The carriage galloped along the official road.
Inside the carriage, Weiya rested her chin on her hand, looking at Lin Sheng, who was deep in thought.
"The Tianluo Sect is heartless and unrighteous, prioritizing only profit. Even if something happened to Saint Kamura, it would only be a temporary disturbance. Moreover, he has always acted erratically and made many enemies, so this matter will naturally fade away after some time."
"Perhaps," Lin Sheng nodded.
Indeed, in the eyes of many, the Tianluo Sect's Disciples were bloodthirsty madmen.
If it weren't for the Tianluo Sect's great power, it might not have been able to pass down its Legacy to this day.
"Viya Protector, do you know if the Tianluo Sect has some kind of extremely special tracking method? More accurately, it should be a perception secret art. As long as one gets entangled with a person from the Tianluo Sect, they will be contaminated, and the Tianluo Sect's people can perceive it, while others, even Grandmaster Realm Martial Artists, would find it difficult to discover."
Seeing that Weiya's words did not reveal much of the information he needed, Lin Sheng pondered for a moment and then voiced his speculation.
Hearing Lin Sheng's guess, Weiya was clearly startled, but she quickly reacted, frowning slightly and shaking her head.
"I've never heard that the Tianluo Sect has such a method. With the level of control Martial Artists, especially high-Realm Martial Artists, have over themselves, they should more or less be able to detect any abnormalities on their bodies.
Not to mention that even Grandmaster Realm Martial Artists cannot detect it. The Tianluo Sect should not have such a strange method. Of course, it might exist, and I just happen not to know about it."
At this point, she smiled and continued,
"But I will inquire at the military department. If there is any news, I will inform Your Excellency immediately."
"In that case, very well. Then I shall not disturb you further."
Not getting the answer he wanted, a hint of disappointment flashed in Lin Sheng's eyes. He didn't linger, cupped his hands, and left the carriage.
Watching Lin Sheng's figure depart, Weiya's eyes flickered, then she withdrew her gaze.
Returning to his own carriage, Lin Sheng no longer paid attention to the Tianluo Sect's affairs. He collected his thoughts and quickly immersed himself in cultivation.
Having skipped the process of attracting and absorbing demonic Qi, all he needed to do was refine it.
Therefore, he had quite a bit of anticipation for the speed of his cultivation in the Bones Transformation Realm.
*
Wan Jun City.
Tianluo Sect's stronghold.
In the dim great hall, Rashid slowly opened his eyes. In the six large cauldrons were already skeletal remains.
Among them, two human-like, beast-like skeletons were the most striking.
Rashid moved his body, a look of enjoyment on his face.
"Indeed, Beast Transformation Warriors comparable to the Divine Form Realm are top-grade, and the effect is much better than I imagined. Tsk tsk... what a wonderful taste..."
He muttered to himself, a hint of doubt appearing in his eyes.
"How exactly did these Tianhong Pavilion people cultivate these Beast Transformation Warriors!?"
After he had a sudden idea to try blood sacrificing the so-called Beast Suppression Army's Beast Transformation Warriors, he found the effect surprisingly good.
Afterward, he ordered people to capture several Bones Transformation Realm Martial Artists, used stimulating methods to make them beast-transform, and then blood sacrificed them, but the effect was not only far inferior to the Beast Suppression Army's Beast Transformation Warriors, but even ordinary Martial Artists were far behind.
This greatly disappointed him, and at the same time, he became very interested in the Beast Suppression Army secretly cultivated by Northern Yan.
He even used many methods to obtain two Beast Transformation Warriors capable of rivaling Divine Form combat power.
"Perhaps I can talk to those guys..."
He thought to himself, already calling someone in to give instructions. After a few words, that Disciple hurried away.
At dusk, over a hundred li outside Wan Jun City, in a dense mountain forest.
A strong figure in casual clothes stood with his hands behind his back.
The dense mountain forest was dead silent, not a sound was made, as if all life within it had been extinguished.
The strong figure slowly turned, his gaze falling on one side of the mountain forest.
"Since you're here, why hide?"
As the strong figure's voice fell, a light laugh came from far away within the mountain forest.
Before the laughter faded, a figure already strode forward.
His figure was suspended in mid-air, several meters off the ground. With each step, his figure rapidly approached.
As the last sound faded, the figure was already close.
"As expected of Tianluo Sect Leader Rashid, I, Lu, have just arrived, yet I cannot hide from your eyes."
The figure held a folding fan in his hand, dressed in a scholar's long robe, with a fair complexion and well-defined features. He exuded a strong scholarly aura, but his narrow, slightly upward-slanted eyes, coupled with thin lips, added a hint of melancholic temperament.
"I heard that the Tianhong Pavilion has a new Grandmaster. It seems you are Lu Qing."
Rashid did not care about the flattery in the other party's words. He narrowed his eyes, glanced at the robed scholar, and spoke faintly.
"You flatter me, Tianluo Sect Leader. I am indeed Lu Qing."
Lu Qing smiled, opening his folding fan and gently fanning himself.
"Enough with the pleasantries. I suppose you've received the message our sect sent you. Regardless of your intentions, our sect wants that boy's corpse. Additionally, we have another condition."
"Oh? Please speak, Sect Leader."
Lu Qing's smile remained unchanged as he chuckled softly.
"That boy is Green Robe Divine Lord's only Disciple. To you, he should be quite valuable. In exchange, I want you to provide me with fifteen Beast Transformation Warriors capable of rivaling the Divine Form Realm."
"Well... I, Lu, agree."
Lu Qing fanned himself with the paper fan, his eyes narrowed slightly, then he paused before nodding in agreement, and then slowly spoke again.
"Tianluo Sect Leader Rashid, I, Lu, have another proposal. I wonder if the Sect Leader is interested?"
Hearing the other party agree to his request, Rashid's expression softened slightly, but then seeing that the other party had another proposal, he raised an eyebrow and coldly uttered a single word.
"I wonder if the Sect Leader is interested in joining our Northern Yan? I, Lu, can guarantee that if the Sect Leader agrees, he will immediately become the Vice Pavilion Master of Tianhong Pavilion, and the secrets of the Beast Suppression Army will be shared with you without reservation. Believe me, the result will absolutely not disappoint you."
Lu Qing spoke slowly, his eyes fixed on the other's face.
"General Tu Hong ordered me to convey these words to the Sect Leader. How to decide is up to the Sect Leader's choice. From what I, Lu, understand, the Tianluo Sect's situation in Southern Qi does not seem to be very good, and the final victory in this war will definitely belong to our Great Yan."
As his voice fell, he said no more, seemingly waiting for the other party's reply.
At this moment, Rashid narrowed his eyes, as if contemplating something, but soon he slowly spoke with a half-smile.
"Please thank your General Tu for his kindness on my behalf, but this matter is of great importance, and even I cannot make a hasty decision, so let's discuss it another day."
"Since that's the case, I, Lu, won't press the matter, but Northern Yan's door is always open for you."
Hearing the other party's refusal, Lu Qing shook his head and smiled, not caring. Then he gently clapped his hands, and soon, gusts of wind sounded from within the mountain forest.
A light-armored general officer, leading several ferocious and strange-looking Beast Transformation Warriors, galloped over.
They quickly arrived before the two.
"Greetings, Lord Lu. Greetings, Tianluo Sect Leader Rashid."
This light-armored general officer was tall and strong, exuding a powerful aura belonging to the Late Stage Divine Form.
"Sect Leader, these two Beast Transformation Warriors are a welcome gift from me, Lu."
Lu Qing waved his hand and smiled at Rashid.
At this moment, Rashid's gaze had fallen on the two Beast Transformation Warriors behind the tall general officer.
With just one glance, he could tell that the quality of these Beast Transformation Warriors was even higher than the two Beast Transformation Warriors he had painstakingly searched for before.
"In that case, I, the Sect Leader, will not be polite."
Rashid said with a forced smile.
"Lord Lu, there might be experts hidden in this Dark Star team. If you're going to act, it's best not to make any mistakes."
"Don't worry, I, Lu, happen to have nothing to do these days, so I will personally go on this trip."
"Then I await good news from Lord Lu."
After throwing out another sentence, Rashid waved his large sleeve, and the two Beast Transformation Warriors fell into a coma, then were enveloped by a strong force and disappeared into the forest with him.
Watching the other party's figure recede and completely disappear from sight.
The middle-aged general officer then spoke softly,
"Lord Lu Qing, this old fellow is a Three Realms Grandmaster. Why doesn't General Tu Hong take this opportunity to kill him, and instead tries to win him over?"
"Wen Chang, a Three Realms Grandmaster is not so easy to kill. Moreover, this old fellow is very cautious, deliberately choosing a location not far from Wan Jun City. Clearly, he also has precautions."
Lu Qing snapped his folding fan shut with a 'pa' sound and shook his head.
"And compared to killing him, winning him over is the best strategy. The forces in Southern Qi are mixed and not a monolithic block. If this old fellow joins Northern Yan and enjoys resources and treatment beyond Southern Qi, those old fellows in Southern Qi might also have more ideas and want to have another path."
"So that's how it is. General Tu and Lord Lu are truly brilliant strategists, deeply understanding human nature."
The middle-aged general officer's face showed a look of realization, but then he quickly frowned slightly.
"However, Lord Lu, in my humble opinion, this old fellow is very cunning and probably won't agree so easily. Moreover, his appetite is not small, demanding fifteen Beast Transformation Warriors capable of rivaling the Divine Form Realm."
"Hmph, I naturally know that. However, this old fellow is actually using Beast Transformation Warriors for blood sacrifice cultivation. Even if he is a Three Realms Grandmaster, he will eventually be corrupted by demonic blood. By then, he won't have a choice."
Lu Qing sneered, his eyes full of mockery.
"As for the fifteen Beast Transformation Warriors, they are just some Bones Transformation Warrior, nothing much. If he wants them, give them to him. But one day he will understand that things from my Great Yan are not so easy to take..."
Hearing this, the middle-aged general officer felt a chill. As a Divine Form Martial Artist, he held a high position in the army, and naturally knew what the so-called demonic blood referred to.
"By the way, Lord, when will we act on the Dark Star group?"
"No hurry, haven't they just left? Didn't that old fellow say to wait until they've gone further before acting? Now that the war has reignited, let those little rats enjoy themselves for a few more days."
Lu Qing said indifferently, seemingly not bothered by the matter.
After all, with the constant small-scale battles between the two armies recently, a major war is expected to break out again very soon.
For him, the major war between the two armies was the most urgent matter at hand.
These Dark Star people were just some rats who couldn't make it to the big stage.
Three days later.
Woo—
A muffled military horn sounded from the military camp outside Jushi City.
Nanqi soldiers, as dense as ants, advanced in a mighty procession.
Opposite them were large numbers of ferocious and terrifying Beast Transformation Warriors, exuding a beastly aura.
From afar, the two torrents on the plain collided amidst roars and battle cries.
This time, the Beast Transformation Warriors, both in scale and quality, had greatly improved compared to before.
Even with the enhancement of the Blazing Flame Bow and Crossbow, the Nanqi soldiers suffered heavy casualties for a time.
It wasn't until the rear of the army formation, where massive cannons were pushed out,
that muffled explosions sounded and huge fire rains fell onto the battlefield, finally turning the tide.
...
"Young Master, we are about to arrive at Bai Lu City."
Outside the carriage, Nong Yu's voice sounded.
After a while, Lin Sheng's reply came from inside the carriage.
"Understood."
Hearing the response, Nong Yu's beautiful eyes outside the carriage showed a hint of doubt.
Didn't the Young Master always emit that chilling aura when cultivating? Why wasn't it there this time?
In her doubt, she moved closer, and the moment she stepped forward, she felt as if she had stepped from the height of summer into an ice cellar.
"Ah!"
The huge contrast made Nong Yu instinctively cry out. She shivered, hugged her arms, and immediately ran away as if fleeing for her life.
The chilling aura that Lin Sheng emitted during his cultivation, which made people feel a chill in their hearts, always made her shiver whenever she came into contact with it.
Therefore, when Lin Sheng cultivated, she would wisely keep her distance, and would not easily approach unless there was an urgent matter. But this time, she still fell victim, and as she fled, she couldn't help but inwardly curse herself for being foolish.
At this moment, Lin Sheng opened his eyes inside the carriage.
His eyes gleamed, as if he could see Nong Yu's startled and disheveled appearance as she fled outside the carriage.
He shook his head slightly and exhaled heavily.
"In three days, I actually broke through two minor Realms. Such speed is truly incredible."
At this moment, his cultivation had already reached the Bones Transformation Third Realm, and one more step would be the Bones Transformation Middle Stage.
Even he himself was completely shocked by such rapid cultivation speed.
He had thought that after skipping the process of attracting and collecting demonic Qi, his cultivation speed would greatly increase, but he didn't expect it to be so fast.
However, while surprised, he was more delighted.
Nothing was more exciting than an increase in cultivation, especially for a Martial Artist obsessed with martial arts.
At this moment, the demonic Qi accumulated on his body had been consumed quite a bit, but even at full count, it was only just over 1/3.
"The remaining demonic Qi should at least allow me to enter the Bones Transformation Fifth or even Sixth Realm."
Lin Sheng estimated in his mind, and was also startled. According to his current cultivation speed, it would take no more than ten days to completely refine the demonic Qi.
Besides this, as his Physique improved, he also handled the demonic Qi backlash more easily.
The demonic Qi backlash generated by his cultivation was now compressed to within one meter outside the carriage. Beyond this range, there would be no impact whatsoever.
"Bones Transformation Seventh Realm, Shen Xing Nine Transformations..."
Feeling the changes brought about by the increase in his cultivation, his eyes were sharp and keen.
The Divine Form, which he originally felt was quite distant from him, now seemed not so far away.