The First Sage of Military Strategists

Two palms collided in mid-air, and with a loud bang, they exploded almost simultaneously.

One part transformed into countless starlight, fluttering down; the other part scattered into wisps of crimson fire, drifting and falling to the ground.

The moment the two clashed, Han Qing summoned the Fiend Domain, condensed the Fiend Armor, and soared into the air, rushing towards Xingmou.

The latter dodged backward, and beams of starlight descended from the sky, falling upon her, causing her aura to surge dramatically.

However, her flying technique seemed inferior to Han Qing's, and the distance between the two closed rapidly.

Xingmou frowned, and seeing Han Qing chasing after her, she turned around and struck him with a palm.

Han Qing retaliated with a punch. The fist and palm collided, and a muffled sound echoed between heaven and earth.

Xingmou was thrown back by the shock, a look of surprise flashing in her eyes.

In the instant fists and palms collide, the first thing that happens is the clash of martial arts essence.

Her martial arts essence was almost completely shattered, followed by a clash of strength and fist power, and she was no match for him in any way.

He felt an immense force surge into his body, causing his entire right arm to lose all feeling and the bones inside to shatter. He didn't know how long it would take to heal.

Xingmou immediately realized that she was no match for Han Qing in close combat.

Then, with a thought, she saw the stars converge and transform into a divine statue before her.

The statue was a centaur, wielding a battle axe, with pale blue flames surging around its body, and it suddenly charged towards Han Qing.

The statues clashed, but Han Qing was fearless. He immediately conjured a black-armored statue and fired an arrow from a distance.

Unexpectedly, the statue of Star Eyes was even more powerful than imagined, wielding a large axe to block the arrow, although its light appeared to dim slightly.

So Han Qing manipulated the statue to fire thirteen arrows in succession, although the Star-Eyed Statue kept blocking them.

But each time it blocked an arrow, its light dimmed a little.

With the thirteenth arrow, the statue finally succumbed and shattered in mid-air.

Xingmou's expression turned solemn; Han Qing's strength was even greater than she had anticipated.

At this moment, Yan Qiuling and Zhou Xiaoru also made their moves.

First was Yan Qiuling. With a wave of her hand, a thundercloud appeared above Xingmou's head, and a bolt of silver lightning struck down at great speed, heading straight for Xingmou.

Next was Zhou Xiaoru, from whose body flew out one after another golden, perfectly round runes, which suddenly intertwined in the air to form a scripture. Then, this scripture drew upon the power of heaven and earth, and a giant golden sword flew out from it, piercing straight towards Yan Qiuling.

In that instant, Xingmou was in danger. Before coming to Fengyang City, she already knew that Han Qing had a master like Yan Qiuling by his side.

However, she felt that although Han Qing was a half-saint, he had just broken through and had no accumulation or foundation, so how much of a threat could he pose?
The only real opponent is Yan Qiuling. Although she is not ranked among the top ten masters in the world, don't forget that the top ten masters in the world are actually determined by the Grand Master of Fate of the Yin-Yang Sect. Therefore, she knows the combat strength of each person, including Yan Qiuling.

She asked herself if she could overpower or even kill Yan Qiuling in a one-on-one fight.

At this moment, she realized that she was completely wrong.

First, she underestimated Han Qing's strength, which posed a greater threat to her than Yan Qiuling.

Secondly, she didn't expect that Han Qing had a top expert following him, namely Zhou Xiaoru.

Although Zhou Xiaoru did not make many moves and was very respectful to Han Qing, his strength was unfathomable.

It should be noted that he had fought fiercely with a top expert like Xiang Ying for a long time. Although he was defeated in the end, he was still honorable in defeat. Among the semi-saints, his combat strength was not top-notch, but he could be considered a strongman of his own.

With these three parties joining forces, Xingmou sensed a strong life-or-death crisis.

Her ability to avoid misfortune and seek good fortune makes her extremely sensitive to all dangers.

"If these three hold me back, I will die!"

"However, I can't leave now even if I want to. Han Qing has an extremely powerful flying technique. His flying speed is too fast, and I will be caught up with soon!"

Many thoughts flashed through her mind, but her hands moved quickly.

The next instant, a Yin-Yang curse seal suddenly flew out from her body.

This incantation is drawn with black and white lines, extremely intricate, and shimmers with seven-colored light.

The moment they appeared, both the golden longsword and the silver lightning that flew down from the sky suddenly slowed down, as if they had fallen into a quagmire.

"Yin Yang Seal!"

"It is said that the Yin-Yang Curse Seal is the number one divine soul technique in the world. It can not only freeze a space-time area and absorb the Yin and Yang energies in other people's bodies, but also directly attack and kill them." Zhou Xiaoru said solemnly.

"Han Qing, be careful!" Yan Qiuling hurriedly reminded him.

The two were far apart and were not immediately affected by the Yin-Yang Curse Seal, but Han Qing intended to fight in close combat, so he was enveloped by the seven-colored light in an instant.

In that instant, Han Qing felt as if the space around him was frozen by frost, and his body was completely unable to move.

Moreover, he could feel his blood energy rapidly draining away, and wisps of black and white energy were escaping from his body and converging into the Yin-Yang seal above.

These black and white energies are the yin and yang energies. Other schools of spiritual practitioners cannot perceive their existence; only those who practice the yin-yang path can perceive, control, and utilize them.

During the process of these two types of energy being drawn away, the blood, qi, and spirit will rapidly decline.

Seeing this, Xingmou revealed a disdainful smile.

"Han Qing, the Yin-Yang Curse Seal is more powerful than you can imagine. In just a few breaths, the Yin and Yang energies in your body will be completely drained, and you will turn into a dried-up corpse."

Those illuminated by the seven-colored mystical light emanating from the Yin-Yang Curse Seal cannot escape unless they possess extremely great strength; even at the semi-saint level, no one has ever managed to do so.

"Make a move! We must save the young master!" Zhou Xiaoru's expression was solemn. Suddenly, golden characters flew out from his body and arranged into scriptures in the air, preparing to unleash a new spell.

Yan Qiuling was in the same situation. Above, thunderclouds rolled, accompanied by a loud bang. The clouds churned, and streaks of silver lightning fell from them, converging and condensing into a silver snake that crashed straight into the Yin-Yang curse seal in the air.

The scripture above Zhou Xiaoru's head suddenly vanished, drawing upon the power of heaven and earth, transforming into a cold wave that also impacted the Yin-Yang Incantation Seal.

When the lightning and cold air rushed into the area covered by the Yin-Yang Curse Seal, they were frozen again, and their speed was greatly reduced.

However, the sealing power of the Yin-Yang Curse Seal is ultimately limited, and at this moment, the domain was suddenly disturbed. Han Qing seized this fleeting opportunity, abruptly breaking free, but instead of retreating, he advanced.

A crimson mirror suddenly appeared above his head, from which crimson light shot out and shone on Xingmou, disturbing his five senses.

She was about to dodge, but Han Qing had already charged in front of her, suddenly swinging his blade. The blade flashed like a tide, engulfing her completely.

Wounds appeared on the latter's body, and blood splattered from them, falling into the sky.

Xingmou let out a scream, her aura plummeted, and with a thought, the Yin-Yang Curse Seal suddenly transformed into a thick gray finger, pointing at Han Qing from afar.

However, Han Qing was even faster. The instant his finger flew over, he threw a punch that struck Xingmou's chest. Xingmou was immediately sent flying, the force of the punch causing countless bones to shatter inside his body.

The next instant, she was bound by the flying illusory and real soul-suppressing chains, her entire soul and body were suppressed, and she was completely unable to move.

Immediately afterward, Han Qing flew forward and grabbed her body. She had already fainted, and a ray of mysterious light engulfed her, directly taking her into the Boundless Monument.

The gray finger that flew in also stopped in mid-air, then transformed back into a yin-yang seal, hovering in the air.

Although the Yin-Yang Curse Seal is a type of magic, its special feature is that it can exist for a long time even when it is separated from its master, and it also has the characteristics of a magic weapon. This is why the strong members of the Yin-Yang Sect can pass it down from generation to generation.

However, this "magic weapon" cannot be refined by everyone; only those who have mastered the secret technique of Yin-Yang Incantation Seal can do so.

Han Qing waved his hand, activating the Boundless Stele. A ray of mysterious light appeared, directly taking the Yin-Yang Curse Seal into it.

A hint of excitement flashed in his eyes. Whether it was killing Shao Siming and seizing her Yin-Yang Curse Proficiency with the help of the Seven Killings Stele, or absorbing the soul light points of others and converting the proficiency to perfect the Yin-Yang Curse fragments he already possessed, he could quickly learn this supreme divine soul secret technique.

Originally, he didn't have high hopes for this secret technique.

Because strength is strength, and to condense it, a large amount of Yin and Yang energies are needed. To obtain Yin and Yang energies, one needs to search for young men and women throughout the world and plunder them.

Any boy or girl whose yin and yang energies are taken away will die quickly.

Han Qing certainly desired great power, but he had a conscience and a bottom line as a human being, and he would never gain great power by slaughtering ordinary people.

However, the fact that Shao Siming had fallen into his hands gave him hope.

"Once I master this secret technique, I can seize the Yin-Yang curse seal of Shao Siming's Star Eye and use it for my own purposes. In this way, my combat power will definitely increase dramatically," Han Qingxin thought.

He had already experienced firsthand the power of the Yin-Yang Curse Seal.

Xingmou's combat strength was not among the top of the half-saints, but because of this item, she almost killed herself when fighting three against one. The power of this Yin-Yang Curse Seal is truly unbelievable.

"In terms of my own strength alone, I am already among the top half-saints. If I were to acquire the Yin-Yang Curse Seal, I wonder how powerful I would become. Perhaps I would even have a chance to defeat a saint!" Han Qing pondered.

The Heavenly King of the Treasure Umbrella is a saint of the Incense Realm, belonging to the lowest level of combat power among saints.

Even when the enemy was severely injured, Han Qing still spent a great deal of effort to kill him. His soul was shattered multiple times, yet it never dissipated. This shows that the combat power of a saint must be incredibly strong.

If the incense offering realm is this powerful, what about the higher realms?
Han Qing was confident but not arrogant. He knew his own strength and weakness, and unless absolutely necessary, he could not easily fight against a sage.

"The three realms of incense offerings, the three realms of golden body, and the three realms of rainbow transformation—these are the nine realms of a sage. I wonder what realm the Mohist master, the number one person in the world, belongs to," Han Qing wondered.

Just then, he raised his eyes and squinted towards the east, where there was a dense forest.

"Since you're here, come out! If you keep hiding and spying, don't blame me for being ruthless!" Han Qing said loudly.

He was kind and benevolent to the common people, but he would not treat those with ill intentions.

Yan Qiuling and Zhou Xiaoru didn't notice anything unusual. They both looked in the direction Han Qing had called out, but all they saw was a peaceful grove of trees.

The next moment, a flock of birds suddenly took flight in the forest, and a figure followed closely behind them, soaring into the sky.

"As expected of a military genius who has perfected the art of stopping war, his sense of hostility is indeed keen."

A masked young man with dark, deep eyes suddenly leaped up from the forest, his hands behind his back, hovering in the air. His gaze swept over Han Qing and the other two, finally settling on Han Qing.

He was Lin Motong. He had just watched the entire battle from the forest and saw Han Qing severely injure Shao Siming and take away her Yin-Yang Curse Seal. He couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

This jealousy stemmed from two sources: firstly, Han Qing's terrifying martial arts talent.

As the next generation leader of the Mohist school, he didn't have Han Qing's combat strength at Han Qing's age, which made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

It should be noted that in the past, every generation of the Mohist leader had been proud of being the most talented martial artist of their time. However, in his generation, someone had emerged who could surpass him, which stirred up quite a bit of emotion within him.

Secondly, he was also very interested in the Yin-Yang Curse Seal, a secret technique. When he saw that Han Qing had taken away the seven-fold curse seal that Shao Siming had already formed, he felt that Han Qing was too lucky.

If Han Qing could force Xing Mou to reveal this secret technique, master it to a minor level, and then kill Xing Mou to seize her curse seal, it would be equivalent to taking away the Yin Yang Sect's hard work accumulated over decades or even centuries.

Even at the seventh level, it would take an unknown amount of time and effort to condense this curse seal, and countless young men and women would die as a result.

However, it was this fleeting moment of emotional fluctuation that caused him to subtly reveal a hint of hostility, which Han Qing seized upon and pinpointed.

Han Qing sized up the young man and noticed that one of his arms was made of black jade crystal, yet it was incredibly flexible. He immediately made a judgment in his mind.

"Are you from Tiangongfang? What brings you here?" Han Qing asked indifferently.

He didn't have much affection for this young man; the other man had just shown hostility, which at least indicated that he wasn't a friend.

However, this hostility was weak and quickly dissipated. He was not a bloodthirsty person and would not take his life for it.

Moreover, the other party comes from the Tiangong Workshop and has a very powerful background. He doesn't want to provoke such a powerful enemy unless absolutely necessary.

The Mohist school is widely recognized as the strongest of all the schools of thought in the world at that time.

Yan Qiuling, standing to the side, immediately recognized the young man's identity and whispered, "Han Qing, this person is Lin Motong, the next generation leader of the Mo family. Don't underestimate him."

Han Qing nodded slightly. He had heard that the Heavenly Craft Workshop was full of powerful people, and those who could join were all exceptionally talented. Lin Motong's selection as the next generation of giants was enough to show that he was excellent in combat power, talent, and temperament.

Lin Motong, with his keen senses, also heard what Yan Qiuling had just said. He glanced at her and said calmly, "She is right. I am indeed the next generation leader of the Mo family. I am here today on the orders of the leader to save you from dying at Xingmou's hands. However, it seems that your strength is much greater than expected. I did not expect that Xingmou would be captured alive even with the seven Yin-Yang Curse Seals."

"I have never met your Mohist leader before, so why would he send you to rescue me?" Han Qing asked.

"After the battle on the Ice Plains, the Grand Master believes your martial arts talent, if not the best in the world, is certainly among the top three. My Heavenly Craft Workshop has always admired geniuses like you. Why not consider joining us?" Lin Motong said, his posture upright, his clothes fluttering in the wind. (End of Chapter)