The First Sage of Military Strategists

This princess from the grasslands has a truly captivating appearance and temperament.

She already had an extremely hot figure, and possessed a captivating charm that made everyone around her unable to resist.

Xiang Ying's gaze was fixed on the octagonal puppet in front of her.

"The essence of all beasts has been fully absorbed. Now, I await the arrival of the thunderstorm to cleanse this puppet with the power of lightning, allowing it to fuse and transform with the essence of the blood. At that time, I will have another top-tier ally." Xiang Ying toyed with a short sword, a confident smile on his face.

“With the help of the Mohists, my husband will soon be able to take control of the capital and firmly grasp the world in his hands,” Sarina said with a smile. Her bright eyes were fixed on Xiang Ying, and her eyes were filled with tenderness, like a pool of autumn water that seemed to want to devour him.

Xiang Ying glanced at Sarina's voluptuous figure, a lewd glint in his eyes, and then began to grope her body.

Sarina immediately let out a series of seductive sounds, which her many followers were already used to. They became increasingly thirsty and restless.

Just then, a black eagle, like a sharp arrow, suddenly turned and descended from the sky, landing in front of Xiang Ying in an instant with astonishing speed.

Xiang Ying untied the secret letter from the black eagle, opened it, glanced at it, and frowned slightly.

Seeing the change in his expression, Sarina asked with a smile, "Husband, what happened?"

A flame rose from Xiang Ying's palm, burning the secret letter to ashes.

He wore a disdainful expression and said in a deep voice, "Han Qing and Yan Qiuling have become Daoist partners and are suspected to have returned to Shu from the Northern Plains."

A hint of jealousy flashed in his eyes. Yan Qiuling was not only beautiful and elegant, but also extremely powerful.

Sarina, who was beside him, was beautiful, but her strength was average and she had a vulgar air about her. In his eyes, she was no match for Yan Qiuling.

"It's such a pity that such a stunning beauty has fallen into Han Qing's hands. One day I will definitely snatch her away." Xiang Ying's mind was churning with thoughts.

"Husband, what happened?" Sarina asked again.

Xiang Ying snapped out of her daze and looked towards the due north.

"That old bastard Han Yi has actually appeared in my Chu Diyuan City in his true form, declaring that he wants to fight me to the death!"

"Hmm? Husband, that old ghost is very powerful. We can't let our emotions get the better of us and fall into his trap!" Sarina said hurriedly.

“What kind of person is your husband? How could he let him have his way? I will immediately gather all the strong men in Chu and surround and kill him in Shangyuan City.”

"Elder Qin, you and the experts of the Sword Palace wait here for the thunderstorm to arrive. Once the Eight Directions Puppet is fully repaired, take it back to Chu immediately!" Xiang Ying instructed.

"Old slave understands!"

A large-framed old man behind him spoke in a deep voice. His arms were pierced by chains, and there was a sharp longsword at the front of each arm.

This person is named Qin Nu, one of the top masters of the Sword Palace. He takes the sword as his servant and is one with it. From the age of seven to the present, a full 120 years, day and night, the sword is never separated from him. He is one of the most powerful people under Xiang Ying.

“My husband, I’ll go with you!” Sarina said hurriedly.

"go!"

In an instant, the two of them took to the air and soon disappeared into the horizon.

Rumble!
Thunder echoed in her ears. Qin Nu raised her eyes, her gaze sweeping across the sky. On Tianci Peak, dark clouds rolled and arcs of lightning flashed, a sign that a thunderstorm was imminent.

...

"My lord, we are at Tianci Peak just ahead. The thunder is booming and the lightning arcs are gathering. A thunderstorm must be coming soon!"

At the same moment, Han Qing and Yan Qiuling also soared over the Tianyue Plain.

The two landed on a small hill. As far as the eye could see, there were only rubble and broken stones, not a trace of greenery. It was indeed extremely desolate.

As Han Qing listened to Yan Qiuling's words, he also looked ahead. In the distance, a tall mountain peak, Tianci Peak, was like a spear, rising straight up into the sky and was very easy to identify.

"A thunderstorm is coming, we've arrived just in time. I'll use the thunder to cover up the noise of my tribulation!" Han Qing laughed.

"My lord, let's open the Heavenly Gate here, and I will protect you from the side!" Yan Qiuling said softly.

"it is good!"

Han Qing handed the Cloud Dragon Flag to Yan Qiuling, who suddenly soared into the air, creating a distance between herself and Han Qing. She then activated the flag with all her might, and in an instant, clouds and mist rolled in, quickly covering a large area around them.

Han Qing's mind settled down. With the Cloud Dragon Banner providing cover, and with a top expert like Yan Qiuling protecting him, plus the fact that this was the desolate wilderness, uninhabited by humans, there shouldn't be any problem with him passing the tribulation.

So he sat cross-legged on the ground and silently recited the mantra appended to the last chapter of the Zhige Jing (止戈经).

This technique is very simple; it can draw in lightning to form a heavenly gate, and only a semi-saint can perform it.

Han Qing muttered incantations, and a large amount of magical power surged outward, instantly spreading throughout the world and causing wind and thunder to change.

"Thunder comes!"

At one moment, Han Qing let out a low shout, looked up at the sky, and saw thunder surging and converging in the clouds to form a gate, which was the Heavenly Gate!

This door lacked any sense of sacred solemnity; instead, it possessed an eerie and terrifying quality. It was constructed entirely of grayish-white skulls, each head with blood-red eyes and an open mouth, seemingly emitting some kind of silent howl.

Han Qing looked up, his gaze resolute. The moment the Heavenly Gate appeared, a vast and powerful pressure permeated the world.

Previously, when Yan Qiuling was undergoing his tribulation, he had experienced how terrifying this pressure was; it was so powerful that it could crush one's soul and make it impossible to breathe.

But now, his strength has become much greater, and this oppressive aura has become negligible.

Of course, the higher you go, the stronger the pressure becomes, reaching its peak at the Heavenly Gate.

"go!"

With a low shout, Han Qing suddenly soared into the air, rushing towards the Heavenly Gate above with incredible speed and resolute determination.

Yan Qiuling stood at a distance, watching Han Qing's figure, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes.

Although Han Qing had a deep foundation, there have been very few sages throughout history, precisely because opening the Heavenly Gate is too difficult and too dangerous.

Having experienced this firsthand on the northern ice plains, she was all too familiar with the difficulty.

"My husband, will you succeed? You definitely will!" Yan Qiuling murmured.

...

In the sky, Han Qing frowned slightly. The higher he went, the greater the pressure became. At first, he felt a feather on his face. After ascending thousands of feet, it felt like a mountain was pressing down on his shoulders, trying to drag him down from the clouds.

His gaze was fixed on the heavenly gate above, which was growing larger and larger, and getting closer and closer.

Rumble!
Click!

Suddenly, streaks of crimson lightning converged into a bolt of lightning, which shot out from beneath the sky and hurtled straight at Han Qing.

Han Qing had no way to dodge, or rather, under the might of Heaven, the rule was that he could not dodge; he had to endure wave after wave of tribulation lightning before he could see the Heavenly Gate. So, Han Qing suddenly accelerated and resolutely crashed into the crimson lightning serpent.

Crack!

The electric snake collapsed and transformed into streaks of crimson lightning, flowing over Han Qingzhou's body like a net enveloping him.

The lightning was both ravaging his body and penetrating into his body, trying to destroy his spiritual power.

There are no shortcuts at this stage; you can only grit your teeth and persevere.

Crack!

About two breaths later, the lightning dissipated, and Han Qing was unharmed. Although a small portion of his internal magical power had been depleted, the remaining amount was still extremely large.

He felt no fear whatsoever and continued to soar upwards.

As a result, the pressure continued to increase, and lightning surged and converged into electric snakes, bombarding Han Qing wave after wave.

Each wave of lightning increased in destructive power, but by the time the seventh wave of lightning arrived, Yan Qiuling could no longer see Han Qing. He was already close to the Heavenly Gate, and his entire body was submerged in the sea of ​​crimson lightning, making him impossible to spot.

Even with Han Qing's powerful and indestructible physique, he couldn't withstand the crimson lightning sea. Cracks appeared on his body, and blood gushed out.

Han Qing took a deep breath and calmed down.

He finally understood why there have been so few sages throughout history.

Except during periods of great change in humanity, when many semi-saints become saints, the number of saints is extremely small at other times.

Because opening the Heavenly Gate is really too difficult and too dangerous.

He was in excruciating pain all over his body, and his limbs and bones felt like they were filled with lead, making it impossible for him to move. His vital energy and magical power were being consumed at an alarming rate.

Under such extremely difficult conditions, the difficulty of pushing open this heavenly gate in front of him was unimaginable.

"My foundation is so solid, and my combat power is so strong that I can move freely among the semi-saints. Yet, even I am in such danger. For others who want to become saints and overcome this hurdle, it is truly a matter of nine deaths and one life, or even ten thousand deaths and no chance of survival!"

Numerous thoughts swirled in my mind, arising and vanishing in an instant.

Han Qing took a deep breath, and a massive amount of magical power surged from between his eyebrows, instantly converging in front of him to form a giant hand, which suddenly pressed down on the Heavenly Gate.

To open this door, one cannot rely on the physical body, but on the Dharma mind; what is being tested is the realm of the Dharma and the strength of the Dharma mind.

"Open it for me!"

With a loud shout, Han Qing suddenly exerted his power and pushed forward. Although a powerful repulsive force was trying to stop him, he still managed to overcome the resistance and open the door in front of him. Although there was only a crack, it still brought about a tremendous change.

Wisps of bright flame drifted out from the large door, instantly merging into Han Qing's body. They then transformed into a pure and powerful spiritual energy, rapidly ascending into the spirit temple and finally merging into the blurry statue before the nine incense sticks.

In an instant, the statues became much clearer.

"I can still hold on, keep going! Heavenly Gate, open for me!" Han Qing shouted, suddenly exerting his strength to push the magnificent gate back and create an even larger gap.

In an instant, more bright flames drifted out from outside the door and gathered on Han Qing.

During this process, his vital energy and blood were continuously depleted.

Han Qing chose to persevere, because the longer he persisted, the more Dharma power he absorbed, and the more significant his strength would be after entering the Incense Realm.

When Han Qing exerted his strength for the third time, the Heavenly Gate was pushed open once again, this time by a full nine zhang (approximately 33 meters). A massive amount of translucent flames surged out from within, all converging on Han Qing's body.

At this moment, Han Qing could already see the scene behind the door, and even step through the door.

However, he dared not, because there was another door behind the first one. He did not know how far apart they were, but there was an even larger surge of lightning in between, as far as the eye could see, like a vast ocean.

This is the test one must undergo to enter the second realm of incense offerings. He cannot do it yet, and rushing forward could very well lead to certain death!
So Han Qing stood outside the Heavenly Gate, greedily absorbing the incense smoke gushing out from inside. Inside the temple, the statue of the deity gradually became clearer from its blurry state.

At one point, Han Qing could feel that his blood and qi had dropped to less than 30%. He dared not be careless anymore, turned around and flew downwards, falling straight down from the sky to the earth.

The moment his feet touched the ground, he relaxed completely.

The overwhelming pressure on his shoulders had vanished, and the Heavenly Gate, the dark clouds, and the rolling lightning had also disappeared.

Han Qing was both exhausted and excited. He was exhausted because he had to fight against the heavenly lightning, which greatly depleted his qi and blood. He was excited because he could feel that the amount of his magical power had doubled, increasing by eight or nine times compared to before.

"Right now, I have surpassed the Heavenly King of the Treasure Umbrella in terms of the total amount of my Dharma thoughts, and I am far ahead in terms of strength. Every strand of my Dharma thoughts is a pure Dharma thought. If I were to fight the Heavenly King of the Treasure Umbrella again, even if he were at his peak, I would be confident that I could easily win!" Han Qingxin said.

This is the benefit of becoming a saint through opening the Heavenly Gate: you absorb the essence of the Heavenly Dao, the purest essence, at its strongest.

If one becomes a saint through humanistic transformation, what one absorbs is the thought of humanity, a mixed and impure thought, and its intensity will be much lower.

Of course, not every cultivator can increase their total amount of spiritual power ninefold after opening the Heavenly Gate; this requires an extremely deep and solid foundation.

If the foundation is not solid, and the vital energy is consumed rapidly, then one cannot last long.

However, as long as one can open a crack in the Heavenly Gate, that will be considered passing the test, allowing one to become a Saint from a Half-Saint, and comprehend some extremely powerful spells.

Such a person as Han Qing, who could almost completely push open the Heavenly Gate, is rare throughout history.

As he pondered, Yan Qiuling flew over at lightning speed from not far away. Seeing Han Qing push open the Heavenly Gate and land safely, she was overjoyed.

"My husband, congratulations! Another saint has been added to the world. Now your strength completely surpasses mine. Among the top ten masters in the world, only the top three can pose a threat to you."

Han Qing nodded slightly: "What you say is absolutely right, my lady. Looking across the world, there are very few who can kill me now!"

However, we still cannot let our guard down. Han Yi's strength is far too great. The imperial court, ancient families, and even the Western Barbarian Lands and the Holy Desert Empire all harbor countless top-tier experts. We must be extremely careful.

Han Qing was confident, but not arrogant. He knew that the world was too complex, and even becoming a saint did not mean he could act recklessly.

"What my husband says is absolutely right." Yan Qiuling nodded slightly.

"Hmm? Someone's here. They're two powerful figures from the Sword Palace. I'll go and meet them and see how strong they are," Han Qing suddenly said.

His thought had spread for miles in an instant, and he immediately saw two men carrying long swords flying rapidly toward their location.

These two men possessed a sharp and piercing aura, like unsheathed swords; he recognized them at a glance as disciples of the Sword Palace.

"After becoming a saint, my range of perception has also greatly improved, and traveling a thousand miles in a single thought is now a breeze," Han Qing said.

"Husband, where are they? I went and killed those two. You are weak and need to rest now!" Yan Qiuling asked with concern.

"It's alright, I only need to use my magical powers to kill these two," Han Qing said in a deep voice.

He also wanted to see what changes would occur to his Dharma power after he reached the Saint level, and how strong it would become. (End of Chapter)