Chapter 250: Bloody Autumn
After the arrival of the three soldiers guarding the border in the prefecture capital, the number of guards securing every city in Zizhu prefecture had been increased.
All 48 city lords under the Zizhu prefecture were puzzled and wondered about the sudden order to tighten their security.
Apart from that, the Prefecture ordered them to be prepared to deploy their army for a full-blown attack at any moment.
Now, with the introduction of Spirit Comms to the Zizhu prefecture, it was easy for the Prefecture Lord to pass information to his subordinates.
Apart from that, they could easily strategize among each other. Through the You Connect on Spirit Comms, the city lords had special chat rooms where they could discuss with each other.
Unbeknownst to the other 17 prefectures and the state governor, they were still underestimating the Zizhu Prefecture for their weakness.
At the border of the Zizhu prefecture, an old man with a deep scar that runs from his right eye down to his chest, dressed in glistening armor, had a long black spear stuck to the ground beside him.
The old man, full of valiant aura and an unyielding gaze, stood at the peak of a mountain.
Behind him were three old men; their aura was strong but completely different from the scarred old man.
"General, what should we do?" one of the three old men standing behind him asked with a solemn voice.
The old man was the general of the army protecting the border of the Zizhu prefecture. He had been in the army since the age of twelve and walked his way up until he became the general leading the army, protecting his home.
After waiting for another minute, the general responded, "Let's wait for the order from the prefecture lord."
When the three most trusted commanders heard this, their expressions flickered and slowly turned to anger.
"General, we're protecting the border with our lives not because of the prefecture lord but to save our homeland. We must do something now," another man responded.
"So... should we ignore the order of the prefecture lord and do what? Rebel?"
The three commanders looked at each other, not knowing how to respond. They were furious at the spineless prefecture lord. Each of the commanders had lost hundreds of men because of the prefecture lord's unwillingness to give more resources for them.
Apart from that, there was a year when they had to fight for a complete one month without stopping a minute as the monster race attacked their prefecture.
That battle was known as the Bloody Autumn. They lost tens of thousands of loyal men because the prefecture lord refused to send reinforcements to help them.
Even though the Cold Steel Pass became famous for that battle, the loss that happened that day haunted them to this day.
Now that there was more threat than they ever bargained for, none of them was prepared to send their men to the grinder.
The war with the monster race was already tiring; now, the state governor had ordered a massive five hundred thousand soldiers to come into their land.
What should they do?
When they were in their peak, their army numbered to one hundred thousand, but after the Bloody Autumn, their army reduced to a staggering sixty thousand.
If not for their valiant General's swift action to stabilize the army, many of their soldiers would have left the army.
After five years, many of the soldiers were letting go of the grudge against the prefecture lord since they were now happy with their new life.
Taking a deep breath, the General turned and looked at his three trusted commanders.
"If you don't let go of the grudge, how are you going to reach a higher realm in your cultivation?" he advised with a calm tone.
"I know how you all feel... it's been five years. It's time to let go, remember what you have here now."
In the distance was a small town, surrounded by a 30-meter wall. The previous Cold Steel Pass had slowly turned into a town where their families now resided.
Hearing this, the three commanders sighed. They knew their general was right, but it was not easy to let go of such a bloody grudge. Some of them lost their sons and daughters to that battle, but they could do nothing about it.
The General looked at them and shook his head. He won't try to force them when they realized holding a grudge was a burden to the heart.
Then, they would let go.
"What do you think will be the response of the prefecture lord?" he asked.
"As usual, he will throw us into the burning fire to defend his fame while he enjoys to his heart's content in the arms of beautiful women," a commander responded with anger and disdain.
"While he was enjoying in the arms of women, are you not doing the same? How many wives do you have? The last time I checked, you're preparing to marry the 8th one," the General teased.
Instantly, the atmosphere changed as wild grins plastered on the faces of the commanders. The fat tall commander was embarrassed, but he thickened his skin while his comrades stifled their laughter.
Hahaha.
"General, he's on the tenth one," the youngest of the commanders said through laughter.
What!
The General widened his eyes and looked at the fat commander and was unsure how to react. He had already warned his fat pig to stop marrying wives, but who would have expected instead of him stopping; he increased the rate at which he was getting married.
"I'm not indulging in anything bad... I'm just trying to have more heirs before the war takes me one day."
Hahaha!
"Do you even know the number of your children?"
Just as the Generals were having friendly banter between them, a beautiful young woman walked up to the mountain. The black armor on her body didn't hide her beauty; it even complimented it more, accentuating all her curves.
In her hand was a long spear that resembled the general's spear.
"Father..." she called.
"What are you doing? I told you to stay back at home," the General responded, his voice filled with care and love.
"You've been gone for over three hours." She turned to the commanders and performed a military salute.
"Little Lu'er is getting more pretty each day," the fat commander commented.
"Thank you." She responded calmly and continued to ask. "Father, have you received any news from the capital?"
"I told you not to worry about it. Leave the worry for we the old bones."
"I can't. If we did not receive any news from them by today. I will pay them a visit."
With that, she turned and departed the mountaintop.
The General looked at the straight back of her only with both pride and worry. She knew how stubborn her daughter could be if she had made up her mind. He could only hope he receives news before she rushes to the capital.
"General, are you not going to convince little Lu'er from going to the capital," the youngest commander asked.
The general and the two other commanders looked at him for a moment before they ignored him.
...
Deep in a forest, a hidden cave covered by long thick vines obscured the entrance.
At the heart of the cave was an ancient formation on the ground.
Suddenly, the ancient formation came to life, pulsating with energy. Find your next read on m_v l|e-NovelBin.net
Whoosh!
A bright light flashed in the cave, and the light disappeared. Fifty men with an intimidating aura were at the center of the ancient formation.
Without uttering a word, the fifty men stepped out of the ancient formation and stood by the side.
Shortly, the same action appeared in the ancient formation as more people appeared.
After five minutes, five hundred strong and deadly men were stationed in the cave. All the five hundred men were in Core Refining realm, and the lowest was an intermediate Core Refining realm.
Their leader was five people. Four middle-aged men and a woman. They were at the peak of Early Golden Core realm stage 3.
Without uttering a word, they left the hidden cave at a breathtaking speed, leaving a gust of wind and the dimmed pulsating energy from the Ancient Teleportation Formation.
To the people, the empire was the strongest power on their land. But now, the ancient powers are waking up from their slumber. It was time to let the world know of their presence.
Baiyun city was peaceful and calm with the visitors that came for the secret realm having a nice time but not lucky enough to enter. They were waiting for the return of those that entered.
Suddenly, the sky darkened, catching the attention of everyone.
Before anyone could react, a massive palm attack appeared over the city and came crashing down like a heavenly judgment. The mere presence of the massive palm attack sent shivers down the spine of all half-step Core Refining experts in the city. Most of them were clan leaders from various cities, but now, they were about to meet their end.
As for those below the half-step Core Refining, the pressure from the palm attack suffocated them inside-out, and they fell on their knees. There was only one thought in their mind. They're doomed.
However, while the massive palm was about to obliterate almost half of Baiyun city, a few people didn't have an ounce of fear on their faces.
As the massive palm attack was about to hit the city, a cold, domineering voice resounded:
"Get lost!"