North to Liuyuan, a First Test of the Blade!

See here--

Qin Lu smiled and said, "Then I will head due north, towards Liuyuan Dao District. I've heard that the Yan Miao Bai Clan, along with the Yangzhou Dao Soldiers, are attempting to take this place..."

"My Qin Clan is not as well-established as the Huang Clan family. These fellow Daoists below have all made breakthroughs in recent years and are only seeking a share of the profits."

"Please forgive me, Brother Huang, for not being able to accompany you on this journey."

Upon hearing this—

Huang Liang shook his head, indicating that it wasn't a big deal; he understood Qin Lu's predicament...

Besides Qin Lu, who is at the Qi Condensation Middle Layers, only the Qing Centipede can stand alone. The others are Qin Wu, Meng Yu, Su Wanchang, Gan Ling...

They all only had the cultivation level of the Qi Condensation First Layer, which was like floor tiles for Qi Condensation cultivators.

To be honest, only Qin Wu, relying on his sword cultivation's killing power, could barely manage to fight across a minor realm. As for Mr. Mengyu...

I've only heard that he's a sorcerer who can predict the future, so I imagine his combat strength isn't that great.

Such strength is indeed somewhat weak.

Especially in the event of a full-scale war between two countries, even a Qi Condensation cultivator could die a gruesome death if they were not careful!

"And you, Brother Zhang?"

"This humble Daoist priest..."

"I shall then work together with the two from the Bureau of Hundred Arts Office..."

"After all, this battle is no small matter. My priority is to save my own life. I'll just take advantage of the situation and wipe out some smaller clans for my own benefit."

After speaking--

Qin Lu and Huang Liang naturally understood the underlying meaning of their pretense...

But no one exposed it.

After all, when Zhang Clan became Immortal Clan, Qin was just a junior Qin Clan, and it was only through his status Alchemist that he had the opportunity to befriend him...

Today, the Qin Clan is rising rapidly!

This must be incredibly embarrassing for the former big brother, who is now even inferior to his younger brother...

Anyone would feel anxious and uncertain in this situation.

In addition to the Zhang Clan, there was originally a Qi Condensation cultivator who, while helping the Huang Clan dominate Longchuan, ultimately met his Death Dao...

This time--

This completely halted the Zhang Clan's rise to power!

Huang Liang felt guilty. Zhang Clan's inability to continue her work led to the Huang Clan's rise to power. Regardless, this friendship...

He, Huang Clan, was to be repaid, and even several times that amount.

Although the Zhang Clan has been granted concessions on several occasions, how easy is it to cultivate a Qi Condensation seedling?

The Zhang Clan is currently in an awkward situation where they have resources but lack a suitable offspring...

It is said that the Zhang Clan originally had another genius, Zhang Liang, who was 1.4 inches tall, but for some unknown reason, he was later killed.

They got lost!

This further demoralized the Zhang Clan Zhang Clan, whose foundation was already somewhat weak...

Now, the only remaining talent in the clan has gone missing.

The Zhang Clan has fallen to this state; all they can do now is hope that more children will be born in the clan, so that a good son can be born...

After exchanging pleasantries, the three went their separate ways.

The Huang Clan really went all out this time, deploying six Qi Condensation cultivators, along with six thousand Warrior and an army of over two hundred thousand mortals...

This large force marched westward in a mighty army!

If you could look down from above, you would see tens of millions of troops surging into the territory of Daliang...

There are dozens of clans of the Huang Clan's size, some rushing to the front lines from all over the Da Zhou, others infiltrating the Daliang directly from the wilderness!

Zhang Xuan, Gongsun Zhe, Fu Hua.

He then led an army of less than two thousand Warrior and fifty to sixty thousand ordinary people...

According to their plan, they intended to hold back throughout the entire battle, focusing their efforts on trapping and eliminating smaller tribes.

Before leaving--

Gongsun Zhe also specially delivered a Qiankun Pouch to Qin Lu...

The two exchanged a glance, Qin Lu understood immediately, becoming even more excited!

"Fellow Daoist Qin..."

"This item has barely reached the level of a rudimentary Law Treasure, but it still needs your nurturing. Wait until you formally break through to the Dao Foundation Realm..."

"Law Treasure is naturally forged, it can be directly refined into your natal magic Law Treasure!"

"Besides..."

There are still some materials and Spirit Stone left inside; please take them back, fellow Daoist.

Upon hearing this—

Qin Lu was somewhat surprised, but then, as if realizing something, he directly asked via telepathy:

"Could it be that the Qi Condensation has failed?"

Gongsun Zhe remained silent, only nodding bitterly.

"Alright, I understand. We'll meet again next time we open the furnace..."

"I, Qin, will leave you one of these extra materials and Spirit Stone; consider it a deposit you paid in advance."

"Fellow Daoist Qin, that's truly excellent!"

Gongsun Zhe was satisfied and then turned to leave.

Qin Lu sighed softly, thinking that this was to repay the favor Gongsun Zhe had done for him by refining the Jinyuan Needle...

With Qin Lu's current insight, how could he not see that the Jinyuan Needle contained a lot of rare metal spiritual materials, and it was definitely not something that could be refined from a single Red Gold Bee stinger?

Obviously--

Back then, Gongsun Zhe put in a lot of effort, all just to gain a favor from Qin Lu...

Now that this favor has been repaid, Qin Lu can say that a matter on his mind has been settled. His mind is at peace; he planted the seed back then, and today he is reaping the reward.

"Wu'er..."

"Order the entire army to advance on Liuyuan!"

Several months later--

Along the Liuyuan Dao District, a total of 72 fortified passes were established...

At this time, a city gate called Mingde City stands in a canyon, relying on the mountains to form a pass.

This approach is similar to the Qin Clan's Yunmeng Pass and Yunchuan Pass...

Both are built against the mountain, connecting the city gate with the earth's energy, thus forging them into a unified whole, just like a mountain range...

Become one with this place!

If you look south from the city gate, you will see a huge army, a vast and imposing sight.

Nearly 200,000 troops were stationed here, setting up camp and awaiting the opportunity to break through the pass...

A war of this magnitude --

If the Yan Miao Bai Clan and the Yangzhou Dao Soldiers, who are on the main battlefield, do not take the initiative to attack, the other forces will naturally not dare to act rashly...

Only the main battlefield will be attacked!

Only the remaining smaller passes dared to follow suit, launching a full-scale attack!

A single hair can affect the whole situation; this is the nature of war between cultivators. In large-scale battles, it's never about the size of the army on either side...

Instead, it depends on whether the top-level combat capabilities have gained an advantage.

If one's own side has a significant advantage in the Dao Foundation Realm, firstly, morale will be greatly boosted...

Secondly, there is the collapse of the enemy's battle lines. If the Dao Foundation Realm collapses, it means that the enemy Dao Foundation cultivator will be able to free up their resources to deal with the next level.

From specific points to broader implications, it eventually affects the entire battle!

"That's about it..."

"The Yangzhou Dao Soldiers have already launched their first wave of attack..."

"Pass down the order: the entire army, prepare yourselves!"

"Mr. Mengyu, could you please perform a divination to predict the outcome..."

Upon hearing this—

Qin Wu accepted the order and retreated, while Meng Yu began to calculate using Hand Seals...

A phantom hand reached out to grasp the thread of heavenly the Unseen, and instantly a scene appeared before Meng Yu's eyes!

"Insects howl across the wilderness, a myriad of insects like a sea, among which are the five poisonous creatures, ravaging the world..."

"The image of Zhongji!"