Chapter 197: Strong Figures Galore

Si Yunxiang composed herself. Looking up, she saw Qin Mu had already walked away. "I will not be weaker than the so-called Hegemon Body," she declared. "We women of the Si family are born cult master killers! If the previous Saintess could kill the previous Cult Master, I can do it too!"

The next day, they arrived at Hong County. The county had fallen two days prior. A soldier, upon seeing the Imperial Preceptor, quickly reported, "Imperial Preceptor, many people carrying flags have entered the city."

"People carrying flags?" The Imperial Preceptor of Yankang was surprised. After a moment of thought, he looked at Qin Mu and said, "There's no need to pay attention to them. How many people carrying flags have arrived?"

"More than ten. They all wore bamboo hats concealing their faces and carried various weapons wrapped tightly in cloth. They didn't look like good people."

"You may leave."

On the third day, they reached Qinghe County, where even more people with flags had gathered, numbering fifty or sixty, significantly more than the previous day. By the fourth day, upon reaching Wuyin City, hundreds of flag-bearers had appeared in the city. Qin Mu didn't explain their origins or intentions, and the Imperial Preceptor of Yankang didn't press for details.

On the fifth day, they left the government office, preparing to depart the city for Daxiang. As soon as they stepped out onto the street, they saw a peculiar figure, wearing a bamboo hat and carrying a cloth-wrapped weapon, rise from the entrance of the yamen and begin following them. After another couple of steps, another person emerged from a nearby alley. This person also wore a low-brimmed bamboo hat and carried a long, cloth-wrapped weapon. Then, a burly man by the roadside, also wearing a bamboo hat, stood up, clutching a long cloth bundle, and joined their followers.

Before they even left Wuyin City, several hundred identically dressed, strange individuals were trailing them, men and women, old and young. Shen Wanyun, Yue Qinghong, and others looked back, feeling uneasy. These people kept their hats low, following them at a constant distance, seemingly unwilling to show their true faces. It was unclear what they intended.

"Could these be the flag-bearers? Why don't they have their flags?" Monk Yun Que murmured.

The Imperial Preceptor of Yankang remained composed, seemingly unfazed by the hundreds of people following them.

Just outside Wuyin City, near the city gate, there was a simple shed, where two elderly tea vendors, a man and a woman, were selling tea. As they approached, the old man and woman looked up and called out, "Customers, would you like some tea?"

Monk Yun Que grumbled, "Why drink tea right after leaving the city?"

The Imperial Preceptor of Yankang replied, "I'm thirsty." With that, he sat under the shed and requested a cup of tea. Qin Mu also sat down. The two elderly vendors also took their seats, and the four of them sat at the four corners of the table, each with a cup of tea in front of them.

Shen Wanyun, Yue Qinghong, and others attempted to approach but found that despite stepping forward, they remained in place. The shed seemed very close, yet after dozens of steps, they realized they hadn't moved. Alarmed, they quickly ran towards the shed with all their might, moving extremely fast, but they still remained about a zhang away. The shed appeared to be within reach, yet it seemed to be a thousand li distant!

After a moment, Qin Mu and the Imperial Preceptor finished their tea. The Imperial Preceptor rose to pay, bowing slightly, and the old man and woman also stood and bowed. As the two walked out of the shed, the Imperial Preceptor of Yankang said, "Let's go, to Daxiang."

Everyone was bewildered but followed their lead. Yue Qinghong looked back and saw that the hundreds of hat-wearing strangers had not followed them. Instead, they were sitting outside the shed, each holding a cup of tea, silently drinking—a very strange sight.

"What a peculiar group," Hu Ling'er commented.

Si Yunxiang leaned close to Qin Mu and whispered, "Was it settled?"

Qin Mu nodded: "You'll know when the time comes."

They arrived outside Daxiang City. The plains outside the city were filled with military camps and large garrisons. Duke Wei, along with the Champion General and Huaihua General, had stationed their troops there but had not immediately attacked Daxiang. Daxiang was a crucial stronghold in the southern frontier, where thousands of enemy soldiers had gathered. Various rebel forces had assembled, and disciples from different sects continuously arrived, ready for battle. Should a war erupt, it would undoubtedly be an epic and magnificent conflict.

As Qin Mu walked through the military camps, he observed golden-armored warriors pushing enormous cloud chariots, practicing siege warfare. These golden-armored warriors were masters of a combat technique lineage that specialized in physical enhancement, capable of instantly expanding their bodies dozens or even hundreds of times, transforming into giants. They were clad in armor forged from profound copper and profound gold, with the armor alone being half a chi thick. During their siege drills, these giants wore chains and pushed the cloud chariots while holding a shield with one hand. The cloud chariots were highly complex; in addition to colossal iron mallets for smashing city gates and walls, they featured flying ladders that could extend over ten zhang high to hook onto city walls, allowing soldiers to ascend.

Furthermore, officers activated formation diagrams, spreading them out for soldiers to stand upon and practice battle formations. There were also cavalry riding large birds, diving down under the command of their leaders. Thousands of sword lights shot straight down from the sky; a single dive would leave over ten mu of ground covered in flying swords! After the cavalry passed, the flying swords on the ground would whoosh upwards and return to the sword quivers on their riders' backs. These airborne cavalry moved like wind and lightning, making them impossible to guard against. And there wasn't just one such unit; there were dozens of airborne cavalry teams, forming honeycomb and wolf pack tactics. If ground troops encountered these airborne cavalry, it would be a devastating blow. Against formidable foes, the airborne cavalry could also employ kiting tactics, wearing down their enemies.

Besides the airborne cavalry, there were also towering warships. This time, Duke Wei, the Champion General, and Huaihua General had mobilized hundreds of these warships, each capable of carrying over a thousand men, allowing for the deployment of hundreds of thousands of troops.

"The Imperial Preceptor's military reforms have indeed transformed Yankang's army into an invincible force," Qin Mu mused. "If my Heavenly Devil Cult were to face such an assault, it would also be annihilated."

After reaching the military camps, the Imperial Preceptor of Yankang exchanged a few words with the welcoming Duke Wei, Champion General, and Huaihua General, then led Qin Mu and the others towards Daxiang City.

On the city walls of Daxiang, flags of various sects and even some annihilated nations were flying. The Imperial Preceptor of Yankang looked up, shook his head, and said, "If this old era isn't completely destroyed, how can great things be achieved? They will always revive and make a comeback. Revolution requires bloodshed, and the fall of tens of thousands of heads."

Qin Mu asked, "Imperial Preceptor, is it settled?"

"It is."

The Imperial Preceptor of Yankang looked up. The city gate stood wide open, and two teams of people emerged, lining up on either side of the gate. Behind them, their vital energy manifested as phantoms of gods or devils.

"Heavenly Human realm experts," Qin Mu steadied himself. Heavenly Human realm experts could already manifest gods and devils. There were as many as sixty or seventy Heavenly Human realm experts in these two teams in front of Daxiang City!

"This scene isn't grand enough," Yue Qinghong sighed in relief and chuckled. "Our Taixue Academy's assessment for scholars across the land alone requires ninety-nine Heavenly Human realm experts for the examination in front of the Qingyang Palace. These rebels have so few Heavenly Human realm experts; it's not enough for our Taixue Academy to even bother killing."

The dozens of Heavenly Human realm experts kept their eyes down, paying no attention to her words.

As they entered the city gate, they saw two more lines of Heavenly Human realm experts standing on both sides of the long street, one every ten steps, stretching from the city gate almost to the city center, seemingly without end. There were probably over a thousand of them! Yue Qinghong's heart pounded, and she dared not speak again. Qin Mu remained relatively calm; the Heavenly Devil Cult also had several hundred Heavenly Human realm experts, so it wasn't particularly surprising.

"This rebellion isn't just composed of sects; some are also from nations that were previously annihilated," the Imperial Preceptor of Yankang said calmly. "Back then, to win over hearts, I didn't completely eradicate the experts from those nations, which is why they've harbored rebellious thoughts again. Besides sects and nations, there are also some aristocratic families; the chaos caused by these families is also significant."

Qin Mu calculated: above the Heavenly Human realm was the Life and Death realm, and above that was the Divine Bridge realm. With so many Heavenly Human realm experts, it indicated that there were also a considerable number of Life and Death realm experts, perhaps a hundred or so, and likely more than ten Divine Bridge realm experts. With over ten cult-master level figures, plus experts from hidden sacred lands like Xiaoyu Jing, the Imperial Preceptor's journey here was akin to offering his head for execution. As for Qin Mu and his companions, it was as if their heads had already been severed and attached to their belts.

The experts lining the streets were solemn, making no sound. Only the footsteps of Qin Mu and his group echoed. Apart from the rebels' divine arts practitioners, the city was otherwise empty. Moreover, all houses in Daxiang City had vanished, leveled entirely, with their foundations pulled up. The city was bare, save for tens of thousands of soldiers arranged in various formations, also silent, not uttering a word, watching them intently. Walking forward under the gaze of tens of thousands of divine arts practitioners exerted immense psychological pressure. Even Shen Wanyun, seasoned in battle, felt his hands tremble uncontrollably. Qin Mu, having seen gods and even urinated on their statues, remained relatively composed. He felt the pressure but did not lose his composure.

The city center had also been transformed. The Prefect's Mansion was gone, replaced by a towering platform with thousands of steps, rising dozens of zhang from the ground, significantly taller than any city tower, resembling a small mountain peak. As Qin Mu approached, his heart slightly trembled. The platform wasn't *like* a small mountain peak; it *was* a mountain peak. Someone had transported a mountain to replace the original Prefect's Mansion and then carved it into its current form!

They reached the base of the steps and slowly ascended, neither rushing nor delaying. Finally, they reached the flattened summit. There, towering phantoms of gods and devils stood, but none of the various sect masters were visible on the ground. Qin Mu looked closely and saw that these sect masters were either standing on the palms of the god-devil phantoms or sitting cross-legged on their foreheads; none had their feet on solid ground. They were positioned high above, exerting immense pressure on Qin Mu and the others. These cult-master level beings were truly too powerful.

A beautiful woman stood on the fingertip of a hundred-zhang tall phantom of a divine being, looking down at the Imperial Preceptor of Yankang. She said softly, "The foremost individual beneath the gods, the Imperial Preceptor of the current dynasty, doesn't bring any helpers?"

The phantom of the divine being was in the image of a Daoist, with snow-white eyes that seemed composed of white light. A large snake was coiled around its body, and its feet rested on a profound turtle. As a gentle breeze blew, vital energy like flowing sashes behind him swayed slightly.

Upon seeing this, Si Yunxiang's heart skipped a beat. She whispered, "Her vital energy transformed into this divine being, which has been refined into substance. It's a near-divine realm!"

Qin Mu was unfamiliar with this aspect. His heart stirred slightly, and he asked, "Sister, if someone has no limbs, but when viewed with a heavenly eye, their limbs are perfectly intact, resembling an unparalleled and mighty deity radiating divine light that almost obscures them from view, how does that realm compare to this woman's realm?"

Si Yunxiang had no knowledge of this either and hadn't yet replied when the Imperial Preceptor of Yankang suddenly turned his head, an uncontrollable aura erupting from him, filled with immense battle intent. "You've seen someone like that?"

Startled by his sudden outburst of battle intent, Qin Mu said, "He is one of my elders."

The Imperial Preceptor of Yankang's eye twitched: "Another one of your elders? You seem to have quite a few."