Chapter 17: Dragon Descendant Returns
Da Yao Capital City, Star Gazing Platform.
The entire Star Gazing Platform is arranged in a Yin Yang Fish layout, with the raised jade ground as yang and the sunken pool as yin. At the raised area, one can see the clear sky, while at the pool, it is night, with the water surface reflecting the stars.
In the yang area, incense burners are placed, with the incense and fire from the burners reaching straight to the sky, drawing the clouds of the heavens, moving like troops arrayed in formation, especially engaging in a tug-of-war like pulling a quilt with the great vortex in the northeast direction. After all, the Dragon Descendants are continuously gathering clouds from the planets outside the sky to maintain the channel for their normal descent to the planet, which has caused the rain and dew in the north of Da Yao to diminish somewhat.
In the yin area, the stars in the pool water flicker on and off with the massive energy outside the pavilion! The starlight, like sharp swords, is guided to sprinkle toward those disloyal lands, causing frost to appear in these areas or whipping up gale winds. Each star has different meanings, such as drought, flood, calamity, or fortune. The Sitian Cheng adjusts these shining stars to correspond with the Yao Calculations under heaven.
This is a magic battle, a magic battle lasting three years. The Divine Capital of Da Yao takes advantage of the convenience of gathering Dragon Qi from under heaven to repel the many invading forces in the starry sky, especially repelling the “Evil Dragon Clan” in their attempt to return to the world.
From the perspective of the Da Yao Sitian Chengs, these Dragon Descendants from the previous dynasty who fled to the heavens outside are so ignorant! Other clans from outside the sky all stay away from the rich states of Da Yao and settle in the surrounding savage lands, but you paupers now actually want to descend directly into the northern interior region! They really have no sense at all.
That said, in the interior now, it was indeed the fief of this dragon clan in the previous dynasty (Cheng Dynasty), but now the land has an owner.
…The Way of Heaven still allows a slim chance, but the Human Realm really despises these immigrants…
In the first year of the Shu Tian Calendar 25, the confrontation ended, and a massive aurora spread from the north, covering most of Yao Dynasty. This strange celestial phenomenon foretold the return of the Dragon Descendants.
Without the Da Yao Sitian Chengs adjusting the starlight projections to counter chaos, the Haotian Dragon Clan could easily open the “Two Realms Gate” in the rich lands of Xi Ren Realm, but under the current situation of Dao Power confrontation, the Dragon Descendants of Haotian Realm can only open the “gate” at the planet’s north and south magnetic poles (the so-called heavenly seams of the Daoist Sect), following these seams to reach this realm (this planet).
In the northern wilderness area, a space gate unfolded. The space gate is generally circular, with the frame being a swimming dragon encircling the space gate to expand the spatial boundaries.
Leaping out from the dragon gate first are the Dragon Horse Cavalry flapping their dragon wings in the air. Such mounts can also be seen in Xi Ren Realm, or rather, they are the same species as those in Xi Ren Realm.
Of course, after evolving separately for over ten thousand years, especially under the erosion of energy from other worlds, the Dragon Horses from the two places still have significant differences in their tail scales and teeth. The native Dragon Horses have tusks curving upward like those of a wild boar, while the Haotian Realm Dragon Horses have tusks curving downward like those of a saber-toothed tiger.
After the Dragon Horse troops surge out, following are the Heavenly Dragon Guards holding Hun Yuan Stone-enchanted spears, clad in firm armor, marching in step with war drums, causing the earth and space to tremble with their footsteps.
Next are the halberdiers, armored crossbowmen, and crane hail iron gunners carrying two-meter hand cannons.
Besides the dragon clan’s own kin, there are also otherworldly troops hired from Haotian Realm, such as tall elves who can shoot blazing rocket arrows as bow and arrow archers, and short, stout dwarves carrying heavy armor.
Even before the end of Haotian Realm, some dragon sons of the Haotian Dragon Clan foresaw that the catastrophe was irreversible. Thus, these powerful dragon sons traveled various places in Haotian Realm, collecting materials, even borrowing the power of chaotic destructive forces at any cost, to forge the ascension gate to Xi Ren Realm.
…Besides that, another transmigration power has also grasped the situation here…
In the northern wilderness area, the fortified villages of the Haotian Dragon Army quickly took root. After the rammed earth city walls were erected, a swimming dragon rolled in from the sky, opening its dragon mouth to spit out pale bluish-white dragon breath. After this dragon flame scorched over, a miracle occurred: the rammed earth city walls became firm and white, like stone. Then the artisans did their best to erect beams and layer tiles on such city battlements.
The northern frontier is barren, with few trees. These city battlements with green tiles are essentially “cave dwellings,” meaning they don’t really need tiles layered on. Just covering the top of the city battlements with a layer of beautiful tiles. But the Dragon Descendants’ pride as a civilized people does not allow them to be barbarians.
The eastern swimming dragon that spat pale flames landed in the center of the city. As the city array rotated, under the piercing analysis of streams of Yin Yang Yao Calculation energy, the dragon form contracted, soon transforming into a tiny human figure that landed below.
After the eastern dragon emitting light finished transforming, it could be seen that it was a woman.
After this Dragon Descendant landed, a maidservant draped a silken brocade robe over her.
Pu E, that is the name of this Dragon Descendant. As a grandchild of the Dragon Emperor, she is the most outstanding of this generation, mastering the free switch between dragon form and human form in merely three hundred years.
At the end of Haotian Realm, the Dragon Emperor scattered the subjects of the heavenly dynasty to multiple known new planets in the star sea to take root and multiply. These new generation Haotian Dragon Clans, upon arriving at those planets with weak native civilizations, directly replaced them. Of course, when returning to Xi Ren Realm, this ancestral planet, the older generation of dragons warned to hold a certain reverence, but Pu E, accustomed to pride in other worlds, represents the will of the radical faction among the Dragon Descendants. As early as during the voyage through the starry sky, she received a warning from the Da Yao Emperor of Xi Ren Realm, but for the dragon sons of this faction, such a warning only stimulated them to stand firm here forcefully.
“Rebuild the eternal heavenly dynasty in this realm!” is Pu E’s promise at this time to the citizens who migrated with her.
At this moment, besides this native identity, Pu E has another identity as a “Transmigrator”. Before entering the hall, she opened her Transmigration System. This system is also visible only to the user.
But if her system is compared to Xuan Chong’s system, the interfaces are similar, just with slight differences in details.
The slogan on Xuan Chong’s system interface is “Moral, Intellectual, Physical, Aesthetic, Labor,” while on hers it is “Wisdom and Valor.”
The ancestor of the Haotian Dragon Clan, after transforming into human form, mated with a human woman, and the offspring born were Dragon Descendants. Dragon Descendants are generally born in human form; if the Dragon Blood does not awaken, they are like ordinary people, at most somewhat robust. After Dragon Blood awakens, they can transform into dragons.
Pu E awakened at ten years old, leaped over the dragon gate within a century, and by three hundred years could switch between human and dragon as naturally as breathing. As a fourth-generation Dragon Descendant, after switching to dragon form, she is already no weaker than those thousand-year-old third-generation Dragon Descendants, even comparable to the direct children of the Dragon Emperor. —This cannot be explained simply as genius.
On Pu E’s system, it marks the two forms of “Dragon” and “Human,” with the transformation processes of various organs and nerve organizations. If compared, this “digital simulation” is very similar to the process when Xuan Chong activated the Restoration Gem, with the positioning and marking of Xiao Qing’s “Human” and “snake monster” form switches.
That is, the same technological lineage, just that the system for transforming into a dragon is more complex.
Pu E held a bright pearl in her mouth, chewed and swallowed it, after which her white lustrous hair grew out like a waterfall. Seeming to find the little snack just now tasty, she chewed another one.
Leaning on the cool jade chair, eating snacks, Pu E opened her system and casually asked, “Xiao Yun, we’ve already arrived in this plane. When can I draw cards?”
Transmigration System: “Your General Card is being prepared—You need to know that the ‘general soul’ must be localized and matched in the plane, forging similar growth experiences adapted to obsessions and wills.”
Pu E leaned obliquely on the chair. This jade chair, and the bronze pillar hall, are quite magnificent, but for ordinary humans of Da Yao, it is too chilly; ordinary people would feel uncomfortable living here, but the master of this palace is a powerful giant dragon.
Pu E asked with slight expectation in her eyes, “Let me calculate, this is my forty-fifth draw, this is guaranteed, right?”
The system responded, “It is a male card.”
Pu E nodded in satisfaction. As a dragon, well, dragon nature is whatever. This is very normal.
…As a Transmigrator, she is familiar with her own system’s operation process, but not with others’…
In Tianchi City, as rows of bed crossbows gradually wound up, the nearby military general looked worriedly at Wu Hanluan. Wu Hanluan remained expressionless, suddenly swinging down the raised blade. The bed crossbows here were aimed at Wu Hengyu, who at this time was riding a creature named Wuzhui. Wuzhui gazed disdainfully at the bed crossbows a hundred paces away, as if they were mere clay chickens and pottery dogs; Wu Hengyu, holding the Star River Spear, was like a celebrity strolling casually on a starlit avenue.
With Wu Hanluan’s blade swinging down, the bed crossbows began to fire.
Wu Hengyu on the training ground was like “ignorant” and “fearless,” seemingly scared silly. However, just as the bed crossbow bolts flew into twenty paces range, Wuzhui suddenly moved. Its movement was very peculiar: its original shadow dispersed like smoke and dust, then it carried Wu Hengyu to appear elsewhere.
The crossbow bolts passed by its side, hitting the ground. Three embedded in the ground, and one of them grazed a stone, exploding it into multiple fragments that brushed past, but Wu Hengyu suffered no injury.
That is, the moment the ballista bolts were aimed at Wu Hengyu, he had already divined through his heart the firing and penetration path of this ballista, evading it, even foreknowing the calamity of the stone fragments grazing him.
On the city battlement, Wu Hanluan ordered, “Fire again.”
Facing the second wave of crossbow bolts from below the city, Wu Hengyu did not dodge directly, but instead raised the Star River Spear. The spear tip transformed into sharp double-edged blades, precisely slicing into the arrowheads of the incoming crossbow bolts, like splitting a bamboo stalk with an axe, thus cleaving the ballista arrow shafts.
While the ballista operators hurriedly rubbed their eyes, in the gap of three breaths, Wuzhui had already carried Wu Hengyu directly onto the city wall.
As Wu Hengyu ascended the city battlement to report back to Wu Hanluan, the generals on the city battlement congratulated him one after another on his exceptional martial prowess. In these congratulations were hurried, fawning postures, like giving gifts to a promoted superior, because at this time Wu Hengyu might not remember who each congratulator was, but anyone who did not congratulate him would definitely leave an impression.
Wu Hanluan slightly stroked his beard at this son’s performance: he had long known Hengyu’s ability, just like introducing Wu Fei to the generals, what just happened was a show, displaying the most outstanding and most convincing side of the Wu Family’s younger generation disciples to the subordinate generals.
Hengyu’s strength is charge formation, this charge formation ability is very powerful, but on the battlefield it is not invincible. The killing intent environment on the battlefield is extremely complex. Once soldiers form a battle formation, the killing intent wall they compose is absolutely incomparable to the just now drill, and in the just now drill, the first wave of crossbow bolts went easy and didn’t carry much killing intent, while the second wave of arrows had killing intent, but when the second wave of arrows was once again deflected by the Star River Spear, the artillery group saw Hengyu charging to the city wall, and the killing intent dispersed.
Killing intent has erosive ability, it can age objects, hundreds of soldiers with the will to kill can make the charger feel as if under immense pressure.
Hengyu had just accomplished all this in perfect condition. Here, Wu Hanluan had Hengyu sit beside him, next was waiting for another young talented individual of the Wu Family to arrive at Tianchi City, now, fathers and sons on the battlefield, brothers fighting tigers together.
…Six shichen later, outside Tianchi City…
The three hundred troops that originally departed from Yongji Pass, after ten days of marching north, arrived at the checkpoint. Wu Fei put away the marching formation map, and in the formation, issued the order to change the troop formation.
The originally “short and thick” tactical marching queue began to become “long and thin” to adapt to the city gate ahead. —The “short and thick” marching formation is convenient for quickly adjusting into combat formation, avoiding the predicament of the Ming army at the Battle of Sarhū, and when approaching their own large base camp, changing to a “long strip formation” is to avoid congestion when entering the pass, allowing military supplies and war machines to enter the pass at the fastest speed.
After Wu Fei’s edict was issued, the light armor infantry queue at the front began to accelerate into a jog, while the middle queue split into three horizontal lines, with horses and vehicles exclusively using the central road.
On the city gate of Tianchi City, Hengyu stood at the battlement watching the marching troop queue below the city, his gaze burning intently, but deliberately showing a “not worth a sneer” expression, while Wu Hanluan behind him stroked his beard.
……
“(Only) three incense sticks of time, carriages and horses through the city gate.”
On the city battlement, after the city gate officer performed the subordinate’s salute, he said to Wu Hanluan.
Wu Hanluan nodded, then glanced at Hengyu, meaning other people’s child, while Hengyu pretended not to see.
The details of Wu Fei’s troops passing through the city gate just now are also very worth scrutinizing, after confirming how many other civilian merchant caravans were waiting to enter the city at the city gate, he first sent a group of men to cut off the entering merchant caravans, guiding them to wait in the open space outside the city gate, while another team rode fast horses to convey the edict to the city gate officer.
After confirming they could enter the city, he reported that the entering troops occupied the central main road, while on the other side having soldiers soothe (warn) those civilian merchant caravans to wait patiently, and inserted five incense sticks in an eye-catching place by the roadside, cavalry whipping and propagating that once the incense burned out, the road blockade would be lifted.
Thus, the waiting merchant caravans stared at the burning incense, not even making noise, and some in the caravans who thought they had connections also didn’t make noise, but watched the show like spectators, watching this extraordinary army pass through.
Military supplies and cavalry entered the city in an extremely short time. Then the soldier teams from the right side queued to enter the city and the merchant caravans exiting from the right side did not interfere with each other. Whether time control or queue discipline, it was astounding.
The merchants and several wealthy households in the city who were led aside the road to wait also lifted curtains in their horse carts to observe this Border Army’s “strict discipline”. This kind of grand army demeanor is not seen in escort agency horse teams, even when sometimes escort agency horse teams have more men and horses, but when passing mountain tops, they still appear like going to a market fair.
And Hengyu, who was called by his father general to welcome his cousin, no longer mentioned the previous “in using troops, only the general’s bravery matters”.
Although Hengyu has only dabbled shallowly in military strategy, he has tasted it after all, he knows the way of using troops, besides siege and capturing strongholds, marching and camping also have superior and inferior distinctions. —But he, who is strong-willed all his life, absolutely will not admit it face to face.
