Before long, Sen Yue had unified the three clans.

Her ability to unite them was incredible, but it also terrified the other five Golden Clans.

After all, the other five Golden Clans had only just finished consolidating their own internal affairs and choosing their respective sovereigns.

They had originally expected Changkong Sen Yue and the Minghai Difficult Crossing to be locked in a stalemate for some time—for years, at the very least.

After all, the Minghai Difficult Crossing was guarded by a Sacred Artifact. There was no way Sen Yue could have crushed them so quickly and decisively.

But to everyone’s surprise, Sen Yue was just that overwhelmingly powerful. She not only captured the Three-Plume Cyan Bottle, a Sacred Artifact, but also subdued the Difficult Crossing clan in the process.

Such a brilliant display sent a cold sweat down the spines of the five remaining sovereigns.

And so, the other five Golden Clans decided to slay a white horse to seal an alliance.

They planned to attack the Changkong clan as one!

With the five Golden Clans allied and attacking in unison, Sen Yue’s army faced unprecedented pressure.

Every single commander was now crucial.

The Four Pavilion Elders, in particular, placed great importance on a young prodigy like Muri Shengkai.

They believed Muri Shengkai would be fixated on Fang Yang, following him wherever he went.

If Fang Yang remained idle, Muri Shengkai would be virtually unstoppable among his peers, which would be a massive boost to the enemy’s morale.

Because duels between champions were an inescapable part of this kind of warfare!

In the end, the four elders decided to send Fang Yang to defend the Leran Grassland. His only job was to hold it for as long as he could.

Even if Fang Yang were defeated by Muri Shengkai and lost the Leran Grassland as a result, the overall situation wouldn’t be seriously compromised.

"That Shengkai kid is the young prodigy the Muri clan has put forth to challenge our Wei’Er."

"That’s right. He may not have a Sacred Body, but his Spirit Body has reached the perfect grade. It’s the legendary Vermilion Bird Spirit Body!"

"When he was two, a young Wild Beast—a Fire Sparrow—came and submitted to him of its own volition."

"At five, he entered the Thunder Pool alone and emerged completely unharmed, his physical body undergoing a profound transformation."

"At twelve, the Fire Sparrow led him into the Vermilion Bird Wondrous Realm, where his body was purified by the True Blood of the Vermilion Bird..."

"Just like Wei’Er, that boy is a Great Saint Seed and carries the air of a true Saint."

"But didn’t I hear that our Ancestor had an agreement with his? Something about arranging a match between Wei’Er and Shengkai?"

"That was a verbal agreement made when they were still in the womb; it doesn’t really count. Besides, Wei’Er would never agree..."

As the Four Pavilion Elders discussed Muri Shengkai, they grew visibly more animated.

In their minds, they each had a scale on which they weighed the young prodigies.

Without a doubt, aside from Sen Wei and Sen Hui, they believed Muri Shengkai possessed the greatest potential.

Although Fang Yang was also exceptionally talented, there was still a noticeable gap between him and prodigies like Sen Wei and Shengkai.

It wasn’t a matter of Fang Yang’s talent or ability—the difference was his family background!

「Taihang Mountain.」

「The Command Camp.」

Chang Ruhui looked at Fang Yang with a complicated expression.

Finally, Chang Ruhui composed himself and handed over an official document. "Your new mission has arrived, Commander. Work hard. Who knows, in a year or so, you might be a fourth-rank official like me!"

"A new mission?" Fang Yang was surprised, but still took the official document and opened it.

*...Command a region... defend the Leran Grassland...*

The official document’s meaning was clear: he was being reassigned.

He was to arrive at the Leran Grassland within five days.

His mission was to take charge of the defensive line at the Leran Grassland, with full authority over both military and administrative matters.

He would be both a military commander and a civil administrator.

In short, he was to be the supreme commander of the area, tasked with holding the Leran Grassland and preventing the enemy from taking it.

Just as Fang Yang finished reading the last paragraph, the ball of light in his mind suddenly flickered, and words appeared:

[Man-made calamity is like a natural disaster. The paths diverge, teeming with murderous intent. Choose wisely.]

[Neutral Fortune: Travel to the Leran Grassland. Take a small, elite retinue on horseback through the Yellow Earth Mountain Range. Outcome: No gains, no losses. Safe.]

[Slightly Bad Fortune: Travel to the Leran Grassland. Go downstream from the Great Ferry Crossing and enter the river, stopping at the Yan Shi Great River. Danger will be met along the way; a malevolent wind will cause trouble. Inauspicious.]

[Dire Fortune: Travel to the Leran Grassland. Fly across the sky over Wan Chong Ridge. Utmost danger. You will be trapped in a place of certain death and face an irresistible peril. Death is certain. Greatly Inauspicious!]

The three fortunes were each more perilous than the last, with no silver linings to be found.

Fang Yang’s pupils constricted. ’This is incredibly tricky.’

The dire fortune indicated that a cataclysmic change was about to occur on Wan Chong Ridge. The danger there would be enough to swallow both him and his Second Uncle.

Choosing to cross the river for a faster journey to the Leran Grassland was also dangerous, rated as a Slightly Bad Fortune.

Conversely, what seemed to be the most cumbersome option—traveling on horseback—was actually the safest route.

Even so, it required him to travel with a small, elite group. The fewer people, the better.

’It seems I’ll face a crisis the moment I make a move.’

’It looks like the five-clan siege has truly pushed the Changkong leadership to their wits’ end.’

’It makes sense. Sen Yue’s military achievements were so staggering that they terrified the remaining sovereigns.’

’If they didn’t give it their all, Sen Yue would truly wipe them out in one fell swoop.’

"Commander, I’ll take my leave now."

"Alright. Whether you travel by water, land, or air, remember that you must reach the Leran Grassland within five days."

"Yes, I understand."

After a brief, polite exchange, Fang Yang clutched the official document and departed.

Meanwhile, his mind raced, trying to decide who to bring along for this "elite journey."

’Second Uncle has to come. He’s a guarantee of our strength.’

’Lu Yao has to come too, to handle administrative matters.’

’I have to bring White Feathered Eagle as well. His power increases dramatically when he unleashes his killing moves.’

Then, Fang Yang’s thoughts turned to his Seventh Uncle.

「One hour later.」

The sky grew dim.

The bright moon began to rise.

Seventh Uncle Fang stared at the official document, his face a mask of astonishment.

"Ah Yang, if we travel through the Yellow Earth Mountain Range to get to the Leran Grassland, we’ll have to worry about enemy forces.

That means we’d have to travel discreetly on horseback, which would take far too long. It’s not a wise choice.

Besides, you have to reach the Leran Grassland within five days.

Since that’s the case, why don’t we take a Flying Boat and fly over Wan Chong Ridge?" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

The route Seventh Uncle Fang suggested was, without a doubt, the most direct.

Furthermore, the territories surrounding Wan Chong Ridge were largely occupied by the legions of Sen Yue’s army.

But... that was only under normal circumstances.

In contrast to Seventh Uncle Fang’s confusion, Second Uncle Fang looked thoughtful.

A gentle night breeze rustled through the camp, making the lamplight flicker.

Shadows danced and intertwined inside the tent.

Before Fang Yang could explain, Second Uncle Fang spoke up, revealing a well-kept secret:

"When I was young, I heard a clan elder mention that a Wild Beast-level Autumn Cicada is said to be slumbering within Wan Chong Ridge.

Back in the day, Ancestor Fang Nian himself set out to capture that Autumn Cicada. He planned to use it as the primary material for a Cosmic Dao Sacred Artifact.

But in the end, Ancestor Fang Nian returned empty-handed..."

Hearing this, Seventh Uncle Fang fell into thought for a moment and, surprisingly, didn’t argue.

He knew from their time together that Fang Yang was blessed with immense luck.

’If Fang Yang doesn’t want to go, maybe destiny is warning him against it?’

’A Wild Beast, the Autumn Cicada...’ Fang Yang mused internally.

The Autumn Cicada... a Wild Beast of the Cosmic Dao School that also cultivated the ways of the Wind Dao School.

Legend said the Autumn Cicada drank from the River of Time and possessed world-altering power. It could locally manipulate the flow of time in the real world, and perhaps even... travel to the past.

’According to my divination, the Autumn Cicada isn’t just a possibility—it’s real!’

Meanwhile, Fang Yang waited for his Seventh Uncle to press the issue.

But surprisingly, his uncle didn’t question him further. He simply accepted the plan to travel on horseback through the Yellow Earth Mountain Range to reach the Leran Grassland.

The sudden turn of events made Fang Yang chuckle to himself. ’It seems my own people will argue my case for me now.’

「The next morning.」

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

Fang Yang and his small, elite retinue packed their gear, readied their horses, and set out toward the Yellow Earth Mountain Range.

Lu Yao followed close behind on a fine, date-red steed, her heart filled with joy.

After all, aside from his two uncles, Fang Yang had brought only her along.

’Now, she could finally be of real help to Fang Yang!’

’She was valuable!’