The First Sage of Military Strategists

"How many layers are there in the Ancient Domain of the Great Void?" Zhou Xiaoru pressed.

“Seven levels! Each level contains countless worlds, and each time you step into the world from the outside entrance, you will be transported to a unique world,” Geng Buxiu explained.

Qi Guanzi suddenly said, "The seventh level of the Ancient Void Domain is said to be an extremely special existence. The upper six levels of the world are constantly changing, but the seventh level is unique and contains great fortune, but I don't know exactly what it is."

Geng Buxiu nodded: "I have also heard similar things, but I don't know the specifics. I only heard that to enter the seventh level, certain conditions must be met, otherwise one will be stuck in the sixth level world forever."

At this moment, the old man of the underworld, who had been silently absorbing the spiritual energy of the magical artifact, suddenly spoke.

"Master, I don't know what treasures are on the seventh floor, but I do know how to enter it. You need to hunt Nightmare Demons on the upper six floors and absorb their Dao Fire. The Dao Fire contains a power of the Great Void, which lies dormant in the body. When this power of the Great Void grows to a certain extent, it will be sensed by the Refiner of Spirit and then activated, covering the whole body and transforming into a Great Void Body. Only those with a Great Void Body can enter the seventh floor."

Han Qing immediately relayed Elder Ming's words to everyone around him.

"In that case, we must collect and absorb as much Dao Fire as possible." Qi Guanzi frowned.

“That makes sense,” Zhou Xiaoru nodded.

“Then let’s kill them all and wipe out all the Nightmare Demons in this world,” Geng Buxiu said.

"it is good!"

The group quickened their pace, soaring rapidly through this world.

At one point, the group descended towards a magnificent and towering mountain peak. Before they had even landed, they suddenly heard an old man's low shout coming from the pavilion.

"It can transform into heaven and earth, and summon wind and rain!"

In an instant, a large area around the entire mountain peak was shrouded in mist, and Han Qing and the others within it felt immense pressure coming from all directions.

"Everyone be careful, this Nightmare Demon is very powerful!" Qi Guanzi said in a deep voice.

With just one move, he could feel an intense life-or-death crisis surging from all directions, indicating that this Nightmare Demon already possessed the powerful combat strength to threaten a Golden Body Third Realm cultivator.

Immediately afterwards, clouds gathered in the sky, and suddenly a massive amount of raindrops fell from the sky, shooting towards Han Qing and the others at extremely high speed. Each raindrop left a transparent line in the air, carrying amazing penetrating power.

Han Qing flipped his palm, and the Buddhist Sound Bone Scripture appeared, suddenly radiating Buddhist light and transforming into a shield that enveloped everyone and blocked the heavy rain falling from the sky.

Then, Han Qing raised his hand and unleashed a punch, his martial arts essence bursting forth from his fist, instantly filling the entire space and completely dispelling the heavy rain.

The next instant, a figure flew out of the mountain palace at lightning speed. It was an old man with an air of immortality, but his eyes were still empty and lifeless, flashing with madness. He was a Nightmare Demon.

“It really is Ling Xiaozi!” Geng Buxiu said in a deep voice. “I have seen ancient paintings of Ling Xiaozi that have been passed down from ancient times, and they are eight or nine parts similar to this person’s appearance.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Ling Xiaozi made another move. He stretched out both hands, and air currents converged in his palms, each condensing into a vortex. The vortex in his left hand was gray, and the one in his right hand was white.

The two cyclones grew rapidly, suddenly forming two high-pressure gas cloud vortexes, one black and one white, and then a powerful suction force burst forth from them, trying to pull Han Qing and the others into them.

This move is called the Two Elements Shock, a unique secret technique of Qi cultivation.

Han Qing suddenly let out a long howl, which was the sound of all kinds of wonderful Buddhist chants.

The sound waves surged forward like a tidal wave, completely scattering the two clouds of energy, one black and one white, and even twisting and deforming Ling Xiaozhi's body, but ultimately it did not perish.

This is because Han Qing did not go all out; otherwise, just that one roar would have been enough to completely annihilate Ling Xiaozi, turning him into nothingness.

He also wanted to see more of Ling Xiaozhi's abilities; it would be a pity if he were killed in one move.

At this moment, normally, upon sensing the vast disparity between the two sides, a cultivator would flee. But the Nightmare Demon lacked such awareness; he possessed only a pure bloodlust, wanting to slaughter every life he could see.

Suddenly, Lingxiaozi soared into the air, his entire body rapidly expanding and transforming into a gigantic being of qi.

This move was something Han Qing had never seen before. In the blink of an eye, the giant reached a height of a hundred feet, raised its foot, and stomped down on Han Qing.

This time, Han Qing held nothing back. He reached out and grabbed, and the Manglong Spear appeared in his hand. He swung the spear and thrust it upwards. The power of the Heavenly Dragon erupted from the spearhead, instantly destroying the enormous Qi giant.

Along with it, Lingxiaozi was also completely destroyed, leaving behind a faint wisp of Dao fire in the air.

Han Qing reached out and grabbed the fire, which fell into his palm and immediately merged with his body, like warm rain, seeping into his body in thin strands, with a cool sensation.

He glanced at it and noticed that a soul light spot had also appeared in front of the Seven Killings Stele.

Previously, the Nightmare Demons he killed also had soul points, which means that compared with others, he can gain more from killing the same Nightmare Demon.

As he merged with this ball of Dao fire, numerous images appeared before Han Qing. He saw Ling Xiaozi's last moments before his death, fighting against a large number of demons. Every moment, many people around him died in battle; it was indeed extremely tragic.

Within these memories, he also absorbed many spells and knowledge related to Qi cultivation.

He immediately used his spiritual power to transmit this knowledge to Qi Guanzi and others nearby.

So everyone closed their eyes and quietly began to process what they had learned.

Before long, Han Qing was the first to fully absorb all this information.

The essence of Qi cultivation lies in perceiving and manipulating Qi.

Ling Xiaozi is the leader of this school, and his realm is the third level of the Golden Body. This means that the end of this major school is the third level of the Golden Body, and the path beyond that is cut off.

If Ling Xiaozi were still alive, he might have been able to explore further.

"What a pity, such a genius died in this world." Qi Guanzi had also digested all the information and couldn't help but sigh.

Those who can forge their own path are all exceptionally talented and must overcome numerous difficulties to achieve success.

"Yes, it's a pity. If he were alive, the path of Qi cultivation would surely have been carried forward!" Zhou Xiaoru sighed.

Han Qing silently sensed the changes in his body. As the Dao Fire merged into his body, his spiritual senses permeated his entire being, constantly observing and searching. Sure enough, he discovered a wisp of silver light that appeared and disappeared in an instant.

He guessed that this wisp of silver light should be the power of the void, an extremely special power in this secret place, but the amount was too small to be perceived at present.

At this moment, Geng Buxiu suddenly said, "We've found the exit to the next level of the Ancient Void Domain. It's in this palace ahead."

"Let's go to the next level." Han Qing responded and flew ahead towards the palace.

Deep within the palace, Han Qing's gaze swept across the area and indeed saw a constantly rotating, ever-changing seven-colored vortex. Like the outermost entrance, this vortex was also composed of countless passages, with colorful light flashing and changing, and entrances appearing and disappearing one after another.

"Walk."

To ensure a safe outcome, Han Qing activated the Boundless Stele first, and a faint light appeared, suddenly engulfing everyone around him.

The group entered the Boundless Monument and, with a whoosh, transformed into a streak of light, disappearing into the colorful vortex in front of them.

With a shift in light and shadow, accompanied by a dizzying spin, the Boundless Monument appeared in a strange world.

This world was gloomy and dark, and everywhere you looked was covered by gloom and darkness.

The naked eye cannot see anything inside, and one's spiritual thoughts will also be suppressed.

With a flash of light, the group emerged from the space within the Boundless Monument and entered the outside world. Han Qingfa swept his thoughts across the boundless darkness, rapidly spreading into the distance.

Although the darkness could suppress his magical thoughts, with Han Qing's strength, even if suppressed, he could still extend for tens of thousands of miles, or even hundreds of thousands of miles.

The battlefield remains a scene of devastation, with corpses strewn everywhere, both near and far. Towering demonic figures stand like small mountains on the earth, while human remains are scattered about, their postures and expressions frozen in the moment before their deaths.

On a plain stretching 120,000 miles, Han Qing spotted a stone city shrouded in shadow and immediately led the way, flying towards it.

Before they even entered the city, the group was attacked suddenly.

Suddenly, a figure emerged from the writhing shadows around them. Before making a move, the figure blended completely into the shadows, and even Han Qing did not notice it until it made its move.

Just as a long sword was about to pierce Han Qing's heart and penetrate his internal organs, Han Qing suddenly reached out and caught the sword between two fingers. Then, he clenched his fist with his other hand and punched out, shattering the black shadow's body with a single blow.

A ball of Dao fire appeared on the spot, and Han Qing reached out and grabbed it, and the fire merged into his body.

A flood of information and images immediately flashed through Han Qing's mind, and he instantly understood what kind of attacker he had just encountered.

"Shadow cultivators! Be careful, everyone. The people fighting the demons on this level are all from an ancient force called the Myriad Shadows Pavilion, and they follow the path of shadow cultivators." Han Qing reminded them while simultaneously transmitting the information contained within the Dao Flame to the others.

Geng Buxiu's expression changed: "My assassination path is derived from shadow cultivation, but shadow cultivation focuses more on concealment. In terms of combat ability, it is not as good as my assassination path."

In ancient times, countless people explored the path of refining the spirit, and it was common for them to learn from each other.

The group then entered the city, which was also a ruin. Occasionally, one or two tall buildings could be seen, but the vast majority had been reduced to rubble.

All of this was shrouded in a thick, sticky shadow.

As Han Qing walked among them, the Dharma thoughts constantly enveloped him.

Shadow cultivators are able to transform themselves into shadows and move within them, possessing an incredibly strong ability to conceal their presence.

If Han Qing didn't carefully examine it, it would be difficult for him to discover it.

Whoosh whoosh!
He had only taken a few steps forward when several more figures emerged from among them.

All his attacks were silent, but they were too weak to be effective, and he was killed by Han Qing with three shots.

When these shadow cultivators made their moves, their bodies were still shrouded in a layer of dark shadows, so much so that Han Qing didn't know what these attackers looked like from the moment he made his move until he killed them.

Thus, the group traveled through this vast city, constantly encountering attacks from Nightmare Demons transformed from Shadow Cultivators. Among them were powerful Nightmare Demons with strength reaching the second or even third level of the Golden Body Realm, but in the end, they could not escape the fate of being killed.

As the bodies of the Nightmare Demons shattered one by one, clusters of Dao Fire merged into Han Qing's body, his understanding of Shadow Cultivation deepened, and he accumulated more Void Power within his body.

The others did the same, reaping a large amount of Dao Fire and also taking away many magical treasures and materials.

At a certain moment, Zhou Xiaoru waved his folding fan, and many golden characters shot out, transforming into an article, which then evolved into golden flames that suddenly devoured one of the black shadows. Afterward, he took away a ball of Dao fire and a magic weapon shaped like a nail.

He couldn't help but sigh. Outsiders said that the Ancient Domain of the Void was full of dangers, but so far he hadn't felt any pressure at all.

Of course, he also understood that all of this was because of Han Qing.

Han Qing walked at the front. When he encountered powerful Nightmare Demons, he would kill them first. He would only let those with average strength who would not pose a threat to others go. This allowed Zhou Xiaoru and his two companions to continuously gain something without feeling any pressure.

Without Han Qing, even if the Holy Land leader had broken in, it wouldn't have been so easy. If they were unlucky and suddenly attacked by multiple Golden Body Realm Nightmare Demons, they would still have faced a considerable risk of death.

While they were pondering, the group continued forward and saw a tall, dilapidated nine-story stone building in front of them.

Han Qing paused, his gaze sharpening, and he whispered a warning: "Be careful, this place is dangerous."

At his level, his ability to sense good and bad fortune has greatly improved. Even if his mental powers cannot detect the Nightmare Demon, he can still sense danger in the darkness. At this moment, as he approached this tall stone building, he felt a faint pricking sensation all over his body. This indicated that a powerful Nightmare Demon was hidden here, possessing formidable combat power that could threaten his life.

Upon hearing this, Geng Buxiu and the others silently activated their magic techniques, gathering their strength and preparing to strike at any moment.

As Han Qing took another step forward, suddenly, the surrounding shadows surged like ocean waves, with thick shadow tentacles extending from the "seawater" and surrounding Han Qing and the others from all directions, lashing out at them fiercely.

Han Qing reached out and grabbed a tentacle that was lashing out at him.

He could feel the astonishing force emanating from his palm, which made his entire arm tingle slightly. This was enough to show that the shadow tentacles were so powerful and lethal that they could threaten even a leader of a holy land at the level of a Refining God.

Behind him, Zhou Xiaoru and the other two were also attacked at the same time. Among them, Geng Buxiu dealt with it easily, Qi Guanzi was able to protect himself, while Zhou Xiaoru had the lowest combat strength and struggled the most.

Han Qing acted decisively, letting out a low shout as he threw a punch. A vast martial intent surged forth from the tip of his fist, instantly enveloping the surrounding world and violently impacting the shadowy tentacles.

With a series of crackling sounds, the tentacles suddenly collapsed and disappeared into the world.

However, the Sea of ​​Shadows continues to churn, and new tentacles are rapidly taking shape.

Han Qing understood that destroying the tentacles was only a temporary solution; the Nightmare Demon hiding in the shadows had to be eliminated.

However, this Nightmare Demon's ability to conceal itself was unprecedentedly strong, to the point that even when it was right next to him, his magical senses could not detect it.

However, Han Qing still had a solution. With a thought, the Yin-Yang True Realm descended, and a huge black-gold lotus flower suddenly enveloped a large area centered on the tall stone building. (End of Chapter)