The Path of the Martial Arts BOSS

"Come back."

Qing Yu stretched out his left hand, drawing the eight howling Xuanyin Sword Snakes into his sleeve.

"Divinity Realm, I never expected that I would slay my first Divinity Realm here..."

In Qing Yu's heart, there was an indescribable sense of emotion.

Ever since his first entry into Yang City, Qing Yu had directly come into contact with the high-level powers of this world. The system referred to his time in Yang City as the beginner phase, but have you ever seen a beginner level that starts with a hell-level instance?

If it weren't for Qing Yu escaping early, by the time the Zhen Shan Army attacked the city, he might well have witnessed the formidable power of the Divinity Realm warriors.

After that, it was a climb to greater heights, surviving amidst the cracks between various powerful figures.

Reality is not like a game, where powerful bosses wait until the late stages to appear. Because of Qing Yu's actions all along, one could say he had always been in intermittent contact with Divinity Realm warriors.

If it weren't for his ability to lay low, avoiding the Divinity Realm, he might now have turned into a handful of ash.

But now, there was no need to worry. Today a Divinity Realm had died by Qing Yu's hand, tomorrow there would be more.

A slight smile emerged on Qing Yu's lips as he slowly landed on the walls of Feiyun Pass.

Greeting him, Xu Tiecheng shouted from below, "Congratulations to Daoist Qing Yu for slaying a Divinity Realm warrior from the grasslands, eliminating a calamity for Great Zhou."

Every Divinity Realm warrior from the grasslands was a major danger to the heart of Northern Zhou. Though the grassland people have been deterred by Meng Shanhe's might over the years and have not truly stepped into the Central Plains, their strength has been perfectly preserved.

If they really were to invade Northern Zhou, it would be disastrous for Northern Zhou, but the grassland people wouldn't fare much better. The Central Plains is not limited to just the power of Northern Zhou; there are numerous powerful warriors from other forces constantly emerging.

Thus, although the grassland people had been kept out of the Pass for years, Xu Tiecheng and other border army generals' concerns had been deepening by the day. This was because the number of Divinity Realm warriors on the grasslands had not decreased but had been continuously increasing.

"The Divinity Realm I've killed, what was his status on the grasslands?" Qing Yu inquired.

"Replying to Daoist," Xu Tiecheng respectfully responded, "that man was the maternal half-brother of the Right Prince Aguge, who cherished deep affection for him and was Aguge's trusted arm."

The morals and standards of the grassland people differ from those of the people from the Central Plains; such cases of sharing either the same father or mother are not uncommon. Deep connections like those between brothers Aguge and He Fengsa, who were born of different fathers, were not rare.

"Aguge..."

Qing Yu recalled the big man from the grasslands being rubbed into the ground by Meng Shanhe's avatar during the battle at the Divine Capital. Although Aguge was in a sorry state then, Meng Shanhe pressed him down so hard without causing him significant injuries, which demonstrated his strength.

"Now I have another enemy," Qing Yu said indifferently.

The burden of debt does not weigh on one with many creditors; Qing Yu didn't mind adding Aguge to the list anyway. He had offended enough people with Divinity Realm power, and he wasn't concerned about the grassland people harboring any early grudge against him since a battle between them and Northern Zhou was inevitable.

However, considering the deep affection between He Fengsa and Aguge, Qing Yu had to be prepared for the possibility that Aguge would become enraged and lose his senses, summoning his entire army for an all-out battle with Northern Zhou.

"Instruct the Earth Department to dig new tunnels and waterways, allowing the Water Ghosts to enter the grasslands at will," Qing Yu ordered.

Water Ghosts might be said to be the zombies of the martial arts side, but their ability to survive was not as good as that of real zombies. Once a Water Ghost leaves water for a long time, as their moisture evaporates, their mobility and combat power will gradually diminish until they become a dry corpse.

Hence, Qing Yu could only allow Water Ghosts to enter the grasslands via the waterways.

Thinking of the Water Ghosts, Qing Yu suddenly felt a bit regretful. This was because once a person was turned into a Water Ghost, their essence blood and blood would be completely refined into Qingshui that contained the power of the Water Soul. Although this Qingshui had sufficient energy, it lacked any Vitality and was entirely useless for the growth of his own body.

The battle's outcome meant that the essence blood of those killed by the Water Ghosts might all be unusable.

'Well, I already harvested the essence blood of a Divinity Realm, so it's still a gain. I can afford some losses,' Qing Yu thought to himself.

He told Xu Tiecheng, "When it comes to leading troops in battle, I am far inferior to you and generals like Wang Yuehe. How exactly to command, you may discuss it after Wang Yuehe and the others have arrived. All I want is victory."

"Yes, Daoist," Xu Tiecheng replied respectfully.

...

Inside the Embroidery Pavilion atop Su Nu Peak in Zhenwu Sect.

Senior Sister Xuanzhen leaned on the railing, looking out at the sea of clouds beyond the peak, and said, "It's done on Qing Yu's side. Tomorrow, I shall set out for Northern Zhou and have him protect me as I make my breakthrough."

"Isn't Sister going to break through at the Sect?" Xuan Shang asked, looking at her back.

"It seems peaceful in the Sect now as if the undercurrents from before have completely disappeared. But the calmer it is, the more uneasy I feel," Xuanzhen said, shaking her head.

Ever since the last decision among the Seven Peaks to have Xuan Shang become the Master of Wanfa Peak, Xuan Chen greatly changed his previous discriminatory treatment. He released good intentions towards the Anti-Sect Leader Faction, actively wooing them.

It seemed that this Sect Leader had put all past grievances behind him for good. Xuan Lin also softened his hostile attitude due to Xuan Chen's show of goodwill.

If Xuan Chen could fully accept these veterans of Xuanfa from within the Sect, Zhenwu Sect might be able to unite once again, without any risk of division.

In theory, this should align with Xuanzhen's hopes. Her opposition to the Sect Leader did not stem from a desire for vengeance for Xuanfa but because Xuan Chen had been targeting all those who did not submit to him.

Now that Xuan Chen's attitude had largely changed, Xuanzhen should have felt relieved. However, for some reason, she couldn't shake off a foreboding feeling that made her distrust the seeming prosperity in front of her.

"In the previous Seven Peaks decision, I participated via projection through an Array. These past few months, Xuan Yin has come to find me several times, but I've deliberately avoided him. Now, news of my potential complications has spread through Zhenwu Sect, and Xuan Chen might've guessed that I'm planning to make a breakthrough. Therefore, I need to find a safe place," Xuanzhen said.

"If that's the case, having Qing Yu as the protector is indeed the best choice," Xuan Shang realized.

He had only recently learned that Senior Sister Xuanzhen had long stopped practicing the Sect's Cultivation Techniques and had created her own martial arts. This martial art was not weaker than any of Zhenwu Sect's Absolute Skills and even had a tendency to catch up with the "Taixu Wuji Scripture."

However, this martial art was Xuanzhen's own creation, and there actually was no specific technique for the Divinity Realm yet. So, the risk in Xuanzhen's upcoming breakthrough was secondary to the need to avoid any disturbances.

If she were to break through within Zhenwu Sect and was disturbed at a crucial moment, Xuanzhen was sure to perish, dying due to Deviation.

Understanding this, Xuan Shang said, "Sister, rest assured. Su Nu Peak is guarded by a few other Senior Sisters, and this Junior Brother will do his utmost to look after it. I will not let anything happen to Su Nu Peak."

"Hmm," Xuanzhen gave a slight nod, "I'll leave it to you then."