The First Sage of Military Strategists

He witnessed Han Qing's growth. Under heaven, no one else had such a series of extraordinary encounters as Han Qing, nor was anyone else as generous as Han Qing.

"Mr. Zhou, you flatter me. Your improvement in strength is also a good thing for me. Come on, good things have been happening one after another lately, we should celebrate! Let's go have a drink!" Han Qing said with a smile.

“What you say is absolutely right, young master. We should drink, and drink to our hearts’ content.” Zhou Xiaoru nodded repeatedly.

into the night.

The group sat around the stone table in the courtyard, drinking wine from large bowls and eating large chunks of meat. The wine was a spirit wine brewed by immortals, and the meat was no ordinary food either. It was a spirit bird or exotic beast that Han Qing ordered Taixu Xuepeng to capture from the depths of the desert. Its flesh and blood were roasted by magical flames, making it golden, crispy, and fragrant. When you took a bite, the oil would burst in your mouth, making it extremely delicious.

Even after becoming a high-level cultivator, this most primal enjoyment is still intoxicating.

Han Qing tore off a large bite of bear meat and then gulped down several mouthfuls of wine, completely disregarding his image.

Having reached his level of strength, the opinions of outsiders and worldly values ​​are like fleeting clouds, completely irrelevant to him.

If you're going to eat, then you should eat to your heart's content.

...

Amidst the Nine Heavens Gale Layer and endless turbulent currents, the Imperial Heaven Nine Dragon Palace is rapidly soaring into the distance.

Inside the palace.

Han Yi sat cross-legged on a futon, surrounded by crystals formed from the bones of dragons and phoenixes, from which wisps of dragon blood essence emanated and gathered on his body.

Crackling!

A series of ringing sounds emanated from Han Yi's body as his acupoints were opened, his aura surged, and his body underwent a continuous transformation, with scales appearing on his skin.

As he rose and moved, the scales all over his body trembled, making a series of rustling sounds.

"Congratulations, sir, your strength has reached a new level. I think you are not far from becoming a Martial Saint of Ten Thousand Apertures," Chen Liuyun said respectfully from the side.

At this moment, standing in front of Han Yi, even if Han Yi did nothing, he could feel a strong sense of oppression, as if he would be crushed if Han Yi moved a finger.

Just how strong is Han Yi? He couldn't fathom it.

"Ten thousand apertures?" Han Yi murmured, without directly answering the question.

He reached out and grabbed, drawing more dragon blood essence from the dragon and phoenix skeletons. In three or five breaths, the essence in these skeletons was completely drained, converging in his hand to form a magnificent blood-red pearl.

"With this dragon and phoenix essence blood, the difficulty for martial artists to open their acupoints will decrease by more than tenfold," Han Yi murmured.

Chen Liuyun stared intently at the blood-red pearl, but Han Yi had no intention of giving it to him, and he dared not ask for it.

A flash of white light appeared, and the precious pearl vanished without a trace. Han Yi looked up, and a phantom image suddenly appeared before him, depicting a map of this world.

"This time, the news of targeting the Chen family will spread quickly. All the powerful families in the world will realize the situation. The imperial court is no longer what it used to be. With the Nine Dragons Palace of the Imperial Heaven, no powerful family can resist it. The only way to survive is to submit and bow down to the emperor." Han Yi stared at the map and muttered to himself.

Chen Liuyun hurriedly agreed, "What you say is absolutely right, sir. My Chen family in the capital is the first to take the lead in submitting to the court. Those who are blind and cannot see the situation should be eliminated."

At this moment, Han Yi's gaze slowly shifted from Haizhou to the vast grasslands of Western Mang.

"After the Imperial Nine Dragons Palace was further repaired, it has acquired the ability to conceal the secrets of heaven. After this test, we can conclude that even the leaders of the holy lands cannot deduce everything related to the Imperial Nine Dragons Palace. The world order is about to undergo a huge change. Our Great Yu will surely dominate the world and rule all directions. No one in the world will dare to disobey us," Han Yi said in a deep voice.

The reason why leaders of holy lands are difficult to kill is not only because their combat power is incredibly strong, but also because they have the ability to predict the future and seek good fortune while avoiding misfortune.

When a life-or-death crisis strikes, Heaven will issue a warning in advance, thus allowing these powerful individuals to easily avoid death.

Han Yi is already powerful enough, but he has not been able to kill the leader of the Holy Land for so many years, and this is one of the reasons.

But this time, with the dragon and phoenix skeletons and a large number of magical treasures being absorbed and reforged by the Nine Dragons Palace of the Heavenly Emperor, the Nine Dragons Palace of the Heavenly Emperor has evolved to an incredible level. It can transcend the Heavenly Dao and cannot predict anything related to it. The Heavenly Dao will not give others any warnings. This is one of the main reasons why the Heavenly Wolf King was killed.

"The Nine Dragons Palace of the Imperial Heaven truly lives up to its reputation as the number one treasure of ancient times." Chen Liuyun couldn't help but sigh. This treasure is elusive and unpredictable, capable of severely injuring or even killing leaders of holy lands. Who wouldn't be afraid of it?
"With the death of the Heavenly Wolf King, Western Mang will surely be thrown into chaos. I will return to the capital to see His Majesty and prepare troops in advance to suppress the Heavenly Wolf Fortress and completely subdue Western Mang."

"The Shennong Dao Palace in the South China Sea, the Mohist School, Han Qing, and the powerful enemies from beyond the heavens in Chu—all these destabilizing factors should be eliminated." Han Yi ignored those around him and continued to explain his grand plan in a calm and unhurried manner.

Following his words, Chen Liuyun scanned the map back and forth. He could sense how ambitious Han Yi was. He had a premonition that a series of earth-shattering battles would break out in the future, and the imperial court would be the ultimate winner.

...

Guiqiu City.

Han Qing sat under the pavilion, facing Qi Guanzi, recounting the major events that had occurred in the world recently.

"The Chen family has killed 1,374 people, all of whom were key and elite members. Haizhou has now completely fallen into the hands of the imperial court."

Emperor Yu had long harbored the idea of ​​wiping out all the powerful clans and bringing all their power under the court, but he had never actually taken action before. This time, the destruction of the Chen family has made all the powerful clans feel insecure. "Qi Guanzi said slowly.

"Han Yi, together with the Nine Dragons Palace of the Imperial Heaven, is indeed invincible in terms of combat power. Even the old ghost of the Mo family and the Heavenly Craft Workshop might not be a match for him. Not to mention the Peacock King Buddha, unless he can truly break free from Brahma and refine Brahma into a magic weapon, he will have no chance against Han Yi. However, these powerful families will not sit idly by and wait for their doom. I think the world will fall into even greater turmoil in the future," Han Qing analyzed calmly.

"Well, there's one more thing. The Sirius King is dead, and he died at Han Yi's hands. The Nine Dragons Palace of the Imperial Heaven can conceal the secrets of heaven, which means that the leaders of the Holy Land are no longer safe either," Qi Guanzi added.

"Emperor Yu is ambitious; I fear he intends to wipe out the powerful clans and martial arts holy lands." Han Qing pondered, then raised his hand and placed a black piece on the chessboard.

"Yes, Emperor Yu is indeed a man of great courage. Even with the Nine Dragons Palace of the Heavenly Emperor, a single misstep could lead to the collapse of the country and the ensuing chaos of war," Qi Guanzi murmured, raising his hand to place a white piece.

"Mr. Qi, I'll have to trouble you from now on. Please gather more information from all sides. The situation is changing rapidly these days, so the intelligence must be accurate and timely. Every humanitarian change is an important opportunity for us to improve our strength, and we cannot afford to miss it." Han Qing said, placing another black piece.

"You flatter me, sir. This is what I should do," Qi Guanzi nodded.

Although Lishan Academy has been operating for many years and is not as prosperous as Yuelu Academy in its heyday, it still has spies all over the world, and even has people planted around the emperor. Therefore, even if he stays in Guiqiu City and does not leave his home, he can still know what is happening in the world.

Just as they were talking, a guest arrived, claiming to be from Shennong Taoist Palace, and delivered a secret letter.

Han Qing opened the letter and glanced at it, only to find it was a plea for help.

The letter stated that a strange scenic spot had been discovered in Shennong Kingdom, containing a stone tablet that was believed to be suppressing one of the seven ancient demon kings. Recently, it had shown signs of resurrection, constantly attacking the seal and trying to escape from the stone tablet.

The King of Shennong Kingdom wanted to ask Han Qing to help resolve this great calamity, promising a generous reward if he succeeded. Han Qing quickly gathered information about the Seven Ancient Demon Kings in his mind.

Legend has it that seven demon kings were born with the heavens and earth, and they are the seven most powerful demons and the origin of the demon race in this world.

Han Qing had never known whether the legend was true or false, but now he was quite curious about whether the letter from the Shennong King was real or fake.

On a whim, he told Elder Ming about it.

The Old Man of the Underworld was knowledgeable and knew many ancient secrets. After listening, he immediately gave an affirmative answer, and his tone even showed a hint of excitement.

“Master, the legend of the Seven Ancient Demon Kings is true. They lived as long as heaven and earth, were immortal and indestructible, and disappeared at the end of ancient times. After death, they would turn into statues and awaken after a long period of time. These seven statues are all treasures. If I can successfully devour them, the Boundless Stele will undergo further transformation and will surely surpass the Nine Dragons Palace of the Imperial Heaven to become the number one treasure in the Upper Realm.”

"You mean the Seven Demon Kings are going to be resurrected?" Han Qing pressed.

"In ancient times, the Seven Demon Kings mentioned that they were immortal and would awaken before each major change in the Heavenly Dao, just like the other side of the Heavenly Dao."

"If Master's news is true, then the Seven Demon Kings are indeed about to be resurrected," Elder Ming replied confidently.

"How strong are these seven demon kings?" Han Qing asked.

"At their peak, the Seven Demon Kings possessed combat power comparable to those who had reached the third level of the Rainbow Transformation Realm. However, they were not very united and often killed each other. Moreover, resurrection does not mean that their strength has been fully restored. We must kill them as soon as possible, otherwise, if we swallow them, these seven demon kings will be a catastrophe for all things in the world." Elder Ming's tone was very serious.

"If that's the case, then I absolutely must make a trip to Shennong Kingdom." Han Qing made up his mind.

Putting aside the fact that the Demon King statue is of great use to him, he also has to kill this Demon King in order to eliminate the hidden danger.

"It seems that the other six Demon Kings should also be resurrected, but they are hiding in secret places to increase their strength and have not been discovered yet," Elder Ming added.

"The world is getting more and more chaotic," Han Qing sighed.

"Heroes emerge in times of chaos, Master. With your talent, you will surely lead this revolution in the way of humanity and the way of heaven." Old Master Ming said. This was not flattery, but rather a genuine belief in Han Qing based on his impression of Han Qing's abnormal growth rate.

Han Qing was not afraid at all. So what if there was chaos? He was not afraid of death and had absolute confidence in his strength.

So that afternoon, he got up and took Yan Qiuling to the Shennong Kingdom in the South China Sea.

...

at this time.

Inside the Shennong Kingdom's palace, the king of Shennong Kingdom was discussing important matters with the master of the Dao Palace.

The king wore a jade-green crown and a long robe adorned with flowers. He looked like a handsome young man with delicate features, red lips and white teeth, and exuded vitality at all times.

Opposite him was an elderly man in hemp clothing, leaning on a cane, wearing a garment woven from green vines. This man was the current Palace Master of the Dao Palace.

"Old Ma, what should we do if Han Qing refuses to come and help us?" the young man asked, a trace of worry lingering between his brows.

“If Han Qing refuses to help, then we must find a way to eliminate that demon. Perhaps we can only seek help from the imperial court. However, now that Emperor Yu has obtained the Nine Dragons Palace of the Imperial Heaven, his attitude towards my Dao Palace is unclear. I have heard that he intends to wipe out the Holy Land and the thousand-year-old families. I think we should be wary of Emperor Yu. If all else fails, we should ask the old ghost of the Mo family for help.” Old Ma, also known as the Palace Master of Shennong Dao Palace.

News of Emperor Yu's conquest of Chen and the killing of the Queen of Tianlang has spread throughout the land.

The leaders of all the major families and holy lands are worried about this matter.

Emperor Yu's ambitions are well-known, but previously everyone knew that the court did not have the power to take action against the aristocratic families. However, things are different now. After the Nine Dragons Palace of the Imperial Heaven was repaired, Han Yi, with this supreme treasure, has reached an unbelievable level of combat power, capable of even killing experts at the level of holy lands. This has given the court the ability to take action against aristocratic families and martial arts holy lands.

Although the Shennong Dao Palace, or rather the Shennong Kingdom, has always maintained a harmonious relationship with the imperial court, King Chi Xiao understands that this harmony is merely superficial. If Emperor Yu wants to unify the world, the Shennong Kingdom will inevitably be eliminated. Therefore, he must make preparations in advance.

Han Qing was one of the preparations he made. Although he was in the South China Sea and rarely participated in external conflicts, he had been actively collecting information and understanding the general trend of the world. He was very clear about Han Qing's talent and potential.

Han Qing now possesses the ability to defeat the Peacock King Buddha head-on, and perhaps it won't be long before he can contend with the Nine Dragons Palace of the Heavenly Emperor.

Therefore, this time, asking Han Qing to suppress the Seven Demon Kings was also an attempt to find an opportunity to ask Han Qing for help.

If the imperial court doesn't resort to force, everything is fine. But if the imperial court insists on taking action, with Han Qing's assistance, they will have the ability to resist.

“The old devil of the Mo family has a strange temper and is greedy and ruthless. My Shennong Kingdom and Tiangong Workshop do not have a harmonious relationship. Unless absolutely necessary, it is best not to provoke him,” Chi Xiao added.

...

At this moment, Han Qing and Yan Qiuling had already manipulated the Boundless Stele to soar into the sky, like a streak of light and shadow.

Inside the Boundless Monument, Yan Qiuling was still refining the treasure, the City of Slaughter. Within it was a vast power of Dharma, and to completely subdue it would require a great deal of time and effort.

After flying for an hour since leaving Guiqiu City, Elder Ming suddenly said, "Master, someone is following us."

Han Qing suddenly became interested: "How can someone still be followed if they can conceal their presence with the ability to use a boundary marker?"

"Although the Boundless Monument is powerful, it is not invincible. There are still many ways in the world to track me," said Elder Ming.

"Then stop. I want to see who has the ability to follow us," Han Qing ordered.

The Boundless Monument immediately stopped atop a mountain peak. The faint light that had enveloped the monument dissipated, and Han Qing's figure flashed, appearing outside the monument. He swept his magical senses across it and called out loudly, "Come out!"

"As expected, my reputation is well-deserved. I didn't expect them to discover me so quickly."

A slightly magnetic middle-aged man's voice echoed between heaven and earth. Then, a ball of golden flame suddenly flew from behind at high speed. As it approached, the flame transformed into a golden chariot with four fiery warhorses galloping in front, carrying a man wearing an orange robe.

The man's appearance was also extremely unique, with flames swirling around his body and his eyes shining gold, radiating an intimidating light.

Han Qingfa scanned the man and found that he could not sense any surge of qi or blood from him, which aroused his strong curiosity.

"Without vital energy and blood, are you perhaps not human, or is this a divine soul?"

"Young Master's perception is indeed very strong. My name is Hong Tianlie, from the Sun and Moon Divine Palace. I am a member of the Spirit Clan," the middle-aged man said with a smile. (End of Chapter)