad Dharma King on equal terms. Once the Golden Toad Dharma King returns to the Holy Land, he will inevitably gain access to top-tier medical resources, and a minor cultivator like Zhang Xuezhou, who hasn't even reached the Meridian Circulation Realm, will certainly be abandoned.

Zhang Xuezhou had considered many ways to avoid death, but after being ridiculed by Jin Wanliang once, he knew very well that there must be something wrong with them.

This made Zhang Xuezhou briefly consider using incantations to escape the secret cave.

Zhang Xuezhou only felt relieved when Jin Wanliang mentioned taking on followers.

"What? You're unwilling?" Jin Wanliang said urgently, "You need to think this through. Your only chance of survival is to follow me. Don't think your agreement with the ancestor is of much use. When he wants you dead, you won't survive!"

"Then tell me, how does the ancestor intend to kill me?"

"It's too easy. In just two more days, you'll definitely be too hungry to move. If no one feeds you, you'll just die, and your body will definitely be used to feed the Demon Beast. This doesn't violate our original promise at all!"

It would be very simple to break the agreement between Zhang Xuezhou and the Golden Toad Dharma King.

Leaving aside the deliberate, short-sighted methods mentioned by Jin Wanliang, if the Golden Toad Dharma King had carelessly lost Zhang Xuezhou in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, Zhang Xuezhou would inevitably have starved to death after wandering around for a while.

The ferocious beasts and Demon Beast in the Hundred Thousand Mountains could easily kill Zhang Xuezhou.

The Golden Toad Dharma King will let Zhang Xuezhou leave safely, but the location where the Golden Toad Dharma King lets Zhang Xuezhou leave could lead to too many unexpected events.

"Big brother!"

After only a few seconds of thought, Zhang Xuezhou immediately swore allegiance to his elder brother.

Compared to life and death, this kind of thing is not shameful.

Considering that the Golden Toad Dharma King had traveled nearly ten thousand miles in the past few days, Zhang Xuezhou knew very well that this was a distance from which he would find it difficult to return to Hibiscus City in the short term.

This forced Zhang Xuezhou to seriously consider how to survive.

Perhaps he will have to adapt to a different way of life for a long time.

Rather than saying Jin Wanliang was his elder brother, it would be more accurate to say he found a free nanny, which at least gave him someone to look after him when he was out of the dream.

"Call me 'Big Brother,' and we're brothers for life. From now on, I'll protect you, and you help me out. Let's try our best to survive in the Holy Land of Xieluoschuan!"

Jin Wanliang was overjoyed, thinking that having more helpers was never a bad thing, and he could even push his underlings out to take the fall if needed.

"When brothers are of one mind, their strength can break even metal!"

Zhang Xuezhou reached out and touched hands with Jin Wanliang.

Both harbored their own ulterior motives, but were forced to stick together because they were in different places.

For both Zhang Xuezhou and Jin Wanliang, once they left the territory of the Han Dynasty, both humans and demons had to face a completely different life beyond the Great Wall.

"Let me tell you, over at the Holy Land of Xieluoschuan..."

Jin Wanliang rummaged through the knowledge he had heard, describing it dryly, with slurred words gushing out of his mouth.

Zhang Xuezhou nodded from time to time, scraping off another layer from the beef bone he had been gnawing on again and again.

Having decided not to chant any incantations to leave the secret cave, and with ten thousand taels of gold protecting him, Zhang Xuezhou relaxed considerably.

Compared to his previous constant listening to the sounds within the dark clouds in search of a way out, he is now simply waiting.

Aside from being extremely hungry, the time wasn't too difficult to pass.

"Li Guang, His Highness the Holy Son has disappeared within the territory of the Han Dynasty. If you kill me today, and His Highness continues to search for him without returning, His Majesty will surely believe that your Han Dynasty is behind our assassination and will incite a large army to slaughter the Han Dynasty!"

From within the clouds, the Golden Toad Dharma King roared, its booming voice reverberating downwards.

This may be approaching the formidable pass guarded by the Northern Border Military Region.

The Golden Toad Dharma King was clearly extremely wary of Li Guang, and even before he got close, he began to verbally target him.

"Golden Toad Dharma King, don't think that just because you have a Sea-Stabilizing Pearl, you can act with impunity. Entering the territory of my Great Han is an overstepping of boundaries, and it is only right that I kill you!"

A heavy voice came, intertwining with the voice of the Golden Toad Dharma King, causing the dark clouds above the cave to tremble violently.

"Our Holy Son encountered the Hairy Head Sun Star Official during his travels, forcing us to enter your territory. We did not incite any violence, but merely took a few cattle and sheep to fill our bellies, which is considered to be in accordance with the rules. Are you going to kill us for that?"

The Golden Toad Dharma King clearly sensed the risk of his demise.

Feeling a prickling sensation on his back, he immediately revealed most of the relevant information.

"The Ten Yin Holy Son are fighting against the Hairy Head Sun Star Official?"

"Dogs fight!"

Li Guang asked in confusion, and Cheng Bushi added a sentence.

"My little pepper was seriously injured by you while patrolling the Northern Border..."

"I didn't harm your second young master; I merely taught those two scouts who attacked me a lesson. If I had intended to kill your son, he would have been poisoned long ago!"

"That's interesting!"

"That's interesting, but don't point a bow at me!"

The Golden Toad Dharma King cried out, but the stinging pain from the sharp blades aimed at his body did not lessen in the slightest.

Cheng Bushi's words were extremely accurate; if Li Guang were to make a move, killing him would indeed not require the use of the Heaven-Shaking Arrow.

The two sides were never even on the same level.

Li Guang was skilled in archery and could snipe powerful opponents from a distance. He was the nemesis of many great cultivators who were skilled in flying, formations, and Technique Method.

The Golden Toad Dharma King is skilled in poisons, particularly adept at poisoning large numbers of the weak, but not in one-on-one combat.

In such a fierce battle, as long as Li Guang made a move, the Golden Toad Dharma King felt that he was likely to perish, and it would be difficult for him to escape by jumping.

"I didn't realize you actually followed some rules!"

Li Guang's voice was hesitant, but Cheng Bushi urged him to help repeatedly.

The Golden Toad Dharma King was terrified, but he still gritted his teeth and kept running, trying to break out of the Northern Border and enter the Ten Thousand Mountains.

But then he heard the sound of a bowstring being pulled.

A sharp pain, like a tremor, shot through his body. The Golden Toad Dharma King screamed and jumped several times faster.

A series of afterimages streaked across the sky, but the Golden Toad Dharma King was nowhere to be seen in the Northern Border region.

"That damned toad demon! It actually used the Essence Blood Escape Technique to escape!"

The Golden Toad Dharma King's body disappeared, and his location could no longer be determined. Cheng Bushi could only murmur in resentment.

He chanted a spell, stopping the operation of the overheated, almost smoking magical Law Treasure, the battle boots.

"Li Guang, you actually failed?"

Once his body returned to normal, Cheng Bushi turned his attention to the red-armored general holding a black longbow on the city wall.

"It's a good thing that the Ten Yin Holy Son are fighting the Hairy Head Sun Star Official. General Cheng, don't you think it would be more beneficial for the Han Dynasty if the Western Kunlun Heavenly Court Holy Land fought against the barbarian Demon Race of the Northern Julu Continent?"

Li Guang asked a question in return, which left Cheng Bushi speechless.

He never pinned his hopes on the weakening of others, internal strife, or external threats.

In Cheng Bushi's eyes, only by becoming strong and constantly weakening the enemy could the Great Han Dynasty be properly defended.

But he couldn't say that Li Guang's method was wrong.

He guarded the western border, while Li Guang guarded the Northern Border. The two guarded the border in different ways, but both were quite reliable in their defense.

As long as the borders can be stabilized, everything is right.

This applies even when they disagree.

This is the Northern Border guarded by Li Guang, not the western border where he was stationed. Everything should be based on what Li Guang said.