The First Sage of Military Strategists

In a short while, the Boundless Monument flew above the Heavenly Wolf Holy City.

Viewed from above, the city appears magnificent and imposing, resembling a prehistoric behemoth lying prostrate on the ground.

The capital of the Great Yu Dynasty was already large enough, but the Holy City of the Heavenly Wolf was several times larger.

He had heard similar rumors in Dayu before, saying that Tianlang Holy City was the largest city in the world, and now that he saw it with his own eyes, it was indeed so.

However, despite its size, it was not as prosperous as the capital. Han Qing could clearly see the city from thousands of miles away. There were many pavilions, shops and houses, but they were all the same in style and the construction methods were extremely simple and crude. They were basically made of huge stone blocks. They were sturdy and durable, but definitely not beautiful.

At this moment, the vast Holy City of Sirius was shrouded in a hazy gray mist, dividing the city into two worlds.

Outside the city, a large number of soldiers were stationed in makeshift camps, which were brightly lit at night, illuminating the sky.

Han Qing did not recklessly venture deep into Tianlang City. He vaguely sensed that the gray mist was not simple. He noticed that a group of soldiers had just stepped into the city when their bodies immediately melted into a pool of blood, dying silently.

So he activated the Seven Killings Stele, capturing some isolated junior officers outside the city and bringing them into the stele. After killing them, he absorbed their soul points and discovered a wealth of useful information.

Han Qing quickly understood the situation inside and outside the city. There were four major legions stationed outside the city: the True Martial Army, the Azure Nether Army, the Black Armor Army, and the Shadow Assassin Army.

These four legions each numbered in the tens of thousands, and were the most elite soldiers of Western Mang, and were also the most loyal to Duojiluo.

In addition to these elite troops, Duojiluo also joined forces with the seven great families of Western Mang, including many top experts. These powerful figures from the families would also join Duojiluo in suppressing Tianlang Fortress.

Instead of confronting Dorjero head-on, Sirius Castle immediately activated a large array to seal off the entire city. Anyone who dared to enter or leave would be attacked by the array.

This magic array is called the Nine Yin Grand Array. It can unleash Yin energy that corrodes human flesh and blood. If one's strength is insufficient, one will turn into a pool of blood in the blink of an eye.

It seems that Dorjero and his group have not yet found a way to break the great magic array, so they are blocked outside the city, and the situation remains deadlocked.

However, Han Qing was not afraid of the Nine Yin Qi. With his current strength, there was no way he could not resist the magic array.

Therefore, after waiting for a while and finding that Duojiluo and the others had not taken any further action, Han Qing decided to personally enter the city to investigate.

He wanted to try and see if he could break the Nine Yin Formation, so that the army outside the city could launch an attack and the situation would immediately fall into chaos.

Chaos means he has plenty of opportunities to fish in troubled waters, whether it's killing someone to steal their martial arts skills or robbing them of magical treasures.

Thus, without the boundary markers to conceal him, Han Qing landed on a wide street in the city.

Under the watchful eye of the law, white mist permeated the city, yet the people walking among it faced no danger whatsoever. Moreover, this mist was invisible to the naked eye, so it did not affect their daily lives.

Han Qing had assumed that such a dire situation would affect the daily lives of the city's residents, but he was wrong.

Everything in the city remained the same. The people of Ximang seemed to have long been accustomed to war. Shops along the streets remained open, and street vendors continued to hawk their goods as usual.

As Han Qing walked through it, his divine eyes observed the surroundings, and he could clearly feel wisps of white mist gathering in the center of the capital.

So he took flight and quickly arrived at the city center, where there was a huge plaza stretching for dozens of miles, and in the center of the plaza stood a tall temple called the Temple of the Heavenly Wolf.

Han Qing could sense that this temple was the center of the magic array. Above it was a gray-white vortex of qi, which was slowly rotating at a constant speed. Each rotation would spew out a large amount of gray-white mist.

"Master, this temple is very unusual; it seems to be hiding a very powerful force," Elder Ming warned.

Han Qing made some calculations with his fingers. Having reached the third level of the Golden Body Realm, he was already able to observe the Heavenly Dao and deduce good and bad fortune. In most cases, he could use this to avoid life-or-death crises, unless he encountered a supreme treasure like the Imperial Nine Dragons Palace, which could conceal the secrets of heaven and render his calculations ineffective.

"Big evil!"

After a few breaths, Han Qing came to a conclusion and uttered two words.

“Master, since it’s such a terrible omen, I think we shouldn’t take the risk. We should wait and see. Those people outside the city will definitely find a way to break in,” Elder Ming advised.

He initially disapproved of Han Qing, but now he is completely subservient to her.

Han Qing completely won him over with his terrifying talent. He was convinced from the bottom of his heart that Han Qing was the leader of humanitarian reform, so he always considered Han Qing's needs and offered him advice.

Han Qing did not answer; he was pondering where this ominous sign came from.

"Nine Yin Great Sage!"

A name popped into Han Qing's mind. This person was known as the founder of Sirius Fortress and the master of Sirius King. However, he disappeared three hundred years ago. Some people said he was dead, but this has not been confirmed, so we cannot assume that.

"Whether he's dead or not, we'll find out once we go in!" Han Qing felt no fear whatsoever. Even if it was an ominous sign, he was confident he could escape.

If the Nine Yin Great Sage really wasn't dead, he'd like to try and kill this old ghost. If he could, his strength would take another leap forward.

Han Qing pondered for a moment before stepping into the temple ahead.

There were many soldiers stationed around the temple, but under the cover of the boundary markers, Han Qing quietly stepped inside and was not discovered by anyone.

Inside the temple, the gray mist was even thicker. On both sides were more than a hundred statues of gods, large and small, each with a different form, but most of them were fierce and menacing. At the top of the temple was the tallest statue, which was a wolf-headed human.

At this moment, the temple was empty and deserted. Han Qing's gaze swept across the room and quickly locked onto the wolf-headed, human-bodied statue at the very top.

He had a vague feeling that this statue was the center of this Nine Yin Formation, because a white column of energy shot up from the statue and formed a huge vortex of mist above the temple.

"Destroying this statue might break this Nine Yin Formation."

Han Qing observed carefully for a while, and was about to take action when the statue suddenly burst out with a bright light and generated a strong suction force.

"Ok?"

Han Qing raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself that he had been seen through. However, he was not surprised. After all, this was the core area of ​​Tianlang Fortress, so it was normal for them to have the means to find out his whereabouts.

He could sense that the statue led to a hidden world, and he wanted to see what was inside.
Therefore, even though he could resist this immense force, he did not resist, but instead followed the force and flew into the stone statue.

The scenery before his eyes changed in an instant, and Han Qing found himself in another world. This world was also shrouded in white mist, which was thicker and more corrosive than the outside world. As a result, the hazy water light formed by the power of the Boundless Monument covering Han Qing's body began to distort and fluctuate.

Han Qing activated his divine eye, his eyes piercing through the gray mist, and saw a vast plain, and in the center of the plain stood a tall stone statue. The statue was as black as a diamond, hundreds of feet tall, with nine heads on its shoulders, each with a completely different face.

Han Qing gazed at the stone statue from afar, faintly sensing an overwhelming pressure descending upon him. In his mind, Elder Ming warned, "Master, this stone statue is also an extremely powerful treasure. Be sure to be careful." Han Qing nodded slightly, recalling some rumors in his mind. The Nine Yin Great Sage was not human, but rather the reincarnation of the spirit of a powerful magic weapon. The Peacock King Buddha was now following the same path.

When Han Qing saw the stone statue, he vaguely felt that the rumor was true, because he had heard that the Nine Yin Great Sage also had nine faces.

As I was pondering this, a deep voice suddenly drifted over from afar.

"The inner world of the Sirius Palace is a forbidden area of ​​my Sirius Fortress. You dare to trespass here all alone. You are truly courting death."

Han Qing's eyes narrowed as he saw a figure flying rapidly from a distance—it was Tuoba Qiu.

Behind Tuoba Qiu followed six figures, each exuding an extremely fierce aura.

That wasn't all; more figures arrived from all directions, each radiating a powerful aura, totaling thirteen people.

Han Qing glanced at them and immediately recognized their identities. Tuoba Qiu and the other seven were the heads of several ancient families in Western Mang or top experts, while the thirteen people who arrived later were the thirteen hall masters of Tianlang Fortress, the backbone of Tianlang Fortress.

If we also include the experts from the major legions outside the city, these people together basically represent the top combat power of Western Mang.

However, even when suddenly surrounded, Han Qing showed no sign of panic. He had anticipated this situation before he even stepped into the temple.

If there were no experts guarding the forbidden area of ​​Tianlang Fortress, then there would be a real problem.

"So it was you, Han Qing, who dared to be so bold!" Tuoba Qiu said coldly again.

"So it was him. Heh, so arrogant! Daring to trespass into the forbidden area of ​​Tianlang Fortress, you're dead!" someone mocked.

"Why aren't you surrendering?" someone shouted.

Han Qing's gaze swept over the twenty people around him one by one, and he had roughly figured out their strength. Tuoba Qiu was at the third level of the Golden Body Realm, and among the thirteen hall masters, there was an old man in gray who was also at the third level of the Golden Body Realm. He had just heard from others that this old man was the hall master of the Tianxiang Hall.

Having learned about the strength of these people, Han Qing felt more at ease. With so many people working together, he had nothing to fear. What he really needed to be wary of was the tall stone statue in the distance, and the Nine Yin Great Sage who could appear at any moment.

So he called out loudly: "You people can't stop me! Where is the Great Sage of Nine Yin? Tell him to come out!"

Tuoba Qiu frowned: "Han Qing, you are too arrogant. To deal with you, we don't need the Nine Yin Great Sage. We are enough to suppress you. Make your move!"

At Tuoba Qiu's command, the gray mist that shrouded this world stirred first, surging up from all directions and condensing into a huge gray sphere that enveloped Han Qing and everyone else around him.

Inside the sphere, the corrosive and oppressive power of the gray mist was even stronger, while Tuoba Qiu and the others seemed to be blessed by a mysterious power, their aura and momentum increasing dramatically.

However, Han Qing's strength actually decreased slightly because he was bound by this Nine Yin Wind.

However, this impact was not enough to distort the outcome of the battle.

Tuoba Qiu and the others suddenly attacked, and in an instant, numerous spells were thrown at Han Qing.

With a thought, Han Qing activated the Boundless Monument. In an instant, a huge phantom of an ancient city appeared out of thin air, directly covering a large area of ​​the surrounding sky and almost completely covering the gray-white balloon.

In an instant, the two forces contained within the ancient city phantom and the gray-white balloon collided, and the victor was determined in a flash.

The gray balloon suddenly collapsed, turning into wisps of white mist that drifted into the sky and earth, while the phantom of the ancient city remained.

Before Tuoba Qiu and the others could even get close, their magical attacks were annihilated in mid-air. At the same time, their physical bodies, which were in the middle of it, also felt a powerful binding force, as if they were trapped in a swamp and could not move.

Han Qing's figure flashed and disappeared from the spot, and Tuoba Qiu suddenly felt a strong sense of life and death crisis.

"Please, Master, save me!" he shouted.

As soon as he finished speaking, Han Qing appeared in front of him and threw a punch.

Han Qing was a mid-level Martial Saint, and he was wearing the Manglong Devouring Heaven Armor. His close combat ability far surpassed that of Tuoba Qiu. With just this one punch, he was enough to shatter Tuoba Qiu's body and soul.

However, a figure suddenly appeared out of thin air, blocking Tuoba Qiu's path and striking forward with a palm.

Fist and palm collided with a muffled thud, and the figure was knocked back, but not in a sorry state. Instead, he drifted backward a distance like a ghost before quickly regaining his footing.

In that instant, Tuoba Qiu dodged and retreated, putting distance between himself and Han Qing, his eyes filled with fear and apprehension.

Han Qing's gaze fell on the suddenly appearing old man, who was wearing a white robe and exuded a chilling aura. His aura was elusive, as if he had completely merged with this world.

His eyes were empty and lifeless as he looked Han Qing up and down. Suddenly he said, "You are a formidable young man. At such a young age, you are already a mid-level Martial Saint, at the third level of the Golden Body Realm, and you have an unparalleled treasure by your side. Most importantly, you are a martial arts master who refines the spirit. If you wait another thirty or fifty years, your combat power may very well surpass mine."

But you're still far from it. I'll give you two choices: First, follow me, and you might even take over the Sky Wolf Fortress in the future; second, be shattered to pieces.

People like you must die. I will never allow you to leave this little world alive.

Han Qing laughed and said, "You must be the Nine Yin Great Sage. I'm curious, how did you manage to kill me?"

The Great Sage of Nine Yin shook his head and waved his hand, causing a massive amount of white mist to surge around him, directly engulfing Tuoba Qiu and the others.

Han Qingfa scanned the area and found that all these people had disappeared from the spot and were nowhere to be found.

Clearly, the Great Sage of Nine Yin also realized this. In a battle between top experts, Tuoba Qiu and others could not help, and their numbers would only be a burden.

As Tuoba Qiu and the others disappeared, the mist from all directions surged wildly, instantly engulfing Han Qing.

At this moment, Han Qing felt a binding force that was more than ten times stronger than before.

Han Qing immediately poured even more powerful magical energy into the Boundless Monument. In an instant, the phantom of the ancient city became even more solid, colliding more fiercely with the surging mist from all directions.

This time, however, Han Qing failed to gain the upper hand. The phantom of the ancient city was suppressed within a few miles, and the surrounding area was filled with white mist.

The killing move followed immediately. The old man pointed from a distance, and a huge icy finger descended from the sky, striking Han Qing fiercely.

Han Qing grasped in his palm, and the Manglong Spear appeared. He raised his hand and thrust the spear forward, the tip precisely striking his fingertip. The power of the True Dragon erupted, and the thick, icy finger shattered instantly, turning into countless ice fragments that scattered across the heavens and earth. (End of Chapter)