Chapter 1322: Situ Fengcheng's Decision
On a plain about five hundred miles from Zhishiguan, the Undying Blood Clan's military camp was spread out. Looking out, one could see nothing but densely packed tents, their lights blazing brightly, like stars reflected on the dark earth.
Above the camp, thick blood clouds stretched for thousands of miles.
Within the blood clouds, numerous grand formations were in operation, preventing sneak attacks from imperial court experts.
One of the command tents of the Qingtian Tribe was built from piles of human bones. Outside the tent stood a large banner, on which hung a human skin—more precisely, the skin peeled from a human saint.
The saint blood on the skin had not yet dried, emitting wisps of crimson light.
On the surface of the skin, two bold characters were branded using Sacred Dao rules—Situ.
Situ was a major surname in the Qingtian Tribe, representing an ancient and illustrious family, second only to the Qingtian Tribe's royal clan.
As the pride of the Situ family and the number one among the Qingtian Tribe's young saints, Situ Fengcheng sat at the top of the tent, holding a newly received Message Light Talisman in his hand, his expression becoming extremely solemn.
"What a terrifying piece of news. This is going to turn the world upside down."
The Message Light Talisman had been sent from the city of Ningfeng Prefecture. The content left Situ Fengcheng deeply shocked.
Not long ago, the Bright Hall Saint Ancestor had stormed into the prefectural city, sinking the Zhongying Prince's Mansion into the ground, severely injuring his master, Zhongying Prince.
Subsequently, the Qingtian Blood Emperor intervened to stop her, engaging in a magical duel with the Bright Hall Saint Ancestor. The battle destroyed more than half of the prefectural city, killing millions of Qingtian Tribe members in the aftermath.
One must know that the Northern Domain had only thirty-six prefectures in total.
Each prefectural city was an ancient city that had existed for over ten thousand years, the most fortified places, with defensive formations layered one after another, making them nearly impossible to destroy.
Yet, the prefectural city of Ningfeng Prefecture had been more than half destroyed. One could imagine how terrifying that battle must have been.
In the end, the Qingtian Blood Emperor suffered a crushing defeat, nearly dying at the hands of the Bright Hall Saint Ancestor.
According to the Message Light Talisman, the Undying Divine Temple's Hall Master had calculated that the Qingtian Blood Emperor and Zhongying Prince were in danger. He crossed a stretch of void to duel the Bright Hall Saint Ancestor, saving the Qingtian Blood Emperor and Zhongying Prince and taking them back to the Undying Divine Temple to recover.
The Bright Hall Saint Ancestor seemed to have sustained some injuries from her clash with the Undying Divine Temple's Hall Master. She left Ningfeng Prefecture, and her whereabouts are now unknown.
Situ Fengcheng had a profound state of mind and quickly calmed the turmoil within him, muttering to himself, "A battle at the Great Emperor level—how astonishing must it be? If I could stand nearby and watch, it would undoubtedly be of great help to my cultivation."
This battle had cost the Qingtian Tribe dearly. Not only were the Qingtian Blood Emperor and Zhongying Prince severely wounded and near death, but nearly fifty Blood Saints had fallen, and countless Half-Saints and Fish-Dragon Realm Undying Blood Clan members had perished.
Just the Bright Hall Saint Ancestor alone had severely weakened the Qingtian Tribe. Among the ten major tribes, they might now only rank at the bottom.
Although the Qingtian Tribe had been caught off guard, the fact that the Bright Hall Saint Ancestor could escape from the Undying Divine Temple's Hall Master and roam freely through Undying Blood Clan territory meant her strength far exceeded the Undying Blood Clan's previous estimates.
"Why? The Bright Hall Saint Ancestor has cultivated for eight hundred years. She should be a wise and rational great power. Why would she risk death to enter Ningfeng Prefecture and attack my master?" Situ Fengcheng was utterly perplexed.
The Undying Blood Clan not only had ten Blood Emperors but also the mysterious Undying Divine Temple, a den of dragons and tigers. No matter how high one's cultivation, charging alone into Undying Blood Clan territory would only result in a narrow escape from death.
The Bright Hall Saint Ancestor wouldn't do this without reason, but Situ Fengcheng simply couldn't figure out the cause.
"For the time being, the Qingtian Tribe will face hard times. I must make some arrangements in advance."
Situ Fengcheng sat beside his desk and inscribed over thirty Message Light Talismans. With a flick of his sleeve, the talismans turned into a stream of light, flew out of the tent, and disappeared into the night.
"Tap, tap."
Footsteps sounded. A soldier in blood armor walked in from outside, knelt on one knee, and said, "Deputy Commander, Four Swords Blood Saint and Miefeng Blood Saint request an audience outside the camp."
Situ Fengcheng's eyes narrowed slightly. "Only the two of them?"
"Yes."
According to the news Situ Fengcheng had received, both Four Swords Blood Saint and Miefeng Blood Saint had entered Xianji Mountain to seize the recipe for the Transformation Saint Pill.
Now that they had returned to camp, why was there no news of Zhu Qingyi?
A sense of foreboding arose in Situ Fengcheng's heart. "Invite them in."
Four Swords Blood Saint and Miefeng Blood Saint were Heavenly Blood Generals, holding high positions in the Undying Blood Clan. Yet, they still respectfully bowed to Situ Fengcheng and said in unison, "Greetings, Deputy Commander."
Situ Fengcheng nodded slightly, signaling them to rise, and said, "You two Blood Generals need not be so polite. I'm just curious—what bad news have you brought back?"
Miefeng Blood Saint said, "Blood General Qingyi was poisoned with Golden Bat Venom in Xianji Mountain and captured by Zhang Ruochen."
Even though Situ Fengcheng had mentally prepared himself, he was still taken aback. "Zhang Ruochen? Which Zhang Ruochen?"
"The human Heir of Time and Space," Miefeng Blood Saint said with a dark expression.
Then, Miefeng Blood Saint and Four Swords Blood Saint recounted everything that had happened to them in Xianji Mountain.
Situ Fengcheng frowned repeatedly, gradually accepting the fact. Zhang Ruochen had come to the Northern Domain, captured Zhu Qingyi, and slaughtered his way through Xianji Mountain, seizing the main ingredient for the Transformation Saint Pill, the Thousand-Leaf Saint Core Grass.
Was this something a person with three severed meridians could accomplish?
"Are you certain Zhang Ruochen used not only Spiritual Power but also martial arts power?" Situ Fengcheng asked.
Since Zhongying Prince had said he had severed Zhang Ruochen's three meridians, then they must indeed be severed. Situ Fengcheng was absolutely certain of that.
Four Swords Blood Saint said, "I fought Zhang Ruochen. That brat indeed used martial arts power. He doesn't seem like someone with three severed meridians."
Miefeng Blood Saint speculated, "Perhaps... Gusongzi reconnected his three meridians. When they were fighting for the Thousand-Leaf Saint Core Grass, the two were very close and left together."
Situ Fengcheng fell into thought. After a long while, he revealed a smile and said, "Interesting. Truly interesting. As expected of the Heir of Time and Space. That brat truly refuses to die. Besides the five people on the 'Heroes' Ode,' I've finally found a sixth opponent among humans that I can take seriously."
"In truth, Zhang Ruochen's strength can only barely contend with early-stage Heavenly Realm saints. With my cultivation, I could crush him easily. However, his spatial techniques are too profound. If he wants to retreat, even True Saints or Ultimate Saints probably couldn't stop him," Miefeng Blood Saint said.
Situ Fengcheng tapped his fingers lightly on the desk, staring at the candlelight, and said, "Zhang Ruochen captured Qingyi but didn't kill her. It seems he has a bigger scheme in mind."
Four Swords Blood Saint said, "Zhang Ruochen's growth rate is too terrifying. This time, we must eliminate him. He cannot be allowed to escape Xianji Mountain."
"Of course, he cannot be allowed to escape Xianji Mountain. Besides him, Gusongzi and Canglan Martial Saint must also be captured," Situ Fengcheng said.
Miefeng Blood Saint showed a delighted expression. "Is the Deputy Commander planning to act personally?"
"At this point, I have no choice but to act personally. Rather than letting Zhang Ruochen come to me, it's better for me to go to him first."
Situ Fengcheng had some suspicions. The real reason Zhang Ruochen captured Zhu Qingyi without killing her was likely for the item on him.
"However, as long as Qingyi is in his hands, he holds the upper hand. Before engaging him in battle, I must neutralize this disadvantage."
Situ Fengcheng didn't like being constrained. Since he chose to strike first, he naturally had to be fully prepared.
Situ Fengcheng walked to the bookshelf on the left side of the tent and took out a thick stack of documents. On the cover of the documents were written three characters—Zhang Ruochen.
Flipping through the documents, Situ Fengcheng quickly read them and said, "In just a few short years, Zhang Ruochen has gone from a sickly prince of a small commandery in Demon Ridge to a figure whose name makes the entire Undying Blood Clan tremble. Calling him a legend among humans wouldn't be an exaggeration."
"Yunwu Commandery, Martial Market Academy, Eastern Domain Saint Academy, Liangyi Sect, Blood God Sect, Underworld King Sword Grave—all have cultivators who are close to Zhang Ruochen. Who should I choose?"
The documents stated that Zhang Ruochen's weakness was his mother, the Consort Lin of Yunwu Commandery.
However, according to the news Situ Fengcheng had received recently, all the cultivators sent to the Central Imperial City to capture Consort Lin had ended up dead.
Clearly, a powerful and vast force was secretly protecting Consort Lin.
So, targeting Consort Lin wouldn't be easy. He would have to find another angle.
"Whoosh—"
Just then, a Message Light Talisman flew into the tent from outside and landed in Situ Fengcheng's hand.
After reading the contents of the talisman, Situ Fengcheng smiled. "Undying Blood Clan cultivators hiding near the Underworld King Sword Grave have sent word. They've discovered traces of Huang Yanchen. She is heading toward the Northern Domain with a group of cultivators from the Underworld King Sword Grave."
"Zhang Ruochen's fiancée, haha. I'll personally lead a team to capture her. Once Huang Yanchen is in our hands, Zhang Ruochen will be like fish on our chopping block, at our mercy. How can he still escape?"
Miefeng Blood Saint volunteered for the mission, a vicious look in his eyes.
Situ Fengcheng felt that Miefeng Blood Saint wasn't cautious enough and shook his head. "This task must be handled by Four Swords Blood Saint."
"Why?" Miefeng Blood Saint didn't understand.
Situ Fengcheng said, "To ensure Zhang Ruochen's death, we need to prepare on two fronts. You go to the Eastern Domain and capture the people listed in this document."
Situ Fengcheng handed a copy of the documents to Miefeng Blood Saint.
After Miefeng Blood Saint and Four Swords Blood Saint left, Situ Fengcheng muttered to himself, "Dealing with someone who can't be killed, can't be defeated, and only grows stronger with each setback—two fronts of preparation probably aren't enough. I need a third, a fourth front, to ensure he dies without a doubt, utterly destroyed."
Situ Fengcheng wrote two letters and sent them to the Qitian Tribe and Huangtian Tribe. Both tribes had deep grudges against Zhang Ruochen, and he believed they wouldn't pass up the chance to deal with him.
...
(Today was delayed due to other matters. The update is late. There will be another chapter around midnight.)
(Chapter End)