The army's mobilization is not something that can be executed with one straightforward command.
It involves all aspects: logistics, troop movements, accompanying generals and officials; not to mention that it concerns the Four Countries Alliance Army, where the interests involved naturally require no further elaboration.
This alliance alone took half a year to form.
Half a year later, the army finally began its march.
Qi Country, as the leading combatant nation, dispatched eighty thousand soldiers along with one hundred thousand laborers.
The force included newly equipped cavalry, old-fashioned chariots, and infantry.
The allied forces of Zhao, Wei, and Hann sent one hundred thousand soldiers total, gathering within the borders of Wei Country to attack Qin Country from the Great Wall north of Zheng Binluo in Wei.
Because the strength of Qin Country's national power is formidable, Wei Country, unable to withstand them, built the Great Wall decades ago as protection against the aggression of Qin.
Twenty years ago, when Qin Wei Yang invaded Wei, they captured Prince Mao, prompting further expansion of the Great Wall.
Now this Great Wall will serve as the bridgehead for the Four Countries' attack on Qin Country.
Mount Hua.
Song Lin was cultivating Taoist skills with his disciples.
Zhang Yi and Su Qin possessed extraordinary talents, attaining fetal breath within half a year and mastering Lao Mountain Taoist Skills, even refining a trace of Red Dragon True Qi.
However, their greatest advancement was not in Taoist skills, but in the art of military strategy.
Song Lin was entirely clueless about military strategy, but he did take in one outstanding disciple.
Shangyang, with occasional insights borrowed from the future and years of personal reflections, compiled a book titled "Ghost Valley Master's" Strategic Military Skills.
Song Lin passed this to his four disciples, with Zhang Yi demonstrating the deepest understanding of its principles.
With this in mind, Song Lin summoned Zhang Yi and the others.
"The King of Qin has sent word; Qi's allied forces have arrived at Wei's Great Wall," Song Lin remarked, sizing up the group.
The four of them were famed strategists of the Warring States period. Sun Boling would later be known as Sunx Bin, although at the moment, his prosthetic limb had yet to originate, so the name didn't stick.
"Who among you is willing to assist the King of Qin in repelling the enemy forces?"
Song Lin scrutinized the group.
He could directly assign someone; his disciples dared not defy his order.
However, in the Warring States Era, each disciple had varying affinities for different rulers. Only when their dispositions aligned with their chosen monarch could they maximize their potential; otherwise, they were but mediocre individuals.
"I volunteer to go!"
"I, too, wish to go!"
Zhang Yi and Su Qin stepped forward.
This greatly surprised Song Lin.
The two brothers were practically water and fire, often clashing over the slightest disagreement. If they were to go to Qin together, wouldn't it throw the country into chaos?
Since both disciples had voluntarily chosen to go, Song Lin saw no reason to intervene.
"Do you have any strategies to address this? The Four Countries Alliance Army claims an army of five hundred thousand, while Qin Country has merely one hundred thousand soldiers capable of battle."
"That's enough. The two of us are equivalent to four hundred thousand soldiers," Zhang Yi assured with confidence.
"Very well."
Song Lin waved his hand, summoning two rampant soldiers behind him.
"You two will escort them down the mountain."
He added, "Exercise caution; if you encounter danger, use Taoist skills."
"Understood, Master!"
The two disciples descended the mountain while Song Lin resumed his meditation and breath regulation.
The Four Countries Alliance Army's intentions were evident even without much deliberation—they were undoubtedly coming for him.
This outcome was within Song Lin's expectations.
Rather than seeking out others proactively, it's better to wait for them to come to him instead.
He began organizing his Taoist skills.
Name: Song Lin
Realm: Qi Cultivation Stage
Taoist Realm: 110 years
Divine Skills: "Lao Mountain Five Skills," "Guang Chengzi Beidou Red Dragon Qi Gong," "Red Scale Skill," "Dragon Control Technique," "Dragon Qi Red Emperor Fist," "Red Dragon Flying Star Skill," "Simple Yellow and White Skill," Yin Yang Eyes, Turtle Breath Technique.
Items: Three Yang Fire Sword, Miasma Green Pearl, Jiachen Qi Refining Pill, Poria, Chang Pu Ershi Method, Mica Ganoderma Pill.
The spells are diverse, including long-range attacks, close combat, flying, and defense. The Three Yang Fire Sword and Miasma Green Pearl are magic artifacts.
Each of his twenty disciples was equipped with twenty Fire Burning Talismans.
Should anyone approach, they would use fireballs to counteract.
At the base of Mount Hua.
Five individuals had arrived.
Most of them were elderly Taoists with snow-white hair.
The most striking figure among them was a Jade Crown Taoist with a clean-shaven face, eyes sparkling like stars as though glimpsing through ancient and future events.
One elder with disheveled hair carried a medicine gourd around his waist; a young man astride an azure ox had a wooden flute dangling from his waist.
Behind to the right stood a nondescript old man alongside another senior whose skin fluctuated between deep black, crimson, and an earthy yellow.
Their peculiar appearances caused passersby to gawk.
At a distance, a procession of carriages approached, stopping beside the five.
The individuals alighting from these carriages were adorned in bizarre attire, their appearances equally strange.
The Jade Crown Taoist, revealed to be Huan Yuan of Jixia Academy, stood at the forefront, flanked by abnormal soldiers and Qi cultivators who had come from various kingdoms to pledge allegiance.
"This is Mount Hua. Who among you is willing to ascend and investigate?" Huan Yuan asked, directing his gaze at the group.
A young man disembarked from one of the carriages.
"Wei's Xiu Yanggong volunteers to investigate!"
With a sharp whistle, Xiu Yanggong transformed into a white mountain goat.
The goat moved swiftly, effortlessly scaling even the steepest terrain.
Everyone watched in anticipation, soon seeing the goat vanish amidst the clouds midway up the mountain.
A confident acquaintance commented, "When young, Xiu Yanggong accidentally consumed an Immortal Flower, gaining the skill to transform into a goat indistinguishable from the genuine article."
BANG!
The moment the words left his mouth, a resounding crash reverberated.
Before their eyes lay the mangled remains of Xiu Yanggong, who had fallen from a height of a thousand feet and was now a bloodied mess.
"How insolent! Chu's madman Lu Tong will face the demonic threat!"
Whoosh!
Before Huan Yuan could respond, Lu Tong suddenly soared upward as flames erupted from his palms, fire snakes curling around him like dragons.
Someone remarked:
"Lu Tong is even more formidable, having ventured into the Fire Pond to seek pills, witnessing ten thousand pounds of red sandstone flying ablaze. He cultivated there to master Divine Sand Flying Snow and Pill Fire techniques, ingesting them to achieve flight skills…"
BANG!
Once again, another lifeless body plummeted from above.
The crowd exchanged awkward glances, tense with unease.
Could no one from the Yin Yang School defeat the Ghost Valley Master?
Now, no one dared to ascend.
After a moment's pause, the elder with shifting skin colors stepped forward.
"Guifu of Xiang Mountain wishes to challenge!"
With these words, Guifu's form turned translucent, disappearing with a breeze. It was as if he had evaporated.
A companion began to explain, "This Guifu is even mightier. He—"
"Enough, spare us the praise! What kind of people are these…"
Another person hurriedly stopped him.
Each compliment ended with a casualty.
BANG!
Predictably, Guifu's mangled corpse was also thrown down.
Huan Yuan, now helpless, turned to the man on the azure ox.
"Xiao Shi, summon the White Crane to investigate."
Xiao Shi played his flute, and a White Crane descended before spiraling up toward Mount Hua.
He closed his eyes, connecting his five senses with the White Crane's.
The crane rose through layers of clouds, reaching the peak where it spotted an observatory.
A White Robed Taoist stood alone at the cliff's edge, ten blue-faced, fanged evil ghosts lurking behind him.
Sensing the presence of the White Crane, the White Robed Taoist turned his gaze toward it and spoke with eerie clarity: "If you're this skilled at raising birds, why not come to Qin Country to raise chickens?"
Whoosh!
With a wave of the Taoist's sleeve, a three-foot wooden sword ablaze shot through the air.
Thud!
The White Crane's head and eyes were instantly pierced, falling with a screech.
At the base, Xiao Shi grabbed at his bleeding eyes, collapsing from the azure ox's back.
"What did you see?" Huan Yuan asked.
"Ghosts and gods! This man can command ghosts and gods!" Xiao Shi replied in terror.
"What!"
"Could he be a messenger of the Great Destiny?" a Chu person speculated.
"Impossible; it must be Houtu!" a Central Plains representative countered.
"I suspect it's the Taishan Lord," mused someone from Qi.
The crowd collectively shuddered, retreating mentally. Even Qi cultivators were deeply superstitious regarding matters of death.
A Qi cultivator commanding ghosts and gods—how could one not feel fear?
Seeing the uncontrollable situation, Huan Yuan sought to calm the crowd.
"Ha! What of this Ghost Valley Master? Follow me up the mountain to confront the demon!"