The First Sage of Military Strategists

Chapter 103 Killing Luo Ding (10,000 words)
“Indeed, the assassin is a red-browed youth with an arrogant personality and a strong bloodlust. He is a Legalist cultivator who refines his spirit and possesses at least two magical treasures. His martial arts level is also extremely high, having undergone five transformations. I believe this person is certainly not an unknown figure in the world. I wonder if Commander Huang knows anything about this person?” Han Qing said in a deep voice.

Huang Xiao's eyes narrowed, and he took a deep breath: "Young Master, you are right. This person's background is indeed extraordinary. He is the number one prodigy of the younger generation of the Luo family. His real name is Luo Ding! He has stood out in the family since he was a child. He was taken in as a disciple by Han Yi and grew up surrounded by admirers. It is normal for such a person to be arrogant."

"So that's how it is. No wonder this person is so powerful at such a young age, and even has a magical treasure by his side." Han Qing's eyes were deep and cold.

He also felt a bit of pressure. If the Luo family's prodigy was this strong, there must be countless other powerful figures in the world. He had a long way to go and could not afford to be complacent.

Pressure can also be a driving force. Han Qing will not be crushed by it; instead, he will become more diligent and hardworking.

"Young Master is indeed formidable. I had previously suspected that Lord Liu's praise of you in his letter was an exaggeration, but now it seems that you are indeed capable. Even Luo Ding's personal attempt to ambush you failed. If this man were to break into the camp alone, I would be killed by him if I were not careful," Huang Xiao exclaimed.

"Commander Huang, there's no need for modesty. This man is arrogant and conceited. He was caught off guard when I activated the Thunderstorm Heavenly Pearl, which triggered a bolt of lightning that struck his body, leaving him severely injured. If it weren't for his powerful lightness skill that allowed him to escape at lightning speed, I would have made sure he died without a burial place." Han Qing's eyes flashed with cold light.

"I never expected that Luo Ding would suffer such a great loss at your hands, Young Master. You are indeed formidable. I have heard that this boy has never been defeated since birth, but now he has been defeated by you. He must be extremely resentful. If he is really seriously injured, I suggest that you seize the opportunity to eliminate him completely, otherwise he will become a great threat in the future!" Huang Xiao pondered.

Han Qing's gaze turned deep, and he suddenly exerted force in his hand, crushing the white porcelain teacup in his hand: "That's exactly what I was thinking. Just before Commander Huang arrived, I was pondering how to kill this villain to prevent him from being released back into the wild. I wonder if Commander Huang has any suggestions?"

Huang Xiao looked at Han Qing and felt a fierce aura rushing towards him as Han Qing spoke. The killing intent was so strong that it made him feel a chill. He thought to himself that this young man looked quite refined, but he didn't expect him to have such killing intent in his heart. He was a ruthless character.

He felt a little more at ease and thought to himself, "The garrison commander of Taining County is named Wei Qiong. According to intelligence, he has close ties with the Luo family. Since Luo Ding is injured, he must be looking for a place to recuperate. I think he has most likely fled to Taining County. If you want to eliminate him completely, you might as well come with me to attack the city."

I have been preparing for a whole month, and within three days I will lead my troops to attack the city.

"With your help, young master, this battle is sure to be won!" Huang Xiao's eyes gleamed with anticipation.

Although he didn't know Han Qing well, the mere presence of Lin Yueqiu, a grandmaster of martial arts, would greatly increase his chances of winning.

Han Qing was clearly no weakling either; he was able to severely injure Luo Ding, so in his mind, he was at least equivalent to another martial arts grandmaster.

With the help of two martial arts grandmasters, he was overjoyed and full of anticipation.

Han Qing observed Huang Xiao's expression and smiled, "Commander Huang, I can see confidence in your eyes. You must be very well prepared for this battle!"

"That's right. I have completely figured out how many guards are in the city. Apart from Luo Ding, the strongest one is Wei Qiong. He is also a martial arts grandmaster with seven personal attendants. He is outstanding in swordsmanship and his strength is also quite formidable."

Originally, I was only 60% confident, but if Young Master Han is willing to lend a hand, then it will be 90%, no, I have a 100% chance of winning! Huang Xiao suddenly slammed his hand on the table and stood up from his chair.

Han Qing no longer hesitated. He had originally wanted to ask Huang Xiao for help to enter the city and kill Luo Ding. Now that Huang Xiao had brought it up, he naturally would not refuse.

"Commander Huang, let's join forces to do something big, but my identity is special, so you must keep it a secret!"

Han Qing was going to the northern lands for training and shouldn't have attacked the county town with Huang Xiao, but the situation forced him to join the rebellion. However, his identity couldn't be revealed, or there would be trouble.

"Don't worry, young master, it's just a small matter." Huang Xiao's eyes gleamed with excitement.

"When will we make our move?" Han Qing asked.

"Make a move within two days!" Huang Xiao replied.

"Good, the sooner the better. If we delay any longer, I'm afraid Luo Ding's injuries will fully heal," Han Qing said in a deep voice.

...

Taining County Town.

Inside a magnificent mansion.

A middle-aged man with gray hair, dressed in brocade robes, and a sinister face sat upright in a chair, holding a graceful young girl in each of his arms. The girl on his left wore a black dress, and the girl on his right wore a white dress. The two girls had identical faces and were both extremely beautiful.

This middle-aged man was none other than Wei Qiong, the military commander stationed in Taining County.

In front of Wei Qiong, in an open space in the courtyard, Luo Ding was sparring with several martial artists.

The martial artists dared not use their full strength, but Luo Ding's moves were ruthless.

Under such unequal conditions, these martial arts masters were naturally unable to resist.

clap clap clap!
With a series of muffled thuds, the martial arts masters were all sent flying, spitting blood as they crashed to the ground, their faces contorted in pain, unable to even stand up.

"Useless trash!" Luo Ding cursed angrily.

Fear and a hint of dissatisfaction surfaced in the hearts of the martial artists; Luo Ding had gone too far.

Wei Qiong stood up and said with a smile, "Young Master, please calm down. I have already sent people out to search. Han Qing should still be in the vicinity of Taining County. Once we catch him, you can do whatever you want with him!"

"Hmph! That little bastard Han Qing stole my Illusory Soul-Suppressing Chain, I absolutely cannot let him go! If he hadn't injured me with the Thunderstorm Heavenly Pearl, how could I have lost to him?" Luo Ding's eyes flashed fiercely, and suddenly he coughed violently again, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

The damage caused by the Thunderstorm Heavenly Pearl was too severe, penetrating deep into his bones and damaging his internal organs. It even caused some of his magical power to dissipate. Now, his combat strength has dropped significantly, and he feels even more resentful towards Han Qing.

"Thunderstorm Heavenly Pearl? It seems Qi Wufeng truly values ​​this person highly, even giving him such a treasure for self-defense," Wei Qiong said.

"There are only 36 Thunderstorm Heavenly Pearls in the entire world. I don't believe he has a second one. Once I recover from my injuries, even if he escapes to the ends of the earth, I will make sure he dies without a burial place!" Luo Ding's eyes were full of ferocity.

Just then, a series of urgent bugle calls echoed through the city.

Wei Qiong's gaze sharpened. As a Grandmaster, his senses far surpassed those of ordinary people. He looked up and gazed into the distance, where he saw dust billowing in the east, south, and north, the earth trembling, and the sound of chaotic footsteps. Clearly, a large number of soldiers were rushing toward the city at high speed. The horn sound was blown by the soldiers guarding the city gate, indicating that the enemy was attacking the city and the situation was urgent.

“The rebels are still up to no good. This rebel leader is named Huang Xiao, and he does have some ability. Last time I fought him outside the city, I suffered a great loss. He failed in his attack on the city. Now he has been quiet for a month, but he has come to invade again. My city is well-fortified, my soldiers are fully equipped with bows and armor, and I have giant ballistae blocking the city gates. Let’s see how he breaks through the city.” Wei Qiong’s eyes flashed, but there was not a trace of panic on his face.

Luo Ding was already agitated at the moment, and upon hearing these words, a murderous intent stirred within him.

"How strong is Huang Xiao?"

"Grandmaster of Martial Arts!"

"Hmph! A mere martial arts grandmaster? Even though I'm injured, killing him wouldn't be difficult. I'm in a terrible mood, and since he's attacking the city right now, I'm going to vent my anger on him and wipe out all his men." Luo Ding sneered.

"Are you going to leave the city alone to assassinate Huang Xiao? I hope you will think twice, young master. The battlefield is filled with murderous aura, and the spiritual power of cultivators will be suppressed, greatly reduced, and they may even be unable to leave their bodies. If you rashly leave the city and get surrounded, even if you are very powerful, you may still be in danger of losing your life." Wei Qiong raised his eyebrows and advised.

"I'm not that stupid. I'll assess the situation before making a move. Even if I'm outmatched, I have top-notch lightness skill. I can leave or stay as I please amidst a vast army. No one can stop me." As Luo Ding spoke, he ignored what Wei Qiong was saying and suddenly used his lightness skill, leaping and landing, instantly leaving the courtyard and disappearing without a trace.

Wei Qiong ignored him and said that Luo Ding did whatever he wanted, and it was none of his business.

"Guards, bring me my Heavenly Serpent Spear and Python Dragon Armor!"

"Yes!"

Wei Qiong didn't need to give many instructions. The city's garrison was mostly composed of experienced veterans. As soon as the horn sounded, everyone would naturally do what they were supposed to do, like a mechanical puppet, and everything was in perfect order.

...

East of the county town.

Han Qing, covered in black armor that concealed even his face, galloped at breakneck speed toward the city gate.

He was surrounded by three thousand soldiers. Although they were rebels, they were well-disciplined and exuded a murderous aura. Many of them held torches high, and they moved forward at high speed along the ground like a fire dragon.

Both the south and north of the city echoed with deafening shouts of battle.

The army in the south of the city was led by Huang Xiao, while the army in the north was assisted by Lin Yueqiu.

The branch in the east of the city was assisted by Han Qing, and its leader was the same dark-faced giant from before, named Du Qian.

Han Qing had only been in the military camp for a day, so he could not lead an army on his own. His task was to help the troops when they encountered difficulties or strong enemies.

However, so far, everything is going very smoothly.

According to Huang Xiao, the last siege failed because of poor equipment and low overall quality of the soldiers.

However, these two shortcomings have been made up for in the past month.

He obtained a batch of excellent equipment from Liu Yue, and after a month of careful training, the soldiers' quality was greatly improved. Therefore, he was full of confidence when attacking the city again.

And indeed, Han Qing could clearly feel that this team was full of momentum. The soldiers rushed towards the city gate despite the arrows, without the slightest fear on their faces, and their formation remained intact.

The soldiers at the forefront raised their shields high, deflecting most of the arrows flying from the city wall.

"The Grand Commander has decreed that whoever is the first to scale the city wall will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver! He will be credited with a great achievement and will be allowed to fight alongside me!" Du Qian shouted loudly.

"kill!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

The soldiers were in high spirits, striking their shields with the blades of their swords, shouting loudly, their military bearing impeccable, their voices piercing the clouds and splitting rocks, shaking the heavens and the earth.

On the city wall, many of the soldiers guarding the city looked terrified when they heard this loud shout.

In their minds, this group of rebels was nothing more than a rabble that would collapse at the first sign of an arrow volley or a single charge. But this time, the feeling they got from this group was completely different; they had the illusion that it was an elite force.

Looking down from the city wall, arrows were fired wave after wave, but the enemy's advance was not slowed down at all, and their formation remained intact. As they got closer and closer to the city gate, an almost tangible aura of malevolence swept over them, rolling and spreading throughout the world.

"Load the ballistae! We must disrupt their formation!"

The garrison commander guarding the city gate immediately issued a new order: eight massive ballistae were pushed onto the wall, each requiring several people to operate.

"Upper String!"

With the sound of a winch turning, a ten-foot-long iron arrow was nocked.

"shoot!"

Whoosh!
Eight iron arrows pierced the sky, carrying whistling winds and waves, and traversed hundreds of steps to shoot directly at the head of the "fire dragon".

In an instant, the soldier at the forefront, holding his shield high, suffered a heavy blow.

The sturdy cowhide shield could withstand ordinary arrows, but it couldn't stop such a thick iron arrow. The moment it made contact, the cowhide shield became as fragile as paper and shattered instantly. A group of soldiers behind it were pierced through like candied hawthorns, a cloud of blood mist spread out, and many corpses were carried into the air by inertia, knocking down more than a dozen people behind them.

In an instant, chaos erupted in the ranks. Although Huang Xiao was skilled in training his troops, the time was simply too short. The soldiers, holding their breath, were suddenly shot dead, and dozens of them were killed. Their formation began to break apart, and many felt immense fear, their hearts wavering, and their steps hesitant.

Du Qian's face instantly turned grim: "Damn it, it's a ballista! We didn't encounter such a deadly weapon during the last siege. We miscalculated!"

He could sense the soldiers' panic and their morale had plummeted. If they were to suffer another round or two of volleys, their morale and formation would likely collapse completely.

Han Qing also witnessed this scene, and he naturally couldn't stand idly by.

He suddenly activated the Ceasefire Sutra, and his mental energy left his body, but he felt as if he were in a turbulent current, being frantically washed away.

Han Qing understood that this turbulent current was the battlefield's malevolent energy. Every soldier would emit a trace of this malevolent energy, and when the malevolent energy of hundreds or thousands of soldiers gathered together, it would form a storm.

When a cultivator is caught in a storm, their spiritual power will be suppressed or even completely dissipated.

Because those who cultivate their spirit through military strategy are naturally adept at manipulating malevolent energy, the degree of suppression is very low. They are merely constantly washed away in the turbulent currents without suffering significant damage.

With a thought, this surge of magical power transformed into malevolent energy, which quickly condensed into a malevolent domain, spreading across the battlefield and instantly enveloping a large number of soldiers around him.

Strands of malevolent energy flowed into the soldiers' bodies, greatly increasing their courage and dispelling their fear.

In an instant, the situation that was on the verge of collapse was stabilized.

Du Qian was startled. He was knowledgeable and experienced; this was a unique ability of those who cultivated their spirit in military strategy—the Fiend Domain.

He was already a Soul Gathering Realm cultivator at such a young age, and his talent made him extremely envious. He looked at Han Qing with more respect.

However, while the malevolent energy can stabilize morale, it is only a temporary solution and not a fundamental cure.

Han Qing's gaze sharpened as he looked into the distance. He knew that the ballistae were about to unleash their second volley. Even though he had temporarily dispelled the fear in the soldiers' hearts with his murderous aura, they would still collapse when the second volley of bolts came.

Therefore, he had to find a way to deal with these ballistae, otherwise the plan to attack the east gate would definitely fail.

Du Qian, who was standing nearby, also realized this and was extremely anxious.

Suddenly, he saw Han Qing take a longbow off his horse and nock five arrows at once.

The next instant, Han Qing exerted force in his arm, drawing the bow to its fullest extent, aiming it at the distant city wall.

"middle!"

Han Qing suddenly released his grip, causing the bowstring to vibrate and emit a buzzing sound.

Whoosh whoosh!
Five arrows, drawing five arcs in the air, shot from different directions toward the soldiers operating the crossbow carts on the city wall.

Five ballistae were about to fire when suddenly one of the ballista operators was shot through the body by an arrow and fell backward to the ground.

"Hit!" Du Qian exclaimed, "Young master, your archery skills are unparalleled! I admire you!"

Previously, he had underestimated Han Qing because of his youth, assuming he was just a young master from a prominent family traveling around. After all, Huang Xiao hadn't revealed any detailed information about Han Qing to him, so he didn't dare to ask too many questions.

But at this moment, he realized that Han Qing was truly skilled, and very skilled at it. In all his years in the army, he had never seen anyone with such archery skills.

However, this is just the beginning.

Han Qing drew his bow and released five arrows at once each time.

With a series of vibrating bowstrings, arrows transformed into streaks of light, striking the soldiers operating the crossbows one after another.

Within a few breaths, all the soldiers beside the ballista fell to the ground, struck by arrows.

The generals guarding the city all looked terrified; they had never seen such superb archery skills before.

"I've dealt with the ballistae; attack the city quickly!" Han Qing put away his bow and urged loudly.

Du Qian had recovered from his shock, his gaze sharp: "Follow me and kill!"

After a brief period of chaos, the "fire dragon" began to run again.

This time, without the help of ballistae, the fire dragon charged forward and quickly reached the city gate.

The heavy city gate blocked his way, but Han Qing flashed to the gate, his long sword imbued with a layer of murderous aura, its sharpness greatly increased, and he swung it repeatedly at the gate.

Brush brush!
With a flash of swords, the gate collapsed with a crash, and three thousand soldiers filed in. In an instant, chaos erupted at the city gate, with shouts of battle shaking the heavens and the earth.

The city's garrison soldiers tried to stop Han Qing and his men from charging in, but they couldn't stop them at all.

Du Qian fought extremely bravely, charging to the front of the ranks with a heavy hammer in his hand. As he swung the hammer, it created a whistling wind, and any enemy who was grazed by it immediately had their bones broken and flesh and blood flying everywhere.

Escorted by a group of guards, Du Qian quickly broke through the enemy's blockade at the city gate and charged deeper into the city along the long street.

Han Qing followed closely behind. His destination was the City Lord's Mansion. According to intelligence, that was Wei Qiong's residence. If Luo Ding was in the city, he would probably be there as well.

Just then, the situation suddenly changed.

A sudden gust of cold wind swept through the street, and Han Qing felt a sharp pain in his mind, with hallucinations all around him.

However, he immediately activated the Ceasefire Sutra, and his spiritual thoughts left the temple and circulated throughout his body, colliding with the scattered thoughts in various parts of his body and easily dispelling them. He also took the opportunity to get rid of the illusion.

At this moment, he glanced around and found that all the guards around Du Qian had fallen off their horses. Some were unconscious, while others were pale, listless, and unable to even stand.

Only Du Qian and three or five physically strong guards were not directly rendered unable to fight.

"You're all unlucky to have met me, you can all die!"

Han Qing first heard a cold, sharp voice coming from ahead. He glanced around and saw a red-browed youth appear at the intersection ahead, and his heart was immediately filled with joy.

He was pondering how to search for Luo Ding when this person unexpectedly bumped into him.

At this moment, his face was covered by black armor, and Luo Ding did not immediately recognize his identity.

Du Qian's face turned ashen, and a sharp pain shot through his head. He realized that he had run into a cultivator of spirit cultivation, but he felt no fear or trepidation. When two armies meet on a narrow path, the brave shall prevail!

He let out a roar, spurred his horse, and charged straight at Luo Ding with his hammer in hand.

"You overestimate yourself. I'll send you on your way!"

Luo Ding looked disdainful, and a surge of magical energy emanated from him, suddenly condensing into a ball of illusory black flame in front of him—this was the Sin Fire.

The black flames shot towards Du Qian in a flash.

The sinful fire can burn away the soul and destroy thoughts, and it is especially effective against those who refine their spirit. However, it also has an effect on ordinary people, as it can arouse their desires. The greater the desire, the stronger the sinful fire becomes, and the greater the damage they suffer.

Du Qian couldn't see the raging fire; he continued charging straight ahead, about to plunge headlong into it.

In an instant, Han Qing made his move. His magical energy left his body and transformed into a thick mass of malevolent energy beside Du Qian.

The ball of sinful fire crashed into the malevolent energy and was instantly extinguished.

"Hmm?" Luo Ding's gaze sharpened, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He locked onto Han Qing, who was wearing black armor behind Du Qian. He had thought Han Qing was just an ordinary bodyguard, but he hadn't expected him to possess the skills that only a martial arts master could have.

"Then I'll deal with you first!"

A murderous intent surged in Luo Ding's heart. With a clang, the sword in his arms flew up and transformed into a swimming fish, sweeping across the sky and leaving a trail of afterimages as it headed straight for Han Qing.

"Well done!"

Han Qing could sense that Luo Ding's injuries had not yet healed; his face was pale, his aura was unstable, and even the flying sword was flying much slower than before. In an instant, his confidence increased.

With a thought, his magical energy entered the Star Shuttle, which flew out from his robes, transforming into a swimming fish and soaring into the sky, becoming a streak of cold light heading straight for Luo Ding's flying sword. Clang! Clang!

The flying sword and the star shuttle collided dozens of times in the air in the blink of an eye.

The flying sword was clearly made of very ordinary material, and it was pierced repeatedly by the Star Shuttle, falling to the ground from the sky.

"Hmm? The Star Shuttle!"

Luo Ding also let out a soft exclamation, and then saw the Star Shuttle fly towards his brow.

"seal up!"

Luo Ding let out a low shout, and black light appeared beside him. The Star Shuttle flew into it, and the magic power within was suddenly bound. It trembled and struggled repeatedly inside, but could not break free.

At this moment, Du Qian charged towards him, and Luo Ding uttered another word: Ning!

In an instant, a vast, eerie wind rose from the ground and condensed into a three-zhang-tall colossal statue of the Five Punishments Soul-Binding Formation before it.

Du Qian finally showed a look of fear. He could feel a terrifying pressure emanating from the giant statue, which made his warhorse tremble with fear.

"Go to hell!"

Luo Ding grinned maliciously, and the giant statue suddenly swung its long staff, smashing it down on Du Qian's head.

Du Qian swung his warhammer to block, but was swept away by the blow, flying more than ten steps backward from his horse before crashing to the ground.

The colossus soared into the air and pounced directly at Du Qian, intending to end his life instantly.

Despair filled Du Qian's face; he felt he was going to die at the hands of this monster.

At this moment, Han Qing made his move. With a clattering sound, accompanied by the trembling and shaking of chains, the Illusory Soul-Suppressing Chain flew out from his arm, transforming into a green snake that rushed straight at the Five Punishments Soul-Binding Statue. It turned from real to illusory, circled around the statue, and suddenly bound and restrained it.

The Five Punishments Soul-Binding Statue suddenly fell to the ground from the sky. Luo Ding was shocked when he saw this, and then let out a deafening roar.

"It's you! Han Qing, you dare to come looking for me!"

Luo Ding sprang into action in a flash, flying close to the ground like a wandering ghost as he charged forward at breakneck speed.

Han Qing knew that this person was skilled in martial arts, especially in lightness skills. If they fought in close combat, he might not be able to touch him and might suffer a great loss.

So he took the longbow and quiver from under the horse, suddenly leaped up, and landed gracefully on the ground.

He quickly took out five arrows from his quiver. Each arrow was wrapped with blood-red patterns and exuded a strong murderous aura; they were Blood Soul Arrows.

Han Qing was the first to raise his bow, drawing the bowstring to its fullest extent, aiming at Luo Ding who was rushing towards him.

"Can you hit it?" Luo Ding's face showed a mocking expression, and his figure became elusive again.

Han Qing frowned. He had to admit that Luo Ding's lightness skill was truly remarkable, making it extremely difficult to hit him. The Blood Soul Arrow was one of his trump cards, and he couldn't afford to waste it.

So Han Qing suddenly turned to the side and aimed at the Five Punishments Soul-Binding Statue, which was bound by chains not far away.

The statue kept struggling, causing the magical power that Han Qing had left in the magic treasure to be consumed rapidly. Once it was completely exhausted, the statue would break free, and the situation would become extremely difficult.

Han Qing made a decision in an instant: first destroy the statue, then join forces with Du Qian to turn around and deal with Luo Ding.

He suddenly released his grip, the bowstring vibrated, and with a whoosh, five Blood Soul Arrows shot out, drawing five arcs as they flew from different angles toward the Five Punishments Soul-Binding Statue.

Seeing this, Luo Ding mocked again, "Fool, the Five Punishments Soul-Binding Statue is not afraid of weapons. Even if it is hit, it will only lose a little bit of magical power. You should never have faced me alone. Even if I am seriously injured, even if I lose the Illusory Soul-Suppressing Chain, I can still run rampant in Shu with just this Five Punishments Soul-Binding Statue!"

"Is that so? You're too confident, Luo Ding!" Han Qing said coldly.

As soon as he finished speaking, all five Blood Soul Arrows pierced into the statue.

In an instant, the Blood Soul Arrow released a torrent of malevolent energy, which directly engulfed the statue, spreading rapidly within it like poison and quickly consuming its magical power.

Luo Ding had already pounced on Han Qing and was within twenty paces of him when he suddenly let out a scream.

"what!"

The Five Punishments Soul-Binding Image, like snow meeting the blazing sun, rapidly collapsed and melted under the influence of the evil aura, ultimately dissipating into a wisp of yin wind in the air.

The five Blood Soul Arrows fell to the ground, their intricate blood-red patterns now gone.

Han Qing hadn't expected the Blood Soul Arrow to be so deadly. Such a huge statue vanished in an instant, and the malevolent energy within it seemed to have an astonishing destructive power on the soul and spiritual power.

This colossal statue was formed by Luo Ding's condensed magical energy. Now that the statue has collapsed, this magical energy has also dissipated completely.

Luo Ding was already injured, and now his magical energy was greatly depleted. He immediately felt a tearing pain in his brain, along with confusion of his five senses and dizziness. He couldn't even stand up, let alone attack Han Qing.

Han Qing immediately seized this opportunity. With a thought, he gathered his spiritual energy and instantly entered the Star Shuttle. With a whoosh, the Star Shuttle soared into the air, drawing an arc and heading straight for Luo Ding's brow.

Luo Ding tried to dodge, but it was too late.

A bloody hole was immediately pierced through his brow, and then the Star Shuttle flew around his body, piercing him again and again.

Luo Ding was instantly engulfed in more than ten wounds, blood splattering everywhere. He eventually collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

At this moment, Han Qing breathed a sigh of relief, and a great joy welled up in his heart. With such a genius as Luo Ding killed, he could gain two extremely powerful martial arts skills, and the lightness skill alone was extraordinary.

Thus, a single point of soul light appeared before the Seven Killings Stele, within which Luo Ding's face flickered and changed light and shadow.

"The Luo family must be heartbroken to lose such a talented young man." Han Qing felt a surge of satisfaction.

His gaze swept across the room and he saw a wisp of white energy rising from Luo Ding's body. This white energy was invisible to the naked eye and would dissipate the moment it left the body. So Han Qing first controlled a wisp of magical thought to fly to Luo Ding's corpse and transform it into a baleful aura that enveloped it. As soon as the white energy surged out from it, it immediately combined with the baleful aura.

Within three to five breaths, the two had completely merged together, eventually transforming into a ghostly soldier with the exact same face as Luo Ding.

Han Qing was overjoyed; this Yin soldier would be the strongest in Han Qing's spirit temple at present.

The combat power of the Yin soldiers is directly linked to the combat power of the deceased in life and the amount of evil energy they have absorbed.

Luo Ding was extremely powerful, and his Yin soldiers were certainly not much weaker.

Han Qing stepped forward again and searched Luo Ding's body for a while, taking out three silver notes, a dozen pieces of gold and silver jewelry, and a circular jade pendant.

This jade pendant was covered with cracks. Han Qing remembered that it was this very item that had withstood the bombardment of the Thunderstorm Heavenly Pearl, giving Luo Ding a chance to escape.

He took off the jade pendant, rubbed it with his palm, and probed it with a magical thought. Sure enough, there was a thought inside, but it was much weaker than the Illusory Soul-Suppressing Chain.

"This is a protective jade, and also a magic weapon. Indeed, we still need to find a way to hunt down the genius martial artists of various forces. The gains from this battle are truly immense," Han Qingxin thought.

The chains and jade pendant alone are priceless treasures, not to mention the others.

"Young Master's combat prowess is truly remarkable; Du Qian is convinced!"

At this moment, Du Qian limped over, his eyes filled with even greater awe for Han Qing.

Just now, when the Five Punishments Soul-Binding Statue rushed towards him, he thought he was going to die. He never expected that such a terrifying monster would be scattered by Han Qing's five arrows. Han Qing was like a mist in his eyes, and his combat power was unbelievably strong.

"Du Qian, you're injured, why don't you rest here? I heard shouts of fighting coming from the City Lord's mansion. There must be some fighting going on. I'll go help," Han Qing suggested.

He activated his spiritual power to enhance his hearing, and even from a great distance, he could hear the shouts of battle from the city lord's mansion. It seemed that the other two groups had already led their men to the city center.

"Alright, young master, be careful!" Du Qian reminded him. He was indeed seriously injured; that blow had broken several of his bones, and he felt a burning pain even when he breathed.

Without hesitation, Han Qing mounted his horse and galloped along the long street toward the central compound of the city.

Before long, when he arrived at the central compound, he found it in complete chaos, with soldiers from both sides engaged in fierce fighting and corpses lying haphazardly on the ground.

Han Qing mounted his horse, took up his bow and sword, and rushed through the gate into the depths of the mansion. Enemies blocked his way, but he killed most of them with a single blow, and few could withstand a second strike.

After fighting his way through, Han Qing arrived at a spacious courtyard in the deepest part of the town, where the battle was even more intense.

Han Qing's gaze sharpened as he first saw Lin Yueqiu fighting a middle-aged man with white hair. Lin Yueqiu wielded a knife, while the white-haired man held a spear. The two were fighting fiercely, and each collision of the knife and spear produced a loud bang, with the aftershocks sweeping across the area, shattering the bluestone slabs on the ground. People around dared not approach, fearing they would be caught in the blast and lose their lives.

The middle-aged man was wearing a thick, dark gray leather armor. He was strong and muscular, and his every glance exuded an astonishing aura.

At one point, Lin Yueqiu seized the opportunity and slashed at his chest with his sword, breaking through his protective energy and inner armor. However, there was no sign of his chest being ripped open. The skin and flesh on his chest were extremely hard, as if they were cast from metal and stone. Lin Yueqiu's sword could not break through this layer of defense, and the blade was directly deflected.

Wei Qiong immediately counterattacked, sweeping his spear horizontally. Lin Yueqiu hurriedly retreated, avoiding being hit. His eyes narrowed as he stared at Wei Qiong's chest. The blade swept across, leaving only a very shallow white mark.

Han Qing also noticed this scene. This Wei Qiong must know an extremely powerful external martial art, and he was immediately tempted.

Besides Wei Qiong, the presence of seven white-clad youths wielding swords also caught his attention.

These seven boys were being besieged by hundreds of soldiers, yet they handled the situation with remarkable composure.

The seven people stood apart, forming a dipper-shaped formation like the Big Dipper. They displayed an astonishing tacit understanding when drawing and retracting their swords, as if they were of one mind and completely integrated.

This level of tacit understanding had surpassed what could be achieved through normal training; Han Qing even saw a flow and fusion of energy between the seven of them.

When one person is attacked, the energy of the other six people will suddenly dim, while the attacked person will shine brightly and their energy will increase greatly, so that the intensity of the attack will be greatly weakened.

"This is definitely not something that can be achieved by setting up an array. Could these seven people be cultivators of the Dao of Divine Refinement?"

Han Qing had a guess in his heart.

The greatest characteristic of those who cultivate the spirit of the Path of the Vertical and Horizontal is their ability to arrange different formations and combine their powers.

The formation formed by these seven youths combined their strength.

At this moment, the battle between Lin Yueqiu and Wei Qiong suddenly became even more intense.

After Wei Qiong confirmed that Lin Yueqiu's attacks could not break through his own external martial arts, he became unrestrained and pressed forward relentlessly, even abandoning defense altogether, trading injury for injury and risking his life for his life. Lin Yueqiu was temporarily suppressed.

Han Qing did not hesitate any longer and immediately offered his help.

A surge of magical power erupted from between his brows, rapidly advancing amidst the baleful aura, and suddenly arrived above Wei Qiong, fiercely stabbing down towards his head.

Wei Qiong felt a gust of cold wind blow by, a sharp pain in his brain, and his five senses were instantly confused, with illusions appearing all around him.

"Oh no! It's a Spirit Refiner!"

Wei Qiong let out a low shout. Although he had not condensed his magical thoughts, the flames of his blood and qi were extremely vigorous, and quickly burned away the magical thoughts that had invaded his body.

Lin Yueqiu launched an attack, but did not gain much advantage.

"Martial arts grandmasters are indeed not easy to subdue," Han Qing thought to himself. This scene was within his expectations. If he could break through the Soul Gathering stage and enter the Unity stage, he felt that he could definitely make this person lose his fighting ability directly.

The next instant, with a whoosh, the Illusory Soul-Suppressing Chain flew out from his arm and shot straight at Wei Qiong.

Wei Qiong's gaze sharpened. He first swung his spear to sweep away Lin Yueqiu, then suddenly thrust forward to attack the Illusory Soul-Suppressing Chain. In an instant, he thrust out thirteen spears, the spear shadows overlapping and the cold light flashing.

Ding-ding-ding-ding!

The Illusory Soul-Suppressing Chain failed to get close and was hit by a series of blows amidst the shadows of spears, eventually falling to the ground from the sky.

Han Qing did not attempt to change the situation from real to illusory, but he did not expect the Wei Qiong Spear Technique to be so powerful.

Then, Wei Qiong's eyes flashed with a fierce light. He vaguely felt that Han Qing was a greater threat than Lin Yueqiu. Moreover, Lin Yueqiu was a martial arts grandmaster with extremely strong survival ability. If the two fought, there might be advantages and disadvantages on the surface, but the difference was not significant, and it would be difficult to determine a winner in the short term. On the contrary, Han Qing, judging from his physique, had a lower body cultivation level and was easier to kill!

Wei Qiong then feinted with his spear, suddenly stepped forward, and transformed into a phantom, rushing straight at Han Qing.

"Death!"

"Thirteen spears in a rainstorm!"

Wei Qiong once again unleashed that exquisite spear technique, thrusting his spear forward at astonishing speed, unleashing thirteen spear strikes in an instant, the spear shadows intertwining like a net, pressing down on Han Qing.

Suddenly, the illusory and real soul-suppressing chains that had fallen to the ground behind Wei Qiong rose up again and rushed towards him from behind.

Wei Qiong frowned. He dared not ignore the chains, so he suddenly turned to the side, and the countless spear shadows covered the chains.

He decided to knock the chains off first, then turn around and kill Han Qing; it wouldn't waste much time.

But this time, he miscalculated. The chains suddenly changed from solid to ethereal, passing through his spear and instantly coiling around his body, flying up and down before abruptly closing in.

Wei Qiong was shocked: "This is the magic weapon, the Illusory Soul-Suppressing Chain!"

He suddenly recalled that when Luo Ding vented his anger, he mentioned that his magic weapon, the Illusory Soul-Suppressing Chain, had been taken away by Han Qing.

He didn't take it to heart, nor did he understand what was so special about the Illusory Soul Suppressing Chain.

At this moment, he understood that the chains tightened and solidified after passing through the spear's blockade, binding him to the spot.

"good chance!"

Lin Yueqiu attacked from behind, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. He suddenly swung his sword forward and unleashed a series of slashes. The sword shadows were endless, and in an instant, he slashed at Wei Qiong's body with no less than thirty strikes.

After enduring seven or eight strikes, the protective energy on Wei Qiong's body dimmed rapidly and eventually shattered.

The remaining twenty-odd cuts landed on Wei Qiong's body. Although his close-fitting inner armor had extremely strong defensive capabilities, it could not withstand the blade of a martial arts grandmaster and was immediately cut to pieces, with fragments flying everywhere.

However, Wei Qiong's external martial arts made his body's defense extremely formidable. Although each strike left wounds, they did not penetrate deep into his internal organs.

Wei Qiong suddenly exerted force with both arms, trying to break free from the Illusory Soul Suppressing Chains, which caused the magical power remaining within them to be consumed rapidly.

Just as Wei Qiong was about to break free, Han Qing made his move. With a whoosh, the Star Shuttle transformed into a streak of light and pierced straight at Wei Qiong, circling his body and weaving back and forth. In an instant, it pierced more than a dozen bloody holes in his body, leaving him covered in blood.

No matter how strong one's external martial arts are, they cannot withstand the Star Shuttle. This object is extremely sharp and can easily pierce through ordinary metal objects.

Wei Qiong was immediately severely injured, his momentum plummeted, and he spat out a cloud of blood mist.

At this moment, the magical power within the chains binding him finally ran out, and he fell to the ground.

He dared not linger any longer, leaped into the air, and fled out of the courtyard.

"Stop them!"

Wei Qiong shouted, and the seven sword-wielding youths immediately rushed towards the direction where Han Qing and the others were.

Upon seeing this, Han Qing took out his longbow from behind him and then took out seven arrows from his quiver at once, nocking them all.

"die!"

The bowstring trembled, and seven arrows were fired simultaneously, seven streaks of light flying towards Wei Qiong from different directions.

Wei Qiong was shocked; he had never seen such terrifying archery skills.

He was seriously injured and could not even activate his protective energy. He also remembered that the long shuttle had easily broken through his horizontal training technique. Fearing that the materials of these seven arrows were also extraordinary, he had no choice but to turn around and parry with his spear.

Ding Ding Ding!
His spear technique was superb; he thrust forward repeatedly, deflecting arrows one after another into the air.

However, this very delay allowed Han Qing's true killing move to arrive.

A surge of magical energy pierced his brain, causing Wei Qiong's vision to blur and his body to sway, making him unable to stand steadily and almost falling forward to the ground.

In that instant, the Star Shuttle transformed into a streak of light and pierced straight at his brow.

He was bound just now, but his blood and energy were strong enough to withstand the illusion and dodge the Star Shuttle assassination. But now he can neither withstand it nor dodge it.

The moment his vision returned, a sharp pain shot through his heart as the Star Shuttle pierced his forehead and emerged from the back of his head, drawing blood.

Wei Qiong let out a muffled groan, fell backward onto the ground, and died.

With Wei Qiong dead, the soldiers left behind in the mansion immediately fell into chaos.

"Commander Wei is dead!"

"Run!"

The situation instantly turned one-sided, but some people were putting up a stubborn resistance, such as the seven teenagers.

Han Qing made another move, and the chains flew out, directly binding the first boy. The formation was immediately broken, and the combat power of the seven people plummeted.

"Why aren't you surrendering?"

With a sharp shout, Han Qing dispersed his magical energy and stabbed fiercely at the heads of the seven people. All seven of them let out a muffled groan, and their bodies swayed.

Lin Yueqiu seized the opportunity and pounced on him like a tiger.

"Don't kill them, I want them alive!" Han Qing said.

"it is good!"

Crackling!

Lin Yueqiu swung his fist, knocking all seven men to the ground, where they could no longer stand up.

At this point, there were no more unstable factors in the entire central compound, and it was completely under the control of Han Qing and his group.

(End of this chapter)