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Chapter 373: Entering the Northern Battlefield

"Ying Lan, mind your manners. This is Hao Meili!" Zhong Shan interjected quickly.

"Huh?" Everyone paused for a moment, giving Hao Meili peculiar looks before falling silent.

"Oh!" Ying Lan gave Hao Meili a quick glance and responded.

Seeing the expressions on their faces, Hao Meili asked curiously, "Zhong Shan, what's going on? How do they know me? And what did she mean by saying you were in the main hall just now?"

Noticing Hao Meili's overbearing attitude, everyone raised their eyebrows but chose to remain silent.

"I mentioned you to them before. As for me being in the main hall, it's, uh, just that she missed me so much. She saw my portrait in the hall and had a slight hallucination. Isn't that right?" Zhong Shan, with a hint of cold sweat on his forehead, gave Ying Lan a meaningful look.

"Yes, that's right!" Ying Lan immediately chimed in.

Hao Meili eyed Zhong Shan skeptically, clearly not believing him. She then said, "You came back with me at the same time. How do you know she saw your portrait? Does she have one? Ask her to show it to me."

Hao Meili's words were domineering, as if she were determined to expose Zhong Shan's lie.

This put Zhong Shan in a bit of a bind. A portrait? How could Ying Lan possibly have a portrait of him? She saw him every day; what would she need a portrait for?

Ying Lan bit her lip, glanced at Zhong Shan, her face flushing slightly, and with a wave of her hand, she actually produced a scroll.

"Huh?" Zhong Shan was taken aback, and everyone else was also surprised. Did she really have one?

Gently unrolling it, the scroll revealed a meticulous ink painting. Every detail was finely rendered, and the figure depicted was unmistakably Zhong Shan!

Zhong Shan's brow furrowed slightly, and Wei Taizhong, standing beside him, also frowned and let out a small sigh.

"See? There you go," Ying Lan said, blushing as she quickly rolled up the scroll and shot a furtive glance at Zhong Shan.

How did Ying Lan have a portrait of Zhong Shan? And from the look of it, judging by the intricate details and style, it was clear that Ying Lan herself had painted it.

"Alright, it's just a lousy painting. What's there to be embarrassed about?" Hao Meili shook her head dismissively.

At this moment, the huge golden dragon beside them shrank rapidly, in an instant transforming into a creature no longer than a foot, and crawled onto Hao Meili's shoulder.

"True Dragon Bloodline?" Yi Yan raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Ha, the old guy has some keen eyes!" Hao Meili said unabashedly.

Upon hearing Hao Meili's remark, Yi Yan could only shake his head with a wry smile.

"Hao Meili, I haven't seen them for a long time and have much to discuss. How about Taizhong takes you around nearby?" Zhong Shan suggested.

"Alright, I have no interest in your nonsense," Hao Meili nodded.

"Taizhong!" Zhong Shan called out.

"Yes!" Wei Taizhong responded immediately.

Subsequently, Wei Taizhong led Hao Meili away. Seeing her leave, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"Let's go. Into the hall. Now, where were we?" Zhong Shan said as he walked.

As they looked at Zhong Shan, Ying Lan, Lin Xiao, and Yi Yan couldn't help but feel a bit odd. Clearly, he had just returned, yet his tone was strangely off.

Entering the main hall and moving to a dimly lit area, a shadow detached itself from Zhong Shan's body, merged with his form, and they became one again.

"Granduncle, as I was saying earlier, Grandfather Lin and I have already cleared all the sects on Heavenly Wolf Island. Those who surrendered have surrendered, those who left have left, and those who were destroyed have been destroyed," Ying Lan reported promptly.

"Hmm, now that things are settled here, our next step is to deploy our forces to the northern battlefield of Heavenly Wolf Island," Zhong Shan nodded in agreement.

"Our puppet Ming Dynasty has encountered resistance in its war against the Yin Moon Empire," Yi Yan added.

"Hmm!" Zhong Shan acknowledged with a nod.

"This time, it seems the Yin Moon Empire is serious about annihilating the three neighboring dynasties. They are suffering continuous defeats," Yi Yan continued.

"The Six Paths Sect does not want to use this as a training exercise any longer. Given the situation, we will alter our original strategy. The Ming Dynasty should cease its offensive against the Yin Moon Empire and start consolidating battlefield forces in preparation for the entry of our Great Zhen Dynasty troops. Yi Yan, you will oversee the troop consolidation and depart for the front lines tomorrow to coordinate," Zhong Shan decided after a moment of thought.

"Yes!" Yi Yan replied immediately.

"Ying Lan, Lin Xiao! You should start organizing your troops now. We will officially deploy in ten days," Zhong Shan instructed.

"Understood!" they both responded at once.

"And what about Your Majesty?" Yi Yan inquired, looking at Zhong Shan.

"I'm waiting for a reply. Once I get it, I'll set out," Zhong Shan said.

"A reply?" The three of them looked puzzled.

"I have a feeling that the Yin Moon Empire might have some hidden cards to play. I've sent Xianxian to invite Emperor Xuan Sha. We'll see if he agrees to come," Zhong Shan said with a furrowed brow.

"Emperor Xuan Sha? Him? He might not agree to help," Yi Yan said, frowning.

"I know, but it's worth a try. Whether he comes or not, it doesn't matter. As soon as Xianxian returns, I'll depart," Zhong Shan replied thoughtfully.

"Hmm!" The three of them nodded.

Yin Moon Empire: The Study of the Six Paths Sect

In the study, Six Paths was seated at his desk, with several ministers standing before him.

"Your Majesty, with the opening of the battle, our army's spearhead has caused the three dynasties to retreat continuously," one of the ministers said with a smile.

"Retreating is normal. However, something seems off lately," another minister remarked.

"Du Xiu, what do you mean?" Six Paths asked, looking at the minister.

"Your Majesty, it's just a feeling, but our victories seem too easy," Du Xiu said after a moment of thought.

"That's because a fourth power has joined the battlefield," Six Paths said gravely.

"A fourth? The Great Zhen Dynasty? Your Majesty, are you saying the Great Zhen Dynasty is also involved?" Du Xiu asked in surprise.

"Yes, according to the latest intelligence. You, report!" Six Paths pointed to another minister.

"Yes, Your Majesty. We've just received word that all the sects on Heavenly Wolf Island have been cleared by the Great Zhen Dynasty. Moreover, all our spies in the Great Zhen Dynasty have been assassinated overnight," the minister reported.

"Cleared out? All assassinated?" Du Xiu frowned.

"Indeed. What do you think this signifies?" Six Paths looked at Du Xiu.

"It signifies that the Great Zhen Dynasty is about to enter our battlefield. As for the assassination of all our spies, it must be the work of the Great Zhen Dynasty's 'Shadow Guards'," Du Xiu speculated after a moment's consideration.

"Correct. In just over twenty years, the Great Zhen Dynasty, which was once a mere mortal realm, has developed at an astonishing rate, almost unnaturally fast. Their military cultivation levels are now nearing ours. In just over twenty years? How is that possible? Unless they used an endless supply of spirit stones to create an area of boundless spiritual energy, it wouldn't be feasible," Six Paths said with a frown.

"How could that be possible? If it's truly as Your Majesty says, then how many spirit stones would they need? How could they possibly have that many? Even if they signed a contract with Emperor Xuan Sha, there's no way he would use his own reserves to elevate these mortals," a minister questioned with a frown.

"But our people have indeed discovered areas overflowing with spirit stones," Six Paths expressed his concern.

"Your Majesty, this Great Zhen Dynasty will surely become a formidable enemy for our empire in the future. We must act quickly. With each passing day, they grow stronger," Du Xiu advised.

"Precisely. We need to act swiftly. Inform everyone to accelerate the conquest. We must seize control of the northern battlefield as quickly as possible," Six Paths commanded.

"Understood!" Du Xiu responded immediately.

The Northern Battlefield

The tide of battle suddenly shifted. The Yin Moon Empire became unexpectedly aggressive, pushing back the three allied dynasties at every turn. Initially, the three dynasties should have united against the common enemy, the Yin Moon Empire.

However, in a shocking turn of events, the Ming Dynasty abruptly changed its strategy. Instead of resisting the Yin Moon Empire, they started attacking a neighboring ally, turning their forces against another dynasty.

What was happening? Had the Ming Dynasty lost its mind? How could they betray their allies? Didn't they understand the principle of mutual destruction? Had the Ming Dynasty surrendered to the Yin Moon Empire?

The battlefield became extraordinarily chaotic. The once unremarkable Ming Dynasty suddenly displayed precise and strategic warfare, achieving victory after victory. In the past month, ever since their betrayal, they hadn't lost a single battle.

The battlefield now belonged to the Yin Moon Empire and the Ming Dynasty. These two empires rampaged across the land, conquering and subduing the other two dynasties with relentless force.

In a large camp of the Ming Dynasty, Yi Yan sat at the command table, surrounded by numerous generals, both those he had brought and those originally from the Ming Dynasty. They looked at Yi Yan with utter respect, admiring this suddenly emerging commander who was proving to be extraordinarily capable.

"Tie Xue!" Yi Yan called out.

"Here!" Tie Xue responded immediately.

"Up ahead is the imperial city of the Great Yan Dynasty. The city is defenseless now. Take 400,000 troops and capture it," Yi Yan commanded.

"Commander, what about the enemy forces on our eastern and western flanks?" Tie Xue asked, his face filled with concern.

"Don't worry. Lin Xiao and Ying Lan should already be in position," Yi Yan replied confidently.

"Understood, sir!" Tie Xue responded and left to carry out the order.

Simultaneously, just as Yi Yan predicted, in the southeastern and southwestern forests near Yi Yan's army, two elite forces emerged. Each bore a large commanding flag with a single golden character embroidered on it.

The first flag read "Lin," representing Lin Xiao, the commander of the Great Zhen Dynasty's First Corps.

The second flag read "Wei," representing Ying Lan, the commander of the Great Zhen Dynasty's Second Corps.

The grand battle was officially underway!

(To be continued)