Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 326: Chapter 185: Meeting an Old Acquaintance in Huangliang! You’ve Hunted Me All the Way Here?

”The Thirty-Six Grotto Heavens?”

Wan Ze’s eyebrows shot up.

’This must be a big deal,’ he thought, silently committing the name to memory.

Then he asked, ”Is your Tongchen Pavilion one of them?”

Feng Jiuchen waved his hand, his tone wistful. ”Not even close. Those behemoths have incredibly high standards for talent. It’s not a matter of just wanting to join. When the Thirty-Six Grotto Heavens accept disciples, they don’t look at your Cultivation, your family background, or how many resources you have in Huangliang. They only care about one thing: talent. If you have enough talent, they’ll take you even if you’re a beggar. If you don’t, they won’t spare you a second glance, even if you’re a regional overlord.”

Wan Ze nodded slowly.

His understanding of Huangliang was still too limited. Words like ’Thirty-Six Grotto Heavens,’ ’Tongchen Pavilion,’ ’Soul Condensation Realm,’ and ’Magic’ were like scattered puzzle pieces in his mind, and he hadn’t yet found a way to fit them together.

’No need to rush,’ he thought. ’A puzzle has to be solved one piece at a time.’

”This way,” Feng Jiuchen called out. Wan Ze followed.

The two of them passed through a canyon and over a mountain ridge. The view before them suddenly opened up.

A stream of silver light erupted from a distant valley. It was as if someone had lit a lamp deep underground, its glow piercing through rock and soil, surging out from a fissure to shoot straight into the clouds.

The silver light wasn’t blinding. In fact, it was quite gentle, like a thin veil of gauze draped down from the sky, blanketing the entire valley.

Immediately after, space itself seemed to tear apart.

A rift appeared where the silver light was thickest, and a figure ran out from within it.

”A woman?” Feng Jiuchen froze, his pace slowing for half a beat. He tilted his head, watching for two seconds, his expression shifting from surprise to confusion. ”She doesn’t look very old.”

The girl was clad in a full suit of armor, which was covered in dense, intricate patterns. Two crimson jewels were embedded in her pauldrons, and in the center of her breastplate was a Heart-Protecting Mirror, its surface reflecting the Red Moon.

She wore a silver helmet, on top of which sat a tuft of red tassels that whipped about in the wind.

Behind her, the dense fog gradually dissipated, revealing an army.

Wan Ze couldn’t count how many people there were; all he saw was a massive, dark sea of them.

The soldiers wore the same style of armor as the girl. They carried long spears and shields, their steps synchronized. With every footfall, the ground trembled.

Their faces were expressionless, their eyes fixed straight ahead, like a troop of string-pulled puppets.

Feng Jiuchen watched for a couple of seconds before looking away. He turned to Wan Ze and said in a low voice, ”When she first entered, she couldn’t see or hear us. With this level of dreamscape impact, her Spiritual Power probably won’t last long. Someone with a weak will would appear for a moment and then get kicked out. A stronger will might let her stay a little longer. Still... I didn’t expect this.”

”Didn’t expect what?” Wan Ze asked.

Feng Jiuchen grinned and gestured with his chin. ”I didn’t expect a little girl’s dream to be this intense. Looks like she’s about to wake up,” he added.

Wan Ze looked over.

The girl had her back to him, her red tassels fluttering in the wind.

She wasn’t very tall. Standing before that vast army, she looked like a small sapling in front of a sprawling forest.

Suddenly, she turned around and raised her hand.

”Soldiers! Follow me! We will level this mountain, slay the demons, and restore peace and order to the world!”

Her voice rang with a bold arrogance that knew no bounds.

It seemed to come from the heart. She truly believed she could level that mountain, truly believed she could slay the demons, and truly believed the world needed her to restore peace and order.

”CHARGE!”

The soldiers behind her raised their spears in unison. Their synchronized march broke into a sprint, and the ground trembled violently beneath their feet.

...

And then... Wan Ze got a clear look at her face.

The light of the Red Moon illuminated her face, revealing her features with perfect clarity... arched brows, almond-shaped eyes, a straight nose, and lips pressed tightly together.

Wait!

Wan Ze froze.

He stared at her face for two seconds, and his mind suddenly buzzed.

’Isn’t that Liu Yu?!!’

Before he could even process it, Liu Yu actually saw him. In an instant, she transformed from a decisive, battle-hardened general back to her usual self, saying quite demurely, ”Wan Ze, don’t forget to turn in your homework.”

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