Chapter 27: The Martial King’s Desperate Flight Through the Three Passes

Before Hao Dan was drawn into the Void Spirit, the Left Prime Minister Yi Yin drove his chariot, carrying King Wu away from the outskirts of Yang City. By the slopes beyond the gates of Fierce Tiger Pass, they were fortunate enough to encounter the loyal ministers Zhong Gu and General Guan Longfeng.

It must be known that the general presiding over Fierce Tiger Pass was a southern barbarian, a disciple of the Saint of the Barbarians, known as “Four-Eyed Six-Eared Guo Jingyuan.” This man stood nine feet tall, his body as strong as steel, towering and imposing, with four eyes and six ears. He was skilled in concealing his power, appearing as an ordinary man unless on the battlefield. In earlier years, King Kongjia of Xia had shared a life-and-death brotherhood with his grandfather.

The Guo family’s ancestor, Guo Yang, had been a personal disciple of the previous generation’s Saint of the Barbarians, alongside the current Saint. It was said that in those days, the Saint could, by his own strength, pierce through the armies of the Western Regions, reducing legions to dust in the blink of an eye amid whirling sand and stone.

That evening, King Wu, Cheng Tang, overcame his inner turmoil and emerged from the depths of despair, his spirit rekindled. Though Seventh Lady’s cold ridicule had wounded him deeply, he resolved that, should he escape with his life, he would return to Shang, nurture his strength, and bide his time. Once the opportunity arose, he would rise again, rally the lords of the Nine Provinces, and bring doom upon the tyrant Jie of Xia.

Loyal minister Zhong Gu, seeing King Wu’s eyes regain their heroic brilliance, shattering the gloom of moments before, broke the silence: “Your Majesty, do you realize how perilous the situation just was? Had General Guan Longfeng and I not arrived in time, you and the Left Prime Minister would have fallen straight into the tiger’s jaws. If Guo Jingyuan, that Four-Eyed Six-Eared monster, had seized you, even the intervention of the immortal maiden would have been in vain!”

“Who was that immortal maiden? Why was she so domineering?” Cheng Tang recalled the moment when the Celestial Lady Bai Ling descended from the heavens and asked the others.

“It was the young master Hao Dan who summoned her to rescue you. As for the details, I know nothing,” Yi Yin answered truthfully, for Hao Dan had given him no specifics.

“This child grows ever more outrageous. Why did he not come to join us? And how will he return to Shang?” Cheng Tang found it all hard to believe; to him, the boy had always been incorrigibly mischievous.

“I cannot say. He only told me outside the carriage to see you safely back to Shang, then hurried off in pursuit of the immortal. In my eyes, the young master must have encountered some wondrous fortune; otherwise, how could he have given me such an uncanny impression?” Yi Yin recalled Hao Dan’s newfound composure. In a flash, he had devised a plan with a steadiness utterly unlike the impetuous youth who once escaped the prince’s residence by leaping through a window. He now exuded the air of a born ruler, matured far beyond his years.

Little did they know that Hao Dan, after seven years of tempering within the Void Spirit, possessed a soul already forged into adulthood.

“How do you mean?” Cheng Tang interjected, curiosity mirrored on the faces of Guan Longfeng and Zhong Gu.

“I have not seen the young master in ten days, but today he seemed transformed, as if he were a different person. And since it was he who summoned the immortal maiden, it is difficult to judge the matter now. All is speculation; let us wait until we return to Shang. At this moment, our priority must be to escape the three passes of Great Xia!” Yi Yin, farsighted as ever, chose not to dwell further on the enigma.

“The Left Prime Minister speaks wisely. Our curiosity must wait; survival comes first,” Guan Longfeng added, rarely having the chance to interject.

“General Guan, as a military man of Xia, you know Guo Jingyuan well. What is your advice?” Cheng Tang wished to learn more about their formidable pursuer.

“Guo Jingyuan, though trained in otherworldly arts, is not without flaws,” Guan Longfeng mused.

“Do you have a strategy, General?” Zhong Gu was eager to know, for his own fate was now entwined with the king’s. Should their escape fail, not only would he meet a grim end, but his disciples, like Wang Weizhi, would suffer as well.

“It is no masterstroke, merely a desperate measure. Guo Jingyuan can alter his form, possessing immense strength and superhuman senses. Within a radius of ten miles, nothing escapes his notice. If we are discovered under his very nose, he will come alone to capture us. I can only risk my life to lure him away, giving you all a chance to escape amidst the crowd. Thus, there may be hope!” True to his upright nature, Guan Longfeng was prepared to sacrifice himself for the greater good.

“This plan cannot be entertained! If so, I would rather rush headlong into the tiger’s maw myself!” Cheng Tang flatly rejected the idea; to him, it was no strategy but a reckless gamble with human life, and the odds of success were vanishingly slim.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to King Wu’s party, the shamaness Wu Tong had already arrived using the Five Elements Escape, and General Guo Jingyuan was now under her command. Wu Tong, the fourth master of the Seven-Star Tower, was a master of the Five Elements—a rarity even among the shamanic tribes.

With the wind’s aid, she arrived swiftly at Fierce Tiger Pass, presented the king’s decree to Guo Jingyuan, and thus took control of all 150,000 troops stationed there. To her, King Wu’s party could not possibly escape her watchful eye. Moreover, her sworn sister Duna had been slain by her own adopted son, and she thirsted for vengeance. She therefore dispatched half her spies from Yudu to scour the land for King Wu.

Perhaps it was fate: though King Wu’s destiny was not yet spent, the mortal world was unaware that, at this very moment, the Eastern Heavenly Realm was hosting its once-in-a-century Grand Assembly of Heaven. The Jade Emperor convened all the immortals—a gathering so grand that even the Supreme Elder of the Thirty-Three Heavens, the Highest Lord of Morality, the Primordial Lord of Jade Void Palace, and the Lord of Spiritual Treasure attended.

From the Four Seas and Eight Wastelands, from every corner under the Nine Heavens, immortals and gods soared toward the Southern Heavenly Gate, their forms streaking through the clouds, leaving only rainbow trails behind.

Guo Jingyuan, disciple of the Barbarian Saint, could see in twelve directions and hear in twenty-four. Observing the rare celestial phenomena above, he marveled, longing for immortality to break free from mortal bonds.

Then, among the clouds, an immortal paused, gazing down at Fierce Tiger Pass. His immortal eyes shone as he divined the situation below and instantly understood all.

“Blood of the Yellow Emperor, King of Shang, descendant of the Dark Bird—this is Heaven’s will. Why must you suffer? Let me aid you!”

He waved his wide sleeve and pronounced: “May our celestial net descend from all sides. Let all who fall from heaven, who rise from earth, who come from the four quarters, be caught in our net!”

As King Wu’s party debated their escape, a vast, indescribable net descended from the heavens, spreading over Fierce Tiger Pass and stretching farther until the entire fortress was enveloped.

Just then, King Wu and his followers heard a divine voice, solemn and boundless, echoing in their ears.

The immortal whispered to them: “King Cheng Tang of Shang, by order of the Holy One, once you escape, you shall ascend to the heavens!”

Astonished, the group was left in awe.

Soon, the immortal spoke again to assuage their doubts: “At the net’s edge, the path is open. Escape along the net—no one will pursue you!”

These words awakened them to the truth: they had the aid of an immortal. Zhong Gu bade the agile Guan Longfeng unveil the carriage's hidden curtain, and, following the immortal’s guidance, they departed along the heavenly net.

Though they escaped Fierce Tiger Pass, this did not mean Wu Tong or Guo Jingyuan were incompetent. Even if King Wu reached the second pass of Great Xia—the Black Tortoise Pass—those two could soon catch up.

Nor did King Wu know that the Black Tortoise Pass was guarded by the “Ever-Victorious General Wu Qigong,” undefeated in battle and possessed of power surpassing Guo Jingyuan. Trained by the Hermit of Golden Peak and gifted with treasures—the Northern Sea Black Tortoise Shell and the Seven-Headed Mirror Serpent Pincers, both stained by the blood of countless foes—his strength was formidable indeed. Even Wu Tong, with centuries of cultivation, might not prevail against him.

Yet as the invisible heavenly net enshrouded Fierce Tiger Pass, Wu Tong, ever keen in her assessments, deduced that only a celestial immortal could have intervened to aid King Wu. In her frustration, she found herself helpless—the net nullified her Five Elements magic, and Guo Jingyuan could not transform. The immortal had anticipated their every move, sealing off all escape.

But even heaven’s calculations can err; there are always loopholes. The shamaness Bashizhu, riding her puppet mount, the Six-Winged Vulture, skirted the net’s edge in pursuit of King Wu. Lacking Wu Tong’s power to earth-travel a thousand miles, she relied on her puppet. Though endowed with six wings, it could not match the ancient beasts’ speed, and its flight was limited.

The crisis was far from over. King Wu and his companions, ignorant of the dangers ahead, believed escaping Fierce Tiger Pass meant freedom. Yet, within the Great Xia dynasty, hidden talents and formidable figures abounded—no wonder it had endured for more than four centuries, ruling over the Eastern Land of Nine Provinces with unmatched depth and strength.

“Tonight, if we journey without rest, we will reach Black Tortoise Pass. There, the mighty Wu Qigong holds command, and his treasures give him power far greater than Guo Jingyuan. We had the aid of a mysterious immortal this time, but two more formidable passes remain. At Undying Pass, the daughter of the Marquis of the West, Shangguan Wan’er, holds command. She wields the God-Slaying Brush, a supreme treasure bestowed by the Queen Mother of the West. It’s said that Shangguan Wan’er is not directly commanded by King Xia; some rumors even claim that she was the Queen Mother's disciple in a past life, and in this life, she repays a debt owed to Yu the Great by guarding the dynasty,” Zhong Gu explained. As a senior minister who had served three dynasties, he understood well the hidden secrets of the court. Given the present danger, he could not help but analyze the path ahead—pressing forward to Black Tortoise Pass would be tantamount to courting death.

“I have fought a hundred battles, yet never have I heard of so many hidden talents in Xia,” King Wu marveled. In decades of warfare, he had never encountered such godlike individuals.

“Your Majesty is not native to Xia. I have served three generations; only high ministers know of the Three Divine Generals. Even the king’s trusted, cunning minister Zhao Liang is unaware of these secrets,” Zhong Gu replied, stroking his beard.

“If not for your counsel today, and if we do survive to return to Shang, is it not reckless to consider waging war against Xia? The disparity in strength is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot; we would be courting disaster,” said King Wu, now deeply unsettled, having glimpsed the true might of Xia.

“With mortal strength alone, perhaps not. But with the help of heaven and immortals, Shangqiu may yet prevail,” Yi Yin replied, recalling the extraordinary abilities Hao Dan had recently displayed.

“How can mortals borrow the power of heaven?” King Wu glanced at Yi Yin, realizing the implication.

A tacit understanding passed between them. When confronted with mysteries, there was no need to ask further.

“What if the young master is not mortal?” Yi Yin’s words were bold, voicing his suspicions about Hao Dan’s origins.

At this, Cheng Tang slapped his forehead, recalling that before he became king, he had been ordered to suppress the Fangyi rebellion among the Nine Barbarians. At that time, Xia sought to assert control, and Cheng Tang’s father had gained power by aligning with Xia. During the campaign, Cheng Tang had found a swaddled baby hidden in a mountain crevice—none other than the infant Hao Dan. The child, wrapped in a shabby animal skin, clutched a golden bell and, to his astonishment, called out “Father!” This scene was forever etched in his memory.

Cheng Tang brought the child back, and when Hao Dan was three, he ascended the throne of Shang and adopted the boy as his son. From then on, Hao Dan lived with his retinue. At age seven, his precociousness caused chaos in Shang, and to curb his wildness, Cheng Tang asked Seventh Lady to beg Master Nan Tongzi of Song Mountain to accept the boy as a disciple, hoping only that he would learn some self-discipline and martial arts. With Seventh Lady’s help, Hao Dan was admitted to the cave-heaven.

Reflecting on this, Cheng Tang realized that Yi Yin’s suspicion might be well founded—Hao Dan’s origins were indeed mysterious, and his recent ability to summon an immortal fit the theory that he was not an ordinary mortal.

What fate awaits them next? Read on in the next chapter.