Zong Shou started in his heart, but his expression remained unchanged. He subtly glanced at the people beside him, wondering if someone had leaked the information.

But Qiu Wei and Ren Bo both looked composed, revealing nothing. He simply let out a hearty laugh: "Elder Qiao, are you speaking of the Blood Cloud Cavalry that vanished with the Martial Might Kingdom ten thousand years ago? Elder, are you perhaps joking with me? Does my Qiantian Mountain possess such elite cavalry?"

He knew that over the past two years, Qiao Han had been rising steadily in the Kongqi Sect, progressing from an outer deacon to an inner deacon, and finally leaping to the high position of an Elder within the sect.

Currently, nearly half of the Kongqi Sect's business operations were managed by him, and they would need to rely on him heavily in the future. Thus, even as the ruler of a nation, he could not afford to sideline this man.

"Feigning ignorance! Your Majesty, please continue your charade!"

Qiao Han continued to sneer, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes: "This matter might fool others, but it cannot escape Qiao Han! Those three thousand five hundred sets of Blood Cloud Cavalry armor and Blood Cloud Halberds were sold to Your Highness by my own hands. I also recently learned that, combined with the six hundred thousand spirit soldiers and armor supplied by our Kongqi Sect, your Qiantian Mountain has accumulated a staggering two million four hundred thousand first-tier spirit weapons and armor over the past two years! The majority of this influx originated from the Central Cloud Continent."

Zong Shou was momentarily speechless, unsure of how to respond. He knew that while this endeavor was kept secret, concealing it from a grand sect like the Kongqi Sect, which held such an extraordinary status in artifact refinement, was immensely difficult—especially when they were deliberately monitoring the situation.

"That is indeed true! But Elder Qiao, what connection do these armaments have with the Blood Cloud Cavalry? My Qiantian Mountain is merely preparing for self-defense. As for those three thousand five hundred sets of Blood Cloud Cavalry equipment, they were indeed acquired from the Elder previously, but we suffered a significant loss for them. You are well aware of the flaws in that cavalry armor, are you not? Furthermore, even with the equipment, where would I find the cultivation techniques and the necessary manpower?"

Qiao Han paused, then let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head: "Precisely because I personally sold the equipment for the Blood Cloud Cavalry is why I paid special attention. About a year and a half ago, Your Highness began ordering materials to assist in repairing the flaws in the Blood Cloud Cavalry armor. In the last two years, quite a few Peak Innate realm experts from Qiantian Mountain have mysteriously disappeared. Recently, Qiantian Mountain has also been clearing out substantial amounts of spiritual herbs. Qiao Han specifically hired someone to analyze the pill formulas; it appears to be a spiritual elixir capable of helping one break through bottlenecks and advance in rank, though the primary ingredient remains unknown. Additionally, Prime Minister Ren has engaged at least forty Fifth-Tier artifact refiners, none of whom have been seen since. Combining these disparate clues, Qiao Han has concluded that Your Highness has successfully rebuilt the Blood Cloud Cavalry."

He sighed softly again: "If Your Highness trusts others, can you not trust me, Qiao Han? My fate is now inextricably bound to Yours! Our life and death, prosperity and decline, are one. Your ambition is clear; an elite force of three million, potentially surpassing even the Central Dynasty's might, I imagine you will soon gather all the necessary spirit weapons and armor. With such strength, you could already sweep across the Eastern Lin region. Yet, Your Highness remains hidden, perhaps wary of the Lingyun and Shangxiao Sects, or perhaps luring the enemy to strike first by feigning weakness. I have taken the liberty of inquiring today, Your Highness, merely to gauge the current true strength of Qiantian Mountain. This way, should Your Highness clash with the sects of Eastern Lin, my Kongqi Sect will not align itself with the wrong side. Qiantian Mountain's orders over the years have greatly supported my Kongqi Sect. Surely, Your Highness would not wish to see my sect ultimately siding with Lingyun or Shangxiao, would you?"

Zong Shou fell into deep contemplation. This matter was indeed troublesome. Qiao Han usually appeared simple and honest, yet this time, he had managed to be remarkably sharp.

After a brief deliberation, Zong Shou managed a smile: "Very well! Since Elder has deduced the truth, I shall conceal it no longer. You may accompany me this time to observe. However, Elder must understand, this remains a top secret within Qiantian Mountain."

Qiao Han was instantly delighted and bowed in gratitude, though a flicker of profound shock briefly crossed his eyes.

Guessing was one thing; confirmation was entirely another. Qiantian Mountain had actually brought the Blood Cloud Cavalry back into the world!

The group continued their journey, plunging deep into the mountains. After advancing another thirty miles, they finally saw a wide valley open before them.

A military camp had been established here, and outside the camp gate stood two thousand eight hundred fully equipped knights, clad in scarlet battle armor and helmets, gripping scarlet great halberds, arrayed in precise formation.

Their mounts were all Peak Fourth-Tier Dragon-Horned Winged Horses, also covered head-to-toe in scarlet armor.

The imposing aura of scarlet light emanating from them was visible from over fifty miles away!

Even standing motionless, their presence exuded a terrifying, murderous intent.

Zong Shou's eyes brightened with a hint of excitement. Two thousand eight hundred riders—precisely the numbers reported by Ren Bo and Yin Yang!

While some might have ulterior motives or be insincere opportunists attempting to swindle the Spirit Origin Blood Essence Pills, as long as they practiced the Blood Rider Kill auxiliary cultivation art, he need not worry about their future betrayal.

This was a force of two thousand eight hundred Fifth-Tier powerhouses! After converting to the Blood Rider Kill technique, and being equipped with the completely repaired Blood Cloud Cavalry Armor and Halberds—now upgraded to Sixth-Tier status after fixing their inherent flaws—the combat strength of this cavalry unit far surpassed the nine hundred Mystic Dragon Soldiers he had commanded a year and a half ago!

As for the King of Han's own Dingxi Iron Cavalry, although they were all Sixth-Tier cultivators, they lacked a suitable cavalry combat technique and matching armor. On the battlefield, they were practically irrelevant.

Before his Blood Cloud Cavalry, they would undoubtedly be crushed!

Qiao Han was equally stunned, staring fixedly at the scene, scarcely believing his eyes.

It was no illusion; standing before him were genuinely two thousand eight hundred scarlet knights!

Not the minimal two hundred or the maximum four hundred he had imagined. But a full two thousand eight hundred riders!

The Blood Cloud Cavalry was organized into squadrons of one hundred men, and legions of three hundred. This meant there were more than nine full legions here!

A single legion of the Blood Cloud Cavalry could often sweep through thirty thousand men. Calculating based on the elite standards of the Central Dynasty, these two thousand eight hundred riders combined were enough to single-handedly annihilate an army of under three million!

Charging with this force, capturing banners and slaying generals, it was likely no one on the battlefield could stand against them!

If led by an unparalleled general, their dominance would be absolute.

Even his own Kongqi Sect, which maintained Dao Soldiers, possessed overall strength perhaps less than half that of this Blood Cloud Cavalry!

He had anticipated that Zong Shou must possess a trump card capable of contending with the Lingyun and Shangxiao Sects, but he never imagined the foundation of that card would be so immense!

Taking a deep breath, Qiao Han suppressed the turbulence in his heart and managed to ask in a measured tone, "Your Highness, has the flaw in the Blood Cloud Cavalry armor been completely repaired?"

Zong Shou smiled at the question and nodded, no longer concealing anything: "The flaw of the old Blood Cloud Cavalry was merely due to insufficient Blood Essence Divine Iron. About a year and a half ago, Qiantian Mountain luckily discovered a vein of Blood Cloud Divine Iron!"

This was thanks to Long Ruo. After returning from Julong Mountain that day, Zong Shou had immediately ordered an investigation into Long Ruo's movements over the preceding months. Within a few short months, they located the mine. It happened to be within the jurisdiction of Qiantian Mountain City, making it impossible for the Lingyun Sect to continue occupying it.

Qiao Han’s eye twitched slightly: "Then, may I ask Your Highness how many sets of Blood Cloud Cavalry armor you currently possess?"

This time, Zong Shou hesitated, finally answering vaguely: "Recently, Qiantian Mountain has established some contact with the Cang Sheng Dao..."

Qiao Han was startled again. Zong Shou's statement seemed disconnected, yet he knew perfectly well that the Cang Sheng Dao possessed even more Blood Cloud Armor and Halberds than the Kongqi Sect—and perhaps even the schematics for forging them.

Even if they only purchased four thousand sets from Cang Sheng Dao, it would be enough to bring the Blood Cloud Cavalry up to seven thousand five hundred!

In the past, the Martial Might Kingdom's Blood Cloud Cavalry force of under thirty thousand was unrivaled in its territory, crushing dozens of sects and even overshadowing the Central Imperial Dynasty of that era.

What fate awaited the Qiantian Mountain City, soon to possess seven thousand five hundred Blood Cloud Cavalry?

With the Blood Essence Divine Iron mine in hand, and if Qiantian Mountain acquired the forging blueprints, they could continuously supply armor and halberds.

In an instant, a surge of hostility welled up in Qiao Han—the impulse to unite the various sects and annihilate this burgeoning monster before it fully matured!

But he quickly dismissed the thought. Qiantian Mountain's strength had already surpassed that of the Kongqi Sect!

The thought that he had personally nurtured this power—one now capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Ten Great Sacred Lands—sent a shiver down his spine.

His inner turmoil subsided, and Qiao Han finally managed a bitter smile: "The world now claims Your Highness's extensive demobilization is a foolish move leading to ruin. But I know Your Highness's planning runs deep. Once the spiritual tide commences, those below the Secret Martial Master realm will become expendable on the battlefield. Cutting away obsolete mobs early is a good thing! Furthermore, to my knowledge, your three thousand Mystic Fox Iron Cavalry, four thousand Iron Tiger Halberdiers, four thousand Ripping Wind Mo Daoists, four thousand Wind Bear Mountain Breakers, five thousand Night Wolf Guards, and two thousand Danhe Riders—Qiantian Mountain's true core elites—while not increasing significantly in number over the past year and a half, these tens of thousands have all been replaced by Peak Innate experts, is that correct? Coupled with these nine legions of Blood Cloud Battle Cavalry, Your Highness's wings are now fully spread; within the Eastern Lin Cloud Continent, there is likely no one who can restrain you! Yet, even now, Your Highness continues to lie low and endure. What is your ultimate intention? Do you truly plan to overthrow the Lingyun Sect?"

Zong Shou was taken aback, glancing at Qiao Han with surprise. It seemed this fellow had been working diligently these past eighteen months. These were all Qiantian Mountain's secrets, yet Qiao Han had managed to ascertain them all clearly.

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