The First Sage of Military Strategists

"With you here, I feel quite at ease. You may all leave; I am tired!" Han Yi waved his hand, and everyone withdrew from the hall.

...

a few days later.

Outside the capital, on a flat official road, Han Qing rode forward on horseback, with Yan Qiuling and Zhou Xiaoru following beside him, and Yue Jinbiao also riding a fast horse.

During this period, Han Qing had made all the necessary preparations and his strength had greatly increased.

His Yin-Yang Mantra Seal has been upgraded to the ninth level, and he has also learned an additional secret technique, namely the Myriad Wonders of Buddha Sound.

The only pity is that the powerful magic weapon, the Eight Directions Puppet, has not yet been refined.

The magical power contained within this treasure was so vast that even he could not grasp it quickly.

"No rush, I should be able to master it in another month. A powerful puppet with the combat power of a Hundred Aperture Martial Saint will surely allow my combat power to usher in a new round of explosion," Han Qingxin said.

"Young master, where are we headed?" Zhou Xiaoru asked.

"We should have gone to the western border to find General Meng Chong and take on a nominal position, waiting for the war to break out. However, before that, we should go to Tongzhou first. The Black Sparrow Alliance cannot fall into the hands of the imperial court, nor can it fall into the hands of Xiang Ying," Han Qing said in a deep voice.

“Okay.” Zhou Xiaoru nodded.

Four fast horses galloped along the official road, covering quite a distance, leaving the capital city far behind.

Half a day later, the group arrived at a place called Yuanshan Town, where something suddenly happened that forced Han Qing to stop.

The space inside the boundary marker.

Han Qing's confidants were all practicing martial arts in the ancient city, where food was plentiful and all kinds of supplies were readily available.

This time, he couldn't leave Lin Yueqiu and his group in the capital when he went to Tongzhou.

"Young Master, Liu Xiaofeng has suddenly fainted!"

As Han Qing descended from the sky, Lin Yueqiu and the others quickly surrounded him.

"But what happened?" Han Qing asked.

Liu Xiaofeng's strength has improved rapidly, and he has already undergone five transformations.

Although he cannot compare to Han Qing, he can still be considered a genius of his own.

Logically speaking, a martial artist who has undergone five transformations should have an extremely powerful physique and should not be sick. In addition, he is in the inner space and would not be attacked by a powerful spirit refiner. So why would he suddenly fall into a coma?
"I don't know, I just suddenly fell into a coma and couldn't wake up no matter what I did." Lin Yueqiu's words also contained a hint of confusion.

Han Qing nodded slightly and stepped into a room. Liu Xiaofeng was lying on the bed with her eyes closed, her brows furrowed, and a look of pain occasionally appeared on her face.

Han Qing glanced at it and found that its aura was sometimes strong and sometimes weak. When it was strong, it could even make him feel a trace of pressure.

"Someone is trying to possess Liu Xiaofeng's body," Han Qing immediately concluded.

"What?" everyone exclaimed.

Half-saints who refine their spirits possess the ability to possess another's body, but the price is too high, and few people will do so, because a half-saint can only possess once in their lifetime, and after possessing, all previous efforts are wasted, and they need to start from scratch. Some half-saints would rather die than suddenly become weak from being a strong person.

"You all get out. I want to see who dares to try and possess me right under my nose," Han Qing said coldly.

Everyone hurriedly left the room. Han Qing had a thought, and wisps of his magical energy invaded Liu Xiaofeng's body, quickly scanning his entire body. Finding nothing unusual, he then controlled this magical energy to fly towards his spirit temple, quickly breaking through the temple's door and entering it.

Inside Liu Xiaofeng's shrine were statues of deities and incense burners, surrounded by a vast, desolate darkness, the destination of which was unknown.

With a thought, Han Qing suddenly manipulated his magical senses to sweep across the surrounding dark area. Before long, he locked onto an unusual area.

He saw a temple, and at the front of the temple sat a bald, burly man with a small braid hanging down from the back of his head.

"So it was you, Tuoba Qiu!"

Although Han Qing was not familiar with the powerful figures of Western Mang, he did know about legendary experts, such as Tuoba Qiu, who was said to be a master of the third realm of incense offerings.

A hundred years ago, he failed to break through the fourth heavenly gate and disappeared without a trace. There were rumors that he used the technique of splitting his mind and seizing the body to commit blasphemy, preparing to make a comeback.

He had been unsure whether it was true or not, but today he has confirmed that the claim is true.

The so-called "divination and possession" is said to involve dividing one's thoughts into hundreds or thousands of segments, which are then used to invade and possess the bodies of hundreds or thousands of people.

It sounds simple, but it actually contains a lot of profound meaning.

Possession is an extremely complex matter; it is extremely difficult to possess even one person, let alone possess thousands of people simultaneously.

These magical thoughts would lie dormant within these people's bodies, silently growing stronger by nourishing their souls. Once they reached a certain level, they would suddenly erupt, draining the magical power from the host's body, causing the host to die silently. Then, they would fly away from the body to find the next host, subdue it again, and repeat this process until one day, these magical thoughts became strong enough to re-converge and form Tuoba Qiu's soul.

Therefore, this is an extremely secretive and vicious soul technique. Liu Xiaofeng may have been chosen as the parasite back in the Western Wilderness, but only now has this seed erupted, and it is frantically absorbing his magical power.

If left unattended, Liu Xiaofeng will die silently, and the seeds will fly away.

Han Qing could not let them succeed. He examined the temple closely and found that it seemed to be in another dimension. It could not be seen, touched, or destroyed.

The reason for this is that they are in a barrier, which is very famous in Western Mang and is called Taiyin True Realm.

The Taiyin True Realm is the strongest barrier-type secret technique in the world. Anything within the barrier will change from solid to illusory. In contrast, there is the Taiyang True Realm, which can make things change from illusory to solid.

Han Qing observed it carefully for a while and found that he was also helpless against the barrier.

"As expected of the strongest barrier technique in the world." Han Qing frowned.

He could sense that this barrier was like an array, with many complex inscriptions intertwined and converging, constantly changing positions, seemingly containing some kind of mysterious law.

“No barrier is perfect; there will always be flaws. It’s just that the stronger the barrier, the faster and more complex it changes, and the less obvious the flaws become,” Han Qing pondered.

He racked his brains and observed repeatedly, but he couldn't find a flaw and had to give up in the end.

"Perhaps brute force could also break through, but my current strength is not yet at that level," Han Qingxin thought.
"This matter can only be put on hold for now." Han Qing pondered, and this surge of magical thought suddenly dissipated, turning into black mist that spread outwards, instantly transforming into a malevolent domain that completely enveloped the barrier.

"Although I cannot break this barrier, I can use the Fiend Domain to seal it and prevent it from continuing to devour Liu Xiaofeng's spiritual power," Han Qing said.

With a thought, Han Qing returned to reality. His gaze swept across Liu Xiaofeng, whose breathing had become steady and whose face no longer showed any pain.

Han Qing understood that this was only temporary. Every so often, he would have to sneak into Liu Xiaofeng's spirit temple and summon and condense the evil domain in order to keep Liu Xiaofeng alive.

"This matter is ultimately troublesome, but I have come up with a solution!" Han Qing pondered as he walked out, a decision already formed in his mind. The Buddhist Canon records another supreme barrier technique: the True Realm of the Sun.

If I can learn the True Realm of the Sun, I can use this method to break the True Realm of the Moon.

However, the learning threshold of the True Realm of the Sun is too high. Even saints at the Incense Realm cannot enter it. I will have to wait until my realm breaks through before making any plans.

"Young Master, how is Liu Xiaofeng?" A group of people surrounded Han Qing as he came out, asking with concern.

“Liu Xiaofeng is out of danger, but the problem is not yet solved. He has been affected by the Split Thought and Possession Technique of Tuoba Qiu, a legendary expert from the Western Barbarian Kingdom. Eradicating it completely is not an easy task, and I cannot do it at the moment,” Han Qing said in a deep voice.

"what?"

"Even the young master can't do that?"

"Tuoba Qiu? I remember now. He disappeared more than eighty years ago after failing to break through the Heavenly Gate. I didn't expect he had a backup plan."

Everyone was talking about it.

"This matter ends here. I have thought of a solution, but not now. After many days of travel, I need a day to rest before I continue. You are also free to go out and get some fresh air," Han Qing said.

"Thank you, sir."

Han Qing immediately led this large group of people out of the Boundless Monument, rented a courtyard in the manor, and decided to rest for a day before setting off again.

...

the other side.

Beijing.

Han Mansion.

In the large study, Han Yi was sitting in a chair reading a book when Madam Luo entered and began to sob.

“My lord, my Luo family has recently learned that that little beast Han Qing has disguised himself and entered the capital to participate in the martial arts examination. He should be going to participate in the war against the Holy Desert Empire. This is a golden opportunity. I suggest that we take action immediately to kill him and eliminate him forever.”

Han Yi frowned. He was pondering important matters when his thoughts were suddenly interrupted, and an inexplicable anger surged within him.

"I will make my own decision on this matter. You may leave now."

"Master, Zhuang'er can't have died in vain! I want that little beast to be torn to pieces!" Madam Luo shrieked.

Han Yi raised an eyebrow: "Han Qing's matter is minor, but the Holy Desert Empire's matter is major. I have summoned experts from all the major forces in the country to the capital, which means that I will not care about past grievances. If I take action against them now, wouldn't that be breaking my promise to the world and causing people to lose heart? If this leads to the defeat of the war, the destruction of the Great Yu land, and the overthrow of the country, no one can bear this responsibility!"

Roland gritted his teeth and said no more, but his expression was resentful, showing that he was still holding back his anger.

Han Yi got up and went to the window, put his hands behind his back and looked into the distance. After a while, he said in a deep voice, "Do you know what Han Qing's strength is now?"

"What kind of strength do you have? You think you can become a saint?" Roland mocked.

“Indeed, intelligence from within the palace indicates that this person may indeed have become a sage of military strategy.” Han Yi turned around.

"What?" Roland exclaimed, "A saint in three years? Master, you didn't even achieve this fast back then! I told you long ago, this little beast is a menace. Now that he's become a saint, killing him will be ten times harder."

"To achieve sainthood in three years, this boy's talent is indeed remarkable. But progressing quickly before sainthood doesn't guarantee continued success. Once I have the time, killing him won't be difficult, but not now. Everything must be prioritized," Han Yi said loudly.

“Master is right. Killing this little beast will probably require careful consideration.” Roland sighed, stopped crying, and got up to leave.

...

Da da da!
After a day of rest, Han Qing and his three companions continued their journey on horseback.

The four of them could also fly, but Han Qing timed it perfectly, and it would only take four or five days to reach Tongzhou on horseback, so it wouldn't delay anything.

As the group headed north, the weather turned cold, frost and snow appeared on the official road, and the greenery on both sides of the road rapidly diminished.

Another day passed, and the group had already entered Tongzhou territory.

Tongzhou was also considered part of the northern lands, a chaotic place where the imperial court had little control and it was the territory of the Black Sparrow Alliance.

Moreover, the people of Tongzhou are known for their fierce and valiant nature, and everyone carries a knife or sword.

The imperial court had sent people to Tongzhou several times to try to quell the chaos, but all attempts failed.

The assassination skills of the Black Sparrow Alliance masters have reached their pinnacle, making them impossible to guard against. Even imperial experts who come here often cannot last more than a month before they die silently.

As Han Qing rode his horse, he recalled the intelligence about Tongzhou that he had gathered before setting off.

Suddenly, he sensed something, frowned, reined in his horse, and stared at a high slope ahead, calling out loudly, "Who is blocking the way? Show yourself!"

"Hehehe! As expected of a genius from Shu, with such keen senses, you saw through my Heavenly Demon Concealing Breath Technique so easily!" A child's voice echoed, and then a black mist suddenly rose from the hillside, transforming into a green-eyed, purple-haired child carrying a huge white bone scythe on his back, with a sinister smile on his face.

"A sage?" Yue Jinbiao blurted out.

"You old man have good taste. My name is Ma Meng, and I am a sage. I became a sage at the age of ten! Han Qing, what do you think? Outsiders say you are a genius, but compared to me, you are still far behind!" The child stood up with a mocking smile on his face.

"Hmph, becoming a saint at ten years old? I've traveled the world and seen all kinds of people. I'm afraid it's just some old monster putting on a show." Yue Jinbiao sneered.

"You old man, you have a foul mouth. Well then, I'll cut your head off and use it as a football to kick around, and see if you can still yell!"

As Ma Meng spoke, he raised his hand and swung his blade. A dark, semi-circular blade of light shot out from the blade, sweeping across the air and rapidly approaching Han Qing and his companions.

"What a violent brat! You kill people at the drop of a hat. I don't care who you are. Since you've made a move, you're my enemy, and enemies only die!" Han Qing leaped into the air, his body already covered in a layer of demonic armor. Facing the blade's light, he raised his hand and slashed out with his own blade.

In an instant, the sword light split into countless forms, surging like a tide, and violently collided with this deep purple sword light.

Bang!
With a muffled thud, the blade's edge shattered in mid-air, transforming into a sky full of purple mist that scattered and drifted away.

Han Qing frowned. The purple energy entering his body actually gave rise to wisps of distracting thoughts. These thoughts were not clear and transparent, but rather emitted a deep purple light, revealing an extreme evil, a pure evil, which instantly plunged him into a dreamlike world of corpses and blood.

With a thought, Han Qing swept his mind across the area, erasing these unique thoughts. He felt something was strange; he had never seen such peculiar thoughts before.

Suddenly, Yue Jinbiao's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he shouted sternly, "This is not a Dharma thought, it is a demonic thought!"

"In ancient times there were demons, who were defeated and perished by the Middle Ages. Demonic thoughts could infect magical thoughts, turning those who cultivated their spirit into demons. These demons were cruel and murderous, harboring extreme evil, and were an ancient calamity, condemned by all races. How can I still see a living demon today?" (End of Chapter)