Beyond the heavens, the towering will fell silent for a moment. Several other towering wills withdrew their gazes and turned their attentions elsewhere.

By this time, Qingming’s forces had already finished assembling and were marching toward the southwest. After Wei Yuan flew to join the troops, the entire army picked up speed and raced toward Mount Eshan.

Mount Eshan lay over 10,000 li from Qingming, situated at the border between the Mountain Dwellers and the Shamans. Of the 20,000 troops Wei Yuan had mustered for this expedition, only 5,000 were regular cavalry from Dragon Wings, while the rest were mounted infantry. Bolstered by the power of the Great Realm, the army marched at an extraordinary pace, covering several thousand li a day. They reached the outskirts of Mount Eshan after three days.

Mount Eshan was a small, gently rolling hill range. Lee Zhi had been surrounded on a small hill there and had been holding his ground for several days. Fortunately, the area was plagued by continuous rain and thick with trees, so there was no shortage of water or materials for fortifications. Lee Zhi had relied on his fortifications to hold his ground and succeeded.

This was Wei Yuan’s first time facing the Mountain Dwellers in battle, so he deployed all his elite troops and dared not take the situation lightly. When they were 100 li from...