The First Sage of Military Strategists

Chapter 113 Fierce Battle in the Valley

Swish!
On Han Qing's side, as the group led their troops into the depths of the poisonous forest, they first heard a series of flute sounds drifting from afar, followed by a chilling rustling sound.

"Poisonous insects!" someone exclaimed.

A commotion broke out among the soldiers, for it was not just one, but hundreds and thousands of poisonous insects, all converging into a tidal wave that surged from the dense forest ahead and spread across the ground, a sight that would terrify anyone who saw it.

Although these soldiers were well-trained, they couldn't help but feel fear at the thought of the excruciating pain of being devoured by poisonous insects.

"Don't panic!" Han Qing shouted. With a thought, wisps of malevolent energy spread out and quickly transformed into a malevolent domain, enveloping the surrounding soldiers.

As the menacing aura entered them, the soldiers' courage increased, and their fear vanished completely.

More importantly, the evil energy can infiltrate the poisonous insects' bodies, causing them to stiffen and become unable to move. This is one of the methods Han Qing came up with to deal with the poisonous insects.

However, this method also has drawbacks, namely that once they leave the evil domain, these poisonous insects will regain their vitality.

"I've heard that the people of the Mu Man Kingdom are naturally skilled at controlling poisonous insects and beasts, and seeing this today, I can confirm it's true." Lin Yueqiu's scalp tingled at the sight.

"Since there are so many poisonous insects in this forest, why don't we just burn it all down?" Qiu Da suggested.

“If it were really that simple, this poisonous forest wouldn’t have served as an outer barrier for the Poisonous Insect Valley,” Bai Yunfei said.

Han Qing nodded slightly. The forest was very humid, and ordinary fire arrows would immediately extinguish the flames if they fell into it.

Moreover, many plants in the forest release even more intense poisonous fog when burned. People had tried this method before, but all had failed. Before setting off, Cao Zhen specifically reminded them not to use this method to cross the poisonous forest. Therefore, Han Qing never intended to use fire to defeat the enemy from the beginning.

At this moment, Yue Xiaobiao suddenly said, "I'll give it a try!"

Suddenly, a cold wind arose, and in an instant, a towering statue, several dozen feet tall, appeared at the front of the procession; it was still Yue Jinbiao.

The moment the statue appeared, an immense pressure filled the poisonous forest.

The poisonous insects running ahead sensed this pressure and aura, and they all cried out strangely and turned to run away.

In the blink of an eye, the poisonous insects that could be seen everywhere in the forest ahead vanished without a trace.

"Sure enough, although this poisonous insect can be controlled by the flute music, when the pressure it endures reaches a certain level, its survival instinct will erupt, and it will break free from the control of the flute music." Han Qing's mind raced, and he quickly figured out the key to it.

"Yue Xiaobiao, well done!" Han Qing praised.

"Serving you, young master, is a blessing that Xiao Biao has accumulated over eight lifetimes!" Yue Xiao Biao nodded and bowed, his face full of flattery.

Once the problem of the poisonous insects was solved, Han Qing immediately directed the team to advance.

This time, they encountered no obstacles in the forest and successfully traversed the dense woods.

Beyond the dense forest, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a canyon with a flat road in the middle, blocked by a wooden gate. On the steep cliffs on both sides of the road, there were figures moving about.

Han Qing's gaze sharpened as he noticed that these people had very unique appearances. Each of them was strong and muscular, covered in brown hair, with arms hanging down to their knees. They were half-human and half-ape, leaping and bounding across the mountainside as if walking on flat ground.

Their hands and feet have sharp nails that can hook onto rocks.

"This is an ape demon!"

“These major forces within Yinshan Mountain are all in cahoots with the Northern Demon Clan; otherwise, it would be difficult for them to establish themselves in the mountains!” Bai Yunfei said in a deep voice.

Upon seeing Han Qing and his group arrive, the hundreds of ape demons immediately took action.

Then, a group of ape demons let out long howls, each carrying a short spear on its back. Suddenly, they drew the spears and hurled them at the Tiger Might Camp members.

From its high vantage point, the ape demon, amplified by gravity, unleashed a barrage of short spears with incredible range and penetrating power, which descended from the sky with a whistling sound.

The soldiers at the forefront were the first to suffer a fierce attack. Their leather shields were no match for the short spears and were pierced through, and the bodies of the soldiers behind them were also pierced.

Han Qing immediately ordered a counterattack. Ordinary crossbows couldn't even touch these ape demons, but fortunately, his personal guards had divine crossbows and rhinoceros horn black gold bows.

The two sides immediately exchanged fire, and more than a dozen ape demons were shot down to the ground.

However, another group of soldiers ahead were shot through the body and died on the spot.

Han Qing frowned and snatched the rhinoceros horn bow from a guard beside him.

The distance was too great for the Star Shuttle to be effective, so he chose to use a powerful bow to defeat the enemy.

Buzz!
The bowstring vibrated as Han Qing drew his bow and released five to seven arrows each time. Each arrow drew an arc in the air and accurately struck the ape demons that were leaping and landing on the mountain wall.

Han Qing made his move, and the situation immediately reversed. The ape demons died at a much faster rate, many of them being hit by arrows and falling to the ground from the mountainside.

Bai Yunfei and the others were all surprised to see this scene. It was the first time they had seen Han Qing display such superb archery skills, and they were all extremely astonished.

With Han Qing's help, in just over ten breaths, the number of ape demons had been reduced to less than half.

The remaining ape demons were terrified and scattered in all directions, screaming.

Han Qing immediately ordered his troops to charge into the Valley of Poisonous Insects, and the soldiers roared as they charged forward at top speed.

However, as the group approached the entrance to the Poisonous Insect Valley, a large group of soldiers dressed in armor, with brownish-red skin and faces painted with five-colored paint rushed out. This clothing was the standard attire of the Mu Man Kingdom, and these people were all Mu Man people.

In that instant, the two teams collided.

Han Qing drew his sword and charged ahead of the pack.

In a battle between two armies, whoever breaks the enemy's formation first gains the upper hand and a significant advantage on the battlefield.

Han Qing knew this well and wanted to take matters into his own hands and be the one to break the formation.

Brush brush!
When the group of Muman soldiers at the forefront charged towards him, Han Qing suddenly swung his sword. With a series of swift strokes, the sword flashed like shadows, weaving into a net that instantly enveloped the more than twenty soldiers.

These people couldn't even catch the trajectory of the blade, let alone dodge or block it. In a flash, everything went black, and they died instantly, falling to the ground dead.

With a flash of gleaming blade, all twenty-odd soldiers perished.

Behind Han Qing, Lin Yueqiu and a group of other experts also made their moves.

Lin Yueqiu also held a steel knife, the blade covered with a layer of energy, and a blue light extended from the tip of the blade. He suddenly slashed forward, the blade drawing an arc trajectory, cutting the bodies of the group of Mu Man soldiers in half at the waist.

The Thirteen Guards of Baiyun, the Seven Swordsmen of Zongheng, and Liu Xiaofeng all used their own methods, each displaying their skills and killing many Muman soldiers.

Within three to five breaths, no less than a hundred barbarian warriors perished, and their formation was shattered.

The remaining Mu barbarians were filled with fear and retreated one after another.

This retreat caused morale to plummet and the formation to become even more chaotic.

Seeing this, Han Qing felt much more at ease. If the two sides were locked in a stalemate, even if he won, his side would suffer heavy casualties, which was not the outcome he wanted to see.

However, just when the situation seemed to be going very well, Han Qing suddenly felt a chilling killing intent coming from his left front. Immediately afterwards, the light and shadow in front of him twisted, and a figure appeared. It turned out to be a tall, slender Mu Man woman with an ugly face, but her eyes were as beautiful and moving as yellow-brown gemstones.

"die!"

She uttered a single word, and the instant she appeared, a pair of short knives were already thrusting towards Han Qing.

"Hmm? A Dao-Slaying Spirit Refiner!"

Han Qing frowned. He had read in a book that those who cultivated the Dao could become invisible.

This invisibility not only makes the body invisible to the naked eye, but also conceals the presence of the user, allowing for a sudden and deadly strike from the shadows, making it impossible to defend against.

With a thought flashing through his mind, Han Qing suddenly used his lightness skill, moving as gracefully as a startled swan. In a flash, his figure disappeared, and just as the twin blades were about to touch his body, he suddenly floated backward to dodge.

A look of surprise flashed in the woman's eyes. Her knife was very fast, and it was a sneak attack. She thought she had it in the bag, but she didn't expect Han Qing to be even faster. He attacked her at close range and managed to dodge.

With her ambush failing, her situation instantly became very dangerous.

Lin Yueqiu and the others nearby came to their senses and their faces turned angry.

"Be bold!"

"court death!"

"Going into battle alone! You're courting death! Stay here!"

In an instant, no fewer than seven or eight people attacked him simultaneously.

The woman was quite skilled; she suddenly brandished her twin swords, her swordsmanship swift and fierce. The sword light swirled around her, forming a sphere that blocked all attacks from all directions.

Furthermore, she was simultaneously displaying an exceptionally skillful lightness technique, swaying from side to side, creating a series of overlapping afterimages around her body, making it difficult for anyone to quickly grasp her true form.

Upon seeing this scene, a name popped into Han Qing's mind: the Moon Bee Queen.

It is said that there are seven masters in Poisonous Insect Valley, and the Moon Bee Queen is one of them. According to intelligence, she is a Grandmaster of Martial Arts, that is, she has undergone six transformations in the Body Dao. Now it seems that she is also a Refiner of the Spirit Dao.

After observing for a while, Han Qing suddenly made his move, first channeling his magical power to stab the man's head fiercely.

The woman was indeed affected; her body trembled and she stiffened for a moment.

Taking advantage of the situation, Han Qing unleashed a powerful strike. With the enhancement of his mastery-level Phantom Thousandfold Blade technique, the blade transformed into a blurry phantom, slashing fiercely at the woman's chest.

A layer of floating, moon-white protective energy surrounded her body, but it was shattered by a single slash, along with the inner armor behind the protective energy. Only then did the woman react, dodging backward as the blade cleaved a wound on her body, causing blood to splatter.

The woman's face showed fear, and she was filled with lingering fear. If she had been even a step slower in retreating, this knife could have disemboweled her.

"Too fast!"

This was the only thought in the woman's mind, and her gaze towards Han Qing was immediately filled with apprehension.

At this moment, Lin Yueqiu and the others saw her appear and immediately attacked her, while Han Qing also rushed towards her with his knife.

Suddenly, a cold wind arose, and the area within a hundred paces of the woman turned pitch black. A viscous, watery black light enveloped everyone. Sunlight falling into it did not dispel the darkness; instead, it was directly swallowed up.

"Ok?"

"Go back!"

Lin Yueqiu and the others, who were in the darkness, lost their sight for a moment, and even their hearing and sense of smell became dulled, causing them to retreat rapidly.

Han Qing was also present, and he became certain of his previous guess: this woman was indeed a Dao-Slaying Refiner, and the move she just made was a special ability awakened by Dao-Slaying Refiners: the Dark Domain of No Light.

When the Dharma thought leaves the body, it can create a pitch-black area. Those who cultivate the Dao and refine their spirit will thrive in it, and their physical abilities will be greatly enhanced. However, for others, all five senses will be suppressed, and their vision will be completely lost.

This method, when combined with other abilities of the Assassin's Spirit Refiner, often allows one to kill the target amidst numerous guards and then escape unscathed.

However, Han Qing was fearless. With a thought, his baleful aura left his body and suddenly spread throughout the dark, lightless domain, condensing into a baleful domain.

The woman's figure was immediately revealed. Her murderous intent remained undiminished. She circled around behind Han Qing, suddenly bent forward, and slashed with her twin blades, aiming straight for Han Qing's throat.

A black-armored giant statue suddenly appeared behind Han Qing and slammed its hammer down on the woman.

The moment the colossus appeared, the surrounding malevolent energy seemed to boil and expand rapidly, becoming even more concentrated. It seeped into the woman's body in wisps, causing her to stiffen.

After a month of arduous training, he had mastered the fifth chapter of the Zhige Jing. The colossus was more solid than before, with greatly improved strength and speed, and its amplification of the evil domain was also more obvious, just like the one before him.

The woman seemed not to have entered the Harmony Realm. Upon seeing this, she hurriedly crossed her twin swords to block, but the black-armored giant's power was immense.

The hammer blow sent her twin swords flying and then slammed down on her with tremendous force.

The woman let out a scream as her protective energy collapsed. Her body flew high into the air and crashed to the ground, spitting out blood and her breath plunging.

Immediately afterwards, the dark, lightless area that had enveloped the surroundings also suddenly dissipated.

At that very moment, Han Qing's mind stirred, and the Dharma image dissipated, transforming into a stream of Dharma thought that fell back into the spirit temple.

At this moment, the woman struggled to get up, but Han Qing had already taken a step forward and appeared in front of her, with the blade against her neck.

Kneel down! Or die!

The woman stared intently at Han Qing, her gaze sharp and unwavering: "Who are you? How can you possess such strength at such a young age?"

"I am Han Qing, the commander of the Yinshan Tiger Might Camp. I see that you are quite strong, and it would be a pity to kill you with just one strike. Now I will give you a chance. Swallow this Soul-Severing Pill and I will spare your life!"
"From now on, as long as you work for me diligently, if you perform exceptionally well, I will give you the antidote and also reward you handsomely!" Han Qing said in a deep voice.

The woman's assassination skills, which she had just displayed, made him want to recruit her.

If this person is willing to surrender, he will be a great help in the future.

Without hesitation, the woman said loudly, "Greetings, sir! My name is Hu Yuefeng, and I am willing to serve you!"

"You're quite decisive," Han Qing said calmly.

“Young master has a bright future and unparalleled strength. I, Yuefeng, am completely convinced,” the woman said, her head bowed.

"Swallow this poison pill first." Han Qing naturally wouldn't easily believe her words.

Just as Lin Yueqiu stepped forward to put the poison pill into the woman's mouth, an unexpected change occurred.

The shadow beneath the woman suddenly twisted and changed, splitting into four black shadows in a flash. Each of them looked exactly like the woman, but was almost a blur between illusion and reality. They swung their swords and slashed fiercely at Han Qing's vital points.

Ding Ding Ding!
Han Qing's protective energy was broken, but the attacks of the four black figures also lost momentum and were blocked by his close-fitting python scale armor.

The woman's eyes widened, a look of surprise and despair flashing across them. This was her last resort, called Shadow Splitting, a special ability of those who practiced the Dao of Assassination.

Previously, the fifth-realm martial artists she encountered could not withstand the attack of these four black shadows and would be cut into pieces in an instant. However, she did not expect Han Qing's protective force to be so strong. Her desperate attempt was ineffective.

"Stubborn!"

A cold glint flashed in Han Qing's eyes, and he swung his knife, decapitating the woman.

With Hu Yuefeng beheaded, the remaining Mu Man soldiers in the canyon immediately fell into chaos and scattered.

Han Qing did not lead the pursuit, but instead ordered them to rest on the spot for a quarter of an hour.

Bai Yunfei immediately led his men to clean up the battlefield and take stock of the casualties.

"My lord, 136 people have died and 237 others have been injured."

After a short while, Bai Yunfei finished counting and returned to Han Qing to report loudly.

Han Qing nodded slightly; most of these people had died from being hurled with short spears.

"Collect the body and take it back so that it may be laid to rest in peace."

"Yes."

Before long, 136 corpses were neatly arranged on an open space in the distance.

When Han Qing saw this scene and witnessed the killing of Hu Yuefeng, the joy in his heart was completely dispelled.

"In chaotic times, human life is worth less than that of a dog. Behind every corpse, countless people are lamenting and weeping."

"May the world be at peace and all people be healthy and well!"

Han Qing murmured to himself, but he quickly suppressed this feeling of sadness.

…fifteen minutes later.

The Tiger Might Army set off again, advancing rapidly into the Valley of Poisonous Insects.

Looking across the valley, Han Qing could see many stone buildings appearing and disappearing in the distance.

As the group passed through the canyon, a wide valley plain opened up before them. On the plain stood a magnificent stone city, with more than a dozen roads leading in all directions. Outside the city were vast farmlands, where golden wheat swayed in the wind.

"I never imagined there would be such a magnificent city in this valley," Qiu Da exclaimed.

"The Wood Barbarians have been entrenched in the valley for so many years, and with the support of the demon race, it's not surprising that they were able to build such a magnificent city," Bai Yunfei said.

Han Qing nodded slightly: "There must be a lot of treasure in the city, which is our biggest goal for this trip."

At that moment, the sound of war drums and the shouts of soldiers could be heard from the other side of the city.

"We need to act quickly, lest someone else beat us to it!" Han Qing said in a deep voice.

"Yes!"

At Han Qing's command, three thousand soldiers immediately charged toward the north gate of the Poisonous Serpent City.

...

East gate of the city of Viper.

Chen Anzheng led a large group of soldiers in a charge forward.

After walking several hundred steps to the city gate, a person beside him suddenly waved his hand, and a bolt of lightning descended from the sky, shattering the heavy gray stone gate in front of him into pieces.

"Follow me and kill us!"

Chen An's face was cold and stern. With a clang, he drew his sword, the blade shimmering with a blue light, its appearance extraordinary and mysterious.

"This is the sword of my ancestor Chen Liuyun, the military strategist of the Chen family. It is one of the ten most famous swords in the world, known for its ability to cut through iron like mud and its ability to cut through anything. Today, I will test this sword on these barbarian wood-barbarians to see if it is as sharp as the legends say."

Chen An gently stroked the precious sword from top to bottom with his fingers, then flicked his finger, causing the blade to vibrate and emit a buzzing sound.

After saying that, he picked up the precious sword and, escorted by hundreds of silver-armored halberdiers, rushed towards the city gate at top speed.

As soon as he rushed through the city gate, a large group of warriors clad in sturdy cowhide armor charged towards him. Chen An glanced at them, then suddenly swung his sword. With a series of swift strokes, the sword flashed, and the warriors who charged at him were unable to withstand it. Their armor was cleaved open, and their bodies were split in two, with blood splattering all over the ground.

"Good knife!"

Chen An's eyes gleamed, and as his blade sliced ​​through the tough cowhide armor, it was incredibly smooth, without him feeling the slightest resistance.

"Today I'm going to have a good, bloody fight!"

With murderous intent surging in his heart, Chen An strode forward and unleashed a massacre at the North Gate, slaughtering countless Mu Man soldiers in his path.

Before long, the entire Muman garrison at the East Gate had been wiped out, and corpses were everywhere in sight.

Chen An sheathed his sword and heard shouts of battle coming from the direction of the north gate.

"The North Gate? Han Qing is quite capable; he managed to break through the Mu Man barbarians' blockade outside the valley and enter this place so quickly."

“Young master, Han Qing has five war puppets, which are powerful weapons for sieges and should not be underestimated,” said the lean, blue-robed elder beside him in a deep voice.

"Chen Ming, this city of Viper is in such chaos, it's the perfect place to make a move! Take sixty halberd warriors to the north gate, and if you get the chance, kill Han Qing and bring back all his belongings," Chen An suddenly said.

"Rest assured, young master, this old servant will certainly handle the matter properly!" Chen Ming bowed slightly.

He swept his gaze across the crowd and said in a deep voice, "You will all come with me!"

Thus, the hundreds of halberd warriors split in two: one half stayed behind to protect Chen An, while the other half followed Chen Ming and sped towards the north gate.

After Chen Ming and the others had gone far away, Chen An gazed intently ahead. In the very center of the city stood a tall, gray-white stone building.

According to intelligence, this stone building is located in the city lord's mansion, a vital location in the city, and its treasury contains a large amount of treasure.

"Follow me! Charge toward the city lord's mansion as fast as you can, lest the treasure fall into the hands of the other groups," Chen An said coldly.

"Yes!"

...

North city gate.

Upon arriving at the city, Han Qing immediately led his troops to attack it.

On the city wall, many Muman soldiers were using bows and arrows or short spears to stop Han Qing and his party from attacking the city.

However, with five war golems charging ahead, the arrows and spears had no effect.

The Tiger Might Battalion soldiers charged to the city wall with almost no cost, and the seemingly heavy city gate was completely unable to withstand the five war puppets.

Controlled by twenty soldiers, one of the war puppets slammed into the thick city gate in front of it, and with a loud bang, the gate collapsed.

Han Qing took the lead and led his team into the city.

It seems that the city's elite forces have all gone to the soldiers of the Yinshan camp who are lying in ambush outside the valley, leaving relatively few soldiers to defend the city. Moreover, Han Qing has not encountered any more powerful warriors like the Moon Bee Queen.

"Our destination is the City Lord's Mansion; there's no need for us to linger here!"

Han Qing's gaze was also fixed on the tall building in the city center in the far distance.

With a thought, he channeled his spiritual energy into his ears, instantly enhancing his hearing. He could hear shouts of battle drifting from the city center.

"This is bad! Someone has already broken into the city lord's mansion. We can't delay any longer!"

"The Thirteen Guards of Baiyun, you lead the soldiers to clear out the remaining enemies here. I will lead a squad of elite troops to the City Lord's Mansion first!" Han Qing thought for a moment and quickly made a decision.

"Young master, please go ahead and leave this to me," Bai Yunfei said loudly.

So Han Qing led less than three hundred men away from the main force and charged towards the city lord's mansion at top speed along a straight road.

These three hundred men consisted partly of martial artists he brought from Shu, and partly of elite soldiers he had carefully selected from his own camp.

Halfway there, as they drew closer to the city lord's mansion, a group of people suddenly rushed out and blocked their path.

Han Qing glanced around and first saw an old man in blue robes holding a straight sword standing at the front, followed by sixty silver-armored halberd warriors, each of them burly and fierce-looking.

"They've come with ill intentions!"

Han Qing could sense a strong killing intent emanating from ahead.

He also knew the identities of these people. The old man in blue was a powerful confidant of Chen An, named Chen Ming.

Behind him were sixty silver-armored halberd warriors, elite martial artists trained within the Chen family.

"Commander Han, my young master greatly admires you. Please come with me!" Chen Ming said unhurriedly.

Han Qing raised an eyebrow: "You're waiting for me here with such murderous intent, you probably want to take my life, right? Why beat around the bush? Just make your move. I, Han Qing, want to see if your Chen family's halberd warriors are truly capable or just all talk!"

The Chen family is a second-rate family. In recent decades, the most famous figure in the family has been Chen Liuyun, the military strategist.

This man was always accompanied by hundreds of silver-armored halberd warriors, whose combat power was extremely fierce. He shone brightly in the war in which the Great Yu Dynasty pacified the world and became famous throughout the land.

Han Qing had also read some information about the Halberd Warriors in the book. It said that these Halberd Warriors all practiced martial arts to strengthen their physique according to a unified path of force integration, and that they took secret medicines from a young age and had special teachers.

Behind the creation of each silver-armored halberd warrior lies an immeasurable expenditure of resources.

"Young master, you speak quite frankly. Since you refuse to leave, then I'll have no choice but to personally take you there!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the old man in blue drew his sword and charged towards Han Qing. The sixty halberd warriors behind him also roared and followed him forward.

Han Qing's eyes narrowed, and with a wave of his hand, many soldiers behind him fired arrows at Chen Ming and the others.

Brush brush!
Chen Ming, who was at the forefront, was surrounded by a gray light, completely ignoring the arrows.

The halberdiers behind them were the same; their silver armor was extremely protective, and the arrows that struck the armor made a clanging sound, but were all deflected.

At this moment, Lin Yueqiu made his move, firing several arrows at Chen Ming. The arrows were covered with energy and shimmered with light.

Chen Ming suddenly swung his sword, slashing forward repeatedly, which knocked the arrows aimed at him to the ground.

Han Qing sensed the overwhelming momentum of the halberd warriors and abandoned his idea of ​​engaging them in close combat.

With a thought, strands of magical energy gathered and suddenly converged in front of everyone to form a black-armored deity statue.

Centered on the statue, malevolent energy permeated the air, quickly forming a malevolent domain.

"go with!"

With a thought, Han Qing's black-armored giant statue suddenly took flight and rushed towards Chen Ming and the others.

Several halberdiers, seeing that the giant statue was overestimating itself, took the initiative to meet it, wielding their halberds in an attempt to cleave the black-armored giant statue in two.

The black-armored colossus suddenly swung its warhammer, each strike carrying immense force.

Bang bang bang!
These halberd warriors were sent flying by the impact; their protective force and silver armor were completely ineffective.

The heavy hammer first shattered the protective force of the body, and then penetrated through the silver armor on his body, directly shattering his internal organs.

Several halberd warriors were thrown out like sandbags, and after falling to the ground, they coughed up blood and died shortly afterward.

Seeing this, Chen Ming waved his hand, signaling the other halberd warriors not to approach the black-armored statue.

The next instant, a cold wind swept across the open space ahead, and a divine statue appeared above Chen Ming's head, holding a long sword, wearing a green robe, with chains spreading in the air.

"I never expected you to be a cultivator at the Unity Realm of the Legalist School!" Han Qing said in a deep voice.

Chen Ming did not respond. Suddenly, the green-robed giant rose up and pounced on the black-armored giant.

Han Qing was naturally fearless; he couldn't have asked for a fight between the statues.

then.

The two statues suddenly collided, hammer and sword clashing violently.

With a muffled thud, the giant statue in the green robe was clearly no match for the others and was blasted away, retreating dozens of steps.

Chen Ming was startled; he felt completely powerless to resist.

"This child's spirit-refining method must be of extremely high quality! Could it be the first classic of military strategy, the 'Stopping War' classic?"

A thought flashed through Chen Ming's mind, but Han Qing's black-armored statue had already caught up and raised its hand to strike again.

The giant statue in the green robe was unable to withstand the attack and was blasted away once again. Its magical power was rapidly depleted, and the statue became even more illusory.

With just two blows, Chen Ming's statue was on the verge of destruction.

The next instant, the statue vanished, transforming into wisps of spiritual energy that returned to its shrine.

Chen Ming dared not confront it head-on again. If he were to take another blow, the statue would collapse, and he would suffer a severe backlash, losing a large amount of his magical power.

Seeing this, Han Qing directly manipulated the statue to press down on Chen Ming.

The heavy hammer slammed down, and Chen Ming swung his sword to block it, but due to the enormous difference in strength, even though Chen Ming's swordsmanship was exquisite, he was no match for it.

With a single blow, the blade trembled, and the swordsmanship became chaotic.

Chen Ming's expression immediately turned ugly; he hadn't expected Han Qing's combat strength to be so terrifying.

The black-armored statue pressed closer, and Chen Ming parried with his sword while using his lightness skill to dodge and maneuver.

With each strike of the hammer, his arms trembled violently, and his strength was being rapidly depleted.

After the man and the statue moved around and interacted repeatedly, Chen Ming's fear grew stronger and stronger.

"This is bad! This kid is too strong. If we continue fighting, I will surely die!"

With this in mind, Chen Ming feinted with his sword and fled into the distance.

Han Qing was unwilling to let him leave. With a thought, the Star Shuttle flew out from his bosom and pierced Chen Ming's back with a sharp whistling sound.

Chen Ming suddenly activated a special ability of the Legalist school, and a wisp of black light appeared out of thin air, enveloping the flying shuttle.

The shuttle trembled within, its magical power sealed.

However, Chen Ming's visualization technique was clearly a level below Luo Ding's.

Neither the fighting power of the statue just now nor the sealing power it possesses now is as strong as Luo Ding's.

The next instant, the shuttle suddenly broke free from the binding force, streaking across the air like a streak of light, and once again flew towards Chen Ming.

Chen Ming was startled and hurriedly swung his sword to parry.

Ding-ding-ding-ding!

The Star Shuttle easily pierced the knife in his hand and then stabbed through his right leg.

Chen Ming let out a muffled groan, his movement speed greatly reduced, and his movements became extremely clumsy.

The black-armored colossus caught up at this moment, suddenly swinging its warhammer. Chen Ming had no sword in his hand, so he could only cross his arms to defend himself.

With a muffled thud, his arm suddenly cracked as the bones broke, and he was thrown into the air.

A look of despair appeared in Chen Ming's eyes. His arms had completely lost sensation, and when he breathed, he felt a heart-wrenching pain in his chest.

"This statue's combat power is truly terrifying; it can even overpower a martial arts grandmaster. I am no match for it at all. Chen An has caused me so much trouble!"

He muttered to himself, thinking that even if he couldn't win, escaping would be easy, but he never expected it to be so difficult, and he was forced into a desperate situation.

As the black-armored giant approached again, Chen Ming was about to get up when, in a flash, a chain flew over and bound him.

Chen Ming struggled, trying to break free of the chains.

Han Qing's voice drifted from not far away: "Dare to resist again, and I will surely crush you to pieces!"

The black-armored colossus appeared before him, its heavy hammer hovering above his head, seemingly ready to smash him to pieces at any moment.

A great sense of fear welled up inside Chen Ming, and he stopped struggling.

His gaze swept across the room and he saw Han Qing charging towards several silver-armored halberd warriors with his sword drawn.

The latter slashed out with a blade as sharp as a shadow, scattering a burst of bright light. The halberd warriors were completely powerless to resist, and their heads were easily severed and fell to the ground.

(End of this chapter)