Chapter 1566: The World's Perilous Pass | Red Heart Survey [Translation]

Red Heart Survey [Translation] - Updated on April 30, 2025

Sword Peak Mountain, the very epitome of masculine grandeur in this world, soared three hundred zhang and more. It commanded the Feather Ripple River to its left and overlooked the Seagull Bird Basin to its right. As the saying went, “To pass through Fengjie Prefecture, one must cross Sword Peak Mountain.” The Xia Court had established a formidable checkpoint here countless years ago, cultivating it into a perilous pass feared by all.

The terrain of Sword Peak Mountain was truly unique, naturally dividing into five distinct levels from base to peak. It was for this reason that it also bore the moniker, Heavenly Ladder Mountain.

True Person Taihua, in accordance with this terrain, had personally overseen the design of the five-segment Thick Virtue Carries Things Array that enveloped Sword Peak Mountain.

This grand formation drew power from the earth veins of Great Xia below, and connected to the ethereal cloud qi of the nine heavens above. It gathered momentum and intent, suppressing the mountains and rivers of Fengjie Prefecture.

Once the grand array was activated, the power of the earth veins would escalate segment by segment, reaching its zenith at the peak, capable of unleashing terrifying earth vein attacks.

Conversely, it could absorb immense damage, which would then dissipate segment by segment from the peak down to the mountain base, finally being shared with the earth.

It was, in essence, a formation designed for both offense and defense.

Alas, a year prior, Jiang Mengxiong’s single punch had smashed the Hundred Li Abyss, directly crushing the earth veins and rendering this five-segment Thick Virtue Carries Things Array incapable of ever fully recovering its former glory.

Years of painstaking effort, destroyed in a single blow.

Xie Zhengwen was a Confucian cultivator, having studied within the academies of the Xia Country. Last year, he had pushed open the Heaven and Earth Gate, solidifying his cultivation in the Tenglong Realm.

The Southern Domain, after all, was home to the Holy Land of Book Mountain, making the Confucian influence particularly pronounced.

In his younger years, he had considered pursuing further studies at the Evening Drum Academy, but fearing insufficient talent and the inability to pass the entrance examination, which would have delayed his military career, he had eventually abandoned the idea. The military had its own path. After several years, with age catching up, if no lasting benefits emerged, he would retire to his hometown, arrange for a lavish estate, and acquire several beautiful concubines… Such was the imagined life of an ordinary cultivator. While seemingly different from the aspirations of ordinary folk, their eventual destinations converged, much like extraordinary powers that would ultimately fade with time.

Born naked, one died empty-handed.

The previous year, he had also been stationed at Sword Peak Mountain, serving under Hua Fangyu, the eldest son of the Marquis of Jing’an.

Honestly, Xie Zhengwen remained utterly bewildered as to how Sword Peak Mountain had fallen.

In a daze, the enemy had attacked. In a daze, the garrison general had perished. In a daze, he, along with other routed soldiers, had scattered. He didn’t even know the enemy’s numbers, though from the panicked movements of the retreating soldiers, it seemed as if they were everywhere!

Of course, Xie Zhengwen himself had no right to mock others.

When he had first joined the garrison at Sword Peak Mountain, he had not felt this was a dangerous duty in the slightest.

After all, Sword Peak Mountain had not witnessed the flames of war for nearly thirty years.

This was the thirty-second year of Shenwu.

In the earlier years, the Qi Country had retreated, and Great Xia had risen from the ashes. With the Jing Country’s Yitian Temple holding sway, the Xia Court refused to accept the status quo. The Martial King had led his soldiers in numerous campaigns, gradually reclaiming lost territories from the grasping hands of fragmented powers. By the third year of Shenwu, all surrounding conflicts had been quelled, and the existing borders solidified.

The later Zhen Guo Army had been trained with the assistance of the Jing Country, after their expedition to the Ten Thousand Demons Gate.

With years of peace within the borders, there were truly no immediate threats.

For the Qi Country to reach Sword Peak Mountain from the east, they would have to traverse through Guo Country, Yang Country, and Hu Country – several smaller nations. How could there have been no prior intelligence?

With the Jing Country’s Yitian Temple still present, how could the Qi Country possibly dare to attack the Xia Country?

Even if they did launch an assault, the Xia Country of the Shenwu era had regained its formidable military strength!

These three points were almost universally accepted among the military of the Xia Country.

While Xie Zhengwen lacked the standing to grasp the larger strategic picture, his vision limited and his access to useful information scarce, he would still, during idle chatter with comrades, point to the rivers and mountains, listing the Qi’s various defeats and the Xia’s triumphs.

Until that battle the previous year…

Speaking of Hua Fangyu, he hailed from a distinguished family and possessed a commendable cultivation. His troop arrangements were often insightful, and his strategic discussions were pertinent. Few of his peers could match his military acumen, which was why he was entrusted with this crucial post.

Yet, unexpectedly, at the moment of crisis, he had proven to be terribly foolish.

In the face of a sudden sneak attack, he had only focused on his own survival, completely neglecting to organize the defense of Sword Peak Mountain, utterly failing in his fundamental duty as the garrison general!

Xie Zhengwen, at any rate, had received no orders that night…

The formation seemed empty, and the armies fought for themselves.

Routed soldiers flowed like a tide. Once the surge began, no one could stem it. Decades of meticulous planning and operation at Sword Peak Mountain were left behind for the Qi Army in the wake of that waterfall of retreating soldiers.

Later… one could also say, Sword Peak Mountain was “recaptured.”

True Person Taihua perished within his own Chengdao Killing Array, and blood-red rain fell from the heavens onto the grand mountain-protecting array he had personally designed.

There was truly a sense of tragic destiny in it all!

And then…

The Marquis of Jing’an, Hua Hongzhao, knelt outside the palace gates, requesting to personally take charge of Sword Peak Mountain, expressing his desire to wash away the shame his son had brought upon the Marquis of Jing’an Manor. He declared, “The shame of family and country cannot be ended with a single death.” The Empress Dowager granted his request.

Xie Zhengwen thus returned to serve under the Marquis of Jing’an, once again garrisoning Sword Peak Mountain.

The capabilities of the Marquis of Jing’an were truly incomparable to those of his son.

As a low-level military officer, Xie Zhengwen’s feelings were profound.

When Hua Fangyu had been in charge of the mountain, he had felt that each day was merely a routine of duty, eating, drinking, and responding. He lived in the present, his thoughts fixed on retirement decades hence.

After Hua Hongzhao arrived in person, the soldiers didn’t necessarily do more each day, but every task, every piece of work, had a tangible impact.

Daily military drills and fortification construction were regular and fulfilling, and the soldiers’ morale was incredibly high.

Under the command of the Marquis of Jing’an, he felt confident facing any enemy.

And today… the great war between Qi and Xia had erupted, and the Min King himself was stationed at Sword Peak Mountain.

The so-called Yu Liyang.

A living legend of Great Xia!

Among those born in the Shenwu era, he was the strongest figure most revered.

Setting aside everything else, Xie Zhengwen saw that he and his comrades-in-arms were all brimming with high morale, feeling invincible. Everyone shouted their resolve to crush the Qi bandits.

And the day to test this morale and imagination finally arrived.

First, his comrades guarding the trap arrays returned in disarray. Their demeanor inexplicably reminded him of that dawn when Sword Peak Mountain had fallen.

Led by an unusually arrogant figure in white clothes on the battlefield, the vanguard of the Qi Army surged forward with rainbow-like momentum, slaughtering their way all the way to the foot of the mountain.

The entire Sword Peak Mountain was garrisoned by thirty thousand soldiers.

For defensive purposes, it was divided according to the five mountain segments.

The first segment mountain garrison, including Xie Zhengwen’s unit, was poised to charge down head-on, delivering a heavy blow and turning that white-clothed figure into a burial shroud.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

His ears were filled with the rumbling thunder of the nine heavens, like muffled drums.

Following the Qi Army’s vanguard, a vast, endless elite army surged forward like a sea tide… quickly obscuring his vision.

For a time, he could not discern where the human sea ended.

After the officers counted the soldiers from above, they arrived at the conclusion that the enemy numbered at least a hundred thousand.

And this was just the vanguard army!

The Qi Army’s claim of a hundred and ten thousand attacking Xia was no empty boast.

But what was more terrifying was this:

Xie Zhengwen had been enlisted for many years and could be considered a seasoned veteran. Yet, he had never witnessed a hundred thousand-strong army capable of changing formations with such agility and advancing with such speed.

Their Sword Peak Mountain garrison, even with five thousand soldiers rotating in drills, could not achieve such fluidity!

Truly, only those who lived on the knife’s edge and begged for sustenance on the battlefield could comprehend this kind of strength.

Understanding the opponent’s strength thus revealed what true fear was.

Standing on the cloud-piercing Sword Peak Mountain, Xie Zhengwen suddenly felt that what he relied upon seemed merely an isolated reef in a stormy sea. The reef might be firm, but he, standing upon it, could be swallowed with terrifying ease…

Fortunately, the Marquis of Jing’an was, after all, the Marquis of Jing’an. Military orders were quickly passed down from above, simple and direct, adjusting the defense and calling upon Xie Zhengwen and his team, thus preventing them from losing their backbone.

But just as they arrived at their assigned position – the sunny stone seat on the first segment of the mountain, also known as “Cold Cicada Cry,” one of the seventy-two small array eyes of the mountain-protecting grand array.

He then heard a heavy breaking-air sound, like a heavy hammer striking stone. His heart trembled as he looked up, and he seemed to see a ship flying through the air!

Boats were meant to sail on water, yet this ship flew in the sky.

It gleamed with cold, cruel metallic luster, its outer shell covered in ferocious iron thorns, its shape resembling a fierce, unyielding flying beast.

No, not just one!

Dense steel flying boats, like a formation of wild geese, came from the east, approaching with terrifying speed!

The complex array patterns on the outer shells of the flying boats instantly lit up.

The gold element vital force between heaven and earth rapidly gathered, soon condensing into spear-like steel iron thorns, flashing with cold light.

And amidst the explosion-like sharp whistles, a sky full of thorns spears rained down –

For a time, it was like a hailstorm!

“Form the array! Form the array!”

Xie Zhengwen heard his immediate superior roaring.

“Form—”

A thorns spear pierced through his body, nailing him to the mountain slope, and along with his unfinished cry, it dissipated.

These thorns spears were not only firm and sharp but also possessed a potent law-breaking effect.

Xie Zhengwen personally witnessed someone timely activating a defensive Dao technique, yet it also collapsed with a single touch, still unable to escape the fate of being nailed dead.

The Scorching Sun Flying Boat of Yanggu, the Fishing Dragon Boat of Fishing Sea Tower, and the Thorns Boat of Jueming Island – these were the three great flying boats of the human race that roamed the **迷界** (Mí Jiè, the realm of illusion or confusion) battlefield.

Among them, the Scorching Sun Flying Boat had the greatest might, the Fishing Dragon Boat was the fastest, and the Thorns Boat was formidable in both attack and defense.

Now, these military Dao killing weapons were deployed in the Qi-Xia war, appearing at Sword Peak Mountain.

Xie Zhengwen felt his legs trembling and his heart pounding, yet a surge of power, from who knows where within his body, ignited his blood!

Perhaps it was the pre-war mobilization by the Marquis of Jing’an in the preceding days.

Perhaps it was the majestic figure of the Min King standing at the mountain peak.

Perhaps it was… the letter from his father that he had read last night.

He leaped high, with an agility he hadn’t imagined he possessed, dodging a slanting thorns spear. He pounced down beside his fallen superior, who had died in battle, and snatched up that soldier deputy commander’s order.

“I am Xie Zhengwen, a soldier team lieutenant of the Great Xia Fengjie Prefecture army! I now temporarily assume the role of soldier deputy commander! All brothers, listen to my command!”

As he shouted, he infused his Dao essence into the order. He rolled forward, almost smashing the soldier deputy commander’s order onto an array stone. Clang! He activated the array eye of “Cold Cicada Cry” at this location!

Shrill! Shrill! Shrill!

Massive vital energy gathered, emitting an endless cicada’s cry, instantly erecting a shield of gas above Xie Zhengwen –

A thorns spear, just about to shoot down onto his head, was blocked by the gas shield of “Cold Cicada Cry.”

A hair’s breadth from death!

The law-breaking thorns spear struggled to penetrate the gas shield.

Xie Zhengwen had no time to wipe away the cold sweat. He jumped up with a knife and slashed it open!

“Form the array! Form the array!” He shouted, just as that deceased soldier deputy commander had.

His still-living comrades all gathered around him, quickly forming a simple five-element array as they had practiced, concentrating their soldier’s malice for self-protection and supporting the operation of the “Cold Cicada Cry” small array.

This was merely a corner of the entire Sword Peak Mountain… but for many of them, it was their entire war for Sword Peak Mountain.

At the waist of Sword Peak Mountain, from the perspective of Great Xia’s Marquis of Jing’an, Hua Hongzhao –

A hundred steel Thorns Boats circled Sword Peak Mountain, and with a complete disregard for the consumption of Dao essence stones, a sky full of law-breaking thorns spears poured down like rain.

And the landing points were incredibly accurate, almost all aimed at the positions of the array eyes, striking at the crucial points.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Under a single volley, the garrison army on the first segment of Sword Peak Mountain suffered heavy losses.

The mountain-protecting grand array had been clearly rebuilt, and the positions of the array eyes had been readjusted, yet the Qi people knew their locations with such clarity. Where exactly did the problem lie? The intelligence regarding Sword Peak Mountain had been leaked like a sieve!

Hua Hongzhao yearned to personally strike down several Thorns Boats, but he understood that this would be futile. The moment he revealed himself, he would invite death and serve no fundamental purpose.

“Send a team of men to the second segment of the mountain. The seventh small array on the shaded side is a weak point and needs reinforcement.” The old general, his temples tinged with frost on this side, instructed, his voice surprisingly calm.

The five-segment Thick Virtue Carries Things Array created by True Person Taihua indeed possessed its extraordinary aspects.

The entire defense line of the first segment of the mountain, under the relentless and costly surprise attack of the hundred Thorns Boats, was shattered. Of the seventy-two small array eyes, only thirty-three remained stable.

But even so, massive earth vein power still gathered, flowing straight towards the second segment of the mountain.

During the surging process of the earth veins, the array eyes on the first segment of the mountain that had been penetrated also quickly lit up, raising their gas shields.

But just at this moment –

The Autumn Kill military array, numbering ten thousand men, had already charged forward.

Boundless soldier’s malice surged into the sky, instantly forming a majestic general over twenty zhang tall. He raised a ghost head knife high, aimed at the law array node of the second segment of Sword Peak Mountain, and with a single swing, it fell!

The Autumn Kill army.

A single knife splitting wind and clouds, precisely cleaving the mountain-protecting law array!

The mountain truly shook!

The massive soldier malice general instantly collapsed.

Hua Hongzhao saw clearly that this branch of the ten-thousand-strong military that had gathered soldier malice quickly changed formation, making way and retreating to rest. And the second ten-thousand-strong army had already connected, bearing the soldier’s malice of the vanguard army. They instantly gathered, transforming into a general twenty-five zhang tall, with the same style ghost head knife, again cleaving Sword Peak Mountain!

The entire process was smooth as flowing water, possessing a kind of fluid beauty.

The master was a true military expert, Zhong Xuan Chu Liang, whose name was etched in the pain of the Xia people!

The terrifying, reinforced knife chop descended, striking at the crucial node of the second segment of Sword Peak Mountain!

The entire mountain-protecting grand array seemed on the verge of shattering… but it still held.

Hua Hongzhao gritted his teeth.

This was not merely the power of the mountain-protecting grand array, but more so the united will of the entire thirty thousand garrison soldiers of Sword Peak Mountain!

Whether he saw them or not… the soldiers were all fighting to the death in their own ways.

The second ten-thousand-strong army team below the mountain foot withdrew, and the third ten-thousand-strong army team surged forward.

It seemed like the tide surging in and the tide receding.

There was a strange sense of “rhythm.”

The same scene occurred again. This time, the soldier malice general formed by the Autumn Kill army was already over thirty zhang tall. That soldier malice ghost head knife was simply like splitting the heavens, heavily cleaving down!

This was the killing method of the soldier array –

The Eight Chops Knife That Breaks Mountains!

Soldier’s malice constantly gathered, and soldier’s momentum constantly accumulated.

Each peak was higher than the last.

Each chop was heavier than the last.

Splitting mountains and breaking ridges, nothing could stand in their way.

The law array of the second segment of the mountain was almost half shattered.

But Hua Hongzhao merely watched this scene calmly, without taking any action.

Now was not the time.

With the entire Sword Peak Mountain defense line seemingly seen through by the opponent, he had to deploy his key forces at the crucial moment.

The massive earth vein power absorbed by the Sword Peak Mountain mountain-protecting grand array encountered fierce resistance during its ascent from the first segment to the second segment of the mountain.

Climbing was difficult, but it was still climbing.

Looking at the overall war situation.

A hundred Thorns Boats were still continuously gathering gold element vital force and raining down thorns spears.

The ten-thousand-strong military array was still forming soldier malice in relays, bombarding Sword Peak Mountain with the Eight Chops Knife That Breaks Mountains.

Continuous sharp whistles and booming sounds shook the heavens and the earth.

The entire Sword Peak Mountain defense line was enveloped in the grind of life and death.

And far away, within the Qi Army’s central army, which had halted its advance, the main commander sat in the Rong Chong Tower Carriage…

Cao Ji, clad in armor, gazed at the distant Sword Peak Mountain, his eyes radiating intense light as he surveyed the entire war situation, listening intently to the sounds of battle.

A myriad of changes, all within his heart.

Ruan Qu stood beside him, his star chart Daoist robe fluttering in the wind.

“Good! As expected of Fierce Slaughter!”

The situation had not yet shifted, but Cao Ji had clearly seen what he desired and issued another decisive order: “Order Zhen Army military advisor Yan Ping to lock onto Yu Liyang!”

Yan Ping was in the Rong Chong Tower Carriage behind him. With his cultivation at the Derive Dao realm, he did not need a flag officer to ride on horseback and relay the order.

Upon hearing the command, he simply opened his eyes in the quiet room, already locking onto that figure at the absolute peak of Sword Peak Mountain within the vast and boundless level of consciousness!

And behind the steel city wall, Cao Ji continued, “I want Yu Liyang to know that if he insists on not leaving, I can find an opportunity to kill him within today! And I will not hesitate to pay the price for it!”

The voice of this commander who was normally always gentle… now exuded dominance!

I also completely understand the gap between the expectations of the readers and what they receive.

I understand that many people, due to their deep affection for Jiang Wang, are unwilling to see him embarrassed, unwilling to see him work so hard yet not achieve glory.

In the opinions of many readers, there are some widely circulated expression packs, which I myself use within the book group.

The creativity of the book friends is truly admirable.

Some jokes are fresh and innovative, and some pictures are simply hilarious.

Some points are difficult to grasp for those who haven’t truly read the content.

Now, I am launching a grand expression pack contest. Everyone is welcome to unleash their wit.

Among the vast number of book friends, who possesses the most talent for witty commentary?

For details on how to participate and the rules, please refer to the book review section on Qidian.

Back to the novel Red Heart Survey [Translation]

Ranking

第八十四章 日月幾變,人海幾疊

Chapter 1705: Could It Be That I Lost?

Chapter 1704: What Is…Arrogance

Chapter 1703: Crimson Talisman

Chapter 1702: Overbearing

Chapter 1701: Using Sword as Steps