Eternal Life as False Emperor

At the foot of Yuanhe Mountain.

Beside the Central Army Camp, under a deep valley.

Xu Mujun sat cross-legged under the rushing waterfall, constantly pondering the phrases of the "Dragon Elephant Pure Yang Skill" in his mind.

The inner strength within him was as silent as an abyss, seemingly waiting for something.

Martial Dao.

Spirit Communication.

Martial God.

What is Spirit Communication?

What is Martial God?

God?

Can martial arts... communicate with gods?

Xu Mujun's thoughts wandered, and countless scenes appeared in his mind.

Practicing martial arts at three, wielding a saber to kill at eight, joining the army at ten, murdering seven people at twelve.

Promoted to Decurion at fifteen and began to study military strategy.

Promoted to Centurion at sixteen, esteemed by senior military members, and brought into the Border Army for training.

Promoted to Chiliarch at eighteen, leading troops to destroy local bandits, comprehending the "Hundred Battle Blood Slaughter Saber" and stepping into the Third-grade Martial Artist Realm.

At twenty, he fought against Wu Country, enduring a thousand against thirty thousand, with most of his troops severely injured, leaving only twelve.

He advanced to the Second-grade Realm in martial arts cultivation.

At twenty-one, promoted to Cavalry Captain, commanding three hundred cavalry.

At twenty-five, leading troops into Wu Country, raiding a thousand miles, encountering a pack of wolves at night, battling life and death within them, breaking through to the First-grade Martial Artist.

Xu Mujun's martial arts cultivation was not earth-shattering.

His root bone and aptitude were quite ordinary.

A twenty-five-year-old First-grade Martial Artist is not rare, but not unseen.

But after twenty-five, his martial arts cultivation surged day by day.

The Hundred Battle Blood Slaughter Saber became increasingly refined, achieving mastery, earning him a great reputation in the Northern Territory.

Subsequently, he was transferred to Nanyue County to quell the Nanyue Race.

Thirty years of experience had pushed his martial arts cultivation further, yet he lingered at the Innate for over a decade without progress.

Now, Your Majesty has procured a cultivation technique for breaking through the Martial Arts Innate for him.

Dragon Elephant Pure Yang Skill!

"According to its description, this skill is divided into twelve layers, a top-tier body refining secret technique."

"Before reaching the peak of the Body Refining Realm, cultivators must maintain purity of mind, relying on Innate Yang Qi to temper oneself. Upon entering the Qi Refining Realm, they can nurture the Innate Yang Qi within, letting it saturate the body."

"Every layer mastered increases one's strength by a dragon and an elephant."

"After the twelfth layer, one can achieve Spirit Communication Realm perfection, wielding the strength of a hundred dragons and elephants, and possess various divine powers."

Xu Mujun murmured.

He had long lost his purity, having married the daughter of a senior military member, siring a son and daughter.

Sadly, his wife succumbed to old injuries after giving birth to Qingluan.

Fortunately, relatives from the clan cared for the children, raising them.

Normally, he could not cultivate the Dragon Elephant Pure Yang Skill.

Without the Innate Pure Yang Qi, he couldn't temper himself or perceive Innate Primordial Qi.

"I may lack Innate Pure Yang Qi, but I possess rich Blood Evil Qi."

Xu Mujun murmured. Passionate about the Slaughter Qi of the battlefield, wielding the Hundred Battle Blood Slaughter Saber for fifty years, he'd tempered it with great skill.

By the method of the Dragon Elephant Pure Yang Skill, Xu Mujun forged his own path, creating his Martial God Cultivation Technique.

"Booming...!"

All of a sudden, the inner strength within Xu Mujun surged, and waves of Blood Evil Qi erupted from his limbs and blood, forming dense blood mist enveloping his entire body.

The blood surged like thunder, like a tsunami, like a mountain collapse, even causing the distant lake to violently churn, akin to an earthquake.

"Boom!"

In an instant, Xu Mujun's figure shot out of the blood mist, nearly transformed into a blood shadow, crashing against the distant rocks.

Countless fragments and water mist exploded, covering thousands of meters.

Xu Mujun's figure swam in this realm of water mist, blood mist, and fragments.

With every move, torrents of Blood Evil Power surged forth, cleaving enormous trenches into the earth and rocks.

Hundred Battle Blood Slaughter Saber!

Then, Xu Mujun began to practice his self-created Battlefield Blade Technique.

Countless saber shadows flickered and flew, sword qi crisscrossing, as if the entire valley was filled with dense sword qi.

From afar, the valley appeared as if covered by a vast overturned bowl.

"Spirit Communication... Spirit Communication!"

Within the endless blood shadows, Xu Mujun's figure accelerated.

Sabers burst forth, shattering surrounding land, rocks, even water mist into mere powder.

Within a thousand-meter radius, barely any intact fragments remained.

His figure abruptly stopped, inexplicably floating in mid-air, as if something held him.

Xu Mujun sat cross-legged, blood and inner strength transformed into layers of cloud-like matter, supporting his float in the air.

Around him floated tiny particles.

After an unknown time, Xu Mujun's eyes suddenly opened, a streak of blood flashed through his pupils.

"Is this... Spirit Communication?!"

In an instant, endless blood qi surged again, forming a colossal blood shadow floating behind him.

He raised his remaining right hand, gently squeezing, causing the surrounding air to seemingly freeze for a moment.

Within the thousand-meter radius, the suspended particles bizarrely halted.

With his breath, they trembled and moved.

"I see, I understand now."

Xu Mujun exhaled deeply, his form slowly descending, feet touching the ground.

In that moment, within the thousand-meter radius, the previously floating mist, dust, particles, etc., resumed movement, vanishing without a trace.

Like shifting from stasis to normal motion.

"Martial Arts Spirit Communication connects with the spirit of heaven and earth, using the martial artist's tenacious mental state to trigger great changes, turning them into one's own weapons."

"With the heart following the will, the world undergoes a great transformation."

"As long as the spirit of a martial artist remains unextinguished, the state of spirit communication remains eternal, always replenishing the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi to sustain one's Inner Strength and lifespan, perpetually engaging in battle!"

"The stronger the spirit, the greater the control over the vastness of the world and Primordial Energy."

He took a step forward, and the air in front began to surge immediately; in an instant, a massive saber mark, about a hundred meters long, was slashed out in front.

It was as if a colossal void giant had slashed this blow from behind Xu Mujun!

"Martial Arts Spirit Communication is so powerful; then what about the Martial God Realm?"

He subconsciously glanced at the empty left arm, a flicker of desolation passing through his eyes.

For some reason, Xu Mujun felt an itch at the wound on his left arm, feeling something was missing.

He casually walked out of the now-ruined valley, and the personal soldiers guarding outside immediately surrounded him.

"General!"

The dozen or so personal soldiers' eyes were filled with shock, as they had witnessed the incredible transformation within the valley just now.

Unexpectedly, Grand General Xu, whose Martial Arts Cultivation was already at the Innate Realm, could still progress further.

This...

If they hadn't retreated quickly enough, they too might have been affected.

Xu Mujun donned the clothes brought by the personal soldiers and asked, "How long have I been in seclusion?"

"Reporting to the General, just three days have passed."

"Three days? Is there any important military intelligence?"

"Yes!"

The personal soldier replied, "The Flying Eagle Army sent by Your Majesty has arrived and is awaiting your military orders."

The Flying Eagle Army, part of the new army formation.

A reinforced regiment, its main battle force comprises a mix of hot air balloon and musket teams, with formidable combat power.

They are generally dispatched only when encountering a difficult-to-capture fortress or major city.

"The Flying Eagle Army? Are they the troops that broke through Black Mountain Pass and Shuzhou Divine Sword Pass on that day?"

"Yes!"

"Let's go! Back to the camp!"

The group walked down the mountain, and the personal soldier added, "There is one more thing to report to the General."

"What is it?"

"The night before last, an arrow was suddenly shot into our camp, with a letter attached. At the time, you were not in the camp, so General Tang Zhengkou and several other generals discussed and opened the letter."

"Oh?"

Xu Mujun's eyes flashed as he asked, "What is written in it? Is it a peace proposal from Yuanhe Mountain?"

"It is not."

The personal soldier said, "The intelligence on it indicates that a cultivator has arrived at Yuanhe Mountain and plans to join forces with several Innate Realm experts to assassinate you."

"Assassinate me?"

Xu Mujun chuckled lightly, "Just a bunch of insignificant scoundrels, mere cultivators amidst the clash of great armies, what of it?"

"Besides, I am actually curious whether today's cultivators can withstand a strike from my saber?!"

"Is it clear who sent the intelligence?"

"No, it is not."

The personal soldier replied, "However, the military supervisor from the Embroidered Uniform Guard mentioned that the envelope bears secret marks from the Martial Arts Department and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, enough to verify its authenticity."

"Return to the military council."

"Understood!"

Halfway through, the personal soldier whispered, "General..."

"What is it?"

"General Tang Zhengkou's actions suggest he wants to divide your military authority, do you..."

"Hmm?"

Xu Mujun responded without hesitation, "With the battle imminent, refrain from speaking words that disrupt the morale of the troops."

"Since Your Majesty dispatched General Tang, there must be a reason."

"When I am not present, you must all follow General Tang's orders, understood?"

"Understood!"

Soon, Xu Mujun returned to the main army.

Under his command, more than a dozen generals arrived one after another.

"Greetings, General!"

"Greetings, General!"

More than a dozen generals took their seats one by one, with Xu Mujun sitting at the head.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I won't waste words. The terrain of Yuanhe Mountain is dangerous, not conducive to mass troop movement, nor to artillery operations; hence, I requested reinforcements from the court and obtained the Flying Eagle Army."

"Now the Flying Eagle Army has arrived, and the main assault is about to commence!"

One enthusiastically stood up: "General! Let's begin; my saber is already eager and impatient!"

"Hahaha, mine too!"

"Break through Yuanhe Mountain and eliminate the rebels!"

Xu Mujun said, "I have received the latest intelligence that remnants of the Wang Family have colluded with Yuanhe Mountain and are currently hiding on the mountain."

"In this battle, besides eradicating Yuanhe Mountain, we must also capture the remnants of the Wang Family in one sweep, understood?"

"Understood!"

At this moment, General Tang Zhengkou rose and said, "General Xu, how should we handle the intelligence obtained the day before yesterday?"

"There is a cultivator on Yuanhe Mountain who has contacted several Innate Realm experts with the intent to encircle and kill you. Maybe we should send people to investigate the cultivator's plan further and then make detailed plans?"

"General Tang makes a valid point."

Xu Mujun nodded, "If it were an ordinary enemy, I would naturally ascertain their purpose and identity thoroughly."

"But when it comes to cultivators, it's all about seizing the initiative and swift action!"

"The more preparation time we give the cultivator, the more formidable their final strike will become, making it impossible to guard against."

"What we must do is to strike swiftly and decisively, like a tiger pouncing on a rabbit, before they can establish their footing."

"If we wait for them to react, it will be us who are disadvantaged!"

These words led to a silence among the generals, as none of them had experience in fighting cultivators and could not come up with good strategies.

Tang Zhengkou hesitated and asked, "May I know, General Xu, how you plan to engage?"