Star Trace Gate

Chapter 988 The patient Moro, the bewildered Potato

North Wind Town, North Tower No. 1 Teleportation Array.

The Wang clan members were currently distributing various pills to the two thousand captured soldiers and generals of the Divine Court, pills that could restore their physical bodies and souls. Although these pills were not priceless divine medicines, they were plentiful and sufficient, able to temporarily alleviate their injuries and pain, and allow them to recover a certain amount of combat strength in a very short time.

These pills, like the precious materials used to repair the great formation, were all taken from a secret chamber in the garrison headquarters by Liu Wei's men. They were also things that Wang Anquan had prepared long before surrendering the city and secretly "stealing" a huge amount of star energy.

This shows that before he opened the gates to surrender the city, he was indeed prepared to rebel at Tianzhao Temple at any time.

In this desolate land, many Divine Court soldiers were urgently repairing the teleportation array, while many others were meditating and recuperating, trying their best to restore their strength. In short, the area around the dimly lit array was filled with captured soldiers, their clothes tattered and their spirits low. Although there were quite a few of them, more than two thousand, they gave off the desolate feeling of a group of stray dogs gathered together.

There was no other way. This group of people had been trapped in Nanshan for more than 20 days and had to endure the oppression, torture, extortion and blackmail of the guarding monks every day. So even though they had "gained their freedom" now, they were filled with unease, fear and exhaustion.

Not far away, Wang Anquan, who had just finished inspecting the progress of the great formation's repairs, was immediately alarmed when he saw that his old subordinates had such low morale. He immediately decided to give an inspiring impromptu speech.

This old codger has led troops for many years, so he definitely possesses the qualities of a core member of the park when it comes to brainwashing.

"boom!"

At the front of the formation, Wang Anquan suddenly unleashed his aura and roared in a booming voice, "Fellow soldiers, listen to me!"

This shout was imbued with divine power, its deep and powerful sound lingering around the great formation for dozens of breaths, instantly attracting the attention of all the losers.

Under the pitch-black sky, all the defeated soldiers looked at their former commander, who had surrendered the city and had inexplicably led to their capture. Their eyes held complex emotions; some were filled with gratitude, while others could not hide their hatred and disgust.

Wang Anquan was a thick-skinned man. He didn't care what others thought of him. He firmly believed in his own ideas and then roared in a powerful voice: "Fellow soldiers, I, Wang, know very well that although you have temporarily escaped, most of you will still be dissatisfied with me, or even disgusted and contemptuous... and will not deign to be associated with me or obey my orders again!"

The shouts were loud and clear, but the more than two thousand captured soldiers around remained silent, listening with cold expressions.

"I, Wang Anquan, am too lazy to explain what happened in the past, and you probably wouldn't listen anyway." Wang Anquan instantly regained the imposing presence he had when leading troops into battle, his expression solemn, each word powerful and utterly truthful as he roared, "I'll just say two things. First, if I hadn't surrendered that day, would you all be alive and gathered here today? Would you be able to see your familiar comrades and dear friends by your side?!"

As soon as he spoke, the surroundings fell even quieter. Many soldiers instinctively looked around and saw many familiar faces. Although they looked disheveled, they were all vividly alive.

"Secondly, I've learned a lesson from half a lifetime of military service: it's better to die a miserable death than to live a miserable one. I knelt down, I surrendered, I shaved my head... all for myself, for you, for the Wang clan standing behind me, and for all the people of this city! Kneeling down means survival, while fighting to the death means an empty city, empty houses, and corpses everywhere." Wang Anquan glared, raising his fist, and said, "Therefore, at this moment, there is no regret or remorse, only joy! The joy of seeing life again!! I want to celebrate with you that we are still alive, that we still have a future!"

"In the entire North Wind Town, there are only a little over ten thousand monk soldiers guarding the city. At this moment, Moro and Zhenyi from the Inner Court have joined forces to attack Niu Dali, and the area outside the Martial Monk's Mansion is also in chaos... This makes our chances of survival much greater! Putting everything else aside, for our own sake, and for the sake of our loved ones who are still waiting for us, we must unite as one and defend the teleportation array to the death. We have over four thousand men, and as long as our morale doesn't waver, we will definitely be able to hold out for two hours and witness the array revive and the Divine Court's reinforcements trample the North Wind!"

"At that time, everything we've been through will have been worth it!"

"Gentlemen, it's just one last push! I have only six words for you: Cheer up and go home!"

Wang Anquan spoke passionately and roared with intense emotion, but what awaited him was boundless silence, stunned and numb.

Looking at the two thousand-plus prisoners of war who showed no reaction, his heart was in his throat. He thought to himself in astonishment, "Damn it, I haven't led troops for more than twenty days... and their ability to boost morale has become this bad?! Can't you guys at least give me some kind of response?!"

Silence, emptiness, and the night wind blowing.

It was unclear how much time had passed before someone finally came to their senses and awoke from Wang Anquan's lingering words. They subconsciously looked in the direction of Tiandu and murmured softly, "Yes, we need to go home...home!"

"go home!"

"Let's go home together, brothers!!"

"...!"

After surviving the ordeal, the longing for family and loved ones spread, infecting all the surviving soldiers. So much so that one person's murmur turned into a hysterical shout from everyone.

Many territories outside Tiandu have been conquered and become the territory of Tianzhao Temple, but Tiandu still exists, the order and orthodoxy still exist, and many of their loved ones are still alive. Therefore, with hope in their hearts, as long as they can escape the hellish battlefield of Beifeng Town, any place in the world can be home.

Outside the great formation, the shouts of more than two thousand people were not in response to Wang Anquan, but in response to themselves, who had narrowly escaped and were exhausted.

Hearing the shouts and seeing his old troops regain their hope, Wang Anquan felt gratified. He grinned and said, "Heh heh... Good, I haven't completely lost my skill of boosting morale! If there's hope, then we can do it!"

"Everyone, prepare yourselves and do your jobs! Niu Dali will definitely send troops here to disrupt the revival of the great formation... but the crisis at his Martial Monk's Mansion has not yet been resolved, so even if he divides his forces, not many people will be able to come. We only need to hold out for two hours."

After giving a shout of encouragement, Wang Anquan immediately returned to the Wang family's line.

The Wang family members are hidden at the innermost part of the grand formation. Once the formation begins to activate, they can be teleported away. Therefore, this location is the safest and most secure place within the entire North Tower teleportation array.

Upon entering, Wang Anquan saw that his clansmen were also in a sorry state, and he quickly spoke to comfort them and stabilize their morale. Only at the end did he come to his wife He Zhuzhu's side.

Although Lady Zhuzhu had just experienced the Battle of Nanshan and then killed so many people, her clothes were still slightly dirty and she had hardly suffered any external injuries, making her look like an indestructible calf.

Therefore, although Wang Anquan is nominally the garrison commander of Beifeng, his truly invincible general is perhaps the valiant lady who can shatter the illusion barrier with a single punch. She is the pinnacle of combat power among the Divine Court's garrison.

Faced with such a formidable general, Wang Anquan naturally adopted an extremely obsequious attitude, saying, "Madam, have you recovered a bit?"

“It’s a small matter, no need to delay…!” He Zhuzhu looked down at her eldest son, Wenping, gently stroked his head, and whispered, “Son, don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid…we’ll be back in Tiandu soon.”

Wang Wenping had previously been kidnapped by Yu Tiange's men, and then had his fingers chopped off. In addition, during the final battle inside the garrison, he witnessed many servants being slaughtered by the monk soldiers. For a child of about ten years old, this was an absolutely nightmarish experience. Therefore, he had been so frightened that he was somewhat mentally unstable during this period. While in the prison, he frequently had high fevers and was in a daze.

He was already introverted, and at this moment he seemed to still be immersed in the nightmare-like memories, unable to extricate himself. So he just sat next to his mother, pale-faced, hugging his knees and trembling.

“I fed him a Soul-Stabilizing Pill, and he’s feeling a bit better.” He Zhuzhu glanced at her son first, then looked up at Wang Anquan with worry and asked, “If things go well tonight and the Divine Court’s reinforcements arrive… will you really be that happy?”

Wang Anquan was taken aback upon hearing this.

He Zhuzhu looked at him with some heartache: "But I'm not happy... or rather... I really can't be happy. Over the years, I've never cared about anything you've done... but I know you're a good person, an incredibly good person... and good people should be rewarded. If the Divine Court reclaims Beifeng Town, what will become of you? Surrendering the city is a fact, and it has truly caused the Crown Prince to lose face... If you return to Tiandu... will you have a good ending?"

Wang Anquan scratched his head and smiled helplessly: "Hehe, if you all have a good ending, that's the best outcome for me. The Crown Prince loves his reputation and honor... and he's a representative of the upright and honest faction in the Divine Court. He might take his anger out on me, but he won't make things difficult for my family. Besides... I still have something to rely on, so you'll all be fine."

"..." He Zhuzhu remained silent for a long time before resolutely saying, "Others say I'm ugly, that I'm domineering, that you're afraid of my wife, and that I've made a lot of jokes. Little do they know... there's no such thing as fear between husband and wife, only mutual respect and courtesy. Anquan... no matter what the future holds, as husband and wife, we will surely share both glory and disgrace."

"Ok!"

Wang Anquan nodded emphatically, then subconsciously took He Zhuzhu's hand and looked towards Tiandu with her. The sky there was clear and vast, the stars glittering—it was truly breathtaking.

He opened the city gates and surrendered, clinging to life, turning the city's inhabitants into slaves of a conquered nation and his former subordinates into prisoners. Then he turned against his new master, stirring up gusts of north wind...

At this moment, the definition of a treacherous minister or a fierce general seems to become blurred.

……

Outside the monks' residence.

Ren had already joined forces with Moro twice, leading a group of high-ranking individuals to attack the protective array within the government office. However, these two attacks not only failed to break through the array, but also provoked a fierce counterattack from the warrior monks of the temple.

They still had too few people. In addition, the various military officers of the Martial Monk Mansion had already ordered more than a thousand monk soldiers to be ready to raise their aura and inject it into the array's core at any time to amplify the array's divine power. Therefore, even if a series of experts such as Little Prince Huai, Moro, Master Chu Dao, and Monk Fu Lai entered the array, they would not be able to break it in a short time.

This also suggests that the spirit cat's quality and divine abilities are undoubtedly monstrous. Furthermore, it must be proficient in illusionary formations, far surpassing ordinary people.

After two failed attacks, they suffered heavy losses, and many high-ranking monks perished in the battle. Therefore, the Martial Monks' Mansion did not let this excellent opportunity slip by. They ordered several thousand monks to rush out of the mansion and begin a counterattack against the Gray Robe Camp and the cooks.

Since Wang Anquan began repairing the great formation, the chaotic battle at the Martial Monk's Mansion had been going on for over an hour, and the scales of victory were beginning to tip clearly in Niu Dali's favor. The Gray Robe Camp had suffered heavy casualties, and the cooks, being Ren Ye's private troops, were calculating and lacked a strong will to fight. Therefore, unwilling to become cannon fodder, they could only retreat step by step.

Despite such a significant advantage, Ren still hadn't seen Niu Dali appear, much less rush out of the martial monk's residence to command the monks to surround and kill him and Moro. This situation caused the straightforward Wu Batian to curse incessantly: "That Niu Dali is a damn coward! With such a huge advantage, he doesn't even show himself, instead pressing his advantage... This shows that all the reputation he's built up before, like my godfather's, was probably bought with Star Essence...!"