Blood light obscured the sun, in the midst of a ghastly scene, stood towering mountains that pierced the clouds. The mountains were blood-red, with streams of scarlet, fetid blood surging down from their peaks. At their base, immense blood pools formed, bubbling ominously. Countless bones and skulls floated in these pools, writhing, struggling, and howling in agony. The entire land, like a red-hot iron, emitted a fiery glow, barren and desolate, with wandering souls adrift.
This hellish landscape struck Zhou Fugui and the nearly two hundred Yan generals entering Youming Valley with trembling fear. A chill rose within them, leaving them stunned and immobile, as if frozen.
The legend of Youming Valley, it seemed, was indeed well-earned. None who entered this valley ever returned alive, they all thought in unison.
"Gather together, gather together! Don't panic. Arrows on strings, swords drawn!" Zhou Fugui's eyes widened as he roared, holding his Zhuyue Bow.
The nearly two hundred Yan cavalrymen drew their swords and nocked their arrows, their expressions grim and their guard raised. They clustered tightly within Youming Valley, around Zhou Fugui. Their warhorses had either gone mad and bolted, or their legs had gone weak, collapsing to the ground, unable to move. Everyone felt a chilling, oppressive, suffocating aura of death wash over them. For those accustomed to battle, the scent of death was not new, but this was a place of ghosts and gods, not a human realm. Thus, the nearly two hundred Yan soldiers turned pale, and many silently recited Buddhist scriptures, praying to various deities.
With swords drawn and arrows nocked, they assumed a defensive posture, ready to face any foe. Yet, their enemies might not be human, but demons and spirits. Whether their weapons – swords, spears, bows, and arrows – would be effective, no one knew.
At this moment, gripping their weapons was merely for a semblance of courage. Their swords, spears, bows, and arrows were the only things Zhou Fugui and his men could rely on.
Zhou Fugui himself was terrified, his skin crawling with goosebumps, his hair standing on end.
In his past life, Zhou Fugui did not believe in ghosts or gods. But reincarnated, he had no choice but to believe. Now, having stumbled into the spectral realm of Youming Valley, how could he not?
Zhou Fugui deeply regretted not having the young Taoist Ge Rufeng by his side. If Ge Rufeng were here, perhaps he could handle such a situation.
At this very moment, a simple incantation, "Taishang Laojun, urgently as the law commands," felt like a divine decree to Zhou Fugui.
"Rumble!"
"Kill! Kill them!"
Just then, faint roars echoed from afar, accompanied by thunderous hoofbeats. The sound of hooves grew, and within it, faint cries of battle and shouting. Everyone's eyes widened, growing larger and larger, their eyeballs almost popping out of their sockets…
Dark clouds churned, a mournful wind howled, and ghostly wails could be heard faintly.
A moment later, a black cloud surged forward. Within the cloud, countless skeleton soldiers and horses appeared and disappeared. The skeletal soldiers rode skeletal steeds, their horses galloping. The skeletal soldiers brandished gleaming sabers, wearing fur-lined helmets and iron armor, with leather robes beneath. They were indeed barbarian skeletons…
Innumerable skeleton soldiers and horses charged towards Zhou Fugui and his men, a dark, endless mass that made their scalps tingle.
"Whoosh!" At this moment, fear was useless. Zhou Fugui drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and fired at a leader of the barbarian skeleton soldiers.
The arrow flew like a meteor, soaring towards the sky and straight at the barbarian skeleton soldier leader. But as it reached him, it merely created a small vortex on his face and vanished. However, it attracted the attention of the barbarian skeleton soldiers.
The barbarian skeleton soldier leader's empty eye sockets stared fixedly at Zhou Fugui. He brandished his curved saber and urged his skeletal steed towards Zhou Fugui.
It seemed swords, spears, bows, and arrows were useless. Zhou Fugui sighed inwardly, glanced around at his brothers, then dropped the Zhuyue Bow, awaiting his doom.
To die in a place of natural beauty, at least his bones would be buried among loyal souls… But to die in Youming Valley and become a wandering spirit, Zhou Fugui thought with immense resentment. Would he, after death, become one of the barbarian skeleton soldiers?
The Xianbei were also called barbarians by the Han. As members of the Yan army, Zhou Fugui was, in the eyes of the Han, undoubtedly a barbarian, or a Han traitor.
The other Yan soldiers had collapsed to the ground, their will to resist extinguished. They closed their eyes, resigned to death. Only Xue Wentai, the great monk from Guanzhong, held his saber in one hand and placed the other before his chest, his eyes blazing, staring at the charging barbarian skeleton soldiers as he chanted the Sutra of Rebirth.
The Sutra of Rebirth was the only Buddhist scripture Xue Wentai remembered.
"Crash!"
"You barbarian dogs, how dare you be so arrogant! I am here!"
At this moment, a thunderous sound erupted from the sky. A golden light streaked across the heavens, illuminating the land and dispelling the dark clouds.
Within the golden light, a young general in golden armor, wielding a red-tasseled lin槊, rode a battle horse with a crimson mane, nearly ten feet tall. He descended from the sky, treading on white clouds, leading countless red-armored cavalry. The crimson-maned horse galloped on the clouds, its neighing shaking the heavens, its hooves churning the wind. The golden-armored general upon the horse had a handsome face, a resolute gaze, and a beautiful beard cascading to his chest. He brandished his red-tasseled lin槊, emitting a radiant red light.
Wherever the red light shone, the barbarian skeleton soldiers vanished, much like the morning sun dispelling fog. The barbarian skeleton soldiers in the dark clouds let out mournful cries and gradually retreated.
"Clop! Clop! Clop!"
The dark clouds dispersed. The young general in golden armor and red robe waved his hand, and the army behind him vanished. He landed on the ground alone, on his horse, and slowly walked over. Pointing his red-tasseled lin槊 at Zhou Fugui and his men, he asked, "Who are you? Why have you come here?"
"A… a… god, no, an immortal, no, that’s not quite right… Immortal Great General…” Zhou Fugui stood frozen, his jaw almost dropping. He stammered his reply.
However, Zhou Fugui had inadvertently hit upon the right title. The words "Great General" caused the young general in golden armor and red robe to stroke his beard and smile.
"Immortal Great General…” Behind the young general in golden armor and red robe was a blinding golden light, so bright it made Zhou Fugui unable to see his face clearly. He vaguely perceived that the general seemed satisfied, so he puffed out his chest and continued, “We are soldiers of Yan… Yan…”
Zhou Fugui had intended to say soldiers of the Great Yan Kingdom, but seeing that the immortal great general’s armor seemed to be Han attire, he wondered if this was a Han immortal great general. If so, revealing they were Xianbei Yan would be problematic!
Damn it, the Xianbei were also considered Hu and Di, barbarian dogs! Zhou Fugui lamented inwardly.
The young general in golden armor and red robe saw Zhou Fugui stammering his reply and seemed to grow angry. He slowly raised his red-tasseled lin槊.
“Soldiers of the Great Yan Kingdom!” someone hastily answered for Zhou Fugui.
“Great Yan Kingdom? What Great Yan Kingdom? Is it not of our Han?” the young general in golden armor and red robe asked in a very soft voice, yet everyone heard him clearly.
“The Great Han has long since fallen, fallen beyond redemption…” The rash Xu Mancang, without thinking, grinned and replied, “Now it is the Great Yan Kingdom established by the Xianbei barbarians. We are Yan soldiers, yes, yes, yes…”
Upon hearing this, the young general in golden armor and red robe was enraged. He swung his red-tasseled lin槊 and galloped away. The golden light receded, and the dark clouds reappeared. Within the dark clouds, countless barbarian spectral soldiers wailed once more.
If they were not Han soldiers, why save them?
“Throughout history, none in the world can compare, Divine Might Great General…” Zhou Fugui glared fiercely at Xu Mancang, then shouted at the disappearing young general in golden armor and red robe, “My surname is Zhou, my given name is Fugui. I am a descendant of Zhou Bo of the Great Han, a true Han!”
At this moment, Zhou Fugui understood that this young general in golden armor and red robe was either a divine being or a spirit from the Great Han Dynasty. Perhaps so. He then announced his lineage.
“Hmm? A descendant of the Marquis of Wu?” The young general in golden armor and red robe heard this, turned his horse, and waved his hand. A golden light enveloped himself and Zhou Fugui. Others could only see the golden light, nothing else, and dared not look too closely, lowering their heads. The golden light was blinding; prolonged exposure would scorch their eyes.
“Are you a descendant of the Marquis of Wu?” In the golden light, the young general in golden armor and red robe asked Zhou Fugui.
“Indeed!” Zhou Fugui replied frankly. “My father’s surname is Zhou, his given name is Qiong. He is the Marquis’s… the Marquis’s what generation again? Immortal Divine Might Great General, this humble youth speaks no falsehoods!”
Hearing this, the young general in golden armor and red robe spurred his horse forward and poked Zhou Fugui with his red-tasseled lin槊, saying, “You carry barbarian Qi!”
“Alas, after so many years, this bloodline Qi has become somewhat mixed,” Zhou Fugui replied with an awkward, fawning smile.
The young general in golden armor and red robe nodded.
“Immortal Divine Might Great General… Could you bestow your name upon this humble one? So that I may spread your fame throughout the world in the future.”
“Youngster, my esteemed name needs you to spread it for me?” The young general in golden armor and red robe shook his head and chuckled. “I am the Great Han’s Grand Commandant and General of Agile Cavalry!”
The young general in golden armor and red robe looked exceptionally young, about Zhou Fugui’s age, yet he addressed Zhou Fugui as “youngster.” However, he was a figure from many years ago, so he indeed had the right to do so.
“General of Agile Cavalry Huo Qubing? The Huo Qubing who said, ‘The Xiongnu are not yet extinguished, how can I consider my family’?” Zhou Fugui blurted out. “Don't joke with me. If you are the General of Agile Cavalry, then I am Emperor Wu of Han, I am Wei Qing, hehe…”
Hearing this, the young general in golden armor and red robe was enraged. He then raised his gleaming red-tasseled lin槊 and roared, “Insolent youth! How dare you speak such wild words and insult our Great Han’s Sacred Emperor! Take this spear!”
With that, the young general in golden armor and red robe flicked his spear, thrusting it towards Zhou Fugui’s throat with incredible speed, the golden light flashing.
Zhou Fugui was instantly terrified, wanting to dodge this thunderous blow, but his body was unable to move.