The First Sage of Military Strategists

At the same time, the Nine Yin Great Sage made his move, extending his right hand into a claw and suddenly grabbing downwards, bringing a wave of wind and rain down from the sky, fiercely grabbing at the surging radiance of the sun and moon below.

Bang!
The brilliance of the sun and moon suddenly shattered, turning into countless specks of light that scattered and drifted in all directions.

Then, the dark claw shadow continued downwards with unstoppable force.

Han Qing frowned and unleashed a series of attacks: Poisonous Fire Dragon, Eight Directions Puppet, Yin-Yang Incantation Seal, Buddhist Sound Bone Scripture…

First came the Poisonous Fire Dragon. Its magical energy gathered and instantly solidified into shape, reaching a length of over ten zhang. It suddenly rose from the ground and soared into the sky at an extremely fast speed, heading straight for the pitch-black giant claw.

The result was that, in the instant of contact, it collapsed and vanished without a trace.

Next came the Yin-Yang Curse Seal. Again, in the instant of collision, it was unable to resist, and its light suddenly dimmed, flying back to Han Qing's brow.

Next up was the Eight Directions Puppet, clad in the Dragon Devouring Armor, which rose like a meteor and collided with the enormous black claw once more.

As a result, even the invincible Eight Directions Puppet could not withstand this claw. It was struck down from the sky by a tremendous force, crashing to the ground and creating a large crater with billowing dust.

Finally, the giant claw struck the golden light shield formed by the Buddhist scriptures outside Han Qing's body.

Click!

With a crisp sound, the light shield shattered instantly.

Han Qing tried to dodge, but an invisible force permeated the space, imprisoning him in mid-air, making it impossible for him to dodge.

Thus, his body was struck squarely by the giant claw, instantly collapsing and turning into countless specks of light that scattered and flew away.

"Dead?" The head of Tianfu Hall exclaimed in surprise. Although he knew the power of the Nine Yin Great Sage, Han Qing was said to possess many life-saving techniques and magical treasures. He was not sure if he could kill Han Qing.

At this moment, seeing Han Qing's body shatter, he was first surprised, then overjoyed.

The monk from the North and South were immediately panicked, thinking to himself, "Young Master Han Qing is dead? Then the task Master assigned me is impossible to complete? I'm the one who harmed Young Master Han Qing!"

"Hahaha! This is what happens when you oppose my Sirius Fortress. So what if you're a peerless genius? Before you've truly grown up, you should know how to keep a low profile, or you'll still die!" The leader of the Giant Gate Hall was also stunned for a moment, then suddenly let out a wild laugh.

Above his head, the shadow of the Nine Yin Great Sage had vanished silently, along with the black mist that permeated the world.

The head of Tianxiang Hall frowned slightly. He was usually very calm, but suddenly he felt that something was wrong.

First, Yan Qiuling was excessively calm. She didn't lose her composure at all when she saw Han Qing's body being smashed to pieces. What gave her that confidence?

Secondly, Han Qing's body collapsed, yet no blood mist was seen, and not even any magical energy dissipated, which was clearly a problem.

Sure enough, in the next instant, some starlight converged and instantly reformed into Han Qing's figure. His aura was exactly the same as before, as if his body had never collapsed.

"This is the Nine Yin Great Sage. I couldn't even withstand a single blow from him. If it weren't for the Yuan Crystal Star Armor and the power of the Heavenly Star that reassembled my body, I would have really suffered a great defeat today, and might even have been in danger of dying." Han Qing's thoughts were churning.

This attack also gave him a deeper understanding of his current strength. He could hold his own against some of the holy land leaders, but he could only maneuver around them and could not defeat them.

As for facing the leader of the Mohist school, Han Yi, a peerless master, he truly had no chance.

The Nine Yin Great Sage's peak combat power was only comparable to Han Yi's current strength. He couldn't even withstand a single blow from him; the gap was too great.

"I need to become stronger. Until then, I must avoid a direct confrontation with Han Yi," Han Qingxin said.

All of this may sound complicated, but it all happened in the blink of an eye.

The three hall masters were all dumbfounded when they saw Han Qing come back to life.

"How could this be?" The head of the Giant Gate Hall was filled with confusion.

"It's the Yuanjing Star Armor!" the Hall Master of Tianxiang Hall exclaimed. "The Yuanjing Star Armor, one of the three ancient battle armors, exists between reality and illusion. It can integrate into a person's body and soul. Even if the wearer suffers severe injuries, it can allow the wearer to quickly reconstruct their physical body and soul!"

"No, leave quickly!"

The head of Tianfu Hall was the first to take flight and flee into the distance.

However, it was too late.

The Eight Directions Puppet took flight again. Although it had just been slammed to the ground by a claw, it was indestructible and protected by its precious armor, so it was not injured at all.

At the same time, the Yin-Yang Curse Seal merged with it, causing its flight speed to increase dramatically.

Brush brush!
His figure flashed, almost like teleportation, and in an instant blocked the path of the Giant Gate Hall Master. He raised his hand and threw a punch. The latter wanted to resist, but the light emitted by the Yin-Yang Curse Seal had already imprisoned his body.

Thus, with this punch, his body was directly blasted apart, turning into a cloud of blood mist that drifted between heaven and earth.

The Eight Directions Puppet never stopped, its body constantly shifting and chasing after the attack. In an instant, it approached the two hall masters of Tianfu and Tianxiang respectively, each throwing a punch.

After using the Blood Refining Soul Condensation Technique, the two had already lost a significant amount of strength and were completely unable to withstand the Eight Directions Puppet. They were both eventually defeated.

Han Qing once again used the True Realm of the Sun, and a golden lotus appeared, sealing the wisps of magical thoughts emanating from these people. Then, he raised his hand and threw it, and a dark light appeared, transforming into a vortex that sucked the golden lotus into it.

Thus, the three hall masters could no longer hope for a reunion and resurrection.

"Young Master Han is amazing! No wonder my master told me to come and ask you for help. Your strength is far superior to mine. Outsiders say I am a prodigy in Buddhism and Taoism with outstanding talent, but compared to Young Master Han, I am still far behind!" The little monk from the North and South also came over after the battle ended.

He didn't offer any help because everything happened too fast; the battle was over in the blink of an eye.

Along the way, Han Qing and his companion talked with the young monk from the north and south, and gradually figured out his personality. The young monk's greatest virtue was his honesty; he was straightforward and honest, which Han Qing liked very much.

“Little monk, there’s no need to belittle yourself. My husband is a freak. Don’t compare yourself to him. Or rather, just because you can’t compare to him doesn’t mean you’re not a genius.” Yan Qiuling chimed in from the side.

The young monk from the north and south was speechless. He didn't know how to comment. It sounded like well-intentioned comfort, but it was still quite a blow.

Han Qing smiled and said, "North and South, cultivation is not about short-term gains or losses. Don't be discouraged. Let's continue on our way and head to the Shazhou camp as soon as possible."

"it is good!"

This time, since they were already very close to the Shazhou camp, Han Qing didn't bother riding a horse and opted to fly instead.

The three of them sped forward, and soon, a series of large camps appeared ahead.

It was late at night, and every tent was lit up. Together, they formed a vast sea of ​​fire, illuminating the sky as if it were daytime. "This camp is truly magnificent, stretching for hundreds of miles. I've only ever seen such a sight described in books before. It's truly awe-inspiring," Han Qing exclaimed.

The young monks from the north and south nodded repeatedly: "Such a huge camp, how many people must there be? There must be many powerful people inside!"

As he spoke, he suddenly activated his divine eye and saw that streams of malevolent energy condensed into pillars that shot into the sky, forming a huge, slowly rotating vortex above everyone's heads.

When a cultivator's spiritual energy soars out of their body, if the energy is not strong enough, it will be dispersed by the surging malevolent energy, rendering the cultivator unable to cast spells.

Amidst the waves of malevolent energy, the young monks from the North and South could clearly sense powerful magical thoughts sweeping back and forth around the entire camp.

In just a few breaths, no fewer than fifteen magical thoughts had noticed them and locked onto their figures.

"Who goes there?"

With a deep, loud shout, Han Qing saw a figure leap up from the camp ahead and fly towards him at an extremely fast speed.

The newcomer was a middle-aged man, dressed in a sky-blue robe, holding a white jade fan, and exuding a sharp aura.

"My name is Han Qing, and this is a document from the imperial court." Han Qing did not conceal his identity. With a thought, a faint light flashed, and a document flew out and landed in the middle-aged man's hand.

He brought this document from the capital city; every martial artist who passed the martial arts examination received a copy.

Only those carrying documents could enter the camp smoothly and participate in the war legitimately.

"So it's Young Master Han Qing. My name is Meng Yuanxiu, the commander of the 33rd Battalion. My brother is General Meng Chong, the Divine Might General. He mentioned you to me before, saying that you are the number one martial arts prodigy in the world, with great strength and extraordinary temperament!" Meng Yuanxiu glanced at the imperial documents, and the surging aura emanating from his body suddenly dissipated. When he spoke, his tone became much more respectful.

Previously, Meng Chong had summoned the commanders of the forty-six major camps and provided them with detailed information on the many powerful figures from the Great Yu who were about to arrive at the camps. Some of them were not to be trifled with, including Han Qing.

"So you are Commander Meng, I've heard so much about you!" Han Qing also cupped his hands in greeting.

He always treated people this way. Meng Yuanxiu spoke politely and gave him plenty of face, so he naturally treated him with the same courtesy.

“Now that Young Master Han has arrived at my thirty-third camp, it must be fate. Please follow me into the camp,” Meng Yuanxiu said again.

"good!"

Han Qing and the other two immediately flew to the ground and followed Meng Yuanxiu on horseback into the depths of the camp.

This camp is even larger than the northern camp of yesteryear, and its malevolent aura is even more intense and profound.

"Commander Meng, if I may be so bold as to ask, how many soldiers are currently in this camp?" Han Qing asked slowly.

“Telling you won’t hurt. It’s not some secret. There are currently forty-six battalions in total, with a total of three hundred thousand soldiers.” Meng Yuanxiu thought for a moment and then gave the answer.

"Three hundred and sixty thousand? No wonder the military camps stretch for hundreds of miles." Han Qing exclaimed.

These 360,000 are all soldiers capable of fighting. If you include logistics personnel, the number could easily reach over a million.

"This must be Miss Yan Qiuling, right?" Meng Yuanxiu's gaze swept over the room and landed on Yan Qiuling beside him.

Yan Qiuling made no attempt to conceal her identity, and quipped, "The Great Yu court has always wanted to kill me. Now that I'm standing before you, I wonder if Commander Meng has the same thought?"

Meng Yuanxiu shook his head: "Of course I wouldn't be foolish enough to target Miss Yan. Rest assured, while you're in my camp, no one will treat you badly because of your demon race identity."

Han Qing remained silent. In truth, even if Meng Yuanxiu had other ideas, he was not afraid. With his current strength, if the situation changed and he wanted to take Yan Qiuling away, no one could stop him.

"And who is this?" Meng Yuanxiu's gaze fell on the little monk from the north and south beside him.

The latter remained silent, instead casting a questioning glance at Han Qing beside him, unsure whether he should reveal his true identity to Meng Yuanxiu.

After a moment's thought, Han Qing said in a deep voice, "He is the monk from the North and South of the Kuchan Temple."

"North and South Monk? I've heard of your name. You're said to be a genius in Buddhism and Taoism. What are you doing here?" A hint of surprise flashed in Meng Yuanxiu's eyes. If Han Qing hadn't been standing next to him, he might have attacked the North and South Monk. After all, the Buddhist and Taoist cultivators of the Great Vajra Temple were their main enemies.

"I've come to seek refuge with Young Master Han Qing," said the young monk from the North and South.

Han Qing did not explain the reason, but said in a deep voice: "Commander Meng, there is no need to worry. Although the little monk Nanbei came from the Great Vajra Temple, as far as I know, the Great Vajra Temple is not a monolithic entity. The Bitter Zen Temple where the little monk Nanbei is located firmly opposes this war. In other words, not every Buddhist or Taoist cultivator is untrustworthy."

Meng Yuanxiu nodded slightly and did not press further, saying only, "I have heard that you are a man of principle. Since you think the little monk from the North and South is trustworthy, then there should be no problem."

The four chatted idly and soon arrived at the central camp. They sat down and a maid quickly prepared a meal.

"Brother Han, please wait here for a moment. I have some urgent business to attend to and need to go out for a bit!" Meng Yuanxiu had only taken a few bites when he left due to an urgent matter.

Han Qing nodded slightly: "Brother Meng, please go ahead and handle it. We can wait a little longer."

After Meng Yuanxiu left, Han Qing continued eating, appearing very calm.

Yan Qiuling then sent a telepathic message: "Husband, although Meng Yuanxiu is very respectful to you, you should not underestimate him. He is brave and resourceful, and his martial arts talent is exceptional. He was already a half-saint in military strategy a few years ago. He has been through countless battles, and the number of Western Mang people who have died at his hands is immeasurable."

Han Qing picked up a piece of braised pork and put it in his mouth, saying slowly, "I know, it's alright. Meng Yuanxiu is a smart man; he knows what he should do."

After eating for a while, Yanqiu lost interest; she figured she had nothing better to do anyway.

With a thought, he summoned the Seven Killings Stele, and dozens more soul points appeared around him, the three most dazzling of which came from the three great hall masters of Western Mang.

Han Qing immediately absorbed the three light spots one by one, absorbing their martial arts skills, and used them as resources, transferring a large amount of proficiency to the Taiyin Curse Seal, which rapidly increased its proficiency.

In less than a quarter of an hour, he had absorbed and digested the skills of the three hall masters, and the Taiyin True Realm had also reached the Great Perfection stage.

With a thought, his spiritual power converged and condensed into a beautiful black lotus in his palm.

This is the Taiyin True Realm, which is the exact opposite of the Taiyang True Realm. It also has the ability to seal and is also known as the number one sealing technique in the world.

Han Qing vaguely felt that there was some connection between the two, but his understanding of the two major spells was not yet thorough, so he could not grasp this subtle connection.

He played with it for a while, then suddenly exerted force in his palm, squeezing it so hard that he crushed the black lotus.

He then absorbed the soul light from Zen Master Mengyou and saw many related memory scenes, thus gaining access to a lot of key information about the Holy Desert Empire.

"The commander of this Holy Desert Empire army is named Vasala, nicknamed the Destroyer. His status is equivalent to Meng Chong of the Great Yu Dynasty, and his strength is extremely terrifying." (End of Chapter)