The Waters Were Calm, Yet He Stirred the Waves Himself

"Hmm..."

The two people who had been thrown to the ground struggled to their feet. Upon hearing Qiu Yan's question, they groaned twice but did not respond.

Qiu Yan observed the two men's expressions and noticed that there was no extra emotional fluctuation in their eyes, only fear—fear caused by being captured.

Then, one of them spoke, but not in the Central Plains language, but in the language of the Grasslands. Although they couldn't understand each other's languages, the meaning behind their words could be understood by the cultivator through their emotions, tone of voice, and facial expressions.

"Why did you arrest me?" Qiu Yan gleaned this meaning from those words, and when he spoke again, his words transformed into thought, flowing directly into the other person's mind!

The two finally made a move, and the fear in their eyes grew even stronger as they looked at Qiu Yan.

"Demon... demon?"

"Witchcraft?"

At that moment, both of them realized that the voice echoing in their minds was not just ordinary words, but the work of extraordinary power, which naturally made them even more fearful and at a loss.

"Alright, I'll just ask you, are you messengers sent by the Three Waters Tribe to Rouluo?" Qiu Yan asked, but two Heart Demon Fragment had already seeped into the hearts of the two men.

In fact, Qiu An was on guard while Qiu Yan was asleep. His consciousness was formed from the Incense Faith. After several adjustments, he was very sensitive to Karma. He could detect anyone connected to Qiu Yan in Karma immediately and take action to capture that person.

Therefore, Qiu Yan could easily glean information about Three Rivers and Rouluo from the Karma.

Pressed by Qiu Yan, the two men's panic subsided slightly, replaced by a growing wariness, and they began to offer excuses.

"We don't know what you mean by that. We are just herders grazing our livestock on this grassland. We just happened to be passing by when we were captured by your men."

"Unwilling to tell the truth?" Qiu Yan shook his head and stood up. He didn't press the matter further. "However, I never intended for you to answer verbally. What I needed was for you to recall what I asked."

To the astonishment of the two, the Heart Demon Fragment that had sunk deep into their hearts had extracted the relevant memories and transmitted them to them.

It turns out that when Qiu Yan raised the relevant questions, although the two of them intended to keep quiet, their minds would react, most notably by the resurfacing of related memories.

It's like telling someone "Don't think about elephants," but their first reaction will definitely be to think about the name "elephant" and recall what an elephant looks like.

In this way, the relevant memories are easily captured by the Heart Demon Fragment, and the desired information is obtained.

"The eldest prince of the Three Waters Tribe, Sukai, felt threatened by the arrival of the Great Rui delegation. Therefore, he sent someone to contact his backer in the Rouluo Tribe, and this backer..."

As he pondered, Qiu Yan turned his head and glanced at the human head wrapped in cloth beside him.

"What a coincidence! The delegation is also facing difficulties in the Three Waters Tribe. Taking this with them might be more convincing. Besides, by then, the results of the battle against the Left Wise King's Tribe might have already been reported..."

The thought had barely formed when Qiu Yan and Qiu An set off again. As for the two spies from Three Rivers, they were bound and carried by the Jadebreaker Longsword, flying through the air behind them.

However, after walking a few steps, Qiu Yan suddenly stopped, his eyelids twitched, revealing a look of surprise, and a hint of anger flickered in his eyes.

"These two, Lu Hu and his companion, have gone too far in their actions, leaving no room for error and completely disregarding others. Do they really think I fled out of fear? Is that why they are so reckless? Or is this how they usually act, without any restraint, and completely indifferent to the reasons behind things?"

After much thought, Qiu Yan made a final decision.

"Leaving like this is actually giving you a chance. Since you don't know what's good for you, there's nothing I can do. Even if it's hard to go back to the past for the time being, it doesn't mean that I'm really at your mercy!"

As the thought arose, within the Soul Aperture, the rich People's Wishes, the Incense Faith, and divine power, along with Heart Demon Fragment, surged forth, condensed within the soul, and, imbued with a trace of consciousness, transformed into a star shimmering with black light.

Karma and effect intertwined, and the stars, following the connection, streaked across the sky!

On the other side of the infinite starry sky, in this place called the Sand Battlefield, Lu Hu had already taken control of the situation. If the people gathered here hadn't still harbored a sliver of hope, they would probably have already withdrawn their consciousness.

In fact, three or four people have already done this; once their consciousness fades, their physical bodies turn into rocks.

"Some people who know what's good for them have already left. What do you people mean by staying here?" Lu Hu looked around and chuckled. "If you hope I can persuade you, don't even think about it. If I were you, I wouldn't harbor any illusions or think I could still gain something on the Sand Battlefield and fish in troubled waters."

"That's right. As long as the two of us are here, you can forget about bypassing us and getting Military School spoils." The woman holding the whip spoke, her expression cold, giving off an aura of unapproachability. "Your consciousness is captured by the Military Ranks World, and it's not easy for you to break free. You have to come in every now and then, but that's fine. Just stay here and watch obediently until your lifespan is exhausted and you return to the Netherworld. Then you won't have to come here anymore."

Her words were sharp, and as soon as they were spoken, everyone who remained changed color. Some laughed angrily, "You're really good at talking, making it sound so domineering, but you don't dare to follow the guidance of the classics to go to the deep space battlefield of the Military Ranks World. You just act like a tyrant here, cutting off the path of others! What kind of skill is that?"

Crack!

Before she could finish speaking, the woman's face turned frosty. She lashed out with her whip, striking Qiu Yan's petrified dummy, and sneered, "Who said that? Step forward yourself, or you might face consequences if I find out."

"Fang Jun, don't be angry. This friend doesn't understand the situation, so it's understandable that he said that."

A cold glint flashed in Lu Hu's eyes, and he grinned maliciously. "However, you are all descendants of Military School strategists, and you should know the principle that an army marches on its stomach. If you're going to fight Depths of the Army, how can you possibly succeed without thorough preparation? The very Original Edition of this Sand Battlefield lies in its provisions; you must ensure you have everything ready before cultivating your own understanding of Military School to guarantee success! As for cutting off your path forward, that's utter nonsense..."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and waved it, causing grains of sand to fly into the air and materialize into soldiers. They flew out quickly and surrounded Qiu Yan's rock avatar in layers, with weapons extending out and pointing directly at it. The defenses were extremely tight, clearly indicating that they were preparing to take down Qiu Yan as soon as he returned.

Then, Lu Hu walked over, and the layers of sand and soldiers made way for him. He turned around, lifted the chainmail panel, and actually tried to sit on Qiu Yan's fake body's head, doing everything he could to humiliate him!

As he worked, he continued, "Like all the newcomers, some are lucky enough to gain recognition from the classics and be compatible with many Original Edition, but lack the ability to do so, they can only flee and bring shame upon themselves. When I first came here, I was just like you, a complete novice. It was through my own abilities that I obtained a copy of the Original Edition, and then proceeded step by step to achieve my current Qi Manifestation. If you lack the ability, don't blame me for taking a good position!"

His words were forceful and resounding, carrying an air of righteous indignation, as if his rise to power was solely due to his own abilities, and that his preemptive power allowed him to monopolize everything that Original Edition, which seemed perfectly natural.

Many of the disciples of Military School strategists initially thought it made some sense, but they vaguely felt that something was amiss. Zhou Meng, however, narrowed his eyes and revealed a cold smile. He already understood, but he didn't say it aloud.

Just then, a voice came from behind Lu Hu, and his movement of sitting down suddenly froze in mid-air—

"According to your logic, your ability to stand out from the crowd and seize the lead is certainly due to your own skill. However, after acquiring resources, you use them as leverage to bully those below you and cut off their path to advancement. This may be considered Human Path, but it is by no means the right path."

Lu Hu was taken aback, took two steps back, turned around, and looked at the fake stone statue.

The voice clearly came from the rock avatar. A faint aura expanded outwards, stopping Lu Hu's insulting act. However, the aura was not strong and remained at the Foundation Establishment Peak stage.

However, although Lu Hu was stronger than others on this Sand Battlefield, his physical strength was not significantly greater. His strength was mainly reflected in another aspect, which is why he could be stopped.

"Interesting. I didn't expect you to have not completely escaped and still have some lingering resentment. What? You want to lecture me? I'm afraid you're not qualified! The principles I know and the things I've experienced are far more than yours! My tumultuous life has been all for the purpose of forging an unparalleled overlord!" Lu Hu laughed wildly, making his judgment without any intention of understanding Qiu Yan's experiences!

"Taking the lead on the road, instead of continuing forward and gaining an advantage, you block the way and protect your interests by suppressing those who come after you. This kind of thinking has already affected the development of Human Path. If you truly agree with the mindset of Military School, you should lead by example and encourage those who follow, instead of suppressing them. However, I, Qiu, have no intention of arguing with you, and I know that words cannot persuade you, but I want you to know..."

"In this world, not everything revolves around you! And not every act of recklessness goes unpunished!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a dark star suddenly appeared on the forehead of the stone statue, radiating light!

Snap! Snap! Snap!

The Original Spirit etched on the surface of the stone statue, each imprinted with a touch of black luster, flew towards Lu Hu like sharp arrows! (To be continued...)