The First Sage of Military Strategists

The South China Sea is vast, with surging waves and numerous whirlpools, large and small, scattered in hidden corners, dark and deep, leading to an unknown world.

Han Qing soared above, covering tens of thousands of miles in the blink of an eye, and arrived at a large abyss covering thousands of miles. Below, the dark eddies of the abyss slowly rotated, like a bottomless abyss.

Han Qing's gaze slowly moved downwards, and he could clearly feel a strong sense of summons coming from below the abyss.

"Is it a trap or a stroke of luck?" Han Qing murmured, flicking his finger to release a drop of essence blood, which then quickly transformed into an avatar.

The clone plunged into the abyss below, descending all the way to its deepest point, where it was suddenly sucked in by a powerful force.

In an instant, the world spun around, and the clone appeared on a dark plain. The ground was covered with dark purple dust, and a large number of black and withered trees stood on the plain, like menacing monsters. In the sky, streaks of red lightning flashed, and the entire plain was filled with a thick and profound demonic aura.

Before Han Qing's clone could even fly deeper into the plains to explore, a cracking sound rang out, and a bolt of crimson lightning descended from the sky, instantly obliterating him.

"Such dense demonic energy... Could this be the place where the Gluttonous Demon is sealed?"

"If so, why would the Gluttonous Demon summon me here? Or did he not expect that the armor forged by the Gluttonous Demon Seed would have a strange connection with his true form?" Han Qing pondered.

Just then, he suddenly sensed a strong fluctuation of magical energy coming from afar. Then, the surrounding scenery suddenly changed, and he found himself in a dark space, with dozens of figures flying in from all directions.

Han Qing squinted and scanned the space with his magical senses, discovering that this dark space was a powerful magic array. He was in it, and immense pressure came from all directions, making him feel uncomfortable.

He didn't recognize any of these suddenly appearing enemies.

He glanced around and found a total of thirty-eight people, thirty-six of whom appeared to be puppets.

Each of them was three zhang tall, radiating golden light, clad in armor, carrying a large sword on their shoulder, soaring through the sky. At first glance, they appeared no different from ordinary people, but in reality, their eyes were extremely cold, devoid of any human emotional response.

Han Qing didn't sense any surge of qi or blood in them, so he could basically conclude that these golden-armored giants were all puppets.

"Han Qing, I've been waiting for you for a long time!" A handsome young man in a golden robe said with a smile.

Aside from the thirty-six puppets, there were two other people present: one was the young man, and the other was a hunched old man in a black robe, holding a white bone chain blade in his left hand and a blue lantern in his right, exuding an astonishing aura.

"You've been waiting for me for a long time? It seems this so-called summoning is a trap! Let me guess your identities. Neither of you has any demonic energy, which means Love is not a servant of the Gluttony Demon. I was summoned by the Gluttony Demon, which means you two are in a cooperative relationship."

"In this world, I have never seen or heard of you, which means you come from the outer world of Pan Yuan. Am I right?" Han Qing said unhurriedly.

"Young Master Han is indeed formidable. He saw through the ins and outs of the matter as soon as we met. That's right, we are indeed from the Pan Yuan World outside the heavens. The Gluttonous Demon promised that as long as we kill him, he would hand over his inheritance. So, Han Qing, I'm sorry, but you must die today. This Heaven and Earth Primordial Great Array is powerful enough to trap a Narrative Transformation Realm cultivator. You can't escape!" the golden-robed youth said coldly.

Han Qing looked him over without a trace of fear or panic: "Are you from the Ghost Nether Sect?"

"The Ghost Nether Sect is merely a third-rate sect in the Pan Yuan World, not even worthy of my attention. My surname is Qiu, and I come from the Refined Gold Sacred Armor Sect," the young man declared loudly.

"Another new force has arrived?" Han Qing frowned. This was not good news. The Ghost Nether Sect had already caused turmoil in the world. If another powerful force, even more powerful than the Ghost Nether Sect, were to arrive, wouldn't that cause chaos and upheaval?

"What? Scared? I am merciful. I have heard that you are the most talented person in this world since ancient times. I can give you a choice: hand over the True Spirit of the Void and the Boundless Stele, and I will take you to see Dao Ancestor Pan Yuan. As long as he nods, you will be a part of the Pan Yuan World from now on. If you can gain the Dao Ancestor's favor, you may even receive a reward and your strength will advance even further." Young Master Qiu said with a smile.

"Ancestor Pan Yuan?" Han Qing murmured. From Qiu Gongzi's words, he could sense that this Ancestor Pan Yuan must be a person in a high position in the Pan Yuan world, possibly the strongest person, or the leader of an extremely powerful force.

He suddenly felt a strong curiosity. The Pan Yuan World was too vast. Although he had previously killed the experts of the Ghost Nether Sect and absorbed their soul light points with the help of the Seven Kill Stele, obtaining a lot of information related to the Pan Yuan World, it was still just the tip of the iceberg. This world was still shrouded in mystery and had not yet fully unveiled its mysterious veil to him.

"I've always been curious about how many powerful beings exist in the Pan Yuan World, but I've never had the chance to go and explore it myself. Now, I've captured and killed the two of you to find the path to the Pan Yuan World!" Han Qing said in a deep voice.

Young Master Qiu's face immediately darkened: "He doesn't know what's good for him, kill him!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire Heaven and Earth Profound Array began to operate rapidly. Strands of profound light gathered and instantly formed a cage, trapping Han Qing inside.

Then, the cage suddenly contracted, and the pressure exerted on Han Qing increased dramatically.

Han Qing frowned. The pressure was indeed immense. Even a powerful leader of a holy land trapped inside would likely be unable to struggle and would have his body and soul crushed by this immense pressure.

With a flick of his palm, the True Spirit of the Void appeared. Its branches swayed, bursting forth with silver light, surging outwards like a mighty river, instantly shattering the cage of mystic light.

"Hmm? What a powerful Taixu True Spirit! It broke through the Heaven and Earth Profound Great Array so easily!" Young Master Qiu exclaimed in surprise, a greedy look appearing in his eyes. He was even more eager to take the treasures from Han Qing.

At this moment, the thirty-six golden-armored puppets suddenly moved. All the puppets instantly raised their battle swords and slashed down fiercely at Han Qing.

With each swing of the sword, a sharp glint of light shot out from its blade.

Thirty-six sword lights suddenly merged into one, slashing towards Han Qing as if splitting the heavens and earth. In that instant, only a sliver of light could be seen in the world, as if everything had lost its luster.

"Well done!"

Silver light surged around Han Qingzhou, and the Demon Dragon Devouring Armor appeared. He reached out and grabbed, and the Wild Dragon Spear appeared. He thrust forward and thrust the spear, its tip gleaming, fiercely piercing the golden blade light that cleaved down from the sky.

The two collided violently, and the sword light suddenly shattered, turning into specks of light that dissipated into the world.

Han Qing swung his spear and thrust it forward violently, piercing through the body of one of the golden-armored puppets and causing it to explode completely.

As Han Qing had expected, the golden-armored man was indeed a puppet. After his body exploded, not a drop of blood was spilled out; instead, there were numerous irregular, pale golden metallic particles.

Young Master Qiu's expression changed drastically: "How can they have such strong combat power?"

These thirty-six golden-armored Dao soldiers are the treasures of the Holy Armor Sect. They are incredibly powerful, and when they swing their swords at the same time, the intersecting blades have the power to split the heavens and the earth. Even a cultivator at the Rainbow Transformation Realm who is struck by one of their swords would risk being reduced to ashes.

He didn't expect Han Qing to be able to withstand this move head-on and even kill a golden-armored Taoist soldier.

His incredible performance greatly exceeded my expectations.

Originally, he thought that by sealing Han Qing's body and soul with the Heaven and Earth Profound Great Array and then launching a thunderous attack with the Golden Armor Dao Soldier, he could at least severely injure Han Qing even if he didn't die. He never expected this to be the result.

"Not good, Young Master Qiu! Han Qing's combat strength is far beyond our expectations. It seems that the True Spirit of the Void is even stronger than we anticipated. Let's go!" the black-robed elder shouted urgently.

Han Qing's single shot made him feel a strong sense of life and death crisis, which showed that Han Qing's combat strength was far superior to his own.

"This time, I admit defeat. What a fine Taixu True Spirit! But Han Qing, don't be so smug. I have the Holy Armor Sect backing me. This time, I've figured out your true strength. Next time we meet, I'll definitely take all the magic treasures from your body! Elder Hun, let's go!"

"Run!" The two immediately took flight and fled into the distance.

Upon hearing Qiu Gongzi's words, Han Qing was even more determined not to let them leave. He suddenly activated the Boundless Stele and unleashed the Boundless Heavenly Qi. A jet-black pillar of energy burst forth from the Boundless Stele, traversing the sky at an astonishing speed, chasing after Qiu Gongzi.

The old man next to him turned around and saw the black column of air rushing towards him, and his expression suddenly changed drastically.

"Break it for me!"

He held the lantern in front of him, opened his mouth and blew on it. The lantern flickered, and pale flames surged out from it, rolling like waves, and suddenly crashed into the Boundless Heavenly Qi.

However, although the flames looked terrifying, they were completely unable to stop the Boundless Heavenly Qi, and they shattered and dissipated the moment they came into contact with it.

"Oh no, we can't stop it!" the old man exclaimed in alarm.

Young Master Qiu, his face contorted in rage, suddenly roared, "Explode!"

Suddenly, half of the golden-armored puppet's body exploded, releasing bursts of extremely powerful energy, like golden suns shining brightly across the heavens and earth.

In an instant, the entire area within a radius of ten thousand miles was bathed in golden light.

Han Qing frowned, sweeping his magical thoughts across the area, but he was unable to extend them any further within the golden light domain.

However, the golden light came and went quickly. In just a few breaths, everything fell silent, the golden light faded, and the scene of heaven and earth was revealed.

Young Master Qiu and his companions have vanished without a trace. Golden particles drifted down from the sky and fell into the sea.

"They were quick to escape!"

Han Qing's gaze sharpened and fell upon the dark abyss.

After a moment's thought, he decided not to step in directly, but to return to Shennong Kingdom first and discuss with Yan Qiuling and the others before taking any action, so as to avoid any tricks in the abyss that might trap him and cause various problems for Yan Qiuling who would not know his whereabouts.

...

Hundreds of thousands of miles away.

On a deserted island in the South China Sea, Young Master Qiu and Soul Sky Lock descended from the sky, accompanied by seventeen golden-armored Taoist soldiers.

Young Master Qiu glanced back at the seventeen Dao soldiers, his face growing increasingly grim; his heart was bleeding.

"These thirty-six soldiers are a protective treasure bestowed upon me by Dao Ancestor Pan Yuan. I never expected to lose half of them in the first battle. That damned Han Qing, if he falls into my hands in the future, I will definitely tear him apart, skin him alive, and grind his bones to dust!" Young Master Qiu cursed.

"Young Master, what do we do now? This Han Qing seems invincible!" Hun Tiansuo said in a hoarse voice.

“Invincible? He’s just a native from the lower realm. How invincible can he be? I’ll ask the Dao Ancestor for help. There must be a way to deal with him!” Young Master Qiu said, suddenly reciting a mysterious scripture and lighting an incense stick.

Wisps of smoke rose up but did not dissipate. Instead, they suddenly condensed into a cloud of mist above everyone's heads. Then, the mist transformed into a gigantic face, looking down at Young Master Qiu and the others, and an overwhelming pressure reverberated between heaven and earth.

"What's the matter?"

The enormous face opened its mouth, deep and heavy, reaching straight to the soul. Young Master Qiu showed a look of awe and shouted in unison with Soul Lock beside him.

"Greetings, Dao Ancestor!"

Young Master Qiu then said respectfully, "My lord, we were ordered to come to this world to seize the seven ancient seals of the Primordial Emperor. Now, in the Shennong Kingdom, we have discovered the ancient seal that seals the Gluttonous Demon, but we did not expect to encounter a native named Han Qing. He is very powerful, and we are no match for him."

"Hmm? You possess the Heaven and Earth Profound Array and the Thirty-Six Golden Armored Dao Soldiers, yet you can't do anything to a mere native from the lower realm?" the enormous face retorted, his words tinged with confusion and dissatisfaction.

Young Master Qiu immediately broke out in a cold sweat: "My lord, I deserve to die, but that native is the most talented person in the history of this world. His strength is indeed very strong. I beg the Dao Ancestor to lend a hand!"

"Even in the Upper Realm, the Seven Ancient Seals of the Primordial Emperor are extremely rare treasures. I must obtain them. Since this is the sealing ground of the Gluttonous Demon, there is no trouble. I will bestow upon you a scroll of array diagrams. With these diagrams, you can briefly control the Gluttonous Ancient Seals, which will be enough to kill this person."

As it spoke, the enormous face opened its mouth and spat out a brownish-red ancient scroll made of animal hide, which suddenly fell from the sky and landed in Young Master Qiu's hands.

That wasn't all; another four-sided token descended from the sky and flew towards the Soul Lock.

"If that still doesn't work, I will use my essence and blood to activate this order, and I will send my clone to personally descend and kill this person!" the huge face declared loudly.

"Thank you, sir!"

Both of them bowed slightly and shouted in unison.

The face then collapsed, turning into mist that dissipated between heaven and earth.

"Young Master Qiu, with the Dao Ancestor's assistance, you should be able to easily kill Han Qing this time," Hun Tiansuo said with a smile.

Young Master Qiu toyed with the brown array diagram in his hand and sneered, "Let's head to the Gluttonous Demon's sealed land now and wait for him to come to us. If Han Qing dares to step in, we'll make sure he's reduced to ashes!"

...

Dayu.

Kyoto.

In the main hall of the imperial palace, Emperor Yu sat serenely on the nine-dragon throne.

"Your Majesty, the latest battle report: the Holy Royal Court has been completely annihilated, its last army has been defeated, and all the important cities have now fallen into the hands of our Great Yu." Han Yi stood below, his head slightly bowed, his posture upright, and his gaze profound.

"With the death of the Peacock King Buddha and the presence of numerous powerful beings from beyond the heavens led by Kou Huai, the destruction of the Holy Royal Court is only a matter of time," Emperor Yu said calmly.

"Your Majesty, there is no need to worry about the Western Regions. On the contrary, a major problem has arisen in Shennong Kingdom. It is the sealed land of the Gluttonous Demon, and now the seal has loosened. Many powerful figures have gathered to compete for the Gluttonous Demon's inheritance. I believe that this inheritance must not fall into the hands of others, and the Gluttonous Demon must be completely eradicated!" Han Yi changed the subject and said.

"I have already dispatched the strongest warriors from the Imperial Guard to Shennong Kingdom to compete for the inheritance of the Gluttonous Demon. Currently, there are many important matters to attend to in the capital. Once everything is settled, I will personally travel to Shennong Kingdom," Emperor Yu said thoughtfully.
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the palace, and a eunuch shouted.

"Vasala has arrived!" (End of Chapter)