The Demon Slayer Martial Saint Begins with Insect Refining

Chapter 446 Gathering of Fortune
On the day the Northern Barbarian Martial Saint fell in the Dali Dynasty, the Dali Army of Beishan Prefecture marched three hundred li north, reaching the edge of the Tianduan Mountains.

No one from the two major tribes on the northern border dared to stop them, allowing Fu Mingzhao, the prefect under Tong Chengqi, to attack the two barbarian states and prefectures, gaining cattle, sheep, wild beasts, rare treasures, and countless barbarian slaves.

A small border country, implicated in an ambush, was exposed and surrendered without a fight. Its ruler committed suicide out of fear of punishment, and three members of the royal family became its subjects.

In just a few months, the border region has undergone tremendous changes.

When Su Yan emerged from seclusion and heard the news, he couldn't help but praise Tong Chengqi's skillful methods.

"Taking advantage of their weakness, they seized two prefectures before the Northern Barbarians could react. Although they might not be able to hold them, the benefits were already in hand, along with the ambush and the subsequent suicides out of fear of punishment..."

Su Yan sneered. It was probably all planned long ago. Even his ambush was likely orchestrated by Tong Chengqi. At least in some aspects, Tong Chengqi had definitely given his consent.

Using himself as bait, he lured and killed the experts from the Northern Barbarians and the Buddhist Kingdom. If the ambush had succeeded, it would have thwarted Hong Wuji's plans and cut off his luck.

If both sides could be severely injured, that would be even better, as Tong Chengqi would benefit entirely. At that time, he might be the one whose luck would gather and prepare to break through to the level of a terrestrial immortal.

Now, just as Tong Chengqi planned, with the death of the Northern Barbarian Martial Saint, he will storm into the Northern Barbarian lands to seek revenge and gather a large amount of fortune.

However, there was one thing that exceeded his expectations: Su Yan was too strong. Not only did he not die, but he also wiped out the Buddhist forces of the Dali Dynasty in one fell swoop.

Ascend the Dragon Gate, and the mission of destroying Buddhism is accomplished.

Su Yan had traveled to almost every one of the thirteen prefectures, and even the direct disciples of the Dayan Dao Sect and the Longevity Pavilion could only be his defeated opponents at this moment.

Its momentum is complete, its fortune is like a dragon.

Within the royal city, in the eyes of many powerful figures, the Grand Commandant's Mansion was gathering its fortune, resembling a rising dragon formation.

Grand Marshal Hong has not left the scene for several months, but everyone knows that the pattern of the horse trampling the Jianghu has been established.

"Senior brother, you've taken on a good disciple."

Inside the Grand Commandant's residence, Tong Chengqi sat opposite Grand Commandant Hong, but there was no tense atmosphere between them.

"He is a good disciple, better than both of us, and no less than his master."

Hong Wuji raised his eyes slightly, a smile playing on his lips.

When Tong Chengqi heard Hong Wuji mention the Three Absolute Elders, he said leisurely, "The Heavenly Gang Demon Suppression Scripture and the Earthly Fiend Demon Summoning Scripture, the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend, stir up the calamity energy. This time, you have the advantage. You should prepare to go to Xizhou Prefecture, right?"

"The Dawn Buddha has entered the world; it's time to make a trip to the West."

“The reincarnation god Adathama went south.”

As soon as the words fell, the atmosphere between the two suddenly froze, as if a biting cold wind had swept through the entire courtyard.

Although it didn't release any aura, it was as if swords and shadows had flashed by.

"The Three Absolutes and One Lineage, through the tribulation energy and fortune, become terrestrial immortals. Often, there is only one in a generation. You know this better than I do."

Hong Wuji lowered his gaze and did not look at Tong Chengqi.

Tong Chengqi's face turned cold, and his tone unconsciously became a degree deeper: "The dynasty's fortune is limited, the calamity energy of each tribulation is limited, and the evolution of inner demons naturally has an upper limit. However, the cultivation methods of our lineage are interconnected. When one person enters the realm of a terrestrial immortal, the evolution of inner demons becomes even more difficult. Therefore, there is only one terrestrial immortal in a generation, and he blocks everyone's path."

The cold, hard truth was laid bare before them.

“Your disciple is exceptionally talented and can do without following the Three Absolutes path, but I cannot, Senior Brother.”

His hatred was unconsciously revealed in his words.

Even fellow disciples would not give up this opportunity to break through to the level of a terrestrial immortal.

Hong Wuji seized the initiative. Now that the Dali Dynasty's fortunes have been unified, the Demon Suppression Guard began to sort out the affairs of the sects in the thirteen prefectures within a few months.

A large number of experts have poured into the Western Continent, including the Demon Suppression Guards and the Demon Suppression Army...

The experts of the Dali Dynasty began to gather, the royal family also placed their bets, the Demon Suppression Army gathered in the Western Continent, and the Imperial Guard also embarked on the journey westward.

With a million troops stationed in Xizhou Prefecture, a major battle is imminent. Such a grand occasion is not simply about retaking Xizhou Prefecture.

Furthermore, it expands territory and aims to help Hong Wuji break through to become a terrestrial immortal in one fell swoop.

With his own strength and connections to the Dali Dynasty, Hong Wuji already possessed 20% of the dynasty's fortune. With the support of the royal family and Su Yan, it would not be an exaggeration to say that he could gather half of the Dali Dynasty's fortune at this time.

No matter how powerful Tong Chengqi is, he cannot possibly surpass Hong Wuji within the Dali Dynasty at this time.

He couldn't break through, and could only watch helplessly as Hong Wuji did.

Alternatively, they could set a trap for Hong Wuji.

But is that even possible?
The Dali Dynasty would never allow such a gamble on the nation's destiny to go to waste. Hong Wuji's luck may be exhausted, but it is not certain that it will return to the Dali Dynasty.

Tong Chengqi knew this, and so did Hong Wuji.

"To unleash the calamity, a great battle is needed; to gain great fortune, the Heavenly Wolf must be summoned. You intend to drag the Northern Barbarians into this mess. Does the person in the palace know this?"

Hong Wuji's eyes narrowed. Tong Chengqi wanted to start a great calamity, the kind of calamity that would destroy a nation. This was simply playing with fire.

Even this time, their war was only for Hong Wuji to become a terrestrial immortal, not a war to destroy a nation.

No one knows how far the Venerable One of Mount Ling, this terrestrial immortal who is about to pass away, will go when he really goes all out.

Now, if Tong Chengqi wants to break through, he needs more luck and more tribulation energy to transform into an Earthly Fiend Demon, summon the demon into his heart, and break through.

However, once a great calamity begins, it will probably not be so easy to extinguish.

"I will persuade that person."

Hong Wuji remained silent for a moment, then said, "I won't stop you."

"It's a word."

Tong Chengqi stood up, his eyes filled with unwavering determination. He turned and stepped into the spatial rift, disappearing from the spot.

They are from the same school and share the same origin. He came here just because of Hong Wuji's words, "I won't stop you."

As long as Hong Wuji doesn't trigger the calamity, he's more confident in getting through this ordeal.

Hong Wuji's gaze was deep and he sighed, "The Three Absolutes are demonic. Is our sect meant to suppress demons, or to nurture them...?"

……

Deep within the palace, Tong Chengqi appeared beneath the main hall.

The palace here is secluded and quiet, surrounded by high walls on all sides, thousands of feet apart, with only an ancient and simple old hall sitting here.

Upon arriving at the palace, Tong Chengqi dared not proceed rashly. He bowed respectfully and said, "Tong Chengqi requests an audience with the Emperor Emeritus."

"Come in"

Tong Chengqi walked into the hall, where there was only an elderly man with snow-white hair, dressed in dark red martial arts clothes.

He sat on the dragon throne, his true energy constantly flowing around him, as if he were in his own world, and anyone who looked at him felt as if they were immersed in it.

Emperor Li Tianxing, the founder of the Dali Dynasty, established the dynasty in a chaotic era with his iron fists.

Even Tong Chengqi felt an undeniable pressure from the elderly man before him. Li Tianxing opened his eyes, his dragon pupils burning like flames, and his domineering aura grew even stronger.

"Are you unwilling?"

Li Tianxing knew the reason why Tong Chengqi had come here at just one glance.

Others may not know the details of the Three Wonders Elder's lineage, but he is an ancient relic who has lived for thousands of years and is the pillar of the Dali Dynasty. How could they not know?
"Yes"

Tong Chengqi did not hide anything: "I intend to enter the Northern Barbarians and seize the Tiangou Mountain line to preserve the Great Dao."

“You tore off a third of the Northern Barbarian territory from Tiangou Mountain. Changsheng Tengmu will never allow it. You are only at the peak of the Martial Saint Realm, not a terrestrial immortal.”

Li Tianxing was not annoyed by Tong Chengqi's actions, and remained calm, as if what the two were talking about had nothing to do with the Dali Dynasty.

Only a terrestrial deity can restrain another terrestrial deity.

"I am willing to exchange the blood pact of my inner demons for the protection of the royal family for ten thousand years."

Tong Chengqi's eyes turned slightly red, and behind him, the faces of the Earthly Fiends appeared one after another. There were a total of seventy-one Earthly Fiends surrounding him like ghosts.

The entire space instantly felt as if it had fallen into an ice cave.

Li Tianxing merely raised his eyes, and his blood and qi seemed to ignite, vaguely revealing the figure of the Blood Ember Dragon.

In an instant, the chilling feeling brought by the Earthly Fiend Demon was completely dispelled.

He said calmly, "I will go and restrain the World Honored One."

Tong Chengqi did not back down an inch, but bowed his head slightly before raising it again and saying, "Generations of protection, bound by blood ties."

"The Demon-Slaying Army is at your command, but you'll have to find a way to persuade Liu Ruo and True Lord Dayan. If they help you, I'll grant your request."

Both of them were extremely intelligent. On one hand, they had to restrain the World Honored One, and on the other hand, they had to entangle the Eternal Heaven Vine Tree. This meant that another terrestrial immortal was needed to take action.

Moreover, there is another person who needs to be kept in mind, Ning Luo, the current ancestral witch of the Witch Kingdom. Therefore, it is necessary to persuade the other two terrestrial immortals.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Tong Chengqi readily agreed, and Li Tianxing smiled: "Go ahead, persuading those two might not be impossible for you."

Although Hong Wuji also stirred up the situation, he relied more on his overwhelming power and influence, while Tong Chengqi was more adept at forming alliances and leveraging existing forces.
-
"The Demon Suppression Army is in the Western Continent, while the Demon Slaying Army is attacking the Northern Barbarians. The Right Chancellor personally traveled three thousand miles into the Northern Barbarians and fought a battle with the Reincarnated Heaven Adattomo?"

In just a few months, Su Yan felt that the changes in the current situation of the Dali Dynasty were somewhat unbelievable.

The war was fought on almost simultaneously on both the left and right fronts, yet surprisingly, no one in the court objected.

Three thousand disciples of the Longevity Pavilion entered the Northern Mountain Prefecture, while three thousand disciples of the Great Evolution Dao Sect went to the Western Continent, Lingnan, and Eastern Wilderness Prefectures respectively.

This situation directly presented Su Yan with a question—should he go back?

Su Yan only pondered for a moment before dismissing the thought.

"The current great battle may be an opportunity. The rear of the Northern Barbarians is empty, which is a good chance to take a look at the Ice Burial Plateau."

He has been staying in Beishan Prefecture for quite some time, but he has yet to find the molted material needed by the several ferocious insects.

Whether it's the Sacred Insect Path, the Lancang Medicine Pavilion, or the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, it's difficult to find anything related to them.

With the great war already underway, the more important the rare and precious materials, the harder they are to circulate.

Su Yan had to find a solution himself, and the resource-rich Northern Barbarians were the first to be targeted.

Moreover, the Ice Burial Plateau is one of the Northern Barbarian Divine Realms, and its status is no less than that of the Undying Divine Mountain and the Hellish Secret Realm. It is under the control of the Ice Burial King's tribe, the Ice Burial Tribe.

While it's impossible to completely control it, guarding the entrance is certainly within our capabilities.

Su Yan's attempt to enter and obtain the fragments of the Ascension Token left behind by the Ice Burial King will likely not be easy.

Now, on the contrary, it's an opportunity.

"Besides the Northern Barbarian royal family, there are four major tribes: the Ice Burial Tribe, the Winter Tribe, the Heavenly Dog Tribe, and the Celestial Phenomenon Tribe. In the past, the royal family rarely mobilized the four major tribes, but with a great war about to break out, if they want to deal with Tong Chengqi, they will probably have to bring out a Martial Saint. This is an opportunity. Moreover, there is also the secret realm of the Insect Sacrifice Martial Saint."

Even if you can't find all the metamorphosing creatures in the two large secret realms, getting one or two of them to metamorphose is not a problem at all.

Having made up his mind, Su Yan immediately changed his appearance, putting on rough clothes and making his face more robust and darker, looking ordinary and unremarkable.

With a single movement, Su Yan disappeared from Beishan Prefecture City. When he reappeared, he had already blended into a smuggling caravan.

The caravan consisted of over a hundred people, including one Dharma Aspect Realm cultivator, ten Dan Aperture Realm cultivators, and the rest were True Intent Realm martial artists.

"Keep a close eye on things. The great battle has begun. This batch of pills and magical artifacts is enough to double our income."

Hou Wanying, the leading Dharma Aspect martial artist, relayed the message that Su Yan was currently positioned below him, disguised as a rogue cultivator at the Core Formation Realm.

"If the Northern Barbarian army marches south and encounters us..."

“I have a letter from the Red Dragon Tribe. As long as nothing unexpected happens, we won’t be robbed.”

A hundred-person team placed in the territory of the Northern Barbarians is not particularly conspicuous. If it weren't for the need to disguise it as a merchant caravan, it would be most suitable for a Dharma Aspect Realm cultivator to lead a Core Formation Realm cultivator in and out quickly.

But that would be too conspicuous and would likely attract more attention.

"Is this Fellow Daoist Feng's first time undertaking an escort mission?"

As the group continued their journey, Zhao Wen, a martial artist at the Danqiao Realm, approached them.

Su Yan nodded blankly, a hint of doubt in his expression: "I thought it was just a normal escort, but it seems like what they're escorting..."

"There are suitable items, but there are also their own agendas; everyone tacitly agrees."

Zhao Wen pointed it out himself, glancing at the others in the group, and then said, "Normally, these things wouldn't come to us independent cultivators; it would be safer for them to handle it themselves. But now, with the great war, the profits are higher, but the risks are also greater. What do you think is the biggest fear when escorting someone?"

"Robbery"

After Su Yan answered, Zhao Wen immediately nodded: "When the great war broke out, many guys became thieves, specifically targeting caravans. Although it's safer to use our own people, no matter how many people you have, you can't fight off a pack of wolves. That's why we joined in."

He paused slightly: "Although there is a risk of leaks, if we cooperate properly, we may be accepted as guest elders. Since you were recommended by Lancang Medicine Pavilion, you have the highest probability. Don't forget to help me out when the time comes."

There is no such thing as goodwill without a reason. Su Yan became a rogue cultivator by borrowing a token from the Lancang Medicine Pavilion.

With such endorsement, it's naturally easier for someone to infiltrate the team.

"That's easy to say, but I'm in a precarious situation myself."

Su Yan casually agreed, and the group followed the old route, gradually entering the territory of the Northern Barbarians.

Upon entering the Northern Barbarian Lands, the scenery had drastically changed. The withered grass was as tall as a person, and the towering peaks were covered with snow. The roars of wild beasts could be heard from afar, and their powerful auras were probably even stronger than that of his group.

Before the group even reached the Red Dragon Tribe, they were intercepted by another group.

"stop!"

(End of this chapter)