Three Kingdoms: Start by marrying Cai Yan, then vie for supremacy.

5

"Are you referring to that kid He Qi, sir?"

The image of that spirited young man immediately appeared before Xu Chen's eyes.

Although he is relatively inexperienced, his martial arts skills are quite remarkable.

If this inherited power were bestowed upon him, it would likely cause resentment among his old subordinates.

But if we don't give it to him, we can't find a more suitable candidate in time.

After careful consideration, Xu Chen finally made his decision: "Let's do as you say, sir. Let He Qi inherit Chi Ya's dual-sword technique!"

"Master Shui Jing's advice has truly relieved my urgent crisis!"

"By the way, on the isolated island in the North Sea before, I saw three evil generals who had each found their own inheritance."

What exactly are their abilities?

After all, the key to military strategy lies in knowing the enemy's strengths and weaknesses.

Xu Chen knew perfectly well: although the evil god was showing him goodwill on the island, who knew what he was really up to? Maybe he was just forced to bow down because of the situation.

We must take precautions no matter what; this is the best way to protect Daliang.

...

The three men were named Ketu, Tukegu, and Batu.

"

"Ke Tu's 'Long Spear Chaos' is extraordinary; his demonic spear has taken the lives of countless masters."

"

As Sima Hui said this, a hint of fear flashed in his eyes.

It was thanks to Ketu that the nine generals under the Evil God were able to establish their fearsome reputation.

"A world of chaos and spears... does this Ke Tu use a spear?"

Xu Chen recalled the situation on the island and did not see him carrying any weapons.

"Exactly."

Because the inheritance has not been restored, he cannot wield that demonic spear.

Now that they have regained their power, they must be looking for their weapons.

"

"When he has a gun in his hand, he is at his peak."

If the Prince of Liang encounters him in the future, he must be extremely careful!

Xu Chen nodded solemnly, making sure to remember the name.

"What about the other two?"

"Tukgu is skilled in 'Thousands of Illusions', and Batu is proficient in the art of 'Raid'."

"

"A swift attack is easy to understand, but what kind of skill is 'a thousand weavings and myriad illusions'?"

"This...this old minister is not entirely sure either."

I never witnessed Tukgu fighting anyone back then.

"

Xu Chen felt more confident.

If a fight really breaks out in the future, we won't be caught off guard.

Xu Chen instructed Sima Hui to pass on the two inherited powers to Jing Ke and He Qi, and also taught them how to absorb them.

As soon as Sima Hui left, Jia Xu rushed in, his face grim, and it was clear that something had happened.

"King Liang, before you came to the island, didn't you order Xiu Mi to bring troops here?"

"Everything was going smoothly, and Xiu Mi dispersed his troops to garrison various cities."

'

"But after he heard of your location, he brought three thousand soldiers to join you."

'

"But as soon as they entered Jin Chuncheng's territory, they suddenly disappeared!"

"It's gone?"

Xu Chen frowned, clearly not expecting this to happen.

"Yes, I sent a message to the Embroidered Uniform Guard overnight, asking them to search the area around Jin Chuncheng, but they couldn't find a single trace."

'

"It's like he vanished into thin air! Prince Liang, there's definitely something fishy about this!"

"What should we do?"

Even Jia Xu couldn't make up his mind about such an important matter, so he could only wait for Xu Chen to make arrangements.

Looking across the entire Liang Kingdom, perhaps only Xu Chen could have investigated this matter thoroughly.

"Three thousand men, gone in an instant."

'

"Such an incident occurring within the territory of my Great Liang must be thoroughly investigated!"

After Xu Chen finished speaking, he raised his hand and waved it, and a high-definition compass appeared in front of him.

With a few quick movements, he immediately gained a clear view of the situation surrounding Jin Chuncheng.

But no matter how I looked at it, I couldn't find anything unusual.

Suddenly, a red dot flashed on a spot on the compass!

That place is west of Jinchun City!

Is the system telling me that there's a problem in the west?

This was the first time he had ever seen such a situation, and Xu Chen dared not be careless!

"Jia Xu, go and inform Zhao Yun, Zhang Liao, and Ma Chao."

'

"Have them muster their troops and come with me to Jinchun City!"

"Yes, sir!"

After receiving the order, Jia Xu quickly went to make arrangements.

But when he was on the northern island, all three evil generals were inside, which means they didn't do it.

If not an evil general, then who could it be?

Who has the ability to make three thousand soldiers disappear into thin air?

Xu Chen suddenly remembered the masked man's image. Could it be one of those people?

That's not right either. Could it be some other unknown force?

Xu Chen recalled Sima Hui's words that many ancient great beings were awakening, and the world was about to undergo a great change!

Could it be that other powerful forces are behind this?

But what do they want to do with Hugh Smith?

Xu Chen and his men were exhausted. To ensure the safety of the rear, he left all the Great Snow Dragon Riders with the main force.

Zhang Liao, Ma Chao, and Zhao Yun's cavalry units were the most elite rapid response forces in Daliang.

After two days of forced march, the army finally arrived at the outskirts of Jinchun City.

"Your Majesty, according to intelligence, General Xiu Mi lost contact in this area."

"Jia Xu pointed to the empty wilderness ahead and said."

Xu Chen observed intently but found nothing unusual.

There was no evil aura here, nor any signs of battle. Could it be that Xiu Mi and his three thousand soldiers simply vanished into thin air?

Seeing that Xu Chen was deep in thought, no one dared to make a sound to disturb him.

Suddenly, a cloud of dust rose in the distance, and a troop of cavalry was galloping toward them.

The rapid sound of horses' hooves interrupted Xu Chen's thoughts, and he squinted as he looked into the distance.

Zhao Yun and Ma Chao immediately stepped forward with their spears, standing on either side of Xu Chen to protect him.

Upon seeing Xu Chen, the leading general hurriedly reined in his horse, turned, and bowed: "Wu Yi, the garrison commander of Jinchun City, pays his respects to King Liang! This humble general is late in welcoming Your Majesty, please forgive him!"

General Wu arrived just in time.

"Xu Chen said calmly, "Have you investigated the situation here?"

Wu Yi quickly replied: "General Xiu Mi had previously sent a message informing me that he would be passing through this place."

Upon learning that he was to join forces with the King of Liang, I led my troops to wait outside the city gate.

We waited from morning till night but no one showed up. I found this strange, so I led my troops to investigate, only to find...

He swallowed hard and continued, "The entire wilderness is deserted."

Later, I heard that General Xiumi's three thousand men had mysteriously disappeared near Jinchun City.

For the past two days, I have been leading people to search the surrounding area, but we haven't found even the slightest trace.

Therefore, this humble general suspects...

"Suspicion about what?" Xu Chen's gaze was sharp as lightning.

"This humble general dares to speculate, could the intelligence be flawed? How could three thousand troops vanish into thin air without leaving a trace? This is utterly illogical!"

After saying this, Wu Yi secretly glanced at Jia Xu.

The intelligence chief's face turned ashen—who didn't know that Liang Kingdom's largest intelligence network was controlled by Jia Xu? If the intelligence was indeed wrong, this matter would be quite intriguing.

"General Wu," Jia Xu said in a sinister tone, "you're implying that my intelligence is false?"

Jia Xu coldly questioned, "The Embroidered Uniform Guard is directly under the command of the Prince of Liang. General Wu, are you implying that they are deceiving our lord?"

Wu Yi broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly clasped his hands in a fist salute: "This humble general would never have meant that!" He felt bitter inside—if he didn't push the blame onto Jia Xu, was he supposed to admit that he, as the city lord, had neglected his duty? Three thousand soldiers had vanished into thin air; someone had to take responsibility.

"You coward, do you really need me to invite you?" Xu Chen suddenly spoke up.

The generals looked around in astonishment, but all they saw was a vast wilderness with no sign of anyone.

Zhao Yun and Ma Chao exchanged a glance, then instantly drew their weapons and stood ready on their horses.

They had followed their lord in his campaigns across the country and had witnessed many treacherous events.

At this moment, the north wind sweeps across the plains, whipping up the grass, yet a chill creeps down one's spine.

Xu Chen stroked the Tai'a sword at his waist.

He had been suspicious when the high-definition compass warned him earlier—there was no way the Embroidered Uniform Guards would betray their master, and the disappearance of the Secret Service must be suspicious.

At this moment, his divine sense swept across the west and indeed detected a strange fluctuation.

"Break!" The sword light surged like snow waves, and a strange "hiss" sound suddenly came from afar, as if a sharp blade had slashed into a deep pool.

To everyone's astonishment, a column of water ten feet high shot up from the ground and instantly solidified into a woman wearing a golden mask.

She held a winding, soft sword, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.

"The Five Elements Sect?" Xu Chen narrowed his eyes.

This mask is exactly the same as those seen on the northern islands.

Sima Hui once said that these people worship Shennong as their master... Could the disappearance of the Xiumi tribe be related to them?

Just as he was about to ask further questions, the woman suddenly shook her wrist.

The soft sword rippled through the air, and obscure incantations swirled in the wind.

Xu Chen's pupils shrank sharply, and he leaped to block the front of the army formation—he knew better than anyone the terror of the Five Elements Secret Technique!

Just as Xu Chen had predicted, as the soft sword danced, hundreds of water droplets shot towards the army like a rain of arrows!

The seemingly delicate water droplet, when launched at extremely high speed, is a hundred times more powerful than an arrow!

If it hits a soldier, the consequences would be unimaginable!

Xu Chen remained calm and composed, brandishing his Tai'a sword to block the crowd!

The sword flashed, blocking all the water droplets, which fell to the ground and pooled together.

The masked woman clearly hadn't expected Xu Chen to be so powerful, and turned to flee.

"Trying to escape?"

With clues presented to her right in front of her, how could she possibly escape so easily?

Her appearance here at this time must be strange; this woman may know the whereabouts of Xiu Mi and the others!

Seeing Xu Chen approaching, the woman swung her sword backhand, intending to stop him from pursuing her.

To everyone's surprise, Xu Chen was even faster; before the sword light arrived, he had already flashed behind her!

Xu Chen reached out to grab it, but when he touched it, a cool liquid ran across his palm!

--water!

The woman turned into a puddle of clear water and vanished into thin air!

The water on the ground quickly seeped into the soil and was about to disappear completely!

Xu Chen's heart skipped a beat—could it be that Xiu Mi and the others disappeared in the same way?

We absolutely cannot let this woman escape!

Before the water had completely evaporated, Xu Chen lightly touched the ground with the tip of his sword, and a star quietly merged into the water and sank.

Stars can transform into invisible spiritual energy, attaching to water flow, making them extremely difficult to detect.

Xu Chen is able to sense the position of stars at any time, making him the perfect person for tracking them!

He closed his eyes and concentrated, sensing that the stars were fleeing at an astonishing speed.

"Your Highness, are you alright?"

Zhang Liao and the others had already gathered around, cautiously looking around, fearing that the woman might not have gone far.

Wu Yi was shocked. He had never witnessed the abilities of the Nine Evil Gods before, and this woman's power far exceeded his understanding.

Xu Chen opened his eyes and said in a deep voice, "You all go to Jin Chuncheng and wait!"

Having said that, he said no more, sheathed his sword, and swiftly pursued the star.

No one knows what methods this woman used, but in a short time she was already a hundred miles away!

Xu Chen pushed his speed to the limit, barely keeping up with her escape speed.

If we had been even a fraction of a second slower, we might have truly lost track of her!

Xu Chen chased for nearly an hour when he suddenly noticed that the woman had stopped.

His heart skipped a beat, and he immediately sped off toward the location he had sensed.

Because he was going so fast, when he stopped, he didn't even know where he was, only that he was definitely still within the territory of Liang Kingdom.

"strangeness!"

Xu Chen followed the starlight to the top of a waterfall, but there was no one in sight.

Is there something strange about this place?

Standing at the edge of the waterfall, he gently raised his five fingers, and the starlight that had been emanating from them gradually reappeared.

Just as he was about to withdraw the starlight, he suddenly felt something strange coming from his legs—a stream of water was quietly climbing up his trouser leg without him noticing!

By the time he realized what was happening, the water had already wrapped tightly around his legs like an iron hoop.

"Water-based secret techniques!"

Xu Chen inwardly cried out in alarm.

This power is very similar to the water elemental power encountered in the Shennong Forbidden Land.

He tried to take off, but found that his legs were frozen on ice and he couldn't move them at all.

The chains formed by the flowing water tightened, binding him firmly in place.

Your Highness, the Prince of Liang.

"

The clear water condensed into a human shape in front of him, which was the masked woman from before.