Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

On the thirteenth day after the trial of the Pure Yang Martial Sect ended, Yan State, having just stabilized from the previous upheaval, was once again roiling with the spread of a piece of news.

From the border came the news that the barbarian tribes had officially sent out troops to attack Da Xia!

This news, as soon as it appeared, was like a stone that stirred up a thousand waves; all of Yan State, and even other states and the whole realm shook with its impact.

The barbarian tribes had been absent from the nine states for a full twenty-three years. Since, twenty-three years ago, the current Emperor of Da Xia had driven the barbarians deep into the Hundred Thousand Mountains, they hadn't dared to take a large-scale step into Da Xia territory for so long!

Occasionally, some barbarians would emerge, stepping out of the Hundred Thousand Mountains to grasp the current situation of the nine states, but they never dared to cross into the border.

And this time, it was said that the reason the barbarians dared to venture out of the Hundred Thousand Mountains and even attack Da Xia was that deep within the mountains, they had discovered a relic left by an ancient god or demon!

In that battle years ago, the Emperor of Da Xia overpowered all foes with his might alone, inflicting severe injuries on the tribal chief and the great shaman of the barbarians, driving them into the depths of the Hundred Thousand Mountains to prevent the extermination of their tribe.

Had the environment of the Hundred Thousand Mountains not been so peculiar, and had others not persuaded him against it, the Emperor might have pursued them deep into the mountains long ago and completely eradicated the barbarians.

The deep-seated enmity between the barbarian tribes and the Human Clan could even be traced back to ancient times, as both sides harbored longstanding grudges.

At this moment, the whole DaHuang Mansion was mobilizing, with a dense array of troops stationed on the border. When Marquis of Pingxi learned that the barbarians were attacking the border, he was immediately woken from his sealed chamber by WuYing.

After all, with such a major event as the barbarian invasion, it was necessary for Marquis of Pingxi to make decisions, lead troops in warfare; in the whole of DaHuang Mansion or even the entire Yan State, when Marquis of Pingxi spoke second, no one dared to claim the first.

Even on the scale of the whole Da Xia, Marquis of Pingxi's ability to lead troops was certainly among the top three.

It was precisely for this reason that Marquis of Pingxi was highly valued by Da Xia; the more chaotic the times, the more such talents were needed.

Moreover, he was himself a great master of martial arts, having achieved the full circle of the Transcendental Realm.

"Lord Marquis!"

At that moment, inside the military tent, Marquis of Pingxi emerged from seclusion. He was dressed in pitch-black armor and sat at the head, his expression extremely solemn.

Xu Wei, on the other hand, knelt on one knee below, reporting to Marquis of Pingxi all the movements of the barbarians during the recent period.

"The barbarians, they could not hold back after all..." Marquis of Pingxi's gaze turned cold as he looked into the distance.

"Lord Marquis, the barbarians have deployed five hundred thousand troops; they are now stationed at the border and have engaged in minor skirmishes with our army," Xu Wei said.

"What are the casualties on our side?" Marquis of Pingxi asked.

"In the previous minor skirmish, the barbarians suffered over three thousand casualties, and our army over two thousand three hundred," Xu Wei reported somberly, with his head bowed.

Upon hearing this, Marquis of Pingxi immediately furrowed his brows, saying, "Casualties are this heavy?"

It was known that the Xuan Iron Army under his command was among the elite forces in Da Xia, well-equipped and constantly guarding the border, with each soldier possessing at least the Blood Refining Stage of cultivation.

On the other hand, the barbarians had outdated equipment, lacked even armor, and were extremely primitive. In Marquis of Pingxi's view, there should have been a crushing victory over the barbarian army, yet the result was unexpectedly this.

Xu Wei said in a low voice, "Lord Marquis, those barbarians are reckless and not afraid of death, fighting valiantly to the last breath. Even in death, they attempt to drag our soldiers down with them, so there have been quite a few cases of mutual destruction."

"Valiant?"

A trace of displeasure appeared on Marquis of Pingxi's face as he said, "The barbarians have valiant courage, but doesn't my Xuan Iron Army possess the same? Have my soldiers' blades rusted from too little combat?"Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Since Marquis of Pingxi had taken charge of the border, the barbarians seldom ventured out of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, and even if they did, it was only a few. Hence, there were indeed rare occurrences of battle.

Nevertheless, the Xuan Iron Army trained day and night, and on numerous occasions, Marquis of Pingxi personally led them into the Hundred Thousand Mountains, commanding his troops in battle against the fierce beasts therein.

Though they were only exercising on the periphery, the strength of the Xuan Iron Army still should not be underestimated; they had truly seen blood.

This was exactly why Marquis of Pingxi frowned upon hearing of the heavy losses.

Seeing Marquis of Pingxi's anger, Xu Wei quickly said, "It is my incompetence, please punish me, Lord Marquis!"

"It's fine, you may leave now," Marquis of Pingxi said with a furrowed brow.

"Yes."

Xu Wei, hearing the dismissal and not daring to say more, immediately rose to his feet and left the place.

"WuYing, what do you think of the current situation?" Marquis of Pingxi suddenly asked after Xu Wei had left.

With his words, the air beside Marquis of Pingxi slightly distorted, and a figure wearing a black iron mask quietly emerged.

It was none other than WuYing, the trusted confidant whom Marquis of Pingxi valued the most, and also the leader of the assassination and intelligence organization under his command.

WuYing spoke softly, "Lord Marquis, the barbarians come with overwhelming force, fielding no less than five hundred thousand troops. If Lord Marquis can slay this entire force, it will surely cripple the barbarians, possibly rendering them unable to recover.

"Moreover, if the essence blood of five hundred thousand troops can be extracted and refined, it will be more than enough for Lord Marquis to advance further in his cultivation, breaking through to the Hundred Orifices Stage with ease!"

Upon hearing this, Marquis of Pingxi was slightly tempted; after all, his recent seclusion was an attempt to see if he could break through to the Hundred Orifices Stage on his own.

But evidently, he had failed.

In fact, the main reason was that Marquis of Pingxi had grown somewhat impatient. Had he continued to cultivate for another year and a half, he would have certainly succeeded in breaking through to the Hundred Orifices Stage.

However, the current situation in the world did not permit the Marquis of Pingxi such leisure. If he wished to secure more benefits for himself, he inevitably needed a more profound martial cultivation.

Because, once one's martial cultivation reached a certain level, no amount of army would be able to do anything against it.

The cultivation of a martial arts master seemed high, but in reality, across the entirety of the nine provinces, only those who had reached the Innate Realm were considered to truly have a say in matters.

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This was also why the Marquis of Pingxi was so anxious to make a breakthrough.

"Essence blood..." murmured the Marquis of Pingxi. With the essence blood of five hundred thousand barbarian troops extracted and fully refined, his cultivation would surely advance greatly, and breaking through to the Innate Realm would no longer be a problem.

However, consuming essence blood was a heretical technique, loathed by all under the heavens, and once discovered, he would be attacked by everyone.

Even for the barbarians, such methods were still frowned upon, especially since he was the Marquis of Pingxi of Da Xia. If this news were to leak, it would greatly impact his reputation.

"It seems Lord Marquis is hesitating?" said Wu Ying, as the Marquis of Pingxi's confidant, he could see through the Marquis's emotions at a glance.

Upon hearing this, the Marquis of Pingxi did not deny it, there was no need for pretense with Wu Ying, and he simply nodded in agreement.

"Fifty thousand essence blood can indeed boost my cultivation to a terrifying level. Not to mention the Hundred Orifices Stage, as long as the essence blood is potent enough, even reaching the great perfection of the Hundred Orifices Stage or becoming a grandmaster of martial arts in the Innate Realm would not be impossible."

Wu Ying asked, "Is Lord Marquis worried about the news spreading?"

The Marquis of Pingxi shook his head slightly, saying, "It's not just that. You also heard what Xu Wei just said—after a great battle, the barbarian tribes lost over three thousand men, and our forces, over two thousand three hundred.

To annihilate all fifty million of the enemy troops, even though I command six hundred thousand Xuan Iron soldiers, after the battle, although the barbarians would be crippled, the same would be true for me."

"Moreover, this time the barbarians have come raging in. Since they dared to emerge from the Ten Thousand Mountains, they must have made thorough preparations. In my view, this battle will not be easy against the barbarians."

Wu Ying nodded in agreement upon hearing this. His strategic vision was clearly far inferior to that of the Marquis of Pingxi when it came to leading troops in battle.

"What if we also refine the essence blood of our soldiers?" Wu Ying suddenly suggested.

Hearing these words, the Marquis of Pingxi's expression froze, his fists clenched unconsciously in his sleeves, and his eyebrows furrowed deeply.

"If the other soldiers find out, the Xuan Iron army would become disheartened and fall apart," said the Marquis of Pingxi gravely.

Wu Ying responded, "Lord Marquis, those who achieve great things do not dwell on trivial matters. You've been stationed at this desolate frontier for so many years; do you really intend to spend a lifetime here?"

"Besides, now that the Emperor of Da Xia is missing and the world is undergoing great changes, the situation is unstable, and nobody knows what the future holds. We must prepare in advance. With chaos looming, this is the best opportunity for your rise. Once the world stabilizes and the nine provinces are peaceful, it will be difficult to make any significant achievements."

Seeing the Marquis of Pingxi with his brows tightly locked, Wu Ying, familiar with the Marquis's character, knew that the Marquis was deep in thought.

As the leader of the Marquis of Pingxi's assassins, Wu Ying spoke of killing and refining essence blood without a ripple in his tone, as if it were an everyday matter to him.

Over the years, Wu Ying's hands were stained with blood, and to him, human lives were merely a matter of value.

"This matter requires long-term planning and careful consideration. You're right, with turmoil shaking the world, I must begin to prepare," said the Marquis of Pingxi, taking a deep breath and agreeing with Wu Ying's ideas.

Now that chaos had engulfed the nine provinces and the barbarians were attacking the borders, casualties were inevitable. As long as he was discreet enough, no one would be able to trace it back to him.

Furthermore, the border was his territory; it wouldn't be easy for others to investigate his secrets.

Although the soldiers under his command were also a part of the Marquis of Pingxi's strength, in his view, his own martial prowess was clearly more important.

"We must find a balance. Otherwise, if the loss of troops is too great, then it will be difficult to defend against the barbarians," said the Marquis of Pingxi pensively.

Wu Ying nodded again. The border absolutely could not suffer loss, otherwise, Da Xia's Tiandu would definitely hold the Marquis of Pingxi accountable.

Wu Ying said, "Lord Marquis, if we can't defeat the barbarians, it's actually not a problem. The greater the casualties, the better, because then, Lord Marquis, you will have a reason to request reinforcements from Da Xia."

"The barbarian invasion of the border means that this time, Tiandu will have no reason to deny your request for reinforcements, unless Da Xia's Crown Prince and King Huai have no interest in the borderlands."

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the Marquis of Pingxi brightened as he said, "Indeed, a very ingenious plan!"

Sigh—

Suddenly, an extremely chilling wind appeared inside the tent, and the Marquis of Pingxi's face changed instantly.

Even Wu Ying, whose face couldn't be seen, revealed through his subtle movements that his body tensed in an instant, ready to strike at any moment.

At that moment, a wisp of black mist emerged abruptly within the tent, causing the brows of the Marquis of Pingxi to furrow. A blazing vitality spread out from within his body, transforming him into something akin to a blazing furnace, emanating waves of searing heat.

Not only that, but Wu Ying's body also shook, as robust vitality radiated out from him, revealing that he too was a martial arts master of grandmaster level!

But in the next moment, the Marquis of Pingxi's face abruptly changed, as he discovered that his qi was confined within the tent, unable to transmit even the slightest bit outside.

"A grandmaster of martial arts?!" Wu Ying's pupils contracted.