hotmtlnovel Chapter 57 The Enemy is at the Gates
Chapter 57 The Enemy is at the Gates
Chapter 57 The Enemy is at the Gates
Tushan, a three-story pavilion where the wind rises.
The midday sun streamed in, casting dappled light and shadow on the bluestone floor through the carved wooden windows. The kitchen was still warm, and several dishes of vegetarian food were placed on the old sandalwood table: stir-fried mountain mushrooms, cold bamboo shoot salad, and mushroom soup—all common ingredients in Tushan.
The aroma of food wafted faintly through the room. Tu Shan Ya Ya sat at the table, resting her chin on her hand, gently tapping her bamboo chopsticks on the rim of her bowl, producing a monotonous, soft sound.
Today marks the thirtieth day of her remembrance of 9527. The mint plant that 9527 casually planted on the windowsill is growing lush and green.
Tu Shan Rongrong tiptoed and untied the apron tie behind her neck, and the light green apron embroidered with a little fox slipped onto the stool.
She lightly leaped down from the stool, looked at her sister, and sighed softly, "That saying people often use is so true—it's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go back to frugality." She walked to the table and looked at the dishes, "The ingredients and steps are exactly the same, but the taste is so different."
Compared to Rongrong's home-cooked meals, the dishes prepared by 9527 seemed to be enchanted, with vibrant colors, enticing aromas, and unforgettable flavors. Ya Ya couldn't resist secretly picking up a piece with her chopsticks and putting it in her mouth, but immediately her brows furrowed tightly, almost unable to swallow. She had been eating this kind of food for hundreds of years, while 9527 had only been here for less than a month at most.
At the dining table, Cui Yuling took in everything. Today, she was wearing a light blue dress with a jade hairpin tucked into her hair. She rested her chin on her hand and smiled gently. "If you were to say that the leader of the Qi Dao Alliance once wore this apron embroidered with a fox and was busy running around in this small kitchen—I'm afraid no one would believe it even if I told you the whole story."
"What?!"
Tu Shan Ya Ya suddenly turned her head, her eyes wide open, "9527—became the leader of the One Qi Dao Alliance?!"
"The news only arrived today, but he's been in that position for a month already." Cui Yuling nodded, her tone turning serious. "I heard that in this past month, he's been decisive and has accomplished many great things. But—" She paused, glancing at Tu Shan Honghong, the Lord of Tu Shan, who had been eating silently beside her, "He's about to lead the One Qi Alliance to war against the Southern Kingdom."
The air suddenly froze.
Ya Ya opened her mouth, but the words "Is there going to be another war?" stuck in her throat. She suddenly remembered something from a long time ago—
At that time, she couldn't reach the edge of the table; she could only cling to the table leg to watch Lord Fengqi unfold the blood-stained battle report. The peach blossoms of Tushan bloomed exceptionally brightly that year, their red petals dazzlingly bright as they fell onto the list of fallen demons.
"Tushan will not participate in this war." Tushan Honghong put down her chopsticks, her voice cold and calm. "I have already given orders that no demon race within our territory may interfere."
Cui Yuling gently stirred the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks, her worry still lingering. "That's true," she said, "but Honghong, our position is extremely sensitive." She raised her eyes, her gaze seemingly piercing through walls, looking westward. "The Southern Kingdom is in the south, and our Tushan borders it. The human race's southern border lies between our two great demon kingdoms. There's an old saying among humans: 'To repel external threats, one must first secure internal stability.' Given the Dao Alliance's consistent approach, how could they possibly let us sit idly by in the rear?"
She sighed and continued, "You haven't forgotten that historically, before every major battle between the Dao Alliance and the Southern Kingdom, they would first attack our Tushan, right? What they feared was a surprise attack from behind. Although Fengqi did indeed have this plan many times back then, the Dao Alliance always anticipated it and never let her succeed—"
"What Sister Yu means is," Tu Shan Rongrong replied softly, her youthful face displaying a composure beyond her years, "that 9527 will attack us first, just like the previous alliance leaders?"
"He wouldn't!" Ya Ya stood up abruptly, her long tail taut behind her. "He's 9527! The one who braved the rain to pick fresh mushrooms in the back mountains, who stayed up half the night researching sweet cakes because Rong Rong said she wanted to try them, and who quietly handed Ya Ya ointment when she was injured while practicing!" Her voice grew louder and louder, as if trying to convince someone. "How could he bring troops to Tushan? How could he look at us like that?!"
Cui Yuling looked at the agitated Ya Ya, her eyes filled with pity and helplessness: "Ya Ya, if he were still that lone wolf, the solitary swordsman of Lone Peak," I believe he wouldn't. But now he is the leader of the One Qi Alliance, bearing the safety and responsibility of the entire southern border of humanity on his shoulders. Just as your sister must protect Tushan and consider the interests of all demons, he too must act in the best interests of humanity. Power—can change people."
As if to confirm her somber words, outside the hall—
"Ugh—!!!"
Suddenly, a rapid horn blast resounded from the Moon-Viewing Terrace, the highest point of Mount Tu. The sound tore through the twilight, one blast after another, a warning of the highest level of "approaching foreign enemies."
The palace gates were flung open with a bang, and a Silver Moon Guard knelt on one knee, his forehead covered in cold sweat: "Report! The gates of Nantian City are wide open! The human army has poured out in full force! Black flags blot out the sky, and I estimate there are no fewer than 50,000 of them! The vanguard, numbering about 3,000, is marching rapidly towards Tushan!"
Tu Shan Honghong and Cui Yuling vanished from their spot in an instant, leaving only Honghong's cold voice in the air: "Ya Ya, Rong Rong, you two stay here."
"Sister, wait for me!" Tu Shan Ya Ya couldn't sit still any longer. She pushed aside her bowl and chopsticks, her demonic power surging as she chased after him. She only hurriedly turned back to call out to Rong Rong, "Rong Rong, stay home and don't run around!"
The small figure transformed into a streak of light and swept towards the city wall.
The three-story building suddenly became empty.
Tu Shan Rongrong silently withdrew the step she had just taken, slowly sat back on the stool, and stared at the now empty doorway, her little hands unconsciously clenching the hem of her clothes.
Three figures swiftly arrived at the towering city walls of Tushan. Looking out, they saw banners obscuring the sky outside Nantian City, and a massive, dark human army surging forth like a tidal wave; the chilling aura was palpable even from afar. One elite vanguard unit, having broken away from the main force, was heading directly towards Tushan.
Cui Yuling gazed at the long dragon of smoke and dust rolling in from afar, raised her hand to shield her eyes from the blinding sunlight, and a bitter smile appeared on her lips: "It's starting again—Honghong, send the order to all the tribes within our territory." Her voice was low and hoarse, "As before—let some of our own people die, let enough blood flow, and prove to them that Tushan is no longer a threat, and that we really have no intention of taking advantage of the situation."
Her sorrow was so heavy, as if steamed by the scorching sun, permeating the sweltering air. Even upon receiving the news, Tu Shan had already conveyed goodwill and neutrality to the Dao Alliance through multiple channels—repeatedly stating that Tu Shan had no intention of restarting the war. However, all efforts evaporated instantly, like water droplets thrown into the blazing sun. Centuries of suspicion were more scorching than the midday sun.
"9527—" Tu Shan Ya Ya stared intently at the faintly visible black banner at the forefront of the smoke and dust, its golden patterns reflecting a blinding light under the blazing sun. Her chest heaved violently, and a fierce rage ignited in her clear eyes. "I hate him! I never want to see him again!"
The angry shout, imbued with demonic power, caused a wave of heat to ripple through the surrounding area. Her fox tail stood erect, and icy blue demonic energy dissipated, condensing into fleeting frost in the scorching air.
"Ya Ya." Tu Shan Hong Hong finally spoke. Her voice was still calm, but it was like the first crack in ice under the scorching sun. She slowly raised her hands, her knuckles turning white, her nails digging into her palms.
The instant her fists clenched, an indescribable pressure emanated from her. Deep within her emerald eyes, a blood-red light flickered, as if an ancient power was awakening.
Few in the world know that the power of the Tushan royal family originates from the deepest "emotion." The most intense emotions can be transformed into fuel for cultivation. Hundreds of years ago, the still-naive Honghong experienced a dramatic upheaval in her mind, and overnight she rose from a lowly demon to a great demon king.
Today, atop the scorching city wall, amidst the collapse of trust and the urging of war drums, the barrier of her cultivation, dormant for centuries, cracked once more. Her demonic power, which had not increased for hundreds of years, was once again enhanced.
The immense demonic power surged forth like a spring from the earth, not out of joy, but from a heavy sense of disappointment—from the figure who had once smiled and bustled about amidst the fireworks, now besieging the city with a cloud of smoke and dust—distrust.
"You," Tu Shan Honghong's gaze swept over Cui Yuling and Tu Shan Yaya, a flash of bloodlust in her eyes before returning to a deep emerald green, even more scorching than the burning stone slabs, "stay here."
Before she finished speaking, she had already transformed into a crimson streak of light, like a reverse-shooting arrow, swiftly and alone across the azure sky, heading straight towards the rolling dust and cold light! She was going to use herself to block the enemy's advance!
"Sister!" Tu Shan Ya Ya exclaimed, her icy blue demonic aura soaring into the sky.
"go back!"
Tu Shan Honghong did not turn around, but her cold rebuke was like a thunderclap, carrying the pure demon power she had just broken through and exploded on the city wall!
"boom-!!"
The entire city wall trembled violently, bricks and stones tumbled down, and defensive runes flickered wildly under the blazing sun. The immense pressure of demonic power exploded like an invisible heat wave, and Tu Shan Ya Ya was the first to be hit. Her icy blue demonic aura instantly dissipated, and her petite figure froze in mid-air before plummeting straight down.
"Ya Ya!" Cui Yu Ling flew forward, her gentle demonic power supporting the falling girl and catching her tightly in her arms.
The two stood atop the city wall, only able to watch helplessly as the crimson streak of light resolutely and without hesitation disappeared into the ever-approaching, ever-clearing smoke, banners, and the cold glint of weapons in the distance.
The blazing sun burned the fading crimson.
Only the sound of war drums, like rolling thunder, pressed down from the horizon, growing louder and closer, until it would eventually drown out all the cicadas' chirping and the sound of the wind.
Outside Tushan Pass at noon, silence was dying.
"Stop her—!"
A powerful shout, imbued with immense magical power, suddenly erupted from the human army's ranks, drowning out the rolling drumbeats.
Once the order is given, military orders are absolute!
"Clang—!!!"
The next moment, a chilling metallic clang merged into a terrifying sonic boom. From within the human vanguard, thousands of streaks of light, each a different color, shot skyward! Flying swords, jade rulers, precious seals, golden wheels—all sorts of magical treasures, activated by the cultivators, transformed into a dazzling yet deadly meteor shower, tearing through the air with sharp whistles, descending upon the solitary, crimson figure!
The sunlight was blocked by a dense array of magical artifacts, darkening the sky. A chilling killing intent and intense demonic power were about to collide, as if a cataclysmic destruction was imminent.
Just as the crimson light and the chilling light were about to collide, and the energy surge caused space to distort slightly, the human army's central army, under the tallest banner with the character "Dao" on a black background and gold patterns, stood...
A figure clad in gold and black robes quietly raised his right hand amidst the crowd.
They pointed out with their fingers like swords.
"go back."
An immense and unimaginably pure force suddenly descended upon the airspace where the collision was imminent. This force was not a brutal impact, but rather carried an absolute and inviolable sense of "order." It gently enveloped Tu Shan Hong Hong's bursting crimson-gold demonic power, like the most skillful craftsman removing the force between the mortise and tenon joints, or like the gentlest tide lifting a small boat.
Tu Shan Honghong felt as if her immense demonic power, capable of shattering mountains and splitting rivers, had crashed into an invisible yet omnipresent "wall." This "wall" was incredibly tough, yet possessed a strange flexibility and precise control.
It did not injure her by force, but rather reversed, smoothed out, and suppressed all the momentum and the trajectory of her demonic power in a way that was almost "guiding" or "denying" her!
The crimson light surrounding her dimmed and contracted at a visible speed.
Her unstoppable forward momentum came to an abrupt halt in mid-air, and she was then enveloped by that irresistible, gentle force, flying backward at an even faster speed than she had come!
The wind whistled in my ears, and the scene before me rushed past—dust, military formations, cold light, that black banner, and the blurry figure beneath it—everything was receding into the distance.
"puff----"
A soft sound, not a collision, but like a fallen leaf returning to its roots. The last trace of demonic power that had been leaking from Tu Shan Hong Hong's body was gently "pressed" back into her body by that force. She only felt her breath slightly fill the room. The demonic power that had been supporting her and had been boiling and surging due to the intense fluctuations of her emotions was forcibly soothed and suppressed, returning to her dantian. Although the total amount was not reduced, and it even seemed purer, it temporarily lost its violent and surging momentum.
She landed steadily back on the top of Tushan City, precisely where she had been launched into the air. Her skirt fluttered as she stepped barefoot onto the scorching bricks, only the slight dust rising in the air a testament to the thrilling exchange that had just taken place.
Tu Shan Ya Ya and Cui Yu Ling stared in disbelief at Tu Shan Hong Hong, who had suddenly returned to her original spot, as if her resolute charge just moments before had been an illusion. But Hong Hong's slightly heaving chest and her suddenly tightened, emerald eyes fixed on the distance proved that everything that had just happened was real.
In the direction of the human army formation, the thousands of magical treasures that had soared into the sky, having lost their target, did not continue their attack. Instead, like birds returning to their forest, they flew back to their respective owners in an orderly fashion. The dust continued to advance, but its speed seemed to have slowed down, and the sharp, menacing killing intent had also strangely subsided somewhat.
Only under the central banner, that figure had lowered his fingers, stood with his hands behind his back, and gazed at the top of Tushan City.
He then turned and went in the opposite direction.
And then he turned around.
The entire army followed his lead and turned.
Or rather, the army was originally going to turn around. Apart from the three thousand vanguards who had already rushed towards Tushan City like arrows, the true target of these tens of thousands of troops was never Tushan.
The vanguard, composed of three thousand elite cultivators, had now completely broken away from the main force. Like a sharp dagger drawn from its sheath, they swiftly and precisely pierced the area outside Tushan Pass. About ten miles from the towering city walls of Tushan, they landed in unison on a relatively open slope.
"Thump!" "Thump!" "Thump!"
The sounds of magical artifacts landing and cultivators taking their positions were deep and resonant, stirring up clouds of dust. Three thousand people stood in a strict formation, their magical artifacts gleaming faintly, their auras forming a chilling barrier, silently standing between Tushan and the main force of the Dao Alliance heading south.
Between them and the city wall of Tushan is the inscribed rock where Zhou Yi once drew his sword.
Unauthorized entry will result in death!
The three thousand human cultivators who had descended into formation showed no intention of attacking. They simply stood there silently, constructing a defensive line, their auras locked on the direction of Tushan, yet strictly adhering to the boundaries.
Their orders were to remain stationed here, monitor Tushan, and prevent any demons from taking advantage of the army's southward expedition to cross the border and harass them. They were not to provoke any conflict or start a war without authorization.
Under the central military flag.
Steward Fei stood by, the white-haired, experienced old man with a furrowed brow. He gazed at the crimson figure atop Tushan City, whose suppressed rage was palpable even from a distance. Finally, he couldn't help but lower his voice and speak: "Alliance Leader, those three thousand warriors are indeed the elite of our Dao Alliance, but if the Queen of Tushan truly disregards everything—" He paused, his voice filled with genuine worry, "the power she just displayed is beyond that of an ordinary great demon king. I fear that if she goes berserk and charges in a desperate attack, the vanguard may not be able to—stop her. If Tushan takes advantage of our main force's deep penetration into the Southern Kingdom to launch a surprise attack from behind, we risk being attacked from both sides."
Worried about Zhou Yi's youth, Wang Quan Shouzhuo personally sent Steward Fei to assist him, along with Yang Yifang.
Yang Yifang shared the same concerns as Steward Fei. According to past practice, they were supposed to first flatten Tushan, but this time Zhou Yi had rejected that plan.
"Then the army will turn around! She's just a great demon king. I will kill her with my own hands and then destroy Tushan!" Zhou Yi looked towards the southern country ahead, his face calm and expressionless.
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