The Eldest Senior Brother, though well over one hundred and eighty years old and nearing the end of his natural lifespan, had never shed his temperament as a 'Martial Maniac.'
And all these Divine Generals knew... once the First Divine General got into the swing of a fight, he never held back; it wasn't uncommon for him to beat an opponent to death. At best, one might leave severely injured. Furthermore, the Celestial God himself had declared that the strength of this First Divine General was certainly capable of ranking among the top three on the Nine Provinces’ Heavenly Ranking.
Coupled with his recent seclusion for meditative practice, even if he hadn't reached the Void Realm, his strength had likely improved. If he could already rank in the top three on the Heavenly Ranking in the past, what level of might did he possess now with further gains?
Moreover, with his lifespan nearing its end, the possibility of achieving a breakthrough during combat while clashing with a master of equal rank existed. This made the First Divine General even more fervent about fighting, which was hardly surprising.
However, who would willingly duel such a freak, a true martial fanatic?
“E’riqier, cultivating the martial path requires the absence of fear! Otherwise, how can one improve?” the First Divine General admonished.
The Fifth Divine General replied awkwardly, “Eldest Senior Brother, I already sparred with you last time. I have experienced your Seven Strikes of Heavenly Thunder. I know I am no match for you. Once my strength breaks through to a point where I can shatter your palm techniques, I will seek you out for a match even if you don’t ask, Junior Brother.”
...
After the eight Divine Generals gathered and chatted for a while, they dispersed one by one, returning to their respective residences.
On the mountain path.
The Fifth Divine General, ‘E’riqier,’ clad in a purple robe, walked toward his dwelling with a solemn face and an expressionless demeanor. The patrolling guards on this mountain path showed utmost respect upon seeing him. At this moment, a figure approached him from ahead—it was none other than Wan Tianyang.
“Big Brother E’riqier!” Wan Tianyang called out enthusiastically.
“Oh, Brother Wan.” E’riqier glanced at Wan Tianyang, nodded slightly, and continued walking. People of the Celestial God Mountain held a decent level of respect for the martial siblings, Wan Tianyang and Li Jun.
Wan Tianyang was quite surprised, as E’riqier usually remained confined to his residence and rarely ventured out. Wan Tianyang smiled and asked, “Big Brother E’riqier, it is rare to see you out and about.”
“Eldest Senior Brother and Master have come out of seclusion, so of course, we martial siblings had to greet them.” E’riqier exchanged a few casual words with Wan Tianyang and then departed. Wan Tianyang, however, remained rooted to the spot, pondering for a moment before his eyes lit up: “Hmm, they all say the First Divine General is a martial fanatic! If I could just...”
“Yes, that’s the way to do it!” Wan Tianyang made up his mind.
**
The First Divine General’s place of arduous cultivation was a two-story pavilion with a domed roof. On the second floor, all four windows were open, leaving the space utterly bare save for a single red woolen carpet spread across the floor.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The cold wind howled directly through the pavilion. The First Divine General, ‘Borileimu,’ wearing a yellow robe, was taking huge bites out of a piece of yak-milk cake. At that moment, a deep voice echoed from below: “Master, the Black-Robed Divine Envoy, Lord Wan, requests an audience outside.”
“Let him in!” After swallowing the cake in two bites, Borileimu turned his gaze toward the staircase.
The stairs, which had stood for over a century, sent echoing reverberations through the structure. Wan Tianyang, dressed in black, ascended to the second floor. Upon seeing the First Divine General—with his thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a gaze like a wild beast—he bowed respectfully. The First Divine General, however, laughed heartily, “Tianyang, you haven’t visited me in a long time. It seems you have business with me today.”
Who would willingly come to this place? Wan Tianyang grumbled internally, but his face remained wreathed in smiles. “Big Brother Borileimu, I actually came today to bring you good news.” Although there was a vast age difference between him and the First Divine General, due to seniority, addressing him as 'Big Brother' was proper etiquette.
“Good news? What good news?” The First Divine General Borileimu seemed slightly surprised.
Wan Tianyang’s eyes shone brightly as he said, “I know that you, Big Brother Borileimu, enjoy sparring with powerful masters. And right now, I know exactly where such a master is!”
“I have no interest in just any ordinary Innate Golden Core master,” Borileimu replied, looking intently at Wan Tianyang, hoping he would produce a truly formidable opponent.
Wan Tianyang lowered his voice, affecting mystery. “Big Brother Borileimu! Ever since you entered seclusion, a super expert has appeared on the Great Grasslands. About several months ago, this person single-handedly fought the Northern Garrison’s army of one hundred thousand on the Central Grasslands. One man against one hundred thousand—in the end, the Golden Wolf Kingdom suffered twenty thousand casualties, and the rest of the army scattered in retreat. This person is rumored to be the demon ‘Alada’!”
Borileimu started in shock. “One against one hundred thousand? Is he a Void Realm expert? Even I couldn’t manage that.”
“No,” Wan Tianyang quickly clarified. “Later, this demon ‘Alada’ came to our Northern Grasslands and killed quite a few people! Only then did we learn his name is ‘Huhe’! Big Brother Borileimu, the Fifth Divine General once went to make contact with this ‘Huhe.’ The Fifth Divine General could not subdue him!”
Borileimu’s eyes flashed with pleasant surprise. “Oh? E’riqier couldn’t deal with him either?”
At the Innate Golden Core level… anyone who could capture Borileimu’s interest would likely rank at least in the top ten of the Heavenly Ranking!
If even E’riqier couldn’t handle him, this level of strength was certainly enough to pique his interest.
“I don’t know the specifics, but Big Brother E’riqier truly failed to capture Huhe!” Wan Tianyang continued. “Later, when my Martial Sister was out, she actually brought that ‘Huhe’ to our Celestial God Mountain! Currently, this ‘Huhe’ himself is residing in the guest quarters next to my Martial Sister’s Goddess Palace.”
Borileimu’s eyes blazed, like a lion poised to devour its prey!
“Able to fight one hundred thousand alone? The demon ‘Alada’?” The First Divine General ‘Borileimu’ became visibly agitated.
Whoosh!
With one swift motion, Borileimu grabbed Wan Tianyang, who started in surprise. Borileimu’s eyebrows trembled with excitement, and he laughed, “Let’s go! Take me there! Encountering such a powerhouse is truly thrilling beyond measure! Tianyang, you lead the way, we’ll go find that Alada!”
**
Celestial God Mountain, the second floor of the guest quarters where Teng Qingshan resided.
Li Jun, clad in white robes, flew down the stairs and rushed into the room where Teng Qingshan was.
“Xiao Jun?” Teng Qingshan, who had been practicing his martial arts, stopped his movements and looked toward Li Jun. Li Jun shot Teng Qingshan a triumphant smile, then retrieved a stack of papers from her embrace.
Teng Qingshan’s heart stirred.
“You have the news already? So fast?” Teng Qingshan asked, somewhat surprised. Li Jun nodded proudly. “This was just delivered at the fastest possible speed!” She handed the stack of papers to Teng Qingshan, who took them with excitement. He had originally expected to receive the intelligence toward evening, never imagining it would arrive that morning.
In fact, the intelligence outpost of Celestial God Mountain had already been gathering news regarding the Guiyuan Sect.
Furthermore, Celestial God Mountain kept a close watch on Teng Qingshan, so they had been actively investigating relevant intelligence. As soon as Li Jun’s command arrived, this intelligence was naturally relayed immediately!
“Guiyuan Sect!”
“Teng Family Village!”
Teng Qingshan carefully read the information described in the papers. According to the details, ever since Teng Qingshan defected from the Guiyuan Sect and left, the sect had returned to its previous tranquility, showing no major upheaval. The Teng Family Village was also residing within Jiangning Commandery City, and they had even opened two weapon shops within the city walls.
Many of the male members of the Teng Family Village had begun forging weapons.
The only major event—
Teng Qingyu and Zhuge Yun were married in May of this year.
“Xiao Yu, finally married!” A sense of relief washed over Teng Qingshan. He had looked after this sister since she was a child. Seeing his sister marry a good man was the greatest joy for any elder brother. “According to the news, one contingent of the Black Armored Army is garrisoned at the Second Military Camp!”
Teng Qingshan felt deeply grateful to his Master, Zhuge Yuanhong!
In the past, the Black Armored Army had only one general camp, but the current so-called Second Military Camp was essentially where the Teng Family Clan now resided.
“Brother Teng?” Li Jun beside him looked at Teng Qingshan.
“Thank you, Xiao Jun.” Teng Qingshan took a deep breath, a genuine, heartfelt smile surfacing on his face. After more than half a year spent fleeing, Teng Qingshan was not worried about himself; his only concern was that Qinghu Island might go mad and deal with his relatives. Now, it seemed everything was well.
Li Jun smiled. “Brother Teng, the current Island Master of Qinghu Island is Tie Fan, not Gu Yong! And Qinghu Island is one of the Eight Great Sects. Since they couldn’t capture Brother Teng, the bigger the fuss they make, the more shame they bring upon themselves! Now, few people in the world are still talking about you, Brother Teng.”
“The world is full of masters, heroes rising and falling everywhere! Yesterday I, Teng Qingshan, was famous; today, perhaps someone else will be! How can the world constantly talk about only one person? Moreover, I have been in the great grasslands for half a year. If time passes, this pursuit and warrant will eventually fade away.”
Teng Qingshan understood this perfectly.
Having secured peace of mind after receiving news from home, Teng Qingshan intended to set sail.
“Xiao Jun—” Teng Qingshan began to speak.
Suddenly—
Noises erupted from outside. Teng Qingshan and Li Jun exchanged a look, both filled with confusion.
“Let’s go down and see.” Teng Qingshan tucked the intelligence reports into his robes, then led Li Jun downstairs. Upon reaching the ground floor, Teng Qingshan saw more than a dozen people standing on the open space in front of the guest house in the distance. The first of the two leading figures was someone Teng Qingshan recognized—it was Li Jun’s Eldest Martial Brother Wan.
The second figure, wearing yellow robes, had a square face, thick eyebrows, and imposing eyes, with streaks of white at his temples. When he saw Teng Qingshan emerge, his eyes immediately lit up.
Li Jun’s expression changed slightly upon seeing the arrivals, and she whispered, “Brother Huhe, that is the First Divine General!”
“Oh?” Teng Qingshan’s heart stirred. “The First Divine General who was in seclusion with Tian Shen?”
The First Divine General ‘Borileimu’ stared at Teng Qingshan with shining eyes and boomed out a laugh. “Brother Huhe! I heard about you right after emerging from seclusion. That peerless martial might, one against one hundred thousand—I, Borileimu, admire it immensely! I, Borileimu, love to spar and exchange techniques with powerful experts! Tell me, Brother Huhe, are you willing to engage in a spar with me?”
Hearing this, Li Jun was greatly alarmed.
“Brother Huhe, this First Divine General is a martial fanatic; he doesn’t hold back when fighting. Even the Fifth Divine General was once severely injured and laid up for months in his quarters,” Li Jun whispered urgently. “You must not agree!” Li Jun had long heard the legends surrounding Borileimu.
Borileimu frowned as he looked at Teng Qingshan. “Brother Huhe! You are such a hero; are you perhaps timid and afraid to fight me, Borileimu?”