Immortality: Starting with a grave, I'm invincible when burying corpses.

Just kidding, that's a big shot who can go toe-to-toe with a terrestrial deity! One of the most powerful beings standing at the very top of the Great Qi Dynasty.

Even if he were to establish a sect, it would become a major sect. Considering Lord Mu's age, it wouldn't be impossible for it to become a holy land in the future!

If Qishan Dao hadn't been short of people, someone as insignificant as him would have had to go through numerous tests to join, let alone achieve his current status!

Anyone with a bit of standing in the underworld knows that Lord Mu dotes on his young lady the most, so she must make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

Speaking of which, Lord Mu loves to charge into enemy lines and hack and slash, and Miss must like that too!

With this in mind, Deng Hua chuckled and charged into the center of the Heavenly Evil Cult, brandishing his large machete.

One cut, two cuts, three cuts...

Before the guards could react, they found that their general had already charged into the center of the enemy ranks, and Kuku had cut down seven or eight cultists.

Before they could think, their bodies moved faster than their brains, and they charged forward, brandishing their knives and spears.

In just over a hundred breaths, the one-sided battle was over. Thirty-two corpses lay on the ground, neatly arranged, without a single complaint.

Covered in blood, Deng Hua smiled as he looked at the gratifying results and skillfully gave orders to his adjutant.

"Cut off the head, burn the body on the spot, and remember to wrap the head tightly with a cloth. If you frighten the young lady, I'll hold you accountable!"

After issuing several orders, Deng Hua finally looked at the group of four who wanted to approach but dared not.

Upon seeing Deng Hua's gaze fall upon them, the two young disciples, still feeling uneasy, shrank back and gave their senior brother space to talk.

Le Yan, having witnessed countless scenes of bloodshed, was not particularly moved by this. He stepped forward and bowed to Deng Hua.

"Yue Yan, a true disciple of Yunhuo Peak of the Taihang Sword Sect, has met this general. He is deeply grateful for your rescue and will repay you tenfold in the future!"

Deng Hua nodded slightly to him and asked the question directly.

"Why are these cultists hunting you down these days?"

"So that the general may know, the Heavenly Evil Cult is entrenched in Jiangzhou, using the local people as food to refine blood pills. When my four brothers and I were in Sishui County, we stumbled upon their business and were chased all the way here. Fortunately, the general saved us and we survived by sheer luck."

When Deng Hua heard that the Heavenly Evil Cult was entrenched in Jiangzhou, he was not surprised. However, when he heard that the Heavenly Evil Cult was using ordinary people as food to refine elixirs, Deng Hua's heart skipped a beat.

Everyone knows that Lord Mu hates cultists the most. Throughout the entire Qishan Road region, he kills any cultists he sees. Every year, a Jingguan (a mound of corpses) made of cultists' bodies is piled up throughout Qishan Road.

This is the treatment given to ordinary cult members in Qishan Dao.

Cultists who dare to use ordinary people to make elixirs...

This is terrible! This is a huge problem!

Deng Hua's expression turned serious. Without thinking twice, he grabbed Le Yan.

"Let's go! This is a matter of great importance. Come back with me now to report! The young lady is currently inside Ning'an Pass; let's report to her first!"

Suddenly, Deng Hua grabbed his wrist. Le Yan instinctively tried to struggle, but he quickly realized the difference in their abilities.

He had only ever experienced this feeling of being one with heaven and earth with his peak master!

This general is actually a Grandmaster of the Innate Realm!

"General, my junior sister is seriously injured, I wonder if she is alright..."

"It's alright. There are military doctors inside the pass, and someone will treat your junior sister."

……

Ning'an Gate.

The scorching June sun baked the earth, and even the bricks and stones on the city wall emitted layers of heat.

This summer is exceptionally hot. Even though it's only early June, the temperature has already climbed to its highest point in previous years.

It was midday, and the temperature on the city wall was gradually approaching sixty degrees Celsius under the scorching sun.

The sweltering heat hit her face, making Mu Ling'er, who was already feeling dizzy, even more so.

She stood directly above the city gate, her entire body exposed to the sun.

Before long, Mu Ling'er, who was feeling unwell, began to feel nauseous, and everything in her vision gradually became blurry.

Twelve-year-old Mu Ling'er didn't quite understand the concept of heatstroke, nor did she know what state she was in.

She only knew that she was in great pain, but a stubborn streak in her heart prevented her from showing her weakness, so she just stood there, gazing at the returning procession in the distance.

Mu Ling'er is someone who's destined for great things; how could she back down just because of a little discomfort!

Her head was spinning more and more, and her body was getting weaker and weaker. Mu Ling'er felt as if her hands and feet were filled with lead, and even standing up was a luxury.

In a daze, she seemed to hear Wang Pingshan's somewhat excited shouts, but she could no longer pay attention to them because she felt so uncomfortable, and the whole world had turned pitch black.

In her last moments before collapsing, she smelled a familiar scent—the aromatherapy diffuser she used at home, with a faint fragrance of osmanthus.

At the top of Ning'an Pass, Mu'an embraced Mu Ling'er tightly.

He stood quietly, watching the girl who had grown much taller.

Over the years, Mu Ling'er has grown up a lot. Now, the little one is over 1.5 meters tall and can no longer jump into her arms like she used to when she was little. She has shrunk into a small ball.

Thinking about it, Mu An sighed softly.

I've told you so many times not to overwork yourself, but you just wouldn't listen. Now look what's happened, you've ruined yourself like this.

He sensed that Mu Ling'er was not in a good condition this morning, so he simply followed her here.

But after thinking it over, Mu An still didn't help her recover, and instead let her hold on until she fainted.

You can't learn something just by being taught it; you can learn it after being taught it only once.

I imagine that after this, the little guy won't have to work as hard as before.

He touched Mu Ling'er's forehead to dispel the summer heat, and then gently waved his hand to lull the little one into a deep sleep.

After doing all this, he looked at the group of soldiers who were respectfully saluting.

"Don't worry about formalities. It's so hot, everyone's working hard. Try to stand in the shade and don't get heatstroke. This summer, everyone will receive a subsidy of three taels of silver."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a cheer erupted from above the city wall.

In Mu An's view, with the weather so hot, it's only right to give soldiers some subsidies for working in the high temperatures.

But the soldiers thought that getting more money just because it was hotter was too good to be true.

Lord Mu is clearly benevolent! He truly deserves to be called the greatest philanthropist in our Qishan Dao!

Seeing the excited soldiers, Mu An smiled. He found a shady spot, took out a rattan chair, and let Mu Ling'er lie down.

Below the city gate, Deng Hua immediately heard cheers from the city wall. Although he didn't know what had happened, he still went up to the city gate as soon as possible.

The moment he stepped through the city gate, he immediately saw the figure he had been thinking about for two whole years.

His first thought was of the flattering words he had learned from others, and he immediately knelt down.

"Your subject Deng Hua greets Lord Mu! May your cultivation advance further, and may you live as long as heaven and earth, and shine as brightly as the sun and moon!"

Hearing words that were neither a blessing nor a curse, Mu An felt a little strange. He glanced at Deng Hua and finally shook his head slightly.

"That's an exaggeration. If you don't know how to compliment people, it's best to avoid doing so in the future."

Realizing he had flattered the wrong person, Deng Hua scratched his head, feeling a chill run down his spine.

He'll go back and settle the score with that sycophantic gang leader! What kind of nonsense was that?! He can't even flatter properly, how did he even get by?!

Mu An didn't bother with him. He flashed and appeared in front of the four from the Taihang Sword Sect.

Ignoring the admiring gazes of the three young men, Mu An raised his hand and pointed at his injured junior sister's abdomen.

A burst of cyan light suddenly erupted, and the wound that pierced through his lower abdomen healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

After doing all this, he didn't even look at the three people who were stunned, and took a step forward, reappearing in front of Deng Hua.

"What's the deal with those cult members? Tell me in detail..."

After a short pause, Mu An's somewhat confused voice rang out again.

"Was the boundary marker for Qishan Road originally located here? It seems different from what I remember. Am I mistaken? Has Ning'an Pass always been located here?"

"My lord, the boundary marker has always been here! There's no mistake! You're so busy with state affairs, you must have misremembered! As for the location of Ning'an Pass, that was arranged by Military Advisor Wang, so it's definitely correct!"

"Wang Le is in charge, then there's no problem. That makes sense; the last time I was here was when I was a child, I must have misremembered."

"They're just a few stones; they can't possibly move on their own, can they?"