#670 - The Invisible Battlefield (I)
Midday.
Seventh Demon Ground, Purple Mountain Hall.
In reality, the Far Eastern Snow Plains might not even be considered a holy land for the demon race anymore.
Ever since Wei Changtian and his group went on a killing spree at White Spirit Mountain half a month ago and kidnapped Su Xiu, the Seventh Demon Ground, which had suffered heavy losses, fell into chaos and lost its former paradise-like appearance.
It's not just a matter of "heavy losses."
Many important locations, including White Spirit Mountain and Purple Mountain Hall, are now occupied by the Great Awakening military, and the living space of the demon race has been greatly compressed almost overnight.
Having lost the connection with Yan Huanwen, the Seventh Demon Ground will soon be reduced to just another ordinary snowfield if things continue this way.
Looking at it this way, Wei Changtian's words to Su Xiu, "I don't mind removing your White Spirit Mountain from the Fourteen Demon Grounds," were not just empty boasts.
Whether intentional or forced, the Seventh Demon Ground is now on the verge of collapse because of him.
And at this moment, when he once again set foot on this snowfield...
The sunlight was dazzling, reflecting golden light off the glazed tiles of the main hall.
Using his inner force to evaporate the beast blood from his clothes, Wei Changtian stepped out of the black mist and looked around.
It was still that hall, but slightly different from the last time he was here, probably because it had been renovated.
More than a dozen soldiers from Shu Prefecture stood around him, and in the distance, some others were confronting an unknown number of Silver Armor soldiers across the gate.
Obviously, those Silver Armor soldiers must have been brought by Yan Huaiqing.
"Young Master."
"This humble one has carefully inspected the inside and outside of the main hall."
The centurion of the Shu Prefecture soldiers who had arrived first reported in a low voice, "There are about several thousand enemy troops outside the hall, all dressed as the Great Awakening Imperial Guards."
"They must have received orders not to enter the hall or prevent us from exploring outside."
...
Soon, the centurion gave a brief overview of the situation.
Although there were thousands of soldiers from the Great Awakening, they were all outside Purple Mountain Hall, clearly unwilling to have unnecessary misunderstandings and conflicts with them.
It seemed that Yan Huaiqing was indeed quite sincere this time.
After all, in this way, if anything unexpected happened, Wei Changtian could retreat back to the Mountain God Temple through the teleportation array at any time, so there was no need to worry about him playing any tricks.
Tsk, tsk, tsk, this demeanor is quite impressive.
Wei Changtian sighed inwardly and nodded to the blue-armored centurion.
"Okay, I understand... Have any of our brothers been injured?"
"Reporting to Young Master, one has died."
The centurion paused and turned his gaze to the side.
Wei Changtian followed his gaze and noticed a corpse lying flat in the corner.
The armor was intact, and there were no wounds on the body, so he must have died from the "one in a hundred" accident of the teleportation array.
"Alas, take good care of his body and bring it back with us when we leave."
After giving a soft instruction, Wei Changtian withdrew his gaze and walked towards the hall door.
Chu Xianping and Li Zimu, who had been silent all along, followed behind him at a leisurely pace.
In this way, the three quickly reached the inner side of the hall door and were finally able to see the scene outside the hall clearly.
As the centurion had said, there were indeed thousands of soldiers in silver armor standing outside, lined up in neat formations, extending from the hall door to hundreds of meters away.
These silver-armored soldiers all had cold expressions and murderous intent, and the scales of their armor shone brightly in the sunlight.
The combat power of such an imperial guard was bound to be terrifying.
And the fact that Yan Huaiqing knew that these people were unlikely to be needed, but still had them appear in front of him was undoubtedly a way of "flexing his muscles."
Wei Changtian curled his lips, not caring about this.
He didn't say anything or step out of the hall, just standing motionless at the hall door.
Soon, a general-like figure stepped forward, cupped his hands, and asked loudly:
"May I ask if you are Young Master Wei?"
"Yes."
After a moment, a person stepped out of the carriage.
A golden python robe, split on the left and right sides of the hem, and a precious sword at his waist.
Tall and thin, with a face somewhat similar to Yan Huanwen.
Obviously, this person was Yan Huaiqing.
"Boom! ! !"
The moment Yan Huaiqing stepped out of the carriage, thousands of silver-armored soldiers knelt on one knee in unison.
Unlike the etiquette observed by civil officials when performing kneeling ceremonies, these soldiers were not so particular, kneeling as decisively and uniformly as if a boulder had fallen to the ground.
And although there were only a few thousand of them, far fewer than the scene of ten thousand people kneeling in worship when the emperor traveled, the sound of this kneeling had a domineering aura like a landslide.
This showed that these people were not only well-trained, but also truly willing to go through fire and water for Yan Huaiqing.
However, Yan Huaiqing, who stepped out of the carriage, did not look at these people, nor did he let them rise.
He just glanced at Wei Changtian from afar, and then walked towards Purple Mountain Hall step by step, followed only by the Second Rank general.
...
"Brother Chu, what do you think of this Great Awakening Prince?"
Without turning his head, Wei Changtian continued to stare at Yan Huaiqing, who was getting closer and closer, but his voice clearly entered Chu Xianping's ears.
Soon, Chu Xianping behind him gave a very concise answer.
"Reporting to Young Master, this person does indeed have the talent of an emperor."
"The talent of an emperor..."
Wei Changtian repeated in a low voice and asked, "Compared to Ning Yongnian and Li Qi?"
"Perhaps he doesn't have Ning Yongnian's domineering arrogance, nor does he have Li Qi's virtue of self-sacrifice for the people."
After a pause, Chu Xianping's voice became a little more serious: "However, he also doesn't have Ning Yongnian's stubbornness, nor does he have Li Qi's indecisiveness."
Not as domineering as Ning Yongnian, not as benevolent as Li Qi.
But not as stubborn as Ning Yongnian, nor as indecisive as Li Qi.
The evaluation given by Chu Xianping was considered objective, and the reason for reaching such a conclusion was not difficult to understand.
After all, Yan Huaiqing was able to win over so many people to his side with just the identity of a prince, and now he has basically controlled the Great Awakening court, so his means of winning people's hearts are naturally extremely strong.
It is difficult for a stubborn person like Ning Yongnian to achieve this.
As for why he is not indecisive...
How could a person who decided to become emperor the day after his own father was kidnapped not be ruthless?
Wei Changtian narrowed his eyes and said nothing more.
At the moment when the thousands of people outside the hall knelt down in unison, he had already realized that Yan Huaiqing was not easy to deal with and must not be treated as an ordinary prince like Ning Wenjun.
Perhaps this negotiation will be much more difficult than he had imagined...
At this moment, the inside and outside of Purple Mountain Hall were too quiet, with only the sound of Yan Huaiqing and the general behind him echoing in the air.
Then, at a certain moment, the sound of footsteps stopped.
...
"Young Master Wei, I have heard so much about you."
"I am Yan Huaiqing."
