Three days later, in a hidden forest outside Black Beast City, a tall figure in purple robes slowly emerged. He looked up at the occasional passersby on the main road, and after discerning the direction, he stepped onto the road and headed west.
The steps of the purple-robed figure were not particularly fast, but if one observed carefully, they would notice that with each step the purple-robed figure took, his body would strangely traverse nearly a meter. The scene was quite peculiar, as if he were performing small-scale spatial teleportation.
This purple-robed figure emerging from the forest was naturally Mo Yu, who had rested for three days in Black Beast City.
During these three leisurely days, the young man not only completely eliminated the fatigue from his two months of closed-door Cultivation but also gathered a lot of useful intelligence from many passersby.
"This road leads directly to the Jia Ma Empire beyond the border, but along the way, there is a military fortress. It is said that this fortress is garrisoned by forty thousand heavily armed soldiers. I heard from merchants in Black Beast City that the one stationed here is an Old Ancestor of the Imperial Family.
Old Ancestor Mieyan, a four-star Dou Emperor, is the Imperial Family's only Dou Emperor expert, one of the ten strongest in the Mu Lan Empire, and also the pillar that allows the Imperial Family to continue ruling the Mu Lan Empire.
I didn't expect the Mu Lan Empire's prestige to be so strong that it could command an Imperial Family expert to personally take action." Mo Yu's steps were unhurried, his body flashing across the main road as if traversing space.
After Flash Void Piercing Sky Lightning grew to its second stage and Mo Yu's Physical Body was greatly strengthened, he could now use the power of Profound Thunder to move freely within three meters of his body.
Although it was only three meters, for Mo Yu, it was a huge Breakthrough.
"Now, I can barely move an inch in the Mu Lan Empire. Coupled with the fact that I've been heading west, Mulan Valley can probably guess that I'll flee to the Jia Ma Empire. Therefore, Mulan Valley will naturally place great emphasis on this final border checkpoint.
Old Ancestor Mieyan, it seems it will be quite difficult to leave there easily." His face was completely obscured by shadows. Thinking of the troublesome situation, Mo Yu couldn't help but frown.
"That kind of border fortress has walls almost as massive as small mountains, and it must contain countless archers and crossbowmen skilled in mounted combat, as well as unique energy sensing shields. These are used to guard the frontier and defend against enemies flying from high altitudes." Mo Yu mused, recalling the rumors he had heard about Shanhe Pass.
In most countries of the Northwest Empire, there is a military order: no one is allowed to fly over the key military fortresses near the border. Otherwise, once discovered, they will likely face an overwhelming destructive attack.
After all, there are many Empires in the Northwest Continent, and the relations between many countries are not friendly. Once an enemy country launches a sneak attack, border defenses can be instantly destroyed. Therefore, they must be extremely vigilant against any flying objects.
"I can only take it one step at a time. If it really doesn't work, then I'll have to rely on Snake Uncle to force our way through." Shaking his head, Mo Yu stopped overthinking and put all his energy into traveling.
Although the distance from Black Beast City to the Mu Lan Empire's border was not short, it was only relatively so. If an ordinary person were to walk these several hundred miles, it would take at least ten days to half a month to reach it.
Even with Mo Yu's speed, and after secretly using Purple Cloud Wings to fly for a period along the way, it still took him three days to reach this border area.
Successfully arriving at the border, Mo Yu's mood did not lighten much.
Because he knew, what came next was the most troublesome part.
To leave the Mu Lan Empire and go to the Jia Ma Empire, one must pass through the massive fortress known as 'Shanhe Pass'.
As an Imperial border military fortress meant to deter foreign powers, its defenses could be described as an inescapable net. Forty thousand heavily armed soldiers were an elite, iron-blooded force.
What's more, the one currently guarding this pass was a super expert of the four-star Dou Emperor level!
This military fortress would be the final line of defense blocking Mo Yu from reaching the Jia Ma Empire!
"Sigh, when I first went to the Mu Lan Empire, it was smooth sailing all the way. But now that I'm leaving, Mulan Valley has made me feel like a startled bird, like a stray dog. I'll remember this grudge."
At that time, in order to obtain the Ten Thousand Beast Spirit Fire, and because Little Beast King happened to run into trouble, he plotted against Mulan Valley and Black Lizard Demon Snake King to reap the benefits.
After this matter was settled, Mulan Valley's relentless pursuit meant Mo Yu would not be blamed for being ruthless in the future.
The next day, the massive fortress, towering like a primeval beast on the Empire's border, finally appeared in Mo Yu's sight.
Standing on a hillside, Mo Yu gazed at the colossal city wall that seemed to stretch endlessly, and feeling the faint, orderly training sounds echoing from the wall, he let out a light breath.
On the Fighting Qi Continent, although strength reigns supreme and a single Dou Emperor expert can rival a hundred thousand troops, the might of sheer army numbers should not be underestimated.
The combined Aura of tens of thousands of troops, that fierce Aura soaring into the sky, would probably not be inferior even when compared to the combined Formation of some Sects.
A Dou Emperor combined with tens of thousands of troops left Mo Yu quite flustered. This massive fortress was like a fierce tiger blocking his path, cutting off his last route.
Even if Mo Yu looked for another place to leave the Mu Lan Empire, it was hard to guarantee that other experts from Mulan Valley wouldn't be there, unless he hid in the Mu Lan Empire for life until he Cultivated to Dou Emperor strength before emerging.
But once there were no more Cultivation resources, even if he could Breakthrough to Dou King with the help of the Shen Gang Seal's energy, Mo Yu's Cultivation to Dou Emperor would take an unknown amount of time.
After much thought, Mo Yu still decided to Breakthrough Shanhe Pass and head to the Jia Ma Empire.
"Forcibly flying over might not be reliable. It seems I can only try to sneak in. If that really doesn't work, then I'll have to rely on you, Snake Uncle." Mo Yu whispered the last half of his sentence.
As soon as his voice fell, Snake Uncle's somewhat hoarse and cold voice sounded in the young man's mind: "Don't worry, kid. If it's just a four-star Dou Emperor plus tens of thousands of troops, I can guarantee your departure from the Mu Lan Empire."
Hearing this, Mo Yu felt a slight relief. He scanned the road below, where teams of carriages and horses were coming and going. He hesitated for a moment, then slowly retreated, finally disappearing into the forest.
On the dusty main road, a large group of about a hundred people was majestically heading towards the massive fortress at the end of their sight, raising shouts along the way. Judging by their uniform clothing, they seemed to belong to the same mercenary group. A mercenary group of about a hundred people could be considered a medium-sized force in the Mu Lan Empire.
Because Shanhe Pass was close to the border, its chaotic atmosphere was much favored by certain mercenary groups. They disliked the stable route of hunting Demonic Beasts and preferred to become the legendary war mercenary groups, helping one side in a war to gain immense rewards.
Although such rewards were considerable, the danger was also extremely high. After all, in the meat grinder of the battlefield, a group of several hundred people, if not careful, could be completely wiped out, which would not be surprising.
"So this is Shanhe Pass?" Mo Yu murmured softly, looking at the towering city wall that grew increasingly massive as they approached.
This person was Mo Yu. At this moment, he had shed his purple robes, which denoted his identity as an Artifact Refiner, and put on ordinary mercenary clothes, intending to use this mercenary group to try and sneak out of this last fortress of the Empire.
The group, amidst the yellow dust, drew closer to the city wall. As they were about to approach the massive city gate, a few hundred meters away, Mo Yu's eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced at the space above the city wall. There, faint, invisible energy fluctuations seemed to be present.
Evidently, these energy fluctuations were for detecting objects flying in the air.
Once detected by these energies, one would immediately become a target for the soldiers, shot into a porcupine by crossbows specially made by Artifact Refiners.
As they drew closer to the city gate, Mo Yu's gaze also fell upon the towering gate. When he saw the almost impenetrable defenses at the gate, his brows furrowed even tighter.
When they were still about a hundred meters from the city wall, the rapidly moving large group of people finally slowed to a halt. Two men walked out from the front of the mercenary group, then waved their hands, leading the team towards the city gate.
The two men seemed to be the leaders of the mercenary group. Seeing them chatting and laughing with the guards, they appeared quite familiar with them, suggesting it wasn't their first time at Shanhe Pass.
After the two men talked with the guards for a long time, the cold-faced guard's hand moved, seemingly having been slipped something by the mercenary group leader. Only then did he nod hesitantly and make a gesture to the rear. The barricades and other items blocking the gate were then moved away.
"Oh?"
Seeing that the guards did not search the group, Mo Yu raised an eyebrow. With an Imperial Family expert stationed there, they were still bending the law like this. Were they not afraid of Mulan Valley's accountability?
Shaking his head, Mo Yu stopped thinking about it. Being able to escape quietly without a fight was naturally excellent.
He quickly lowered his head, hiding his face, and followed the group towards the city gate passage.
However, just as the group was about to enter the city gate passage, Mo Yu suddenly glimpsed a groove directly above the city gate, and within the groove, a fist-sized bead was placed.
The bead's exterior was pale white, and it emitted a mysterious, faint glow from within. It looked no different from an ordinary bead, but a sudden sense of alarm rose in Mo Yu's heart!
Sure enough, when Mo Yu was still three or four meters from the city gate, the originally pale white bead suddenly emitted a dazzling red light. As soon as the red light appeared, it immediately attracted the attention of all passing pedestrians and soldiers.
"Damn it, it's the Qi Sensing Spirit Bead!"
Upon seeing this bead, Mo Yu immediately cursed inwardly.
The Qi Sensing Spirit Bead, a Fourth Grade weapon, although not of very high quality, could identify the Qi of specific individuals within a certain range and emit a warning red light.
Presumably, the residual Qi from Mo Yu's battle with Little Beast King and the other two was captured by Mulan Valley, so they created such weapons and placed them in major border fortresses of the Empire, specifically waiting for Mo Yu to show up.
No wonder the two soldiers just now allowed people to pass so easily. It turned out there was such a powerful weapon stationed there.
The flashing red light of the Qi Sensing Spirit Bead immediately put the fortress's garrison on alert. A bearded general, wearing red armor and whose strength was roughly that of a Great Dou Master, rode a tall unicorn horse, leading a large contingent of elite troops from the city entrance to the scene.
"Stop! Everyone halt your exit!" The bearded general's voice boomed like thunder, immediately stopping the passage of everyone, including Mo Yu's group.
Upon hearing this, although it caused dissatisfaction among many, no one dared to voice any complaints due to the Imperial army's might.
After stopping everyone's steps, the bearded general in red armor, riding his tall unicorn horse and wielding a black scimitar, slowly scanned all the pedestrians with eagle-like eyes.
When his gaze met the pair of silver eyes in the crowd, the bearded general was first stunned. The silver eyes of the person depicted in the wanted poster flashed through his mind like lightning.
Immediately, his face changed drastically. Years of fighting on the battlefield had given him keen senses, so almost instinctively, he sharply squeezed his legs against the unicorn horse's flanks, and both man and horse rapidly retreated. As he retreated, a shocked voice roared from his mouth.
"Seize him! He is Mo Yu!"
However, although his reaction was quite sharp, his strength was only at the low-level Great Dou Master rank. Therefore, as soon as his body began to retreat, Mo Yu sneered.
His body became ethereal, like spatial teleportation, as he caught up to the bearded general. His fist, like a bear's paw, shot out like lightning, heavily smashing into the latter's chest. Immediately, a mouthful of blood sprayed from the bearded general's mouth, and his face turned ashen.
Having failed to take his life with one blow, Mo Yu was about to follow up, but the bearded general hastily rode his horse behind the soldiers.
"Hiss! Hiss!"
More than a dozen sharp long spears, carrying faint traces of Dou Qi, fiercely thrust towards Mo Yu's head. Their movements were wide and grand, full of killing intent. They were indeed warriors who had survived the battlefield; just this Aura alone was incomparable to ordinary warriors.
Twisting his head, Mo Yu dodged the long spears, but his offensive was obstructed. Seeing the rapidly converging soldiers, he could only frown slightly and retreat a distance.
At the city gate, everyone watched the lightning-fast changes in stunned silence, especially when they saw the general who guarded the gate in Shanhe Pass heavily injured by a single blow, their expressions evolving towards blankness.
"Mo Yu?! Is he Mo Yu? The Mo Yu who defeated Little Beast King and the other two?" Suddenly, someone in the mercenary group shouted, immediately drawing fiery gazes. Listening to their voices, there wasn't much greed, but rather a hint of admiration.
As the mercenary's shout fell, the surroundings instantly erupted in an uproar. Gaze after gaze, filled with various emotions, stared intently at Mo Yu. The most shocking event in the Mu Lan Empire recently was naturally Mo Yu.
"Kid, how dare you be so presumptuous! This is Shanhe Pass!"
As the scene erupted in an uproar, an ancient and powerful voice suddenly echoed from within Shanhe Pass.
As the voice faded, a yellow light mass suddenly appeared above the fortress. At the same time, a terrifying Aura slowly emanated from within the light mass, making everyone present feel incredibly suppressed.
Even with the sun shining brightly, the light from this yellow light mass was in no way inferior to the sun overhead.
When people opened their eyes wide and slowly saw the ancient figure within the yellow light mass, they couldn't help but exclaim in shock.
"Old Ancestor Mieyan!"