Martial Saint through Reading

As he spoke, Hei Qing’s eyes turned pitch-black, and a black light shot onto the vine stick.

"There seems to be a dark green orb inside... strange."

As he spoke, he waved his hand, and seven or eight exotic beast corpses appeared before him.

The moment the corpses appeared, a green light arose, enveloping the corpses like a ravenous wolf, as if it had been starving for a very long time.

Hei Qing did not stop it, allowing the green light to devour the corpses.

Within a few breaths, the corpses disappeared entirely, yet the vine stick still appeared unsatisfied.

"Don’t rush, I’ll feed you once the battle begins."

"..."

Looking at the vine stick, Hei Qing’s face showed a hint of joy.

"After devouring so much flesh and blood, the vine stick now possesses the initial powers of a spirit treasure. After this great battle, it should be able to enhance even further."

Just then.

"General Hei Qing."

A steady voice sounded from outside the tent, and then two men in robes, without armor, entered the tent.

"King Shang Yi, Lord Yann." Hei Qing hurriedly put away the vine stick and greeted them outside.

The newcomers were the two National Guardian Realm figures of the Jingyue Kingdom, King Shang Yi, at the middle stage of the Qi Sea Realm, and his elder brother, Yann Luo, at the late stage of the Qi Sea Realm.

"Why have the two kings..." Hei Qing bowed in respect.

King Shang Yi glanced at Hei Qing, with a stern expression, and sat to one side without a word.

Yann Luo was more amiable, waving his hand to indicate Hei Qing should sit and speak.

"General Hei Qing, you should know by now?" Yann Luo said.

"Is Lord Yann referring to King Lux Ning?"

"Yes, Lux Ning suffered at the hands of You Wudang of the Nether Witch Horde, and now the Nine Hordes Kingdom is in chaos, which presents a great opportunity to attack the Nether Witch Horde."

"What do the two kings require of me?" Hei Qing’s attitude was earnest.

"General Hei Qing, undefeated in a hundred battles, is the pillar of our Jingyue Kingdom. Even King Shang Yi and I cannot compare to General Hei Qing in commanding troops."

Yann Luo first praised Hei Qing, and then his face turned serious, saying, "The enmity with Lux Ning is irreconcilable. Without killing You Wudang, the hatred in my heart cannot be relieved. I want to annihilate the entire Nether Witch Horde!"

There were no harsh words, and not much anger in his speech, but the hatred contained in his tone was evident.

"Rest assured, kings, as long as no one at the National Guardian Realm intervenes, I am confident I can eradicate a chaotic Nether Witch Horde."

Yann Luo nodded slightly and took out a few treasures.

"General Hei Qing, I know that in your efforts to expand our Jingyue Kingdom, your realm has been stuck at the Lower Meridian Unlocking Realm Perfection. These treasures can help you break through that bottleneck."

Hei Qing did not immediately accept them, bowing as he asked, "If I break through to the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm, I can no longer lead troops..."

"Hmph!" King Shang Yi, who had been silent, snorted coldly, "An unwritten rule that no one has ever truly followed. Who can say that no Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm soldier has ever participated in any major battle?"

"General Hei Qing, feel free to break through. In this battle, as long as the Nether Witch Horde is destroyed, you need not worry about anything else." Yann Luo added.

"Understood."

"I think highly of you, and once you break through to the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm, I will take you on as a direct disciple."

"Thank you, king." Hei Qing said, delighted.

"Mm, King Shang Yi and I will follow the army to crusade, and General Hei Qing, you may commence the march."

Having finished speaking, the two National Guardian Realm figures left the tent.

Hei Qing looked towards the outside of the tent, his gaze flickering uncertainly.

"Breaking through to the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm?"

"Being taken as a direct disciple?"

He smirked disdainfully, his pupils briefly like a Black Abyss before returning to normal.

"Grandfather’s time is nearing an end, and I am about to achieve First Layer Success in true intention. If the vine stick devours some more flesh and blood, there’s no need to remain in this Jingyue Kingdom. It’s time to explore the Celestial Veil Kingdom."

"..."

...

The border area between Jingyue Kingdom and Chi’an County of the Qin Dynasty.

The two countries are separated by a mountain range, and there is a gap here, which is one of the most frequent battlegrounds.

Guarding the gap on the back side are 200,000 Sikong Army soldiers of the Qin Dynasty. However, the Sikong Army is currently under the control of the Huang Forbidden Army, so it is essentially the Huang Forbidden Army stationed here.

To the south of the gap, the Jingyue Kingdom also has an army of 200,000.

At this moment, in the Nine Heavens above, a young man in black was standing suspended in the air, his brow slightly furrowed.

"There isn’t..."

The Sword Gourd Spirit had scanned the 200,000-strong army of the Jingyue Kingdom below multiple times, yet the Blood Bead displayed no summons-triggered movement.

This meant that the thing causing the Blood Bead to react was no longer in this place.

"If it can’t be found, then I’ll have to..."

"Hmm?"

Just as Chu Ming was about to investigate elsewhere, a conversation among a few soldiers in the Jingyue Kingdom’s army caught his attention.

"General Hei Qing has gone to the Nine Hordes Kingdom’s battlefield to the west. We can finally rest a bit."

"Indeed, the general is undefeated in a hundred battles, yet it’s us putting our lives on the line. Why should that be?"

"A general’s success is built on countless bones. To escape a fate wrapped in horsehide, accumulate more battle merit and strive to become a general yourself."

"A general? Do you really think becoming a general is that easy?"

"What’s so difficult? It’s just about manipulating sand tables and waving flags."

"Do you know that General Hei Qing was an even less noticeable lowly soldier than us just half a year ago?"

"Really?"

"Of course, it’s true. Half a year ago, General Hei Qing wielded a black spear, massacring a hundred Sikong Army soldiers, including one Ten Thousand Soldiers Commander and two Chiliarchs!"

"General Hei Qing made his name in that battle. In subsequent campaigns, he has killed no fewer than twenty Ten Thousand Soldiers Commanders, at least ten Deputy Generals and Captains, and ambushed five or six Sikong Army generals at the Meridian Unlocking Realm. Can any of you do that?"

The other soldiers were speechless.

They couldn’t even defeat a Ten Thousand Soldiers Commander, let alone a Meridian Unlocking Realm general.

"Seeing you all lounging around, let me tell you something that could benefit you." That soldier continued.