Journey to the head

"Six hundred miles to the east, there is a huge wave of monsters." With a flash of golden light, Taoist Xichan landed heavily on the deck of Weiyuan Shenzhou. "There are three Yuanying monsters and more than twenty Jindan monsters. I was worried about their human detection jade discs, so I didn't dare to get too close, so I couldn't point them clearly enough."

"They are approaching us at a very fast speed. If we don't change our course, they will meet us in about an hour and a half."

Lu Qian nodded and had just made a mark on the march map when Lingxuan Lingjun also flew over with a gust of fragrant wind.

"Master Lu, a large group of demons are coming towards us from the west! It's not a mixture of demons and wild beasts like before, this time it's basically all demons, the demonic energy is soaring that it blocks out the sun, maybe there are 50,000 of them!"

"Among them, I have detected two Nascent Soul monsters, and the number of Golden Core monsters exceeds two palms. They are also very fast. I estimate that they will catch up with us in another two hours."

As Lu Qian was hesitating, a purple flame flashed in the north, and Gu Nishang had landed in front of him.

There was something wrong with her face, and she smelled very bloody.

"The north has been blocked by the demon tribe, and there are five Yuanying demons!"

"One of them was very good at hiding. I didn't find it, but it discovered me and exposed my whereabouts. I finally got rid of it after a lot of effort. Maybe it was the detection jade disk you mentioned before."

"Anyway, there are monsters gathering all over the mountains and plains, at least 60,000 to 70,000 of them, advancing towards us. If we don't turn around, we will collide with them head-on in an hour."

Gu Nishang's words made everyone tense. With her cultivation level, she escaped with some injuries, which showed how strong the enemy was.

Scouts are the most direct source of intelligence for marching and fighting, and are also Lu Qian's most critical reliance after entering Qingzhou. Although he has established connections with many local sects through rescue operations, these sects are not reliable enough after all, and the information transmission is not smooth enough, so he still has to rely on himself.

In the war of cultivation, the higher the cultivation level, the more suitable one is to take on the important task of scout. The higher the cultivation level, the faster one can escape, come and go like lightning, have a stronger ability to hide, and be silent. Moreover, the more advanced one's survival skills are, and one can effectively escape if discovered. Therefore, Lu Qian invited several Nascent Soul Spirit Lords to serve as scouts.

The danger that Gu Nishang is facing now also proves this point. If an ordinary golden elixir had been sent out just now, it would not have come back now.

Now several scouts have brought back heavy news, and Wu Chongweng has a serious expression. He is responsible for gathering intelligence from the south, and he also discovered some monster movements in the southern part of Qingzhou, which had just been swept by the Cangzhou coalition forces.

Lin Le also had some intelligence from southern sects such as Baoqing Sect, saying that some demon tribes were moving through the south, but they did not harass or attack local sects.

All signs indicate that the demon tribe is trying to regroup in the south and cut off the Cangzhou coalition forces' return route.

Enemies are everywhere in the east, south, west and north, and the demon clan is ready to encircle us!
Wu Chongweng couldn't help but say, "Master Lu, the enemy is powerful. We have already detected ten Yuanying-level monsters on the surface! If we are blocked by them, even if we win by chance, we will suffer heavy losses."

"Not only will the loss outweigh the gain, but we will almost lose the ability to resist. The demon tribe is coming in endlessly, and there is a possibility that they will get support from underground. We might as well stop while we are ahead. Now that the demon tribe in the south has not yet gathered, we should immediately turn around, break out of the encirclement and return to Cangzhou!"

The remaining Jindan from the independent sects around him also spoke up to persuade him, and their words echoed Wu Chongweng's.

Even the Master Ruyi of the Zhiling Sect of Junle County, who had always been at the service of the emperor and was willing to die, put on a smiling face and said, "Master Lu, after a long campaign, our disciples are exhausted. Why don't we retreat to Cangzhou to regroup and then come back to kill the Qingzhou monsters once they relax?"

Lu Qian glanced at them and knew what was going on.

It seems that after a hard battle, a lot of points were earned. The enthusiasm of these sects waned, and they began to back down in the face of the severe situation. Even the most active Wu Chongweng of the Changqing Sect decided to stay put and preserve his vitality.

Yes, the fundamental goals of both sides are different. After they have fought enough, they will naturally think about retreating south, but their own.
Lu Qian looked far ahead, as if he could vaguely hear the roaring Nujiang River.

Nujiang County, Heishifang, where everything began.

After crossing the Nujiang River, you will reach Quyang.

The Yunshan ancestral vein is just around the corner, and there are six Jindan corpses and the Yuehua Sect holding on above. How can we give up so easily?

I want to enter the ancestral lineage, pay homage to my ancestors, and comfort the heroic spirits!
At this time, as soon as Wu Chongweng and his men said to retreat south, other sects in the Chongming Alliance and the Yunshan School's partner and subordinate sects also looked at Lu Qian.

Lu Qian shook his head slightly. Even if you want to hide for a while, can you do it?
"My fellow Taoists, going north to exorcise demons is voluntary. If you want to leave, I will not stop you." The demon army was approaching, and Lu Qian spoke quickly, "But, everyone should think carefully. We know that if we break out to the south, are the demons stupid?"

"Now they are attacking from the east, west, and north, but they are leaving a weak point in the south. They are surrounding three sides and leaving one side open. There must be an ambush. Don't you understand this principle?"

The faces of several people changed. Ruyi Zhenren gritted his teeth and said, "But the south has been swept by our army after all, and there are many local sects supporting us, especially the powerful Yuanying sect like Baoqing Sect with a large demon army on the side. They dare not not support us wholeheartedly, and we will be able to evacuate smoothly."

Lu Qian shook his head: "It is true that the lips and teeth are cold, and it is also true that we will support them wholeheartedly, but that is based on one premise. That is, my Cangzhou coalition forces will stay and fight together with them."

"But now the Cangzhou coalition forces are abandoning them and fleeing south. They are about to be separated. Do you think they will still support you?"

Ruyi Zhenren was speechless, Wu Zhongweng suddenly spoke: "Master Lu is an extraordinary strategic man, and he can see the battle situation like reading the lines on the palm of your hand. I believe he has a good plan?"

Lu Qian raised the map and said, "It's not a brilliant strategy, but there is a way to win. It depends on whether you dare to do it and whether you believe me!"

A group of people came up and said, "It's up to you, Master Lu."

Lu Qian pointed heavily on the map: "Three hundred miles from here, there is a sacred mountain called Tingchao, with a fourth-level lower-order spiritual vein. It is the location of the mountain gate of the local Jindan sect in Nujiang County."

"Fellow Daoist Wu Zhong can lead the monks of this division and other independent Jindan sects, and control other airships and wind-controlling beasts to Tingchao Mountain. The demon army is approaching, and it is a matter of life and death. You have a large number of people, and with fellow Daoist Wu Zhong's Yuanying leading the army, the local sects will definitely agree to let you enter Tingchao Mountain and rely on the spiritual veins and the mountain protection formation to jointly defend it."

Wu Zhongweng asked in surprise, "What about you, Sect Leader Lu?"

Lu Qian said solemnly: "Nichang, Senior Xichan, Fellow Daoist Lingxuan and I will lead the disciples of Yunshan, the subordinate sects of Yunshan partners, and other sects of Chongming Alliance, and control all the Weiyuan, Zhengyuan, and Zhenyuan divine ships to defeat the enemy!"

Amidst everyone's shocked expressions, Lu Qian spoke with confidence and ease.

"The demon tribe's eastern, western, and northern armies are now advancing towards me, but before they actually launch an attack, they will definitely make adjustments so that they can achieve the effect of launching attacks at the same time."

"But now, the distances between the three of them and me are different. This is an opportunity to defeat the enemy!"

"Because they don't understand, I'm sending three types of Shenzhou at full speed!"

An Fanghe held the jade ruyi and patted his palms gently. He completely understood Lu Qian's plan and thought to himself, "What a wonderful plan."

It turned out that all along, in order to take care of the large number of ordinary airships and wind-controlling beasts in the Cangzhou coalition, the three kinds of divine ships of the Yunshan Sect could only lower their speed and advance slowly together. Even when the three kinds of divine ships were arranged alone in front, behind, left, and right of the four armies, they were only slightly faster than ordinary demons and had never burst out their full speed.

Therefore, the demon clan had no idea how fast the three kinds of divine ships of the Yunshan Sect, the real main force of the Cangzhou coalition, were. The Weiyuan divine ship's normal speed was one thousand miles per hour, and it could reach three thousand miles per hour when the battle formation was fully burst. The Zhengyuan divine ship's speed was over one thousand eight hundred miles per hour. Even the Zhenyuan divine ship, after being modified, had reached one thousand two hundred miles per hour!

As expected, Lu Qian continued, "I will use the speed of Shenzhou to take the initiative to attack! I will first fight the western route, then turn north, and finally fight the demon army in the east!"

“If the enemy had already joined forces, we would naturally find it difficult to deal with them. But if we defeat them one by one like this, even the five Yuanyings of the northern demon army will be nothing more than chickens and dogs in front of us Yuanyings!”

Xiang Kong standing beside him was greatly impressed, thinking to himself, Master Wuliang, could it be that Master Lu had already planned this, so even when he sent out the Shenzhou to drive away the beast tide, he suppressed his escape speed and did not reveal his true strength, and he had been waiting for this moment all along?

Zhao Kongque stood behind her master, feeling fascinated for a moment. She was the only one among all the Jindan disciples of Yunshan Sect who joined after Lu Qian disappeared. Now she finally understood why all the fellow disciples admired the master so much.

Wu Chongweng was also excited, but he grasped the key points in an instant and understood why Lu Qian emphasized "dare or not" and "believe it or not".

The Yunshan Shenzhou is so fast that it can break through directly after defeating the western demon tribe!

As for the east and north routes, unless those Yuanying and Jindan great monsters abandon their clans and go after them alone, how could they catch up?
But a lot of the sects that can't run fast are left in Tingchao Mountain. Will the demon clan give up this piece of cake?
In other words, as long as Lu Qian wanted, he could abandon them and leave at any time!

Several other Jindan also figured this out, and their expressions suddenly became complicated.

Lu Qian added, "Moreover, given the location of Tingchao Mountain, after we defeat the Western Route Demon Clan, the Eastern Route Demon Clan should have just arrived near Tingchao Mountain, and they may have been attracted by Tingchao Mountain to attack us."

"If that's the case, you must try your best to hold on. I will send a message to all the sects in Qingzhou right now. Most of the demons are coming towards me. All places will be able to seize the opportunity to counterattack, which in turn can reduce the pressure on everyone."

"Moreover, the fourth-level low-level spiritual veins of Tingchao Mountain are just right for setting up a Yuanying-level mountain protection formation. I will give you a set of formation base diagrams, which will naturally enhance the defensive ability. When I defeat the monster tribe in the north, I will definitely come to rescue you."

Several Jindan from independent sects looked at each other.

You must come to rescue me, what if you don’t come?

Wouldn’t Tingchao Mountain become our death place?
"This is the only way I can think of. If we divide our forces, we can win. If we don't divide our forces, we won't be able to launch a lightning attack and will be besieged. Or if you don't listen to me and defend Tingchao Mountain, you will be defeated even faster." Lu Qian's expression was extremely serious. "What do you think?"

Several Jindan looked at each other, and then turned their gazes to Wu Chongweng, who had the highest cultivation level.

As this Yuanying stared at Lu Qian, all the past events came to his mind.

He took a deep breath.

"Master Lu is a gentleman of the world, I believe you!"

He raised his right hand: "Also, I will take the initiative to attack and attract the Eastern Demon Army to attack Tingchao Mountain to relieve the pressure on you!"

Lu Qian was moved: "Don't worry, fellow Taoist, I will never let you down!"

Bang! The two men hit each other heavily with their right hands!

Shaking hands and taking an oath is a gentleman's promise.

"After this battle, the Qingzhou demon tribe will be severely damaged, and everyone can withdraw calmly!"

After a moment, the army split into two.

Lu Qian commanded the Shenzhou, and his escape light was as bright as a rainbow, speeding towards the west.

Linzhou, the holy city of shadows.

A skinny old man was crawling on the ground, prostrating himself and paying homage.

He could sense that the figure behind the curtain on the high platform had a terrifying aura, which was almost as powerful as his own general.

"Under the command of the Ninth Heavenly Lord, the Immortal Emperor Corpse Heavenly Lord, the Evil Corpse Earth Dragon, pays homage to the Master Demon Master."

"I am honored to be summoned by Master Demon Master."

The mysterious demon master asked in a strange voice that was impossible to tell whether it was a man or a woman, "Have you broken through the dream barrier of Prison Corpse Ridge? Can your Nascent Soul escape?"

How could the Earth Dragon dare to hide anything in front of the Demon Master? "Reporting to the Demon Master, the dream barrier has not been broken through yet. My escape was just an accident. I was still a golden elixir when I escaped."

The demon master hummed and said, "You don't have to flatter yourself. Although you are a member of the corpse clan, with such insignificant skills, how can you be considered a member of the Heavenly Sovereign? Even if it is your general, he would not send you to do something if he really has no one else."

The earth dragon crawled on the ground, not daring to refute, but just kowtowed.

"You said in your letter that the Corpse Tribe wants to cooperate with the Hundred Tribes under the Earth? Tell me, what do you think, General Nightmare?"

The Earth Dragon said respectfully: "My general was very surprised to hear that a leader like you has emerged among the hundreds of tribes. He appointed me to convey the intention of the alliance."

"The general said that the Fifth Lord of Heaven, Infinite and Infinite Hou Tu, who commands all races, and the Holy Lord of Heaven, the Corpse of the Emperor, are a united front. More than 20,000 years have passed since the disaster of the True Immortals. It is time for this world to change again. I hope that the two families will work together to plan for the future."

"Nonsense." The demon master said lightly, "Although the two Heavenly Monarchs have a common enemy, their goals are different. If they really overthrow the rule of the human race, I'm afraid we will have to fight again. I don't see the point of forming an alliance."

The Earth Dragon said quickly: "Since both sides now regard the human race as their number one enemy, wouldn't it be better to fight the enemy together first and then resolve the differences between the two sides?"

The figure behind the curtain shook his head: "Even so, you corpses are now locked in the dream barrier, what can you do?"

"We can relieve you of the pressure on Taiyi Paradise!" The voice of the Earth Dragon rang out. "As long as our general makes the slightest move, Taiyi Paradise will have to devote a lot of energy to pay attention to it. Then the hundreds of tribes will take advantage of the opportunity to attack. The territory they can obtain will no longer be eight states, but eighteen states or twenty-eight states!"

The demon master's voice remained unchanged: "If so, what do we have to pay in return?"

"Just do us a small favor." The earth dragon bowed his head again, "In the central part of Yuheng Continent, there is a state called Cangzhou. There is a human Yuanying sect called Yunshan Sect."

"The small Yunshan is insignificant in front of the hundreds of clans. I would like to ask for some help to help me attack the Yunshan Sect!" (End of this chapter)