Journey to the head

When the sky was bright, the demon-hunting army led by the Yunshan Sect took a short rest, then took off again from the gate of the Jiuxian Sect and headed north.

There were millions of animal carcasses left here, with blood flowing everywhere and corpses clogging the valley. They could only be dealt with slowly by the Drunken Immortal Sect.

After a brief consultation, in addition to reorganizing the troops and enforcing military discipline, the staff group also discovered some problems and reported them to Lu Qian.

The first difficulty is logistical supply.

After such a very successful annihilation battle, the consumption of the Xinghuan Weiyuan Shenzhou ship alone, which had not yet dispatched the "Flying Snake No. 3" small Taoist soldiers, had reached more than a thousand spirit crystals. The huge waste was shocking.

You have to know that the dividends of the four major markets of Yunshan Sect, even if they can all be converted into spiritual crystals, are only 13,000 per year. Now a smooth annihilation war consumes so much, once a tough battle is encountered, I am afraid that all the profits of the year may be wiped out in one battle!
Even though the Yunshan Sect was well-off, it was still astonished by such consumption. Moreover, Spirit Crystals were important strategic materials, and it was not easy to exchange them. The consumption in all aspects was huge. Currently, the Yunshan treasury was short of Spirit Crystals, but had more than enough Spirit Marrow.

This time, the Shenzhou was loaded with a total of 50,000 spirit crystals and 200 spirit essences. As for the spirit crystals alone, all the spirit crystals that could be circulated in the storage were already emptied. If the spirit crystals were not in supply later, the spirit essences could only be used directly.

Fortunately, the champion-level Xinghuan Weiyuan Shenzhou can be directly powered by spiritual marrow, and those Zhenyuan and Zhengyuan Shenzhou that can hardly bear the spiritual marrow have been lent to subordinates and the Chongming Alliance factions, who will bear the consumption themselves. The Yunshan faction can breathe a sigh of relief.

But from another perspective, even if the Yunshan Sect can afford it with its spiritual essence, can the various sects that follow it withstand such high-intensity consumption?

If we maintain this pace of only outflowing and not inflowing, I'm afraid that after only a few battles, the less wealthy sects will have to withdraw halfway.

Therefore, we must find a way to replenish the consumption of spirit crystals.

The second difficulty is intelligence support.

Nowadays, demons are rampant in Qingzhou, many sects are surrounded, and there are demon beasts blocking the way everywhere, making it very difficult to transmit intelligence.

But without intelligence support, it would be very dangerous to rush into Qingzhou.

Gathering our own army, although there is strength in numbers, they are also huge targets!

In the early stage, they can rely on the advantage of numbers to crush the enemy all the way, but the Qingzhou demons are not deaf and blind. They will soon find out that a dragon has crossed the river into Qingzhou. I am afraid that demons from all directions will be attracted here, and subsequent advancement will only become more and more difficult.

If the Qingzhou demon tribe had a unified command, their own army would be very likely to be surrounded and completely trapped in Qingzhou without intelligence support!

Therefore, after entering Qingzhou, it is necessary to deploy scouts widely, inquire about the movements of the monster tribe from all directions, adjust the marching route in a timely manner, and find ways to establish a relatively complete intelligence system.

The third difficulty is the mountain-moving general.

This Mountain-Moving General is quite capable. Although he launched a surprise attack and severely injured Lord Sinan Xuan, his strength can still be seen. He is estimated to have reached the late stage of Yuanshen cultivation.

Although it is currently leading a large army to besiege the gate of the Ci Ji Sect and is unlikely to give up halfway, who can guarantee that it will not be lured into attacking by its own people who have suddenly entered Qingzhou?
If that time comes, how can we protect ourselves?
Even though several of his Yuanyings were extraordinary and had followed Miaomiao Xuanjun to surround and kill Sikong Sheng, now...
After repeated deliberation, Lu Qian decided to send out a letter, hoping to gain some guarantees for his advance.

As for the difficulties in the first two aspects, they can only be solved by relying on the local sects in Qingzhou.

In the early May of the 520th year of Jiashen, the Yunshan faction led a large army across the Beichui County and headed north into the territory of Qingzhou.

Linzhou, at the northern end of Yuheng Continent.

Originally, this was a chaotic and wild land where humans and monsters lived together, but now the few humans who were already there have been slaughtered, and it has completely become a paradise for monsters.

Since the turmoil of the hundreds of underground tribes, in addition to the surprise attacks on all sides of the continent, with Linzhou as the core, they have occupied five states in the north of the continent and three states in the south, for a total of eight states.

Among them, Linzhou has been built and transformed by the demon clan in a very short period of time, and has been completely turned upside down and changed into a completely new appearance.

If the spying of Taiyi Paradise could penetrate the fog covering Linzhou, I am afraid that the Seven Stars of the Blue Dragon and several immortal kings would understand the true plan of the demon clan.

It's a pity that the white mist produced by the Yin Shen clan in the underground abyss can penetrate the light of the sun, moon and stars, but it makes the cultivators' spiritual consciousness return empty-handed.

Perhaps Taiyi Paradise could use the Azure Yellow Spring Mirror to force a breakthrough. But now the two sides are still in a state of confrontation and negotiation, and both sides have maintained a certain degree of restraint.

Under the mist of Yin Mirage, on the peaks of the high and low mountains in Linzhou, thousands of obsidian towers have been melted into linked bone whistles by the art of blood sacrifice. As long as human monks appear within ten thousand miles, these sentinel towers will emit sound waves that are enough to shatter the human body.

And below this sentry tower, the entire mountain and field have been occupied by the "Blood Willow", a rare plant demon species underground. The dense blood-colored vines point straight to the sky, which is creepy.

Between the mountains, there are firefly swamps and poisonous miasma; there are hidden snake castles and surging weak waters. In the deepest part of all the fog and poisonous miasma, a huge city rises from the ground. On the two high towers, one on the left and the other on the right, there is a huge chaos demon eye that keeps rotating.

This is the base camp of the underground demon clan, which has unfathomable mysteries, the Demon Clan Holy City.

In other words, it is the projection of that underground holy city on the ground.

At this moment, in the huge hall of the Holy City of Shadows, a burly man in black armor was bowing and kowtowing, reporting urgently to a blurry figure shrouded in layers of curtains sitting high on the platform.

"Master Demon Master, our men have already invaded the heartland of Yuheng and turned the world upside down. The weakness of the human race has been exposed. Now is the perfect time to launch a full-scale attack. Please send your troops quickly to attack Taiyi Paradise. You will surely make it difficult for them to take care of both ends and thus achieve a great victory!"

Before the figure behind the curtain spoke, the slender man sitting below spoke up, "Take both into account? Open your eyes and see, does Taiyi Paradise want to take both into account? Does Taiyi Paradise care about your so-called breakthrough into the hinterland? Have you sent any soldiers?"

"From the beginning to the end, you have been just playing around."

The big man was quite angry, and was about to explain, but a charming woman smiled and said, "If you, the Lingli tribe, want to fight, then go and fight. It's up to you to conquer as many kingdoms as you can. The Demon Master is here, so that Taiyi Paradise has no time to be distracted. Isn't that enough?"

The big man defended himself, "I am only thinking about the interests of all the races. The eight states were taken in one fell swoop, but Taiyi Paradise was hesitant to come to negotiate. This is enough to show that the surface human race has been at peace for too long and is vulnerable. Taiyi Paradise is strong on the outside but weak on the inside, corrupt and decadent, and has long lost the spirit that dominated the Yuanchen Realm in the past."

"It's time to launch a general offensive and pull the human race down from its dominant position on Yuheng Continent! The time has come for our hundred races to regain their glory. Master Demon Master, you must not waste this opportunity!"

"How dare you!" the tall, thin young man with two sunken eye sockets without eyeballs shouted, "How can you interfere with the decision of the demon master? Aren't you 'newcomers' so arrogant that you always clamor to wipe out the human race? Now that I've granted you the freedom to attack, you're scared now?"

The big man was furious and shouted, "You blind snakes are just foreign rebels, what are you? You are not worthy of talking to me. In terms of status--"

His eyes suddenly widened, and only a whimper came out of his throat, and he couldn't utter anything.

Everyone saw that the big man's mouth suddenly disappeared, and only bare skin was left under his nose. The figure behind the curtain made a completely neutral voice that was impossible to distinguish between male and female, and it was flat and mechanical without any ups and downs.

"You said something wrong, you should be punished."

The big man shuddered all over and suddenly knelt down, kowtowed heavily on the pitch-black hall floor whose material could not be identified. The humming sound from his throat and the banging sounds of his kowtow intertwined together. Even the people who had just refuted his idea felt awe in their hearts.

The people present are basically at the Refining Void stage.

They could naturally see that this was not an illusion at all. It was conceptually wiping the big man's mouth directly!
Even if he used any rare treasures that could complete his limbs, it would be useless because he never had this organ!

This is the power to change the rules of the avenue, this is a means of directly interfering with reality, and this is just a small punishment that the demon master casually brushed aside.

If it is not a mouth, it really does not have much impact on other races. Isn't it fine for the blind snakes to be without eyes? But it is completely different for the ling carp tribe.

The big man kept begging, but the figure behind the curtain just spoke calmly.

"My plan will not change. Our allies are not in place yet. Now is not the time to launch a full-scale attack on the surface."

"As for you, I have already provided you with intelligence on the ground and asked you to attack the weak states of the human race. If you can take them, it is naturally your ability."

"The slight punishment I'm imposing today is to remind you that the unity of all races is not just empty talk. Whoever dares to discriminate among different races will be a sinner among all races."

"Now, back off."

The big man looked dejected. He had no choice but to kowtow again and left the hall in disgrace.

The hall was quiet for a while, and then another dry-mouthed old man sighed: "These 'new tribes' are really restless. If my hundreds of tribes could unite as one, we would have returned to the surface long ago. If I remember correctly, this is the twelfth clan to come and propose a decisive battle, right?"

The blind snake youth looked at the figure behind the curtain with a fanatical look on his face and bowed down: "Now that we have the Master Demon, everything will be different! We can all unite under the banner of the Master Demon, no matter if we are from the upper, middle or lower tribes, we will be as close as one family and will be able to succeed in everything! As for these brainless 'new upper tribes', let them destroy themselves."

"Eliminating these manic black sheep will only benefit us, not harm us." The slender man sneered, "If the 'New Clan' had not been greedy and reckless, it would have been possible for them to occupy several states. But now, it's hard to say."

The enchanting woman shook her head and said, "After all, they are also members of my Hundred Clan. Let them suffer a little. We can still help them when necessary. This is all for the best interests of my Hundred Clan."

"All glory belongs to the underground. Swear to be loyal to the Fifth Heavenly Sovereign and obey the orders of the Demon Master until death."

Several people who were still hiding in the darkness also spoke in low voices.

"Swear to be loyal to the Fifth Heavenly Sovereign until death, and obey the orders of the Demon Master until death."

But the demon master behind the curtain was silent and motionless, as if he had disappeared from this world.

Just at this moment, another monster came to report.

"Master Demon Master, we have received a secret letter. The other party claims to be Earth Dragon and is a subordinate of the Immortal Emperor Corpse!"

In mid-May, the army led by Yunshan, or the Cangzhou coalition army, won victory after victory in Qingzhou, turned northward, and experienced more than ten battles of varying sizes along the way. The number of points that can be exchanged for monster cores obtained has approached 20,000!

Of course, this is not the result of the Cangzhou coalition forces fighting alone. In fact, if it were not for the Yunshan Sect's coordination and cooperation with the local sects in Qingzhou, it would be difficult for some sects in the Cangzhou coalition forces to advance to this point.

"The military strategy of Tianyuanzi is unparalleled, and all of you Taoist friends are extraordinary and brave. In today's battle, we killed four Yuanying monsters, and the monster plague in the southeast of Qingzhou has been wiped out!" In the magnificent hall, a Yuanying Spirit Lord raised his glass, "Come, I'll toast to everyone!"

Lu Qian drank a cup and said with a smile, "Thanks to the cooperation of Baoqing Sect, Guixu Lingjun is indeed an old senior. He is very wise and decisive. He taught me a lesson."

Guixu Lingjun waved his hands repeatedly: "Tianyuanzi, you are too polite! Without the help of you and the heroes of Cangzhou, how could the siege of Baoqing Sect be lifted? Moreover, this strategy was first proposed by Tianyuanzi. I just took advantage of the local situation and made some minor changes. This time, we lured the enemy deep into our territory and accomplished the goal in one battle. The heroes of Cangzhou are the first to make contributions!"

Taoist Xichan laughed loudly: "Old man Guixu, now you know how powerful I am? When we were fighting each other, you were chasing after me!"

Guixu Lingjun smiled and raised his glass to toast him: "Fellow Daoist Xichan, we served different masters in the past, so forget about the unpleasantness. I knew you were no ordinary person, and now that you have successfully formed a fetus, you have suppressed a big monster with just a few moves. I, with my old bones, cannot compare with you."

"If you're still not satisfied, next time we fight, you can chase me away."

Lingxuan Lingjun drank several cups in a row, and a blush appeared on her delicate cheeks.

The Baoqing Sect, led by Guixu Lingjun, is the hegemon in the southeast of Qingzhou, with three Yuanying Lingjuns. During the war between the two states, it was naturally the generals under the command of the Ciji Sect, and there were many blood feuds during the war between the two states. Lingxuan Lingjun would never have thought that the former mortal enemies would drink and talk happily today, looking like iron brothers.

Even if it's just superficial work, and even if I won't show mercy in future battles, the fact that we're in this situation now is all thanks to Sect Leader Lu.

She looked at Lu Qian with her drunken eyes, and suddenly an idea popped into her mind.

Maybe one day, the relationship between Qingzhou and Cangzhou will change because of him?
Lu Qian also offered a toast to Guixu Lingjun: "The demonic chaos in the southeast of Qingzhou has been temporarily quelled, but it is far from being resolved once and for all. Intelligence shows that the demons of Qingzhou have been mobilized and are constantly gathering in the direction of our army. Sooner or later, they will flood into the southeast."

Guixu Lingjun knew what he meant and said with a smile: "Tianyuanzi, don't worry. Since our sect has escaped from the predicament, we will naturally guard the gate carefully, contain the monsters in this direction for you, and provide support and help. All the monster cores obtained in this battle will belong to you, and the supplies promised to you will be doubled, and necessary intelligence will be shared."

"Anyway, in the current situation, helping you is saving myself. I am not that short-sighted."

Rescue the local sects in Qingzhou, obtain supplies, gain support, and launch a joint attack to achieve greater results. This is the strategy of the Yunshan Sect.

Lu Qian raised his glass and smiled at Guixu Lingjun.

Yes, under the current situation, you have to lend me a helping hand.

When the situation really turns around, your attitude will change again. Even if you cannot attack directly due to the order of no conquest, who can guarantee that there will be no shady tricks?
Therefore, we have to attract some enemies to you.

Facing Lu Qian's gaze, Guixu Lingjun also smiled, and his smile was particularly bright.

The old and the young clinked their glasses and said, "Happy cooperation!" (End of this chapter)