If Old Chen had a panel, he could have perceived it directly, but unfortunately, he didn’t have one.
Thinking of Old Chen’s fate in the war against the barbarians, Zhao Xing imdiately pulled Chen Shijie back from the edge of the rift.
"What are you dazed about!"
Chen Shijie looked at his own hands, sowhat bewildered, "Do you think it’s because of ..."
"Don’t let your thoughts run wild!" Zhao Xing exclaid, "We’re crossing the Fla Mountain, and it’s normal for a few to die in an accident."
"But my team has had the most accidents," Chen Shijie murmured, "Could it be that my Chen Shijie’s fate is not strong enough to uphold a Sixth-Rank Official’s position."
He had been dogged by misfortune since his youth, accused by his aunt of causing his parents’ deaths, then later joined the military when Yang An was recruiting soldiers, and it took him five years to reach Gathering Essence.
After many life-and-death battles, and with the augntation of the Royal Court’s fortunes, he slowly climbed to Seventh Grade, but was then demoted to Gucheng.
It was only after eting Zhao Xing that his journey started to smooth out.
Chen Shijie thought he would never have to deal with these taphysical problems again, yet today, as they crossed Fla Mountain, that distressing feeling had returned.
Zhao Xing actually felt the sa, but he couldn’t say that now.
"Old Chen, rember one thing."
"What?"
"’My fate is mine to command, not for the heavens to dictate!’"
"The more you waver now, the more you believe in that elusive fate, the more likely problems will arise," Zhao Xing said, "Fate, fate... A person’s energy, spirit, and soul can affect their fate. As the leader now, you must rally your spirits!"
Seeing Chen Shijie’s confidence waver, Zhao Xing said, "Old Chen, if you don’t believe , I, along with Mountain Cat and Long Xiao, will walk at the front with you."
"You give the order for Deputy Commander Liu to take over my position in charge of the rear, and send Long Xiao to join you."
Zhao Xing himself was of the Evolving Three Fates, Long Xiao was destined to beco the Divine Firmant Marquis, so his fate wouldn’t be too bad, and Mountain Cat, having consud many a Spiritual Beauty, was now a ’Spiritual Beauty Crossbreed’.
Changing command temporarily seed unwise, so Zhao Xing decided to share his fate with Chen Shijie, alongside Mountain Cat and Long Xiao.
"Fine," Chen Shijie imdiately changed the formation, bringing Zhao Xing and Long Xiao to his side.
.....
In the vast Fla Mountain, within a mountain valley, ’Pang Guangyao’ was ditating, surrounded by flas in the valley.
Above his head was a single horn, revealing that he was not a purebred mber of the Fire Demon Clan but a hybrid of the Human Clan and the Fire Demon Clan.
Pang Guangyao was originally a scion of one of the major tribes under the Golden Feather Royal Court.
He was of Sixth Grade Heavenly Gang Realm and had lived for one hundred ninety-eight years.
During the beginning of the Dingxin era, he had led a good life within his tribe, but ever since Emperor Jing’s policy changes,
his situation in the Fire Demon Clan had deteriorated, and his family gradually fell from grace.
Being stationed at Fire Dragon Pass was supposed to be an easy job, but Pang Guangyao ended up being assigned to the arduous task of patrolling the mountains, stuck in the sa spot for fifteen years without a chance to move.
He wanted to revive his clan and reclaim a seat in the tribal council of the Golden Feather Royal Court.
However, stuck here, he saw no hope at all.
"Unless I break through to the Fifth Grade, I’ll have to spend the rest of my life here, withering away," Pang Guangyao sighed to himself after completing his exercises.
Just then, his Token started trembling.
"Hmm? The chanism’s been triggered?"
Pang Guangyao looked at the Token, utterly astonished.
"The fissure has collapsed. Is it man-made, or a natural movent of the Fla Mountain?"
Out of habit, he imdiately got up to investigate.
But mid-flight,
Pang Guangyao suddenly changed his mind.
At this mont, by coincidence, Zhao Xing arrived next to Chen Shijie.
Sowhere deep within, Pang Guangyao felt an odd sensation.
"Why should I go to check?"
"Losing the Earth Fire Lotus from the lava cave didn’t affect Yue Hai Sheng at all."
"All I did was have a drink while on guard duty, and for that, I was banished to patrol here for fifteen years without reprieve!"
"Is the Royal Court so unjust? Even if enemies do climb over, what does it have to do with ?"
"Guarding alongside such foolish pigs, even a mighty pass is bound to fall sooner or later."
The grievances Pang Guangyao had accumulated over the years suddenly erupted at this mont.
He roared up to the sky, pounding his chest, causing the surrounding mountains to tremble.
A mont later, he recalled an incident from several days before.
A Minotaur had visited him quietly,
bringing with him a letter.
The letter stated that if he would switch sides to Great Zhou, he could obtain a Sixth-Rank Official’s position in the strong army, separate from those transford barbarian troops.
This ant that he would be recognized as a true Great Zhou General, not a second-class Zhou citizen.
The identity of the person who wrote the letter carried significant weight.
And his son was also outside the pass.
Thinking over these points, Pang Guangyao’s thoughts began to stir.
"I’m nearly two hundred years old, and if I can’t break through the Fifth Grade, I won’t live much longer anyway."
"Why not switch to Great Zhou?"
Pang Guangyao thought it over for a bit, then continued forward.
He hadn’t made up his mind yet, and he still wanted to check if soone had really broken into Fla Mountain.
.....
Zhao Xing walked alongside Chen Shijie, with Long Xiao and Long Aotian for company.
The journey thereafter went much smoother.
There were no more casualties.
Chen Shijie also returned to his usual self, issuing orders thodically and organizing the troops to advance.
Just when Zhao Xing thought he had stabilized Old Chen’s fate,
Suddenly—
"ow!"
Mountain Cat suddenly arched its back, fur bristling, and roared fiercely in one direction.
"Hmm?"
Zhao Xing and the others imdiately looked in the direction that Mountain Cat was facing.
They saw a cave in the sheer cliffs of the valley ahead.
The area around it, unlike the rest, was free of flas for a ten-ter radius with no fire spewing out.
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