LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 162: The Tsenpo’s Countermeasure
Everything eventually calmed down.
Shu Yichao got the mount he wanted.
The sand monitor tried to resist him, but it quickly became obedient once the beast taming harness was placed around its neck.
“Heh!” Shu Yichao patted the sand monitor’s head. “Strong and fast; that’s a mount for you!”
He eyed its attributes.
“Oh? It’s a female. I wonder if it lays eggs. If it does, I won’t have to change my mount anymore. Brothers, it’s time to change your mounts!”
The other sand monitors were also resistant at first, but the surrender of their leader, the modao pressing against their necks, and the cold aura of the undead quickly convinced them to give in.
On top of that, Shu Yichao received an unexpected gift.
【Amazing.】
System 12345 was amazed when it saw the Lizard Queen’s loyalty being maxed out.
【My host, you’re incredible.】
It thought that its plan was despicable as it was, but its host went even further.
Look at this massive emotional fluctuation. The Lizard Queen was first moved before being overwhelmed by fear and despair. Then, she was moved again before the only thing left was unshakable loyalty.
【My host, did you drug her and… Tsk tsk tsk!】
My host must have latched onto the Lizard Queen and refused to let her go. Along the way, he kept ramming at her wavering defense line until she eventually succumbed.
Ah, what a terrible man he is!
I bet the road to Khotan is now slick with fluids.
【And that isn’t even all…】
System 12345 noticed that the Lizard Queen had a suitor accompanying her on this journey.
The suitor must have been presenting gifts and showing concern to the Lizard Queen outside the tent, trying his best to please her, not knowing that she was being ravaged inside the tent…
And in the end…
【Tsk tsk tsk! He ended up going on a rampage. Did you press her against a sand monitor and sweep her away in front of the suitor? He must have been in agony, watching his goddess being reduced to someone else’s servant. What sheer evilness!】
While it was marveling its host’s ‘valiance’, System 12345 began plotting its next target.
【Let me see who we should go for next.】
What traveled faster than the wind was rumors.
Weryomahners, who had received her master’s order from Tsenpo Ling to investigate the situation in the Western Region, heard the rumors during her travel.
“It’s true!” someone shouted from the neighboring tavern. “My big uncle’s second aunt’s husband’s fourth uncle went to Shule to sell some camels, and my gosh! That place was filled with skeleton-faced terracotta soldiers! They kill everyone they see, and their victims turn into terracotta soldiers like them. It’s terrifying!”
“How did your relative survive if they kill everyone they see?” someone asked.
“That’s because he had an amulet with him.” That person gleefully took out an amulet, “We got a master to enchant it. At a meagre price of 30 qian…”
“Tsk!” the onlookers scoffed.
“Turns out to be a scammer!”
“Wait, wait! Don’t go! I can part with this precious amulet at just 25 qian!”
“A bunch of foolish peasants,” Weryomahners snorted before heading off.
But she only heard even more ridiculous rumors afterward, such as…
The Anxi Protectorate General is Shu Chuanfeng’s son.
He’s the incarnate of the Gatling Buddha. With his black lotus, he paved a path of white bones, bringing millions of vengeful spirits to the mortal world to reap lives.
Those who are killed by him will become a vengeful spirit too.
And when she traveled a little further, the rumors changed again…
There’s no Shu Yichao at all. It’s all Shu Chuanfeng.
She died with many grudges at a yin place during a yin hour, and that led to her becoming the most frightening ghost in the world. She doesn’t exist in the three realms (Heaven, Earth, and Hell), so she is unable to enter the cycle of reincarnation.
She can only spill fresh blood to quench her raging desire for vengeance.
Thus, she and her undead army will bring doom to the world.
It was one thing if these were just rumors, but a huge bunch of soldiers, nobles, and chieftains escaped to the Tibetan Plateau in seek of refuge. Amidst tears, they told others that the Tang army’s necromancer was massacring people with his army of a million vile ghosts.
Rivers of blood flowed wherever they went.
“Something is wrong.” Weryomahners halted her footsteps.
She took some time to sort out the rumors she had heard from different places, and she concluded that some parts of them were credible.
One, a Tang army in the Western Region had staged a rebellion.
Two, the scale of this rebellion was larger than the others. Many places were affected, and even Shule had succumbed.
Three, the leader of the Tang army was a mage, and he had the ability to control skeletons.
As for the other rumors, she decided to just shrug them off. It was ridiculous for there to be an army with a million soldiers. The escapees and refugees had exaggerated far too much.
She quickly wrote down her guesses and sent them out via a pigeon.
Soon, she received a reply.
“The three cities of Anxi are doomed. Kunlun’s Iron Gate Pass is still intact. Head to Great and Little Patola right now and guard it, by hook or by crook!”
Weryomahners was surprised. Her master was likely behind this letter, judging from the tone. However, her master seemed to have a grim view of this matter.
It’s just a rebellion, isn’t it? We just have to send someone to quell it.
Yet, her master’s urgent tone and instructions made it sound like they were the weaker ones.
Meanwhile, in the Tibetan Plateau’s Holy City, Tsenpo Ling held a glowing rock to illuminate the massive map laid out before her.
Unlike normal maps, this map was not made out of cloth or leather but of stone. Countless jewels were embedded on this stone map, marking out cities, lakes, and national boundaries. Lights and flowing runes could be seen on the map.
This map was an artifact.
The Night Illumination Pearl on the map, representing the Western Region, had turned dull.
“What terrifying yin energy,” Tsenpo Ling murmured. “What kind of demon is that?”
Tsenpo Ling had precisely sieved out information that she believed to be the most useful to her from the rumors. While others thought that the rumor of a Tang necromancer controlling nearly a million undead was utter nonsense, she thought that it could be credible.
She did see those skeletons in person through Asudo’s eyes. It was terrifying.
And when she put all the puzzle pieces together, it became apparent to her that a crisis was brewing. They had to promptly deal with it, or else it could shake the Tibetan Empire.
Just think about it!
An army of a million undead soldiers that needed no rest or supplies, slaughtering everything wherever they went—that was a huge calamity no matter where one was!
The three cities south of Tian Shan wouldn’t stand a chance. (T/N: Tian Shan is a mountain.)
Shule had fallen. Kucha was a ghost city. Khotan would leap at the chance to switch allegiance.
Thus, their priority right now was to stop the undead from spilling into the Tibetan Plateau, the core of the Tibetan Empire.
Mana was thin on the Tibetan Plateau.
The Tang army’s monks and daoists struggled to exert their strength due to the lacking mana. Enchanted armor couldn’t be easily fixed in such an environment. Normal soldiers were prone to collapsing as they struggled to acclimatize to the climate.
That had been how the Tibetan Empire survived against Great Tang’s onslaught till the latter finally fell into a declining spiral.
There was no saying whether the undead were impeded by such environment factors, so they needed to proceed carefully here.
There were two main routes to attack the Tibetan Plateau from the Western Regions.
One was through the Kunlun Pass.
It was known to be the most treacherous place in the world, not to mention that it was also where the Archmage of Holysnow resided. The undead army would be crushed if it dared to attack there.
The other was through Great and Little Patola.
This was an important Tibetan stronghold against Central Asia and the Western Region. It would be terrible if it fell into the Tangs’ hands.
“Let’s hope she makes it in time.”
—
Starve’s Note for History/ Geographic Buffs:
Little Patola (Shahis Patola/ Little Bolü/ Lesser Balor) is located in Gilgit (Balawaristan), whereas Great Patola is located in Baltistan. These are the names listed in Chinese records, though there are different names too.
Both are located in Kashmir.