I Can Strengthen Infinitely

Chapter 421 - 275: Wuyang Zhenren (Part 3)

Now that Wuyang Zhenren has returned, he has naturally become Wu Bao’s pillar of confidence; he only hopes that the master will make a move or two for him, offer some clever tricks or mystical arts, and in one stroke shatter Cao Mengda’s army.

After inviting Wuyang Zhenren to sit, Wu Bao immediately reported all the recent military developments to him.

Wuyang Zhenren stroked his beard lightly and said, "It matters not; this is easily handled. I have five hundred Divine Talismans. Lord Wu, select the five hundred most valiant and battle-hardened soldiers from your army, instruct them to take the Spirit Water, and they shall each command a Divine Soldier and Divine General. With this, you are guaranteed invincibility on the battlefield, triumphant in every assault."

Upon hearing this, Wu Bao laughed heartily; he was all too familiar with Wuyang Zhenren’s methods. If the master said something could be done, then it most certainly could—there was no doubt of failure. Thus, this time, he would surely upend the situation, seize Cao Mengda, and behead him for all to see.

After annexing Cao Mengda’s forces, only Liu Xian’s faction would remain in Jiangnan, awaiting Wu Bao’s grasp. Wu Bao could not help but feel a secret surge of joy in his heart.

"Does Lord Wu have any other matters to entrust? If so, speak plainly; I shall handle them for you all at once," said Wuyang Zhenren.

"Master, there’s no need to hurry. Rest a few days first, there’s still time for all this."

Wuyang Zhenren shook his head. "Jiangnan is a land blessed with mountains and flowing waters. Of late, I have been preoccupied with seeking rare treasures of heaven and earth. This time, I returned only to see if you, my lord, had encountered any difficulty. If there is nothing, I’ll soon take my disciples and depart again to wander the lands."

When Wu Bao heard this, he couldn’t help but give a wry smile. If only Wuyang Zhenren would settle quietly in camp instead of running about everywhere, he wouldn’t have to worry day in and day out.

"Then I must trouble you, Master." Wu Bao returned to the table, picked up a stack of intelligence reports, and handed them over to Wuyang Zhenren: "These are the latest reports gathered by my spies, mostly about small-time bandits attempting to carve out their own kingdoms in Jiangnan. May I trouble you to cleanse these petty factions recorded in the files first."

The female disciple standing behind Wuyang Zhenren knit her brows in displeasure, secretly resentful that Wu Bao tasked her master with such trivial affairs.

Yet Wuyang Zhenren himself was utterly unconcerned. He reached out and accepted the stack of reports, saying, "It’s nothing."

With Wuyang Zhenren stepping forward, Wu Bao’s heart was, at once, greatly at ease. He joyfully called to the servants outside the door: "Prepare a banquet! Tonight I must entertain the master!"

...

With the location now certain, Sanhuang led his men in tireless mining, and within just a few days, they dug out the gold vein anew.

With ample funds secured, Sanhuang, under Du Xiaoqing’s guidance, began to expand outward, and the nearby cities and towns around Meteor Mountain were soon all drafting armor and weapons for his troops. Gradually, the force shifted from mere bandits toward a regular army.

Thus, this force led by Sanhuang, having suddenly emerged, made a great name for themselves near Meteor Mountain—a true dark horse rising. Following Qin Yuesheng’s instructions, they never cast covetous eyes toward Cyan Yang City, allowing it to remain a rare sanctuary in this chaotic age.

Meteor Mountain is very close to Yangzhou Prefecture. Now that Sanhuang was expanding, naturally he had to contest land with Liu Xian. In former days, such an act—snatching food from the tiger’s mouth—would have brought Liu Xian’s army crashing down on them that very day.

But now, under threat from Qin Yuesheng, if Liu Xian wanted to live, his only choice was to pour all his strength into fighting Cao Mengda, with no resources to spare elsewhere. So, watching as Sanhuang’s mysterious newcomers steadily carved up his territory, he could only pretend not to see, forced to swallow the insult and eat his losses in silence—nothing could be more galling.

On the other hand, Sanhuang’s side was surging unstoppably forward. In only a few days, they made impressive gains: five counties and one city had fallen under their control.

That night.

The night was dark and the wind fierce, with thick clouds shrouding the moon.

After the string of city captures, Sanhuang no longer kept his main camp hidden in Meteor Mountain. That place, while secluded, was far too inaccessible and inconvenient for army operations.

On Du Xiaoqing’s suggestion, Sanhuang proclaimed himself the ’Yellow Emperor,’ raised the Yellow Banner, and relocated his troops to the sole city they’d just seized—Fengchu City. Thus, his great rebellion was already taking shape.

In truth, this was no small feat. The main force Sanhuang had brought from the Twelve Linked Rings were not mere bandit rabble; many were once Liu Xian’s navy, naturally fierce and fit. With such forces, if Sanhuang still accomplished nothing, even with dragon’s fate, Qin Yuesheng would be forced to question his worth.

Fengchu City boasts a renowned structure—the Great Phoenix Tower. Rising four zhang high and of ancient lineage, the tower was built by the former dynasty’s state religion, the Jushan Sect, for stargazing and incense burning by the faithful.

Yet with the fall of the former dynasty and the rise of the Great Tang, this tower had been abandoned, no one daring to approach it.

Qin Yuesheng sat cross-legged atop the tower, channeling the Profound Celestial Scripture, wildly absorbing the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. Winds rose and clouds swirled all around him; with Qin Yuesheng at its heart, it was as though a vortex slowly began to turn.

Outside Fengchu City, four shadows crept closer.

Once the moonlight touched them, their paths were revealed. They were, in fact, Wuyang Zhenren and his party.

"Master, this is already the twelfth target that Wu Bao has assigned us," said a male disciple.