On the mountain top, Chen Yuan and three others, without engaging in idle chatter, transformed into streaks of light and dashed down the mountain.
That night, the entire Jingguan City was awake.
On the road leading to the Southern City Gate, unknown when, along the main street on both sides, silhouettes holding lanterns stretched far into the distance.
Among them were old men with greying hair and small statures, as well as slender women eagerly looking towards the direction of Yunding Mountain, and children being carried or led by women.
As the distant rumbling, resembling earthquakes and mountain collapses, swiftly approached.
In the darkness, figures in iron armor emerged and swooshed past.
Some people found those they were looking for, calls of names echoed along the street.
"Eldest, come back! Come back!" An elderly person saw his son’s profile as he galloped past, calling out in a hoarse voice.
"Big brother, big brother, I’m here, you must take care of yourself, come back and marry me!" A well-dressed girl, wearing silver ornaments, saw her brother in armor rushing past, her eyes swirling with tears, she placed her hand over her mouth and called out emotionally.
Among the torrent of troops in the street, a dark and determined face turned back, glanced around, then shouted, but his voice was drowned out by noise, afterwards he turned his head, and followed the troops shouting into the distance!
But the girl saw the words uttered from her brother’s mouth, laughing and crying, she waved her hands as if saying take care.
From above, Chen Yuan saw all this along the street, his heart choked with a certain emotion.
These departing troops, someone’s sons, someone’s husbands, someone’s lovers!
And him, never able to return to his homeland, struggling for survival in this world, perhaps there is no one in the world worried about him anymore!
At this time, on Yunding Mountain, troops whistled, setting off with the wind.
At the main peak, inside the Heavenly Patrol Hall, Pei Yanhu and over thirty Heavenly Pass Experts of various sects gathered together.
Outside the hall, thousands of disciples from sect noble families waited for orders.
Inside the hall, Pei Yanhu got straight to the point, his tiger eyes scanning around, his voice deep:
"Everyone’s presence here indicates that you all are aware of the current situation. I, Pei, am pleased, but I can’t bring myself to smile."
"Just a few hours ago, my Mountain-cutting Army lost two Colonels, two mountains’ worth of men perished, slaughtered by demons, among them, was my eldest son," Pei Yanhu threw out this news with a seemingly calm demeanor.
The sect Heavenly Pass experts on both sides of the hall were shocked to hear this news.
The Commander’s eldest son also died in battle.
"So," Pei Yanhu’s gaze became somewhat fierce, "if you don’t take action, more people will die, including you and me."
With these words, the atmosphere in the hall grew silent.
After a dozen breaths later,
"I, from the Su Nu Sword Sect, am willing to fight. I have an old friend on Seventh Mountain, and I will take my disciples to aid Seventh Mountain," a beautiful middle-aged woman in white sitting on the left side, with a cold face and signs of age around her eyes, spoke.
This woman was the Elder Qingxuan from the Su Nu Sword Sect, a Heavenly Gate Tao Seed Realm!
As one person spoke, many quickly followed.
"I, from Golden Cicada Temple, will follow the Third Mountain, Amitabha Buddha."
"Seven Extremes Sect is willing to send disciples to support Eighth Mountain..."
"The Peak Master of Dragon Sound Mountain will personally lead the team..."
Responses began to echo.
But most chose the Third, Seventh, and Eighth Mountains; only two sects chose the Ninth Mountain.
Perhaps they had other reasons, or perhaps they felt that compared to the other three mountains, Ninth Mountain had weaker forces.
"I, from Shu Mountain Sword Sect, am willing to lead my disciples, to support Ninth Mountain," said an old man with gray hair, dressed in gray and wearing a wooden hairpin.
As this man spoke, other sect Heavenly Pass experts looked at him in surprise.
After all, Shu Mountain has a great reputation among the Shu domains, and the leader of Shu Mountain is a Martial Vault Level Great Divine Ability User.
And this person was the peak master of Canghai Peak among the Nine Peaks of Shu Mountain.
At this moment, another voice arose, only to see at the end of the right side, the main branch of the Yun Family speaking:
"Our Yun Family is also willing to lead all our clansmen to support the Ninth Mountain!"
The others were even more astonished this time, wow, what a remarkable family.
The Yun Family, some had heard of it, among these sects and noble families, they were only considered second-rate, but this Yun Family, actually had such righteousness, sending all their clan members to the battlefield?
It was quite curious!
Just then, outside the great hall, a series of footsteps came, an armored soldier marched into the hall, kneeling on one knee, "Reporting to the Commander, several hundred people have breached the Eastern Gate, but they have the seal document from Colonel Xiang of White Emperor City, saying they are going to the Ninth Mountain to join the military."
"What? They have already deployed troops."
"Just at the base of the mountain."
Pei Yanhu’s light yellow eyebrows twitched, and he flew out of the hall.
Other sects’ Heavenly Pass experts, hearing this commotion, also followed to see.
At this time, at the base of Yunding Mountain, a group of hundreds of people, dusty and weary, faces covered with frost, mostly dressed in coarse linen, among them old and young alike, mostly of low cultivation, uneven and diverse.
At this moment, these hundreds of people, looking next to them, were led here by a group of burly and fierce armored soldiers, gazing with envy, stiffening their chests with vigor.
Suddenly, a strong oppressive force came, and a figure with light yellow eyebrows, eyes like a tiger, landed in the void before them, his gaze filled with an imposing pressure, he asked directly.
"Where are you all from?"
One by one, the people reported their origins, but Pei Yanhu frowned.
At this time, a one-armed man emerged from the crowd, leading his horse forward.
"Replying to your lordship, I come from Qingshan County, the Colonel of the Ninth Mountain is from our Qingshan County. We heard the news from General Xiang in White Emperor City, rushed here from outside the border, General Xiang even lent us horses, and there’s an old friend of your lordship, who entrusted us to bring a pot of wine to honor your lordship!"
"Indeed, hearing that Lord Chen was going to slay demons, my family was killed by Human Demons, now left alone, I owe Lord Chen a favor."
"To kill one to break even, two to make a profit!"
The crowd chattered fearlessly.
Pei Yanhu looked at these people, his eyes shimmering with light, "Colonel Chen, half an hour ago, has already dispatched troops, heading south."
"What are we waiting for?"
The few hundred people quickly shouted and turned around to leave.
Pei Yanhu stopped them.
Then he instructed his subordinates, "Change their horses, armor them up!"
Not long after, several hundred troops hastily galloped towards the Southern City Gate.
Pei Yanhu and the more than thirty Heavenly Pass experts quietly watched these hundreds of grassroots people leaving the city!