The First Sage of Military Strategists

Since Emperor Yu was nearly killed by a sword strike from a Black Sparrow Alliance assassin, his physical condition has been deteriorating. He can no longer remember many things from the past, and some things that happened just a few days ago are completely forgotten a few days later.

The Kingdom of Sayun is an example of this.

Therefore, in recent years, Han Yi has handled the vast majority of affairs in the court, and only extremely important matters concerning the fate of the country are left to Emperor Yu for decision.

Han Yi handled all these matters in an orderly manner and was extremely loyal to Emperor Yu. As a result, his status in the court rose steadily, and now he is second only to the emperor, above all others, and no one can shake his position.

Emperor Yu therefore treated the Han and Luo families with great leniency.

For example, Han Zhuang was a tyrannical and domineering man in the capital, oppressing the people. Many people in the court reported this to him, but he turned a blind eye and pretended not to know.

Over time, no one in the court dared to expose or report the Han and Luo families anymore.

"You are in charge of handling this matter. I cannot let go of either the Demon Emperor's Heart or the Boundless Monument!" After saying this, Emperor Yu leaned back slightly in his chair, his eyes half-closed, it was unclear whether he was sleeping or pondering the affairs of the world.

"I resign!"

Han Yi bowed slightly and slowly retreated out of the hall.

...

the other side.

The northern ice fields.

Black Tiger City.

After Han Qing and the other two left the ancient city, Yan Qiuling and Zhou Xiaoru, both of whom were seriously injured, did not return to the Demon Capital, but instead went back to Black Tiger City first.

Immediately afterwards, the battle in the Demon City broke out, and the three of them didn't have time to participate.

Inside the city lord's mansion, in a spacious courtyard.

Han Qing sat cross-legged on a large rock, took out a blue medicine bottle from his bosom, and poured out a yellow-orange pill the size of a jujube.

Under the Dharma's gaze, the pill was surrounded by the shadows of dragons and tigers, which sometimes dissipated and sometimes coalesced.

This is the Dragon-Tiger Pill he snatched from the Heavenly King of the Umbrella; there are four of them in total.

Upon returning to Black Tiger City, Zhou Xiaoru and Yan Qiuling each consumed one pill and immediately began their seclusion, remaining unseen for three consecutive days.

Han Qing heard that the Dragon-Tiger Pill was a precious medicine for healing injuries, and it could also nourish muscles and bones, making them stronger and more resilient, generating the power of the Dragon and Tiger, and making close combat ability even stronger.

He observed the precious pill, its medicinal aroma seeping into his heart and mind, causing his blood and qi to surge uncontrollably. A strong desire arose within him, making him want to swallow the pill whole.

However, he hesitated for a moment and put the Dragon Tiger Pill back into the medicine bottle.

This pill is meant for healing injuries; consuming it now just to strengthen bones and muscles would be a waste.

Just as he was pondering this, he heard footsteps outside the door and Zhou Xiaoru pushed the door open and entered.

Han Qing glanced around, stuffed the small blue medicine bottle containing the Dragon Tiger Pill into his pocket, and stood up to greet him.

"Mr. Zhou's breathing is steady and his complexion is rosy, it seems that his injuries have healed."

Zhou Xiaoru waved his fan, a faint smile on his face, and nodded slightly.

"What you say is absolutely right, young master. Thanks to you for finding the Dragon-Tiger Pill, within three days, not only were my injuries healed, but my physique also underwent a further transformation under the nourishment of the medicine. Now I have dragon tendons and tiger bones, and I possess the strength of a dragon and a tiger. When fighting, I can unleash this internal force to increase the strength of my arms by tens of thousands of pounds. This pill is truly incredible."

“Mr. Zhou is absolutely right. My injuries have healed, and I feel a tremendous force surging through my entire body.” Yan Qiuling then walked into the courtyard from outside the door.

She was still dressed in a red robe, with a cool and aloof demeanor. Only when her gaze fell on Han Qing did a hint of gentleness appear.

"You two have both grown stronger; you truly deserve the Dragon Tiger Pill!" Han Qing said with a smile.

"If a pill ranked seventh in the world is this powerful, I wonder what kind of heaven-defying effects the Heavenly Profound Pill, ranked first in the world, must have?" Zhou Xiaoru suddenly exclaimed.

"Oh? The Dragon Tiger Pill is ranked seventh in the world?" Han Qing raised an eyebrow; he had never heard of this before.

“That’s right, this is a saying circulating within my Yuelu Academy. The number one ranked one is called Tianxuan Pill, but we don’t know what its effects are,” Zhou Xiaoru said.

"I do know a little about this. I've heard that consuming the Heavenly Profound Pill can instantly transform a martial artist into a Hundred Aperture Martial Saint. I wonder if that's true or not," Yan Qiuling chimed in.

Upon hearing this, Han Qing and Zhou Xiaoru exchanged glances, a hint of surprise in their eyes.

"Unbelievable! Does such a pill really exist in this world?" Zhou Xiaoru's words were full of disbelief.

"I don't know. Even if it exists, the difficulty of refining it must be incredibly high." Yan Qiuling shook her head.

"Let's put that aside for now. The most urgent thing is to activate the Boundless Stele, lest things get complicated!" Han Qing said, taking out the Boundless Stele from the house behind him.

To the naked eye, the stele appears unremarkable, but under the discerning eye, various inscriptions float and intertwine on its surface, forming intricate patterns, while white smoke swirls around it, sometimes resembling dragons and tigers, sometimes giant elephants, and sometimes wolves and dogs, ever-changing and extremely mysterious.

"I will teach you another minor spell, Young Master. This spell can only be cast when Young Master's essence and blood are combined with pure magical thought." As Zhou Xiaoru spoke, he reached out and touched Han Qing's brow. A piece of information about this minor spell appeared in the latter's mind.

Han Qing pondered for a moment and found that the spell was not difficult, but the conditions for casting it were extremely demanding. There was no distinction between proficiency and level of mastery. Any half-saint could easily learn it, but he was probably the only one in the world who could truly cast it.

He pondered for a while, and then tried to activate the Boundless Monument.

He first spat out a drop of essence blood, then circulated the Zhige Jing, controlling his pure and focused mind to merge into this mass of essence blood, gradually outlining a palm-sized square inscription in the air. Its entire body was bright red, like several red snakes twisting and dancing.

"go with!"

Then, Han Qing gave a low shout, guiding the crimson inscription, which instantly transformed into a stream of light and disappeared into the stone tablet.

hum!
The stone tablet suddenly trembled, emitting a dark, mysterious light that transformed into a vortex that instantly enveloped almost the entire courtyard.

"It's done!" Zhou Xiaoru couldn't contain his excitement and couldn't help but shout out, feeling a sense of relief.

Yan Qiuling, standing to the side, also had a look of anticipation in her eyes. She looked up at the swirling vortex of light above, where she could vaguely see a city appearing and disappearing within it, as if she were standing above a lake, watching the city's reflection in the water, with only a thin film of water separating them.

"It cannot be activated yet!" Han Qing could sense that the Boundless Monument contained a vast amount of magical power, far exceeding any magical treasure he had previously possessed.

The more profound the Dharma thought, the higher the quality of the Dharma treasure.

Han Qing must first refine this treasure before he can enter its inner space.

So he sat cross-legged on the ground, and a stream of spiritual energy entered into it, intertwining and merging with the vast spiritual energy remaining in the stele.

Yan Qiuling and the other waited patiently to the side, occasionally communicating with each other through telepathy, afraid of disturbing Han Qing.

Time flies by, and a day is gone in the blink of an eye.

The next day at noon, Han Qing opened his eyes and slowly exhaled a breath of fresh air.

"The refining process is not yet complete, but we can already activate this magic weapon to open and close the entrance and exit of the inner space. Let's go in and take a look."

As Han Qing spoke, he suddenly soared into the air, holding the stele, and disappeared into the vortex of dark light above.

To prevent outsiders from spying on everything here, he had already activated the Yuanling Treasure Pearl to separate the surrounding space.

The moment Han Qing passed through the film of water formed by the eerie light, he felt as if a cold wind had swept over him, chilling him to the bone from head to toe.

The next instant, he appeared above a magnificent ancient city.

The city was entirely constructed of black, ice-crystal-like stone, with a neat layout. Streets crisscrossed, dividing the city into districts, giving it an aura of solemnity.

Han Qing hovered high in the sky, looking down over the city, but he did not find any living people.

Then, Yan Qiuling and Zhou Xiaoru appeared behind him, also looking down at the city, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes.

Although they had heard many rumors that there was a vast space inside the Boundless Monument, they never expected it to be as big as a city.

Han Qing carefully estimated that it was about half the size of Black Tiger City, enough to accommodate hundreds of thousands of people, which was already incredible.

"As expected of an ancient treasure renowned throughout the world and coveted by top experts from all sides, it is truly unbelievable."

"Let's go down and take a look!"

Han Qing flew downwards, but did not land. Instead, he hovered about ten feet above the ground, quickly circling the entire city from east to west. After confirming that there was nothing unusual, the three of them finally landed on the largest courtyard square in the city center.

His magical powers swept across the surrounding area, and he discovered no fewer than twelve treasuries.

Zhou Xiaoru explained from the side, "Young master, this contains the treasures that the lady left for you, and it is also part of the treasures in the Yuelu Academy's treasury."

Han Qing nodded slightly: "Let's go see what they have."

As he spoke, he stepped into the first storeroom on the left, pushed open the door, and a very strong medicinal fragrance wafted out.

His gaze swept across the room and saw that there were no fewer than ten thousand bottles of pills, with all sorts of effects, ranging from healing injuries to strengthening bones to enhancing one's magical power.

Moreover, each of these medicines is extremely valuable, considered top-grade or even the finest. Without connections, no amount of gold or silver could buy them.

Then he walked around the square, opening one treasury after another.

The second treasury contained no fewer than 100,000 cold-forged steel knives.

The third treasury contains no fewer than ten thousand martial arts manuals, including those on lightness skills, training methods, and combat techniques.

The fourth treasury was filled with a large amount of gold and silver treasures. As soon as you pushed open the door, all you could see was a dazzling expanse of gold.

...

After visiting all twelve treasuries, even the usually composed Han Qing couldn't help but let out a sigh.

The treasury contained far too many treasures. The total value of all kinds of gold and silver treasures was beyond his estimation. It was not just a million taels, but at least tens of millions of taels, making him an extremely wealthy man.

"Yuelu Academy truly lives up to its reputation as the premier martial arts holy land of the former Great Yu Dynasty. The resources contained in the Boundless Stele alone are equivalent to the entire accumulated wealth of an ordinary second-rate family, and this is only a small part of it. I can't even imagine how much treasure the entire Yuelu Academy possesses. No wonder the Emperor of Yu is so wary of it!" Yan Qiuling couldn't help but exclaim from the side.

“Yes! Confucianism is the school that has produced the most sages among all the major schools of thought, and it also has the longest history of inheritance. It is the most powerful and not only the number one martial arts holy land in Dayu, but also the number one martial arts holy land in the world. This is what they call a tall tree attracting the wind.” Zhou Xiaoru sighed, his eyes full of sadness and reminiscence.

Han Qing could sense Zhou Xiaoru's deep affection for the Yuelu Academy from his expression.

He looked at the rows of treasuries around him and sighed inwardly.

The demise of Yuelu Academy was, in a sense, inevitable.

"Let's go out first. Maintaining the Boundless Monument requires a lot of magical power!" Han Qing said.

In just a short while, Han Qing felt that more than 20% of the spiritual energy in his body had been depleted.

He estimated that he could only maintain the operation for a maximum of one hour. Not to mention using other functions, such as storing people and items, or activating the Boundless Monument for flight.

"Okay, we'll go out first!"

With a thought, a faint light appeared before Han Qing, forming a vortex.

All three stepped forward and entered the vortex.

In an instant, the three of them returned to the courtyard of the Black Tiger City Lord's Mansion.

Han Qing stroked the boundary marker, recalling the scene just now, and couldn't help but sigh.

"As expected of an unparalleled treasure passed down from ancient times, having this item will make traveling the world extremely convenient."

The Boundless Monument has many functions. Han Qing has only refined and integrated a portion of its magical essence so far. As the integration deepens, these functions will gradually be unlocked.

For example, its size and shape can be changed at will. What is now a simple stone tablet the size of a palm can be transformed into a ring or other items at will in the future, without being known to outsiders.

He can open it at any time when needed to store nearby items or take out items from the inner space.

He then tried activating the Boundless Monument and tested the function.

A faint light flickered, and a grayish-white martial arts manual of unknown material appeared in his palm, bearing several powerful characters: Undying Yin Spirit Technique.

He had just been wandering around the treasury, where one section contained a large number of martial arts manuals. The one most valuable to him was this one, a military strategy technique that could only be used by someone who had cultivated the "Stop War Scripture" and concentrated pure magical intent.

He guessed that this was something Su Jin had prepared specifically for herself.

Its main function is to sacrifice other Yin soldiers to help one of them achieve a qualitative improvement in strength, thus promoting him from a Yin soldier to a Yin spirit warrior.

He didn't know how strong this Yin Spirit Warrior was, but he thought to himself that once he learned it, he would find someone to test it on.

Just then, another set of footsteps came from outside, and it was a demon soldier wearing armor.

"Come in!" Yan Qiuling responded when she heard the knock.

Han Qing put the medicine bottle containing the Dragon Tiger Pill into the stele.

As the master of the monument, he had a thorough understanding of the inner space and could store any item brought in from the outside in any designated location within it.

Then, he put the Boundless Monument into his sleeve and removed the barrier formed by the Yuanling Treasure Pearl. Only then was the soldier able to step into the courtyard, kneel on one knee in front of Yan Qiuling, and present a secret letter with both hands.

"Lord Yan, this is a secret letter that the City Lord asked me to deliver to you. It's an urgent report from the Demon Capital!"

Yan Qiuling had been in seclusion for the past few days, and her injuries had just healed today. She was too busy to participate in important events outside, but she was still concerned about the Demon Emperor and the powerful figures in the Demon Capital.

She took the secret letter from the soldier, opened it, and quickly flipped through it, exuding a chilling murderous aura.

Han Qing took the secret letter from him and quickly flipped through it, already understanding what was going on.

The letter is divided into two parts, and it talks about two things.

The first thing was that the Demon Capital was besieged by a coalition of powerful forces, resulting in heavy casualties among the demon race's strongmen and the complete looting of the treasury.

The second thing is that rumors are circulating that the Boundless Monument has fallen into Yue Jinbiao's hands, and all the major forces are searching for his whereabouts.

Upon seeing the first message, Yan Qiuling's heart was naturally filled with murderous intent.

Then Han Qing gave the secret letter to Zhou Xiaoru, who also read it and sighed.

"Miss Yan, what are you planning to do? Are you going to fight your way back to the Demon Capital, or leave the Northern Lands?" he asked.

Yan Qiuling didn't rush to answer. Usually free-spirited and decisive, she was now incredibly hesitant to make a decision.

Han Qing knew the saying that those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly. So he advised, "Qiu Ling, the Demon Capital must be extremely dangerous right now. Countless powerful figures are lying in wait, just waiting for the demon experts to return. In my opinion, we should not return to the Demon Capital now, but should find the Demon Emperor first."

Yan Qiuling nodded slightly upon hearing this: "I have a way to find my father's whereabouts. As long as nothing happens to him, you are right, we cannot go back to Yaodu now."

“I’ll go with you,” Han Qing said.

He knew in his heart that the wisest choice now was to leave this ice field as soon as possible.

But how could he let Yan Qiuling face a life-or-death crisis alone? Putting aside their relationship as Daoist partners, Yan Qiuling had provided him with a lot of help before, and he absolutely could not sit idly by.

Yan Qiuling was also moved. At this moment, countless people on the icy plains were chasing the Demon Emperor, and Han Qing was willing to go with her. She wondered how much risk he was taking.

However, although she was a woman, her personality leaned towards that of a man. Although she was moved, she did not say it aloud, and everything was understood without words.

Han Qing turned his gaze to Zhou Xiaoru and cupped his hands slightly: "Mr. Zhou, you are truly the most loyal person I have ever met. For a promise, you have held fast for so many years, waiting for me to arrive and complete the task my mother gave you. If it were anyone else, I'm afraid they would have given up long ago."

Now you are free. You can leave at any time. If you encounter any life-or-death crisis in the future, I will definitely do everything in my power to help you!

Zhou Xiaoru hurriedly said, "After spending these past few days together, I have observed that you are a man of great loyalty and righteousness, just like your wife back then."

Over the years, the image of the destruction of Yuelu Academy has always echoed in my mind, and I have always felt resentful about it, but I am too weak and have no hope of taking revenge.

However, I now see hope in you, young master. Your talent is unparalleled, and now that you have acquired such a vast treasure, you will surely have the opportunity to overthrow the world and avenge my wife! Therefore, I have made up my mind to follow you to the death!

"Revenge?" Han Qing could sense Zhou Xiaoru's resentment towards the imperial court. "Since Mr. Zhou has chosen to believe in me, I will certainly do my utmost to not disappoint you!"

The matter of revenge, which involves overthrowing the court and transforming the country, is not yet hopeless.

He could sense that the hearts of the people were unsettled, which was a sign of great chaos, or rather, the great chaos had already begun.

“I will also go with you to find the Demon Emperor!” Zhou Xiaoru added.

Yan Qiuling then made some arrangements for the aftermath, and then led Han Qing and the other person westward at top speed.

Although Han Qing did not know how to determine the location of the Demon Emperor, he believed that Yan Qiuling should have a practical method.

...

a few days later.

Above the ice field, under the vast sky and earth, the wilderness stretches to the horizon.

A procession of tens of thousands of people walked along it, with martial artists driving black-scaled horses to pull carriages that were loaded with all kinds of goods.

Xiang Ying rode along in the procession, followed by many experts, including many powerful demons.

He turned around, glanced at the rows of carriages, and a look of excitement appeared on his face.

"Although many powerful forces participated in this great battle in the Demon Capital, I, the king, have gained the most! I looted the seven great treasuries and gained dozens of powerful individuals. Haha, my power will once again experience an astonishing boost!"

As Xiang Ying spoke, she burst into loud laughter, laughing wildly and unrestrainedly.

A large group of people behind him were flattering him.

"The Overlord was farsighted and made plans several years in advance, so it is only natural that he won such a great victory."

"Indeed, this war was initiated by the Great Yu Dynasty, but the King is the biggest winner!"

"We are willing to follow you to the death, sir!"

Some powerful demons are also seizing the opportunity to pledge their loyalty.

Xiang Ying glanced at the several powerful demons beside him, a playful smile on his face.

"Choosing to follow me is the best decision you've ever made."

"The Emperor Yu tried every means to kill me, but he never expected that I would not only survive, but also grow stronger and more powerful. One day, I will definitely cut off his head and take control of the country."

As Xiang Ying spoke, a wild aura naturally emanated from him.

"What the Overlord says is absolutely right!" The powerful demons echoed in agreement.

The demon race is now weak and has been hiding in the icy plains, barely surviving. But they can no longer hide. Apart from a few powerful demons who were killed for resisting to the end, the others have all surrendered to various forces. They chose to surrender to Xiang Ying, and from now on, they can only go down a dark path.

Just then, Xiang Ying's face suddenly darkened, and the people around him, not knowing what had happened, immediately fell silent.

Xiang Ying moved her right wrist around and felt a faint pain inside.

His hand bones were shattered. Although he had almost fully recovered in the past few days, his bones had not yet fully healed, and he still felt pain when he moved around. This naturally made Han Qing's image appear in his mind.

"Don't let me find out your identity, or I will grind you to dust!"

Xiang Ying whispered. He had never suffered any loss at the hands of anyone since he was born, and given his vengeful nature, he was determined to find a way to get revenge.

However, besides revenge, he had other thoughts in mind.

If Han Qing is willing to submit, he can let him go.

"All the strong in the world can be used by me. As long as they are strong enough and willing to bow down, what does losing an arm matter?" Xiang Ying thought to himself.

Although he was arrogant, he knew when to advance and when to retreat, and he was able to tolerate those who were useful to him. This was the reason why he was able to become the leader of the rebel army in Chu and why he was served by many powerful people.

Just as he was pondering this, a loud cry came from above, and a black eagle, about half a person's height, descended from the sky and landed on Xiang Ying's arm. Its feathers were shiny black all over, and its eyes shone with a human-like light.

This feathered eagle is the external body of a powerful cultivator of the Divine Realm.

The moment it landed on Xiang Ying's arm, a surge of magical energy entered his brow, and a message immediately appeared in Xiang Ying's mind—the latest intelligence about the Northern Demon Emperor.

"Feather Dragon City!"

Xiang Ying whispered, recalling the map of the entire ice plain in her mind. Feather Dragon City was located at the westernmost edge of the ice plain, and was a rather inconspicuous border town among the many cities of the demon race.

"Lord Yuan!"

"What are your orders, Your Majesty?"

An elderly man with white eyebrows, carrying two swords on his back, rode up to Xiang Ying's side. His eyebrows were very distinctive, as long as an adult's arm, hanging down from his brows and fluttering in the cold wind.

This person is named Yuan Baigong, one of the three most powerful Supreme Elders of the Sword Palace.

"Lord Yuan, this journey is fraught with danger. The Great Yu court will certainly not allow me to safely bring this large amount of treasure back to Chu. Therefore, I must be in charge of this team."

I just received word that the Demon Emperor is currently hiding in Feather Dragon City. Take your men there immediately, meet him, and tell him that if he wants to live, he must come and surrender to me. Use whatever means necessary to persuade him to surrender. If he refuses, you may decide for yourself whether to spare his life or kill him! (End of Chapter)