Da Xuan Martial Saint

"Hmm..."

Murong Yan took a deep breath and gave Chen Mu a slight nod, the shock still evident in her eyes.

In that moment, her mind also flashed through many things, including the earlier plot against Chen Mu by the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion. Now, it seemed that all of these might have been the cautious strategies of Chen Mu; being able to master the Six Viscera Realm to Perfection and then breaking through the Mysterious Pass to become a Qiankun Grandmaster within just a few years, Chen Mu's talents were truly unmatched in history.

It was as if she was witnessing another figure like the Da Xuan Martial Emperor rising step by step. It was no wonder that Chen Mu's actions were so extremely cautious; after all, attracting attention before one has grown sufficiently is not a good thing. Not to mention the whole Da Xuan Dynasty, just this Cold North Path alone probably had countless people who did not wish to see a new era's Martial Saint emerge.

Roar!!

The Mystic Tortoise roared angrily again, but by this time, Chen Mu and Murong Yan had already put a distance of two hundred yards between themselves and it, practically unaffected by its attack at this range, which posed little threat.

Murong Yan's sidelong glance fell on the Heavenly Demon Black Tortoise behind them, and she said gravely, "This tortoise must have been provoked by the Sky Demon Sect using some means, becoming violent and uncontrollable. Brother Chen, what do you think would be the best approach to deal with it?"

Her earlier considerations were numerous, and being chased by the Mystic Tortoise had put a lot of pressure on her. Now that she had Chen Mu by her side, the tension in her heart had greatly diminished. As for how to handle the Mystic Tortoise, naturally, it was best to listen to Chen Mu's thoughts now.

Chen Mu also looked back at the Mystic Tortoise. With his current strength, while he was still slightly inferior to the weakened tortoise in a direct confrontation, he could manage to entangle it for a while. However, the key issue was that without being able to suppress it, continuing the stalemate was meaningless. If the tortoise were to fully awaken or break free from its violent state and head straight for the river basin, it would be even harder to stop it, as the center of Ice State was the Ice Sea, which also connected to the Outer Sea from underground.

"Sister Murong, how much longer do you need to clear your aura?"

Chen Mu paused for a moment before asking Murong Yan.

Murong Yan was affected by the dark scheme of the Sky Demon Sect, unknowingly absorbing something that intermixed with her Inner Breath. It was decidedly much more attractive to the Mystic Tortoise than mere rosemary. However, she was also a practitioner of the Six Viscera Realm, and it would just take her some effort to cleanse it thoroughly.

Murong Yan quickly replied, "At least half an hour."

"Good."

Chen Mu nodded slightly, looked back at the Mystic Tortoise, a flicker of light passing through his eyes, and said, "Then let's go deliver a 'grand gift' to the tribes outside, Sister Murong. What do you think?"

Murong Yan naturally had no intention of rejecting Chen Mu's suggestion. She had also considered luring the Mystic Tortoise to the foreign tribes' stronghold before, but due to concerns about whether she could get away safely once she led it there, she had been hesitant to decide.

Now, with Chen Mu accompanying her, she naturally felt much more confident.

Although she was not sure exactly how powerful Chen Mu had become after becoming a Grandmaster, judging by the impact of the clash between Chen Mu and the Mystic Tortoise just now, she feared no top Grandmaster of the Cold North Path could match Chen Mu.

With such a powerful figure by her side, she naturally felt confident enough to venture into the foreign tribes' stronghold. Whether the tribal forces would suppress the Mystic Tortoise or the Mystic Tortoise would destroy their stronghold, they would ultimately benefit in the end.

Having made up her mind.

Chen Mu then changed direction, leading Murong Yan as they flew towards the depths of Han Prefecture. Having previously scouted the area, he was naturally aware of the whereabouts of the foreign tribes' stronghold in Han Prefecture, which was stationed a few hundred miles north of the Prefectural Government. They could advance to raid the Prefectural Government and retreat back to the State Government Office of Ice State to meet with the main forces of the tribes.

"The foreign tribes currently occupying Han Prefecture are the Wu Meng and Wu Li Departments. Each department has over ten thousand troops, all elite, and in terms of quality, even better than the forces of the Ice State Guards and Yu Lin Army."

Chen Mu talked to Murong Yan about the intelligence on Han Prefecture as they hurried along.

Now having a general understanding of the Mystic Tortoise's capabilities and some of the Blood Exchange Realm techniques, his knowledge of large-scale military formations was still limited. Although he had accompanied the Yu Lin Army in the past, he had never participated in combat.

As for the earlier eradication of one troop in Han Prefecture, that was merely a thousand men, and furthermore, there was no Grandmaster leading them.

He was not sure about the combat power that tens of thousands of elite troops led by a Grandmaster could muster; if they clashed with the Heavenly Demon Black Tortoise tailing them, what the rough outcome would be.

...

In the northern part of Han Prefecture.

About four hundred miles away from the Prefectural Government, this location was the campsite of the Wu Meng and Wu Li Departments.

The two departments were camped tens of miles apart, occupying the land of the local County Government. At this time, all the scattered army soldiers in Han Prefecture had already regrouped, with each department hosting over ten thousand troops gathered inside the camps.

At this moment.

In the central camp of the Wu Meng Department, the atmosphere inside the camp was utterly solemn. Whether it was the soldiers stationed outside the camp or the commanders standing inside, all bowed their heads respectfully, daring not to act rashly.

The spacious interior of the camp was covered with a very large white fur carpet, seemingly from a Tiger Demon. Judging by its fur, it must have been at least thirty feet tall when alive, undoubtedly a Demon King of the Seventh Rank or higher. Now its demon hide had become a carpet covering the camp floor.

In the center of the carpet, there were six figures.

The aura of these six figures was either profoundly contained or wildly scattering, but without exception, each was accompanied by a faint majestic presence belonging to the level of a Grandmaster. They were the numerous Grandmasters of the Wu Meng and Wu Li Departments.

The one seated at the highest position, with dark skin and a square face exuding an aura of innate authority, and whose presence faintly overshadowed the others, was one of the two marquises of the Wu Meng Department, the Wu Gu Marquis, a top Grandmaster dominating the regions beyond the pass!

"...The Seven Profound Sect came prepared this time, launching a surprise attack on Secluded Silent Valley. We received the news too late. If we rush there now, we might fall into their ambush. It might be better to wait and see how things unfold. The members of the Sky Demon Sect are cunning and malicious; their main altar is not so easily breached. Letting them fight it out might be good."

"No, you said the Seven Profound Sect came prepared. I think Secluded Silent Valley must have fallen by now; it might already be too late for us to go."

"I still think we should make a trip there. Whether the Seven Profound Sect retreated or Secluded Silent Valley has fallen, it will surely be chaos. We might be able to gain some benefits and we don't necessarily have to help the Sky Demon Sect."

The Grandmasters in the hall began to speak one after another, discussing the situation in a grave tone.

The intelligence on the raid on Secluded Silent Valley had already been passed here, but they were still unable to reach a unanimous decision.

"The Seven Profound Sect has launched a major attack, and the Grandmasters have poured out. If we are to move, we must all do so together, but if we do that, the rear of our base will be vulnerable. If we fall into any sort of trap, the losses could be severe."

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This place was too far from Secluded Silent Valley. They, as Grandmasters, could indeed reach there quickly, but it was certain that the main army at the base could not be mobilized in time. Each base of the two factions must have at least one Grandmaster in command, and currently, there were only six Grandmasters from their two factions here. Deducting two, only four remained, and going to aid Secluded Silent Valley with just four people was hardly reassuring.

After all, according to intelligence, the Seven Profound Sect's current attack was massive, with almost all their Grandmasters mobilized.

If the Sky Demon Sect couldn't hold Secluded Silent Valley, then their presence there might not be useful, and if it could hold... then their presence might instead prompt the Seven Profound Sect to abandon Secluded Silent Valley and target them instead, and the Sky Demon Sect might not necessarily assist them in return.

"..."

Wu Gu Marquis watched as the Grandmasters from the Wu Li and another faction insisted on their own opinions, which made him also waver for a moment. The actions of the Seven Profound Sect were too decisive and unified, which made them here very apprehensive.

Moreover, the Wu Li side had recently lost an elite unit, and Tuguhou had personally gone to investigate. To this day, he has not returned and has lost contact for many days, giving him a bad premonition that falling into an ambush and dying at the hands of the Seven Profound Sect was highly possible.

In any case, the situation in Ice State had been changing ever since the Seven Profound Sect got involved.

Both the Ice Extreme Palace and the Seven Profound Sect, which each controlled a state, had more than ten Grandmasters, far stronger than any one, or even two or three of their factions combined, not quite able to compete with them.

With the Ice Extreme Palace and the Seven Profound Sect joining forces, even if their four factions and both the Sky Demon Sect and the Heavenly Corpse Sect were to fully unite, they still might not gain much of an advantage; the current situation was increasingly unfavorable.

In his view.

It was time to stop fighting and pull back beyond the border.

After all, they had already plundered most of the benefits they could, and the Ice Extreme Palace was hard to break into, so taking the spoils and leaving was the rational decision. Battling back and forth with the Ice Extreme Palace and the Seven Profound Sect in Ice State was just a needless increase in losses.

Though he was Wu Gu Marquis, the highest-ranking person in the Wu Li faction, the decision-making power for this expedition was not in his hands, but in those of 'Wu Zu', the common leader of the four factions, a lord in the Blood Exchange Realm. Even he was unclear about what exactly Wu Zu planned to do, but without the latter's command, the Wu Li's four factions could only continue to linger in Ice State.

However.

Just as the Grandmasters in the tent were holding their divergent views and the dispute was ongoing, someone suddenly burst into the tent.

"Report, urgent news from the southern scouts!"

The person who arrived was a Commander in the Six Viscera Realm, his face still showing urgency.

He had received the highest priority urgent message from the southern scouts, indicating a significant threat was approaching their position, although it was not clear what exactly the threat was, it was undoubtedly extraordinary.

"Hmm?"

The facial expressions of the many Grandmasters in the tent, including Wu Gu Marquis, changed slightly. After quickly exchanging glances, someone immediately headed out. With a few swift steps, they all left the tent.

Some flew directly into the sky, while others leapt up and landed on the observation towers at the perimeter of the base, gazing toward the south, but for the moment, no changes were visible.

While everyone was frowning slightly, puzzled and uncertain, Wu Gu Marquis, standing a hundred feet in the air, was the first to show a change in expression.

"This is..."

Gazing toward the southern sky, he vaguely caught a powerful and terrifying aura approaching their position; this aura, which he was very familiar with, was undoubtedly based on demon Qi, but this surge of demon Qi was far beyond what any ordinary demon could muster.

As time rapidly passed, the demon Qi grew even more fierce, creating a sense of a sky-conquering demon Qi that caused Wu Gu Marquis and the other many Grandmasters to markedly change their looks.

As Grandmasters of a foreign race, who had frequently hunted demons beyond the borders, and even hunted many Demon Kings and Great Demons, but this aura was clearly far beyond the capabilities of a Ninth or Eighth Rank Demon King.

This towering demon Qi belonged to a Ninth Rank Heavenly Demon!

A Heavenly Demon, from far across the horizon, was charging directly towards their camps of the Wu Li and Wu Gu factions!