Daqin Zhentiansi

Chapter 1048 Poised for Action, The Only Chance

This was an incredibly difficult retreat.

Every step was soaked in blood and sacrifice.

Soldiers covering the rear were constantly swallowed by the demonic tide, but the core of the circular formation never dissipated.

With the formidable defense of the Myriad Beasts Divine Armor and the brief control over the earth's veins by the Mountain Suppression Token, Zhang Yuan narrowly escaped deadly ambushes time and time again.

When the magnificent outline of the Hanyue Army's camp, built against the mountain, finally appeared on the horizon, this remnant army, which had fought its way out of Zanglong'ao and forcefully broken through Tu Gang's interception, was less than 10,000 strong. Every soldier was covered in blood, and their armor was tattered.

----------------

The Hanyue Army's main camp is located in the heart of Xuntianzhou.

The camp was built against the mountain and was large in scale, but the atmosphere was unusually oppressive.

The remaining deputy generals and soldiers were already unsettled by the terrifying fluctuations coming from the direction of Tianyuan City and the crimson-gold beam of light piercing the sky in an attempt to call for help.

When they saw Zhang Yuan and the others return covered in blood and with their armor tattered, but their commander Ba Yue was nowhere to be seen, an ominous premonition enveloped everyone.

“The general…” The deputy general left behind, a burly man named Yue Qing, spoke in a hoarse voice, his eyes filled with tears.

Zhang Yuan didn't say much, but simply raised the token in his hand, which was neither gold nor jade and was engraved with the ancient seal script "Ba Yue".

"The Commander of Zhenyue is here!" Zhang Yuan's voice, infused with the power of the Chaotic Star Source, clearly resounded throughout the training ground. "General Bayue has ordered! The entire Shanyue Army shall, from this moment forward, assume temporary command under my command! Those who disobey will be subject to military law!"

The Zhenyue Token exudes a powerful and profound magnetic force, subtly resonating with the "Mountain Moving and Mountain Shaking Technique" practiced by every Shanyue soldier.

That familiar aura, that unquestionable authority, instantly extinguished all doubting gazes, replacing them with the obedience and resolve of iron-willed soldiers.

Yue Qing knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist and roared, "This humble general, Yue Qing, obeys the general's orders! Greetings, Acting General!"

"Greetings, Acting General!"

Nearly 300,000 soldiers of the Hanyue Army who remained behind responded in unison, their voices shaking the heavens, yet carrying a tragic and heroic atmosphere.

Zhang Yuan's gaze swept over the dark, bewildered army below, their eyes burning with anger and confusion. He spoke in a deep voice, not loud, but loud enough to drown out the wind: "Tianyuan City is in imminent danger. The Demon Realm and the traitors are working together from within. Venerable Jin Ge has fallen, and Venerable Qing Shuang has fallen into demonic possession. The city is now fighting desperately to save its life."

"General Ba Yue, to cover our retreat, guarded Zanglong'ao alone, cutting off the enemy's rear!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the training ground fell into a deathly silence, broken only by heavy breathing and the cracking sound of clenched fists.

"General!" Yue Qing suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot. "This humble general requests permission to immediately break camp and rush to the aid of Tianyuan City! To fight the demon bastard to the death! To rescue the general!"

"Yes! Let's fight our way back!"

"Let's fight that devil cub!"

The crowd was filled with righteous indignation, and the flames of revenge were almost bursting forth.

Zhang Yuan slowly shook his head and raised his hand to suppress the noise.

"Heading straight to Tianyuan now would be playing right into the enemy's hands." His gaze was sharp as lightning, and his voice was icy cold. "The Demon Realm has laid this trap to lure all of my Xuntian Continent's forces to Tianyuan, so we can wipe them out in one fell swoop!"

"The Burial Dragon Pass serves as a cautionary tale!"

"If an army of 300,000 rashly enters the isolated city that has become a trap, not only will it fail to save lives, but it will also render General Ba Yue's sacrifice futile and lead to the annihilation of the entire Han Yue Army!"

Zhang Yuan's voice echoed over the camp.

The soldiers all looked up in bewilderment.

"Then... then what should we do?" Yue Qing asked anxiously.

Zhang Yuan gripped the Zhenyue Token tightly, feeling the remaining will and entrustment of Ba Yue within it.

"Reorganize the army! Forge it! Prepare for war!" He uttered six words, each one carrying immense weight.

"Issue my order: the entire army shall be placed on high alert, the main camp shall be sealed off, entry is permitted but exit is not, and anyone who leaves without authorization shall be punished as a traitor!"

"Open all the reserve warehouses and take inventory of all spiritual materials, ores, and elemental crystals! In particular, strategic materials such as star-patterned steel, sunken gold sand, fire-refined copper, and earth vein black iron must not be missed!"

"Summon all craftsmen, including those accompanying the army, guest ministers, and even master craftsmen conscripted from the common people. Gather them in front of the central command tent within two hours!"

"Commanders of all armies, immediately begin training your troops according to the three basic formation diagrams: the Iron-Blooded Rock Formation, the Arrowhead Demon-Slaying Formation, and the Mysterious Turtle Sea-Suppressing Formation!"

"I will complete the reorganization within three days!"

The series of orders were clear and decisive, carrying an unquestionable authority.

Although Yue Qing and the others were extremely anxious, military orders were paramount, and they were also impressed by the calmness and decisiveness in Zhang Yuan's words. They immediately clasped their hands and said, "Understood!"

The army began to operate at high speed, like a sophisticated machine.

Instead of heading to the gathering place of the craftsmen, Zhang Yuan went alone to a secluded cliff behind the camp.

This place has the highest elevation, offering a view of the starry sky.

He sat cross-legged, his Myriad Beasts Divine Armor concealed, and his dark black robe fluttered slightly in the night breeze.

Deep within the left eye, the chaotic star vortex slowly reversed.

The divine fire of darkness burned quietly in his right eye.

He was not practicing cultivation.

Within the sea of ​​consciousness, the Chaos Furnace rumbled softly.

On the furnace wall, three extremely faint starlight imprints appeared, yet they were mysteriously connected to his soul.

That was the "Star Source Resonance Seal" that he and Venerable Xingheng left behind using a secret method before their departure.

This seal relies on the power of the stars in the heavens to transmit information, making it extremely secretive.

However, the greater the distance, the greater the consumption.

Furthermore, both parties must be in an environment where the power of the stars is abundant and relatively stable.

At this moment, the starlight in the direction of Tianyuan City is chaotic, and demonic energy is soaring into the sky, making communication extremely difficult.

Zhang Yuan held his breath and carefully transformed his pure Chaos Star Source Power into the most primal Star Power, slowly injecting it into the three marks.

Like sending out a faint signal amidst raging waves.

wait.

Time passed slowly, and the faint sounds of the camp below the cliff came from below, making the silence of this place all the more apparent.

Finally, when the power of the stars was almost exhausted, the one belonging to Xing Heng was the first to emit a faint but clear fluctuation among the three marks.

Immediately afterwards, the marks of the Crimson Sun and Cloud Traces also lit up.

Three exhausted yet resilient thoughts, traversing vast distances and chaotic energy fields, painstakingly connected with Zhang Yuan's sea of ​​consciousness.

"Young friend Zhang Yuan..." Venerable Xingheng's thoughts came first, carrying the ethereal weight of star-based deductions, "Tianyuan... the situation is critical."

"The source of the demonic energy has not been extinguished, Qing Shuang has become deeply entrenched in demonic possession, and traitors lurk in the shadows, working together from within and without..."

"The city's protective formation is only 30% complete..."

"Damn it! These bastards!" Venerable Chiyang's thoughts exploded like flames, filled with anger and anxiety. "Senior Brother Jin Ge is gone! Senior Sister Qing Shuang... she's been completely corrupted by demonic thoughts!"

"There are still rats causing trouble in the city! Xingheng's Star Network is about to collapse! Brother Yunji is also about to lose control of that crazy woman!"

The Cloud Trace Venerable's thoughts were the calmest, yet they carried a hoarse voice of exhaustion: "The earth's veins have been severely eroded by demonic energy... I can hold on for at most one more day. Zhang Yuan, where is the army? Do you have any good strategies?" Zhang Yuan immediately responded with his thoughts, concise and clear: "Three seniors, the 300,000-strong Shaking Mountain Army is already in my hands."

"But Tianyuan is already a death trap; sending reinforcements directly would be suicide. I have already ordered the army to be reorganized and its battle formations to be reformed. It will take time!"

He paused, then posed the most crucial question: "Is it possible to awaken Venerable Qing Shuang after he has fallen into demonic possession?"

"Any leads on the traitors lurking in the city, especially those who have access to high-ranking officials and influence the core of the formation?"

silence.

A moment later, Xingheng's thoughts came through, carrying a deep weariness and a glimmer of hope: "Qingshuang... the demonic seed is deeply rooted, but the original sword heart still has a trace of the 'Ice Soul Condensation' characteristic that has not been completely extinguished."

"If one possesses the fruit of the 'Purifying Demon Lotus,' and combines it with the 'Nine-Turn Rejuvenating Grass' and the 'Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Soul' as supplements, using pure Yang True Fire as a catalyst, to refine the 'Ice Heart Rejuvenating Pill,' there might be a sliver of hope..."

"However, this elixir is a formula passed down from later generations. The medicinal materials are hard to find, and the refining process is even more difficult. Moreover, it must be taken at the moment when the person loses their composure..."

Chi Yang exclaimed urgently, "The Pure Heart Lotus of Demon Purification? That thing only grows deep within the 'Mysterious Cold Abyss' in the far north!"

"Where are we going to find her now? And how do we get close enough to give her the medicine? She's completely unrecognizable to anyone now!"

Yunji said in a deep voice: "Traitor... When the explosion occurred, the Star Observatory, the Armed Forces Department, and the City Lord's Mansion were all damaged at the same time. It could not have been done by one person alone."

“I sensed the residual shockwaves from the explosion using the Yuan Magnetic Secret Technique and found traces of the ‘Shadow Escape Talisman’ and the ‘Corrosive Vein Spirit-Eroding Powder’.”

"The former is a secret recipe of the Yunyi clan, while the latter... is similar to some forbidden medicine recipes of the Heavenly Palace's 'Dan Ding Si'."

"There are at least two traitors, one inside and one outside, and they are not of low rank."

Zhang Yuan's mind raced, and he memorized the information.

"Medicinal herbs and clues about the traitor, I'll figure something out."

"The three seniors must persevere! Especially Senior Xingheng, the Astronomical Observatory is the hope of the entire city, the torch must not be extinguished!"

"Please send me the core array diagram of the astronomical observatory and its weak points. Perhaps... there is an alternative approach."

After another difficult transmission of thoughts, an extremely complex star array was imprinted into Zhang Yuan's sea of ​​consciousness.

Several nodes flashing red light are the weak points that Xingheng calculated could be secretly sabotaged or exploited by traitors.

"Young friend Zhang Yuan, everything... is in my hands!" Xingheng's thoughts, carrying his last bit of determination, slowly faded away.

"Kid! Hurry up! I can't hold on much longer!" Chi Yang's thoughts roared, and the connection was severed.

Yunji sighed last: "The power of the earth's veins can buy you ten more days... Take care."

Contact was completely severed.

Zhang Yuan's face was slightly pale, and sweat beaded on his forehead.

Exchanging secret techniques across such a distance and with interference is extremely costly.

But the light in his eyes shone even brighter.

We have a direction!

He suddenly stood up and looked down at the brightly lit and bustling forging camp area below the mountain.

……

The open space in front of the central command tent.

At this moment, more than five hundred craftsmen have gathered.

There were elderly craftsmen with white hair from the army, master craftsmen from various families, and skilled folk craftsmen who were temporarily conscripted and looked uneasy.

They whispered among themselves, wondering what this suddenly appearing "acting general" intended to do by summoning all the craftsmen.

Zhang Yuan strode over, with Yue Qing close behind.

Without any further ado, Zhang Yuan had ten inferior star-patterned steel ingots, which he had "received" from the military supply depot, brought up.

And a small piece of top-grade star-patterned spiritual material that he had casually refined earlier, radiating dazzling starlight.

"Please take a look, everyone." Zhang Yuan pointed to the pile of dull and inferior steel ingots. "This is the 'superior' star-patterned steel that the Heavenly Palace 'allocated' to my Hanyue Army."

He then pointed to the top-grade spiritual material: "This was obtained by refining this inferior material."

The crowd erupted in uproar!

"This...how is this possible?!"

"Impurities completely removed, the star power is so pure... I've never heard of anything like it!"

"May I ask, General, what kind of divine art is this?"

Zhang Yuan raised his hand to suppress the sound, his gaze sweeping over the crowd: "The type of divine technique is not important. What is important is whether, with this method, all the inferior and discarded spiritual materials in the camp can be transformed into usable or even excellent materials in the shortest possible time?"

An old craftsman with a white beard and calloused hands walked out shakily, carefully examined the top-grade spiritual material, and then sensed the mysterious aura emanating from Zhang Yuan that was different from the weapon-refining system of this world.

He raised his head excitedly and said, "If the general can truly provide this method or assistance, I guarantee with my life that, with the combined efforts of all the craftsmen in the camp, production capacity can be increased tenfold! No, twentyfold! But..."

"Just what?" Zhang Yuan asked.

"Purification is easy, but shaping is difficult. Especially for large military weapons, standard armor, and weapons, which require uniform specifications and efficient molding. Relying solely on craftsmen by hand would take too long," the old craftsman Zong frankly stated.

Zhang Yuan nodded; this was exactly the professional advice he needed. "What if I could provide a method that combines 'mold' and 'energy infusion'? Injecting the purified spiritual material liquid into a specific array mold, simultaneously tempering it with earth fire and star power, instantly forming the shape?"

The old craftsman Zong and several master craftsmen suddenly widened their eyes and began to breathe rapidly.

"A formation mold? Simultaneous tempering? This..."

"This requires a profound understanding of material properties, energy balance, and array runes, and the mold itself must be able to withstand violent energy... Could it be that the general already has a solution?"

Zhang Yuan said no more and directly used his fingers as a brush to carve in the air.

The chaotic star energy flowed, outlining simple yet profound rune structures in the air, which combined to form a complex three-dimensional array.

It incorporates the idea of ​​using the "Mountain Moving and Mountain Shaking Technique" to stabilize the earth's structure, the star ordering and energy guiding runes taught by Venerable Xingheng, and his own understanding of how the Chaos Furnace refines and shapes all things.

This array diagram is not simply a forging mold, but more like a small, controllable "forging array core".

On the training ground, the sounds of battle shook the heavens.

Zhang Yuan didn't bring any advanced battle formations that were ahead of their time. Instead, he directly selected three sets of basic battle formations that had been refined through countless trials from the Qin Dynasty's military arsenal. After simplifying and optimizing them, he started practicing them on the spot.

He personally took to the field, using the Zhenyue Command to mobilize the entire army's magnetic energy to resonate, explaining the changes in formation, the flow of energy, and the shifts between offense and defense, detailing each move and technique.

The language is concise and gets straight to the point.

They can often spot the sluggishness in the formation at a glance and straighten it with a wave of their hand.

What shocked Yue Qing and other generals even more was that Zhang Yuan's understanding of the "Mountain Moving and Mountain Shaking Technique" was simply beyond comprehension.

He can not only guide the combined forces of the army, but also subtly adjust the magnetic fields between different squads and individuals, making the connection smoother and the combined force more cohesive.

The tacit understanding that should have taken months of hard work to develop visibly increased under his direction.

"General Dai... your technique..." Yue Qing couldn't help but gasp in amazement. (End of Chapter)