The First Sage of Military Strategists

Just then, a figure descended from the sky and blocked his path.

The Heavenly King of the Umbrella frowned. He had already concealed his body with a secret technique, so to outsiders, he could only see a ball of golden light. They never expected that someone would still be blocking him.

He looked closely and his face immediately darkened.

"Who do we have here? It's you, Yue Jinbiao, you old dog! Last time you tricked me out of my Eighteen Soul-Stabilizing Golden Bells, I'll definitely grind you to dust!"

With a wave of his hand, the golden light on his body dissipated, revealing his true appearance. His eyes were fixed on Yue Jinbiao as he cursed viciously.

Han Qing silently recited the incantation along the way, constantly sensing and tracking, and naturally ended up here.

When the golden light dissipated, he saw the fierce face of the Heavenly King of the Umbrella. His first reaction was, "What an evil monk! He has nothing to do with a kind face. Instead, he has a face full of scars and looks fierce and menacing. He could make a child cry."

He learned from Yan Qiuling that this person was extremely ruthless, often dismembering the bodies of his victims, and was no kind person.

Then he heard what the Heavenly King of the Umbrella said and thought to himself, just how many powerful people had Yue Jinbiao offended? He was truly hated by everyone.

Although this person was Yue Xiaobiao's master, Han Qing couldn't find a better disguise, so he could only let Yue Jinbiao take the blame. Anyway, having too much debt is not a bad thing.

Han Qing was still pondering when, unexpectedly, the Heavenly King of the Umbrella had already made the first move.

"You old scoundrel, I'll kill you!"

In an instant, a cold wind arose, and strands of Buddhist thoughts converged above his head to form a golden Buddha's palm, which suddenly struck down towards Han Qing.

Han Qing, of course, would not sit idly by and wait for his death; he immediately brandished the Mother-Child Star Sword to fight back.

Eighteen strands of starlight flew out from the mother sword, transforming into eighteen child swords, flashing as they pierced the golden Buddha's palm in the air.

Whoosh whoosh!
The golden Buddha's palm was suddenly pierced by the sword, exploded in mid-air, and turned into streams of light that fell from the sky.

"I heard that this evil monk is a Buddhist monk with profound spiritual power, even more so than a half-saint. But it seems he's nothing special now."

"However, this person's aura is fluctuating, and he is likely seriously injured. This is a golden opportunity!" A large number of thoughts flashed through Han Qing's mind, and he immediately made a judgment.

The next instant, the eighteen swords flashed and stabbed directly at its main body.

The Heavenly King of the Umbrella suddenly clasped his hands together, his fingers changing rapidly, quickly forming a complex hand seal.

This hand gesture is called the meditation mudra; he gently pushes his hands forward.

The seal vanished into thin air, transforming into ripples that spread outwards, causing the Eighteen Sons Sword to slow down drastically.

Then, he flicked his fingers and produced eighteen prayer beads, each one shimmering with golden light, knocking the eighteen swords to the ground one by one.

Han Qing knew that his strength lay in close combat, while his weakness was in magical attacks, so he drew his sword and charged forward.

As he soared forward, wisps of malevolent energy emanated from his body, merging into his form and condensing into a suit of malevolent armor.

The Heavenly King of the Treasure Umbrella drew a dagger from his waist and charged toward Han Qing.

The two clashed head-on, simultaneously drawing their swords and unleashing a flurry of blade light.

Both of them displayed first-class swordsmanship, which was also very exquisite, but their characteristics were completely different.

Han Qing's sword light was even more dazzling, the scene was even more magnificent, and the sword shadows were like a tide, or like a swirling vortex.

The Heavenly King of the Umbrella's sword technique became more solid, heavier, and sharper, like a solid rock.

Two sharp blades collided, and the Heavenly King of the Umbrella's expression suddenly changed drastically.

His knife was caught in the entanglement, the blade's light quickly dissipated, and he lost control of the knife, which flew out of his hand.

He hurriedly retreated, but was still inevitably caught in the blast of the blade, instantly sustaining more than a dozen wounds on his body.

"You're not Yue Jinbiao, are you? You're a menacing, armor-wearing monster! Who are you?"

As he retreated, he questioned her telepathically, his eyes filled with apprehension.

Although Yue Jinbiao's deceptive magic can simulate various spells from other schools, including malevolent energy and malevolent armor, it is fake and can only deceive people; it cannot be used in actual combat.

Furthermore, he had fought Yue Jinbiao many times and knew very well that Yue Jinbiao's weakness was his ability to fight head-on, while his strength lay in self-preservation. This is why he dared to take the initiative to attack even though he knew he was injured and his combat power was not at its peak.

But this slash made him feel a deadly threat.

The blade contained extremely terrifying force and immense power, as well as a vast martial arts essence, which he couldn't withstand for a while.

Han Qing did not respond. After gaining the upper hand, he pressed forward step by step, each strike faster than the last, frantically slashing forward, unleashing a sky full of sword light. The sword shadows swirled like a vortex, once again engulfing him.

As the Heavenly King of the Umbrella parried, he retreated, his anger rising within him.

"If I hadn't been injured, would I be in such a sorry state?"

Suddenly, a flash of cold light appeared, and a bright blade of light swept past, knocking the ring knife out of his hand.

As more gleaming blades approached, the Heavenly King of the Treasure Umbrella had no choice but to suddenly open the golden treasure umbrella in his hand.

In an instant, golden light filled the air, and Han Qing was suddenly frozen in mid-air.

However, the Heavenly King of the Umbrella's vital energy and spiritual power were already severely depleted, making it difficult for him to sustain himself for long.

The entire process, from opening to closing the umbrella, took no more than two breaths.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Heavenly King of the Umbrella increased the distance between himself and Han Qing, and fled at high speed into the distance.

Suddenly, a beam of crimson light descended from the sky and abruptly illuminated his body.

The Heavenly King of the Umbrella immediately noticed that the flow of the surrounding world had slowed down considerably, and everything had become extremely sluggish.

"not good!"

A strong sense of crisis suddenly rose in the heart of the Heavenly King of the Umbrella.

The next instant, a beam of black light shot out from behind him, piercing straight through his body.

Out of the corner of his eye, the Heavenly King of the Umbrella saw a black-armored deity holding a longbow pointing at him from behind.

He raised the precious umbrella high, intending to open it.

But Han Qing was already close enough to sever his right arm with a single stroke, and the precious umbrella fell to the ground along with it.

That wasn't all. Han Qing suddenly activated the Cloud Dragon Banner and the Crimson Thunder Pearl in his palm.

In an instant, the clouds and mist churned, and crimson lightning flashed, instantly enveloping the Heavenly King of the Umbrella. The clouds and lightning amplified each other, and bolts of lightning surged from all directions, directly devouring the Heavenly King of the Umbrella's body.

The protective power of the Heavenly King of the Umbrella quickly dissipated, and his body endured repeated blows of crimson lightning.

The Heavenly King of the Umbrella's injuries worsened rapidly, and he plummeted toward the ground.

"No!"

"I am the Treasure Umbrella Heavenly King of the Great Vajra Temple! Stop immediately!"

Without hesitation, Han Qing unleashed more than ten consecutive slashes forward, the blade instantly cleaving the body of the Heavenly King of the Umbrella into several pieces, blood splattering in all directions.

However, after a cultivator achieves the status of a semi-saint, the divine soul gathered by their spiritual thoughts can exist independently in the world, thus, the divine soul of the Heavenly King of the Umbrella did not immediately dissipate after leaving his body, but continued to flee into the distance.

Han Qing was prepared. He chased after him and threw a punch that shattered the man's soul in mid-air.

The latter transformed into wisps of Dharma thoughts that drifted between heaven and earth, causing a strong wind to blow nearby.

Han Qing thought that the Heavenly King of the Umbrella was completely dead, but unexpectedly, the strands of Dharma thoughts converged again not far away and formed a divine soul again, only it looked much fainter and weaker than before.

Han Qing frowned; he hadn't expected this situation.

So he rushed forward and punched again, shattering the soul of the Heavenly King of the Umbrella once more.

Unexpectedly, after a breath or two, these scattered thoughts of Dharma reassembled into a divine soul.

Han Qing also became interested, so he threw nine punches in a row, shattering the soul of the Heavenly King of the Umbrella nine times in succession.

The tenth time, the magical power still coalesced, but each time it was destroyed, a portion of its power dissipated.

Han Qing then abandoned this approach, as the power of the Heavenly King of the Precious Umbrella's Dharma power was truly beyond imagination.

If it were his own divine soul, it would be destroyed at most twice before it would be unable to reassemble due to the excessive loss of its magical power.

The fact that the Heavenly King of the Treasure Umbrella could condense nine times in a row was not only due to his strong soul, but also because his power of Dharma thought was extremely profound.

He then activated the Illusory Soul-Suppressing Chain to bind the soul of the Heavenly King of the Umbrella.

Then, with another wave of his hand, a wave of air swept up the Zen Meditation Umbrella, the Boundless Stele, and many other magical treasures that had fallen to the ground, and they suddenly soared into the sky, quickly moving away from the scene at an extremely fast speed.

As he flew, he reviewed the battle he had just fought.

"I lack a superior method of flight!" Han Qing pondered.

After becoming a demigod, you will spend more and more time flying in the sky. Lightness skill will still be useful, but you will also need to learn escape techniques.

"I wonder who the most skilled flying techniques in the world are. The only one I know is Yue Jinbiao. I wonder if I'll ever have the chance to learn a flying technique from him!" Han Qing thought to himself.

...

"Why hasn't the young master returned yet?"

In the attic, Zhou Xiaoru paced back and forth, a hint of anxiety in his eyes.

On the contrary, Yan Qiuling remained calm and composed.

"No need to worry. I know Han Qing. He is a cautious and discreet person. He won't force things if they are impossible. Moreover, I know his strength. Although there are many strong people in this ancient city, very few can actually kill him unless he is surrounded."

Before he finished speaking, Han Qing descended from the sky with numerous magical treasures, landing right in front of the two of them.

"This is the natal magic weapon of the Heavenly King of the Umbrella, the Meditation Umbrella!" Yan Qiuling noticed the most conspicuous magic weapon behind Han Qing at first glance.

“Indeed, this is the Zen Meditation Umbrella. I destroyed his body, captured his soul, and also seized his magic weapon.” As Han Qing spoke, the billowing evil mist behind him dispersed in all directions, revealing the Heavenly King of the Umbrella, who was bound by the Illusory Soul Suppressing Chains.

A look of surprise flashed in Zhou Xiaoru's eyes: "I've heard that the Heavenly King of the Treasure Umbrella is a saint of the Incense Realm, how could he have been defeated by a half-saint like you?"

Yan Qiuling was also somewhat surprised. The difference between a saint and a half-saint is only one word, but the gap between them is enormous. Few people can cross this chasm and achieve the feat of killing enemies across borders.

Han Qing had just become a half-saint and immediately became a top expert in this realm, but it was still not very likely that he could kill the Treasure Umbrella Heavenly King.

Killing, rather than defeating, is ten or even a hundred times more difficult than the latter.

Han Qing then briefly recounted the entire process.

Both of them understood the reason: the Heavenly King of the Umbrella had been seriously injured. But even so, Han Qing's combat strength was beyond doubt. An injured saint was still a saint, and ordinary half-saints would find it difficult to kill him.

"However, although I have destroyed the body of the Heavenly King of the Umbrella, his soul is constantly being resurrected, making it difficult to truly destroy him," Han Qing added.

"This is normal. When a cultivator of the Divine Refinement enters the Incense Realm, they can absorb incense to strengthen their divine soul. This means they can transform the thoughts of others into their own, and the number of their spiritual thoughts will become extremely large, far exceeding that of a half-saint."

However, this also has drawbacks. Absorbing too much of the Dharma thoughts from others leads to varying strengths of different Dharma thoughts, resulting in a mixed and impure state. Although the quantity is large, the strength will not increase significantly, and may even decrease. The fact that the Heavenly King of the Treasure Umbrella's soul was so easily destroyed by you, and then reconstituted after nine destructions, is probably because this person absorbed too much of the Dharma thoughts from others without having time to purify them. "Yan Qiuling explained.

"I see," Han Qing said, suddenly understanding.

Yan Qiuling was indeed knowledgeable and experienced; her description was very accurate. The soul of the Heavenly King of the Umbrella did indeed give people the feeling of being large but not strong.

"To completely shatter the soul of a saint, you can only destroy it again and again, or use other methods to wear down its magical power. If nine times is not enough, then do it nine more times!"

Of course, this is the simplest and most direct method, and also the one I least recommend.

The soul of a sage has infinite uses. In the future, when we enter the realm of sages, we can refine their soul, collect their spiritual thoughts, and make them our own.

"Our demon race also has magic arrays that can obliterate their consciousness and transform it into pure magical power!" Yan Qiuling said.

“Miss Yan is right. We should preserve this soul for now. It would be such a waste to destroy it like this. Saints are so rare, and their souls are extremely precious. They should not be destroyed at will,” Zhou Xiaoru said.

"Then let's leave it for now and deal with it after we leave this place!"

As Han Qing spoke, he took out the Boundless Stele from his bosom. The stele was covered with inscriptions that formed an extremely complex pattern.

"The Boundaryless Monument!" Zhou Xiaoru's eyes lit up. "I never imagined that you, young master, could actually retrieve this monument. It's truly remarkable!"

"Thanks to the magic formula you gave me, otherwise this precious treasure would have been taken back to the Great Vajra Temple by the Heavenly King of the Treasure Umbrella!" Han Qing said.

Yan Qiuling, who was standing to the side, saw the stone tablet and her eyes showed a hint of joy, which then turned into deep worry.

"The Boundary Stele should have been in my father's hands, but now it has been taken by the Heavenly King of the Treasure Umbrella. I'm afraid..."

She didn't continue, but the worry in her eyes deepened.

“Miss Yan, don’t worry too much. With the Demon Emperor’s mind, if things are not going well, he will definitely abandon this treasure. So even if this stone tablet is in the hands of the Heavenly King of the Treasure Umbrella, it doesn’t mean that something has happened to him,” Zhou Xiaoru comforted her.

“That’s right, Qiu Ling. Trying to continue searching for the Demon Emperor’s whereabouts now is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Your injuries will soon relapse. I suggest you leave the city immediately. If you stay any longer, you might encounter a powerful enemy and your lives could be in danger,” Han Qing said in a deep voice.

Yan Qiuling nodded slightly. As a powerful figure, she was not indecisive and quickly made a decision.

"You two are right. Let's get out of the city and leave this place first."

Even without my father's presence in the Demon Realm, it's likely fraught with danger. Perhaps we should return to Black Tiger City first, gather some information, and then make a decision!

"it is good!"

"go!"

The three of them didn't linger. They took off and flew rapidly out of the ancient city.

...

same moment.

Temu Yuanzhen led Tu Jingang, Nalan Qian, and Ouyang Tong, three powerful figures from the Western Wilderness, to the battlefield where Han Qing and the Treasure Umbrella King had fought before.

Temu Genjin glanced around and saw a ruin nearby, with scattered body parts and bloodstains on the ground.

He drew his sword, picked up a few drops of blood from a large rock beside him, and examined them closely.

"The Blood of the Martial Saint!"

"The Heavenly King of the Umbrella has been killed!"

Temu Genjin's face darkened.

“The boundary marker must have fallen into the hands of the murderer as well,” Nalan Qian said.

"Damn Xiang Ying! If it weren't for this person blocking my way and wasting so much time, would this situation have occurred? I saw through the Heavenly King of the Umbrella's trick long ago and used the Heavenly Star Soul-Chasing Technique to pinpoint his location." Temu Yuanzhen gritted his teeth, and even he, who was usually calm, couldn't help but curse.

Mentioning Xiang Ying, Tu Jingang and the other two also showed anger in their eyes.

All four of them were in poor condition at the moment, with injuries on their bodies to varying degrees, all because of Xiang Ying and his many Sword Palace experts.

"My lord, please do not be angry. Such a precious treasure is a matter of fate. It is normal not to obtain it," Tu Jingang said in a deep voice.

"Fate? I refuse to believe in it!" Temu Yuanzhen suddenly took out an ancient, yellowish-brown scroll from his bosom.

"Fortunately, I was prepared. This is the Misty Hidden Mountains and Rivers Map, a secret treasure crafted by Wu Dangfeng, a semi-saint painter of the Great Yu Dynasty. It can trace back to events that occurred in a certain place half a day ago and depict them on the map. I'd like to see it."
Who ambushed and killed the Heavenly King of the Umbrella on the way?

As Temujin spoke, he directly opened the scroll and poured a large amount of magical power into it.

In an instant, ink paintings of figures appeared on the scroll. Under Temu Yuanzhen's prompting, these images constantly disappeared and reappeared, demonstrating everything that had happened here in the past half day.

At a certain moment, Temu Yuanzhen stopped activating it, and the scene of the Heavenly King of the Umbrella fighting with Han Qing appeared on it.

Of course, Han Qing did not show his true face; it was Yue Jinbiao who was revealed to the outside world.

"So it was that old thief Yue Jinbiao who killed the Heavenly King of the Treasure Umbrella and stole the Boundless Monument!" Temu Yuanzhen's face darkened.

“Your Highness, there’s something fishy about this. First, Yue Jinbiao usually doesn’t show his true face. Second, he uses a secret military technique, while Yue Jinbiao is a half-saint who has been deceiving people. Third, Yue Jinbiao is good at escaping and disguising himself, but he’s not good at fighting head-on. Could it be that someone is impersonating him?” Ouyang Tong frowned and analyzed seriously.

Even with this small detail, Temu Genjin noticed something was amiss.

As he was frowning in thought, a loud voice drifted from not far away.

"It was indeed this thief who killed the Heavenly King of the Treasure Umbrella and stole the Boundless Stele. I can testify to that!"

Upon hearing the sound, Temu Yuanzhen looked over and saw two figures standing on a pavilion not far away. They were the two heroes of the Qian family, Qian Cangming and Qian Jiuyue.

"Oh? So it's the Qian family head. It's a pleasure to meet you. How did you determine that the man was Yue Jinbiao?" Temu Yuanzhen cupped his hands in greeting.

The Qian family's goods were traded throughout the world, and even in the Western Barbarian Lands, there were many Qian family shops. Therefore, Temujin was extremely polite to Qian Cangming.

Qian Cangming said in a deep voice, "I just fought with Yue Jinbiao. His strength has indeed improved greatly. He can also use the secret techniques of various schools. He is not only a military strategist, but I'm afraid he has made a more significant breakthrough on the path of deception!"

Qian Jiuyue, standing behind him, twitched slightly as he listened to these words.

He felt that he was still too inexperienced compared to his father.

Temu Genjin frowned but didn't reply, pondering the matter carefully.

Qian Cangming then said loudly, "Your Highness, I am just passing by and have casually chimed in. Whether it is true or false, Your Highness can judge for yourself. Farewell!"

The two turned and left, and Temu Genjin's brows relaxed.

"Whether it's true or not, Yue Jinbiao is definitely a prime suspect. Spread the word that this man stole the Boundless Monument. Isn't he good at hiding and disguising himself? Then let's mobilize the entire world to force him out!"

"it is good!"

...

Several days later, the great battle in the ancient city came to an end, and a message spread widely: Yue Jinbiao had killed the Treasure Umbrella King and seized the Boundless Monument.

For a time, all forces and countless powerful figures across the land were searching for Yue Jinbiao's whereabouts.

Two days later, a second great battle broke out in the Demon Capital. The Demon Emperor was nowhere to be found, but the powerful demons suffered heavy casualties.

A massive fire broke out in the city of Yao, burning day and night for seven days and seven nights.

...

Thousands of miles away.

The capital of the Great Yu Dynasty.

In the palace.

Emperor Yu sat on the nine-dragon throne, looking old and frail.

This emperor, who held the power of life and death over countless people, gave no impression of majesty or authority. His life was like a candle flickering in the wind, swaying uncertainly, as if it could be extinguished at any moment.

Emperor Yu was on the verge of death. Although he tried his best to keep the news under wraps, it was still known to many factions, and it was no longer a secret.

A group of eunuchs and maids stood on each side of the main hall, their heads bowed, creating a heavy and oppressive atmosphere.

After Emperor Yu fell seriously ill, his temper became even more volatile, and he would execute servants at the slightest provocation.

At that moment, footsteps sounded at the entrance of the main hall.

Emperor Yu raised his eyes and glanced at the newcomer. He saw that the newcomer wore a purple-gold crown, his body was as upright as a pine tree, and he exuded an extremely cold aura. The newcomer was Han Yi, second only to the emperor and above all others.

"Your Majesty, the war against the demon race has come to an end. The demon capital has been breached, and many of the demon race's top experts have either died or been wounded. Some have fled and their whereabouts are unknown, including the Demon Emperor. The court's experts are currently searching for his whereabouts," Han Yi said calmly.

Emperor Yu said calmly, "I cannot rest easy until the Demon Emperor is dead."

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will find a way to obtain the Demon Emperor's Heart!" Han Yi said in a deep voice.

As he spoke, he stepped forward and presented a document with both hands.

"This is all the important intelligence regarding the War on the Ice Plains. Please review it, Your Majesty!"

A red-robed eunuch stepped forward, picked up the document, and handed it to Emperor Yu.

Emperor Yu carefully examined the book from front to back, his eyes gleaming with a cold light.

"Xiang Ying colluded with demon experts to loot the seven most important treasuries in the demon capital?"

"Indeed, although this young man is arrogant, he is actually brave and resourceful. He colluded with the demon clan experts to plunder the demon capital's treasury and made a huge profit. I'm afraid he had planned this all along. However, Your Majesty need not worry. This young man is returning to Chu from the Ice Plains. There is a long way to go. I will definitely send experts from all sides to ambush and kill him on the way. The treasures in the demon capital's treasury will also be returned to the court." Han Yi said loudly, speaking slowly and calmly, but with a confident air.

Emperor Yu continued to peruse the documents. He remained unmoved by most of the information and left it to his subordinates to handle. However, the ones that he could point out were often things that he considered extremely important.

"The boundary marker has fallen into Yue Jinbiao's hands?"

"Yue Jinbiao is known as one of the top ten masters in the world, but I think his strength is average. He is good at escaping and saving his life. He is just a clown and not worth fearing."

I have already sent people to search for information about this person. His most recent appearance was in the Kingdom of Sayun, where he helped the King of Sayun quell a domestic rebellion and was revered as the King's advisor.

"Just a few days from now, Princess Sayuna of Sayun Kingdom will be visiting the capital. I believe we can contact Yue Jinbiao through Sayuna and, by paying a certain price, surely have a chance to trade the Boundless Stele back from him," Han Yi said loudly.

"Sayun Kingdom..." Emperor Yu murmured, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

"Sayun Kingdom is the first vassal state of Western Mang, and its national strength is formidable! Sayuna came to the capital hoping to rely on our Great Yu to break free from Western Mang's control," Han Yi explained calmly. (End of Chapter)