The saying goes: “Flying light on ink, Heaven is asked; a tapestry of beauty, thirteen peaks stand.”

When King Min, Yu Li Yang, was young and wandered the world, he penned this verse, elevating thirteen renowned mountains within the realm of Xia to a status where “all other mountains pale in comparison.”

Within Jin An Prefecture lies Ming Kong Cold Mountain, a place of towering cliffs and perilous heights, yet it did not earn a place among the thirteen peaks.

Liu Xi Yi, who hailed from Jin An Prefecture, once remarked to another, “It is not that this peak is not high, but that it has not been seen by Yu Li Yang.”

At a wine banquet, Yu Li Yang responded, saying, “With Liu Gong Xi Yi present, how could I dare to discuss Ming Kong?”

When asked why he wouldn’t dare, Yu Li Yang replied, “I fear uttering a single wrong word and suffering Liu Gong’s reprimand!”

This anecdote became a widely circulated good story.

Of course, later, when Yu Li Yang achieved the realm of True Monarch, even Liu Xi Yi would no longer directly address him by name in public settings.

As for the strange mountain listed among the thirteen peaks, its perilous and majestic nature has always been a topic of enthusiastic conversation.

This mountain is called Yin Shui, or “Involve Water.”

Legend has it that Yin Shui Mountain was once submerged in water, revealing its danger only when the waters receded, and the peaks emerged as the tide withdrew.

However, the first appearance of Yin Shui Mountain in historical records already depicts it as a high mountain. The history of the Qing Dynasty does not mention any great river in the Southern Domain capable of engulfing Yin Shui Mountain.

Thus, the legend remains just that—a legend.

Tai Yin led his army here at a gallop, obliterating all traces of their passage, and had long since concealed them.

Three thousand soldiers, wielding the Shoot Moon Disk, lay hidden to the north of the mountain.

This array disk shares a name with the Qi army’s Shoot Moon Crossbow but is entirely unrelated. The name “Shoot Moon” signifies the loss of light during the long night when the moon is absent. It was an array disk that played a crucial role in the previous battle at Wu Yang City. Tai Yin held only the last two in his possession, bringing them both with his army.

Three thousand soldiers, holding the Bewildering Marsh Disk, were concealed to the south of the mountain.

This array disk is a replica of the Five Bewildering Evil Marsh Array. Once activated, it transforms solid ground into marshland, simultaneously releasing evil turbid qi that harms the physical body and disorients the senses.

Another three thousand soldiers, bearing the Earth Fire Disk, were hidden in a hollow within the cluster of mountains.

This array disk is a replica of the Earth Fire Burning Furnace Array. When activated, it draws forth earth fire, turning the ground into a furnace and incinerating enemies within the array.

Array disks excel in their convenience, but when discussing power, they cannot compare to complete arrays set up on the ground.

More powerful arrays are more challenging to replicate into array disks.

They consume significant resources and often only manifest one-tenth of the original array’s power.

However, it is precisely these two words, “convenient,” that allowed array disks to flourish in the post-array era, extending the life of the array path.

The Tai Clan, as a family specializing in the array path, boasts a millennium of accumulated resources, with a large portion stored in various array disks. However, during this great war between Qi and Xia, their treasury is already depleted, and they have brought out everything they possess. Even if they repel the Qi army in the end, it will take several decades to recover their former glory.

The array disks selected by Tai Yin are not overly exquisite but are robust and not easily dispersed by the soldiers’ evil qi.

Their purpose is to buy more time in battle.

Due to insufficient time and the need for concealment, they could not leisurely set up arrays, instead relying on array disks, which inevitably resulted in reduced power compared to arrays established on the ground.

Thus, the main force of this war still relies on soldier arrays formed by the great army.

The remaining thousand soldiers of the ten-thousand-strong army, namely the Tai Clan’s personal guards, were specifically deployed by the patriarch, Tai Xu, to assist him. They followed Tai Yin and were concealed on Yin Shui Mountain itself.

Although the strategic objective of this expedition had already been set, it was merely to delay Xie Bao Shu’s division.

However, in Tai Yin’s heart, there was, of course, the expectation of defeating the Qi army – if Xie Bao Shu were to provide the opportunity.

His various arrangements had already utilized his available forces to their limit.

Man proposes, Heaven disposes!

Xie Bao Shu, this individual, is quite well-known in Lin Zi. He is a young noble of good cultivation talent, accustomed to a life of pleasure and a certain literary flair, but his military strategy can only be described as average. Despite being the nephew of Xie Huai An and receiving the best education—Xie Huai An’s own military strategy is also quite mediocre, wouldn’t you say!

Silently outlining Xie Bao Shu’s relevant information in his mind, Tai Yin’s breathing gradually calmed, then gradually dissipated, eventually returning to nothingness. He perceived the traces of this heaven and earth with increasing detail, and gradually merged with them—including his own breath and that of the thousand-plus Tai Clan personal guards, their presence becoming less and less noticeable.

Wait.

Many times in life, even if you have already done everything you can, for that immeasurable future, all you can do is wait!

Time passed, five hours and a quarter later.

Night had already deepened significantly.

From the earth came the sound of distant trembling, which was quietly collected by the array as it spread… and perceived by Tai Yin.

The number of troops was between thirty thousand and forty thousand, consistent with the intelligence gathered by Mo Bei and others.

Tai Yin’s body slowly awoke, and his blood began to flow again.

Although he had told Mo Bei and the others that Xie Bao Shu was not worth worrying about, this person was still a once-renowned genius figure in the Qi country. He would not truly underestimate him, otherwise, he would not have set the primary goal of the first battle as delaying the enemy.

Xie Bao Shu’s Bright Mirror divine ability could rebound the influences imposed upon him, directly counteracting his Negative Embarrassment divine ability.

Xie Bao Shu’s Mad Song divine ability allowed him to unleash powerful ranged Dao techniques at a storm-like speed, perfectly suited for the battlefield environment.

Furthermore, he had an uncle who was a True Person, and it was unknown what life-saving means he had bestowed upon him.

Such an individual was not easy to deal with.

One had to be cautious, had to exert one’s utmost effort.

The sound collection array had stopped, dispersing into formlessness. This was to avoid being detected by Xie Bao Shu’s side—the terrain around Yin Shui Mountain was incomparably clear in Tai Yin’s mind; he could even outline the marching process of Xie Bao Shu’s division.

Silently calculating the time in his heart.

Closer, closer…

In his mind, the water clock dripped.

He crushed the token in his hand, transmitting messages to various divisions.

Simultaneously, he stimulated his own blood qi, mingling it with the soldier array. The thousand-plus Tai Clan personal guards exerted their full force, their soldier evil surging into the sky. This isolated force of Great Xia unfurled its banner on the summit of Yin Shui Mountain!

The flag representing the mountains and rivers of the Great Xia Empire stood tall on a famous mountain of Great Xia!

In front of the fluttering national flag, Tai Yin saw the great army winding at the foot of the mountain—bright lamps illuminating their path, the troops stretching into a long dragon.

As he revealed their presence, the battle flags in the Qi army’s formation quickly shook. Under the general’s command, they swiftly shifted from marching formation to battle formation.

“Qi thief Xie Bao Shu!” Tai Yin soared upwards, his angry voice rolling like thunder: “Why have you not surrendered!”

Behind him, the thousand Tai Clan personal guards, forming an array, shouted in unison: “Surrender!”

This sound echoed between heaven and earth, shaking the surroundings, a battle horn sounded.

To the north of Yin Shui Mountain, the three thousand officers and soldiers of the Xia army all shouted: “Surrender!”

And then, in the next moment, the night opened up like a sky-spanning wing. The light from the bright lamps was thoroughly eroded. The moon on the horizon hid behind a layer of clouds, finally losing its brilliance.

The Shoot Moon Array had been activated!

Xie Bao Shu displayed decent command ability. Upon encountering a sudden attack, his soldier array did not fall into disarray. Instead, he swiftly adjusted his formation and gathered his soldier evil. As blood qi surged, his soldier evil rose angrily to the sky, immediately breaking the influence of the Shoot Moon Array.

At the same time, to the south of Yin Shui Mountain, the shouts of the Xia army’s officers and soldiers also rang out: “Surrender!”

At the foot of Yin Shui Mountain, the ground for nearly ten miles turned into mud, causing the Qi army’s soldiers to stumble, their formation tending to scatter! Moreover, evil turbid qi surged from the ground, emitting a foul odor that made people nauseous and filled the night with a darkness so thick one could not see their hand before their face!

Immediately after, in that hollow within the cluster of mountains, the angry shouts of the Xia army’s officers and soldiers also rang out: “Surrender!”

Thus, the ground where the evil turbid qi surged forth quickly emitted smoke, followed by scorching heat, the temperature of this corner of heaven and earth suddenly rising! Earth fire squeezed out from the mud marsh.

This corner of heaven and earth instantly became like a cauldron, like a furnace, and the Qi army was boiling within the cauldron!

Fire poison erupted, fierce flames spread!

The Earth Fire Burning Furnace Array had risen!

Tai Yin almost wanted to cry out in praise.

Under the strong pressure of the Qi army, the performance of these brothers under his command could be described as perfect!

This time, the application of the array disks was not simply allowing the leading general to infuse Dao Yuan and activate the array disk. Instead, under his redesign, each division of the Xia army used the power of the soldier array to urge the array disk, combining the soldier array and the array itself, thereby restoring the power of the array to the maximum extent possible!

This was not an easy feat. Modifying the array disks was already very difficult, but he had completed it.

And using the power of the soldier array to urge the array disk, combining the soldier array and the array itself, required meticulous control and coordination.

He did not have that many excellent generals under his command, and frankly, the mansion soldiers were not elite enough—thus, he had instructed them in advance that if they could not do it, they could abandon the soldier array combination and directly activate the array disk.

But the Xia army officers and soldiers ambushed in the three positions all succeeded!

How could this not excite him!

The Shoot Moon Array, the Five Bewildering Evil Marsh Array, the Earth Fire Burning Furnace Array, three great arrays bursting simultaneously, under Tai Yin’s remote control,

Did not interfere with each other, but instead overlapped, already swallowing heaven and devouring earth, instantly covering Xie Bao Shu’s division of over thirty thousand strong army. This was an absolutely perfect ambush!

Then he saw the soldier evil at the foot of the mountain roll up like a dragon. The thirty thousand Qi army, though surprised, did not fall into disarray. Instead, they steadily maintained their formation, forming slightly smaller military arrays to defend themselves and initiate a counterattack!

Those individual soldier arrays rose and fell, responding to the power of the arrays in an orderly and efficient manner.

The muddy evil marsh was suppressed into solid ground. The rampant earth fire was crushed by the rushing soldier evil. The fire poison and evil turbid qi that filled the air were swept away in a single breath by the vast, sea-like soldier evil! The darkness was pierced through, and the bright moon reappeared in the human world!

This manner of deploying troops had a sense of flowing clouds and water…

This was absolutely not the performance that Xie Bao Shu should exhibit!

Either, Xie Bao Shu was actually a master of the soldier’s path, merely always concealing his abilities, thus calmly responding to this degree of ambush. Or, he had long since prepared for this ambush!

No matter which possibility, both caused a sense of unease to arise in Tai Yin’s heart.

He would rather believe the former, because if it were the latter, how could the opponent’s preparations stop at this?

His heart seemed to contain a voice shouting—calm down! Calm down!

Tai Yin, you now hold the lives and deaths of ten thousand people in your hands, and even more, the fate of the entire Hui Luo Prefecture!

Do not be angry, do not hate, cast off your unwarranted fear, assume your strong posture, and face it!

The voice of the person he had respected most since childhood, his uncle…

“The Song Xue Wu division to the south of the mountain, form the String Blade Array, quickly cut into the enemy’s vanguard!”

Tai Yin, while trying to control the already collapsing arrays, making them play some role before they completely dispersed,

Calmly commanded: “The Liu Yu En division to the north of the mountain, form the Steel Back Array, I want you to go and fill the mountain path of death!”

“The Wu Yu Ming division in the middle of the mountain, I order you to bombard the main body of the mountain, quickly causing it to collapse!”

On the summit of Yin Shui Mountain, the Great Xia national flag rapidly shook, transmitting Tai Yin’s commands.

Although this division of the Xia army consisted of only ten thousand men, and were merely mansion soldiers by origin, their conditions in every aspect were inferior to strong armies like Shen Wu and Zhen Guo, yet they faithfully executed Tai Yin’s commands, quickly completing the change of formation.

They were performing to the best of their ability!

But in the next moment, the Qi army division at the foot of the mountain actually gathered together, their various soldier arrays connecting, merging all their soldier evil, and in an instant, leaped upwards, like a wandering dragon coiling up the mountain!

Did Xie Bao Shu possess the talent to control a soldier array of thirty thousand men and perfectly unleash the power of all that soldier evil?

The answer was obviously negative!

If this person truly possessed such ability in the soldier’s path, he would not have been overshadowed by Zhong Xuan Sheng and Bao Bo Zhao on the eastern front battlefield. The situation had already become irreversible!

Tai Yin’s urgent voice declared orders again: “The Song Xue Wu division, the Hao Yu Ming division, immediately withdraw! Retreat towards Wu Yang City!”

He had already decided to resort to the second option, which was to first retreat and defend Wu Yang City, then abandon Wu Yang City, using this process to achieve the objective of delaying the enemy’s advance.

As for the Liu Yu En division that he had not given orders to…

They could only be left behind to block the Qi army, providing cover for the retreating Xia army.

It was a sacrifice to survive.

He also turned around, pulling the flag, leading the thousand Tai Clan personal guards, wrapping them in soldier evil, soaring upwards, making a gesture to strike down the mountain, but in reality, subtly outlining a simple array with the power of soldier evil, preparing to block the enemy based on this.

To gain more time for the army to withdraw from Yin Shui Mountain.

The Great Xia national flag fluttered, these thousand men were incredibly brave, following Tai Yin’s advance, like a sharp arrow leaving the bowstring.

But the worst had still happened!

The Qi army division at the foot of the mountain turned into a cloud of soldier evil, and suddenly, a figure wrapped in vast qi leaped out.

This person appeared to be about forty years old, wearing scholar’s robes. His demeanor and appearance had a refined air, quite scholarly, but as he leaped out from the army, soaring proudly towards the high sky, his momentum surged like mountains and seas.

This was a divine and radiant existence.

A strong one who had crossed the barrier between Heaven and Man.

He directly glanced at the summit of the mountain, his gaze clearly gentle, yet it seemed to have pierced through Tai Yin, causing his divine soul to tremble!

It was Ouyang Yong!

The Prime Minister of the Rong Country, Ouyang Yong!

He was actually hidden within Xie Bao Shu’s army array!

No wonder this division of the Qi army could remain calm during a moment of chaos. No wonder this great army of over thirty thousand men could be mobilized freely!

Ouyang Yong, as a pillar of the Rong Country, was an existence skilled in both civil and military affairs. Freely controlling a soldier array of thirty thousand great army was fundamentally not a problem.

Tai Yin, in an instant, understood everything.

Just as he had mobilized all the forces he could in Hui Luo Prefecture, solely to ensure he could kill Zhong Xuan Sheng and Jiang Wang.

After Bao Bo Zhao’s defeat, these two divisions of the Qi army that quickly attacked Wu Yang City… also mobilized all the forces that the opponent could move in Hui Luo Prefecture in the shortest possible time!

Xuan Ping Hou’s lack of rest after the great battle at Tian Feng Ranch was certainly his deception of the Qi army, but how could it not also be the Qi side’s deception of them?

After the news of the battle at Wu Yang spread, Zhong Xuan Sheng’s division and Xie Bao Shu’s division immediately brought masters with them.

The opponent realized the importance of Wu Yang City, and at the same time, realized that the strength of the Xia army might be far greater than intelligence suggested, realizing that the Xia army definitely had further actions planned!

In such a situation, transferring soldiers was obviously not timely, nor could it be concealed from the Xia army’s intelligence probes, so they chose to draw in strong individuals!

Risking the repeated dangers to the various cities in the northern part of Hui Luo Prefecture, they transferred a divine临境 strong individual south. They secretly had Ouyang Yong hide in the army array, causing the ambushing Xia army to be ambushed instead, causing Tai Yin to fall into a trap in an instant! What a clever move to go with the flow!

A name appeared in Tai Yin’s heart—Zhong Xuan Sheng.

If his guess was not wrong, at this time, another divine临境 strong individual of the Qi army in Hui Luo Prefecture, the famous general of the Yi Country, Yan Po, should be in Zhong Xuan Sheng’s army division.

Then, had the situation already become hopeless? In a situation where the ambush had already been seen through, and even used as a plan within a plan by the opponent?

There was still an opportunity!

Tai Yin’s thoughts turned urgently.

Zhong Xuan Sheng could not have calculated everything correctly. He might have calculated that the Xia army would set an ambush, but he could not have known what kind of strength the Xia army would use to set the ambush!

In the Yin Shui Mountain battlefield, their side was already at an absolute disadvantage.

But in the Min West Corridor, because of their side’s caution, they had the divine临境 strong individual Zhou Xiong, Yi Sheng Feng, Mo Bei, and fifty thousand Xia army against thirty thousand Qi army. The Xia army still held the advantage!

That is to say, even if they encountered the worst-case scenario, where Yan Po was indeed hidden in Zhong Xuan Sheng’s army, the battle in the Min West Corridor still had a very high chance of victory.

If that side could succeed, this ambush would not be considered a failure!

And the premise was that they could not allow the army in front of them to go and support the Min West Corridor!

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