The First Sage of Military Strategists

“Master Mengyou, you are a saint, yet you are afraid of this and that. How can you be so cowardly? I have finally come out of the palace and do not have to endure the tedious rules. I will be unrestrained and do whatever I want. Quickly grab that woman and I will strip her naked!” Kumar looked displeased.

Mengyou frowned slightly and said nothing more, but her gaze toward Kumar held a hint of disdain.

The Holy Desert Empire has extremely strict management of its royal children. Those with ability are entrusted with important tasks, while those without ability are kept in captivity and subjected to various restrictions and rules. Kumar belongs to the latter.

In this great battle, he finally had the opportunity to leave the palace, and his true nature was immediately revealed. Not only was he lecherous and cruel, but he was also incredibly audacious. He insisted on leading a group to take a shortcut across the border to run wild in Dayu Sandbar, and no amount of persuasion could dissuade him.

"A person who deserves to die cannot be saved even by a god!"

"I will do my best and leave the rest to fate. If I really encounter a top expert from the Great Yu, I'm afraid I won't be able to handle it. I'll try to block him if I can, and if I can't, I'll leave." Many thoughts flashed through Meng You's mind.

Upon hearing Kumar's command, the hundred or so cavalrymen split off a group of about a dozen men and charged towards Han Qing and his companion.

"What a bunch of vicious thugs! They just pounced on us as soon as they saw us. Well, die! You can only blame your bad luck!"

Yan Qiuling said coldly. She could feel the lewd gaze of the young man in brocade on the war elephant, which made her very uncomfortable.

If Han Qing hadn't been there, she would have already set it ablaze before she even made a move.

At that moment, just as the dozen or so cavalrymen charged within a hundred paces of the two men, a sudden gust of cold wind arose, and flames appeared out of thin air, instantly engulfing the dozen or so men. The raging fire burned them to ashes.

"Hmm? I didn't expect this woman to know magic. I'm even more excited now. Seize her quickly!" Kumar was not afraid at all, but rather excited.

Mengyou glanced at him with disdain. What was this called? Ignorance is bliss. He was already on high alert, but Kumar, who only knew a smattering of martial arts, was fearless. He didn't know what to say.

"You guys, take down that woman!" Mengyou ordered, turning around.

"Yes!"

The twelve warrior monks immediately leaped down from the war elephant, wielding their staffs and carrying their knives, and rushed toward Han Qing at top speed.

Yan Qiuling made another move, casually casting a small spell. With a thought, flames flew and enveloped the twelve monks once again.

These twelve monks were more skilled in martial arts than a hundred cavalrymen, but that was all. They were nothing more than ants in her eyes, utterly powerless to fight back, unless they were martial saints.

However, just as the flames engulfed the twelve people, a sudden change occurred. The twelve people were suddenly enveloped in a dazzling golden light, which actually resisted the flames.

"Hmm?" Yan Qiuling frowned.

In the next instant, twelve beams of Buddhist light shot out from the bodies of these martial monks, suddenly converging to form a large, illusory image of a Buddha.

The Buddha's face is androgynous, half male and half female. Behind it seems to be a starry sky with countless stars twinkling, but upon closer inspection, they are clearly not stars, but human eyes, blinking eerily.

"Peacock King Buddha! This is the strongest being in the Great Vajra Temple and even the entire Sacred Desert Empire. He is the actual controller of the supreme treasure, Brahma. It is rumored that his strength can go toe-to-toe with the leader of the Mo family." Upon seeing this scene, Han Qing immediately had a lot of information flash through his mind.

He made thorough preparations before setting off and had a certain understanding of the top experts in the Holy Desert Empire.

At that moment, the phantom of the Buddha appeared and immediately took flight, with a giant palm slapping down towards Han Qing and his companion.

Han Qing looked up and suddenly appeared. A golden lotus appeared out of thin air and directly sealed the Buddha statue.

"Hmm? The True World of the Sun!"

Sitting on the war elephant, Zen Master Mengyou's expression suddenly changed drastically. This spell was also passed down in the Great Vajra Temple, and only saints above the third level of incense offering could use it. It was the strongest sealing spell in the world.

He never expected that Han Qing, who looked so young, would unleash such powerful magic capable of sealing everything.

"escape!"

Kumar was still unaware of what had happened when Dreamy took flight, transforming into a streak of light and fleeing rapidly into the distance.

"You've slaughtered the people of my Great Yu, and you think you can just leave? You might as well die!"

Meng You suddenly heard the young man's voice behind him. He turned around and glanced at the scene. His expression changed drastically as he saw a large, colorful handprint flying rapidly toward him. He was so frightened that his soul almost left his body.

"Yin-Yang Curse Seal! Tenfold!"

"How did I end up encountering such a monster?"

He knew that the Yin-Yang Incantation Seal was known as the number one technique in the Great Yu Dynasty. It required the collection of a large amount of Yin-Yang energy to condense successfully, and once it was refined, its power was unfathomable.

Reaching the tenth level is even more difficult, like climbing to the heavens.

"Oh no! We can't leave!"

Before the handprints could even fly over, he was already enveloped in the colorful light of the Yin-Yang Curse Seal, as if he were stuck in a quagmire and unable to move.

"I am Zen Master Mengyou of Dajingang Temple. Please spare me. This has nothing to do with me. It was that beast Kumar who ordered people to slaughter the people of Dayu. If you want revenge, I will not stop you!" Zen Master Mengyou hurriedly begged for mercy.

Kumar, sitting on the war elephant beside him, also looked extremely pale, a deep sense of fear rising within him.

"Don't kill me! I am a member of the royal family of the Holy Desert Empire, the seventeenth prince! If you spare me, I'll give you anything you want!" Kumar pleaded in a panic.

Just as Yan Qiuling was about to burn him to ashes, Han Qing struck first, activating the Boundless Monument. A faint light appeared, instantly engulfing Kumar and taking him into the space within the Boundless Monument.

As for Zen Master Mengyou standing to the side, Han Qing had no intention of letting him go either.

The Yin-Yang Mantra Seal transformed into a large hand that suddenly reached out and grabbed Zen Master Mengyou. The latter was surrounded by Buddhist light and struggled desperately, but he was completely unable to break free.

In the moment of crisis, he shouted loudly: "Please, Peacock Buddha, save me!"

He wore a finger bone around his neck, which suddenly flew up and emitted a surge of golden light.

The next instant, the bone suddenly shattered, and a more solid and taller illusory image of the Peacock King Buddha flew out from it, instantly helping Zen Master Mengyou break free from the Yin-Yang Curse Seal.

The illusory image of the giant Buddha soared into the air once more, waving its hand to strike Han Qing.

Han Qing raised an eyebrow, and with a whoosh, a figure shot out from the vortex—the Eight Directions Puppet, clad in the Manglong Devouring Heaven Armor.

With the enhancement of this battle armor, the Eight Directions Puppet's combat power has been dramatically increased.

In the past few days, he has already refined the Dragon Devouring Armor to a preliminary stage and replaced the Yuan Crystal Star Armor.

Because the Yuanjing Star Armor focuses more on enhancing self-healing abilities, which is the least needed by the Eight Directions Puppet, the two are not very compatible. The Manglong Devouring Heaven Armor, on the other hand, can absorb the power of others to strengthen itself, making it more suitable for the Eight Directions Puppet.

now.

With the blessing of the Dragon Devouring Armor, the Eight Directions Puppet's combat power has been greatly enhanced.

With a whoosh, it transformed into a streak of light and soared towards the illusory image of the Peacock King Buddha.

The Eight Directions Puppet raised its hand and threw a punch. The force of the punch shook the shadowy figure, which instantly shattered and dispersed. The shadowy figure collapsed and turned into countless points of light that scattered in all directions.

Having just escaped and before he could even run away, Zen Master Mengyou suddenly saw this scene, and his face turned ashen.

The illusory image of the Peacock King Buddha, on which he had placed such high hopes, turned out to be so fragile. It was shattered and collapsed with just one punch. Since his own combat strength was even weaker than that of the illusory image, he was doomed to die.

"Go to hell!"

Suddenly, Bafang Kui flashed forward and threw another punch. Before Zen Master Mengyou could even open his mouth, he was smashed to pieces by the punch, his soul and body completely annihilated.

The Dharma thoughts of Zen Master Mengyou dispersed and then quickly converged, trying to reassemble into a divine soul. Han Qing then had a thought and used the spell "True Realm of the Sun," which suddenly transformed into a golden lotus, sealing these strands of Dharma thoughts within it.

"I never imagined that people from the Holy Desert Empire would dare to venture deep into Shazhou and commit evil deeds. Do they really think there's no one in my Great Yu?" Yan Qiuling strode over.

Han Qing toyed with the golden lotus in his palm and said in a deep voice, "Hmm, this young master Kumar seems to be a good-for-nothing. He is causing trouble here so openly. Even if he doesn't die by my hand, he will be doomed if he encounters other top experts."

"Just a useless piece of trash kept by the royal family," Yan Qiuling sneered.

As they were talking, a white light suddenly descended from the sky and landed not far in front of them. It turned out to be a little monk wearing a gray-white kasaya with a slightly chubby face.

"Gentlemen, my name is Nanbei. I greet you."

Although the newcomer came from the Great Vajra Temple, Han Qing did not sense any killing intent from him, so he did not make a move directly. He quickly reviewed the information about the young monk from the North and South in his mind.

"North and South Monk? I've heard you're the top disciple of the abbot of Kuchan Temple, with extraordinary talent in Buddhism and Taoism. You're considered one of the top three young disciples of Dajingang Temple and are known as a prodigy. Now that you've descended before me like this, aren't you afraid I'll capture and kill you?" Han Qing said softly.

“Young master, please do not make a move. I am indeed from the Bitter Zen Temple, but I do not wish to be your enemy. I am here on my master’s orders to seek your help,” the monk Nanbei said respectfully.

"Oh? Your master? Could it be Abbot Kuchan?" Han Qing asked.

The Great Vajra Temple is a collective term encompassing hundreds of temples, each of which can be considered an independent small force. Among them, the four most powerful temples are the Bitter Zen Temple, the Red Leaf Temple, the Fragrant Accumulation Temple, and the White Dragon Temple.

Logically, the martial artists of Kuchan Temple should also be Han Qing's enemies, but according to the little monks from the North and South, there is another story behind it.

“Young master, my master opposes the Great Vajra Temple’s war against the Great Yu. In addition, Master Xuanchan and my master have always had conflicts. After the last fierce argument, my master’s strength was sealed and he was trapped in the Bitter Zen Temple and could not leave. I have come here to ask you to help me rescue my master from the Bitter Zen Temple.” The monk Nanbei’s words were somewhat anxious.

"Oh? How can I tell if what you're saying is true or false, or if there's some kind of trap involved?" Han Qing said calmly.

“My master once used a secret method to predict that you are the leader of this trend of humanitarian reform. If anyone can save him, it will definitely be you. If you don’t believe me, you can capture me. If anything goes wrong, you can kill me at any time. Oh, by the way, my master has also prepared a great gift for you!”

As the young monk spoke, he presented an ancient scroll with both hands.

Han Qing reached out and grabbed at the ancient scroll, which flew into his palm.

He quickly scanned the contents and discovered a large amount of Western Manchu script.

When the mind permeates the text, each character floats in the air, round and full, like a precious pearl, radiating golden light.

"The Taiyin True Realm?" Han Qing exclaimed in surprise. "This is a secret technique of Tianlang Fortress. How do you have it?"

“Three hundred years ago, Tianlang Fortress sent experts to my Great Vajra Temple to initiate a gambling contest. One of the stakes was the Taiyin True Realm. My master won by a large margin, and this precious scroll fell into his hands,” the monk from the North and South added.

"Hmm? Your master is indeed very sincere. However, if you want me to save your master, I can try to do so, but first, I will not risk my own life; second, I cannot guarantee that this will succeed; and third, you must do it my way. If you can accept these three points, then I will accept this secret technique. If not, you should leave immediately," Han Qing said in a deep voice.

He naturally desired the Taiyin True Realm, but it was difficult to gain his trust with just a few words.

He also had a thought that he could directly kill the monks from the North and South and steal their treasures.

However, he dismissed the thought the moment it occurred to him.

He had his own principles in doing things. The monks from the North and South had not done anything excessive, nor had they shown the slightest bit of hostility. He did not want to kill someone for no reason, even though the other party came from the Great Vajra Temple.

The monk from the North and South hesitated for a moment before saying, "I will do whatever you say, as long as you are willing to try to save my master."

"Alright, I'll accept this. You'll stay by my side for the time being until I rescue your master," Han Qing agreed.

Based on the information he had, he could tell that what the monks from the North and South said was true. He had heard about the gambling match that took place at least three hundred years ago from other people. The two people who participated in the gambling match were Abbot Kuchan and the head of the Wuqu Hall of Tianlang Fortress. The result was that the head of the Wuqu Hall was beheaded.

The monks from both the north and south nodded: "Wherever you go, young master, I will go."

As he spoke, Fei Teng came to Han Qing's side without saying a word, fiddling with a string of Buddhist beads and chanting Buddhist scriptures.

Yan Qiuling glanced at him and transmitted her voice, "Husband, this little monk may look young, but he is already a Saint of the Incense Realm. He can be called a genius of his generation. You must be careful of traps."

"It's alright! I'm keeping him around to get more information about the Great Vajra Temple from him. If this young monk cooperates, it will be more convenient to keep him by my side when we venture deeper into the Holy Desert Empire," Han Qing said.

He naturally couldn't easily trust others; he needed to observe them for a long time to discern the intentions of the young monks from the north and south.

So the three of them continued on horseback. To avoid unnecessary trouble, the young monks from the north and south used a secret method to disguise themselves, and from the outside they looked like ordinary young men.

The three walked and talked, with Yan Qiuling constantly inquiring about the Great Vajra Temple. The monks from the North and South were extremely cooperative and answered all her questions.

As Han Qing listened, he recited the Taiyin True Realm and quickly entered a secret technique into the panel.

Based on the information he already possessed and comparing it with what the young monks from the north and south had said, he made a preliminary judgment that the young monks from the north and south were trustworthy.

The other party was not lying; the information they provided was mostly true.

As time passed and the group drew closer to the border camp, Han Qing could vaguely see a malevolent aura rising from the sky a thousand miles away, spreading throughout the world and inspiring fear.

But just then, more trouble came knocking.

"North and South Monks, your disguise can't fool us. Hand over the Taiyin True Scroll, and I'll let you go!" (End of Chapter)