"Hmm?" Teng Qingshan looked at the content of the secret letter. "The army of Heavenly God Mountain has indeed invaded You Province."

The letter detailed the appearance of a massive army from the northern grasslands, sweeping into You Province from various regions—the sheer size and strength of the force were staggering. According to the intelligence gathered by the Guiyuan Sect scouts, this army belonged to the foremost power on the northern grasslands now: Heavenly God Mountain.

In truth, no investigation was necessary.

When Teng Qingshan left Tian Shi Island, Heavenly God Mountain had already begun its offensive against the forces of the 'Snow Eagle Cult,' initiating its unification of the entire grassland. Given Heavenly God Mountain’s dominance, over ninety percent of the grassland was currently under its control.

Only Heavenly God Mountain could muster such a colossal army from the grasslands.

"Rumor has it there are millions of troops, and they are extremely ferocious," Zhuge Yuanhong marveled. "You Province was fully focused on defending against the attack from Qing Province. To think such a massive army would emerge from the north—they were caught completely off guard and have already lost three prefectures."

"Hong Tian City is doomed," Teng Qingshan stated. "It’s merely a matter of how long it takes."

"Qingshan, it's not as simple as you think." Zhuge Yuanhong chuckled. "In this world, only the Mani Temple has ever occupied territory spanning two provinces! Whether it's the Yu Huang Sect, the Ying Clan, or the Mani Temple, none of them will stand idly by while the Heavenly God Palace expands. They are bound to intervene!"

"Oh?" Teng Qingshan couldn't help but nod.

"It depends on how strong the Heavenly God Palace truly is. If they are too powerful—if they match the might of 'Hong Tian City' which conquered most of the Nine Provinces millennia ago—then the Mani Temple and the others can only watch as they seize more territory," Zhuge Yuanhong said.

...

This news was not a shock to Zhuge Yuanhong and Teng Qingshan; they were already aware. However, when this intelligence reached Qinghu Island, it caused utter astonishment.

Qinghu Island, atop Sword Blade Mountain.

"I never realized the 'Heavenly God Mountain' of the northern grasslands was part of the Heavenly God Palace," 'Tie Fan,' whose hair was the color of pure gold, frowned. "Legend says this Heavenly God Mountain fought several major campaigns against the Snow Eagle Cult. Their 'Heavenly God' is the undisputed strongest on the grasslands, a peak Void Realm master."

The blind man, clad in black, sat cross-legged and suddenly spoke, "The 'Heavenly God' of Heavenly God Mountain also possesses a Divine Armor."

"Divine Armor?" Gu Yong, who had experienced its power, started in alarm.

"The Heavenly God Palace is too strong," the Blind Sword Saint's voice was faintly raspy. "Though I worried before, I always believed the Heavenly God Palace had a major weakness—a lack of sufficient troops, an insufficient foundation! After all, they have occupied Qing Province for less than a year; their manpower is too scarce."

"But now..."

"With the Heavenly God Mountain on the grasslands, every man, woman, and child there is a fierce soldier. Deploying millions of troops is simple." The Blind Sword Saint knew the situation had escalated dramatically.

Having only Void Realm masters was useless. After all, you couldn't expect a few Void Realm experts to stand there and fight millions of soldiers, right? Soldiers aren't fools; they won't simply wait to be slaughtered. By the time you kill tens of thousands, the rest will have already captured territory and seized key locations.

A force possessing both powerful Void Realm experts and an inexhaustible sea of troops is truly terrifying.

Silence descended.

The Blind Sword Saint, Tie Fan, and Gu Yong all fell silent. They knew that once the Heavenly God Palace successfully captured You Province, the next target would inevitably be Yang Province! After all, anyone with a sliver of sense wouldn't attack the Snow Eagle Cult in Yan Province directly, courting trouble with the Ying Clan and the Yu Huang Sect.

"Ancestor," Gu Yong, dressed in rough hemp robes, finally spoke.

"Speak," the Blind Sword Saint murmured deeply.

"The Heavenly God Palace is terrifyingly strong," Gu Yong stated gravely. "So strong that our Qinghu Island cannot possibly resist them alone. Overcoming this calamity easily is out of the question. All we can do now is try to improve the strategic environment surrounding Qinghu Island."

"Continue," the Blind Sword Saint’s heart stirred.

"Our weaknesses are twofold: too few Void Realm experts, and we have an existing internal thorn in Yang Province—the Heavenly God Palace's pawn, the Guiyuan Sect."

"When the lips are gone, the teeth feel cold. If we are destroyed, She Ri Divine Mountain will be the next to fall," Gu Yong said grimly. "Therefore, She Ri Divine Mountain will also be terrified upon hearing this news! What we must do is—unite with She Ri Divine Mountain and, with lightning speed, eliminate the Guiyuan Sect. At the very least, we must unify Yang Province into an iron plate first."

Tie Fan and the Blind Sword Saint began to grasp his meaning.

"Then Jing Yi... you mean..." the Blind Sword Saint asked softly.

"Jing Yi is stationed at the Guiyuan Sect, making the Guiyuan Sect a strong foothold for the Heavenly God Palace in Yang Province," Gu Yong said coldly. "Ancestor, you must go to She Ri Divine Mountain, persuade the Void Realm experts there, along with the 'She Ri Heavenly Wolf,' and then mobilize the Silver Flood Dragon Army. The Silver Flood Dragon Army will advance from their garrison point on the border of Jiangning Commandery; they can arrive within two hours."

"Reach the Guiyuan Sect at maximum speed and annihilate it."

"If Jing Yi is in Qing Province or You Province, by the time he receives the carrier pigeon message from the Guiyuan Sect, it will be too late. By then, the Guiyuan Sect will be gone, and our great deed accomplished!"

"If Jing Yi is there, it's fine too. If Ancestor joins forces with She Ri Divine Mountain and the monstrous Heavenly Wolf, we can kill 'Jing Yi.'" Gu Yong's eyes turned chilling. "Hmph, by the time the Heavenly God Palace hears the news and sends reinforcements, the Guiyuan Sect will be destroyed and Jing Yi dead! Since the Heavenly God Palace covets our Yang Province, what’s wrong with killing one of their Void Realm masters?"

The Blind Sword Saint nodded slightly.

The situation had reached a point of no return!

"Tie Fan, you immediately send a message to the Silver Flood Dragon Army garrison at the Jiangning Commandery border," the Blind Sword Saint commanded. "Tell them to prepare; as soon as I secure reinforcements, we strike."

"Gu Yong, you will accompany me to She Ri Divine Mountain."

Grabbing Gu Yong, the black-clad blind man tore through the air, flying southwest with Gu Yong in tow.

She Ri Divine Mountain towered into the clouds. Above the cloud line, in front of the two wooden huts on the back mountain, a massive wolf with shimmering silver fur lay sprawled. Two hunters clad in animal skins snored loudly, their snores echoing like thunder. Just then—

The black-haired hunter opened his eyes and glanced up at the sky.

Swish!

A streak of black light descended, resolving into two figures: the Blind Sword Saint and Gu Yong.

"Iron Blind Man, why are you here again?" the black-haired hunter chuckled, sitting up halfway. The She Ri Heavenly Wolf lying on the ground barely opened one eye, glanced over, and immediately went back to its drowsy slumber.

"Gu Yong, you speak," the Blind Sword Saint directed.

"Gentlemen," Gu Yong's voice was deep, "If you two continue down this path... the thousand-year foundation of She Ri Divine Mountain will be ruined."

Whoosh!

Both hunters stood up, regarding Gu Yong with cold stares.

"I presume you two are aware of the relationship between Heavenly God Mountain and the Heavenly God Palace," Gu Yong continued, showing no concern. "I don't need to elaborate on what this means. I only wish to state: if Qinghu Island falls... She Ri Divine Mountain will be next. If our Qinghu Island can survive, with us blocking the front line, then your She Ri Divine Mountain will naturally remain safe."

The two hunters laughed.

Qinghu Island served as the buffer between She Ri Divine Mountain and the Heavenly God Palace.

"What are you here for?" the black-haired hunter asked with a smile.

The Blind Sword Saint stated coldly, "One sentence: Shen Gongtu, you, along with the She Ri Heavenly Wolf, must lead the Silver Flood Dragon Army to the Guiyuan Sect immediately. If Jing Yi is there, kill Jing Yi and raze the Guiyuan Sect to the ground. If he is not there, simply raze the Guiyuan Sect! This battle hinges entirely on speed!"

"Even if the Heavenly God Palace learns of this, their reinforcements won't arrive in time," the Blind Sword Saint’s voice was sharp.

"It hinges on speed?"

The black-haired hunter and the silver-haired hunter exchanged a glance. They were, in fact, deeply uneasy about Heavenly God Mountain sending millions of troops into You Province.

"What, even now you still wish to avoid offending the Heavenly God Palace?" the Blind Sword Saint sneered.

No one present was a fool.

On the surface, She Ri Divine Mountain was aiding Qinghu Island, but in reality, they were helping themselves.

"Fine, we depart immediately," the black-haired hunter nodded. "But it must be fast."

"I understand that perfectly."

...

This operation had to be a lightning strike. If they were slow, and the Heavenly God Palace’s Void Realm experts arrived, Qinghu Island's efforts would be wasted.

The Blind Sword Saint and the black-haired hunter, 'Shen Gongtu,' took the She Ri Heavenly Wolf and rushed towards the Silver Flood Dragon Army's garrison on the northern border of Jiangning Commandery. Upon arrival, and to maintain maximum caution, the Blind Sword Saint and his party waited until the deepest part of the night, the hour when people were most drowsy, before deploying the troops!

The Blind Sword Saint and the others hoped the Guiyuan Sect would detect the Silver Flood Dragon Army as late as possible!

Thirty thousand Silver Flood Dragon Army soldiers!

All mounted on top-grade warhorses, they charged towards Jiangning Commandery City at maximum speed. The previous time troops were dispatched, it took most of the night to arrive, but this time... it was the Silver Flood Dragon Army! Their speed was far greater than ordinary forces. To maximize velocity, the horses shed their heavy armor, and the soldiers wore only light protection.

Freed from the burden of several hundred pounds, these superior warhorses ran like the wind.

...

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The earth subtly vibrated as columns of two or three cavalrymen abreast stretched as far as the eye could see—an endless cavalry army hurtling madly toward Jiangning Commandery City in the south. Every warhorse stretched its hooves, sprinting wildly. The sheer momentum of ten thousand galloping horses made the heavens and earth tremble before them.

"This time we will surely succeed."

Above this massive host, the Blind Sword Saint, the black-haired hunter, and the She Ri Heavenly Wolf flew. The Heavenly Wolf was only airborne because the black-haired hunter was enveloping it for flight.

"From the north to Jiangning Commandery City should take about two hours," the black-haired hunter laughed. "Once Jiangning Commandery gets the message, it takes another half hour. Then, sending a message via pigeon to Qing Province... for two or three thousand li, even a top-tier carrier pigeon needs two to three hours. By the time the Heavenly God Palace finds out, it will be too late."

"Yes, a decisive victory. By dawn, the Guiyuan Sect will be reduced to ruins," the Blind Sword Saint said coldly. "Unless that Jing Yi is currently in Jiangning Commandery, he absolutely won't make it back in time..."

"Let's hope he isn't in Jiangning. That way, he survives, and we avoid more trouble," the black-haired hunter smiled. "If he is there, we can't be blamed."

Two peak Void Realm masters, plus the She Ri Heavenly Wolf.

They were fully confident in their ability to kill Jing Yi.

...

The thirty thousand Silver Flood Dragon Army began their march in the deep of the night, galloping continuously. After nearly two hours, just as the sky began to show the faintest hint of gray light,

These thirty thousand Silver Flood Dragon Army soldiers had already reached the northern city walls of Jiangning Commandery City.