Chapter Thirty-Seven: Lü Hanfeng

  "Your Highness, please stay." A flat voice suddenly sounded in Xian Lianchen's ear, the voice was small, but exceptionally clear. Xian Lianchen was shocked, although she had been distracted earlier, this person was able to sneak up to her side without making a sound, and only appeared when he spoke, his abilities were not to be underestimated. Suddenly steadying herself, a strange weapon about half a foot long was already tightly grasped in her hand.

  "This old man has no ill intentions, it's just that the long night is vast and I saw the goddess's expression was so hasty, so I wanted to chat with you. A calm voice sounded again, and a thin figure suddenly flashed out of the night curtain, it was actually Hao Tian's strategist Luo Xiang."

  Xian Lianchen's eyes narrowed, and her hand on the curved moon wheel blade tightened: "This humble woman has been traveling in Jianghu for some time, but it seems that I have never heard of a Mr. with this name in Jianghu."

  Luo Xiang smiled slightly: "It's normal that the fairy maiden hasn't heard of my name, but doesn't the fairy know about Luo Hanfeng, the Destroyer of Heaven and Earth?"

  Xian Lian's eyes widened in shock: "You're actually the legendary number one master, Luoyin Feng? Weren't you already executed by lingchi?"

  When today's generation, as long as they are older, will not forget the first master Ruo Hanfeng who was invincible twenty years ago. This person was young, but somehow learned one of the top ten ancient wonders, the "Destruction of Heaven and Earth" technique. Therefore, although he was only in his early twenties, his martial arts skills had already reached a high level. However, this person hated evil and was influenced by the martial arts he practiced, making him cold-blooded and eventually causing him to kill too many people, leading to public outrage in the martial arts world. He was surrounded and attacked by many strong enemies on the Blood-colored Plateau. Although no one found his body at the bottom of the cliff, he did not appear again in the Jianghu, so most people believed that he had died. However, Tian Wu Xinghe did not think so. Their master, Su Jinhong, was close to him and knew that he had not died but had transformed into Ruo Jiuyuan and entered the imperial court, becoming one of the three great talents along with Chu Xiang Chenghui. Unexpectedly, he eventually angered the emperor and was executed by lingchi, while Su Jinhong risked his own life to save Ruo Hanfeng during his imprisonment in the heavenly prison. Unexpectedly, Ruo Hanfeng escaped death again, transformed into Ruo Xiang, and joined Huang Tian's side as a small official in Dingzhou.

  Luo Xiang smiled and said: "Since you know the beginning and end of that year, then naturally understand that Lao Fu has no evil intentions."

  Xian Lian's heart relaxed, like a renowned master such as Lu Xiang, even if his character was questionable, he would definitely be a man of his word. Given their relationship with the previous sect leader, she also calmed down: "So it was Senior, I apologize for my earlier rudeness. May I ask what brings you here tonight?"

  "I just want to know if the cooperation between Tiandu Xinghe and our lord is genuine."

  Xian Lian's face turned red: "Since senior has already known about this matter, then surely you also know all the contents of our agreement. Senior, please think about it, the Holy Maiden of Tian Wu Xing He has always been a lifelong spinster, but I am now preparing to marry into the River Suite, can't this explain our sincerity?"

  "The matter of alliance has been going on for a long time. Although it has a restrictive effect, it is only a symbol. If the two parties really want to become enemies, they will still do so." Lu Xiang said calmly: "I have one thing that I don't understand. With the strength of Tiandu Xinghe, there is no need to rush to pay such a great price to sign the agreement. My master is now in a state of revival and is eager for your aid from Tiandu Xinghe. If you are not in a hurry, you can sell at a higher price. Moreover, with your conditions, you can choose one of the three major families, they have strong strength and inheritances of 300 years, if you really cooperate with them, I'm sure you will gain more, why did you choose my master who is still not very powerful?"

  Xian Lian's heart secretly let out a bitter smile. Although Hao Tian and Tian Yi were also extremely intelligent, they couldn't compare to Luo Xiang in terms of experience or life experience. In the face of huge benefits, it was difficult for them to maintain a completely calm mindset. But Luo Xiang was different. Not to mention his two near-death experiences, just his relationship with the previous sect leader made him not easy to deal with. It was impossible to deceive this old fox.

  Luo Xiang did not expect Xian Lian Chen's response, he just muttered to himself: "The whereabouts of the high-level Tian Wu Xing He have always been mysterious, even compared to the ghost girl tribe that is best at hiding in the world, it is not much different. Moreover, the sect can be considered as a place where talents emerge in large numbers, otherwise, it would not have escaped multiple attacks from the Yaochi Yuguang and the imperial court. With your skills, wanting to hide for decades is not a difficult task. Why are you so anxious to find a backer now, and still a newly risen and not very powerful backer?"

  "We just want to have a chance to walk under the sky with our heads held high." Xian Lian said with a bitter smile.

  "Perhaps." Lao Xiang continued to mutter to himself, "You've paid such a great price, and your only request is to have the opportunity to walk in the sunlight with your heads held high. On the surface, it's understandable. But for me, this is really too difficult to comprehend. So I think Extreme Joy Sect should take action now. Tian Wu Xing He fears that after Extreme Joy Sect suffers a devastating blow, Qing Feng will vent their anger on Tian Wu Xing He, who shares the same roots as Extreme Joy Sect. They don't want to suffer the fate of being dragged down with them, or perhaps they want to leave some legacy for the original Sun God Sect. In that case, your actions can be understood. The master is a sentimental person, and he values promises above all else. Moreover, your agreement was personally agreed upon by Tian Yi, whom the master loves dearly. Even if Extreme Joy Sect were to lose, and the imperial court were to vent their anger on you, the master would still go all out to protect you. And now, He Suo is the master's territory, with no relationship with the imperial court except for superficial allegiance. Moreover, one day the master will surely unify the Divine State. Your gamble is also normal."

  Xian Lian Chen only felt a chill on his face, this old man was really too formidable. In just a few words, he had exposed the true intentions of Ben Jiao. If it were someone else, Tian Wu Xing He might have considered killing them to silence them, but Luo Xiang was after all the number one among the top ten masters of Shen Zhou, known as the second most powerful master in the martial world, only inferior to Ying Wu Ju Shi. Such a person, in a solo battle, would likely be unbeatable by anyone in the world. Even the master of Ming Jian Mountain Villa, Chu Jian Huan, or the master of Yao Chi Yu Gong, Tian Feng Yin, would not be able to match him. For such a person, Tian Wu Xing He naturally chose to avoid confrontation as the best strategy.

  "The master is a sentimental and emotional person, who has always cherished old relationships. If you can truly cooperate with the master in good faith, even if there is a crisis, the master will definitely find a way to protect you. However, if you still want to secretly communicate with the Extreme Joy Sect and stab the master in the back, don't blame me for not warning you beforehand. The Guardian Clan has always been unable to tolerate betrayal, and if someone dares to stab us in the back, the master will definitely exterminate their entire clan, even if it means shedding blood and washing away the mountains and rivers." Lu Xiang turned around and said while walking away.

  Xian Lian Chen felt another chill run down his back, but he said with a straight face, "Senior is mistaken. Our sect and the Extreme Joy Holy Sect have long since drawn a clear line between us. The only connection we have is that we both originated from the Sun God Sect."

  Lu Xiang's footsteps suddenly stopped, and his body instantly emitted a cold aura that made people want to swallow their saliva. Even with Xian Lianchen's skills, she felt a chill run down her spine. Turning around, Lu Xiang said coldly: "Is that so? Then why did you coincidentally appear there tonight? Do you think the Extreme Joy Sect really doesn't have any vigilance towards you? Let me tell you, the black-clothed leader who escaped has been following you into the Jingbei Hou Mansion and eavesdropped on your entire conversation."

  "Where is he now?" Xian Lianchen asked worriedly.

  "Don't worry about him, he's run into me, and that's his bad luck." Ruo Xiang's tone returned to its usual calmness: "You'd best not harbor any evil intentions. I had a past encounter with Su Jin Hong, and I don't want her junior sister to end up on such a path of no return. However, if you people don't know what's good for you, then I won't mind sending all of you to go see your former sect master. Also, my identity - it's best if you don't mention it to anyone."

  Mifeng City, four people sat opposite each other with blood on their hands. The scouts under them continuously sent the latest intelligence, while the brows of several people were getting tighter and tighter.

  After a long time, Xue Sha finally pointed to the map on the table and said: "According to the scouts' reports, in our west, there are 30,000 garrison troops of Roman Southern Cold Bu Fang. In our south, there is Ye Lü Chi's 60,000-strong army. Ye Lü Chi has accelerated his marching speed and has now arrived at Yan Ming Town, 80 miles south of Mi Feng City. Since he only has 30,000 cavalrymen, due to the heavy snow blocking the road, it will take him at least eight hours to reach Mi Feng. However, in the north, Ye Lü Ming Huang's Imperial Guard Corps is now only 60 miles away from Mi Feng. The Imperial Guard Corps of Man Dan has always been elite and can arrive within four hours. Although there is no movement on the eastern front, there are still 200,000 garrison troops in Baijing. If we head east, it is very likely that we will fall into their trap. Gentlemen, where do you think we should break through now?

  "Go north!" The three of them said in unison. The four people present obviously didn't expect this outcome, and after coming to their senses, they all smiled at each other.

  "Tell me your reasons." Blood Kill said in a low voice, although his thoughts were the same as the three of them, he still wanted to hear everyone's thoughts.

  "Because the enemy forces to the north are the most numerous and elite, we must break through in this direction. This will allow us to maximize the arousal of our soldiers' fighting spirit and bloodlust, and enable them to establish an unshakeable faith in their ability to overcome any obstacle. Winter campaigning is already extremely arduous; if we cannot instill such a conviction in our troops, our army will soon disintegrate."

  Blood Kill Three nodded in agreement. What Sheng said was right, the 1.2 million soldiers needed to have the courage to fight to the death and the momentum to dominate the world. The weather in the northern country was particularly harsh in winter, and few armies could fight on the battlefield under such conditions. After all, the cold weather, difficult roads, and supply difficulties would bring extremely great harm to an army. If Huan Tian hadn't considered the overall strategy and the need for military training at that time, he wouldn't have taken all his mobile troops to take risks. This army was able to maintain its integrity in such a harsh environment, apart from the excellent leadership of Blood Kill and their loyalty to Huan Tian, there was another reason - their deep-seated hatred for the foreign tribes outside the pass. These soldiers were either remnants of the Northern Expedition Army or hot-blooded men from the six states of the Yellow River Basin who had been poisoned by the six tribes outside the pass, or they were robust men from the sixteen states of Youyun who had been plundered. Every soldier carried a heavy national hatred and family resentment on their back, every soldier's heart was filled with anger and hatred towards the foreign tribes outside the pass, as long as they had an opportunity to release it, they would not be afraid even if they died.