"Little Jun, the people of this world are not fools." Teng Qingshan frowned. "In the Eight Great Sects of the Nine Provinces, the rise and fall of sects within a single province is quite normal.
Take my Yangzhou, before Qinghu Island took control.
The entire province was ruled by a sect called the 'Sword Sect,' which lasted for eight hundred years before being wiped out by Qinghu Island.
Qinghu Island itself has now endured for over a thousand years." "No sect is eternal.
Throughout the history of the Nine Provinces, countless sects have perished." "Therefore, if the Heavenly God Palace merely destroyed the Carefree Palace and occupied all of Qingzhou, the other seven great sects would not be overly concerned," Teng Qingshan stated gravely. "However, if the Heavenly God Palace attacks 'Hongtian City' so quickly, it indicates one thing—it harbors ambition, a great ambition!" "Today they destroy Hongtian City, tomorrow, I fear, it will be the Snow Eagle Cult, or Qinghu Island!" "The world is not foolish; the other sects absolutely will not stand by and watch the Heavenly God Palace grow stronger." Teng Qingshan looked at Li Jun, frowning. "Little Jun, just how powerful is your Heavenly God Palace? They occupied Qingzhou for less than three months, yet they haven't paused to consolidate before attacking Hongtian City? Do they dare make enemies of the entire world?" If they were cautious, they should occupy Qingzhou and then rest for ten or twenty years, allowing the Heavenly God Palace forces to grow stronger before attacking.
But the Heavenly God Palace did no such thing. "I don't know either," Li Jun shook her head. "Even though...
I am the acting Palace Master now, I still do not know the secrets of the Heavenly God Palace.
I only sense through Master—Master is very confident, exceedingly confident." "Very confident?" Teng Qingshan shook his head with a wry smile. "Forget it.
This...
matter has nothing to do with me, and I have no desire to meddle." "Little Jun." Teng Qingshan suddenly sighed. "Hmm?" Li Jun started, looking up at Teng Qingshan. "The Heavenly God Palace intends to march north, occupy Youzhou in the Northeast, and destroy Hongtian City.
As the acting Palace Master...
you probably can't stay here anymore either." Teng Qingshan guessed correctly.
Li Jun stepped forward, gently embraced Teng Qingshan, then leaned into his arms and whispered, "Yes, I must return to Qingzhou to oversee the overall situation.
I probably won't be back until this campaign is over." Teng Qingshan gently stroked his wife's hair.
...
Though the couple was reluctant to part, the command from the Heavenly God Palace left Teng Qingshan with no recourse.
On the second day of the third month, Li Jun departed Jiulang Island with the two fierce Wind God Eagles, Da Hei and Da Bai, heading toward Qingzhou.
* On the vast, barren sand and stone ground of Qinghu Island, Teng Qingshan wielded the Mountain-Splitting Divine Axe, relentlessly practicing his axe techniques.
Torrential air currents surged out, churning the space within a hundred-zhang radius centered on him into a blur, where only a vague silhouette could occasionally be discerned.
The Heavenly God Palace, after destroying the Carefree Palace, immediately moved to attack Hongtian City.
This made Teng Qingshan feel pressure.
He sensed that...
the rise of the Heavenly God Palace would plunge the long-peaceful lands of the Nine Provinces entirely into an era of bloodshed.
And under a collapsed nest, how could any egg remain intact? He needed to protect the Guiyuan Sect, protect the Teng Clan, and even hoped to carve out a vast territory in the Nine Provinces for the lineage of his internal martial arts to be passed down.
That required even greater strength! "Emperor Yu is indeed a supreme expert; these 'Thirty-Six Styles of Mountain Splitting' are truly mysterious and profound." Teng Qingshan tossed the Mountain-Splitting Divine Axe aside.
It arced through the air before plunging into the sandy ground with a phut, embedding itself deeply. "Every time I practice this axe technique, recalling the forms carved in the stone reliefs, I gain some new insight." Teng Qingshan then picked up the Wheel of Reincarnation Spear that had been stuck nearby in the sand. "However, I still prefer the spear." Touching the Wheel of Reincarnation Spear, it felt like an extension of his own arm; this spear was part of his body.
Whether in his past or current life, Teng Qingshan had almost entirely immersed himself in 'Xingyi Quan' (Form-Intention Fist), which itself is a spear-based martial art.
Teng Qingshan found executing spear techniques far more fluid! "Puff!" "Puff!"...
Spear points glittered like scattered pear blossoms; the Wheel of Reincarnation Spear was a swimming dragon or great serpent in Teng Qingshan's hands.
...
After practicing for a long time, he stopped.
Standing by the lake, gazing at the endless expanse of water, Teng Qingshan’s brow was deeply furrowed: "The tallest tree catches the strongest wind.
No matter what, I cannot reveal my identity as Teng Qingshan.
At least not until I possess sufficient power!" A Void Realm expert at twenty-one! If this news truly spread, the shock to super-sects like the Emperor Yu Gate or the Mani Temple would be no less than the shock caused by the Heavenly God Palace's ascendancy! A twenty-one-year-old Void Realm expert was enough to inspire terror.
Once these great sects felt fear, the outcome was easy to imagine—they would certainly try to eliminate Teng Qingshan if possible, or conversely, seek to befriend him if they could not kill him! "My strength cannot be revealed, yet many people have witnessed my spear techniques from back then." "So, for now, in my identity as Jing Yi, I cannot use a spear," Teng Qingshan frowned. "But...
I have now comprehended the 'Way of Fire' and the 'Way of Metal,' and I need to perfectly integrate the Heavenly Power of these two Paths to execute a single move.
Currently, I have only mastered the move 'Crimson Gold Tiger Roar'!" Being able to control Heavenly Power required better means of expression. "Moreover, soon my 'Way of Earth' will also break through.
At that time, how do I execute a single move combining three types of Heavenly Power without them clashing?" Teng Qingshan felt a headache coming on. "It seems there is only one way." Teng Qingshan made a decision. "I will travel the world under the identity of 'Jing Yi,' and the weapon I use...
will be the axe!" "Among Emperor Yu's 'Thirty-Six Styles of Mountain Splitting,' there are axe techniques that combine the Way of Fire, the Way of Earth, and the Way of Metal into one unified form," Teng Qingshan mused.
Creating techniques was difficult, whereas Emperor Yu's 'Thirty-Six Styles of Mountain Splitting' was undoubtedly a peak-level set of techniques. "The Emperor Yu Gate has existed for over six thousand years, yet I've never heard of them possessing the 'Thirty-Six Styles of Mountain Splitting' technique," Teng Qingshan calculated. "If I use it, no one should recognize it." "And one more thing." "To be cautious, the appearance of this Mountain-Splitting Divine Axe must also be changed," Teng Qingshan looked at the divine axe stuck in the ground not far away.
** The very next day, Teng Qingshan took the Mountain-Splitting Divine Axe and departed Jiulang Island via the Gale Eagle, heading to Nanxing Prefecture.
He hired a skilled craftsman to slightly alter the Mountain-Splitting Divine Axe.
The originally dark axe handle was modified to have intricate patterns.
The back of the axe head also gained markings, and at a glance, the entire weapon faintly shimmered with a purple light. "There are countless axe-wielding martial artists in the world, and many styles resemble the Mountain-Splitting Divine Axe.
Now, even if someone from the Emperor Yu Gate saw this axe, they probably wouldn't recognize it." From this day forward, Teng Qingshan carried the Mountain-Splitting Divine Axe, as relying on it and the 'Thirty-Six Styles of Mountain Splitting' allowed him to exert stronger power.
...
On the twenty-first day of the third month, the 'Heavenly God Palace,' which had just been listed among the Eight Great Sects, began its northern expedition.
The massive, imposing army marched relentlessly northward.
This news spread with astonishing speed; almost by that same day, the other seven great sects of the Nine Provinces, as well as major sects slightly below them like Guiyuan Sect, learned of the development.
Everyone in the world was stunned! After destroying the Carefree Palace, the Heavenly God Palace showed no intention of resting but attacked Hongtian City immediately! Hongtian City was situated in the harsh, cold lands of Youzhou, suggesting its formidable nature.
The former 'King of the Northeast,' Hong Tian, who conquered half the Nine Provinces, left behind Hongtian City! For such an existence, second only to the supreme experts, to emerge, Hongtian City's foundation must be exceptionally deep.
To attack Hongtian City? For the Heavenly God Palace to be counted among the Eight Great Sects meant they were certainly not self-important fools.
This implied one thing—the Heavenly God Palace possessed absolute certainty, a powerful confidence! This reality left the other seven great sects either watching coolly, growing anxious, or panicking! For example, the Emperor Yu Gate was situated to the west of the territory occupied by the Heavenly God Palace, 'Qingzhou,' making them naturally worried.
Meanwhile—Hongtian City and the weaker 'Qinghu Island' were terrified.
...
Ordinary martial artists were filled with fervor, with many even joining the Heavenly God Palace.
However, the super-sects were not celebrating.
Aside from the most fearful 'Hongtian City,' the next was Qinghu Island.
Qinghu Island, the summit of Sword Blade Mountain.
Only two figures sat cross-legged on the peak: the blind Sword Saint and 'Tie Fan,' the Island Master of Qinghu Island. "Grandmaster, is it really that terrifying?" Tie Fan expressed concern.
The blind Sword Saint opened his eyes; his ashen-grey gaze lacked any vitality, and his chilling voice resonated: "Tie Fan, hmph, don't think I'm joking.
Since the Heavenly God Palace dares to do this...
I estimate they have at least an eighty percent chance of destroying Hongtian City.
After destroying Hongtian City...
if they attack again, the only direction left is toward my Yangzhou, Qinghu Island!" "The Snow Eagle Cult is encircled by the Emperor Yu Gate and the Ying Clan," the blind Sword Saint stated coldly. "Setting aside the fact that the Snow Eagle Cult possesses Void Realm demonic beasts, even if the Heavenly God Palace destroyed the Snow Eagle Cult, they would then directly face the 'Emperor Yu Gate' and the 'Ying Clan.' The Emperor Yu Gate and the Ying Clan are not easy foes.
Who knows what treasures the two supreme experts left behind for their descendants?" Tie Fan nodded. "Grandmaster, what can we do now?" Tie Fan was also anxious, having long sensed the threat posed by the Heavenly God Palace to the north against his Qinghu Island. "There is no other way." The blind Sword Saint shook his head. "We can only do our best! However, since the Heavenly God Palace is attacking 'Hongtian City,' they cannot spare the manpower to attack us for the time being.
This is an opportunity—an opportunity to consolidate our control over Yangzhou into an iron plate." "Grandmaster, you mean?" Tie Fan started in surprise. "Annihilate the Guiyuan Sect." The blind Sword Saint's voice was low. "Annihilate the Guiyuan Sect?" Tie Fan had long wanted to eliminate the only blind spot in Yangzhou, the 'Guiyuan Sect.' That genius from the Guiyuan Sect back then, 'Teng Qingshan,' had to flee for his life under the pressure of four Innate Golden Cores at the age of eighteen.
It could be said that Teng Qingshan was a genius unparalleled since the demonic monk Xiang Fanchen in a thousand years! In the battle of Dayan Mountain, everyone could see that Teng Qingshan was fiercely loyal to the Guiyuan Sect.
It would be troublesome once Teng Qingshan returned. "Grandmaster, do you have a way to eliminate that Void Realm expert from the Guiyuan Sect?" Tie Fan inquired.
The blind Sword Saint suddenly stood up with a whoosh. "If nothing unexpected happens, the Void Realm expert of the Guiyuan Sect will die tomorrow." After speaking, the blind Sword Saint transformed into a black shadow and shot through the air, heading precisely southwest.