"Qingshan." Zhuge Yuanhong let out a helpless, faint smile. "This third point, for Master to ask you to oppose Qinghu Island with another guise, is unavoidable."

"Master?" Teng Qingshan listened intently.

Elder Wu, standing beside them, interjected, "Qingshan, since the battle at Dayan Mountain, Qinghu Island has lost twelve innate masters. Now, of the thirteen commanderies in the entire Yangzhou region, twelve are under Qinghu Island's control. Only our Guiyuan Sect has not been annihilated. Qinghu Island naturally views our Guiyuan Sect as a thorn in their side!"

Zhuge Yuanhong continued, "If it weren't for our Ancestor achieving the Void Realm, making Qinghu Island wary, they would have already destroyed our Guiyuan Sect."

Teng Qingshan nodded.

Indeed, Qinghu Island had advanced their armies back then, only to retreat in fear due to the presence of a Void Realm expert.

"However, Qingshan... that old fellow from Qinghu Island, the 'Blind Sword Saint,' is nearing the end of his lifespan, estimated to have only twenty years left." Zhuge Yuanhong said gravely, "Void Realm experts can live a maximum of five hundred years; this is unchangeable! You should understand what it means that he only has twenty years remaining!"

Teng Qingshan's expression turned solemn.

"Before his death, the Blind Sword Saint will certainly stop at nothing to eliminate threats, making it easier for the younger generations of Qinghu Island to secure their thousand-year foundation." Zhuge Yuanhong stressed, "And the greatest threat to Qinghu Island... is undoubtedly our Guiyuan Sect! After all, within Yangzhou, there are only the two of us; it's either you die or I die!"

Teng Qingshan gave a slight nod.

"Master, I understand."

"That's why, during the four years you were away, our Guiyuan Sect has been lying low and enduring, precisely to avoid a life-or-death struggle with Qinghu Island!" Zhuge Yuanhong sighed helplessly, "In terms of Void Realm experts, comparing our Ancestor to that Blind Sword Saint..."

Elder Wu chuckled wryly, "I am indeed far inferior to him."

"And in terms of ordinary disciples and army size," Zhuge Yuanhong gave a wry smile, "the Guiyuan Sect is far behind Qinghu Island. Qinghu Island has twelve commanderies as its base. If we fight them head-on, even if our Guiyuan Sect possesses the 'Spirit of the North Sea,' against an army of over a million men... in a true clash, our Guiyuan Sect would still be doomed."

"Our Guiyuan Sect has cultivated this foundation over a thousand years."

"I do not wish to fight Qinghu Island to the death." Zhuge Yuanhong's eyes turned cold. "Nor am I willing to let tens of thousands of our disciples perish just like that."

"So—"

Zhuge Yuanhong looked at Teng Qingshan. "Qingshan, I want you to oppose Qinghu Island with another face. You will act as a wandering Void Realm expert, unattached to any sect or faction, owing allegiance to no one... and fight Qinghu Island that way! Even Qinghu Island will have a headache dealing with an unattached Void Realm expert without sect ties. The major figures within the sect will also feel fear! By then, they will all have to guard against you, focusing their energy on you, and will not easily launch a war against our Guiyuan Sect."

"Hahaha..."

Elder Wu laughed heartily. "Nowadays, on the vast continent of Kyushu, what frightens people most are not the Void Realm experts of the major sects. It is the Void Realm experts who are unattached, without sect ties or obligations. Take that fellow known as the 'Drunken Man,' Tan Cang. He once provoked the Ying Clan. Although the Drunken Man has not yet reached the peak of the Void Realm, if he is running, even a fully realized Void Realm expert cannot catch him. Back then, the Drunken Man charged into the Ying Clan, killed nine Innate masters in succession, and then swiftly vanished. The Ying Clan was utterly helpless!"

"Impossible to catch him."

"And the Drunken Man, an old monster over four hundred years old, has lost all his kin. Having no family or master, there is no way to threaten him. In the end, the Ying Clan conceded a step and settled the feud with the Drunken Man through negotiation."

Elder Wu smiled at Teng Qingshan. "Having a sect means having attachments, having weaknesses."

"But having no relatives and no sect means having no weaknesses. Major sects are reluctant to provoke Void Realm experts like that!" Elder Wu chuckled. "Master wants you to become exactly that kind of figure."

"Hahaha..."

Teng Qingshan smiled. "Master, this plan of yours is ruthless!"

"The bare-footed man fears not the one wearing shoes! A Void Realm expert without sect ties truly gives other sects headaches." Teng Qingshan understood his master's intent.

"But Qingshan!"

Zhuge Yuanhong cautioned, "When you fight Qinghu Island, you must maintain a proper measure! You must make Qinghu Island feel threatened, feel fear... but don't push them into a corner where they go utterly mad. Once Qinghu Island goes mad, they might invite sects like the Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain or the Snow Eagle Sect. Take the Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain, for example; they possess a Demonic Wolf Divine Beast that runs faster than a Void Realm expert on land, and it can also burrow underground with extreme speed."

"Oh?" Teng Qingshan was surprised.

That was true. There were quite a few families in Kyushu who understood Beast Speech, and some ancient sects had existed for countless years, like the Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain and the Yu Huang School. It was not strange for them to possess a Void Realm Demonic Beast. Back when Teng Qingshan was in Qingzhou, he had heard of a Thunder Divine Eagle attacking the Xiaoyao Palace.

"Master, don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Teng Qingshan smiled, secretly thinking, I hope Xiao Qing arrives soon. With Xiao Qing here, even if we bully Qinghu Island, they can only endure it!

There is still a year or so before Xiao Qing arrives. Hmm... the Six-Legged Saber Chi is also just one step away from the Void Realm, and it appears to be following the 'Path of Metal.' I hope the Six-Legged Saber Chi reaches the Void Realm quickly too. Teng Qingshan wished in his heart. After all, humans cannot naturally fly, and even reaching the peak of the Void Realm, their flying speed isn't that fast.

But Teng Qingshan sitting on the Six-Legged Saber Chi, utilizing its astonishing speed supplemented by the power of Heaven and Earth he provided... the Saber Chi's speed would surpass the flying speed of a fully realized human Void Realm expert.

Moreover—

The Six-Legged Saber Chi's greatest specialty was burrowing underground!

With the three plans settled, Teng Qingshan had a general direction in mind.

"Master, regarding your first two points, for this second one, which experts on the 'Heavenly Ranking' are close to the end of their lifespans? I'm not very clear on that." Teng Qingshan asked.

Zhuge Yuanhong laughed heartily. "Qingshan, among the top ten on the 'Heavenly Ranking,' only four are under one hundred years old, and four are over one hundred and fifty. However, there is not a single one over one hundred and ninety. Do you know... why?"

"Not a single one over one hundred and ninety?" Teng Qingshan felt a bit confused.

Once one reached the Innate realm, generally, the older one was, the stronger their power. Between a sixty-year-old Zhuge Yuanhong and a one-hundred-and-ninety-year-old Zhuge Yuanhong, who was stronger was self-evident.

"Why are there none?" Teng Qingshan wondered.

Zhuge Yuanhong smiled. "There is actually an unspoken rule on the 'Heavenly Ranking'... once anyone exceeds one hundred and ninety years of age, they are no longer recorded on the 'Heavenly Ranking.'"

"Hmm?" Teng Qingshan was taken aback.

"For a Golden Core Innate expert who surpasses one hundred and ninety years, there are two outcomes... one, they reach the Void Realm before death. Two, they die of old age! Of course, nearly all Golden Core Innate experts over one hundred and ninety years old will die of old age under the psychological pressure during their final decade."

"In fact, whether they die of old age or break through to the Void Realm, the 'Heavenly Ranking' will not record it!"

"The 'Heavenly Ranking' cannot allow an Innate Golden Core expert to occupy a spot until they die of old age. That is too disheartening... Once they reach one hundred and ninety, their record naturally ceases. As for whether they died old or achieved ascension to the Void Realm, that is left for the younger generation to imagine."

Teng Qingshan suddenly understood.

"Qingshan, I have a list here."

Zhuge Yuanhong took a sheet of paper from the nearby desk. "There are five names on it. The youngest is one hundred and eighty-six years old, currently ranked second on the 'Heavenly Ranking.' The other four are all over one hundred and ninety... In my estimation, these five are all close to entering the Void Realm."

Teng Qingshan took the list.

"It's a pity that only one of these five is without a sect affiliation; the other four belong to the disciples of the Eight Great Sects of the world." Zhuge Yuanhong pointed to the third person on the list. "It is him—Huyan Suo! If you intend to recruit someone, I'm afraid you can only approach this Huyan Suo."

Teng Qingshan also sighed inwardly.

The other four, the youngest being one hundred and eighty-six, must all dream of obtaining the 'Immortal Grass.' It was a pity that if these individuals consumed the Immortal Grass, gaining two hundred years of lifespan would almost guarantee their entry into the Void Realm. But—these four were all disciples of the Eight Great Sects. No matter how grateful they were to Teng Qingshan... would they serve him?

Perhaps in the future, they might even become enemies!

Therefore, the unaffiliated 'Huyan Suo' was Teng Qingshan's only option.

"Master, you asked me to secretly assemble a force in the southern part of Yangzhou. Where should I establish it?" Teng Qingshan inquired.

Zhuge Yuanhong took out a scroll from the desk, unrolled it, and pointed to the scroll with a smile. "Qingshan, look... this is a map of the entire Yangzhou region. Within Yangzhou, the place with the most bandits and robbers is undoubtedly the 'Tai'a Mountain Range' that cuts across three commanderies, stretching for nearly six hundred miles."

Teng Qingshan’s gaze also fell there.

"There are numerous horse-riding bandit gangs in the Tai'a Mountain Range, with a full eight major gangs, and countless smaller thugs and robbers." Zhuge Yuanhong smiled. "Qingshan, although these bandits are too savage, most of them possess a strong sense of honor, and many are fierce and unafraid of death. Raising a force here will not be difficult."

Teng Qingshan nodded.

"We don't need these petty thieves to be overly powerful; what we need is ferocity and the ability to follow orders!"

"When our Guiyuan Sect wages war with Qinghu Island, in the south, if this elite force consumes the 'Spirit of the North Sea' and dons the 'Fire-Gilded Iron Armor,' even a thousand cavalrymen... will be enough to shatter a hundred thousand troops." Zhuge Yuanhong was very confident. "Of course—this is predicated on the 'Fire-Gilded Iron Armor' being as formidable as you described, Qingshan."

The Spirit of the North Sea could create a peak Houtian expert.

An army of a thousand first-rate martial artists was terrifying enough.

Combined with the 'Fire-Gilded Iron Armor,' which was practically an Innate-level war armor, slaughtering ordinary armies would be effortless!

"Agreed."

Teng Qingshan nodded. "The six-hundred-mile Tai'a Mountain Range holds hundreds of thousands of bandits; raising an elite cavalry force from among them is not hard. Master... I will send the Fire-Gilded Iron over immediately. When forging the armor from this Fire-Gilded Iron, extreme care must be taken not to let any leaks slip out. Once word gets out... that would be disastrous."

"Mhm." Zhuge Yuanhong recalled the miraculous nature of the Fire-Gilded Iron Teng Qingshan had described and felt an intense sense of anticipation.