Follow the path of Dao from infancy

Chapter 1809: Chapter 472: Gathering (Part 2)

City Lord Long Potian, from the Ancestor Dragon Clan, is the same as other border cities; all city lords are under the control of the Ancestor Dragon Clan.

At this moment, Long Potian, transformed into a middle-aged man in a golden robe, looked gravely at the golden light floating in the hall, which was a three-dimensional image of Dragon Gate City, extending to the outer void.

"You’re back. Was Qingge just here?"

Long Potian raised his head, his tightly furrowed brows meeting Qingxuan’s gaze, yet his voice carried a calmness, as if the sky were collapsing before him without changing his expression.

"Yes, he mentioned earlier that he has a junior disciple who wants to come here for training, and I just went to arrange accommodation."

Qingxuan nodded, then asked, "What is this?"

"Junior disciple?"

Long Potian seemed to recall something. To become Long Qingge’s junior disciple, he would naturally be a personal disciple of the Dao Origin Immortal Emperor.

However, he didn’t probe further, nodded slightly, and then said intently, "Look closely at this area and see if you notice anything."

He raised his hand to point to a section of the void outside Dragon Gate City depicted in the golden light image.

Qingxuan focused and looked but couldn’t discern any differences. He immediately used a secret technique, his eyes turning green and purple; looking again, he instantly discovered in that section of the void a very faint grey thread, just slightly darker than its surroundings, extremely subtle, invisible without careful observation.

"What is this?"

"This might be a void rift!"

Long Potian said solemnly, "In recent centuries, wars have repeatedly broken out at Jianlong Pass with high frequency; however, in over a hundred years, Jianlong Pass’s battles have somewhat weakened, while Northern Flame Pass has been attacked by Ancient Demon forces. We initially thought these Ancient Demons had changed strategies, aiming to raid Northern Flame Pass, but..."

"A void rift?"

Qingxuan’s pupils contracted, understanding Long Potian’s thoughts and his face changed in surprise:

"They’re feinting in one direction but actually want to bypass Jianlong Pass and raid Dragon Gate City?"

"That’s one possibility."

Long Potian said, "It might also be a test, pretending to make us have such illusions."

"Hmm?"

Qingxuan was puzzled, but then understood the city lord’s meaning, "So you haven’t informed the Pass Leader about this intelligence?"

"I have already reported it, and expressed my conjectures. As for how the Pass Leader will decide, I do not know. Ling Xu noticed this rift during his patrol; though he realized it unwittingly, I’ve had an uneasy feeling ever since."

Long Potian said.

For someone at his level, feeling uneasy surely meant some disaster was impending.

"If forces are moved from elsewhere to stand ready, it might be a bluff by the Ancient Demons to get us to divert forces from other places; if disbelief leads it to actually be true, relying solely on Dragon Gate City, we surely cannot withstand the raid of these Ancient Demons, as they will certainly not raid in small scale."

Qingxuan frowned deeply.

There are many strong clans in the Eastern Domain, but with frequent border wars, manpower was forcefully recruited from various races a millennium ago, simply put, there’s a shortage! And a serious one!

The attrition of warfare, the supply and growth speed of soldiers, can only barely keep up, making diverting forces a risky decision!

In theory, discovering such intelligence should be good, but with the ten-thousand-year struggle against the Ancient Demons, having seen many of their deceitful military tactics, we’ve sustained heavy losses and cannot help being suspicious.

"Given this, what about the Transmission Immortal Array? Can it be used for immediate reinforcement from elsewhere if war breaks out? Since they plan an assault, they must sabotage the teleportation array, and it should be heavily guarded there!"

Qingxuan said.

Though the efficiency of reinforcements through the teleportation array is limited, dragging it out can hold the line.

"Mm, I plan to dispatch the Dragon Shield Tower there, especially the Heavenly Armor Department!"

Long Potian said solemnly, "Next, the Ancient Demons might launch their usual raids, but they could attempt to sabotage the teleportation array, which could reveal their intentions. For now, pretend not to know about this void rift’s traces."

"If the Heavenly Armor Department is reassigned, it will be risky on the battlefield, with substantial losses."

Qingxuan said.

"There’s no choice; it’s a trade-off."

Long Potian said with gravity, "Other Dragon Shield Towers will just have to bear more of the pressure."

Qingxuan, hearing this, understood it was the only current option. As long as the teleportation array holds, no matter what tricks the Ancient Demons may have, they can be delayed.

...

Eastern Domain border, Jianlong Pass.

This is a pass stretching billions of miles, with nine major cities connected in the void, each city serving as an array point, forming this blood-soaked defense line against the True Realm Ten Thousand Races and Ancient Demons.

At this moment, the void is shrouded in gray haze, countless dust particles drifting, permeated by the millennia-old smell of blood.

This pungent scent, accumulated over countless years, mingles the blood of many races into an odd, overpowering stench; every breath on this battlefield feels like being in a blood pool, thoughts disrupted, seemingly hearing the wails and screams of countless spirits, along with frightening roars.

Weak-minded, stepping into this battlefield easily leads to agitation, bloodlust.

This place, a meat grinder, pulverizes everything—even prodigies, Quasi-Emperors, and Immortal Emperors have met their downfall here.

During the Ancient Demon Cataclysm ten thousand years ago, an Eastern Domain Great Emperor guarded this place alone against the billions of rampaging Ancient Demons, ultimately falling in a coalition assault by the Ancient Demon Emperor, his imperial body torn to shreds, with the Eastern Domain multitude only recovering one arm and a battle-damaged Immortal Forbidden Emperor Weapon.