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.

“Soul Summoning has leveled up again? I can now conjure specters... That doesn’t seem too useful...” he murmured. “No, I can use it to disgust the enemy mages. Also, it doesn’t look like I have maxed out Soul Summoning yet. Can I level it further?”

【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!”

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.