Chapter 370

Central Constant Country fell into chaos.

The lord of Central Constant Country, like an elegant mad dog, fiercely reported the Demon Forbidden Hall before the Divine Emperor of Great Jin.

With a casual order from the Divine Emperor of Great Jin, the entire Demon Forbidden Hall instantly panicked, fell silent like startled cicadas, and then, like a mad dog with a burnt rear, sprang into action, frantically hunting down the Heavenly Patrol Secret Guards across the sky.

The Hua family was like a dog with its spine broken, and directly used family connections to send the petition to the core level of the Great Jin Divine State.

The Hua family insisted that, due to lax surveillance by the Demon Forbidden Hall, their surveying corps was attacked by the Heavenly Patrol Secret Guards, suffering heavy losses, and even the grand master who had developed a new forging method for their family perished.

Several Hua family ancestors, unaware of the cost they would incur, actually summoned the vice hall master of the Divine Might Hall, which stands equal to the Divine Martial Hall, the Suppress Demon Hall, and the Repel Demon Hall, and during the grand assembly of the Great Jin Divine State, they fiercely filed a complaint against the Central Constant Country branch of the Demon Forbidden Hall.

However, the Hua family was very cautious, covering up the matter of the innate spiritual treasure.

"Innate spiritual treasure" — this must not be leaked in the slightest.

If the high-level of the Great Jin Divine State were to learn that the Hua family had once had a chance to contend for the innate spiritual treasure, but due to selfish motives failed to inform the state's high-level, causing a priceless innate spiritual treasure to fall into outsiders' hands…

Heh, it would be quite normal for the Hua family to be exterminated to the ninth degree; if the high-level of the Great Jin Divine State were angered, all clans related to the Hua family in the Nine Mountains Province would be purged, and that is not impossible.

Therefore, several Hua family ancestors even employed secret arts, meticulously erasing from their own souls all memories of the innate spiritual treasure. Destroying corpses and erasing traces, leaving no witnesses.

As for hall master Si Ma-you of the Central Constant Country branch of the Demon Forbidden Hall, he was like a mad dog placed on a chopping block, beginning a frantic self-rescue.

Following the lead that Wu Tie had uncovered, he subjected the captured Heavenly Patrol Secret Guards to brutal torture, and indeed, like a blind cat finding a dead mouse, he unearthed several families in Central Constant Country that had been harboring the Heavenly Patrol Secret Guards for thousands of years.

The purpose of these harboring families was to facilitate the Heavenly Patrol Secret Guards' attacks in Central Constant Country.

Among these harboring families, the one that had fared best actually already possessed a noble title, successfully infiltrating the aristocratic circle of Central Constant Country.

Si Ma-you's frantic tearing and biting yielded some noticeable achievements, earning him praise from the high-level of the Demon Forbidden Hall.

Moreover, the high-level of the Demon Forbidden Hall presented Si Ma-you's findings about the Heavenly Patrol Secret Guards' affiliations as a major achievement report to the Divine Emperor of Great Jin, and at the same time they paid a certain price, compensating the lord of Central Constant Country.

Consequently, outside Hua Chong City appeared a giant pit extending a thousand li deep; the Hua family's loss of manpower and of their clan-protecting immortal troops, the near annihilation of the Ren family, and the problem of frantic attacks across Central Constant Country were all perfectly resolved.

It's all because the Heavenly Patrol Secret Guards went mad!

As for why they went mad…

The Hua family, who knows the truth, will not speak; Wu Tie, who has gained the real benefit, absolutely will not speak; and Si Ma-you, who has barely managed to clear himself of this affair, will absolutely absolutely not mention it again…

The matter just passed like that.

The black-clothed elder clan, which had schemed for a thousand years seeking to secure the family's eternal fortune, knew that the high-level who knew the truth of the innate spiritual treasure had been slaughtered by Wu Tie, while the other unaware mid- and low-level clansmen were purged by the Heavenly Patrol Secret Guards on the charge of violating military law.

What could have shaken the entire Great Jin Divine State thus… became calm as still water.

Wu Tie, recuperating from his injuries in the ancestral residence of the Huo family in Hua Chong City, also watched in awe; Si Ma-you's displayed will to survive in this affair, the formidable obfuscating power of the Hua family and the Demon Forbidden Hall's high-level, and the Great Jin Divine State's high-level's skill at mutual evasion and prevarication, were truly…

Originally, Wu Tie had already braced himself for the worst.

He had prepared that, if the Demon Forbidden Hall discovered him, he would unleash a slaughter with his water-and-fire gourd, then discard the identity of "Huo Xiong" and flee straight back to the Fuxi Divine State, letting Xi Bu Bai rearrange a new identity for him.

But this is fine, fine.

Now that the matter has subsided, Wu Tie finds himself troubled by happiness.

Should he continue serving in the Divine Martial Army, or, per Si Ma-you's invitation, join the Demon Forbidden Hall?

But soon, Wu Tie no longer needed to worry.

An order came from the Divine Martial Army; Wu Tie obeyed, rushing to the main camp of the Divine Martial Army to reassemble, be reorganized, and then enter the Three Nations battlefield to carry out the autumn offensive.

Wu Tie immediately boarded the Divine Martial Army's transport barge, passing through one super-long-distance spatial transfer gate after another, and returned to the Divine Martial Army's main camp at once.

Barges of all sizes converged from all directions, and streams of escape light continually flew from the barges, scattering down onto the neatly arranged barracks.

Wu Tie located the main tent of the commander of the Right Vanguard Camp of the Divine Martial Army's forward army, descended as a streak of light, reported his name to the guards before the tent, and after a moment received permission to enter.

In the spacious tent, hundreds of zhang wide and capable of holding thousands, Jiang Hu, commander of the Right Vanguard Camp of the Divine Martial Army's forward army, clad in heavy armor, with a stern aura and expressionless, sat behind the large desk, while to his left and right, ranks of similarly armored guards in goose-feather formation stood.

To the left and right of Jiang Hu's desk were four slightly smaller desks, behind which sat eight civil officials in long robes and soft armor. These were the marching commandant, marching secretary, assistant officer, and chief clerk who assisted Jiang Hu in handling military affairs.

At that moment, the tent already held nearly a thousand generals, commandant, and captains of the Right Vanguard Camp; Wu Tie slowed his steps, his face solemn, carefully approached the leftmost desk before Jiang Hu, and placed his identity token upon it.

The marching secretary seated behind the desk picked up Wu Tie's token, tapped it, and a Blood Light shot from the token; a matching Blood Light emanated from a bronze mirror hanging high above the tent, instantly sweeping over Wu Tie's body.

A soft "ding" sounded.

Breath matched, technique matched, the Qi of vital organs such as blood vessels, bones, and five viscera was gentle, soul breath matched, there was no parasitic foreign entity in the soul, no trace of lingering soul-control secret arts, and the soul showed no recent signs of injury.

Aside from slightly disordered breath and some unhealed sinews near the chest bones and heart/lungs, everything else was normal.

The marching secretary took up a cinnabar brush and made a note on the thick officer roster before him, confirming that Eighth Grade Captain Huo Xiong of the Divine Martial Army's Right Vanguard Camp had returned to the camp on schedule as ordered.

The marching secretary tossed the token back to Wu Tie and then, as routine, asked: "You're injured—how did that happen? Were you involved in a private fight?"

He also pointed to a tiny windmill condensed in the Blood Light spraying from the bronze mirror.

"And what's the story with these three-refined immortal arms? Where did they come from?"

The Great Jin Divine State's military law is strict; as an active officer of the Divine Martial Army, if one returns home on leave and engages in a private fight without proper excuse, any scale of it is an offense. Winning a private fight is a minor offense; losing one, heh, regardless of right or wrong, one first receives three hundred military strokes before anything else.

Moreover, these three-refined immortal arms—immortal arms in the Divine Martial Army can only be obtained by officers of general rank or higher.

Coming from an ordinary military household and merely an ordinary Eighth Grade Captain, he inexplicably possessed a three-refined immortal arm; if it were a bribe, the offense would be much graver.

"Not a private fight. This myriad-blade chariot… heh." Jiang Hu, seated on the high dais, suddenly spoke.

Jiang Hu hails from an aristocratic clan of the Great Jin Divine State, is a genuine military lineage, cultivates an ancestral divine art a hundred times stronger than the army's secret transmission, and follows the pure path of body cultivation.

In his usual form he stands about five meters tall, and his chair and desk are specially made oversized furniture.

Clad in heavy armor, Jiang Hu lounged silently in his chair like a dozing tiger, imposing tremendous pressure on all the generals, commandant, and captains in the tent.

The moment he spoke, the marching secretary who had been posing the question shuddered, all officers in the hall turned toward Jiang Hu, and their peripheral glances swept over Wu Tie.

What exactly did Huo Xiong do during his home leave, that Jiang Hu, who commands millions of troops, would personally speak up?

"Not bad, didn't embarrass me." Jiang Hu gave a low chuckle, lightly tapping the desk before him, producing a muffled "dong dong".

"A document arrived from the Demon Forbidden Hall… excellent, that sneaky bunch this time lost face, for it was thanks to my Divine Martial Army's lads finding the Heavenly Patrol Secret Guards' stronghold, thus following the vine to uncover those Heavenly Patrol Secret Guard lurkers hidden for thousands of years in Central Constant Country."

"But they're stingy too… the Demon Forbidden Hall is filthy rich, yet unwilling to spare even a top-grade healing medicine, causing you to be injured for these days, and… still having some unhealed dark wounds—truly miserly."

"Moreover, this myriad-blade chariot is excellent; placed on the battlefield to massacre enemy low-ranking troops, it's a great killer." Jiang Hu laughed brightly: "The Demon Forbidden Hall helped you claim merit, and you indeed earned face for my Divine Martial Army this time, so I can't be stingy either."

Jiang Hu struck the desk heavily with his fingers and said solemnly: "Jin Huo Xiong, promoted to Seventh Grade Captain, awarded first-class great merit once, bestowed a nine-refined spirit blade and a set of nine-refined spirit armor… You cultivate the three-turn primordial technique? Well, take this nine-turn primordial technique, study it diligently, and swiftly enhance your strength."

There was a faint commotion inside the big tent.

Being promoted from eighth-rank colonel to seventh-rank colonel was nothing; in this big tent there were over a hundred generals stationed, and the commandants numbered in the hundreds.

However, the Nine‑Forged Spirit Blade and Nine‑Forged Spirit Armor are what commandants receive; generally they are fourth‑rank commandants, or those who have spent over a hundred years fighting at the rank of fifth‑rank commandant and accumulated enormous military merit, only then are they eligible for such treatment.

This made a large crowd envy them until their eyes turned red.

But the Nine Turn Elemental Skill……

The Divine Martial Army's hereditary techniques are divided into three levels: three‑turn, six‑turn, and nine‑turn.

The Divine Martial Army, mostly consisting of military households, generally cultivates the three‑turn elemental skill; to obtain a higher‑level technique, one must achieve tremendous merit, only then possibly gaining a superior technique.

After all, spirit weapons and spirit armor are external objects; only the technique is fundamental.

With the same cultivation, a Divine Martial Army officer who cultivates the six‑turn elemental skill has at least five to six times the combat power of an officer cultivating the three‑turn elemental skill; on the battlefield one such officer can slay twenty or thirty opponents of the same realm who cultivate the three‑turn elemental skill.

And a Divine Martial Army officer who cultivates the nine‑turn elemental skill possesses more than ten times the combat power of an officer cultivating the six‑turn elemental skill.

In the Divine Martial Army, who can cultivate the nine‑turn elemental skill?

Besides those like Jiang Hu from a generals' lineage, who possess their family's inherited divine arts secret techniques, those able to cultivate the nine‑turn elemental skill are at least second‑rank general‑level senior officers. Many have sacrificed their lives, fighting for the Divine Martial Army for hundreds of years, not knowing how much merit they have accumulated, in order to gain the chance to comprehend the nine‑turn elemental skill.

But Huo Xiong…… just a measly seventh‑rank colonel!

Nine Turn Elemental Skill!

Inside the big tent, dozens of third‑rank generals stared at Wu Tie with eyes reddened, their eyes almost bursting with fire.

"Don't envy him; that's his fortune." Jiang Hu laughed brightly: "Hehe, this matter, you guys have nowhere to inquire about it, but I can tell you, this time our Divine Martial Army's Grand Palace Master, hehe, has really shown his face."

"A disturbance that was stabbed up to the Divine Emperor's presence was quelled solely by an eighth‑rank colonel of our Divine Martial Army. You don't know about this matter, but those who are qualified to know, all know. The Grand Palace Master's face shines; this is an especial reward granted to Huo Xiong."

"Envy, jealousy? Good, this autumn campaign, go hard on the scum of Great Wei and Great Wu! As long as you can chop off enough heads, what good thing can't be exchanged?" Jiang Hu laughed hehe, flicked his wide sleeve, and several specks of spiritual light flew to Wu Tie's face.

An extremely fierce and overbearing Azure Dragon Crescent Blade, its entire body entwined with spiritual light.

A set of extremely heavy full‑cover Kirin Scale Armor, likewise covered in rosy light.

A palm‑sized jade tablet, its surface faintly flashing with countless characters, this is the transmission secret disc of the Nine Turn Elemental Skill; it is a one‑time use item, as long as it is placed on the brow, all the secrets of the Nine Turn Elemental Skill's techniques will be transmitted into the mind, after which the secret disc will self‑destruct.

"Subordinate kowtows in gratitude, Commander, willing to die for the Divine Martial Army!" Wu Tie dropped to one knee on the ground, solemnly clasped his fists toward Jiang Hu in salute, then received the secret disc and pressed it firmly against his brow.

A vast amount of information surged in, the cultivation method of the Nine Turn Elemental Skill instantly etched into the heart.

Compared to the three‑turn elemental skill, it is far more complex and exquisite; the amount of heavenly and earthly primordial energy absorbed per unit time increases over a hundredfold, and the absorption, digestion of that energy, as well as the strengthening and tempering of the physical body, likewise increase by dozens of times.

Moreover, the Nine Turn Elemental Skill includes over a dozen powerful divine abilities, among which are the post‑heaven Metal‑Gold Escape Technique, post‑heaven Metal‑Gold Battle Technique, post‑heaven Earth‑True Body, post‑heaven Earth‑Escape Technique, and various other offensive, defensive, and evasion secrets.

With this Nine Turn Elemental Skill as a disguise, Wu Tie can display even greater strength and accumulate more merit.