The Path of the Martial Arts BOSS

His palms traced circles, and the yin and yang energy emerged, intersecting and fusing together.

A complete Taiji symbol appeared in Qing Yu's hands, spinning continuously.

"The 'Nine Heavens Scripture' incorporates Buddhist Cultivation Techniques. It also integrates exceptionally well with Buddhist Martial Arts. If I can thoroughly integrate Buddhist Martial Arts into Daoist Skill, then truly 'Buddha is originally Dao.'"

If I transformed Buddha Skill into Daoist Skill and used it in front of the monks at the Great Zen Temple, their expressions would certainly be marvelous.

"Daoist Qingyu, are you all right?" came the calling voices from Gu Chen and the others not far away.

"These people, they've really been scared witless by Zhuge Longsu," Qing Yu said with a chuckle and a shake of his head.

These Taoists, like Gu Chen, who had settled in the Northern Zhou, had always been overshadowed by the Confucian influences, fearing Dean Zhuge of the Mountain River Academy tremendously.

Having seen Dean Zhuge drop by today, they were genuinely frightened. Especially since Zhuge had come with Killing Intent to begin with, he was certainly not going to make things easy for Gu Chen and the others.

If Qing Yu had not taken on Zhuge's challenge tonight, not only would he have faced a life-threatening situation, but Gu Chen and the others would have been cleaned up afterwards as well.

"It's all right now; come in," Qing Yu communicated telepathically.

After a while, the sound of hurried footsteps approached from afar, and the four Taoists, including Gu Chen, as well as Xu Tiecheng, the commander of the forces at Feiyun Pass, hurried over.

"Sit," Qing Yu said from the main seat in the hall, gesturing with his hand.

Once the five of them were seated, Qing Yu said, "Dean Zhuge came to prevent the appearance of a Divinity Realm warrior from the Lang Man tribe. As long as their Divinity Realm warrior doesn't show up, he will not make a move.

As for the matter of refining Water Ghosts..."

Qing Yu's gaze swept over the five men's rugged faces.

Unlike Qing Yu, these five had no courage to confront Zhuge Longsu, and now their faces all bore traces of unease, even Xu Tiecheng, the highest in Realm held a deep sense of unrest.

The Confucian influence had taken root in the Northern Zhou for three hundred years, permeating every aspect. Even though the Confucian faction's position wasn't as strong as before, it couldn't strip people of their reverence for the Confucian legacy.

"You serve the Emperor and refine Water Ghosts to stop the Lang Man invasion, all for the sake of the nation. The Mountain River Academy has me and the Emperor to stand guard; you need not worry," Qing Yu said indifferently.

Hearing this, Gu Chen and the others visibly relaxed, letting out a breath of relief.

"Thank you, Daoist Qingyu."

The five of them stood up together, respectfully bowing.

"That is only proper; you need not be overly courteous," Qing Yu waved dismissively.

"General Xu, today I defeated the leader of the Lang Man, Jashu, dealing a heavy blow to the morale of the Lang Man warriors. However, the Lang Man have shown no sign of retreat. In your opinion, what will they do next?"

After the five sat down again, Qing Yu turned to Xu Tiecheng.

"Responding to Daoist," Xu Tiecheng said with a clasped fist, "the main strength of the Lang Man forces does not lie with Jashu but with the support of the Golden Wolf Han Court behind the Lang Man army. As long as the support from the Golden Wolf Han Court continues, the upper echelon of the Lang Man military strength can be constantly replenished.

Moreover, Jashu is merely a pawn of the Golden Wolf Khan; unless the Khan orders it, even if the army of one hundred fifty thousand were to die here, they couldn't retreat even slightly."

The grassland people govern through force; the strongest one possesses the greatest power. The Golden Wolf Khan is the strongest on the grasslands and naturally has the power to decide the life and death of any grassland person.

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These people from the tribal alliance, if they dared to retreat without the Golden Wolf Khan's consent, their fate would not be better than dying in battle, only more miserable.

Should they all die here, the Golden Wolf Han Court would actually take care of those survivors left in the tribes, even offering them substantial support.

With these two choices, it's blatantly obvious which is better. Retreat or fight to the death, there's no need for Xu Tiecheng to say a word, everyone already knows the grassland people will choose to fight to the death.

Either all die in battle or the Golden Wolf Khan orders a retreat—there isn't a third option.

Qingyu rested his right hand on the armrest of the main seat, tapping lightly with his forefinger, contemplatively in silence.

Xu Tiecheng and Gu Chen amongst the five, also sat in quiet, awaiting Qingyu's decision.

Although only Xu Tiecheng at the event understood military affairs, and the others had little knowledge of it, Qingyu's performance tonight had proven that sometimes, an individual's formidable power can dominate the direction of a war.

And among those present, only Qingyu held the highest status, so it was left to Qingyu to make the decision.

"To die rather than retreat," Qingyu tapped his forefinger and said, "Since that's the case, let them all die right here. General Xu."

"At your command," Xu Tiecheng stood up with a clenched fist in salute.

"Among those present, only you are skilled in military matters, so you will command this battle. Gu Chen and the others will heed your commands, as will the Ze Department, Mountain Department, and Wind Department, all offering you their strength."

Among the Taoists like Gu Chen, they are divided into the Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, Mountain, and Ze Departments. The Qingyu version of the "Circulation of the Six Voids Technique," "Circulating Sky Power," demands a very high Mental State, and to this day, there's been no second cultivator who can practice it.

"Circulating Thunder Force" draws on Taoist Thunder Skill, with extremely high demands on True Qi and poses significant risks in cultivation. After three consecutive cultivators died from backlash by the power of Thunder and Lightning, no more warriors chose to take on its cultivation.

The Earth, Water, and Fire Departments are necessary to jointly drive the Hidden Dragon, and thus cannot be of help. So, only three departments were available for Xu Tiecheng to command.

"Just let the majority of the enemy forces come within three li, and we will surely win this battle," Qingyu instructed.

One li is the limit of Qingyu's control over water flow, but if he were to strike once, the Hidden Dragon could strike once at any place.

Since there are beings of the Divinity Realm hidden in the dark, they would not allow the Hidden Dragon to be activated repeatedly. Rather than having the enemy Divinity Realm break the waterways during combat, it is better to deliver a full-power strike from the start, securing victory in one fell swoop.

"With Dean Zhuge restraining the enemy's Divine Communication, and after obliterating this army, the remaining True Pills will be taken care of by me."

Qingyu's eyes narrowed, a veiled Killing Intent emerging. Even so, it sent a chill through the hearts of everyone present.

This was a warrior beyond their expectations, his power seeming to extend beyond the True Pill Realm. Even Xu Tiecheng, who was also of the True Pill Realm, felt utterly no chance of victory in front of Qingyu, not even a sliver of hope for survival.

"This battle, we must win decisively, only then can we briefly quell the ambitions of the grassland people. Anyone who dares to slip up, I will refine them into a Water Ghost, understood?"

In those seemingly calm words, there lay a lethal threat.

Refine into a Water Ghost...

The thought of becoming a Water Ghost had everyone present shuddering, especially Gu Chen and the others. They were in charge of refining Water Ghosts, but they never thought that one day, they themselves might be transformed into one.

"We shall devote our utmost effort to push back the Lang Man!" the five cried out in unison with solemn pledges.

"Let's hope so," Qingyu stood up and moved toward the exit, "You just need to lure the army within a three-li radius. Should you fail to do even that, you'd be no better than wastrels surviving only to consume rations, better off dead."

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