"If you don't want to die, then behave." This condescending reprimand instantly ignited fury in the five people present. Each of them held an absolute high position within the Snow Lotus Sect; normally, perhaps only the Sect Master dared to speak to them this way... and yet this Guest Elder Hu He, an outsider, dared to utter such words.
Hoo!
The three Elders glared at Teng Qingshan side-by-side. Among them, the slightly overweight Elder’s rat-like eyes flashed with a cold glint as he spoke coldly, "Guest Elder Hu He, you are a Guest Elder of our Heavenly God Palace. We respect you and call you Guest Elder, but if you continue to speak like this... you are still merely a Guest Elder, an outsider! How dare you threaten us..."
The Second Holy Maiden and the Blazing Flame Banner Lord also fixed their gazes on Teng Qingshan. At this moment, the five were united in outrage!
"So what if I'm threatening you?" Teng Qingshan smiled carelessly, extending a finger and sweeping it from left to right across the five men. "Just the five of you... killing you would be as easy as turning my hand. I've come today only to offer you a piece of advice. If there is no gate to hell, don't go knocking it down yourself."
Teng Qingshan’s lofty tone only served to further infuriate the five present.
It must be known that all five were Innate Realm experts!
With the decisive battle between the Heavenly God Palace and the Carefree Palace imminent, the Blazing Flame Banner and the Azure Dragon Banner, commanding a combined force of two hundred thousand troops, formed the Southern Route Army. The three Elders had been specially dispatched by the Snow Lotus Sect to counter the Innate Realm masters from the Carefree Palace. Of these three Elders, two were Innate Golden Core, and one was Innate Solid Core!
The Blazing Flame Banner Lord, 'Lu Lilong,' capable of commanding one hundred thousand troops, was also an Innate Golden Core expert.
The Second Holy Maiden, 'Murong Yan,' although she had stepped into the Innate Realm several decades ago, was only an Innate Solid Core.
But still... among the five, there were three Innate Golden Core masters and two Innate Solid Core!
"Hu He!" The Blazing Flame Banner Lord, 'Lu Lilong,' burst his eyes open like an enraged lion and roared, "This is the military camp of our Snow Lotus Sect! We respect you as a Guest Elder, but don't push your luck! Hmph... perhaps individually we are no match for you, but here we have three Innate Golden Core masters! You..."
"Tsk, tsk," Teng Qingshan interrupted the Blazing Flame Banner Lord, chuckling lightly. "Three Innate Golden Core? What if there were five Innate Golden Core?"
"Guest Elder Hu He, my martial brothers and I have long heard of your great reputation and are eager to see your skill firsthand?"
An aged voice rang out.
Instantly, the stout Elder and the thin Elder both blurred their bodies almost simultaneously, transforming into two residual shadows lunging toward Teng Qingshan. The stout Elder wielded a blood-red scimitar, while the thin Elder used an iron pestle—one a long weapon, the other a short one. The coordination between the two Innate Golden Core Elders was nearly flawless.
Whoosh~~ The stout Elder spun his blood-red scimitar, attacking Teng Qingshan like a whirling top.
Thwack~~ The thin Elder's iron pestle, trailing a faint trace of azure cold light, slammed directly toward Teng Qingshan.
"Hmph." Teng Qingshan smiled calmly, his figure shifting illusionarily as he employed the Swimming Fish Movement Technique.
Clang!
The sharp sword behind Teng Qingshan unsheathed. This sword was prepared precisely because of his disguised identity. Since he was impersonating 'Guest Elder Hu He,' Teng Qingshan had decided not to use his spear techniques! The technique he used to defeat the First Divine General, 'Bolileimu,' had been a staff technique; Teng Qingshan could easily explain that he was proficient with both staves and swords.
In the spacious main hall, seven afterimages of Teng Qingshan instantly appeared.
Clang! Clang!
Swish! Swish!
Teng Qingshan unleashed only four thrusts. He was using the 'Forty-Nine Lotus Swords' technique, which he had comprehended from the Azure Lotus Sword Chant. When wielded by Teng Qingshan, especially when combined with the Swimming Fish Movement Technique, this swordsmanship had reached a state of breathtaking illusion and lightning speed.
"Hahaha..." Teng Qingshan burst into loud laughter.
Two sword shadows, one leading and one trailing, struck the chests of the two Elders.
"Ah!" "Hmph!"
The two Innate Golden Core Elders grunted in pain, their bodies uncontrollably thrown backward violently, crashing heavily against the ornate chairs, shattering them. They even struck the hanging paintings on the wall, causing them to splinter. The walls of the hall visibly trembled slightly, revealing several hairline cracks.
The stout and thin white-haired Elders tumbled to the ground, scrambling back to their feet. Traces of blood stained the corners of their mouths, but their faces were fixed on Teng Qingshan in shocked disbelief.
"How so fast?"
"He, how could he..."
The stout and thin Elders ranked within the top five in strength within the Snow Lotus Sect. They had never expected that after joining forces, they would be defeated in a single exchange where the opponent only executed four sword strikes.
"One sword deflected my scimitar, one sword sent me flying?" The stout Elder stared at the scimitar in his hand, his body faintly trembling.
"This Hu He..." Murong Yan and the Blazing Flame Banner Lord, 'Lu Lilong,' were also deeply astonished.
Completely stunned.
"Even if this Guest Elder Hu He is stronger than the First Divine General, 'Bolileimu,' Elder He and the other are both Innate Golden Core experts... Does this mean Hu He is like the former number one on the Heavenly Rankings, the Beast King?" The Blazing Flame Banner Lord was shocked. The Beast King once ranked first on the Heavenly Rankings.
The Beast King, 'Wuhou,' could easily slay Innate Golden Core experts, even if three such masters attacked him simultaneously.
That was the strength of the number one on the Heavenly Rankings.
However...
The current number one on the Heavenly Rankings was no longer the Beast King. The Beast King's name had vanished from the list. Some said he died; others speculated he had reached the Void Realm.
"If I wanted to kill you... even with three Innate Golden Core masters among you, it would be trivially easy." Teng Qingshan’s gaze swept over the five trembling figures before him.
"Guest Elder Hu He, we were in the wrong this time." Seeing the situation turn dire, Murong Yan smiled placatingly. "In fact, you can rest assured. This matter is of unprecedented importance to our Heavenly God Palace. Even if we were bolder, we would not dare to act recklessly. You can be completely assured... we will certainly obey our Master's command and follow the arrangements of the Junior Sister."
Among the five present, who wasn't a seasoned manipulator? Even Murong Yan, the youngest, was over eighty.
Bowing their heads temporarily—who didn't understand that logic?
'This Hu He, how would he know anything about leading an army? If we secretly cause trouble, he won't find any evidence,' Murong Yan thought to herself.
"Guest Elder Hu He, this time we..."
"Guest Elder Hu He, please forgive us."
The others also bowed their heads to Teng Qingshan.
Teng Qingshan smiled coldly: "Your words sound beautiful, but I don't know what you think in your hearts! Then again, I can't be bothered to know. I am merely warning you... Xiao Jun is my wife. If any problems arise while she commands these two hundred thousand troops, do not blame me for showing no mercy!"
"The regulations of the Snow Lotus Sect are irrelevant to me."
"If there are any slip-ups, I will surely take your lives," Teng Qingshan stated coldly.
The faces of the five present changed drastically.
"Guest Elder Hu He, those words are too harsh, aren't they?" The Blazing Flame Banner Lord couldn't help but frown. "Two hundred thousand troops—a few minor issues are unavoidable. To say such a thing is excessive... Moreover, regarding our life and death, even Li Jun, as the commander, has no right to decide."
All five held high positions; Li Jun had no authority to execute them.
Teng Qingshan glanced over the five: "I am not a member of the Heavenly God Palace, so don't lecture me with your damned rules... Be careful when you sleep tonight. You are now enemies of the Carefree Palace; it's normal for them to send assassins."
With that, Teng Qingshan turned and walked toward the exit.
"Hu He, what do you mean by this?" The stout Elder couldn't help but shout.
"Hmph." Teng Qingshan turned and cast a look at the five. "I'm not foolish enough to kill you openly... Killing you would be incredibly simple."
"You, you..." All five were too enraged to form coherent speech.
If Teng Qingshan wanted to assassinate them, who among them could escape?
"You are a Guest Elder of our Heavenly God Palace, how can you do such a thing?" The thin Elder exclaimed in anger.
"Listen carefully," Teng Qingshan grinned at the five, speaking softly. "I am not a good person!"
After saying this, Teng Qingshan left openly. The five high-ranking officials of the Snow Lotus Sect, standing amidst the damaged hall, were livid, their faces ugly, yet not a single one dared to tell Teng Qingshan to stop.
"Gentlemen, what should we do now?" The Blazing Flame Banner Lord looked at the other four present.
"What can we do?" Murong Yan's willow-leaf eyebrows arched, a chilling glint flashing in her eyes. "We can only endure! This Hu He is not a kind-hearted person; don't forget... he has another name—the Demon 'Alada'!"
The other four shuddered internally upon hearing this.
Right.
The man known as the Demon 'Alada,' a demonic figure capable of single-handedly holding off a hundred thousand troops—was he a soft-hearted individual?
"Let's stop playing tricks. Otherwise, when you sleep tonight, you might not see the next sunrise."
After being threatened by Teng Qingshan once, intimidated by his reputation and strength, these five high-ranking figures dared not plot any further. On the third day that Teng Qingshan and Li Jun controlled the Blazing Flame Banner army, the Azure Dragon Banner's one hundred thousand troops also arrived, making the entire camp much more crowded.
Teng Qingshan and the others waited quietly for orders from the headquarters, the 'Heavenly God Palace.'
...
October sixteenth. The leaves were withered yellow, and the world was imbued with a somber, killing atmosphere.
Inside the main hall.
"It's finally starting." Teng Qingshan held a secret letter, Li Jun standing beside him. This letter had just arrived from the Heavenly God Palace.
"The Heavenly God Palace has begun to move. The very fabric of the Nine Provinces is finally changing." Teng Qingshan felt his blood beginning to boil.
Clang!
The courtyard gate opened in the distance, and the sound of footsteps echoed.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
The three Elders, the Blazing Flame Banner Lord, the Azure Dragon Banner Lord, and the Second Holy Maiden—six people in total—hurried over. Teng Qingshan and Li Jun sat side-by-side in the main seat.
"Greetings, Commander, Deputy Commander."
All six bowed.
Hoo!
Li Jun stood up, her gaze sharp, her clear voice ringing out: "The Palace Master has personally issued the order: our Southern Route Army of two hundred thousand must depart immediately and conquer Spring Fan Prefecture and Mu Yang Prefecture before December."
The Blazing Flame Banner Lord, the Azure Dragon Banner Lord, and the other six were greatly surprised.
However, hearing it was an order directly from the Palace Master, none dared to voice an objection.
"Time is tight. Moving two hundred thousand troops will consume considerable time; we must make haste," Li Jun stated coldly with a solemn expression. "Today's lunch will be an hour early. After eating, we rest for half an hour, and then we depart immediately for Spring Fan Prefecture!"
"Yes, Commander," the six responded in unison.
Teng Qingshan stood beside Li Jun, listening to the command. His gaze drifted vaguely, as if he could see scenes of turmoil and bloody storms sweeping across the Nine Provinces.
War had begun!