The First Sage of Military Strategists

"Don't underestimate me just because I'm only at the Rainbow Transformation Realm 2. My combat strength may not be much weaker than Han Qing's at the Golden Body Realm 2."

Ma Meng remained silent. He felt that Tan Yuanming was a bit too arrogant. Even if he had really obtained a fortune in the Ancient Void Realm, it was impossible for him to fight against Tan Yuanming with only the Incense Realm and the Golden Body Realm. That was a difference of four major realms.

"What? Brother Ma doesn't believe me? Hehe, I refined 100,000 demonic thoughts in the Ancient Void Realm, subdued the Dark Star Armor, and even tempered my soul with demonic blood. It doesn't matter if you don't believe me, I'll show you what true strength is!"

Tan Yuanming suddenly took flight and sped off in the direction of Han Qing.

Besides saying he wanted to vent his anger for Han Qing, what he really wanted was to seize Han Qing's magic weapon and refine it into a demon servant.

Demon servants are a unique ability of demons and those who refine demonic spirits. Those refined by demonic spirits lose their minds and become complete slaves. Unless the demonic spirit refiner dies, there is no way to regain their freedom.

"Han Qing is exceptionally talented. If I can transform him into a demon servant, he will surely become a great help to me in the future," Tan Yuanming pondered.

Han Qing also noticed Tan Yuanming immediately and said loudly, "Stop! If you come within a thousand miles of me, I will not let you off!"

"I am Tan Yuanming, Han Qing. I've heard you're the most talented martial artist of our time. Hehe, I'd like to test my skills and see what you're really capable of," Tan Yuanming said with a smile.

"Another demonic cultivator seeking divine power. In ancient times, demons were universally hated. You people have turned to demonic cultivation, willingly degenerating yourselves. How dare you live in this world?" Han Qing raised an eyebrow.

"Haha, the demon race's dominance in ancient times fully proves the strength of the demonic path. We demonic cultivators don't care about empty fame at all, we only focus on pursuing power. You're full of righteousness, but when I capture you alive, you'll understand that everything in this world except power is an illusion!" Tan Yuanming laughed heartily.

He suddenly made his move, and with a whoosh, countless demonic thoughts surged forth, and a mighty wind swept across the heavens and earth.

"Ok?"

Han Qing's gaze sharpened as he noticed the uniqueness of this distant voice. This person was at the second level of the Incense Realm, but his soul was extremely solid and powerful, with a massive amount of demonic thoughts surging within him, numbering no less than 100,000. This situation was extremely rare.

Yan Qiuling was able to gain 56,000 Dharma thoughts out of thin air because Shui Yuan Daojun chose to die. But how many Shui Yuan Daojuns are there in the world, and how many people are willing to transfer their life's arduous cultivation to others?

"Shepherd Kill!"

Suddenly, a vast, dark, and mysterious starry sky appeared in the sky. The stars suddenly converged to form an evil spirit with a ram's head and a human body, holding a scepter, which it smashed down on Han Qing.

Han Qing flipped his palm, and the Buddha Heart Classic appeared, suddenly radiating golden light and transforming into a shield.

Bang!
The scepter slammed heavily onto a shield, creating ripples.

"Hmm? This person is indeed quite capable. The strength of this attack far exceeds the level that an ordinary second-stage Incense Realm cultivator can achieve, and is at least equivalent to a second-stage Golden Body Realm cultivator."

Han Qing analyzed in his mind that with just the first strike, he had roughly figured out his opponent's strength.

His gaze swept across the area, and he vaguely guessed the reason. First, the number of his magical thoughts was too large, so the power of his spells naturally doubled. Second, a jet-black battle armor appeared on his body, with stars shimmering in the shadows, which was extraordinary and brought him a great boost to his combat power.

"But with just these, you're far from enough to kill me!"

Han Qing let out a low shout and suddenly activated the Yin-Yang True Realm.

"seal up!"

In an instant, countless magical powers converged and suddenly transformed into a lotus flower that shone with black and gold light, sealing the evil spirit within.

"Ok?"

Tan Yuanming was startled. This shepherd evil spirit, formed from 32,000 demonic thoughts, had lost its connection for a moment.

"This is the Yin-Yang True Realm!"

With a sweep of his eyes, he finally recognized the true nature of the black and gold lotus: it was the first ancient sealing technique, the Yin-Yang True Realm.

"This Han Qing is indeed a martial arts prodigy; he can even learn this sealing technique." Tan Yuanming felt a pang of jealousy for no reason.

"Scorpion Kill!"

He quickly changed his move, and a massive amount of demonic energy surged up, soaring into the sky and transforming into a giant black-gold battle scorpion. Suddenly, he swung his scorpion tail and fiercely stabbed down at Han Qing.

The scorpion's tail, gleaming with a sharp, cold light, traversed the sky and arrived before Han Qing in the blink of an eye.

However, at the same moment, the Eight Directions Puppet soared up and blocked the scorpion tail attack.

The first punch sent Scorpio flying backward. The second punch sent Dark Star Scorpio blasted apart in mid-air, turning into streaks of light that scattered across the heavens and earth.

"what?"

Tan Yuanming was shocked. He originally thought that even if he was not as strong as Han Qing, he could at least fight to a draw. He did not expect the gap to be so big.

He made two moves, both of which were easily countered.

In a daze, the Eight Directions Puppet had already pounced on him, while Han Qing behind him suddenly waved the Sun and Moon Tide Fan, and the radiance of the sun and moon, interwoven with gold and silver, surged between heaven and earth, like waves rushing towards him.

"Mad Lion Slayer!"

Tan Yuanming unleashed his third move, this time almost with all his might. Countless demonic thoughts surged forth and suddenly converged into a gigantic, jet-black war lion, which galloped through the air and crashed fiercely into the Eight Directions Puppet.

As a result, the jet-black war lion was first swallowed by the radiance of the sun and moon, its body on the verge of collapse, and then it was smashed to pieces by a punch from the Eight Directions Puppet.

This collision plunged Tan Yuanming into utter despair.

"Damn it, let's go! Han Qing's combat strength is terrifying; I was too arrogant!"

Tan Yuanming suddenly realized his mistake. After leaving the Ancient Realm of the Void, he crushed several powerful enemies in the past, which led him to misjudge his own strength and believe that he could fight against the leader of the Holy Land.

He simply didn't have the chance to compete with the true leaders of the Holy Land, so he came up with the idea of ​​using Han Qing as a testing ground, but he didn't expect to be easily defeated.

Only now did he realize how strong Han Qing was, and how big the gap was between himself and a master of the Holy Land's leadership level.

"go!"

So he turned and ran.

"Since you've chosen to make a move, then stay here!! I'll send you on your way!"

Han Qing waved his fan again, and an even greater surge of power from the sun and moon tides rushed towards Tan Yuanming.

"No good! Han Qing, stop immediately! You are powerful and talented. Why not join forces with me and lead the trend of human reform in the future?" Tan Yuanming shouted.

"You think you're worthy with your strength? Besides, I, Han Qing, have principles and will never associate with demonic cultivators." Han Qing sneered.

Although those who cultivate the demonic path are not pure demons, they still possess a degree of demonic nature. They are cunning and cruel, and in order to become stronger, they can abandon all moral principles. In ancient times, there were also people who cultivated the demonic path. These people were regarded as scum and traitors of the human race.

"seal up!"

As he spoke, Han Qing suddenly pointed a finger, and the power of his magical thoughts surged and converged. He once again used the Yin-Yang True Realm to seal it within.

Before the spell was even fully formed, Tan Yuanming's expression changed drastically. He knew the power of the Yin-Yang True Realm. If he were truly sealed inside, he would have to pay an astonishing price to escape, and might even be captured alive.

In that instant, Tan Yuanming made his decision. Three thousand demonic thoughts within his body suddenly ignited, transforming into a vast surge of demonic energy that erupted from his body, converging above his head to form a dark star vortex. "Heavenly Star Guides the Way!"

"go!"

He flashed into the vortex of stars and vanished without a trace in an instant.

not far away.

Upon seeing this, Ma Meng turned and ran.

"Tan Yuanming is too arrogant and doesn't know how powerful Han Qing is. Fortunately, I didn't join him in the attack, otherwise I would definitely be in big trouble!" Ma Meng thought to himself.

At this moment, the Yin-Yang True Realm had just taken shape. Han Qing frowned, not expecting Tan Yuanming's escape technique to be so powerful, disappearing without a trace in an instant.

"Husband, this young man surnamed Tan is running so fast!" Yan Qiuling flew over.

"Hmm, he does have some ability." Han Qing nodded.

"The fact that this person was able to escape from you with only the second level of incense cultivation means he will be a potential threat in the future," Yan Qiuling added.

"This person possesses ten thousand demonic thoughts, he must have had a great adventure and cannot be judged by ordinary standards. There is no need to worry about the future. No matter how fast he grows, he can't outpace your husband, me," Han Qing said with a smile.

“My husband is right. With your talent, what can he do even if he has a miraculous encounter?” Yan Qiuling’s eyes were full of admiration for Han Qing.

As they were talking, a series of earth-shattering roars came from afar, immediately attracting their attention.

Suddenly, Han Yi, Zongheng Daogong, and a large group of others, unaware of what had happened, launched a massive melee. More accurately, the Palace Master of Zongheng Daogong and others joined forces to attack Han Yi.

Han Yi displayed astonishing combat prowess, holding his own against four opponents.

Han Qing watched intently from the side. He had always been curious about how strong Han Yi's true strength was, but he had never had the opportunity to fight him personally. Now was a good opportunity to see if the four of them could force Han Yi to his limit, or even if they could defeat him.

Suddenly, Tuoba Qiu pressed forward, slashing Han Yi dozens of times. The sword light surged like waves, suddenly surrounding Han Yi from all sides.

Han Yi's solution was extremely simple and brutal. He raised his hand and threw a punch, the martial arts intent surging from the tip of his fist, like a mental storm, launching a frenzied attack in all directions, directly destroying and annihilating all the dozens of sword lights with overwhelming force!

Then, Han Yi's figure blurred, and in an instant he traversed a distance of over a thousand miles, rushing straight to kill Tuoba Qiu.

Tuoba Qiu dodged and retreated rapidly. The curved blade in his hand suddenly flew out, and a massive amount of magical power poured into it. In a flash, it transformed into a huge magical blade tens of feet tall, which suddenly slashed down at Han Yi below.

The power of this strike was terrifying; Han Qing could feel it even from a great distance. The blade's edge was extremely sharp, as if it could sever space and time.

He had heard that Tuoba Qiu had a famous technique called the Sea-Slaying Demon Blade, a powerful secret technique that combined magic and martial arts, and he figured it must be this very blade.

Han Yi's response was still awe-inspiring. The Imperial Dragon Armor suddenly appeared on his body. He flashed forward, stretched out his right hand, exerted force with his five fingers, and suddenly grabbed the curved blade.

The scimitar failed to strike, remaining suspended in mid-air, trembling and struggling, yet unable to break free.

"broken!"

Han Yi extended his left hand, joined two fingers together, and with lightning speed pointed forward, striking the side of the Tu Hai curved blade.

Ding!
The crisp sound of metal echoed between heaven and earth as the curved blade shrank and spiraled towards the ground.

Han Yi continued his movements, his figure flashing once more as he approached Tuoba Qiu again.

Tuoba Qiu was startled. Han Yi's strength shocked him. Even using his fists and palms to unleash some of the most ordinary attacks had such terrifying destructive power. This gave him the illusion that the great way is simple and returns to the original nature.

He turned and left, knowing full well that if Han Yi got close, he would surely die!
"Want to leave?"

Han Yi suddenly reached out and grabbed at Tuoba Qiu, who was retreating rapidly.

Wow!
Countless black chains suddenly appeared out of thin air, surging in from all directions, and in an instant locked down every escape route behind Tuoba Qiu.

This is a typical Legalist secret technique: sealing the heavens and locking the earth.

In an instant, Tuoba Qiu had nowhere to retreat or avoid; it seemed his only option was to fight to the death.

"So what if I'm reborn through possession?"

"What about Nirvana?"

"I will send you on your way again, this time, I will completely extinguish any hope of your resurrection!"

...

Han Yi's voice was deep as he raised his hand and threw another punch.

Tuoba Qiu's expression changed drastically. At such close range, he gained a deeper understanding of Han Yi's boxing skills.

This is no casual punch; it is a terrifying move that combines martial arts and magic. However, the technique is so profound that it has reached a state of returning to simplicity, so it appears clean and refined without any fancy moves. Only those who truly face it can appreciate the terrifying power contained within the punch.

In that instant, Tuoba Qiu had the illusion that his soul and body were about to collapse and be annihilated.

At this critical moment, Mu Haixiu made his move. A shield suddenly flew out from his palm and instantly flew to Tuoba Qiu, transforming into a huge star shield, like a wall, protecting him behind him.

The punch landed with a resounding thud, echoing through the heavens and earth. Then, the shield began to shake violently, and the starlight surrounding it flickered.

Tuoba Qiu thus had a fleeting chance to escape. He raised his hand and with a single stroke, severed the chains that surrounded him, and suddenly soared into the air, breaking free from their grasp.

Mu Haixiu immediately tried to retract his shield, but Han Yi had already taken a step forward and threw another punch, which was even more terrifying than the previous one.

Under the power of the Dharma, everyone saw numerous phantom images of gods and Buddhas appearing around him, each bound by chains, unable to break free, and emitting painful roars.

"broken!"

This seemingly indestructible shield of stars was suddenly shattered by a single punch, turning into starlight that vanished and disappeared into the world.

Mu Haixiu's eyelids twitched and his mind was shaken. This shield was a supreme treasure of the Yin-Yang Dao. He had refined it with his spiritual power for many years and it had never been shattered or broken when facing countless powerful enemies. He never expected it to be so fragile when it came to Han Yi.

Or rather, it wasn't that his shield was too weak, but rather that Han Yi's punching power was too terrifying.

As the starlight faded, Han Yi's cold and ruthless eyes locked onto Mu Haixiu from afar.

"Since you saved him, then die in his place!"

Wow!
Han Yi's scales trembled, and a golden dragon phantom appeared on his body, coiling and wrapping around him, greatly increasing his speed.

Mu Haixiu's pupils shrank, not daring to confront him head-on. His entire body was suddenly enveloped in a gray light, and then he transformed into a gray stream of light, fleeing rapidly into the distance.

Han Yi suddenly took a deep breath and then let out a low shout as he strode forward.

Buzz!
A series of dragon roars echoed, and visibly, space shattered around the dragon's head, revealing numerous dark cracks that spread rapidly like a spiderweb. Furthermore, turbulent void currents surged forth from these cracks, turning a large surrounding area into a swamp. (End of Chapter)