Martial Arts: Starting with Upgrading the Dilapidated Temple

Chapter 113 The Souls of the Beacon Tower

Chapter 113 The Souls of the Beacon Tower

The Zhenyuan docked at the Huishuizhai Wharf.

Xu Hao jumped off the ship's railing, carrying a grayish-white leather bag larger than a person in one hand, and threw it down at Zhao Poyue's feet.

The leather bag hit the ground with a dull thud, sending up a ring of broken ice.

The countless faces on it were still moving slightly, their mouths opening and closing silently.

Guan Hai took half a step back and placed his hand on the hilt of his knife.

Zhao Poyue stared at the leather bag on the ground, and his face, split open by a knife scar, twitched slightly, a rare occurrence.

His gaze shifted to Xu Hao, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

"Wanghailou is cleaned up." Xu Hao wiped the sticky substance on his hands onto the strip of cloth he had pulled out. "According to the rules, delivery and payment."

Zhao Poyue had guarded Mingzhou for twenty-seven years and had seen all sorts of situations.

But today's performance really put the old soldier in his place.

The Zhenbei Army lost three batches of elite troops but still couldn't figure out the secrets of the strange lair. This guy went for a stroll, wiped out the entire nest, and even skinned the queen and threw her at his feet.

This guy is called a Grandmaster.

"That's great." Zhao Poyue raised his hand, and a guard behind him handed him an iron tube.

"The Northern Border Military Map and the highest-level pass from Mingzhou to Yanzhou are all inside." The iron tube was tossed over, the previous slippery probing tone gone. "Master's skill, I, Zhao, am convinced."

Xu Hao caught the iron tube and put it into his pocket.

There was no rush to leave.

"I want to ask you something."

He pulled out a tattered flag from under the ruins of Wanghailou from the Xumi warehouse and unfurled it.

The totem pieced together from white bones fluttered in the sea breeze.

"This thing is buried underground at Wanghai Tower, and it has the exact same array pattern as the one I encountered on a ghost ship in the waters off Mingzhou." Xu Hao pointed to the flag. "The person who set up the array used the corpses of three thousand Grand Hengshui Army soldiers as materials."

The scars on Zhao Poyue's face tightened.

He reached out and took the tattered flag, turning it over and over to examine it twice, his fingertips tracing the lines of bone.

"Three thousand naval troops?" The old general's voice deepened. "Six years ago, a squadron of the Mingzhou offshore patrol fleet went missing."

Three thousand two hundred men, ships and armor, vanished without a trace. The court's explanation was that they were caught in a storm and all sank.

He folded the tattered flag neatly and tucked it into his pocket.

"I'll keep this flag," Zhao Poyue said, not in a tone of negotiation.

Xu Hao didn't take it to heart.

"There's one more thing. A woman in a black robe, with purple eyes, has been seen in this area. Have you seen her?"

Zhao Poyue frowned.

"Purple eyes?" The old general shook his head. "Never seen them. But you should be careful. On the Sky-Piercing Vast Land, there is only one type of person with purple eyes."

Xu Hao looked over.

"The royal bloodline of the barbarian tribes of the Northern Frontier." Zhao Poyue pointed to the leaden clouds pressing down on the northern horizon. "The barbarians worship a beast god, and the direct descendants of the royal family are born with purple eyes. It is said that they can control beasts and inanimate objects. They call the people of Daheng 'two-legged sheep.' If such people were to go to the coast of Mingzhou to carry out blood sacrifices—their schemes would be quite ambitious."

Bone Lady is a member of the barbarian royal family.

Manipulating Han Gu in Shengzhou, refining naval corpse soldiers along the coast of Mingzhou, the black iron nail array on the ghost ship, the bone flag in the molting ghost's lair under the Wanghai Tower—all of these were her doing.

This game of chess spans from south to north, across two states, and has been played out for countless years.

Seeing that Xu Hao didn't say anything, Zhao Poyue turned around and waved to Guan Hai.

"Go to the warehouse and bring ten Blood Fiend Heavy Cannons."

Guan Hai opened his mouth, but ultimately remained silent and went to accept the order.

"These are extras." Zhao Poyue pointed to the ten short, thick iron pipes that the soldiers had pushed out on the dock. The pipe walls were covered with charred marks from burning. "It's the rule of the Zhenbei Army that we don't take advantage of our friends. You've removed the thorn in our side, Wanghailou, for this trip. Here are ten Blood Fiend Heavy Cannons and a hundred crystal bullets for your protection on the way."

In addition to the heavy artillery, several carts followed onto the dock.

Barrels of antifreeze whale oil, finely ground bread, whole scallops of marinated deep-sea meat, and dry barrels of spirits were all transported into the lower deck of the Zhenyuan.

Xu Hao glanced at the list of supplies and swallowed back the few words he had originally intended to use to extort money.

This old soldier has a knack for getting away with things.

They gave me ample face and filled me with substance; they went to the extreme in showing me kindness.

"Commander Zhao, until we meet again."

The Zhenyuan raised its sails again, passed through the iron chains of the water fortress, and sailed into the deep sea against the cold north wind.

Guan Hai stared at the departing ship and said in a low voice, "Commander, that firepower is too much. A thousand heavy cannons plus a hundred crystal bullets. If they turn around and attack our water fortress, Zhao Poyue's rough hand slapped Guan Hai's shoulder armor, the metal plate clanging."

"Didn't you test him yesterday? His internal strength far surpasses that of an early-stage Qi Refining cultivator. If he really wanted to take down our water fortress, he wouldn't need these iron pipes; a single knife would suffice." Zhao Poyue stood facing the wind. "He's taking the open road, showing his carriages and horses, just to tell you not to cause trouble for the Zhenbei Army. If he really wanted to use underhanded tactics, he would have sneaked in last night."

Guan Hai loosened the hilt of his sword, a stubborn streak still lingering in his bones: "There's no need to send so many military supplies."

"That's not how it works," Zhao Poyue said, pointing to the northern clouds. "He took our pass and went to Yanzhou, north of Juejing City. Whose territory is that? The Northern Barbarians. This dragon crossing the river has gone to the barbarian lands; it's no wonder he's causing trouble. We, the Zhenbei Army, are happy to see a bunch of horned beasts cause trouble. Ten cannons for a Grandmaster to stir up trouble in the north—this deal is incredibly worthwhile."

The wind felt like a knife cutting my face.

Wrapped in a whale-skin cloak obtained from the Zhenbei Army's supplies, Xu Hao walked north through ankle-deep snow, one step at a time, leaving deep craters in his wake.

The package on my back was heavy.

The miniature black tortoise lay quietly inside, its shell shimmering with a faint blue hue.

-

Occasionally, a corner of the blanket would be lifted by the wind, and the blue light would shine like a lantern, standing out brightly against the white snow.

Xu Hao reached out and tightened the bandage, then slapped the bandage again.

"Shut up, stop showing off. I've told you countless times, this isn't the Shengzhou sea area. Are you trying to get yourself killed by parading around in the bright light?"

A muffled turtle-like groan came from inside the package, and the light dimmed somewhat.

From the landing point to Desperate City, it's a two-hundred-mile land journey.

There were two Zhenbei Army checkpoints along the way. The pass was valid. The soldiers checked the iron tokens and let us through without saying a word, without even asking any unnecessary questions.

The Iron Gate Pass is the last one.

Once you leave this checkpoint, everything changes completely.

The snow rose from ankles to knees, leaving only gray and white between heaven and earth.

The road is gone, the village is gone, and you can't even hear the birds chirping anymore.

Occasionally, one can see a log or two leaning in the snow, remnants of the old official road.

Thirty miles away, a pile of ruins lay in front of us.

On the way, they encountered several refugees fleeing south, wrapped in tattered cotton-padded coats. When they saw Xu Hao walking north alone, they thought he was crazy.

One of the old men kindly offered a word of advice: "Ahead lies an abandoned beacon tower. A thousand years ago, the Zhenbei Army fought against the barbarians, and all the garrison was wiped out. Ever since then, it's been haunted. You mustn't go there, sir."

Xu Hao nodded his thanks, but didn't stop walking.

Thirty miles is a short distance, less than half an hour, for someone at the Tongqiao Realm.

Under the moonlight, the outline of the beacon tower slowly emerged from the snow mist.

The fortress was not large, only about a hundred feet in circumference.

The city walls were densely covered with rusted arrows and broken spears, and at the base of the walls lay piles of ulna bones that had weathered into white powder.

Ten years have passed, but a faint smell of blood still lingers in the air, mingling with the ice and snow brought by the north wind, creating an indescribable sense of desolation.

The scroll of the blessed land in my mind trembled violently.

Blood-red seal characters emerged.

[Discover a special blessed land: Beacon Tower Fortress (Evil Spirit, Sleeping)]

[A hundred men died in battle here, and their resentment has lingered, spontaneously forming a "barrier of malevolent energy."]

[Binding Conditions: Suppress the core of the vengeful spirit with the host's vital energy and incorporate the fighting spirit of the dead.]

[WARNING: The core of the Vengeful Spirit is extremely dangerous. Failure to suppress it will result in a backlash, ranging from severe injury to...]

I haven't finished reading the rest of the text yet.

Inside the beacon tower, the sound of orderly, heavy footsteps suddenly echoed.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Like an army marching in formation in the dark.

Xu Hao gripped the Devouring Sea Blade tightly, and the dark blue patterns on the blade began to flash wildly, emitting a sharp buzzing sound.

It wasn't excitement.

This is a warning.

Above the city wall, pairs of dark red lights lit up.

They stood in neat rows, like a line of silent sentinels.

These are the souls of the Zhenbei Army soldiers who died here ten years ago.

They did not disperse.

In another form, they continue to guard this beacon tower that will never see reinforcements again.

The north wind howled.

The dark red lights all turned towards Xu Hao.

It's not hostility.

It's an inspection.

Exactly the same as when she was alive.

Xu Hao loosened his grip on the knife hilt.

He recalled a line of ancient seal script in his mind's eye—"The seal here has loosened; take it quickly and leave without disturbing its slumber."

It's not the right time.

He remembered the fortress and the people there.

Xu Hao bypassed the beacon tower and continued north.

Behind them, the dark red lights went out one by one, the footsteps gradually faded, and silence returned.

Only the north wind still howls on the city walls.

It's like playing a bugle call that will never end for the defending troops who couldn't get reinforcements ten years ago.

Ahead, in the direction of Desperate City, a faint golden light flickered on the compass in the sea of ​​consciousness.

Getting closer and closer.