NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1334: Zhu Sanliang
Green waters, verdant mountains, the songs of birds and fragrant flowers, on the grassland, a man is intently studying the painting. This scene is reminiscent of a diligent scholar, eager for knowledge.
After leaving Mount Throne Royal Palace, Tangyu found a tranquil place to thoroughly research the two contemplation drawings. The two Four Directions Contemplation Maps placed together enhanced the profound feeling, faintly giving Tangyu the sensation of touching upon the timelessness of the Great Dao. It even made Tangyu feel that once he collected all four drawings and comprehended their deep meaning, he could directly reach the Great Dao and bring about a splendid transformation in his understanding.
It might even allow him to discover a path of personal advancement.
Such a discovery naturally made Tangyu more dedicated to obtaining the other two Four Directions Contemplation Maps.
"I probed the memories of the Mount King; he had been investigating the whereabouts of the contemplation drawings but had no results. He couldn't even find the one held by the Zi Family. However, he did have a few leads—the greatest possibility is that one of the drawings is lost in the Nine Nether Secret Realm. It is said that a thousand years ago, someone saw it in the Nine Nether Secret Realm and afterward, there was no news. This is a lead; no matter what, I must go to the Nine Nether Secret Realm and investigate thoroughly," Tangyu pondered and drafted a plan.
This Nine Nether Secret Realm is considered the most perilous place on the Mystic Spirit Continent, a natural secret realm that even powerful beings of the Zifu Realm dare not enter easily.
So although the Mount King discovered this information, he didn't dare to enter the Nine Nether Secret Realm casually, fearing death within it. His thoughts had long shifted from cultivation to pleasure, and such adventurous acts were naturally avoided. The Nine Nether Secret Realm is extremely dangerous for people of the Mystic Spirit Continent, a forbidden zone. Yet Tangyu was not overly concerned. If even he would be in danger entering, then it would indeed be very peculiar.
In a small world, it's unlikely that power exists that threatens those of the Seeking Immortal Realm. Moreover, Tangyu's strength is nearly comparable to that of ordinary Immortal Venerates.
"But before heading to the Nine Nether Secret Realm, I must return to Anyang County and check on An Shitong's situation."
Having been away for over a month, Tangyu also thought of returning to have a look, particularly since the mission is of great importance, and losing the trial would be a loss.
As Tangyu returned to Anyang County, he noticeably felt the changes in Anyang County. Now under An Shitong's governance, and after a month's reorganization, Anyang County completely altered its appearance, giving an impression of solid walls and a vigorous atmosphere.
"Master, you're back!" As soon as Tangyu returned, An Shitong, Shi Jianan, and An Miaoke quickly came to greet him.
Scanning An Shitong and the others, Tangyu nodded with some satisfaction: "Not bad, I see your skills have improved somewhat. It seems that my absence for over a month hasn't led to any neglect in your cultivation. Shitong, what's the current situation, let me know."
An Shitong immediately began enthusiastically reporting to Tangyu.
After listening, Tangyu gained a deeper understanding of the current situation.
The Mystic Spirit Continent now is in chaos, with various countries mysteriously erupting into conflict, directly engaging in wars. This is like a virus, infecting, and this whirlwind has swept across the entire Mystic Spirit Continent, plunging it into the flames of war.
Anyang County falls under the jurisdiction of the Fiery Flame Country, within its territory, there are more than a dozen counties like Anyang County. Given Anyang County's current strength, it's certainly insufficient to confront Fiery Flame Country.
Anyang County now is also fraught with danger, surrounded by five counties that have joined forces to confront it, with armies threateningly approaching.
However, now under An Shitong's governance, Anyang County's appearance has drastically changed, and all strength has been consolidated, greatly enhancing its prowess. Adding to this, they have subdued most of Anyang County's original forces, naturally giving Anyang County enough confidence to contend with the alliance of the five counties.
Tangyu pondered for a moment and devised a plan: "Shitong, concentrate all efforts on preparing alchemy materials, spirit stones, anything that can be prepared, gather everything for me. I will open the furnace and refine pills once more, which can elevate ordinary martial artists directly to the late Foundation Establishment Realm. If we can cultivate an army of tens of thousands at the late Foundation Establishment Realm, or even form a Mystic Law Realm army, our combat power will multiply tenfold or hundredfold, giving us the capacity to challenge Fiery Flame Country."
"However, refining pills to elevate to Mystic Law Realm is difficult; the materials are hard to collect. Go and gather them as much as possible."
Upon hearing this, An Shitong was overjoyed; if accomplished, it would be fantastic.
An army composed of tens of thousands of martial artists at the late Foundation Establishment Realm is unimaginably powerful. It must be noted that a martial artist in the late Foundation Establishment Realm can serve as a commander.
The ordinary soldiers are in the early stages of Foundation Establishment, while those like the team captain are in the mid-stages.
Refining the most common pills is too easy for Tangyu, and the necessary materials are also quite easy to obtain. However, attempting to refine pills that could elevate someone to the Mystic Law Realm is not as easy, primarily due to the scarcity of materials in this world. If there were enough materials, Tangyu could mass-produce them, creating a multitude of those in the Mystic Law Realm. The only thing missing is the materials.
An Shitong went to prepare the materials, and Tangyu also planned to stay in Anyang County for a little longer. During this time, he could also take the opportunity to properly train An Shitong, Shi Jian, and the others.
Shi Jian's progress was the fastest among them, which also made Tangyu most pleased. Therefore, Tangyu was also the most willing to invest effort in cultivating Shi Jian. As long as his realm kept up, Tangyu would not hesitate to use the Immortal Vein to enhance his bodily realm.
An Shitong soon delivered a large amount of materials to Tangyu, who was somewhat surprised upon inspection: "Not bad, with these materials, it would be possible to refine more than a hundred thousand Foundation Establishment Pills, and perhaps over a thousand Mystic Law Pills as well. That means we could produce over a thousand Mystic Law Realm individuals. Such an army should suffice for the time being. In the future, continue preparing materials."
"Haha, Master is indeed mighty and imposing. With this, we can continuously cultivate powerful soldiers, and surely it will become a formidable iron army, sweeping away all armies." An Shitong was immensely pleased; these past days had really been troubling him. Unexpectedly, as soon as Master returned, the problem was immediately resolved.
Tangyu began refining pills; crafting pills of this caliber was simply too easy for Tangyu, like a casual gesture.
In three days, all the pills were completely refined.
The result of the refinement was roughly as Tangyu estimated: over one hundred thousand Foundation Establishment Pills and one thousand one hundred and sixty-three Mystic Law Pills.
All these pills were handed over to An Shitong, who felt as if he had obtained a colossal treasure. One thousand one hundred and sixty-three Mystic Law Pills, that could cultivate over a thousand Mystic Law Realm individuals. What a terrifying number!
Currently, the total number of Mystic Law Realm individuals in all of Anyang County is only a little over a hundred. To suddenly cultivate over a thousand, it could completely rival the Fiery Flame Country. Moreover, there are over one hundred thousand Foundation Establishment Pills, meaning over one hundred thousand Martial Artists in the Foundation Establishment Realm could be cultivated. Such a number would certainly far surpass the Fiery Flame Country. As long as these pills are fully utilized, in terms of strength, they would surpass the Fiery Flame Country. The only thing missing is a strong person in the Zifu Realm stationed there.
Tangyu also considered this, so he was actively training Shi Jian. Only Shi Jian has the potential to quickly rise to the Zifu Realm. Of course, to achieve this, Tangyu would have to use a significant amount of Immortal Vein. But to win the competition, it had to be done. Besides, Shi Jian is Tangyu's disciple; for a disciple, Tangyu naturally wouldn't be stingy.
However, Tangyu was not impatient. If Shi Jian's mindset did not meet the requirements, Tangyu wouldn't easily elevate his realm.
Fortunately, Shi Jian's comprehension ability was indeed formidable, and with Tangyu's very patient teaching, his progress could be described as rapid. With such a foundation of progress, coupled with Tangyu's training, naturally, his realm improved quickly.
After advancing Shi Jian to the sixth layer of the Mystic Law Realm, Tangyu prepared to leave for the Nine Nether Secret Realm to seek the whereabouts of the third piece of the Four Directions Contemplation Map.
At this time, the coalition forces of the Five Regions had already marched to the gates of Anyang County.
Upon hearing that Tangyu was leaving, An Shitong eagerly ran over, saying: "Hehe Master, I've discovered a very talented military strategist. With his help, our army will surely be as powerful as a tiger with wings. Haha, I have even more confidence in this battle now."
"Oh, how talented?" hearing An Shitong praise this strategist so highly, Tangyu became somewhat curious.
An Shitong excitedly said: "This person is named Zhu Sanliang, just fifty years old, but has considerable research in military strategy and authored a great work on warfare. After reading it, I was truly impressed; the world indeed holds such an extraordinary person. He has unique insights into warfare strategies, truly a genius. Upon inquiry, I also heard many remarkable stories about him. Fang Ai, eager to recruit him, visited three times before successfully inviting him to be our military strategist. In the battle yesterday, he had a small trial, achieving victory through unexpected means. Using just a thousand elite soldiers, he repelled an enemy force of ten thousand."
Subsequently, An Shitong went on to recount several stories about Zhu Sanliang, which earned Tangyu's continuous praise.
"A genius, indeed a genius. His mastery of military strategy is extraordinary. Such a military strategist must be heavily utilized. It seems we are quite fortunate to have unearthed such an outstanding strategist." Tangyu remarked.
He found it rather amusing; Zhu Sanliang reminded him greatly of Zhuge Liang, a famed strategist from ancient Huaxia Country on Earth. There were many similarities between Zhuge Liang and Zhu Sanliang, which was quite fascinating. They were from different worlds and different times but shared remarkably many common traits. Even their names were somewhat alike, a truly remarkable coincidence.
Regarding the matters in Anyang County, Tangyu wasn't worried at all; as long as no major battle erupted with the Fiery Flame Country, there was nothing to fear. The Fiery Flame Country was currently embroiled in intense conflict with a neighboring country and had no time to bother with Anyang County. So, the current period is an excellent opportunity for development in Anyang County. Given a few more months to cultivate Shi Jian, then there would be nothing to fear.