Chapter 104: Harvest

Chen Mo sat on the carriage wearing light armor, his weapons carried on his person.

The carriages used this time were all pulled by two horses; although the horses pulling them were not warhorses, they were still excellent, sturdy steeds.

Even if loaded with one or two thousand catties, their speed would not slow down in the slightest.

Flipping through the incredibly detailed military map in his hands, Chen Mo's finger slid continuously along the official road marked upon it.

Because they had not yet left the territory under the jurisdiction of the Salt Transport Department these past few days, he had been the one driving the horse at the very front to lead the way.

On both sides of his carriage, there were over a dozen cavalrymen accompanying them, clearing a path for the main army behind to ensure they could pass safely.

After traveling for an entire day, it was only near dusk that the main army finally set up camp.

Along the way, it was impossible to have markets or towns everywhere, so the majority of the time had to be spent in the wilderness.

"Uncle Zhou, at our current speed, we will reach Three Roads Street in five more days; once there, we can step into the territory of Qingzhou."

Chen Mo walked into the tent, spread out the map, and explained carefully.

He was not clear on the specific goal of this journey, nor did he have a detailed map of the territory within Qingzhou on hand.

All he had to do was successfully lead these people out of the Salt Transport Department's range and get them closer to Qingzhou.

Once they arrived there, he would only need to provide escort and would no longer need to continue leading the way at the front.

"Fine, follow the Three Roads Street official road for another three days, and we can enter the Qingzhou border."

Zhou Dong nodded slightly, glanced outside the tent, and instructed in a deep voice, "After entering the Qingzhou border, travel for another five or six days, and we can just hand the prisoners over to the Heaven Supervision Department to handle."

Chen Mo was lost in thought, then immediately spoke up, "Looking at it this way, those Qi Refiners are most likely to make their move right around the time we enter Qingzhou."

Qingzhou is now a wilderness, with almost no human presence.

Since those Qi Refiners want to avoid being discovered, making a move there would ensure no one could find any traces.

They could even lie in wait within Qingzhou for a period of time after the killings, waiting for the wind to die down before reappearing.

Because there is no Mirage Sea within Qingzhou, those Qi Refiners can move freely there and stay as long as they want without any restrictions.

A flash of approval crossed Zhou Dong's eyes, and he laughed, "Not bad, it is indeed highly likely they will make their move there; be prepared when the time comes."

Having said this, he waved his hand, signaled for Chen Mo to come before him, and then said in an extremely low voice, "Listen to your uncle: if something really happens, prioritize saving your life. Fight if you can, but if you can't, just retreat if you have to. I'm telling you this, and don't forget to tell Mo Hu when you go back."

His voice was extremely low; it was the admonition of an elder to a junior.

Mo Hu and Chen Mo were both adopted sons of Sun Shouren; if they came out on a trip with him, Zhou Dong, and one of them accidentally perished,

he would have no way to answer to his contemporary, Sun Shouren.

Therefore, he had to make them understand that saving their lives was the most important thing; as for whether they earned merit or not, that was not so important.

"This junior understands," Chen Mo promised in a low voice.

He put away the map and left the tent; the tent where he was to rest had already been set up.

Mo Hu was currently lying on his side inside the tent; the surroundings were noisy and not suitable for cultivation, so he was holding a book, reading with great interest.

Seeing Chen Mo walk over, he hurriedly put away the storybook in his hand.

"I just went to find Uncle Zhou and chatted with him about some things."

Chen Mo spoke solemnly, and Mo Hu's expression also turned serious at once.

"We are going to travel within Qingzhou for a few days, and we may encounter danger then. It is highly likely that those attacking us will be Qi Refiners, so be careful above all else. Do not be rash or impulsive; preserving your life is what matters most."

Mo Hu nodded; although he was not clear on many things, anyone who wasn't a fool could see it.

These five hundred elite armored soldiers plus one hundred Patrol Heaven Guards were definitely not there just to watch over these eighty prisoners; they were certainly there to guard against some kind of attack.

It was just that he hadn't expected the people coming to intercept and kill them to be Qi Refiners.

However, he wasn't worried; Qi Refiners sounded mysterious, but after killing a few, he wasn't that worried about them anymore.

The following days were still spent on the road; a few days later, after completing their largest resupply and bringing enough water and grain, the main army finally set off in a grand, imposing manner.

Because they were carrying too many things, their speed was much slower than in previous days.

Fortunately, because it was quite arid, the roads in Qingzhou were still relatively easy to traverse.

Upon entering Qingzhou, Chen Mo kept his armor on and his weapons in his hands at all times.

The first few dozen miles were peaceful, and as it neared noon, the sun was at its peak.

The soldiers who had been marching for several hours were all incredibly thirsty.

Zhou Dong gave the order for the many soldiers to rest and drink water, and to take out their dry rations to share.

Chen Mo quietly activated his Ear Consciousness and triggered his Eye of Blood Qi, observing the surroundings cautiously.

No matter how he looked at it, the surroundings were very quiet.

If they didn't make a move now, those Qi Refiners were eight or nine times out of ten going to launch a night raid.

This was also normal; ordinary soldiers had difficulty seeing at night, while those Qi Refiners could trigger their Eye Consciousness, which was sufficient for night vision.

The afternoon was still spent marching until the sun sank in the west, the setting sun like blood, casting upon the desolate earth and adding a sense of solemnity and tragedy to the world.

Chen Mo could already hear many people appearing in the surroundings who shouldn't be there; they were hidden very well and could not be seen, but they could be heard.

Qi Refiners, after all, had not completely abandoned their physical bodies; they also had heartbeats, and the flow of their blood would also make sounds.

"Alert! Everyone prepare to light torches," Zhou Dong clearly also sensed that someone was peeping from outside and immediately ordered.

Finally, before the sun set, the five hundred armored soldiers surrounded the prisoner carriages in a tight circle.

The Tooth Gate Shields they had been carrying could finally be put to use.

This type of shield was about five feet wide, seven feet high, and a full inch thick.

The exterior was wrapped in refined steel, while the interior was filled with leather and cotton cloth.

There was a sharp protrusion at the bottom of the shield, like a sharp tooth, which could be driven deep into the ground to save the strength of the soldier holding the shield.

"I just scouted, and there are quite a few Qi Refiners nearby. Rather than continuing to waste our strength waiting here, we might as well strike first."

After Zhou Dong arranged the defenses, he immediately summoned Chen Mo and the Anyang Prefecture garrison commander to give instructions.

If the many soldiers were to maintain a state of full alert for too long, even if they were all elites, they wouldn't be able to hold out for more than a few hours.

Among the many soldiers present, only these three could see in the night and were able to take the initiative to attack.

"We await the General's orders," Chen Mo said, immediately saluting.

They were now receiving military orders, not chatting in private, so the form of address naturally could not be too casual.

"If anyone comes to charge our formation, someone will fire a signal arrow, and we shall return to provide support then," Zhou Dong instructed further.

Chen Mo cupped his hands to accept the order again and quietly departed, aided by the remaining daylight.

The Qi Refiners who came this time were mostly not very strong.

Otherwise, they would not have needed to wait until nightfall to launch a sneak attack; they could have simply charged the formation during the day.

Chen Mo held a long spear in one hand and a Tooth Gate Shield in the other.

The shield, which was the size of a door panel, did not feel very strenuous to carry in his hand.

This shield had many advantages; it was large and wide enough that, with his own strength, throwing it out as a hidden weapon should also be quite effective.

Chen Mo ran very fast, moving like a gust of Wind and kicking up boundless dust.

"Clang!" Suddenly, a finger flicked against Chen Mo's forehead, but it only produced the sound of metal clashing.

These Qi Refiners of ordinary strength, even without using their Inner Qi Gauze, could not break through the defense of Chen Mo's physical body, which he had refined.

In the withered woods not far away, a Qi Refiner looked stunned; he truly had not expected that the Dharma Artifact he had painstakingly refined would fail to break the opponent's defense.

Immediately after, several more Dharma Artifacts flew over and struck Chen Mo, emitting the crisp sound of metal clashing, yet not one could pierce his skin.

Chen Mo twisted his body and exerted force, sending the door-sized shield crashing straight toward the withered woods in the distance.

Whether it was accurate or not did not matter; he did not believe these Qi Refiners would dare not dodge.

"Everyone, run! This person is a Tongmai Perfection Martial Artist and has also practiced External Martial Arts; we are far from being his match!"

A relatively young-looking Qi Refiner suddenly realized this and shouted to warn his companions.

As his voice fell, he discovered that some of his cunning and treacherous companions had already slipped away.

These Qi Refiners were not an unbreakable alliance to begin with; most had come for their own selfish desires.

They could fight a battle when the wind was at their backs, but expecting them to join forces to deal with a Martial Dao powerhouse was absolutely impossible.

The Qi Refiner wanted to say more, but only felt a long spear pierce through his heart.

With Chen Mo's current strength, he could cross a distance of several dozen zhang in just an instant.

The remaining six Qi Refiners in the withered woods scattered and fled, using all sorts of techniques and methods; they did not need to run faster than Chen Mo now, just faster than their fleeing companions.

Chen Mo was not in a hurry to chase; he stood in place, nocking an arrow to his bow.

With the blessing of the Blood Qi Eye and the ability to control his physical body with extreme precision.

Chen Mo's archery had now reached an extremely profound level; let alone hitting a willow leaf from a hundred paces, even shooting a halberd at the gate of a camp would be no problem.

He fired six arrows in succession, all of which hit their marks; each of the five Qi Refiners had their heads shattered by the feathered arrows, with grey-white brains, bone fragments, and flesh splattering everywhere.

Chen Mo would not dare to take a direct hit from a feathered arrow weighing several jin that carried ten thousand jin of force, let alone these Qi Refiners with relatively weak physical bodies.

Even if they activated a Talisman for protection, they could not block this strike.

Only one person had a golden light emerge around their body, which actually managed to block the strike head-on.

Chen Mo's eyes suddenly brightened; this person could actually block his strike, meaning the opponent was either quite strong or possessed a Secret Technique treasure.

But regardless of which it was, killing the opponent would yield him quite a harvest.

Chen Mo took a large step forward, and in the time of two or three breaths, he arrived at the side of that Qi Refiner.

Seeing him approach, the opponent's eyes were filled with terror; the Qi Refiner then took a Talisman from his Huai, and the activated Talisman turned into an extremely faint, inconspicuous golden light that shot straight into the distance.

Chen Mo did not hold back, pulling his long spear again, and the golden light surrounding the Qi Refiner instantly shattered and dissipated.

"Do not kill me, sir. I am willing to give you all the medicinal pills and Origin True Stones on my person. I am from the An Clan of Bing Province. If you are willing to spare me today, my An Clan will surely reward you handsomely in the future.

I have also used a Secret Technique to notify the powerhouses of my clan to come; rather than wasting time killing me, you would be better off retreating now."

He spoke at a very fast speed, seemingly afraid that Chen Mo would kill him before hearing clearly.

Yet until his head fell to the ground, his lips were still trembling, as if wanting to say something more.

Chen Mo picked up the bundle on the person, crushed their head with one foot, and searched their body again.

Besides the bundle and a few Talismans, there was also a Gold Bell; its material was special, its weight was quite heavy compared to gold, and no matter how it was shaken, it made no sound.

Chen Mo had no time to carefully ponder the use of this bell and could only put it away first.

It had to be said that the opponent's status was indeed quite extraordinary; there were five Origin True Stones in the bundle alone, along with many cultivation pills.

Although he could not use these pills himself, he could take them out to trade with other Qi Refiners for Mirage Spirits or pills he could use.

After searching this person's corpse, Chen Mo searched the corpses of the other few Qi Refiners one by one until they were clean.

Compared to the Qi Refiner from the An Clan of Bing Province, the other Qi Refiners were more like a group of paupers; in total, they only had seven Origin True Stones, eight or nine bottles of pills, and three Mirage Spirits.

This time the harvest was truly bountiful; as long as these items were sold, even if it were not enough to allow him to undergo his next Mortal Transformation, it would greatly shorten the time required.

After collecting the spoils of war, Chen Mo did not rush to leave but waited on the spot.

He actually wanted to see just how strong the powerhouse coming was; if it were a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he could just happen to see the gap between himself and a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator.

In any case, he was not far from the soldiers guarding the prisoner carriage; even if he could not win, there would be people coming to support him if he ran there.

And if it were a Qi Refiner, he would just kill them as well to add to his spoils.

Chen Mo did not wait long before someone came flying through the sky in the distance.

This person's strength was quite extraordinary, stepping on a Flying Sword with bright, flaming light flowing over the blade.

Chen Mo was somewhat surprised by this; having seen so many Qi Refiners, today he finally saw a Qi Refiner performing Sword Flying.

From this, it could be seen that this person's strength was absolutely quite extraordinary; otherwise, how could they use such a treasure!

(End of this chapter)