Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

After the collapse of the Tubo Dynasty, the entire territory was divided and fragmented, plunging into chaos.

Large and small tribes were scattered throughout Tibet, ranging from thousands to hundreds of households. They were independent of each other, governed by their own forces, and fought each other for territory and resources year after year.

Among them, the Gaoyuan region formed four major royal factions.

These four royal lineages—the descendants of Yundan, the descendants of Eson, the descendants of Jiden Nyima Gon, and the descendants of Qusiluo—were relatively powerful and had strong military forces, controlling most of Tibet's territory and resources.

However, they were fraught with contradictions, refused to submit to each other, and fought each other for years.

The three royal families that sent troops to assist the Song Dynasty in attacking the Western Xia were the descendants of Yundan, Eson, and Jidenimagon.

One reason they were willing to send troops was because of the persuasion of the Great Wheel King Kumārajīva.

As the leader of the Tibetan Buddhist sect, Kumārajīva held a high position and enjoyed great prestige. Most of the tribes within Tibet were Buddhists and held Kumārajīva in high esteem. When Kumārajīva made his appearance, the three major royal families could not refuse him.

On the other hand, it was also because Kumārajīva subtly conveyed to the three royal families that if they sent troops to assist the Song Dynasty, after the Western Xia was defeated...
They could seize territory and resources within the Western Xia territory to make up for the losses of their own tribes.

Kumārajīva also had his reasons. He was bound by Chen Zhan and persuaded the various Tibetan tribes to send troops to contain the Western Xia forces.

However, they also cannot completely control the actions of these tribes.

The real purpose of these Tibetan tribes sending troops was to take advantage of the chaos and plunder.

Of course, Chen Zhan had already anticipated this, but he didn't care.

Even though the several fragmented and independent Tibetan tribes occupied a portion of the Western Xia territory, they couldn't cause much trouble.

If the Song Dynasty couldn't even deal with a few fragmented tribes like these, how could it talk about pacifying the borders or restoring the glory of the Han and Tang dynasties?

Zhao Qingtan led the elite Dragon God Guards, and after a day's journey, finally arrived outside a small town on the southwestern border of Xiliang Prefecture.

Looking into the distance, one could see a desolate scene on the plains outside the city.

Dozens of Western Xia civilians were driven away by a group of Tibetan cavalry, fleeing in a sorry state, their cries and screams filling the air.

Tibetan cavalry, wielding whips and bows and arrows, pursued the enemy on horseback.

"Waaaaah—!"

"Please, please, let us go."

The common people cried and ran. Some of the elderly, exhausted, fell to the ground and were immediately caught up by the Tibetan cavalry behind them. They were whipped hard, leaving their skin torn and their cries of pain unending.

Some children, unable to keep up with the adults, cry out in fear, their eyes filled with terror, yet they can only run desperately, and if they slow down even slightly, they will be whipped.

"Hahaha, run, keep running!"

A Tibetan general, standing on a high point on his horse, laughed loudly, "Let him run a little further, a bit farther, so it will be more difficult and interesting to shoot him!"

This general was none other than Prince Aligu of the Yundan tribe.

Aligu was skilled in martial arts and archery. He was cruel and bloodthirsty. After entering the territory of Western Xia, he burned, killed and looted everywhere.

His gaze swept over the running civilians, he raised his hand, picked up his bow and arrow, drew the bow, and aimed at the slowest child.

"Whoosh!"

An arrow, carrying a sharp gust of wind, flew straight towards the child's back.

Just then, a cyan sword aura appeared out of thin air, carrying immense true energy, and with a "crack," it forcefully severed the arrow in two.

The arrow broke apart, and fragments flew everywhere, landing on the ground with a crisp sound.

Aligu's expression changed, and he suddenly swept his gaze across the distance, only to see a dozen or so riders galloping towards them.

The leader was a woman dressed in a light blue outfit, with a tall and straight figure and a cold expression; she was Zhao Qingtan.

Upon seeing this, Aligu's eyes flashed with surprise. The Tibetan monk beside him stepped forward and said, "The troops of the Great Song Dynasty."

"hehe."

Aligu sneered, drew his bow again, nocked three arrows simultaneously, and aimed at Zhao Qingtan. "Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Three arrows were fired simultaneously, aimed at Zhao Qingtan's chest, throat, and brow respectively.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Qingtan's gaze turned cold. He slapped his horse's back, leaped into the air, and shot out three streams of azure true energy.

True energy condensed into a sword, incredibly sharp.

With three crisp sounds, all three arrows were swept away by a sword aura and turned into fragments.

Before Aligu could react, two other cyan sword energies, carrying immense pressure, rushed straight towards him.

"Protect the prince!"

The Tibetan monks behind Ali were shocked to see this and immediately rushed over.

These Tibetan monks were all top experts from the Yundan tribe. They wore elaborate monk robes and exuded rich internal energy. With their hands clasped together, they unleashed a powerful palm strike, which they used to block the azure sword energy and protect Aligu.

However, their true energy was far inferior to Zhao Qingtan's.

"Pfft—!"

With a crisp sound, the cyan sword energy instantly pierced through the palm print and headed straight for the Tibetan monks.

Several Tibetan monks screamed as their bodies were torn apart by the blue sword energy, their corpses falling heavily to the ground, lifeless.

Upon seeing this, Aligu was terrified and seized the opportunity to spur his horse back a dozen steps, his eyes filled with horror and disbelief.

This seemingly frail woman killed her top experts with just a few sword strikes.

Aligu was intimidated by Zhao Qingtan's strength and dared not linger. He turned his horse around and quickly retreated behind the Tibetan soldiers, his face still pale.

He only brought a few hundred cavalrymen out of the city this time, originally because he was extremely bored and wanted to lead his men out to burn, kill, plunder, and have fun.

He never imagined he would encounter such a vicious person, nor did he ever imagine that his top expert would be killed by the opponent with a single sword strike.

Zhao Qingtan stood at the front of the formation, his cold gaze sweeping over the Tibetan troops before him, his aura growing increasingly intense.

She waved her hand lightly behind her, her tone unwavering: "Kill!"

Before the words were finished, more than a dozen elite Dragon God Guards charged out, their horses neighing and hooves pounding, carrying a powerful momentum as they rushed straight at the Tibetan troops in front of them.

At this moment, Zhao Qingtan's mindset was no longer the same as before.

In the past few months, she led her troops to sweep across Western Xia. Just then, Chen Zhan recovered the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun. Wherever the Song army went, it was unstoppable and no one could defeat it.

In the midst of battle, she had long since shed her former naiveté, gaining a more resolute and domineering air, and a heart set on becoming a king.

She had already slaughtered countless members of the Western Xia royal family, let alone a prince from a Tibetan tribe.

When Tibet launched its invasion of Western Xia, the Song Dynasty never made any promises or pledges to give them an inch of territory.

Now that they are taking advantage of the chaos, usurping power, and harming the people of the Song Dynasty through burning, killing, and looting, she will naturally not tolerate it, nor will she show any mercy. A dozen or so Dragon God Guards faced hundreds of Tibetan soldiers head-on without the slightest fear.

Zhao Qingtan took the lead and charged into the Tibetan formation. He drew his longsword, the sword light sweeping across the battlefield, and his azure true energy crisscrossing everywhere. No Tibetan cavalry could stop him; they were all no match for him. Screams of agony rose and fell.

The Dragon God Guards behind her were all experts above the Innate Realm, seasoned veterans with rich battlefield experience and excellent teamwork.

Armed with weapons, they charged forward on horseback like tigers descending a mountain. Each strike took the life of a Tibetan cavalryman, and in a short time, the Tibetan cavalry suffered heavy casualties and their formation was thrown into chaos.

Zhao Qingtan moved through the Tibetan formation like a ghost, her longsword flashing. Before long, she led the Dragon God Guards, forcefully cutting through the formation of hundreds of Tibetan cavalry, heading straight for the direction in which Aligu had fled.

At this moment, Aligu was leading several guards, desperately fleeing into the city, and had already created a distance of a hundred feet.

Although Zhao Qingtan's sword energy was strong, it was difficult to reach Ali Gu, who was a hundred feet away, and he could not kill him for a while.

Her eyes turned cold, and with a flick of her longsword, a streak of azure sword energy shot out, instantly killing a fleeing Tibetan cavalryman beside her.

With a burst of true energy, she steadily drew the arrow from the cavalryman's back into her palm.

Without needing a longbow, Zhao Qingtan poured all her powerful inner energy into the arrow, flicked her wrist, and swung it forcefully:
"Whoosh-!"

The arrow, carrying a sharp whistling sound, pierced the sky and headed straight for Aligu's back, closing in in the blink of an eye.

The guards behind Aligu were shocked to see this and turned around to shield him with their bodies, trying to protect his life.

"Oh!"

With a muffled thud, the guard fell to the ground, his body pierced by an arrow, and he died on the spot.

But Zhao Qingtan did not stop. With a flick of her wrist, more than a dozen arrows were thrown out in succession by her true energy, each one sharper and faster than the last.

Although the guards were fearless and stepped forward one after another to defend themselves, they could not withstand the dense and sharp arrows and fell one by one into pools of blood.

Ali dismounted his horse, startled and propelled by inertia, and charged madly into the city.

Aligu himself was struck precisely in the back by the last arrow thrown by Zhao Qingtan, which pierced through his body and pinned him firmly to the city wall.

Just then, the city gates opened wide, and a Tibetan general led several thousand Tibetan soldiers out of the city gates with great momentum, heading straight for Zhao Qingtan.

Zhao Qingtan's gaze swept over the charging Tibetan army, and her tone was decisive: "Withdraw, and rejoin the main force!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she turned her horse around and galloped away with the remaining Dragon God Guards.

A dozen or so riders arrived quickly and left just as fast, leaving behind only the plains outside the city littered with the corpses of Tibetan soldiers, their blood soaking the yellow sand, and the stench of blood in the air growing ever stronger.

Zhao Qingtan, with the remaining Dragon God Guards, quickly returned to the central army camp of the Song Dynasty.

Frost and Grain Rain had been waiting in the camp for a long time. When they saw her return, they immediately went to greet her with concern.

"Lord Zhao, are you alright?"

Shuangjiang's gaze swept over the bloodstains on Zhao Qingtan's body, then looked at the wounded Dragon God Guard behind her, and asked softly.

"It's alright, it's not my blood."

Zhao Qingtan shook her head, her tone icy, "I have already killed Aligu. The Yundan royal family has occupied three cities and slaughtered the people. It seems they have no intention of returning them."

She then gave a detailed account of the situation outside the city to the officials during Frost's Descent and Grain Rain.

The three sat together, discussed for a while, and quickly decided on a plan.

beat!
Without leaving any room for maneuver, they completely wiped out the Tibetan forces within the territory of Western Xia.

The next day, just as dawn broke, the resounding bugle call echoed from the central army camp of the Song Dynasty.

Zhao Qingtan personally led the vanguard, commanding 50,000 Song troops, and marched in a mighty procession toward the city occupied by the Tubo tribe.

The 50,000-strong army, with its banners waving and its momentum overwhelming, swept across the entire southwestern border of Western Xia.

The three Tibetan royal families that launched this campaign against Western Xia originally each occupied several cities in Western Xia, without any subordinate to each other, each governing their own territory and only concerned with seizing land and people.

The first to be affected were the descendants of the Yundan royal family.

Aligu was a prince of the Yundan royal family. The news of his murder quickly reached the Yundan royal family's camp, and the entire Yundan royal family was furious but also fearful.

In the ensuing battle, the Song army was in high spirits and well-equipped, and the Tibetan soldiers were simply unable to resist. In just one day, several thousand members of the Yundan royal family were killed, and countless Tibetan monks under their command were also killed or wounded. The camp was breached by the Song army, and the battlefield was littered with corpses, a truly horrific sight.

Just as the Yun Dan royal family was on the verge of destruction, a figure appeared out of thin air, radiating a rich aura of true energy.

Maharaja Jiumozhi.

As the leader of the Tibetan Buddhist sect, Kumārajīva originally did not intend to intervene, but the Dalun Temple had close ties with the Yundan royal family, and the Yundan king wanted to help.

"stop!"

Kumārajīva shouted loudly, his voice echoing throughout the entire battlefield.

He flashed forward and stood in front of the Song army, his gaze coldly fixed on Zhao Qingtan. "Are you a general of the Song Dynasty? The Yundan royal family assisted the Song Dynasty in annihilating the Western Xia, and has rendered meritorious service to the Song Dynasty. Why do you want to exterminate them?"

Zhao Qingtan paused, looking at Kumārajīva: "Great Wheel King? It's true that Tibet sent troops to Western Xia, but it's also true that they took advantage of the chaos, seized power, harmed the people, and engaged in arson, murder, and looting, isn't it?"

"Moreover, it was the Tibetans who shot and killed me first, so it is only natural for me to kill them."

"Stubborn to the end!"

Kumārajīva snorted coldly, and his true energy suddenly erupted. Buddhist teachings and martial arts merged, and his palm strikes were fierce, heading straight for Zhao Qingtan.

At the same time, he gestured to the Yun Dan King's clan behind him, and the Tibetan monks he brought led the Yun Dan King away.

However, Frost's Descent and Grain Rain suddenly appeared on the battlefield.

Driven by their unique internal energy, the two quickly swept away the Tibetan monks, with almost no one able to withstand a single blow.

The fight between Kumārajīva and Zhao Qingtan was evenly matched. After his trip to Dali, his martial arts skills improved again. With his Flaming Saber and Six Meridian Divine Sword, Zhao Qingtan was unable to defeat him for a while.

But Kumārajīva grew increasingly anxious as the fight progressed, and almost all the Tibetan monks behind him were dead.

Gradually, Kumārajīva began to lose ground.

"The Six Meridians Divine Sword... how can it consume so much true energy!" he sighed inwardly.

The Six Meridian Divine Sword is indeed powerful, formless and colorless, but it consumes a great deal of true energy. Only someone like Duan Yu in the original work, who has absorbed true energy for over a hundred years, can use it without any worries.

Therefore, after more than a hundred moves, his true energy was greatly depleted.
Seeing this, Zhao Qingtan's eyes flashed with a fierce light. Seizing an opening, he poured all his true energy into his longsword and swept it horizontally. The cyan sword energy roared out and went straight for Kumārajīva's chest.

Kumārajīva was shocked and tried to dodge, but it was too late.

He could only wield the Flame Blade to barely defend himself.

With a "whoosh," the sword energy shattered the flaming blade and struck his chest, causing blood to gush out.

Kumārajīva screamed as his body was blasted away by the sword energy. He staggered to his feet and fled, quickly disappearing into the distance, his whereabouts unknown. (End of Chapter)