The First Sage of Military Strategists

Thinking of this, the Duke of Mi suddenly opened his mouth and let out a sharp shriek, which was followed by countless black shadows on the Azure Ghost Ship also opening their mouths and letting out a long shriek at the same time.

Countless voices converged into a wave, suddenly flooding Han Qing's ears.

In an instant, the scene before Han Qing's eyes changed dramatically.

A blood moon hung high in the sky overhead, and the boundless blue-green earth all around seemed to possess a unique life force, constantly writhing and growing into towering mounds. Suddenly, the mounds burst open, and ancient, dark blue corpses crawled out.

In an instant, countless living corpses appeared from all directions, rushing towards Han Qing like a tidal wave.

"interesting!"

Han Qing felt no fear whatsoever. No matter how terrifying the scene or how grand the spectacle, it was nothing more than a half-real illusion.

With a flick of his wrist, the Sun and Moon Tide Fan appeared. He suddenly swung it forward repeatedly, and with a whoosh, golden and silver light surged and crashed outwards like ocean waves. Wherever it passed, ancient dark blue corpses were swallowed up and evaporated by the light waves.

One hundred thousand living corpses vanished in an instant, along with the distorted and rapidly dissipated scene, restoring the natural landscape.

The Duke of Mi's expression was solemn. This move, "Ten Thousand Ghosts Paying Homage to the Emperor," was one of his trump cards.

An ordinary cultivator of spirit would immediately fall into an illusion upon being roared at, and be attacked by thousands of living corpses. If they could not escape at the beginning, it would be even more difficult to escape later, and they would eventually die in the illusion.

Han Qing, however, broke through this move in an instant, looking incredibly relaxed.

Unbeknownst to him, the Sun and Moon Tide Fan possessed the power to ward off evil and suppress falsehoods, and this move by the Duke of Mi was precisely countered by it. Furthermore, one was at the third level of the Rainbow Transformation Realm, while the other was at the second level, resulting in a significant difference in their strengths. Therefore, Han Qing was able to break through it with ease.

Of course, Han Qing was extremely confident in his own strength. Even without this fan, he had many ways to escape.

At that moment, he flashed and switched from defense to offense. The Manglong Spear appeared in his hand, and with a single thrust, a dazzling light shot out from the spearhead, piercing through the protective aura of the ghost ship in an instant.

The Duke of Mi had not expected that the power of this shot would be so terrifying.

The protective aura instantly collapsed, and the true dragon's power slammed into the main body of the Azure Ghost Ship, blasting it away.

Accompanied by a series of piercing screams, countless dark figures on the ship vanished, and even the bluish-green light dimmed.

This shot made the Duke of Mi realize the reality: the difference in their combat strength was too great, and he was no match for Han Qing even with a casual move.

"go!"

"Azure Sky guides the way!"

With a low shout, the Duke of Mi's ship suddenly emitted a beam of emerald light, shooting out towards the east. In an instant, it spread out a path of emerald light across the world, and then he rode the ship along this path, flying away at high speed into the distance.

"Can you leave?"

This flying technique is indeed very fast, but Han Qing's movements are even faster.

The instant the Qingguang Avenue took shape, he took the lead and waved his folding fan. In just a moment, countless golden and silver rays surged forward and spread out, scattering the entire avenue.

Duke Mi was shocked. This move, Azure Netherworld Guiding the Way, could allow him to fly 100,000 miles in an instant. It was the most advanced escape method and extremely difficult to interrupt unless one was subjected to an extremely fierce attack in an instant. But Han Qing had just managed to do it.

In that instant, the Azure Ghost Ship was unable to escape and remained suspended in the air.

A black-armored holy body suddenly materialized behind Han Qing. He raised his hand and punched the Azure Ghost Ship again. This punch was even more destructive, and thousands of black shadows on the ghost ship were destroyed, making the azure light even dimmer.

"receive!"

A ghostly light appeared, and the ghost ship was instantly swallowed up.

King Mi was greatly shocked. He had not expected Han Qing to be so strong. He had always been very confident in his ability to escape, but he had never expected to be defeated today.

"Han Qing, I am acting under orders. Do you intend to kill me?" King Mi shouted.

His response was a fierce punch from the Black Armor Saint Body. He tried to dodge, but the punch had the effect of sealing the heavens and locking the earth, so he couldn't dodge it at all and was directly blown apart in mid-air.

However, the Ghost King's body was extremely special. After it was destroyed, the wisps of mist automatically converged and turned into a black mist, only much thinner.

"Han Qing, the imperial court is powerful. You are courting death. Let me tell you, the Imperial Nine Dragons Palace has been fully restored. So what if you have the Golden Body Realm 3? That is an ancient and supreme treasure. I advise you to stop!" King Mi shouted, invoking the imperial court to suppress him.

Han Qing ignored it. This ghost cultivator's ability to conceal his aura was too terrifying, and he could freely traverse various sealing barriers. He had to be killed; keeping him alive would only cause a great calamity.

Therefore, Han Qing did not hesitate and controlled the Black Armored Holy Body to attack one after another. The Secret King was repeatedly blown apart. After the seventh explosion, he finally died and turned into wisps of Dharma thoughts that drifted away and were absorbed into the Boundless Stele by Han Qing. At the same time, a soul light spot appeared in front of the Seven Kill Stele, which came from this person.

"Is he dead?" Yan Qiuling asked. She didn't interfere; she didn't need to, nor could she, interfere in such a battle.

“He’s dead. This ghost cultivator’s body was strange; it took seven punches to kill him,” Han Qing said.

"Ghost cultivators are indeed very good at preserving their lives, but they need to give up their physical bodies. However, they still have the seven emotions and six desires. Many of their desires cannot be satisfied, and they suffer day and night, becoming neither human nor ghost. Therefore, this method has been gradually lost since the Middle Ages," Yan Qiuling explained. She had seen relevant information in ancient books of the demon race.

Han Qing nodded slightly, then flew down to the broken stele not far away and said slowly, "The threat has been eliminated. Now we can open the Wonderland and retrieve the second half of the Future Great Harmony Sutra."

As Han Qing spoke, he placed one hand on the stone tablet in front of him and suddenly activated his magic. In an instant, white mist surged in the valley and quickly engulfed the two of them.

In a daze, the scenery before Yan Qiuling's eyes changed drastically, and she found herself in a wondrous place. In front of her was a suspended stone staircase, at the end of which was a ball of light, within which a scroll of scripture was faintly visible.

Han Qing soared into the air and landed on the first stone step, where mysterious light converged, and a figure suddenly appeared.

He threw a punch, shattering the light and shadow, and then immediately stepped onto the second step.

These are the rules of this wondrous place: regardless of strength, no one can fly; one can only climb step by step, one step at a time, to reach the summit, where an enemy will appear at each step.

However, with Han Qing's current strength, the enemies on the mountain were no match for him. He advanced with unstoppable momentum, almost running upwards at top speed, rushing straight to the summit and shattering the afterimages one after another.

However, within a quarter of an hour, he had already stepped onto the last ten steps, just one step away from the summit. At the end of the stone steps, the scripture was clearly visible, though it was shrouded in a shadow, making it impossible to discern the specific characters inside. Meanwhile, the enemy on the tenth step had already reached the Saint Realm. Han Qing raised his hand and punched, instantly shattering the Saint Realm figure.

Although the illusory figure was a saint, it was only at the Incense Realm Level 1. Moreover, since it was fake, it was still fake. It had power but lacked agility, and its combat strength was far inferior to that of a normal Incense Realm saint. Therefore, it was still blown apart with a single punch.

And so, Han Qing continued upwards, taking eight more steps with a single punch to defeat his opponent, until he reached the very top, where the scroll of scripture lay right before him.

The moment he stepped onto the step, points of light flickered and suddenly converged into a phantom image. This person was elegant and refined, with a feather fan and a silk turban, the most typical attire of a Confucian spiritual practitioner in the Middle Ages.

Han Qing threw a punch as usual, but this time he failed to kill him instantly. He waved his feather fan, and round, full, gold-plated characters shot out from his body, converging above his head to form a scripture. Instantly, it drew upon the power of heaven and earth, and golden light descended, like a golden bell, protecting him inside.

The punch landed on the golden bell like a heavy hammer. With a thud, the bell vibrated, and a long, deep sound echoed. It was not broken immediately, but its light became much dimmer and thinner.

"Hmm? Not bad. I didn't expect that the phantom on the mountaintop would have the cultivation of the third level of the Golden Body Realm."

Han Qing thought to himself, he hadn't used his full strength in this punch; it was more of a test. But it still had a powerful destructive force. Even ordinary Golden Body Second Realm cultivators might not be able to withstand it. Those who could withstand it were either experts in the Golden Body Second Realm or Golden Body Third Realm cultivators.

Just as he was pondering this, the phantom made its move, waving its feather fan and uttering three words: "Ode to the Cold River!"
The power of the Dharma thought surged, transforming into round and full characters, which then converged in the air, arranging and combining to form a scripture. Afterward, the scripture dissipated, triggering the power of heavenly movement.

In an instant, snow began to fall, covering the entire area of ​​the steps, and a cold storm rose from the ground, freezing the ground layer by layer.

This move, "Ode to the Cold River," is a powerful secret technique renowned throughout Confucian history. Once mastered, it can freeze thousands of miles of land, and countless heroes and valiant men have been frozen to death from ancient times to the present.

Zhou Xiaoru had used this move before, but it was nowhere near as powerful as the phantom before him.

Han Qing was instantly covered in a layer of frost. He could feel wisps of cold air enveloping him from all directions, like silver needles, penetrating into his body and soul from every angle. It would not only freeze his physical blood and qi, but also his spiritual thoughts and even his memories.

"What powerful magic! No wonder it's one of the most famous and classic secret techniques of Confucianism," Han Qing exclaimed.

However, while the spell was powerful, his strength was even greater. With a thought, the evil mist rolled in, condensed into a domain, and quickly enveloped the entire stone steps, fighting against the cold air that permeated the world. As a result, the steady sound of the silent collision could be heard everywhere.

The frost on Han Qing's body quickly evaporated and vaporized. Then he put on a pitch-black armor. Under the double protection of the Yuan Chen Heavenly Star Armor, this chill was completely blocked by him.

Seeing that its first move had failed, the phantom immediately changed its tactics, using the familiar movements and postures. This time, the move was called "Ode to Mountains and Rivers".

As the power of the Dharma surged, golden characters shot out and arranged themselves into a scripture above their heads, radiating great brilliance.

In an instant, a magnificent and majestic landscape appeared in the sky, like a mirage, with towering green mountains and rushing rivers in the foreground.

The magnificent landscape suddenly pressed down on Han Qing's head, causing him to feel immense pressure in an instant, and the surging evil mist even thinned out considerably.

This is another classic Confucian secret technique, which focuses on trapping the earth, taking advantage of the scenery of mountains and rivers, and absorbing the power of heaven and earth to suppress and kill powerful enemies.

However, the power of this secret technique fluctuates greatly; the scene and the person performing it will determine its power.

The more magnificent the landscape and the higher the skill level of the caster, the more terrifying the power of this spell.

The power of the Mountain and River Mantra unleashed by the illusory figure before him was quite remarkable. Han Qing guessed that an ordinary Golden Body Realm Second Stage expert would likely be killed by it, and even a Golden Body Realm Third Stage expert would need to spend some effort to break free.

However, Han Qing was not afraid. He flipped his palm and a feather fan appeared. With a sudden wave, golden and silver light surged and flowed upward, instantly shattering the spiritual landscape of mountains and rivers.

"Are there any other tricks?" Han Qing whispered.

He didn't feel much pressure; his expression was relaxed and indifferent. It was more like he was sparring and experiencing something. He wanted to see how many Confucian secret techniques this phantom could still use, and whether there were any ancient Confucian techniques that had been lost. It would be good to learn from it and broaden his horizons.

Sure enough, this phantom had more tricks up its sleeve, and this time it was even more powerful, with a full 100,000 golden characters shooting into the sky to form a scripture.

Han Qing glanced at it and exclaimed in surprise, "This is the Righteous Qi Technique!"

He was just thinking about it, but he never expected to actually come across ancient Confucian and Taoist secret methods that have been lost to the present day.

This secret method originated in the Middle Ages and was created by the sage of Confucianism. One must adhere to the way of a gentleman throughout one's life and cultivate a righteous spirit in one's heart. When facing an enemy, this breath can be exhaled and transformed into a burning fire that incinerates the enemy's soul.

The destructive power of this secret technique ranks among the top three in Confucianism, and even if other schools are included, it would rank among the top twenty.

Unfortunately, this spell was gradually lost for some reason, and now no one can use it anymore. But today he saw it again.

Han Qing dared not be careless, but saw a crimson aura rise from the sky, like flowing fire, silent and without any terrifying power, but it was not to be underestimated. Once it landed on a person, it would immediately burn away their soul and leave them with an empty shell.

"seal up!"

Han Qing immediately unleashed the Yin-Yang True Realm, and a black lotus appeared, directly gathering and absorbing the crimson energy into it.

This crimson energy was extremely restless, surging and twisting within the black lotus, causing it to writhe and pulsate like a heart.

At a certain moment, the black lotus suddenly collapsed, and specks of light scattered between heaven and earth. It was not completely sealed, but ninety percent of the crimson energy was consumed, leaving only the last ten percent, which was dispersed by Han Qing's palm.

Even Yi Cheng dared not underestimate it, because this crimson energy could ignore armor, barriers, and the physical body, and directly kill the soul.

Just as Han Qing was hoping for another spell, the illusory figure silently collapsed and vanished.

"I am Kong Yuan. Here I have half a scroll of the Future Great Harmony Scripture and a secret technique, the Righteous Qi Technique. Since you were able to withstand three of my moves, you must have the cultivation level of the Golden Body Third Realm. I will give you this scripture and secret technique. Regardless of whether you come from the Confucian school or not, you must ensure that this technique is passed down."

As the phantom faded, Han Qing heard a young man's calm and powerful voice.

"So it was Kong Yuan. No wonder he knows the Righteous Qi Technique," Han Qing murmured.

Kong Yuan was also a master of the Yuelu Academy and a famous Confucian and Taoist genius.

Han Qing didn't think much of it. With a grab from afar, a surge of magical power brought the scroll of scripture into his hand. (End of Chapter)