The First Sage of Military Strategists

The four people were vaguely centered around the middle-aged man in brocade robes, who was none other than Temujin, the prince of Western Mang.

This person has a broad and full forehead, and at first glance, he exudes an imposing air of nobility.

He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the ancient city shrouded in black mist in the distance. His eyes were deep and unfathomable.

If one were to open their divine eye and look, one could see that this person was surrounded by white smoke, which would sometimes gather and sometimes disperse.

If they gather together, the white mist will first transform into a huge Kun beast, which will then swing its tail and rise upwards, and then transform into a huge Peng beast.

Such miraculous changes in the true meaning of martial arts are extremely rare in this world, which shows how profound his attainments in the path of martial arts are.

After looking at it for a while, Temu Yuanzhen said in a deep voice, "The Western Mang royal family does have some information about this ancient ominous place. According to the records, this place is between life and death. When an ordinary person steps into it, the life force in his body will continuously flow out, and the death energy in the city will continuously surge in. At a certain moment, the death energy will be greater than the life force, and he will become a living dead, locked in the city for eternity."

Upon hearing this, all four showed strange expressions, but quickly regained their composure.

They were all high-ranking and knowledgeable people. They had heard of places even more mysterious than this ancient and ominous place, and some had even personally entered them, so they were not surprised.

"The Demon Emperor brought many experts into this city to make the situation even more chaotic. Only through a chaotic battle can they have a chance to turn the tide. Come with me and let's see what tricks they have up their sleeves."

Just as Temu Yuan was about to make his move, he suddenly frowned, a crimson pearl clutched in his palm.

At that moment, he suddenly heard a cracking sound from the pearl, and several cracks appeared, causing the red light to dim.

"Oh no! This precious pearl is the life pearl of the eight commanders. Judging from the situation, three of the commanders have been killed!"

“The army is protected by the Heavenly Profound Blood Wolf Diagram, which is difficult for even ordinary half-saints to resist. Unless they encounter one of the few terrifyingly powerful beings in the world, nothing should happen. Could it be that the leader of the Mo family has made a move?” Nalan Qian asked in confusion.

She knew very well that the blood wolf battle power condensed from that array diagram, activated by thirty-six military strategists who had refined their spirits, was extremely terrifying.

"This generation's leader of the Mohist school is acting erratically and is currently being besieged by dozens of experts from various forces. He is barely able to protect himself. If it weren't for him holding back so many powerful figures, the ancient city of Tiantongyuan would have been in chaos long ago," Tu Jingang said in a deep voice.

Temu Yuanzhen nodded slightly: "It's alright, I'll just send my avatar back."

As he spoke, a loud cry came from above, and a white eagle with a pale golden glow suddenly descended from the sky and landed beside him.

This eagle was exceptionally large. When it landed, it folded its wings, resembling a giant bear. It usually fed on lions and tigers. It was a spirit beast raised by the Western Mang Imperial Court, named the Sky Feather Eagle, and was a top-tier spirit beast in the world.

However, this spirit beast had its consciousness erased by Tie Muyuanzhen and had become his external avatar, hence its eyes shone with a human-like light.

"go!"

With a whoosh, the white eagle soared into the sky, creating a gust of wind and waves, like a sharp arrow, and disappeared without a trace in an instant.

The speed was so fast that even the experts present could not see its rapidly ascending figure.

"As expected of the number one spirit beast in the Western Wilderness, its speed is incredible. Not to mention its own strong combat power, its terrifying flight speed alone is enviable. If it encounters danger, it can ride the white eagle and disappear in an instant. Few people in the world can catch up with it." A hint of envy flashed in Nalan Qian's eyes.

“It is indeed extremely fast, but I have heard that even the Imperial Court only has seven white eagles left.” Yue Bairu said in a deep voice.

“That’s right, but if Miss Yue wants one, I will definitely find a way to give it to you.” Temu Yuanzhen suddenly turned his head, a warm smile as gentle as the sun on his face.

Yue Bai smiled slightly, but did not respond.

She knew exactly what kind of person Temujin was; despite his kind expression, he was actually extremely cold-blooded.

He was born with strong bones and muscles, and killed someone with a bow and arrow at the age of seven. He had no emotions in his heart.

His initiative to show goodwill was not for romantic love, but because Yue Bairu was exceptionally talented and likely to be the next leader of the Zongheng Dao Palace. If he could marry her, he might receive assistance from this great holy land in the future, which would help him stand more firmly in the chaos of the Western Wilderness.

Seeing that Yue Bairu did not respond, Temu Yuanzhen did not press the matter, and turned his gaze to the ancient city in the distance shrouded in black mist.

"Let's enter the city first, and before the others arrive, kill Zhou Xiaoru, seize his boundary marker, and then leave quickly!"

"go!"

A sudden gust of wind arose, and the five people soared into the air, transforming into streaks of light as they sped towards the ancient city ahead.

...

Half a day later.

It's a big night.

A very inconspicuous streak of light descended from the sky and landed on the plain in front of the ancient city.

Inside the flowing light was a pure white pearl. The pearl suddenly grew larger, and figures could be faintly seen moving within it.

"Overlord, ahead lies the ancient city of Tiantongyuan, an ancient and extremely dangerous place. According to intelligence, Zhou Xiaoru and many experts from the demon race are inside."

Inside the jewel was a peculiar inner space, about the size of a courtyard, capable of accommodating hundreds of people.

At this moment, Xiang Ying stood in the center of the courtyard, holding a halberd, his gaze fixed on the sky. There was a pure white light screen, reflecting the shadow of the ancient city in front of him. Black mist rolled in, and buildings within the city were faintly visible.

Behind Xiang Ying stood more than a dozen people, each exuding an unfathomable aura. The one speaking at this moment was an old man in a purple robe behind Xiang Ying, whose face had some strange dark purple patterns.

Xiang Ying nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding courtyard, and said in a deep voice, "This Twin Pearl of Illusion and Reality can change size and can be both real and illusory. It contains a separate space that can accommodate hundreds of people. It is one of the Ten Great Treasures of Shennong Dao Palace, but it is still no match for the Boundless Stele. I am determined to obtain this supreme treasure!"

As he spoke, he turned his gaze to the old man in purple robes standing to the side.

"Can Zhou Xiaoru's location still be confirmed?"

"Of course, my Soul-Locking Technique is the best in the world. Zhou Xiaoru is just ahead," the old man said in a deep voice.

This person also has a very important background. He is one of the top ten masters in the world. His name is Peng Zidiao. He is also a demon. However, he left the Ice Plains in his early years and traveled all over the world. When he was being chased by the masters of Dayu in Chu, he was saved by Xiang Ying when his life was hanging by a thread. He then joined the Chu rebels and became one of Xiang Ying's most capable assistants.

"Then let's charge in! Anyone who dares to stop me from seizing the Boundary Marker will be utterly destroyed!" Xiang Ying's eyes gleamed with confidence.

"go!"

With a whoosh, the pearl shrank rapidly again, then suddenly soared into the air, transforming into a faint white blurry stream of light, and quickly disappeared into the rolling black mist above the ancient city in front of it.

Not long after Xiang Ying and his group entered the city, one after another, countless powerful individuals and teams, some flying, some controlling magical artifacts, and some riding spirit beasts, numbering from a dozen to two or three people, flew into the ancient city ahead.

News of Zhou Xiaoru spread throughout the ancient city, attracting more and more powerful individuals.

The situation in the city became even more chaotic as a result.

At this moment, Han Qing and his companion arrived near this ancient city.

"Ahead lies the ancient city of Tongtianyuan. This city originated in ancient times, but it is unknown which era it came from or which faction built it."

However, once inside the city, one's vital energy will rapidly dissipate, while death energy will continuously surge in. When the vital energy and death energy reach a balance, one's body will stiffen, turning into a living dead, and one will be trapped in the city for life, unable to escape.

"Therefore, to enter the city, one must at least be a Grandmaster of Martial Arts. Ordinary low-level martial artists who step inside will instantly become living corpses." Yan Qiuling gazed into the distance and explained softly.

Han Qing nodded slightly. He was also observing this ancient city. At first glance, the black mist was rolling, like the evil domain of a military strategist who had refined his spirit. But upon closer inspection, one would find that the black mist and the evil aura were quite different.

The evil aura is a malevolent aura, pure black, while this black aura is grayish-black, a completely different feeling from the evil aura. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to describe it as the death aura that Yan Qiuling mentioned.

As they were talking, several figures appeared on a hillside not far away. They were shrouded in a cloud of yellow sand, and only five figures could be vaguely seen inside, but their exact appearance was unknown.

This mass of yellow sand did not stop; it surged forward and disappeared rapidly into the black mist of the ancient city.

"This must be a powerful figure from the Holy Desert Empire," Yan Qiuling pondered.

"Who knows how many experts are in this ancient city now? We can't wait any longer, let's quickly enter the city and investigate," Han Qing said in a deep voice.

"it is good!"

The two stopped looking around, took off and flew forward at high speed, soon entering the ancient city.

Han Qing's body was suddenly enveloped by this black mist, and wisps of death energy invaded his body.

He frowned slightly. Just as Yan Qiuling had described, he could feel the life force within him constantly draining away, and wisps of death energy silently invading his body, giving him a chilling feeling all over.

"How is it? How do you feel?" Yan Qiuling asked.

Han Qing's brows relaxed, and he said in a deep voice, "You're right. The life force in my body is indeed constantly draining away. However, I am a Martial Saint with a strong physique. Staying in the city for three to five days is not a problem. I just don't know if this life force will be permanently drained away or if it will recover after a period of time."

If it's going to be a permanent loss, then we must act quickly and decisively; we can't let it linger.

"It doesn't matter, it's just that life force is lost, which is not the same as lifespan."

As long as you're not trapped in the city, your vitality will recover in no time after you leave.

"You're right. Martial Saints can stay in the city for a long time, but this is only the outer area. As they go deeper, the death aura in the city will become more and more concentrated, and the rate at which life force dissipates will also continue to accelerate," Yan Qiuling explained.

"Now that we're here, why should we back down?" Han Qing's eyes flickered.

Suddenly, he saw a dazzling golden pillar of light shoot into the sky from the core area of ​​the city, as if lighting a lamp for the world. However, the light came quickly and disappeared just as quickly, returning to silence in an instant.

"The fighting in the city is fierce, we need to get there quickly." A look of anxiety flashed in Yan Qiuling's eyes.

Such a commotion clearly indicated a fierce battle between powerful individuals, and she was extremely worried about her father's safety.

The two immediately flew rapidly into the city.

As Han Qing flew forward, he intently observed all directions.

He saw that there were dilapidated buildings around him, built from huge, irregular stones. Their style was extremely rugged, and they were often more than ten feet tall. Each door was built very tall, as if it were a city of giants.

Indeed, many undead could be seen in the city. These people wore all sorts of strange clothes and were martial artists from some unknown era. They wandered aimlessly among them, and when someone approached, they pounced on them like mad dogs, just like vengeful spirits.

The two had only ventured a short distance when they attracted a large number of zombies.

The deathly aura in this city has some mysterious use, as it can actually allow the living corpses to evolve.

Han Qing saw that many of the zombies had changed drastically. Their hair had all fallen off, their skin had turned into a strange bronze color, and some had even grown fleshy wings on their backs, turning them into monsters.

Upon seeing Han Qing and his companion, the zombies let out a roar, suddenly leaped up from the ground, and pounced towards them.

Han Qing unleashed a slash from mid-air, scattering a dazzling light. The blade's shadow, like a storm vortex, instantly enveloped the flying corpses, shredding them in mid-air.

"They look terrifying, but their combat strength is actually average," Han Qing concluded. However, this "average" was only relative. If these dozen or so flying zombies attacked together, even an ordinary martial arts grandmaster could easily lose his life if he didn't handle them properly.

Within this ancient city, the lives of martial arts grandmasters are not guaranteed at all; only martial saints have the power to protect themselves.

Yan Qiuling also made a fierce move, with strands of lightning flashing everywhere, hitting the living corpses and quickly turning their bodies into ashes.

The two advanced rapidly, cutting down hundreds of undead in the blink of an eye.

Han Qing glanced at the Seven Killings Stele during the journey and suddenly realized that these living corpses could also have their soul points extracted.

A number of thoughts suddenly surfaced in his mind. These living corpses were all transformed from humans, and many of them might even have come from ancient times. If he absorbed their soul light points, he might be able to obtain some ancient spells and also glimpse some unknown secrets.

The thought had barely popped into my head when it suddenly became extremely strong.

His eyes gleamed, and he suddenly realized that these living corpses were no longer hideous and terrifying, but rather treasure chests flying in the air.

With a thought, a series of ghostly soldiers suddenly appeared outside his body, armed with swords and armor, charging towards the surrounding living corpses.

After entering the realm of half-saints, the Yin soldiers can manifest without the evil domain, but they are more powerful in the evil domain.

Therefore, without Yan Qiuling having to take any further action, these living corpses were immediately attacked by the Yin soldiers upon approaching and were quickly killed, turning into soul light spots in the Seven Killings Stele.

Han Qing glanced at the spirit temple again and discovered that killing the living corpses did not increase the number of Yin soldiers.

He didn't know why this happened, but he didn't have time to think about it right now.

As they charged forward, the two ventured deeper and deeper, and the number of soul points around the Seven Killings Stele increased rapidly, quickly surpassing four hundred.

Just as the two were passing by a dilapidated pavilion, an arrow suddenly shot out from inside, covered with dazzling, blazing white energy, transforming into a streak of light that shot straight toward Yan Qiuling.

Yan Qiuling reacted extremely quickly, dodging the arrow immediately. The arrow then missed its target, landing on a pavilion behind her and detonating it.

"Who? Come out!"

Yan Qiuling steadied herself, and she and Han Qing landed gracefully on another pavilion not far away.

She let out a sharp shout and stared intently at the pavilion, where she saw a man in brocade robes lower his longbow.

"So it was you, Temu Yuanzhen. Why didn't you stay peacefully in the Western Wilderness Grasslands? Why did you come to my Northern Ice Plains to seek death?" Yan Qiuling mocked.

Temu Genjin had a faint smile on his face, and he looked like an extremely kind person.

However, Yan Qiuling had dealt with Temu Yuanzhen before and knew that he was a man who was all smiles and no action.

"Yan Qiuling, I let you escape before, and a few days ago you killed three of my army's commanders. I'll settle both old and new scores together. This time, I will definitely not let you escape!" A figure flashed out from behind Tie Muyuanzhen. It was Tu Jingang.

Yan Qiuling's gaze also fell on Tu Jingang, a deep chill flashing in her eyes.

"Commander Tu, this time, I'll deal with Yan Qiuling. You can handle the young man next to me!" Temu Yuanzhen suddenly said.

Tu Jingang nodded slightly. He didn't want to fight Yan Qiuling again. Judging from their previous encounters, he not only couldn't kill Yan Qiuling, but he would also be suppressed. If they continued to fight to the death, the probability of him being killed would be even higher. It was exactly what he wanted that Tie Muyuan was willing to take action.

He preferred dealing with the young man in black next to him.

He guessed it might be another powerful demon, but apart from the Demon Emperor, Yan Qiuling was the strongest among the demons, and he didn't care about the others at all.

Temu Yuanzhen suddenly leaped up, like a flying eagle, and pounced on Yan Qiuling at an extremely fast speed.

"Miss Yan, I have long admired your name. Please enlighten me!"

Yan Qiuling was not afraid. She soared into the air and raised her hand to unleash a ball of flame.

Temu Genjin suddenly clenched his five fingers into a fist and threw a punch forward.

A vast martial arts intent surged forth from the fist, and under the Dharma Eye, it seemed as if a giant Kun leaped out of the sea and crashed fiercely towards Yan Qiuling, with tremendous momentum.

The ball of flame collided with the Kun, only to be instantly dispersed by this surge of martial arts essence.

Although Yan Qiuling had already soared into the sky when she fought him, Han Qing was still affected by this martial arts essence.

This was the first time he had heard of Temujin's name, and he was startled.

The martial arts essence displayed by Temu Yuanzhen was the strongest he had ever encountered, and the explosive power he displayed while maneuvering was also extremely astonishing, far surpassing that of Yang Wanxiu.

However, Temujin did not use any magic; his flight was purely due to his jumping ability, not his ability to ride the wind.

"Could this person be a martial arts expert who has reached an extremely high level?"

Han Qing pondered this in his heart.

By now, he had long understood that in the eyes of lower-level martial artists, a Martial Saint was a great figure standing at the pinnacle, but there was still a long way to go to become a Martial Saint.

For Han Qing, the most difficult path would begin after he had perfected the Heavenly Profound Skill.

He needs to find a way to open another hundred acupoints in order to usher in his eighth transformation.

And Temujin may very well have taken this very path.

Distracted, Han Qing's body suddenly tensed up as he heard a whooshing sound of swords echoing from behind.

He suddenly leaped up, using his lightness skill to dodge, and in an instant, he moved more than a hundred steps to the side.

A dazzling sword light struck the pavilion where he had just stood, cleaving it in two and causing it to collapse suddenly, sending dust flying everywhere.

"Huh? It's actually a Martial Saint! You dare to step into this ancient city, you do have some ability."

Han Qing glanced around and saw a beautiful woman soaring up from a distance, carrying a long sword. At first glance, she looked extremely ordinary, but once your eyes fell on her, you would naturally be drawn to her and couldn't look away for a while.

He immediately realized that this was a magical longsword, extremely profound.

"Are you Nalan Qian, the head of the Tianji Hall?" Han Qing pondered for a moment and determined the person's identity.

Of the four masters beside Temujin, only Nalan Qian was a beautiful woman, making her easy to identify.

"Hehe, I didn't look closely just now. I didn't expect you to be so handsome. Since you know me, then don't resist. Submit to me, and I won't kill you. I'll even take you back to Western Mang and raise you properly." Nalan Qian's beautiful eyes flickered as she looked Han Qing up and down, her gaze burning as if she had spotted her prey.

Han Qing remained calm. He had already learned from the memories of the three Western Mang commanders that Nalan Qian was extremely lecherous and kept no fewer than a hundred men of all types in her household.

"Then it seems that the long sword in your hand is the Star Dao's supreme treasure, the Heavenly Mystery Sword!"

Han Qing's gaze sharpened again, landing on the long sword in her hand.

"Hehe, I can't give you this longsword!" Nalan Qian let out a wild and unrestrained laugh.

"The saying goes, 'A fine sword is worn by a hero,' but you, a wanton woman, are not worthy to wield this Heavenly Secret Sword!" Han Qing mocked.

Nalan Qian's face immediately darkened. She hated being called "Madam" the most; if anyone was to call her that, it would be "Sister."

"you wanna die!"

Nalan Qian immediately stopped joking and charged at Han Qing with her sword.

She unleashed a sword strike from a distance, a jet-black light surging from the blade as it flew towards Han Qing.

Han Qing used his lightness skill to run and leap, dodging the sword light and charging towards Nalan Qian.

He understood that the power of the Heavenly Secret Sword lay in its ability to unleash a solid sword light that could ignore protective forces and directly damage the soul.

To parry, you can't use a knife; you have to rely on the true essence of martial arts.

Han Qing did not have much true essence accumulated within him and did not want to waste it on this person.

Nalan Qian's sword light missed again. She frowned, realizing that Han Qing's lightness skill was extremely good. His figure flickered like a ghost, and he was impossible to touch.

One of the major weaknesses of the Heavenly Sword is that its sword light travels at extremely high speed and cannot be divided into thousands of forms. It can only unleash a single, unbroken sword light, which makes it very difficult to hit opponents with exceptional lightness skills.

However, the Heavenly Sword itself is extremely sharp, and it is also very powerful in close combat.

Seeing Han Qing approaching, she suddenly slashed forward with her sword.

Han Qing also drew his sword at the same time. In an instant, the sword shadows multiplied and the sword light split into countless parts, intertwining into a net.

Ding-ding-ding-ding!

Nalan Qian's expression suddenly changed drastically. She found that she was about to lose her grip on the Heavenly Mystery Sword and it flew out of her hand. What was even more terrifying was that Han Qing's blade light was extremely sharp and instantly broke through her sword light blockade, slashing at her body.

"not good!"

Nalan Qian suddenly dodged backward, but she was a step too slow, and several wounds were suddenly slashed on her body, with blood flying everywhere.

One of the wounds was on her face; a cut had been made on the beautiful woman's smooth left cheek.

A surge of overwhelming hatred suddenly erupted in Nalan Qian's eyes. Cutting a gash on her face was an act she found unforgivable.

However, anger and hatred did not cloud her judgment; a deep sense of apprehension also arose in her heart.

"This person's close combat ability is too terrifying. With just one strike, he almost killed me. He is probably not much weaker than Prince Yuan. I cannot fight him in close combat. I must use magic to determine who is better!"

Nalan Qian took flight, and Han Qing followed.

As the distance between the two closed, a look of panic flashed in Nalan Qian's eyes. Suddenly, she took out a pale purple pearl from her bosom and tossed it out.

Click!

Suddenly, a black cloud burst forth from the pearl, crackling with lightning within. Accompanied by a series of rumbling sounds, it shot out and struck Han Qing.

"Thunderstorm Dzi Bead!"

A strange light flashed in Han Qing's eyes; he never imagined he would one day be attacked by such a thing. (End of Chapter)