12dz Chapter 99: Dividing the Army into Three Routes
Chapter 99: Dividing the Army into Three Routes
Xuanzhenzi shook his head: "I don't know. But it's definitely not a good thing."
He paused, then continued, "I've contacted several righteous sects, and they've agreed to send reinforcements. But the earliest they can arrive is at half a month. Until then, we have to rely on ourselves."
Zhou Ning asked, "Master Xuanzhen, what is your plan?"
Xuanzhenzi said, "First, we need to find out the Black Mountain Demon's movements. What is he waiting for? What is his troop deployment like? Where are his weaknesses? We need to figure these things out."
He pointed to several locations on the map.
"These locations are outlying strongholds of Montenegro. I plan to send people to scout them out and find out the situation."
Zhou Ning said, "I'll go."
Xuanzhenzi glanced at him and said, "It's too dangerous for you to go alone. I'll have Xuanjing go with you."
Zhou Ning thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay."
The two discussed their plan and made their own preparations.
As evening fell, Xuan Jing arrived at Zhou Ning's room, holding a stack of talismans in her hand.
"Young Master Zhou, this is what my senior brother asked me to give you. There are invisibility talismans, exorcism talismans, evil-suppressing talismans, and a few life-saving jade talismans."
Zhou Ning took the talisman and put it away.
"Miss Xuanjing, how much do you know about the situation in Black Mountain?"
Xuan Jing said, "I've been there a few times, but I've never dared to go deep. Black Mountain is heavily guarded, and there are various formations and restrictions around it, making it very difficult to get close."
Zhou Ning said, "This time we're going on a reconnaissance mission, but we won't enter Black Mountain. We'll just circle around the perimeter. Once we've ascertained the troop deployment, we'll return."
Xuan Jing nodded.
The next morning, before dawn, the two left Qingfeng Temple and headed towards Black Mountain.
After walking for about a day, they came to a small hill.
Below the hills lies a wide open plain.
At the end of the plain lies the Black Mountain.
Black Mountain still stands in the distance, its summit shrouded in black clouds and mist, making it impossible to see clearly.
At the foot of the mountain, some buildings and patrolling men in black robes can be vaguely seen.
Zhou Ning took out an invisibility talisman from his bag and handed one to Xuan Jing.
"Put it on, then we'll go down."
The two applied invisibility talismans, and their figures gradually became blurred, blending into the night.
They quietly approached Black Mountain, hiding behind a large rock to observe the situation ahead.
At the foot of Black Mountain, a man in black robes stands guard every few dozen steps.
They patrolled back and forth, carrying black spears and looking alert.
On the mountain path, there were several demon generals patrolling, and their auras were not weak.
"The security is tighter than last time," Zhou Ning said in a low voice.
Xuan Jing nodded: "It seems that the Black Mountain Demon is indeed preparing something."
The two continued to observe, recording the number and location of the men in black robes.
Just then, footsteps sounded in the distance.
A burly demon general dressed in black armor walked over.
In his hand, he carried an iron cage, inside which were several people.
The people were pale-faced, their eyes filled with fear.
"Another batch has been arrested."
The demon general handed the iron cage to a man in black robes.
"Send them to the Blood Pool. The master wants to use their blood to forge magical artifacts."
The man in black robes took the iron cage and walked into the mountains.
Zhou Ning clenched his fists, a surge of anger rising within him.
"Calm down," Xuan Jing said in a low voice.
"Taking action now will only alert the enemy."
Zhou Ning took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart.
The two continued to observe until dawn before quietly leaving.
When they returned to Qingfeng Temple, it was already evening of the next day.
Zhou Ning drew a map of what he had observed and handed it to Xuanzhenzi.
"The forces surrounding Black Mountain number at least two hundred men in black robes, and a dozen or so demon generals. There are also various array formations and restrictions, making it very difficult to get close."
Xuanzhenzi looked at the map, his brows furrowed.
More than expected.
He was silent for a moment, then said, "It seems we can only wait for reinforcements."
Zhou Ning said, "Master Xuanzhen, what about those people who were arrested..."
Xuanzhenzi sighed, "We can't save them. At least not now. We'll think of something when reinforcements arrive."
Zhou Ning knew he was telling the truth, but he still felt somewhat resentful.
In the days that followed, he cultivated himself at Qingfeng Temple every day, waiting for reinforcements.
One day, he was practicing his sword on the back mountain when he suddenly heard a commotion coming from down the mountain.
He walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down, only to see a group of people walking up the mountain path.
The leader was a middle-aged man dressed in black with a resolute face; it was Han Wei.
"Lord Han!" Zhou Ning hurried down the mountain to greet him.
Han Wei saw him and laughed heartily: "Young Master Zhou, we meet again."
The two embraced, and Han Wei said, "I brought fifty brothers from the Demon Suppression Division, and twenty righteous cultivators. They're all skilled fighters; they'll give the Black Mountain Demon a run for his money."
Zhou Ning was overjoyed: "That's wonderful!"
He led Han Wei and the others into Qingfeng Temple.
Xuanzhenzi was meditating in the main hall when he heard the noise and opened his eyes.
"Lord Han, I have long admired your name."
Han Wei clasped his hands in greeting: "Greetings, Daoist Xuanzhen."
The group sat down to discuss countermeasures.
Xuanzhenzi spread the map on the table and pointed to the location of Black Mountain.
"The Black Mountain Demon has deployed a large force around Black Mountain; a direct attack is definitely not an option. We can only outsmart him."
Zhou Ning asked, "Master Xuanzhen, what is your plan?"
Xuanzhenzi said, "I plan to split into three groups. One group will launch a feigned attack from the front to draw the Black Mountain Demon's attention. Another group will launch a surprise attack from the flank to destroy his blood pool. The third group will infiltrate from the rear to find the Black Mountain Demon's weakness."
He looked at Zhou Ning: "Young Master Zhou, you have the highest cultivation level, so I would like to ask you to lead the third group."
Zhou Ning nodded: "Okay."
Han Wei said, "I will lead the first route and launch a feint attack from the front."
Xuan Jing said, "I will lead the second group to launch a surprise attack on the Blood Pool."
The three had a clear division of labor and each made their own preparations.
Night falls.
The three groups set off simultaneously.
Zhou Ning led ten cultivators with higher cultivation levels around the back of Black Mountain.
The mountain path was rugged and overgrown with thorns, but they all possessed cultivation and moved quite quickly.
After walking for about two hours, they arrived at the foot of a cliff.
The cliff is steep, hundreds of feet high, but the Black Mountain Demon's palace is located at the top.
"Climb up," Zhou Ning said.
He used his lightness skill to grab onto the crevices in the rocks and climb upwards.
Other cultivators followed suit.
It took them about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to climb up the cliff.
Above the cliff was a flat area.
On the flat ground stood a black palace, which was the sleeping quarters of the Black Mountain Demon.
At the palace gate stood two demon generals, each holding a large black sword.
Zhou Ning took out an invisibility talisman from his bag and stuck it to his chest.
His figure gradually blurred and disappeared into the night.
He quietly approached the palace and killed the two demon generals with a single sword strike.
"Walk."
He led the group and sneaked into the palace.
The interior of the palace was even more gloomy than the exterior.
Black flags hung on the wall, embroidered with hideous demon heads.
The ground was covered with black stone slabs, which were engraved with strange runes.
Zhou Ning walked along the corridor deeper into the corridor.
At the end of the corridor was a huge stone door.
The stone gate was engraved with complex runes and emitted a faint black light.
"The Black Mountain Demon is inside." Zhou Ning took a deep breath and pushed open the stone door.