Chapter 285: North of the Great Liang (II)

The construction of the Great Wall in the Northern Frontier began during the Great Liang Dynasty. The founding emperor abhorred the demons in the North and had long wanted to annihilate the northern demons since his ascension to the throne. However, both he and the other founding meritorious officials understood that such an endeavor required not only the national strength of a dynasty at its very peak, but also the assistance of the cultivators from the foreign lands. At that time, neither of these conditions could be met. Hence, the founding emperor never initiated a war with the demons during his lifetime. Instead, he constructed the Great Wall to resist and change the situation where the demons frequently headed south to plunder civilians.

A magnificent Great Wall was gradually heightened over the years and stood firmly on this vast expanse of desolate north, becoming the final line of defense for the Great Liang Dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Taizong, numerous passes had been newly established before the desolate north's Great Wall, forming crucial choke points that the demons had to pass through when advancing south. Wars in previous years had all commenced from these passes too.

The segment of the Great Wall in the northeast, which Wan Shi guarded, was originally located beyond a pass called Yongcang Pass. However, in previous battles, Yongcang Pass had fallen and been occupied by the demons, leaving them directly facing the demons' attack without any protection.

After a long silence, Wan Shi regained his composure and said rather wearily, "How many storms and hardships has the Great General endured in his defense of the Northern Frontier these years? It's not that the Great General is getting old, but rather that he has sacrificed too much for the people of our Great Liang."

A Northern Frontier martial artist could live comfortably in any office of the Great Liang Dynasty, and he would certainly be respected too. Why bother coming to this Northern Frontier's Great Wall to brave the elements and face the constant risk of death in battle?

The deputy murmured softly, "The Great General should return to the Divine Capital now that his health is deteriorating."

He did not finish his sentence, but Wan Shi understood clearly; he meant return to the Divine Capital to spend the rest of his life peacefully, which might not be many more years.

"But if the desolate north loses the Great General, how can we ensure the morale of the troops? Even without considering troop morale, how can we resist the demons' southward advancement without the Great General?"

The deputy shook his head gently. After so many years, they had long grown accustomed to the times when the Great General was present. If the day came when the Great General was truly gone, who could succeed to the position of the Northern Frontier Great General might actually be the most difficult thing to consider.

Wan Shi remained silent, his gaze suddenly fixed on the distance.

At the far end of his line of sight, a dense black cloud suddenly appeared on the horizon!

The deputy suddenly shouted, "Enemy attack!"

There had already been a demon attack on the city wall before, but that attack had come and gone swiftly. Although they were curious, they did not think too much about it. But now, what was happening? The first wave of demons had just retreated, and now the second wave was arriving here.

The soldiers on the city wall became nervous, gripping the sabers in their hands as they watched the dark cloud floating closer and closer.

Wan Shi stood up, his expression grim as he looked in that direction.

After years of battling the demons in the north, he naturally knew what this black cloud meant.

"There's a great demon among them..."

The deputy took a sharp breath, voicing what Wan Shi wanted to say. In past major battles, whenever a dark cloud appeared in the sky, it meant that at least one great demon was leading the assault.

Although their section of the Great Wall was not considered a critical area, and they had never been lucky enough to encounter a great demon, it did not mean that they were unaware of the gravity of the situation.

"In that great battle last autumn, I was reassigned to Hangu Pass to obey orders. There, I glimpsed a world-shaking great demon from a distance. Its dharma idol could span thousands of feet, towering high in the sky. It was unbelievably terrifying. The demonic qi was so thick that it was likely equivalent to a demon army numbering in the tens of thousands.

The deputy slowly opened his mouth to say. He still had lingering fear in his heart to this day when mentioning that incident. Back then, if it had not been for the intervention of the powerhouses in the army, he would have long perished on the battlefield.

Wan Shi glanced casually in the direction not far away, where some fine golden threads had emerged on the beacon tower and then dissipated.

This was a communication method that the Ministry of Works had been improving over the years. When the golden threads dissipated, it meant that the message had been sent out. As for the response over there, and what kind of reinforcements would be sent to this side, it was not something Wan Shi could worry about. His mission was to stay here and ensure that not a single demon could climb on top of the city walls before he died.

However, as the dark cloud drew closer, Wan Shi could not help but feel nervous. The city wall had array formations that could contend with such powerhouses, but since the enemy dared to come, they must be prepared. It was likely difficult to hold out with just the few of them.

"Bring out the divine crossbows on the city wall first and see what their intentions are."

Wan Shi gave the order. Soon, a huge divine crossbow was brought to a high platform in the distance. Two soldiers lifted an enormous arrow and placed it on the crossbow. Then, with the cooperation of four people, they pulled the arm-thick bowstring, aiming at the dark cloud in the distance.

The divine crossbow now exuded a menacing aura, especially the arrow, which emitted an extremely terrifying aura.

It was a weapon that the Great Liang Dynasty had developed over the years specifically to deal with demons. Each arrow was quite complicated to forge, hence their immense power. If one of these arrows were shot, even an ordinary Great Beyond powerhouse would likely choose to avoid it temporarily.

"Fire!"

Wan Shi quickly ordered, his voice cold. As long as the demons dared to appear in front of the Great Wall, they would naturally be the enemy. Even if they were not yet at the Great Wall, they were still the enemy!

Several soldiers released their grips simultaneously, and that immensely powerful arrow shot out. The defensive array on top of the city walls did not stop it, instantly opening up a hole, and assisting to send the arrow out!

The powerful arrow made a long white trail in the air as it tore through the clouds. Finally, it sank into that dark cloud.

But a moment later, Wan Shi's heart sank.

The seemingly powerful arrow did not even disperse a single wisp of the cloud when it landed in the dark cloud, which was also to say that the powerful crossbow could not threaten whatever was inside the dark cloud.

Since that was the case, it meant that a great demon had truly arrived. If it had any means to break through a part of the defensive array on the city wall, then this place was bound to be lost.

"Damn it to hell, do they have any plans over there?!"

Wan Shi cursed inexplicably while staring at that dense black cloud.

The deputy suddenly smiled and said, "I think it's the best outcome if they haven't dispatched reinforcements even after learning the news."

Wan Shi was not foolish; he understood it instantly but could not help but sigh, "I never expected that one day we could also become pawns in this war. It's really good fortune cultivated over three lifetimes!"

......

......

At the central part of the desolate north's Great Wall, which was also the widest part, there stood a grand hall. The entire hall was painted in crimson red, but it seemed to have weathered over time, with some paint flaking off, giving it a weathered appearance. Upon closer inspection, one of the eaves corner of the hall had long been fractured.

This was a battle from years ago, where more than one great demon arrived together. The defensive array of the Great Wall was breached, and a few of the great demons arrived on top of the city wall and fought against the defending soldiers. One of the great demons was a notable existence who could be ranked in the Demon King's Court. After appearing here, it fought with the powerhouses of the northern frontier army. In the end, before the defensive array was repaired, that great demon left unimpeded. This incident had always been considered the greatest shame of the Great Liang Dynasty in recent years. Thus, the broken eave corner of the hall was left unrepaired and had always existed in its present state, to serve as a warning to the soldiers.

Inside the great hall, the decoration was simple. In the middle, there was a huge sand table, which represented the terrain of the desolate north that had been measured at immeasurable cost by the northern frontier army over the years. Some of the places garrisoned by the demons were only discovered by paying with countless lives, and this intelligence was not long-lasting because the demons were cunning. They would practically change their defenses every two weeks to a month. Therefore, they had to keep sending scouts to investigate.

On the wide wall, there were densely packed maps hanging. There was likely no difference between standing in this great hall versus going into the desolate north in person.

An armored general with graying hair and numerous wrinkles on his face, making it look rugged and full of hardships, sat in a high position with a cold expression, devoid of emotions. Around him were about a dozen generals wearing armor. Their war armors were slightly different to indicate their different ranks. As for the other existences, they were dressed differently. It was just that they did not wear armor.

These people were cultivators who followed the army, some of whom stayed in the northern frontier army all year round, while others had been recently dispatched by the imperial court.

Of course, there were also some cultivators who were not sent by the imperial court but were foreign land cultivators. However, those qualified to be present here at this moment must have had several years of experience, or they must have rendered outstanding military achievements.

For example, the one currently leaning on a chair, an elderly one-eyed daoist wearing a tattered gray daoist robe. This person was a member of a major sect from the Great Peace Dao lineage and had a respectable seniority. He was also fellow apprentice brothers with the old daoist who had now taken the position of the sect master.

If he did not stay in the Northern Frontier, if he had not come to this desolate north, and had returned to the sect, his status would have been highly respected. However, for some unknown reason, when he traveled here back then, he suddenly said that he was going to stay here until death. And this stay lasted more than twenty years. He had not been absent from countless great battles during this time.

The middle-aged sword cultivator next to him was even simpler. He had come to the vicinity of the Great Wall in pursuit of a demon back then, and happened to encounter a major battle where the demons were sieging the city. After standing on the wall for over half a day, he found that those martial artists showed no fear when facing the vicious demons. He laughed loudly and joined the battlefield, wielding a flying sword named Yellow Earth. In that battle, he chased and killed several veteran demons, achieving a glorious record of killing one while severely injuring two others.

Aside from these two, there were five other cultivators who were currently sitting or standing, each with different demeanors.

"Great General, news has arrived from Wan Shi's side. A great demon has gone there."

At the entrance of the great hall, a soldier hurriedly entered and reported the military situation. Without waiting for that Northern Frontier Great General to speak, he just stood on one side. Having served in the northern frontier army for many years, he was well aware of the Great General's temperament.

The weathered old man with a face full of vicissitudes did not speak. After nodding slightly, his gaze remained fixed on the sand table.

"According to our original calculations, Wan Shi's side can probably hold on for an hour. General Chen's cavalry has already set off and should have reached the designated location by now. When everything is ready, this big bag can be closed. In this way, we can win a small victory in this great war. After this great battle, there will be at least ten years of silence without the sound of war in the Northern Frontier."

The one-eyed daoist suddenly spoke, the wisps of his whisk in his embrace already broken in several places, with only a few remaining. It gave a sense of loneliness, signifying the numerous battles he had experienced over the years. This war lasted for more than half a year. Even the imperial court felt that it would be a protracted war, prompting the dispatch of additional cultivators from various parts of the Great Liang Dynasty to the Northern Frontier. Indeed, as the court had anticipated, the war lasted for more than half a year, claiming hundreds of thousands of lives on both sides.

And now, this war was finally coming to an end.

The General's Office had started planning since the middle of the war. After several considerations and calculations, they ultimately abandoned a few places with less strategic significance, including Wan Shi's place, to secure this minor victory.

Even if those places were taken by the demons, they could still retake them once the dust settled. In reality, there would not be much loss. The only real loss would be the relatively small number of lives that became abandoned pieces.

The middle-aged sword cultivator said calmly, "Since it will be ten years of peace, that is naturally excellent. Some trade-offs are necessary, Great General."

As the middle-aged sword cultivator spoke, countless pairs of eyes in the entire great hall fell on the Great General.

The old man slowly looked towards the vice-general on one side, nodded, and then calmly said, "After putting in so much effort in the early stages, this general naturally won't have any other thoughts. How to proceed will remain as planned. This is something that cannot be changed no matter who comes. However, at this point, there are some things I still want to say."

The old man stood up slowly and looked at everyone present with a calm expression.

"Leaving other matters aside, let's take Wan Shi that kid for example. This general and his grandfather once fought together, and then his father also served as my personal guard. Later, it became him. Several generations have been here, all for the sake of the people of the Great Liang. However, this general has never given that boy any special treatment. His rise to the rank of deputy general was all due to his own efforts. It's just that now, thinking about it, his dying on the battlefield feels quite fitting to this general. But dying like this as an abandoned pawn, this general feels somewhat reluctant."

His voice was light as he spoke, without any sense of authority, looking just like an ordinary and unremarkable old man.

The vice-general had originally intended to leave when he saw the Great General nod. However, suddenly hearing this, he did not leave straight away and probed, "Great General, if you felt reluctant earlier, why didn't you replace Wan Shi?"

Great General ignored him and just furrowed his brows.

Having followed the Great General for many years, the vice-general knew what the Great General meant. A tinge of regret and remorse flashed across his face, and he soon walked out of the grand hall with large strides.

Watching this vice-general leave, the generals who had been listening to the Great General's words tensely heaved sighs of relief.

With the departure of that vice-general, the dust was considered to have settled.

Great General looked at the people present and continued, "I'll repeat it, the situation cannot be changed, but personally, I must do something."

Upon hearing these words, those present understood the Great General's intent. The middle-aged sword cultivator immediately interjected, "Great General, you cannot go!"

He did not give a reason, just expressed his thoughts.

Everyone else was the same.

"Great General, since you can't let go of Wan Shi and don't want them to become so-called pawns, send someone out right now, maybe there's still a chance. The overall situation is set, and those outside of the chessboard can naturally do anything. I'm leaving right now to head to that section of the Great Wall."

The middle-aged sword cultivator spoke, his eyes determined, yet his expression was indifferent.

The Great General looked at him and similarly asked, "What about the rest aside from Wan Shi?"

......

......

The mass of dark clouds finally still closed in on the city walls, revealing an incomparably big and tall figure that loomed within the dark cloud. It was the great demon who had yet to show his face.

But his powerful aura was already displayed in its entirety at this moment.

The thick demonic qi continued to permeate the air, eventually reaching the city walls.

Wan Shi gripped the hilt of his saber and looked up.

He could feel an immensely oppressive aura currently moving towards the city walls. The defensive array on the city walls seemed to be on the brink of collapse at this moment.

Wan Shi glanced at the dark cloud and let out a sigh, knowing that there were certain things he could not perceive at the moment but definitely existed.

That figure emerged from the dark cloud and arrived on the city walls, locking eyes with Wan Shi.

Wan Shi sensed a very indifferent emotion.

That was a towering man clad in black robes, with an indifferent expression. He was not very different from a human. The only thing different was perhaps those pair of eyes. The pupils were green.

He was a demon.

A great demon