The First Sage of Military Strategists

The commotion here is too great, and the name of Taixu Xuepeng is too famous. Who knows what kind of trouble he will provoke later?

"go!"

Han Qing suddenly took flight and sped away into the distance at an extremely fast speed.

"Husband, where are we going now?" Yan Qiuling asked.

"We need to find a way to get rid of these people," Han Qing frowned.

He could feel that as he soared into the sky, people from all directions were also soaring with him.

These people's thoughts of the Dharma are sweeping over themselves.

"Return to the main camp! Once we get back to the main camp, these people will naturally give up!" Han Qing said in a deep voice.

He guessed that these spying men were all experts from the Great Yu Kingdom and would never make a move inside the camp.

Just then, the voice of the Taixu Blood Roc echoed in his ears.

"Master, release me. I will take you to the Nine Heavens Gale Layer. I need to absorb the power of the void to repair myself."

“Alright! But I’ve heard that the Nine Heavens Gale Layer is extremely dangerous. In your current state, wouldn’t you encounter danger if you flew in?” Han Qing asked.

"It's alright. I am the Void Blood Roc, born from the void. The Nine Heavens Gale and the Void Turbulence will not harm me. On the contrary, they will nourish me and strengthen my body!" said the Void Blood Roc.

"Okay, then let's do as you say!" Han Qing nodded slightly.

With a flash of light, the Void Blood Roc appeared beside him, and Han Qing and Yan Qiuling landed on his back.

The latter flapped its wings and suddenly took flight, soaring rapidly into the sky at an astonishing speed.

The numerous pursuers behind them were like sharks in the ocean that had smelled blood, following closely behind.

Thus, the Blood Roc flew upwards for a full 100,000 miles, traversing layers upon layers of mist.

At one moment, the clouds suddenly dissipated, and the view opened up before us.

Whoohoo!
The black, malevolent winds, surging like waves, howled in from all directions.

A burst of light suddenly emanated from the Taixu Blood Roc, enveloping Han Qing on its back and completely blocking and isolating it from the surging gale.

"Is this the Nine Heavens Gale Layer? This is only the first layer, yet it's already so turbulent and fierce!" Han Qing said.

He had only seen it in ancient books, but had never seen it in person.

Legend has it that these Nine Heavens Gale Winds correspond to the nine realms of a sage. Only the Incense Burning Realm can soar in the first layer of Gale Winds, and so on. The Rainbow Transformation Realm can soar in all nine layers of Gale Winds. Nine realms, nine layers of Gale Winds.

Of course, some magical artifacts can break this rule. For example, the legendary ancient treasure, the Nine Dragons Palace of the Heavenly Emperor, can make it possible to travel freely through the nine layers of fierce winds.

Above the gale-force winds lies an endless void of turbulent currents, within which countless stars float, concealing a great secret.

The Void Blood Roc ascended upwards, passing through three layers before finally stopping at the fourth layer of gale-force winds. Suddenly, it folded its wings together, curled its entire body into a ball, and began to absorb the void power within the gale-force winds to heal and strengthen itself.

Han Qing and the others stood in the narrow space formed by its wings and back, unaffected by the slightest bit of the gale, while the pursuers behind them had long since disappeared.

The Nine Heavens Gale Layer is too dangerous, and most people are unwilling to venture into it.

"Master, my injuries will be healed in seven days!" Taixu Xuepeng's voice echoed in Han Qing's ears.

“Alright, then I’ll wait for you for seven days,” Han Qing said.

With a thought, he reappeared in the space inside the Boundless Monument. He still had many curiosities and questions about the spirit of the artifact, Ming.

"Elder Ming, please come out and meet me!" Han Qing said loudly.

His control over the Boundless Monument was still too low, so he couldn't sense Elder Ming hiding himself.

With a flash of light, Elder Ming appeared above Han Qing's head, his face full of exhaustion.

He yawned: "That old man's antics have cost me more than 30% of my strength. I desperately need to rest now. What do you want to ask? We can talk about it later. By the way, I have half a scroll of scripture here, called the Scripture of the Great Harmony of the Future!"

In an instant, a faint light flickered, and a scroll of scripture suddenly appeared. It was the Scripture of the Great Harmony of the Future, with many scriptures appearing and disappearing on it.

Han Qing was startled. He knew that there was half of the Future Great Harmony Scripture in that wondrous place in Shu, but he didn't expect that Elder Ming also had half of it.

He reached out and grabbed the scripture, which landed in his hand. As he scanned it, many of its key points came to mind.

"This is... the future Great Harmony!"

Han Qing was overjoyed. The moment he memorized all the scriptures, the words "Future Great Harmony" automatically appeared on the panel.

"It seems my previous view was wrong. The half-scroll of scripture in the Wonderland records the method of opening the acupoints, while this half-scroll is the future Great Unity Body, a powerful move that combines magic and martial arts, which can only be learned by those at the Golden Body Realm."

"Unfortunately, there are no soul light spots in the Seven Killings Stele, so I have to learn on my own!" Han Qingxin said.

However, he is now at the Golden Body Realm, his knowledge has greatly improved, and his martial arts cultivation has accumulated to an extremely profound level. At least it will not be difficult for him to learn the basics of the Great Unity Body in the future.

So he sat cross-legged, closed his eyes slightly, and began to repeatedly study this secret technique.

...

outside world.

Deep in the desert, atop a towering sand dune, Ma Meng descended from the sky and let out a long sigh.

He kept replaying the events that had just occurred in his mind.

Just then, a young man's voice came from above.

"Mamon, you're so young, why are you sighing and complaining?"

Han Qing looked up and suddenly saw a figure descending from the sky, landing in front of him. It was Tan Yuanming.

"Brother Tan, you used a secret method to escape far away, how could you still find me?" Ma Meng asked with a smile.

"I have a priceless treasure called the Celestial Star Compass, which is an heirloom of my Tan family. I obtained it from a master of the Yin-Yang Sect in my early years. It can record a person's aura and track them from thousands of miles away," Tan Yuanming said with a smile.

As he spoke, he stretched out his hand, and a compass shimmering with starlight appeared in his palm—the Celestial Compass.

"I see. Where is Han Qing now?" Ma Meng asked.

“This person is high in the heavens, in the Nine Heavens Gale Layer,” Tan Yuanming said.

"The Gale Layer? It seems he has subdued the Void Blood Roc, further enhancing his combat power and making him even more difficult to deal with." Ma Meng sighed.

"Hmph, this person is indeed formidable. I suffered a great loss this time, losing tens of thousands of magical thoughts. However, I am not afraid of him. Once I open the Three Heavenly Gates, I will go to the Ancient Void Realm to refine another 100,000 demonic thoughts. Next time we fight, I will definitely be able to capture and kill him!" Tan Yuanming said loudly.

“Brother Tan, you still need to be careful. Han Qing is growing too fast; we may not be able to catch up,” Ma Meng added.

“Ma Meng, how can you be so pessimistic at your age? Even if he grows up quickly, so what? He’s too popular. Even if we’re not here, someone else will deal with him. My Tan family has secret intelligence that the Han and Luo families have experts in their camp who are preparing to target Han Qing. The Great Vajra Temple knows that his martial arts talent is so terrifying, so they certainly won’t let him go either. Perhaps, after this great battle, he will perish. You and I just need to focus on improving ourselves. There’s no need to be discouraged!” Tan Yuanming added.

Ma Meng nodded, regaining some confidence in his heart.

"Brother Tan, I'm currently working on refining the Heavenly Demon Blood Soul Pill and was hoping to ask for your help. Once it's successfully refined, we'll split the profits equally," Tan Yuanming said.

"Okay." Seven days later.

A phantom figure descended from the sky, suddenly piercing through the thick clouds and falling from the Nine Heavens Gale Layer. It was the Void Blood Roc, and standing on its back were Han Qing and Yan Qiuling.

After seven consecutive days of continuous absorption of the power of the Great Void, the Great Void Blood Roc's injuries have been healed, and it may even be able to advance further, but it is still a long way from returning to its peak state.

However, even in this state, the Taixu Blood Roc's flight speed is extremely fast, and it can fly thousands of miles in an instant.

It traversed the vast desert and in an instant descended from the high heavens to the vicinity of the camp.

However, considering that the Taixu Blood Roc was too conspicuous, and that it had absorbed and stored a large amount of Taixu power and needed to slumber to digest it, Han Qing put it into the Boundless Stele and flew to Guiqiu City with Yan Qiuling.

In a short while, the two had entered the city. Han Qing discovered that there were many unfamiliar faces in the city, as well as a large number of powerful auras lurking and intertwining among them.

"There are many more experts in this city," Yan Qiuling murmured.

"Hmm, it seems there's been some big activity in Guiqiu City lately. I'll ask Meng Qingxi what's going on later," Han Qing said.

The two then returned to the courtyard that Meng Qingxi had arranged for them.

Han Qing inquired with the steward of the courtyard, hoping to find out some information from Meng Qingxi, but was told that Meng Qingxi was entertaining distinguished guests and could not get away.
Han Qing wasn't in a hurry and began a new round of seclusion with Yan Qiuling.

Han Qing sat cross-legged in the secret room, repeatedly pondering and studying the future Great Harmony.

This scripture is profound and complex. He used to rely on the Seven Killings Stele to quickly comprehend magic and martial arts, but now he has to rely on himself to realize how difficult it is for others to cultivate magic.

"In the beginning was light, which illuminated the universe, and wisdom reached all realms, awakening all beings..."

"Different in appearance, but disdainful of each other's origins..."

"Spiritual beings carry heaven and earth, interconnected as one, traversing the universe, sharing a boundless realm..."

...

Han Qing read it over and over again. He could understand the meaning of each word individually, but he couldn't understand the meaning when they were put together. However, this was the normal state of cultivation.

"Too slow. No wonder it is so difficult to learn a supreme secret technique. Others find it extremely difficult to even comprehend the basic essence of a spell."

"Hmm, let's read for a few days and see if we can get the hang of it. If not, then we'll find a way to kill a few more powerful figures from the Holy Desert Empire and use the Seven Killings Stele to deduce and quickly improve our strength," Han Qingxin said.

...

Time passed slowly, and seven days had passed in the blink of an eye. Han Qing opened his eyes, slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, and got up to go to the courtyard.

He stretched out his palm, and with a thought, a hazy milky-white light gathered in his palm, forming a dazzling milky-white sphere.

This milky-white orb exudes a breathtaking power, simply because it is a technique that combines magic and martial arts, formed by the fusion of magical power and the power of blood and qi.

This is Han Qing's achievement over the past seven days. Following the Future Great Harmony Scripture, he has been able to initially combine these two completely different forces into one. This is the first step in cultivating the Future Great Harmony Body, but it is far from enough.

To cultivate the Great Unity Body to perfection, one needs to unify all the power of Dharma thoughts and the power of Qi and blood throughout the body, and one needs to have an extremely profound understanding of a secret technique.

Hearing the commotion, Yan Qiuling also came out of her house, glanced around, and a faint smile appeared on her face.

"My husband, this ball of light is very powerful, it has the feel of a combination of magic and martial arts."

Han Qing reached out and squeezed, and the light shattered at lightning speed, turning into streaks of light that dissipated into the world.

"You're right. This is a move that I, your husband, comprehended by combining the true meaning of martial arts and the power of Dharma thought, in accordance with the essential meaning of the scriptures of the Great Harmony of the Future. My wife, if you want to learn it, I will pass it on to you now," Han Qing said with a smile.

Yan Qiuling nodded slightly, her eyes full of admiration: "Husband, once you learn the Great Unity Body of the Future, you will surely be able to fight head-on with experts at the level of leaders of holy lands. However, I am only at the third level of Incense Realm now. It will not be too late to learn this secret technique after I break through to the Golden Body Realm."

"Alright."

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

A middle-aged man in a blue long gown stepped into the courtyard; he was the manor's steward, surnamed Cao.

"My lords, the city lord just sent a message inviting you to the palace for a meeting."

Butler Cao bowed slightly, his attitude respectful.

"it is good!"

Han Qing and his companion immediately got up and went out. Since flying was not allowed in the city, they chose to ride horses.

The distance from the manor to the palace in the very center of the inner city wasn't far, and it wouldn't take long, so the two rode slowly.

It was daytime, and many vendors could be seen on the streets on both sides of Guiqiu City. But at night, no one could go out without military permission, and the entire city would enter a state of high alert again.

Yan Qiuling scanned the area with her eyes and commented with a smile, "I didn't expect there to be so many desert specialties on this street. It's quite an eye-opener."

Han Qing glanced around and saw many unusual products. With his keen senses, he could hear all the conversations on the street and easily recognized the names of these specialties, such as sand melon, white thorn fruit, camel meat, and dried camel milk.

"Qiu Ling, if you're interested, why don't you buy some to try?" he said with a smile.

"What my husband says makes sense," Yan Qiuling nodded.

Although they had reached a level where they no longer needed to eat, satisfying their cravings was still quite nice.

Yan Qiuling walked straight to a small vendor's stall and picked out the items she wanted. The stall was filled with a dazzling array of goods, all of which were specialties from the Western Regions, which was refreshing to her.

Han Qing stopped his horse and waited to the side. At this moment, a hunched old man carrying an umbrella silently approached Han Qing from behind.

When the two closed the distance to a hundred paces, Han Qing sensed something, suddenly turned around, and let out a low shout.

"Who?"

"get out!"

The moment he turned around, the old man suddenly opened the bamboo umbrella in his hand, and thousands of cold lights shot out from it. Each ray of cold light was a silver needle, which instantly pierced through the bodies of everyone around. A large number of silver needles were drawn towards Han Qing.

Suddenly, eight puppets appeared in front of Han Qing, using their physical bodies to block the thousands of silver needles.

Then, he witnessed a horrifying scene: the silver needles had actually pierced into the body of the Eight Directions Puppet, appearing densely packed like cow hair.

The Eight Directions Puppet's body was incredibly sturdy. Although he wasn't wearing the Dragon Devouring Armor, he shouldn't have been pierced. But in reality, he was pierced. At least his physical defense was broken, which shows that the umbrella's destructive power was terrifying enough to threaten even a saint.

The street was instantly transformed into a battlefield; everyone except Yan Qiuling and Han Qing was killed, with hundreds of people dying or injured.

A chilling killing intent suddenly surfaced in Han Qing's heart.

"The indiscriminate killing of innocent people is an unforgivable crime!"

Seeing that his attack had missed, the old ghost was suddenly covered by a layer of dark shadow, like ripples on water.

"Want to go?"

Han Qing let out a low shout, and the Yin-Yang Incantation Seal suddenly appeared, transforming into a giant hand of colorful light. It slammed down on the old ghost, who was unable to resist and his body was blasted apart in mid-air. (End of this chapter)