"We've only got half an hour left. Good thing you made it back in time, my lord—otherwise they said you'd face military punishment."
"Yuyang Sect?"
As Chen Sanshi whistled for his White Swan horse, he asked for details while walking.
But Zhao Kang, being merely a squad leader, was only in charge of passing the order. He wasn't qualified to know the full plan.
"Let's go then!"
"Hyah—!"
A group of soldiers galloped off in a blaze of torches. By the time they reached the military camp, over four thousand men had already gathered on the training grounds.
The Reserve Camp had twelve thousand soldiers in total, divided into four divisions—front, rear, left, and right. Chen Sanshi's left division had all assembled, responsible for tonight's operation. Deputy General Sha Wenlong would personally lead, with Yu Song assisting.
The specific battle strategy was being discussed in the command tent, where only officers ranked Thousand-Commander and above could participate.
Inside were Bai Tingzhi, Lu Shuhua, and Xie Sishu—along with a man Chen Sanshi had never met before: the Reserve Camp's commanding general, Sha Wenlong.
Sha Wenlong had come from Youzhou. He used to serve under General Jing and was known as a fierce warrior. His face was rugged, and one eye had been blinded by an arrow on the battlefield, now covered by a black eyepatch. In his hand rested a broad Dragon-Scale Saber.
His aura was even stronger than that of Cao Fan's old attendant—clearly a Profound Manifestation Realm cultivator.
Chen Sanshi couldn't help but wonder why they were suddenly targeting Yuyang Sect. Could it be related to the Witch God Sect?
"Deputy General Yu, announce the mission."
Sha Wenlong said that and then rested both hands on his saber, closing his eye to meditate.
"Yes, sir!"
Yu Song stepped forward and explained,
"Recently, the Witch God Sect has been growing increasingly active, yet we've been unable to locate their base. General Sha began planting informants in various sects—and we've finally received results.
"One inner disciple of Yuyang Sect reported that one night, he personally saw a man in black kill someone with a Vajra Pestle, then hide inside the residence of Yuyang Sect's Sect Master, Huang Tianrong.
"So we suspect that Huang Tianrong has ties with the Witch God Sect—or perhaps, he is one of them!
"Tonight's mission is to capture Huang Tianrong alive. Until we determine how many Yuyang Sect disciples are connected to the Witch God Sect, no one is to escape!"
Yuyang Sect working with the Witch God Sect?
Chen Sanshi found it hard to believe.
That was just a third-rate sect. Based on reports, its sect master was only at Transforming Strength Beginner, one of the weakest forces in all of Liangzhou. How would they dare get involved with the Witch God Sect?
Even the Jade Maiden Pavilion —nearly exterminated before—had been a second-rate sect, its sect master at Meridian-Connecting Realm.
Did Yuyang Sect think they had multiple lives to spare?
Still, there was the chance they'd been coerced—just like the Golden Bell Temple, which had once been used as a Witch God Sect hideout.
Whatever the truth, they would find out soon enough.
Bai Tingzhi spoke up. "Deputy General Yu, I have a question."
Yu Song unrolled a map across the table without looking up. "Speak."
"Yuyang Sect has had a lot of disciples die mysteriously lately, hasn't it?"
Bai Tingzhi's tone was sharp. "If they really colluded with the Witch God Sect, why would so many of their own disciples be killed?"
"Obviously," Lu Shuhua said coldly, hand resting on his sword, "that's just a smokescreen to hide their tracks."
"Brother Lu is right," Xie Sishu added. "The more closely they work with the Witch God Sect, the more they need to kill their own to appear innocent—and keep their position secure."
Bai Tingzhi frowned in thought. "If that's the case, then they really deserve to die."
"General Sha," Yu Song said, gesturing toward the map of Liangzhou, "I've reported all the details. It's time for your orders."
"General Sha!"
Lu Shuhua stepped forward eagerly. "Please assign me and my men to the most dangerous position!"
"I request the same!" Xie Sishu immediately added. "I am willing to die in service!"
"Ha! All that talk of loyalty—you just want to earn merit," Bai Tingzhi scoffed.
Everyone knew that to challenge for the position of Chief True Disciple, it wasn't enough to surpass the current holder in cultivation; one also needed to earn at least one Class B Military Merit to qualify for the challenge.
"Enough!" Yu Song barked. "The general will assign as he sees fit—you'll follow orders!"
Sha Wenlong opened his eye and walked toward the map, voice deep and steady.
"Since not all Yuyang Sect disciples are involved with the Witch God Sect, we can't simply slaughter them all. Otherwise, the Eight Garrisons will suffer severe backlash.
"Tonight, our army's main role is to encircle, not to massacre.
"As for Huang Tianrong, Deputy General Yu and I will handle him personally.
"The rest of you will each take twenty men and infiltrate Yuyang Sect from different directions to seize these locations."
He pointed at several marked spots on the map.
Everyone leaned closer. The diagram of Yuyang Sect was incredibly detailed—every courtyard, every path, drawn clearly.
"These courtyards each house one Tempering Organ disciple—Huang Tianrong's core true disciples.
"If they cooperate, capture them alive. If they resist—kill them on the spot!
"Once we take down Huang Tianrong and his core followers, the rest of the sect will surrender. That way, the situation can be contained with minimal chaos.
"Do you all understand?"
"Yes, sir!"
The group responded in unison.
Sha Wenlong continued, "The Witch God Sect is a grave threat. If we allow them to spread unchecked, no one knows how much trouble they'll cause. On the other hand, if we can use Yuyang Sect to uncover the truth behind them, our Reserve Camp will earn great merit.
"Complete your objectives, and each of you will be credited with one Class C Military Merit."
"Move out!"
…
That night, the left division's four thousand soldiers marched silently out of the city. They surrounded the mountain paths below Yuyang Sect from every side, stationing one thousand heavy infantry at each exit to ensure no one could escape.
"Zhao Kang, Wang Li, Zhu Tong, Xu Bin—you each take five men and follow me up the mountain. Feng Yong, hold your position here with the rest and guard the pass!"
Chen Sanshi quickly issued his commands, then led his team toward the mountain.
Yuyang Sect was built atop a hill outside the city. It wasn't large, but its terrain was tricky—one courtyard after another, maze-like, with patrolling disciples everywhere.
Navigating through it at night to reach the target swiftly was no easy task at all.
Fortunately, Chen Sanshi had memorized the map perfectly, and with his night vision, he reached the target in record time—a courtyard with tightly shut gates connected to the rear mountain.
Strangely, the place didn't look inhabited. Spiderwebs clung to the doorframe, and the yard was eerily silent, as if abandoned.
"Didn't they say each of us was assigned to a core disciple? Why is no one here?"
To be sure, Chen Sanshi leapt onto the roof and used his Qi Observation Technique to sweep the area thoroughly. The result was certain—there wasn't a single person inside. That immediately set his nerves on edge.
When something feels off, there's always a reason.
His mind flashed back to what Tang Yingke had told him earlier that day.
Sha Wenlong…
"Did he send me here just to waste my time and deny me merit?"
"No… it's probably not that simple."
A single Class C Military Merit wasn't enough to threaten his position as chief true disciple.
That could only mean—this place was dangerous.
Could it be that Witch God Sect followers were hiding nearby and would appear soon?
He couldn't be sure.
For now, it was only speculation. Maybe he was just being paranoid.
But even if there was danger, he couldn't leave his post.
There was one rule—military orders were absolute.
Abandoning duty, especially during a mission, was a capital offense.
And as the Grand Commander's true disciple, he had to set an example. If he disobeyed orders, the consequences would be far worse.
'Step by step. Let's first find out what this courtyard is for.'
"Search the place!" he ordered.
…
In the darkness, Huang Tianrong led the way, followed by seven or eight core disciples and over a dozen inner disciples. Their faces were pale and tense as they rushed forward, glancing back repeatedly as if fleeing from some monstrous threat.
"Master!"
"They really did surround us!"
"If you hadn't reacted so fast, we'd all be in prison right now!"
"Senior Brother Ma deserves to die! He always acted honest, but to betray us like this? And to think Master planned to make him the next Sect Leader!"
"Colluding with the Witch God Sect? Ridiculous! So many of our brothers have been slaughtered—how could we have anything to do with them?"
"They can't catch the Witch God Sect, so they're pushing the blame on us! Those soldiers from the Eight Garrisons—none of them are any good!"
"Master… what if what Eighth Senior Brother saw was true?"
The question drew a furious glare from Huang Tianrong, who halted and turned back. "You dare doubt your own master?"
"The Witch God Sect killed dozens of Yuyang Sect disciples! One of them was your Third Senior Brother—the most promising to break through to the Meridian-Connecting Realm and restore our sect's strength! You think I would destroy our sect with my own hands?"
The disciples exchanged uneasy looks. His reasoning made sense.
"Master, what should we do now?"
"Should we go explain everything?"
"Explain? Explain my ass!"
Huang Tianrong snapped. "Do you think they sent an army just to listen to your explanations? If you want to stay behind and die, be my guest. But anyone who wants to live—follow me!
"This tunnel was built by our ancestors for times like this—to preserve the sect's lineage when facing extinction.
"The tunnel leads to a courtyard behind the mountain, where gold and silver are buried. We'll take the treasure and flee Liangzhou, then seek refuge with Lord Liang of Meishan in Mingzhou!"
"Lord Liang?"
A disciple gasped. "You mean… we're becoming bandits?"
"That's right! Bandits!"
Huang Tianrong's voice shook with anger. "Ever since Sun Xiangzong came to power, he's stopped taxing the peasants and instead squeezes the sects. In just five years, he's stripped us of nearly everything!
"And now this farce—clearly they're after our ancestral land by the Great Luo River! They want to take it for themselves!
"A court like this deserves rebellion!"
The disciples hesitated for a moment—but the more they thought about it, the more sense it seemed to make.
"Stay behind, and you'll die. Follow me, and there's a chance for glory. Someday, we might rise to be nobles and ministers!"
"Go! Quickly!"
…
"My lord! We found lots of weapons and treasure!"
Zhao Kang pointed to the mound of valuables piled in the center of the courtyard. "They were buried deep underground—we had to dig almost three feet to find them."
"This place really isn't ordinary…"
Chen Sanshi frowned.
What kind of location would be used to hide wealth?
Certainly not one with heavy guards. Which meant—this was an escape route.
He quickly pieced it together.
Sha Wenlong and the others must have raided Huang Tianrong's main residence only to find it empty. The sect master had been warned and fled beforehand. This courtyard was their endpoint—beyond its walls lay the mountains and freedom.
"Everyone, get out of the courtyard and set up ambush positions outside!"
Chen Sanshi gave the order.
They locked the gate again and took cover among the trees.
Not even the time it took for one cup of tea had passed before a group of panicked figures appeared in the distance.
"As expected…"
Just as Chen Sanshi had guessed—this was their escape route.
Which meant Sha Wenlong had likely sent him here on purpose—to make him clash with a Transforming Strength expert and let them kill each other.
One way to prove it would be to shoot a signal arrow into the sky—and see how long it took for "reinforcements" to arrive.
"Not good!"
Huang Tianrong, clutching a key, froze before he reached the gate. His face changed. "It's a trap! Run!"
"Loose arrows!"
Chen Sanshi shouted.
But every enemy here was at least Bone-Tempering Realm. Only he could drop one per shot—the rest of his men's arrows barely scratched them.
"Don't panic!" Huang Tianrong roared. "They don't have many men!"
Huang Tianrong, being an experienced sect master, quickly assessed the situation. "Kill them fast, grab the silver, and leave!"
While deflecting arrows, he charged forward, a steel trident in hand that roared like a dragon bursting from the sea, thrusting straight toward Chen Sanshi's face.
The Five-Tiger Soul-Breaking Spear clashed hard against the trident.
A wave of power surged out—different from qi and blood, sharp and fierce. Even though Chen Sanshi had already entered his Exploding Blood State, the impact still forced him half a step back—but only half a step.
A Transforming Strength technique, the hallmark of internal force—compared to the Tempering Organ Perfection stage—was supposed to be overwhelming. Against ordinary fighters, it would be a total gap.
But for Chen Sanshi… it wasn't that terrifying.
In his Exploding Blood State, he could endure it.
And from what he could sense, there weren't any other Witch God Sect experts nearby. The situation, for now, wasn't too dire.
Of course, reinforcements would be best.
"You? Chen Sanshi!"
Huang Tianrong recognized him at once—they had crossed paths at Ciyun Temple. "A mere Tempering Organ brat dares block my path? Die!"
At this point, there was no retreat. Even if Sun Xiangzong himself appeared, Huang Tianrong would still have to fight to the death.
…
"General Sha, why is there no one here?"
At the other end of Yuyang Sect—the sect master's residence—only a few terrified women were found, curled on the ground and sobbing.
"Do you really need to ask?"
Sha Wenlong stared at a corpse at his feet—it was the Yuyang Sect disciple who had tipped them off. "That useless fool must've leaked the information. Huang Tianrong caught wind of it and fled early."
"So what now? Where do we look?"
"How the hell should I know?"
Just then—
"Chiu—!"
From the southeast sky came several sharp cries—signal arrows bursting into the air one after another.
"General Sha, there's a signal!"
Yu Song said urgently, "We agreed before—no signals unless Huang Tianrong is spotted! He's Transforming Strength Realm, and all our Thousand-Commanders are only Tempering Organ. Anyone who encounters him alone will be in danger. We should move now!"
"No rush."
Sha Wenlong's expression was calm, almost cold. "It might be a trick—a decoy to lure us away. Search the area again."
"Yes… yes, sir." Yu Song hesitated but obeyed.
…
Twenty rounds passed.
Chen Sanshi was still fighting the Transforming Strength expert—and as time went on, what started as suppression had shifted. The fight was now even.
"Damn it!"
One of the soldiers shouted as he fought the Yuyang Sect disciples nearby. "We sent the signal ages ago! Why hasn't anyone come?"
"Do you still need to ask?"
Chen Sanshi's eyes turned cold.
They had been set up.
That bastard Sha was almost certainly working under orders—from Yin Hanwen or maybe even Cao Fan.
Still…
As the fight dragged on, Chen Sanshi noticed something—
A Transforming Strength expert wasn't invincible.
His struggle against Cao Fan before had been so difficult only because Cao Fan was a once-in-a-generation prodigy.
But not everyone was.
Huang Tianrong clearly wasn't. Otherwise, how could a sect master of a full sect still be stuck at the entry level of Transforming Strength?
One small difference in foundation leads to massive disparity.
His own qi and blood were far stronger.
And the longer the fight continued, the more the balance tipped in his favor.
"How… how is this possible?"
Huang Tianrong's earlier confidence vanished. His face turned pale. How could he—a Transforming Strength expert—fail to overwhelm an Tempering Organ opponent?
This man's Exploding Blood State hit with relentless ferocity. Then, incredibly, he used pure qi and blood to block and parry internal force itself!
Qi and blood—defying internal power!
It was absurd. Unreal. Terrifying!
In that instant, Huang Tianrong finally understood what it meant for Chen Sanshi to stand at the top of the talents across all thirty-six provinces of the Capital Region—someone like that couldn't be judged by ordinary cultivation standards.
"Lord Chen! You and I have at least some acquaintance! Let's both step back—you let me go, what do you say?"
The only reply he got was a flash of silver.
Empowered by the Mysterious Five Organs Body, Chen Sanshi's Blood of the Dragon and Elephant went into a full frenzy. With the Heart of the Qilin unraveling every one of Huang Tianrong's patterns, he moved like a demonic god descending from heaven.
Though fighting across realms, he completely dominated.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Each collision of spear and trident sent sparks spraying.
Huang Tianrong's arms trembled; the trident in his hands grew heavier, harder to control. His internal force burned away fast—too fast.
The qi and blood of Tempering Organ fighters might be limited, but Transforming Strength energy wasn't endless either.
If the internal force ran dry before victory, his advantage would vanish entirely.
"Clang!"
Another clash—metal rang out.
Then, a sharp crack.
The trident in Huang Tianrong's hands snapped clean in half.
…
"General Sha!"
Yu Song was uneasy. Something about tonight felt wrong.
He said, "If you'd allow it, I'll head to where the signal came from and take a look myself."
"Hmm. Seems it wasn't a diversion after all. I'll go with you," Sha Wenlong said calmly, then strode off.
Forty rounds—that should be enough.
The task Young Master Yin gave him would be accomplished.
Even if Huang Tianrong was useless, he was still a Transforming Strength cultivator. Killing that boy should've been easy.
Everything tonight was perfectly arranged.
All of it could be explained as an accident.
Dying in battle—what could even the Grand Commander say? True disciples had died before.
With that comforting thought, Sha quickened his pace.
But when he arrived, he froze.
Under the pale moonlight, a silver spear roared like a dragon and pierced straight through Huang Tianrong's heart.
"Clang!"
Almost simultaneously, Chen Sanshi drew the Mountain-Suppressing Sword, slicing clean through Huang Tianrong's neck. The head tumbled through the air and landed right at Sha Wenlong's feet, blood splattering across his face and armor.
"General Sha."
Chen Sanshi's voice was cold and steady, each word cutting like steel.
"Looks like… you came too late."