The First Sage of Military Strategists

Besides the Vasala, this army also had powerful experts, such as the Zen Master Muhua, who was in charge of commanding the Shreni Legion. She was a woman, or more accurately, a nun.

The Shreni Legion is the name used by the Holy Desert Empire; if translated into the Da Yu script, it would be the Warrior Monk Legion.

He has four guardian Vajras under his command: Xuan, Chan, Ku, and Wu, each of whom possesses great strength.

In addition, the Holy Desert Empire has three national treasures: the Golden Lion King Stone Array, the Sanchi Pagoda, and the Skywalker Armor.

Han Qing had long heard of these three treasures, and judging from Zen Master Mengyou's memories, Vasala possessed at least two of them.

Having obtained this information, Han Qing had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

He felt no fear whatsoever; instead, a surge of fighting spirit welled up within him.

"If I can kill all these powerful figures, my strength will leap forward again, and I might be able to directly break through to the fifth Heavenly Gate," Han Qing thought to himself.

After waiting a while longer, Meng Yuanxiu still hadn't returned. Han Qing didn't just sit there idly. He closed his eyes slightly, and the martial arts skills of Zen Master Mengyou appeared before his eyes. With a thought, he selected two skills and immediately transferred their proficiency to the Taiyin True Realm.

The latter's realm improved rapidly, and Han Qing was immersed in it, with a large amount of information appearing in his mind.

Before long, the transformation ended. Han Qing opened his eyes and slowly exhaled a wisp of pure energy. The Taiyin True Realm had reached its perfect state.

“I have seen relevant records in ancient books. The True Realm of the Sun and the True Realm of the Moon were originally the same sealing technique. Together they are the True Realm of Yin and Yang. However, few people in later generations have been able to master this technique. I have the Seven Killings Stele. Perhaps I can give it a try,” Han Qing pondered.

He could sense that the two spells had something in common, but without perfect mastery, they were difficult to understand and combine.

"It's very difficult."

Han Qing tried again, but felt overwhelmed and confused, and finally had to give up.

For ordinary people, obtaining the Taiyin and Taiyang True Realms is as difficult as ascending to heaven, let alone cultivating each one to perfection. A person who can do this must have unimaginable martial arts talent and comprehension. If not the best in the world, they can certainly be called a genius of a thousand years.

Just as he was pondering this, Nie Yuanxiu returned.

"Brother Han, I've kept you waiting. I just received an urgent report that Guiqiu City, a key town outside the pass, is under siege by a large number of soldiers from the Holy Desert Empire. The situation is critical, and food is scarce. Commander Meng has ordered me to send people to escort food to relieve the siege. I am preparing to send an army to Guiqiu City immediately."

"A major town outside the pass?" Yan Qiuling raised an eyebrow.

"That's right. Our Great Yu relies mainly on three lines of defense to resist the Holy Desert Empire. The first line is the important towns outside the pass, which consist of more than ten cities of varying sizes. If the enemy wants to break through the pass, they must first take these dozen or so cities."

"The second is the eastern pass, and the third is the camp behind the pass."

“These three lines of defense form an impregnable wall. In the past, the Holy Desert Empire also tried to invade my Great Yu, but ultimately failed, and this is the reason why,” Meng Yuanxiu explained.

"I see." Yan Qiuling nodded.

"General Meng, I've been wanting to leave the pass and see the experts of the Holy Desert Empire. This is an excellent opportunity, and I'd like to join the team to Guiqiu City," Han Qing suddenly said.

He wanted to improve his strength as soon as possible, so he had to kill people, and he had to kill strong people. Hiding in the rear camp was definitely not an option. He had to take the initiative and go to the front line of the battlefield. Guiqiu City was a good choice.

Whenever there is a large-scale operation in the army, there must be a master in charge. Otherwise, no matter how many soldiers there are, they are useless against a saint. A few spells may not be able to kill all the soldiers, but their morale will definitely collapse.

Upon hearing this, Meng Yuanxiu was overjoyed: "Brother Han, I was just worried about how to ask you to come with the army. Your initiative has made things much easier for me."

"Oh? It seems this journey hasn't been very peaceful," Han Qing said softly.

He saw a hint of anxiety and sorrow in Meng Yuanxiu's brows.

Meng Yuanxiu nodded slightly: "Brother Han is right. Transporting grain from the border to important towns outside the pass has always been a major challenge."

The Holy Desert Empire often sends powerful figures to launch attacks, so it is essential to have a strong leader in your team; otherwise, it will be a waste of effort, resulting in the loss of supplies and the death of many soldiers for no reason.

"We do have warriors from other forces in the Great Yu in our camp, but the strongest among them is Brother Han. If you can go, this matter will be a sure thing."

Han Qing nodded slightly. For him, transporting grain was easy. With or without boundary markers, he could transport as much as he wanted, but others didn't have such a magic weapon.

Most spatial magical artifacts have a storage range of only a few to tens of feet in diameter, making it difficult to accommodate large amounts of resources.

"I've heard the battle at Guiqiu City is fierce, and I've been wanting to go and experience it for myself. General Meng, is that settled then? When shall we depart?" Han Qing asked.
"At most three days," Meng Yuanxiu said in a deep voice.

……

Whoohoo!
a few days later.

Customs.

On the vast, boundless desert, an army of several thousand men is slowly advancing against the wind and sand.

Han Qing, accompanied by Yan Qiuling, also rode through the area. The wind and sand whipped at their faces, and the sky was filled with a hazy gray. Before long, both the people and the horses were covered in a thick layer of dust.

Of course, this refers to ordinary soldiers. Han Qing is a saint, and even in the vast desert, he can remain spotless.

"The desert is vast, the scenery is truly magnificent." Zhou Xiaoru also rode his horse beside Han Qing, gazing into the distance, and couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

Han Qing nodded slightly: "Indeed, there is a unique scenery."

He looked around and saw yellow sand on the roadside and tall, majestic sand dunes all around, which looked desolate and lifeless at first glance.

But upon closer inspection, one can perceive the vibrant energy pulsating within it.

For example, on the nearest hill to him, there was a dense thicket of shrubs, and tall cacti could be faintly seen.

In the thicket, Han Qing saw many creatures found only in the desert, such as desert lizards, sand snakes, jackals, and even sand elephants.

As the two were talking, a long horn sounded from ahead, signaling a rest.

Every night, the advancing army would stop and rest on the spot.

It was dusk, and the setting sun was rapidly sinking in the distance. Its orange light spilled across the desert, but it was not bright; instead, it appeared dim and gloomy to the naked eye.

The soldiers immediately set up camp on the spot, and in a short while, tents rose up from the ground, stretching for hundreds of miles.

Han Qing and the others also moved into one of the tents, where they sat around a wooden table and enjoyed their marching rations.

The so-called marching rations were nothing more than mixed grains with some bright red meat chunks. They tasted sour and astringent, with a faint bloody flavor, and were not exactly palatable. However, they provided ordinary soldiers with ample energy and strength. This was what all the soldiers in the entire eastern camp ate when they were on campaign.

At Han Qing's level, he wouldn't starve even if he didn't eat. However, he felt that since he was traveling with the army, he should eat whatever the other soldiers ate, as this was also a way to train his mindset.

Halfway through the meal, a sudden gust of wind picked up outside. At first, the wind and waves were not strong, only causing the tent to sway.

But in just a few breaths, the wind and waves increased several times over, to the point that everyone could hear the howling wind, and the entire tent shook violently, as if it were about to be uprooted from the ground at any moment.

"A massive sandstorm is coming!"

"what!"

"quiet!"

Anyone who makes a loud noise will be executed immediately!

...

A commotion arose outside. Han Qing frowned, lifted the tent flap, and stepped outside.

His gaze swept across the distance, where he saw billowing dust that blotted out the sun, like ocean waves crashing down from the sky and surging toward the troops. Wherever it passed, everything in the world was swallowed up, filling the nearby soldiers with fear.

"How dare you, sir, make a move against me!"

A burly man with a dark face hurried over. He was the leader of this group, surnamed Cao, named Cao Tieshan.

He looked anxious. Although the sandstorm seemed far away, the scene was terrifying. He even suspected that everyone would die inside once it actually hit.

"How did you handle this situation before?" Han Qing asked calmly.

“My lord, I have traveled through the desert for so many years, and I have never seen such a fierce sandstorm before,” Cao Tieshan said.

"Never seen this before? Then it seems it's not a natural disaster, but man-made. I'd like to see who's behind this."

Han Qing suddenly soared into the air, a vast surge of magical power erupting from between his brows, instantly forming a whirlwind that violently blew away the rapidly approaching sandstorm from afar.

In an instant, the surging sandstorm was suddenly dispersed.

But that wasn't all. Han Qing suddenly sensed a surge of power from heaven and earth.

Whoohoo!
Just as one wave subsided, another arose. The camp was surrounded by turbulent waves, and suddenly huge sand walls, dozens of feet high, formed on all four sides, encircling and killing everyone inside.

"There is indeed something fishy!"

"That's nothing but a trivial skill, disperse!"

Han Qing let out a low shout, and a ray of colorful light flew out from between his eyebrows, hovering above everyone's heads, transforming into a Yin-Yang incantation seal.

The incantation emitted a colorful radiance like water, vast and boundless, permeating the heavens and earth. The sand wall, which was still surging and closing, suddenly stopped, then collapsed directly, turning into fine dust and falling to the ground.

"get out!"

Han Qing suddenly let out a clear shout, like a thunderclap, which suddenly echoed between heaven and earth.

"As expected of the Chu genius who overpowered Xiang Ying, the Hegemon-King of Chu, he truly has some ability." A woman's voice suddenly drifted from afar, her voice clear and melodious, like pearls falling on a jade plate, pleasing to the ear and uplifting the spirit.

However, Han Qing had no time to appreciate or savor the moment, because along with the woman's voice, a new offensive had already begun.

Wow!
The surging sand suddenly coalesced into a gigantic sand serpent, hundreds of feet long, which abruptly soared into the air and bit down at Han Qing from above.

This scene seemed terrifying, but Han Qing was not afraid at all. The Yin-Yang Curse Seal suddenly transformed into a giant palm. With a slap, the sand serpent collapsed and turned into dust that scattered and fell to the ground.

"With such methods, you dare to come out and embarrass yourself? Is this all the skill Master Muhua, who claims to be among the top three warriors of the Great Vajra Temple, is capable of?" Han Qing mocked, his gaze fixed on a figure thousands of miles away. The figure emerged from the sand and dust, hovering in the air. The figure was shrouded in a hazy Buddhist light, as if wearing a veil, making it difficult for outsiders to see the true face, and they could only see the general outline.

Han Qing could vaguely see that she had a curvaceous figure with extremely perfect and graceful curves, so she must be an absolute beauty.

This Zen Master Muhua is extremely low-key and rarely appears in public. Many people don't even know if she is male or female. Now Han Qing has confirmed that she is a woman.

"What a madman! Although you have unparalleled talent, you have only practiced martial arts for a short time and your foundation is shallow. You don't know that there are always people more capable than you, and there is always something beyond your understanding. You don't even put the top experts of a martial arts holy land in your eyes. Hmph, let me tell you, you are about to die today. I made a special trip here just to ambush and kill you!" Zen Master Mu Hua said coldly.

"Ambush me?" Han Qing raised an eyebrow. There was another layer of meaning in those words: the other party could determine his whereabouts. So, how did they determine it? He was very curious about this.

Zen Master Muhua guessed Han Qing's thoughts and laughed, "It's alright to tell you. You madman, how dare you bring the treasures of my Great Vajra Temple into the land of my Holy Desert Empire? You're courting death."

"My Supreme Buddha of the Great Vajra Temple has already located you through Brahma. I came prepared this time, Han Qing. Considering your extraordinary talent, it would be a pity to kill you like this. Why not come back to the Great Vajra Temple with me? The Peacock King Buddha is compassionate and will spare your life. As long as you serve my Buddha wholeheartedly, my Buddha will not treat you unfairly. In the future, I will take you to the Palm of the Buddha Kingdom, the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, where you can achieve eternal life. What do you say?"

Upon hearing this, Han Qing burst into laughter: "I never imagined that Zen Master Mu Hua, despite his immense strength, would be so naive and foolish. We seek immortality and bliss through our own strength, to open the Nine Heavens Gate, like the top masters of antiquity, to escape the sea of ​​suffering and ascend to heaven like rainbows, not to rely on some supreme Buddha. In my eyes, the so-called Peacock King Buddha is nothing but a spiritual being formed from the convergence of countless thoughts and desires; he is a false Buddha. Your worship and faith in him, attempting to use him to ascend to the supreme path, is nothing but wishful thinking. Even if you succeed, it will only be a false path, a pseudo-path!"

"What did you say?" Zen Master Muhua's tone suddenly turned extremely cold, and a surge of murderous intent welled up inside him.

Although Han Qing's words did not contain a single vulgar word, they were all piercing to the heart, targeting the Dao hearts of all Buddhist and Daoist practitioners in the entire Great Vajra Temple, and even the Holy Desert Empire.

If Zen Master Muhua were to doubt himself because of these words, and his resolve to follow the Way were to waver, he would immediately fall into an abyss of no return.

Zen Master Muhua was well aware of Han Qing's intentions, and his heart was filled with murderous intent.

"Sharp-tongued and vicious, you must not be allowed to live!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zen Master Muhua immediately made his move. His hands quickly formed a mudra, and his ten fingers changed rapidly, suddenly converging to form a complex mantra seal. It was square, with many golden lines intertwined and intertwined.

"Suppress, Brahma Seal!"

Zen Master Muhua suddenly pushed his hands forward, and the incantation seal, carrying golden flames, shot towards Han Qing in a flash.

Han Qing immediately made his move as well. The giant palm of colorful light transformed from the Yin-Yang Curse Seal suddenly flashed and crashed fiercely into the Brahma Seal.

The two collided violently in mid-air, and the Brahma Seal collapsed abruptly, transforming into a sky full of golden flames that fell from the sky and crashed to the earth.

The Yin-Yang Incantation Seal continued forward without pause, transforming into a streak of light that shot towards Zen Master Muhua.

Zen Master Muhua dodged backward, but was ultimately a step too slow and was struck by the Yin-Yang Curse Seal. With a loud bang, his body was sent flying backward for thousands of miles, and his protective Buddhist light was directly shattered.

"What a powerful Yin-Yang curse seal! No wonder it's known as the number one technique of the Great Yu!"

Zen Master Muhua steadied himself, his body surging with energy.

In their first encounter, she suffered a great loss, and her vital energy plummeted.

Han Qing's gaze locked onto her figure, and he saw her true face. It was not the high nose and deep-set eyes that were common in the Holy Desert Empire, but rather more like the Great Yu, with an indescribable air of nobility and gentleness.

However, Han Qing had long since moved beyond judging a person's worth based on their physical appearance. In his eyes, regardless of beauty or ugliness, anyone who was an enemy should be killed.

He gave Zen Master Muhua no time to adjust, and the Yin-Yang Incantation Seal flashed again, continuing the pursuit.

In the blink of an eye, if Zen Master Muhua couldn't find a way to deal with this Yin-Yang curse seal, then Han Qing was prepared to use this series of fierce attacks to annihilate him.

Just then, a sudden change occurred. Four dazzling beams of light descended from the sky and landed almost simultaneously beside Zen Master Muhua, transforming into four figures dressed in black robes, white robes, green robes, and purple robes, each exuding a surging aura.

The moment the Yin-Yang Curse Seal hurtled towards them, the four figures attacked simultaneously, their bodies erupting with black, white, cyan, and purple light that converged into four pillars of light that suddenly rose from the ground and blasted towards the rapidly descending Yin-Yang Curse Seal.

This time, the Yin-Yang Curse Seal was as invincible and unstoppable as before.

A thunderous roar echoed through the sky, and ripples of light spread across the heavens and earth. The Yin-Yang curse seal was suddenly repelled, and the four pillars of light exhausted their power and dissipated into the world.

"Xuan, Chan, Ku, Wu, the Four Vajras? I never imagined that Master Muhua would send out his four most capable henchmen just to kill me," Han Qing chuckled.

"Han Qing, your strength is even greater than I imagined. I've heard that you possess many treasures and are protected by ancient armor. You brought four people with you to ensure everything goes smoothly. Now, do you still think you can escape this calamity?" Zen Master Mu Hua chuckled.

Han Qing shook his head: "So what if I have the Four Heavenly Kings to help me? The skills I just showed were just the tip of the iceberg. Even if all five of you attack together, I have nothing to fear!"

"Madman, destroy him!" Zen Master Mu Hua shouted, and his four golden bodies attacked simultaneously.

First up was Xuan Jingang, dressed in black robes, with a ring-shaped knife at his waist. From a distance of over a thousand miles, he suddenly drew his knife and slashed at Han Qing from afar. A dazzling golden light shot out from the blade, transforming into a crescent-shaped blade of light, or a great river hanging in the air, suddenly descending from the sky and pressing down on Han Qing.

"Well done!"

Han Qing laughed loudly, his right hand already gripping the Sun and Moon Tide Fan. He suddenly stepped forward and waved the fan, causing a surge of Sun and Moon Tide radiance to rush out in front of him, like a surging tide, vast and mighty. It collided with the blade light emitted by the ring knife in mid-air, producing a series of crackling sounds.

The two forces collided and annihilated each other repeatedly until finally, the blade's edge collapsed and dissipated.

The radiance of the sun and moon surged forward, covering the sky and rushing towards the Xuanjingang behind him. The latter's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly dodged to the left, causing the radiance of the sun and moon to miss its mark.

Han Qing did not pursue, because the attacks from the other three Vajra warriors also surged forth in an instant.

The Zen Vajra, dressed in white robes, rapidly changed his hands, forming another complex mantra seal called the Dry Zen Seal.

The incantation radiated a gray glow, accompanied by a profusion of strange phenomena, with myriad flowers growing and vegetation flourishing, only to wither and decay in an instant.

Wu Jingang, dressed in purple robes, took a deep breath and suddenly let out a thunderous roar.

The sound waves surged and swept across the sky, transforming into a raging inferno that surged forward.

Countless monks could be faintly seen appearing and disappearing in the flames, and the sacred and solemn chanting could be heard echoing in the air.

This is another extremely powerful spell of the Great Vajra Temple, called Buddha's Wrath Brahma Flame. Wherever the sound waves reach, Brahma flames fill the sky, injuring the body and destroying the soul. Its power is unfathomable.

Han Qing remained calm, his spiritual energy surging, responding to each move with a series of counterattacks.

But then, a surge of Dharma energy appeared, and flames converged to form a poisonous fire dragon, which suddenly crashed into the withered Zen seal flying forward.
Then, he let out a loud shout, which was the wondrous sound of Buddha.

The Buddhist chanting clashed with the surging flames in the air. The flames, though seemingly turbulent and fierce, dissipated upon contact.

The withered Zen Seal and the Poisonous Fire Flying Dragon were also annihilated in mid-air at the same time.

Wu Jingang and Chan Jingang looked at each other, both with solemn expressions, and shook their heads slightly.

They dared not underestimate Han Qing in the slightest, and attacked with their strongest killing moves, only to have them easily neutralized by Han Qing. This meant that Han Qing's strength was a level higher than theirs.

The only one who hadn't used any magic, Bitter Vajra, ran to within a few hundred steps of Han Qing and suddenly threw a punch.

"Great Vajra Fist Imprint!"

Han Qing suddenly drew his sword and unleashed a Cloud-Leaving Illusionary Wind Blade strike. The blade light surged like a tide, instantly engulfing the Great Vajra Fist imprint.

Visibly, the fist imprint went from dazzling to dimming rapidly, and finally, with a muffled crack, it completely collapsed, turning into specks of light that dissipated into the world.

The blade suddenly expanded, threatening to engulf the Bitter Vajra. The latter hurriedly tried to escape, but one of his arms was accidentally caught in it, turning into a cloud of blood mist.

His face showed horror, and with only one arm, he dodged and retreated rapidly.

Han Qing, of course, would not let him go. He pointed his finger through the air, and with a surge of magical energy, another poisonous fire dragon appeared out of thin air and rushed towards him.

"help me!"

A great fear welled up in the Bitter Vajra's heart, and he let out a roar.

The three Vajra Kings' expressions changed drastically. They wanted to make a move, but the Poison Fire Flying Dragon was too fast and was about to crash into them. There was no time to save them.

At this critical moment, Zen Master Muhua began to recite a Buddhist scripture, and the solemn and dignified chanting echoed between heaven and earth.

Suddenly, a burst of Buddhist light appeared above the head of the Bitter Vajra, and thirteen enormous stone pillars descended from the sky and slammed into the earth. On each stone pillar, Sanskrit characters were faintly visible.

The thirteen stone pillars faintly formed a formation, and the inscriptions on them shot up and suddenly converged in the air to form a tall figure, which was at least two hundred feet tall. It had a lion's head and a human body, with wings on its back and golden fur covering its body. It was a golden lion king.

Holding a sword in his left hand and a shield in his right, he swung his sword at the flying poisonous fire dragon, which exploded in mid-air, turning into wisps of flame that scattered between heaven and earth.

"The Golden Lion King Stone Array?" Han Qing glanced at the towering golden lion king.

Master Muhua's gaze was cold as he first swept his eyes over the man who had narrowly escaped death, the latter of whom looked ashamed and lowered his head slightly.

He was shouting and yelling just now, which was really out of line. As a famous master of the Great Vajra Temple and a Buddhist saint, he should not even be afraid of death. However, he was afraid just now, which is a disgrace to the Great Vajra Temple and also to Zen Master Muhua.

This glance from Zen Master Muhua represents her anger and her deep disappointment with Ku Jingang's performance.

However, now is not the time to dwell on this. She slightly raised her eyes, her gaze cold, and suddenly swept over Han Qing not far away.

"The Golden Lion King Formation is one of the three national treasures of my Holy Desert Empire. I originally prepared this for Meng Chong, but your performance has greatly exceeded my expectations. Even the Four Vajras combined were no match for you." (End of Chapter)