Chapter 313: The Military Saint Acts, All Under Heaven Knows

In the Qianhe Martial Arts Hall.

Bai He Shen Quan's He Qianian gazed longingly out the window, which faced directly south.

"Truly, the young generation is formidable."

"I'm not the least bit envious that he's ranked ninth on the Martial Evaluation."

Just this aura—he'd never achieve it even after a thousand more years of cultivation; no wonder he's the ninth in the realm, while I'm number one.

Indeed.

It was Yuan Dingting who acted.

Yet as a terrestrial immortal, he sensed far more than the martial artists within the city.

Precisely put, Yuan Dingting, seated in Yunzhou, severed the great serpent a thousand miles away.

"A thousand-mile severance of the great serpent."

"Tsk tsk."

"Just thinking about it is awe-inspiring."

He Qianian suddenly felt truly old; this martial world no longer suited him.

Li Rui, who had been cooling off in the courtyard, suddenly felt a sharp pang in his heart.

He snapped his head up toward the south.

Almost simultaneously.

All martial artists in Qinghe above the Primordial Realm sensed it and turned their gazes southward together.

Tie Kuang, rarely leaving the back courtyard, now stepped into the front yard and, like Li Rui, looked up at the southern sky.

Upon closer inspection, a golden pillar of light pierced straight into the ninth heaven.

Tie Kuang sighed in awe:

"No wonder he's the Military Saint of Yu State—this technique is utterly unheard of."

Li Rui nodded.

Indeed.

Even his strike stirred celestial phenomena—what difference is there between him and the legendary immortals?

He truly deserves the title of Land Immortal.

Li Rui might be the only Sea-Viewing martial artist in Qinghe who sensed it, precisely because he had comprehended Yuan Dingting's Military Saint's True Meaning, allowing him to perceive the vast, majestic strike from a thousand miles away.

As always, if Yuan Dingting wants to kill someone, all he lacks is a coordinate.

Once found, the target is dead.

Jushi City, Governor's Mansion.

The once magnificent governor's mansion had vanished, leaving only vast ruins and broken walls.

Yuan Dingting's strike was this terrifying.

Especially the former location of the secret chamber, now gouged out into a pit ten zhang deep.

The great serpent had long since died beyond any hope of revival.

The unfortunate Governor Qi He of Jushi City had also been inside the secret chamber and was crushed to ash along with it.

That day,

countless lives were lost within the governor's mansion.

Wails echoed endlessly.

As the surviving Qi clan members cried out for rescue, an ancient, nearly decayed elder appeared before the ruins.

The Qi clan members saw the elder.

Their pupils widened.

Some could hardly believe it:

"L-Lao Zu?!"

Yes, the elder was none other than the Qi clan's pillar—the Qi family's Lao Zu.

The Qi Lao Zu's face showed no expression, deep as the ocean.

After a long silence,

he finally spoke softly: "You clever bastard, Yuan Dingting."

The day Yuan Dingting failed to kill the great serpent in the Ten Thousand Mountains wasn't because the serpent could truly withstand the Military Saint's killing force—it was because this Qi Lao Zu had secretly intervened, holding back.

Even the serpent's flight into Jushi City had been arranged by him.

He had intended to use it as a warning, to make the serpent behave.

He never expected Yuan Dingting would strike unexpectedly from a thousand miles away, catching him completely off guard.

"This serpent is one of the Four Sacred Mountain Beasts chosen by the Immortal Sovereign—now that it's dead, this is truly troublesome."

The Qi Lao Zu frowned slightly.

Then he turned away.

His figure vanished into thin air.

Leaving behind a city full of stunned onlookers.

The capital, Yu State's foremost city.

In the center,

a golden palace complex, surrounded by a moat, shimmered brilliantly under the sun, guarded by imposing imperial guards.

A carriage slowly entered the imperial city.

The imperial guards merely glanced at it and let it pass without inspection.

Because it was the Qintianjian's carriage.

This carriage was specially crafted by the Qintianjian's fangshi—its cabin weighed ten thousand jin, yet was covered in talismans that left not a single wheel track on the road.

Easy to recognize.

Soon,

the carriage halted before a magnificent hall.

Above the hall hung a plaque bearing three large characters: "Qintianjian."

Gu Changsheng and Jiang Lin stepped down from the carriage.

As soon as they disembarked,

both instinctively turned their gazes southward.

Gu Changsheng smiled faintly: "Marquis Yuan is truly impatient—he acted so quickly."

Though separated by tens of thousands of miles,

he still sensed the ripple of Yuan Dingting's strike.

Gu Changsheng gave it only a passing glance and turned away; he and Jiang Lin crossed the front hall and soon reached the middle hall.

The Qintianjian was divided into three halls: front, middle, and rear.

The front hall received visitors; the middle hall was where celestial phenomena were observed.

Entering the middle hall,

they saw a massive armillary sphere standing ten zhang tall, its surface dotted with tiny lights that shimmered like stars—upon closer inspection, they perfectly matched the actual star chart.

It was as if the entire starry sky had been brought indoors.

These lights were star stones, each capable of sensing celestial power—each one priceless; to have so many in one hall was an unimaginable display of power!

Beneath the armillary sphere, young men in long robes hurried about.

Seeing Gu Changsheng and Jiang Lin appear, they all bowed respectfully.

Gu Changsheng nodded with a smile.

He walked straight into a room within the Qintianjian's middle hall.

As soon as he sat down,

he grinned at Jiang Lin: "The great serpent's dead—now are you satisfied?"

Jiang Lin shook his head: "This is only the beginning."

The world believed Yuan Dingting killed the serpent out of anger—but in truth, he sought the serpent's reverse scale to forge his infant son's Foundation Establishment; yet it was Gu Changsheng who revealed the serpent's location to Yuan Dingting.

In a sense, Gu Changsheng used Yuan Dingting's blade to slay the serpent.

And Gu Changsheng did this because of Jiang Lin.

Gu Changsheng sighed helplessly: "You're such a fool—but I like that about you."

Jiang Lin's eyes, rarely showing such intensity, flashed with a hint of ruthlessness.

Seeing Jiang Lin's stubborn expression, Gu Changsheng sighed: "You, a true Sword Immortal, yet still a fool in love—this will delay your ascension."

Huaqing Sect held a secret.

Few knew of it.

Jiang Lin's wife did not die in childbirth—she was murdered by a curse.

One word, one syllable, one character, one line—do not read this!

Jiang Lin's wife had once been hailed alongside him in Huaqing Sect as a rare prodigy, already crossed the Dragon Gate—how could she possibly have died from childbirth?

It was merely a cover story Huaqing Sect gave to the public.

Only someone so powerful that even Huaqing Sect dared not retaliate could have done it.

There are deep secrets within.

Since then, Jiang Lin, who never drank, became a drunkard.

That great dragon was one of the culprits behind the anomaly that caused Jiang Lin's wife to die.

Very few knew of this matter.

Gu Changsheng was one of them.

He couldn't help but advise: "If you want to kill someone, tell me—I'll do it for you. Don't do anything foolish; at least wait until you're among the top ten in the realm."

In Gu Changsheng's eyes, it was already certain Jiang Lin would rise to the top ten.

Jiang Lin: "Brother Gu, rest assured—I'm not that foolish."

Hearing this, Gu Changsheng grinned: "By the way, I heard your elder brother played a major role in slaying the dragon. I never expected the land and water of Yunzhou could nurture people so well—besides you, there's also Li Rui."

"I'm eager to meet him."

Hearing Li Rui's name, Jiang Lin smiled slightly:

"It won't be long."

The Saint of War revealed his might—a single spear shattered a city.

News of Jushi City spread to Qinghe via Wu Kingdom's merchant caravans, each tale more fantastical than the last.

Some said Yuan Dingting fought a great battle with the elder ancestor of the Qi clan and casually struck Jushi City with a spear; others claimed Yu Kingdom and Wu Kingdom formed an alliance, and Yuan Dingting acted to assert dominance.

But not a single version mentioned the great dragon.

Clearly.

Aside from a very few, no one knew the truth of that day.

Li Rui happened to be one of them.

Ever since that day,

not long after, Nie Siming returned to Anning Garrison, and never again set foot on the border for patrols.

He focused entirely inward.

With Nie Siming, that demon, in charge, the sects within Anning Garrison's jurisdiction became far more obedient—after all, as long as He Qianian didn't act, Nie Siming was nearly invincible.

In the front courtyard of the Assistant Military Command.

Li Rui and Ning Zhongtian lounged comfortably on cool chairs.

Ning Zhongtian: "Big brother, you really aren't planning to manage anything anymore?"

For months now,

Li Rui had stayed inside the Assistant Military Command, rarely showing his face.

Unless it was a major matter, he refused to interfere in any affairs of Anning Garrison.

Outsiders speculated Li Rui had been suppressed by Nie Siming.

Ning Zhongtian, of course, knew better.

Nie Siming and Li Rui got along well—even once brought wine over to drink with Li Rui.

It was Li Rui's own deliberate choice.

Li Rui chuckled: "Isn't this fine? Practicing cultivation daily, taking walks—how pleasant."

Ning Zhongtian rolled his eyes.

If this were some idle civil official, fine.

But his big brother was a genuine, powerful military officer—who ever voluntarily hollowed out his own authority?

Li Rui offered no further explanation.

Though the great dragon had been slain by Yuan Dingting, he still rarely left his quarters, as before.

The more you do, the more mistakes you make.

He had not yet found a way to fully conceal his true dragon aura; until then, it was better not to show himself often.

Nie Siming was stationed in Qinghe City.

Nothing would go wrong.

Moreover, he knew Nie Siming's title as Provincial Governor would soon change to Provincial Military Commander—a rank of Zheng-4, responsible for military affairs across Anning Prefecture, commanding two guard battalions.

He would soon be Li Rui's true superior.

Previously, as the local commander, it was one thing.

Now Nie Siming lived inside Anning Garrison.

Was he, a mere Assistant Military Commander, going to try to oversee Nie Siming?

Better to live peacefully than to scheme for power and court death.

One mountain cannot hold two tigers.

Especially when Nie Siming was a terrifying tiger. Li Rui got along well with him—but that was only because they had no conflicting interests. If he dared encroach on Nie Siming's authority, he'd learn how the nickname "Green-Faced Butcher" came to be.

During a power transition, the wisest move is to behave meekly.

That way, both sides can still preserve some face.

Seeing his big brother show no ambition, Ning Zhongtian said no more.

Not doing anything was fine too.

It gave him more time to cultivate. Since opening his qi sea, his passion for cultivation had never been higher, and with the financial backing of the Heaven and Earth Alliance, he no longer felt the desperate need to earn merit.

Who wouldn't prefer quiet cultivation and growth over exhausting travel—or risking death?

Ning Zhongtian was about to speak again

when his peripheral vision caught a figure at the courtyard gate—he froze.

'Talk of the devil and he shall appear.'

Just mentioned Nie Siming, and here he came.

Li Rui had already risen, bowing from afar: "General Nie, what wind brings you here?"

Nie Siming's face showed a rare smile.

After all, without Li Rui's help, he could never have found and slain the great dragon.

He walked up to Li Rui and spoke slowly:

"Li Jiaotou, you've done great service and provided crucial materials—I've never forgotten this debt."

Saying this,

Nie Siming pulled a small jade vial from his robe and handed it to Li Rui.

"This is a fragment of the great dragon's lingering soul."

"It's yours."

(End of Chapter)