The First Sage of Military Strategists

A few days ago, Sarina asked someone to contact the leader of the Yin-Yang Sect, sent a generous gift, and asked him to take action. She observed the celestial phenomena at night and cast a divination. Although she was unable to completely pinpoint the target, she saw a silhouette related to the puppet thief.

At that moment, when Yue Jinbiao pointed out that Hong Yi was a saint, a flash of inspiration struck her, and she suddenly realized that the silhouette was highly overlapping with Han Qing's own shadow.

This immediately led her to a clear conclusion: Han Qing was the one who had taken the Eight Directions Puppet.

Han Qing ignored him, turned his gaze to Yue Jinbiao in front of him, and smiled, "Yue Jinbiao, I am very interested in your deceptive magic. I will spare your life today. How about we join forces and do something big?"

Yue Jinbiao also let out a strange dry laugh: "Han Qing, I have long heard of your reputation. Although you are a saint, you are far from enough to make me bow down!"

"Then I'll beat you until you submit!"

Han Qing was too lazy to waste words. He always preferred to take action rather than talk, and he was only arguing with Yue Jinbiao out of respect for Yue Xiaobiao.

A yin-yang seal suddenly flew out from between his eyebrows, transforming into a large gray hand formed by the interweaving and fusion of black and white energies, which slammed fiercely towards Yue Jinbiao.

"Sevenfold Yin-Yang Curse Seal!" Yue Jinbiao's expression changed drastically.

Han Qing's every move was unexpected and greatly shocked him.

"Dragon, Elephant, Giant Spirit!"

Yue Jinbiao dared not be negligent and immediately unleashed his full power, with a large amount of magical energy surging out from his body, instantly condensing into a giant dragon-elephant spirit behind him.

This giant spirit had an elephant's head and a human body, with smooth, white skin. Its body was as majestic as a small mountain, and it also had very obvious dragon features. Its entire body was covered with fine scales, and dragon patterns could be faintly seen.

Han Qing glanced at it and knew that this was an extremely powerful spell from the Great Vajra Temple.

Yue Jinbiao traveled all over the country, swindling and cheating, and secretly learning martial arts from various schools. It's not surprising that he could use the secret techniques of the Great Vajra Temple.

The Yin-Yang curse seal suddenly struck the giant dragon-elephant spirit.

The latter looked imposing, but it was shattered by a single palm strike, turning into a gust of yin wind and disappearing into the world.

The surrounding experts were all shocked. The Dragon Elephant Giant Spirit looked extremely powerful, but they never expected it to be defeated so easily.

Yue Jinbiao also let out a muffled groan as a great deal of magical power within his body dissipated.

"What a brilliant tactic!" Yue Jinbiao thought to himself.

He turned and left, because the Yin-Yang Curse Seal was already striking him again.

However, since the surrounding area was shrouded in a malevolent domain, the escape techniques that had always worked were now ineffective.

The ominous mist surged and suddenly transformed into layers of barriers, blocking his path.

Yue Jinbiao struggled to break through these layers of obstacles, but his speed was ultimately slowed down considerably, and the Yin-Yang Curse Seal was rapidly pursuing him from behind.

In that instant, Sarina chose to lend a helping hand once again.

Among the many experts present, Yue Jinbiao was the strongest, with flexible and versatile methods and an extremely powerful escape technique to protect his life.

If Yue Jinbiao is also killed, then their group will have absolutely no hope of escaping.

So, Sarina exerted all her strength and fiercely waved the Sun and Moon Fan. The massive amount of magical power stored in the temple was rapidly consumed and poured into the Sun and Moon Fan in front of her like a surging wave.

With each wave of her fan, a storm of interwoven gold and silver light would shoot out from the tip.

She waved her hand nine times in one breath, and nine storms rushed towards Han Qing from all directions.

Han Qing frowned and chose to withdraw the Yin-Yang Curse Seal.

The yin and yang energies within this curse seal diminish with each use, and its power also decreases. He didn't want to waste them here, or rather, there was no need to use the yin-yang curse seal against Sarina; conventional methods would suffice.

With a quick thought, Han Qing was suddenly covered with a layer of solid demonic armor. In a flash, he arrived directly in front of Sarina, facing the seven storms of light and shadow.

He suddenly raised his hand and threw a punch, a vast surge of martial intent erupting from his fist, colliding and impacting with the nine storms.
In just a moment, most of the nine storms were dispersed, and the aftershocks turned into golden and silver light, engulfing Han Qing like a tidal wave. However, they were blocked by the demonic armor, and Han Qing was ultimately unharmed.

Seeing this, Sarina's face showed a look of despair.

Han Qing's strength was too great, to an unbelievable degree, leaving Han Qing completely unable to fathom his strength and seeing no hope of victory whatsoever.

Han Qing made another move, flipping his palm to reveal the Mother-Child Star Sword, and suddenly swung the longsword.

Whoosh whoosh!
Eighteen swords teleported above the heads of the group of powerful figures and then simultaneously stabbed downwards.

Several experts stepped forward to defend, but Han Qing's figure flashed as he simultaneously activated Cloud Dragon Leap, Seven Luminaries Star Escape, and Yin-Yang Curse Seal to accelerate himself. In that instant, his movement speed reached an incredible level, making his movements as unpredictable as a ghost.

Xiang Yunru, one of the four masters, suddenly felt a blur before her eyes, and then a huge fist smashed towards her chest.

A vast martial arts intent surged from the fist, instantly filling her entire body, causing her blood to stop flowing and her mental energy to be suppressed, lest it collapse upon leaving her body.

Before Xiang Yunru could even dodge, her fist had already struck his chest.

With a muffled thud, his entire body was blasted apart in mid-air, his soul soaring out and then swallowed by a wisp of dark light, disappearing without a trace.

This punch not only shattered Xiang Yunru's body, but also destroyed the confidence of the group of powerful figures in the arena.

"escape!"

"This person is extremely powerful and cannot be defeated by force!"

"go!"

...

Brush brush!
The remaining few scattered and fled.

"Now that I've come, I'm not leaving empty-handed. Don't leave! Either die or submit to me!"

Han Qing's voice echoed out, and he suddenly opened the Zen Meditation Umbrella.

In that instant, golden light shot out from the umbrella, surging like waves and spreading across the heavens and earth, instantly enveloping everyone around.

Xiang Yuefeng, Yuan Qiushui, and the others were all unable to move.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Yin Spirit Warrior moved swiftly, his figure shifting and changing, throwing a punch at each of the men.

Bang bang bang!
With a series of muffled thuds, several people were punched and coughed up blood.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Han Qing activated the Boundless Monument, and a faint light appeared out of thin air, directly engulfing these people.

However, Yue Jinbiao became the only variable, as he was able to move freely within the golden light emanating from the Zen Meditation Umbrella.

He went to Sarina first, snatched the Sun and Moon Fan from her hand, and then flew into the sky, preparing to escape.

But Han Qing wasn't about to let him have his way. He put away his Zen-like umbrella and gave chase, moving even faster than Yue Jinbiao. Yue Jinbiao's gaze swept over them, and his heart trembled. He knew that without defeating Han Qing, he wouldn't be able to escape.

He suddenly turned around and frantically waved the Sun and Moon Fan at Han Qing.

Once, twice, three times... each swing creates a storm of sun and moon.

In the span of a few breaths, he created thirty-six Sun and Moon Storms in succession, their power terrifying.

Yue Jinbiao is indeed stronger than Sarina.

However, to Han Qing's surprise, this person could immediately use the Sun and Moon Fan without needing to refine it after taking it, which was quite strange.

Many guesses surfaced in his mind, and he vaguely felt that this might be a unique method possessed by those who deceived the Daoist cultivators.

However, now is not the time to investigate this. As the Sun and Moon Storm surged in, Han Qing suddenly swung his sword and unleashed thirty-six consecutive slashes forward. The sword light was continuous, like waves, colliding with the Sun and Moon Storm one after another.

With a series of loud bangs, the thirty-six storms were destroyed one after another, turning into streaks of light and dissipating into the world.

Immediately afterwards, the Yin-Yang Curse Seal reappeared, suddenly descending from the sky and striking down with a palm, directly grabbing Yue Jinbiao in the center. The latter was imprisoned and completely unable to break free.

Out of respect for Yue Xiaobiao, Han Qing ultimately refrained from killing him. He simply waved his hand, snatched the Sun and Moon Fan from Yue Xiaobiao's hand, and then activated the Boundless Stele to store it in his inner space.

...

now.

Inside the interior space.

Sarina, Yuan Qingfeng, Yuan Qiushui, and Xiang Yuefeng all looked solemn, yet somewhat bewildered.

"Where is this place?" Sarina asked, a look of panic in her eyes.

She could feel a force within this space suppressing her body, binding her to the spot and preventing her from moving.

She pondered that if she struggled with all her might, she might be able to break through this constraint, but what would be the point?
Forcibly breaking free would not allow them to escape, and might even anger Han Qing, costing them their lives.

"This should be the inner space of a spatial magic treasure, but I have never seen a magic treasure space that is this large!" Yuan Qingfeng pondered.

"Could it be a boundary markerless structure?" Yuan Qiushui suddenly asked.

"It's the Boundaryless Marker!"

Suddenly, another figure descended from the sky and landed in front of them; it was Yue Jinbiao.

Upon arriving in this world, he immediately recognized that this was the space within the Boundless Monument.

“Besides the Boundless Monument, there is no other magic weapon in the world with such a large space,” Yue Jinbiao said.

When Sarina saw that even Yue Jinbiao had not escaped and had been captured and brought to this place, she was filled with despair.

"I never imagined Han Qing was so powerful, and he even possessed the Boundless Stele, a priceless treasure. Unless my husband suddenly appears, I'm afraid no one can subdue him, and we will all be trapped here forever, unable to escape."

"Give up your illusions, Sarina. So what if Xiang Ying comes? I'll still kill him without hesitation. I came here for him this time, but unfortunately, he was lucky and wasn't at Qiuyue Manor, allowing him to escape!" Han Qing also descended from the sky, looking down at Sarina and the others.

Sarina gritted her teeth and retorted, "Han Qing, don't be so presumptuous! My husband's strength is not something you can contend with!"

"I'm asking you, where did Xiang Ying go? If you cooperate obediently, I won't touch you, and everything will be fine from now on!" Han Qing asked loudly, his hands behind his back.

Sarina gritted her teeth: "If I don't cooperate, are you going to kill me?"

"What is there to be afraid of?"

With a thought, Han Qing activated the Boundless Monument with all his might. A powerful force surged within the inner space, enveloping Sarina from all directions and squeezing her inwards.

Sarina's face immediately contorted in pain, her bones creaking and groaning as they pressed against each other.

Sarina spat out a cloud of blood mist, but Han Qing did not kill her and withdrew the immense pressure surrounding her.

"This is just a warning. Next time, you'll be dead! Although you are a prince of the Sayun Kingdom, in my eyes, power and status are nothing but fleeting clouds," Han Qing said loudly.

Sarina's body trembled slightly, and she ultimately chose to succumb to death.

"Xiang Ying went to Tongzhou and heard that Jing Shou, the leader of the Black Sparrow Alliance, failed to open the Heavenly Gate and his whereabouts are unknown. Now the Black Sparrow Alliance is in chaos and leaderless. Many forces are vying for the position of leader. Xiang Ying wants to get a share of the pie and subdue the experts of the Black Sparrow Alliance."

"I see," Han Qing murmured.

He had also heard about the Black Sparrow Alliance turmoil from Qi Wufeng.

Upon hearing that Xiang Ying had gone to Tongzhou, a thought began to form in his mind.

The Black Sparrow Alliance is one of the six holy lands. If Xiang Ying were to benefit from it, its strength would increase to an unknown extent.

"Go back and inquire with Uncle Qi in detail before making a decision!" Han Qing suppressed his turbulent thoughts and thought to himself.

He swept his gaze over the group of people one by one, and said coldly, "Gentlemen, now that you are in my hands, it is wishful thinking to expect anyone to save you. This is the space inside the Boundless Monument. No one but me can open it. I give you two choices: either die or follow me."

Sarina and the others looked at each other, their faces showing hesitation and struggle.

Han Qing chuckled and said, "It seems you can't make a decision right now. Fine, you can stay here for a while. I believe you will make the right choice. But let me make this clear: anyone who dares to make a move will be immediately eliminated!"

Sarina and the others remained silent, making it indeed difficult for them to make a decision immediately. Waiting a while wouldn't hurt; every minute they could delay was a minute's work.

In the silence, Yue Jinbiao suddenly said, "Han Qing, you think you can force me to submit by threatening my life? I think you've miscalculated. The one trapped here is just an avatar of mine. If he dies, he dies. However, I am a shrewd person. I don't care who I team up with. I only care about interests, not personal relationships. You need to give me a reason to believe you!"

Han Qing laughed and said, "Then I'll let you see someone!"

Suddenly, a faint light flashed, and a figure descended from the sky—it was Yue Xiaobiao.

When Han Qing arrived in the capital, he brought a group of followers with him, including Yue Xiaobiao, who was hiding in the inner space. At this moment, Han Qing activated the Boundless Stele and teleported him directly in front of Yue Xiaobiao.

"Huh? Yue Xiaobiao! What are you doing here?" A look of surprise flashed in Yue Jinbiao's eyes.

“Master! I have been following Young Master Han Qing for a year and a half. Please don’t be stubborn. Young Master has only been practicing martial arts for three years, yet he is already a sage of the Legalist school. No one in the world can compare to him. If you join forces with him, that would be a powerful alliance, and you will surely have a bright future!” Yue Xiaobiao advised.

He had been standing at a distance and heard everyone's conversation clearly. He was silently worried for his master. Based on his understanding of Han Qing, if Yue Jinbiao didn't back down, he would definitely be beaten to a pulp.

Although he knew that his master had secretly learned a top-notch life-saving secret technique from Yuelu Academy in his early years, which could condense a clone, the original body would also suffer a backlash if the clone died.

So as soon as he appeared, he immediately advised his master to bow his head.

"If this old man remains stubborn and refuses to see the light, then there's nothing I can do," Yue Xiaobiao thought to himself.

Yue Jinbiao frowned: "I didn't expect the rumors to be true. To become a saint in three years, you truly are a peerless genius!" (End of this chapter)