Chapter 44: Where the Dust Settles
The black armor was covered in dust, yet it did not look worn; instead, it exuded an extremely terrifying aura.
But none of the subjects of the Great Zhou Dynasty felt fear. The villagers along the way, hearing the thunderous hoofbeats and seeing the black armor on the cavalrymen, would put down their farm tools and kowtow in reverence. The playful children picking fresh elm coins from the trees would even shout with excitement.
Because they knew these cavalrymen were the finest soldiers of the Great Zhou military, riding the strongest Dragon-Steed horses, and clad in that dark black armor. They were the greatest pride of the Great Zhou Dynasty and even all of humanity—the invincible army forged by Emperor Taizong back in the day: the Black Armored Cavalry.
At this moment, the force advancing toward the capital was the heavy cavalry division of the Black Armored Cavalry.
These Black Armored Heavy Cavalry could be called the most powerful and lethal terror weapon on the entire continent.
General He Ming was the commander of these Black Armored Heavy Cavalry.
Back when Chen Guansong first took over as Dean of the Star-Gazing Academy, He Ming was the vice dean.
During that time, he was regarded by the Heavenly Sea Saintess and many others as Chen Guansong's most outstanding companion and most reliable deputy.
Ten years ago, he was transferred to the Black Armored Heavy Cavalry, where he continued to perform excellently. However, due to his taciturn nature and low-key personality, he remained unknown to the world, his brilliance overshadowed by figures like Xue Xingchuan.
The rapid deployment of two thousand Black Armored Heavy Cavalry back to the capital was a militarily risky move—or rather, an unwise decision. Many Dragon-Steed horses would inevitably collapse under the dual pressure of long-distance travel and heavy armor, and the cavalrymen themselves would suffer significant attrition. But upon receiving the Red Falcon message from the capital, General He Ming, who had already prepared, did not hesitate for a moment. He ordered his subordinates to break camp and move out, because the capital needed these two thousand Black Armored Heavy Cavalry to hold the line.
Only then would those cultivation experts behave themselves, the Great Zhou Dynasty's realm remain stable, and the Northern Expedition proceed without delay!
Thinking about these matters, General He Ming's gaze passed through the Grinding Mountain before him and settled on the distance beyond.
Grinding Mountain was the last barrier on the southern outskirts of the capital.
The capital was already faintly visible.
The capital had no city walls, and the imperial palace was not particularly tall, so what he saw of the capital was actually the Heavenly Book Mound to the south.
Through the Red Falcon message, he already knew that Xu Yourong had trapped the Dao Lord with many southern experts, and the Detached Palace might act at any moment.
General He Ming did not yet know the specifics, but the mere fact that the Dao Lord was trapped was shocking enough to spark many conjectures.
He felt some admiration for Xu Yourong, even though he had looked down on Xu Shiji for over a decade.
He thought that if she were a man, she might very well become a great military strategist.
As he pondered these things, his emotions grew complicated.
Many years ago, he had attended the full-moon banquet at the Xu Mansion and had once held that delicate, jade-carved little girl in his arms.
He had already reached Grinding Mountain. In a little more time, he and the two thousand Black Armored Heavy Cavalry would arrive at the Heavenly Book Mound to strike down the rebels.
Would that little girl from back then die today?
How many of the cavalrymen under his command, who should have been charging into Snow Old City, would also die?
Suddenly, several shrill cries rang out from the sky. A red falcon streaked down like lightning, issuing a warning signal that a powerful enemy was approaching.
Truly worthy of being the continent's strongest Black Armored Heavy Cavalry.
Amid the scraping and clashing of metal armor, the two thousand cavalrymen came to a halt in an extremely short time, looking like seawater meeting a dike.
Within the cavalry formation, which resembled a black tide, signalmen continuously waved their flags, quickly setting up a battle formation.
A forest of iron spears aimed at the sky, forming an intensely martial aura that shot upward as if solid.
Hidden within this martial aura were countless terrifying heavy crossbows and perilous formations.
These were real killing mechanisms, enough to make even Sacred Domain experts struggle to gain any advantage.
Yet the formation and hidden killing intent of these two thousand Black Armored Heavy Cavalry ultimately proved useless.
Because the enemy's target was not the Black Armored Heavy Cavalry themselves, but the Grinding Mountain not far ahead of them.
A streak of light drew a straight line across the sky, then vanished in an instant.
At the very front of that line was a small black dot.
That small black dot landed on the highest peak of Grinding Mountain with an incomprehensibly terrifying speed.
At that moment, everything in heaven and earth seemed to freeze—whether it was the hot breath from the Dragon-Steed horses' nostrils or the spring breeze swirling around the black armor.
The entire world fell into a silence so profound it felt unreal.
The next moment, the silence was shattered by a thunderous roar.
A deep, rumbling sound, like thunder or the howling of countless demonic beasts, came from deep within Grinding Mountain's earth.
The ground shook violently. Both the hard cliff surfaces and the soft meadows developed visible waves.
The rumbling rose from underground to the surface. Amid the terrifying noise, countless cracks appeared on Grinding Mountain's face.
In an extremely short time, countless cliffs crumbled from the mountain, flying toward the sky and the plains, then raining down like a storm, kicking up endless dust—a magnificent sight.
The ground shook more and more violently, and with the massive boulders flying everywhere, the scene grew increasingly chaotic.
Amid the dust, the neighing of Dragon-Steed horses could be heard everywhere, but these horses, personally raised by Autumn Mountain Lord at the Ban Cliff Horse Farm, did not panic even in such circumstances. Combined with the protection of the formation, the two thousand Black Armored Heavy Cavalry did not suffer a devastating blow. However, the upheaved plains and the terrifying boulders still threw the situation into disarray.
The signalmen waved their flags faster, their expressions anxious, but the dust obscured them, making them invisible to their comrades.
The formation masters shouted and coordinated, while the military experts among them launched attacks at the boulders that slipped through the formation. Even General He Ming personally intervened. The heavy crossbows at the deepest part of the formation remained unmoved, still aimed at a certain direction within the dust, their killing intent still hidden behind strict discipline and the spirit of "death before dishonor."
No one knew how much time passed. The dust gradually settled, and the scene ahead came back into view for all the cavalrymen.
The cavalrymen, who had remained calm even in such chaos, finally showed shock in their eyes.
The Grinding Mountain that had stood before them moments ago was now gone.
...
...
Grinding Mountain was not tall—only a hundred-odd zhang—but it was still a real mountain.
Who could make a real mountain crumble into rubble and half a broken cliff in such a short time?
As the dust slowly settled, a black-clad young girl appeared.
Her picturesque brows and eyes were filled with absolute coldness.
The small red dot, like a cinnabar mole, held a terrifying killing aura.
She was barefoot.
Because the moment she landed on the peak, the shoes on her feet had shattered into the finest particles.
The cavalrymen were stunned into silence, thinking: Could it be that this seemingly underage black-clad girl had demolished the entire Grinding Mountain?
Suddenly, countless neighs filled with deep terror rang out.
The Dragon-Steed horses, which had remained calm even as the mountain collapsed and stones rained like hail, suddenly grew restless, showing extreme panic.
Moments later, they knelt one by one toward the black-clad girl, expressing their submission.
The cavalrymen were thrown off their horses, creating even greater chaos.
Looking at the black-clad girl, General He Ming's heart grew heavy, and he slowly raised his right hand.
With a flash of white light, a sacred aura rose from the depths of the formation.
The black-clad girl looked at him with an indifferent expression.
:。:
(Thirty-Seven Chinese)