My cultivation techniques can be infinitely fused.

In half a month, Lu Zheng selected a thousand men from the various military commanders' offices. Each of them was at the Body Tempering Realm. These men were selected from good families in the border army, so their strength and experience were not a problem.

The junior officers are all at the Bone Forging Realm, while the captains have reached the Tendon Refining Realm.

Ten centurions, each one of them was making filth.

There was also a deputy commander, whose cultivation level was at the peak of the late stage of the Refining Realm.

This configuration is quite good.

Besides these thousand people, there were ten thousand strongmen, all of whom were close to their physical limits and only one step away from tempering their bodies.

Equipped with heavy armor, thick shields, swords, spears, short-handled hammers, and crossbows, these 10,000 men were enough to kill several, or even a dozen, innate beings.

This is also the source of Lu Zheng's current confidence.

Most importantly, Yun Chen truly treats him exceptionally well, approving his requests almost immediately.

Looking at the line in front of him, Lu Zheng could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"My lord, where shall we go next?" After inspecting his elite guards in the training ground.

Huang Yan walked over and asked cautiously.

He is currently at the Bone Forging Realm and still holds the position of a junior officer, but Lu Zheng has arranged for him to be by his side, working exclusively for him.

Therefore, he holds a high position in this team.

"Let's go back to Fufeng, the New Year is almost here," Lu Zheng said softly.

His second uncle, Lu Kun, said he would come over to celebrate the Lunar New Year with him, so it's really time for him to go back now.

Moreover, Lu Zheng also chose Fufeng County as his campsite.

Yun Chen had already left with his men two days ago, so he didn't need to say goodbye to anyone else.

As for Yun He, he went to the Northern Frontier Protectorate, and after this, he was finally noticed by the Grand Commander and gained a lot.

"Yes, sir," Huang Yan replied.

He then called out to the crowd below, "Let's go!"

Once the order was given, everyone mounted their horses.

The armor and shields of those heavily armored warriors were already tied to their crossbows, and they would only wear them when they encountered battle. On ordinary days, they would only wear short armor.

  

So, it's quite convenient.

The army roared out of the city. This time, Lu Zheng left even more imposingly than when he arrived, surrounded by tens of thousands of elite troops.

From now on, he will no longer be fighting alone in this northern frontier.

Finally, they had a team that completely obeyed their orders.

However, as he ran out of the city gate, he couldn't help but look back.

Since Yun Chen and the others arrived, the blood-haired man who had helped them has never appeared again; perhaps he has already left.

I don't know if we'll ever have a chance to meet again.

As for Xiao Zun, he left a deep impression on Lu Zheng because of their first meeting, so the latter really wanted to recruit him into his ranks.

Unfortunately, Lu Zheng could tell that this person was extremely arrogant, and he didn't know if, with his current strength, he could win his loyalty willingly.

Without further thought, he led his army and headed into the distance.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Xiao Zun was walking on a road outside Huangsha City. The New Year was just around the corner, and he planned to secretly return to Qingzhou to burn some paper money for his wife and children.

In Huangsha City, he managed to recoup some of his losses.

It's just frustrating that they still haven't found the Xuanjian Sect Master, and they don't even know who he is.

Although Lu Zheng's side captured some people from the Xuanjian Sect, the latter did not even know who the Xuanjian Sect Master was. Usually, it was the branch masters or hall masters above who issued orders.

The higher-ups maintained a single-line communication system.

This infuriated Xiao Zun.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"

Xiao Zun had just crossed a mountain pass.

A series of ear-piercing whistling sounds rang out.

Then, a large number of arrows fell like water being poured down, their tips gleaming.

Xiao Zun raised an eyebrow, and the thick-backed golden-patterned sword in his hand created a series of light screens, slashing all the feathered arrows to the ground.

Its emerald green eyes looked around.

They discovered a large number of men dressed in black, with effeminate features.

I've mastered a lot.

The leader was a tall, thin, middle-aged man with a pale face and scarlet lips.

Holding a long sword, he said, "Heh heh, I've long heard of the Mountain-Shaking Tiger King in the martial world. Seeing him today, I can see he truly lives up to his reputation. Men, kill him!"

This man, named Sun Wangcai, is a commander in the Black Ice Guard. He was ordered by Eunuch Wang to come and arrest Xiao Zun.

He had reviewed the man's information before coming.

With the cultivation level of the Innate Realm, his combat power is extremely strong.

Therefore, he dared not be careless and brought out his elite guards and most of his strongmen.

Such a lineup is enough to suppress a Xiantian (a high-level cultivator).

And then the sound faded away.

A massive amount of black ice surged down, spreading like a flood from all directions.

Seeing this, Xiao Zun's expression turned fierce. Instead of retreating, he advanced, brandishing his battle sword and charging into the crowd.

His knife was heavy, but his strikes were very precise.

The Black Ice Guards are known for their agility and hidden weapons; when they launch an attack, they are ruthless and insidious.

However, all of this seemed to be ineffective when facing Xiao Zun.

In the face of absolute and domineering power, it is nothing but a minor trick.

Xiao Zun's battle blade landed on the shoulder of a Black Ice Platform centurion, instantly slicing through the latter's short armor. Then, with a fierce pull, the centurion was tumbled in mid-air before half of his body was cleaved in two.

After taking down one person, he didn't look back; the golden-patterned blade coiled around his body and began to spin.

"Jingle bells!"

All the weapons that approached him were cut down in an instant, clearly indicating that Xiao Zun's battle sword was no ordinary weapon.

A moment later, his gaze fell on Sun Wangcai in the distance.

When the latter noticed Xiao Zun looking at him, a look of horror flashed in his eyes.

The gaze was so fierce that it made him feel uneasy.

But the next moment, his aura was locked on. Xiao Zun took off into the air, stepping on the shoulders of the Black Ice Guard, and rushed towards Sun Wangcai.

"Insolence!" the latter's sharp voice rang out.

He drew his long sword from his waist.

"Bang!"

But then, as Xiao Zun's battle blade fell, Sun Wangcai's longsword was cleaved in two, leaving a trail of blood on his body, and he was killed on the spot.

"Eunuch Sun has been killed! We must apprehend him, or we will all die!" The deputy commander's voice almost trembled.

Xiao Zun's gaze turned cold as he looked at the crowd that had gathered around him. Instead of being afraid, he let out a wild laugh.

"Hahahahaha!"

The next moment, sound waves vibrated, and the earth shook.

......

In the capital of the Great Xia Dynasty, at the residence of Fu Qing, the newly appointed Vice Minister of War, the high-ranking official was sipping tea when an old servant whispered a message: "Senior brother, we can now mobilize 80,000 troops."

"Once the world is in chaos, you can raise your voice and, using these 80,000 men as a base, stretch an army of hundreds of thousands."

"Yes, the emperor's condition has been getting worse lately. He does seem to be nearing the end of his life. I estimate he won't last many more years. Once he dies, everything will be much easier," Fu Qing said with a smile.

However, he immediately frowned: "That old fellow Zhuang Xuqiu has been exiled to the Northern Frontier. The Princess also went there under the pretext of escorting her teacher. If this news is spread, it will probably cause many sects to take action."

"That old fellow Zhuang Xuqiu destroyed many sects back then. Now that his life force is exhausted, he probably can't even use his innate strength anymore." Fu Qing's voice was cold.

Clearly, they also deeply resented Zhuang Xuqiu.

"I'll have someone spread the word today," the old servant said immediately.

"Da da da!"

Just as the two were talking, a series of hurried footsteps sounded.

Then, one of Fu Qing's trusted men rushed in, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "My lord, an urgent report from Huangsha City: all the people we planted there have been arrested, and all the sect members who gathered in the city to prepare to leave the border have been massacred. Some of them have also been taken to the Northern Garrison."

Upon hearing the report, Fu Qing felt a pang of anxiety. He hadn't expected the Hundred Cavalry Division to be so efficient these days. However, since his disciples were unaware of his sect's identity, there was no need to worry about his identity being exposed.

But then, an unnamed fire rose up. He had been cultivating and infiltrating Huangsha City for many years to bring it to its current state.

Now it's all over, everything is gone, it's impossible not to feel heartbroken.

After all, the northern frontier was very important to him. Not only did his caravans need it to do business outside the city, but he also received a lot of support from the Rong and Di tribes. Now all of that was cut off.

In particular, it took a lot of effort to persuade Shi Yan of the Hundred Cavalry Division to work for the sect.

Now, everything has come to nothing. He said coldly, "Who did all this? That old bastard Yun Chen? Did they clean up the mess properly?"

"Sir, everything has been cleaned up. When we contacted those officials in Huangsha City, it wasn't our people who came forward, so it has nothing to do with us."

However, according to our intelligence, the one who captured the sect experts from Huangsha City was a young man named Lu Zheng. He was born into the Lu family of Fengling County and joined the Hundred Cavalry Division only a few months ago. He has already been appointed as a patrol commander.

The report from his subordinates made Fu Qing's gaze sharpen.

The old servant standing nearby whispered, "Master, is he Miss Mu's son?"