Chapter 183: Immediate Descent into the Valley

Inside the spacious command tent, the heavy curtains were lifted inward by the cold wind. Two soldiers had to step on the bottom edges to keep the frigid air from seeping inside.

At the central table, Qi Yuan sat with his hands folded. Standing before him, aside from General Gao, were the gathered martial artists and mystics.

Today marked the sixth day since they had set up camp in Wind Blade Valley. The ominous divinations of the past few days had given the assembled mystics a sense of relief.

By this point, most of them believed that they likely would not descend into the valley for investigation.

But unexpectedly, General Gao had stepped forward to speak with the Imperial Preceptor.

He argued that insisting on absolute safety before proceeding was unreasonable.

Fearing death went against the creed of the Heavenly War Cavalry.

Moreover, the longer they delayed, the more morale would dwindle from top to bottom.

Thus, he proposed that as long as the divinations did not yield three consecutive ominous signs, they should organize the troops and descend into the valley for battle.

Seeing General Gao’s firm stance, Qi Yuan compromised and agreed—as long as one neutral sign appeared to balance the omens, they would descend!

A large open space had been cleared in the center of the tent. Daoist Mei, his expression tense, sat cross-legged on the ground, holding a tortoiseshell in his hands.

With everyone’s eyes on him, he had no choice but to close his eyes, calm his mind, and seek the most accurate divination.

Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!

The Five Emperor Coins clinked crisply as they tumbled within the tortoiseshell.

After shaking them an untold number of times, Daoist Mei slapped the shell, and six aged coins spilled out in sequence.

Once the coins had settled, he slowly opened his eyes and said solemnly, “The first divination… Great Ominous!”

“Well done!”

Someone in the crowd shouted excitedly.

Bang!

General Gao slammed the table and roared, “Who the hell shouted that?! Step forward!”

In the next instant, all the mystics lowered their heads, each pretending it wasn’t them.

General Gao was about to lash out again when Qi Yuan raised a hand to stop him.

“Calm yourself. There are still two more divinations—don’t disrupt Daoist Mei’s spiritual connection.”

Since even the Imperial Preceptor had spoken, General Gao had no choice but to let out a cold snort and drop the matter.

Feeling the intense gaze burning into the back of his neck, Daoist Mei placed the Five Emperor Coins back into the tortoiseshell.

Clatter~ Clatter~ Clatter!

After shaking the coins once more, he arranged them in sequence and took a quick glance.

“The second divination… Neutral.”

Hearing this, the mystics exhaled in relief.

As long as the final divination wasn’t “Great Auspicious”, they could consider themselves to have survived another day…

Before the last divination, General Gao specifically instructed Daoist Mei:

“Shake it a little longer!”

Qi Yuan simply gave a helpless smile but said nothing.

Under immense pressure, Daoist Mei wiped the sweat from his forehead and responded with a serious tone, “Rest assured, General!”

Clatter~ Clatter~ Clatter!

This time, Daoist Mei shook the coins twice as long as before.

As time passed, the expressions on everyone’s faces grew increasingly solemn.

Thud~ Thud~ Thud…

The six Five Emperor Coins landed in sequence—the final divination was set!

Everyone anxiously waited for Daoist Mei, who still had his eyes closed, to speak.

Sweating profusely, he let out three long breaths before opening his eyes and looking at the six Five Emperor Coins one by one.

After a brief hesitation, he finally spoke: “Great… Great… Great Auspicious!”

“Excellent!”

General Gao shouted in approval, then turned to Qi Yuan and cupped his hands. “Master Qi, I will issue the orders immediately—descent into the valley at once!”

Qi Yuan nodded. “Very well, proceed.”

Upon witnessing this exchange, the gathered mystics and martial artists all wore expressions as if they were already dead.

They had never expected the final divination to turn out Great Auspicious!

“Hmph!”

“All of you were handpicked by His Majesty from across the land. Now that we’re descending into the valley, I expect you to bring out your best survival skills!”

“And don’t even think about running—once you enter the valley, it’s the same as stepping onto a battlefield. If anyone dares to flee, I’ll skin them alive!”

After delivering this stern warning, General Gao strode out of the tent without looking back.

Moments later, a thunderous roar erupted outside the tent—clearly, the Heavenly War Cavalry had been eager to move for some time…

“Everyone!”

Qi Yuan rose to his feet and addressed the crowd with a deep, resonant laugh.

“Enough with those miserable expressions!”

“This divination—first was Great Ominous, confirming the dangers within the valley; second was Neutral, signifying that once we pass through the crisis, the path will be smooth…

“And the third, Great Auspicious, heralds fortune after disaster!”

“This reading transitions from danger to fortune—it is already an excellent omen!”

“We are going into the valley no matter what—so why not seize this moment of good fortune?”

“Don’t you agree?”

One had to admit—as a Confucian scholar of the highest caliber, the Imperial Preceptor Qi Yuan’s eloquence was truly remarkable.

With just a few words, he completely reversed the crowd’s resistance.

In an instant, the martial artists and mystics began to nod in agreement with the Imperial Preceptor.

They understood well—refusing to enter the valley meant they had no legitimate excuse to return.

If they went back now, they would surely be charged with defying an imperial order or even deceiving the emperor!

The repeated Great Ominous readings over the past few days had given them false hope.

But now that they were truly on the verge of battle, fear still gnawed at their hearts.

Yet, Qi Yuan’s interpretation of the three divinations was undeniably convincing.

Gradually, their wavering resolve reignited!

“Enough—go prepare yourselves!”

“Don’t let General Gao look down on us Jianghu warriors!”

At these words, the crowd’s morale surged to its peak!

General Gao’s earlier disdainful gaze and sarcastic remarks only fueled their determination.

Now, every single martial artist felt an urge to prove themselves against the Heavenly War Cavalry!

“We will not disappoint Master Qi!”

“We won’t let General Gao look down on us!”

“Move out!”

Though their voices weren’t as thunderous as the Heavenly War Cavalry, their fighting spirit was nearly on par!

As the crowd dispersed, Qi Yuan turned to Daoist Mei, who still sat cross-legged on the ground.

Smiling, he asked, “Daoist Mei, everyone else has gone to prepare. What about you?”

Daoist Mei spoke in a heavy tone:

“If I told you that I am completely exhausted from performing consecutive divinations and unable to move, would you believe me?”

Shing!

Qi Yuan casually drew the sword from the table beside him and smiled.

“Believe you? Of course.”

Daoist Mei swallowed hard. The moment Qi Yuan drew his sword, he felt a sharp pain in his neck.

“Since that’s the case, I’ll stay up here and guard the iron chains—so no scoundrels can cut off your retreat.”

“Oh? You just reminded me!”

Qi Yuan turned toward the tent entrance and called out loudly:

“Guards—where are you?”

Within seconds, two towering soldiers stepped inside and saluted. “Master Qi, your orders!”

Qi Yuan spoke solemnly:

“Inform General Gao—leave a few dozen Heavenly War Cavalry soldiers stationed at the iron chains and cliffside.”

“For the next half-day, if anyone tries to climb back up—cut them down on sight!”

“That includes me!”

Upon hearing this, both soldiers bowed and replied, “Understood!”

Qi Yuan then continued, “Also, Daoist Mei says he can’t walk anymore. Fetch some ropes, tie him up, and have a few strong men lower him into the valley!”

Whoosh!

Daoist Mei sprang to his feet in an instant.

With a straight face, he declared, “No need, no need! I’m fine—I just sat cross-legged too long, and my legs went numb…”