Chapter 86

"What did you just say?"

Zhao Mo grabbed the spy in front of him, unable to believe the intelligence he had just heard.

At the Little Stone Valley, eighty miles north of Qingzhou City, 148 bodies were found, 143 of which were identified. One of them was confirmed to be Kaiyang, one of the Seven Stars under Liáo Wang.

The rest were all martial artists who had joined the Shen Ce Army, including 29 innate experts and 109 experts at the ninth and eighth stages of the postnatal realm.

Among the 120 dead, the manner of death was similar to the techniques used by Bai Xiong. The other 23 died due to the traps set by the Tang Family.

Zhao Mo's face was a mix of shock and joy, as another of the Seven Stars had fallen to Bai Chen's hands.

Moreover, this battle was even more terrifying than the last.

Over a hundred martial experts, including nearly thirty innate experts.

It was hard to imagine the consequences if such a group of martial experts had launched a surprise attack on Qingzhou City.

But Bai Chen, with the help of Mu Wan'er, had almost completely wiped out the group, including Kaiyang.

Suddenly, Zhao Mo thought of something: "How did you discover this?"

Zhao Mo remembered that he had not placed any spies near Little Stone Valley.

"The humble servant heard a city resident say that there were many bodies in Little Stone Valley. I thought that Bai Xiong and Mu Girl had broken through the encirclement near Little Stone Valley, so I went to check and found the traces left by Bai Xiong, which were exactly the same as those left when he assassinated Wu Mouzi."

"Good, good, good!" Zhao Mo said several times, showing how excited he was.

In a confrontation between two armies, it was not just a matter of troop numbers but also various other factors.

Morale was a crucial factor. Before the battle even began, the Shen Ce Army had lost a large number of experts and a major general.

Kaiyang, ranked sixth among the Seven Stars, was best known for setting up traps, having once assassinated three generals of the Tian Ce Army using traps.

Now that Kaiyang had been killed, this news would boost the morale of the Qingzhou City defenders and severely damage the morale of the Shen Ce Army.

One could say that the death of Kaiyang was equivalent to the loss of a ten-thousand-strong elite force.

"I was right not to underestimate him," Zhao Mo said, excitedly, his right fist clenched and lightly waving.

"But, General, this is good news for us, but not necessarily for Bai Xiong and Mu Wan'er."

Zhao Mo was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

"The Shen Ce Army must have already received the news. With two of the Seven Stars and a large number of experts killed by Bai Xiong, they will not let it go easily. They will surely make every effort to hunt down Bai Xiong and Mu Wan'er, putting their lives in grave danger."

Zhao Mo fell silent. The spy's words were reasonable, but he knew he could not send troops to rescue them.

The Qingzhou City defenders were few, and with the thousand Tian Ce Army troops he had brought, they numbered only eight thousand.

With the Shen Ce Army's thirty-thousand-strong force besieging the city, a rash move would not only fail to save anyone but could also result in heavy losses.

"There's no need to worry too much. The main force of the Shen Ce Army is guarding outside Qingzhou City and cannot participate in the hunt. They will likely send martial artists to do the job. Bai Xiong and Mu Wan'er can certainly handle it."

Zhao Mo was not entirely confident when he said this, but it was the only way he could force himself to accept this hypothesis.

This news was not only received by Zhao Mo but had already caused a stir in the city.

The over a hundred bodies in Little Stone Valley could not be hidden.

...

Long Xing's face was filled with shock and doubt, his gaze flickering as he looked at Long Tuoxiao.

"You... you mean to say that Bai Chen alone killed Kaiyang, one of the Seven Stars under Liáo Wang, and also over a hundred martial experts, including nearly thirty innate experts?"

Long Tuoxiao smiled bitterly. He had also found it hard to believe before receiving the news.

Thinking back to when he first met Bai Chen, Bai Chen was only at the sixth stage of the postnatal realm. But in just a month, he had become an innate expert with remarkable achievements.

Now, he had personally killed over a hundred experts, including nearly thirty innate experts.

"I didn't believe it at first, but I went to the scene at Little Stone Valley and confirmed that it was indeed the traces left by Bai Xiong after the battle."

"How long has he been an innate expert?" Long Xing was unwilling to believe this fact. Thirty innate experts—anyone else would have been killed a hundred times over.

Not to mention thirty innate experts, even a hundred postnatal experts would have been enough to exhaust him.

...

Zhuo Bufan's expression was similar to Long Xing's. Zhuo Bufan, who had once been full of vigor after advancing to the innate realm, now sat with disheveled hair and a haggard appearance, his gaze wandering and unfocused.

Zhuo Qingyan's eyes flickered, while Mu Sansheng's face was full of resentment, though his eyes were somewhat vacant.

None of them spoke, and the hall of the Tie Juan Sect was eerily quiet.

The Tie Juan Sect, which had once been bustling, was now a shadow of its former self. After the battle, nearly half of the disciples had left the sect.

The remaining disciples were listless, lacking the former cohesion.

Three sects that had once allied with the Tie Juan Sect had already declared their independence.

Mu Sansheng spent his days drowning his sorrows in alcohol, while Zhuo Bufan was in constant seclusion, completely ignoring sect affairs, even as disciples left the sect.

Only Zhuo Qingyan was struggling to keep the Tie Juan Sect afloat.

Zhuo Qingyan's abilities were not inferior to Mu Sansheng's, and in some ways, she was even better.

However, she knew that as a woman, she had previously avoided getting involved in sect affairs.

Now, she had to shoulder the burden of a disintegrating Tie Juan Sect, which was a daunting task.

Zhuo Qingyan suddenly stood up, her eyes filled with determination: "Grandfather, please hand over the leadership of the Tie Juan Sect to me."

Zhuo Bufan and Mu Sansheng were both taken aback. Mu Sansheng had always been the designated successor.

Zhuo Qingyan had never expressed any intention of taking over the leadership.

Now, Mu Sansheng had given up on the declining Tie Juan Sect, and Zhuo Bufan was in a state of madness, making the title of leader a mere formality.

Zhuo Qingyan's request to take over the leadership was not for power or glory but for responsibility.

Zhuo Bufan sighed deeply: "If you want it, then take it..." His heart was filled with sorrow.

"Senior Sister, I..." Mu Sansheng felt guilty, looking at Zhuo Qingyan with a hopeful gaze.

But Zhuo Qingyan responded with a cold look: "Mu Junior Brother, from now on, call me Sect Leader!"

With that, Zhuo Qingyan turned and left, showing no lingering affection for the two men who had already given up.

...

"Are you feeling better?" Mu Wan'er looked at Bai Chen, who had just stood up, in disbelief.

How could he recover so quickly from such severe internal injuries?

Bai Chen felt his internal energy flowing smoothly, his inner breath thick and steady, even stronger than when he first became an innate expert.

After several major battles, although he was injured each time, it had greatly benefited him.

However, the Seven Injuries Fist was extremely damaging to the body, and Bai Chen would not use it unless absolutely necessary.

In recent days, the three small insects inside his body had not caused much trouble, occasionally consuming some of his excess true qi and then curling up in his dantian.

Bai Chen was helpless against them, but as long as they did not cause trouble, he let them be.

What truly surprised Bai Chen was that his accumulated merit had reached 580,000.

This number was due to his efforts in blocking the zombies from the insect tomb, killing Wu Mouzi, and preventing the Shen Ce Army from raiding Qing Shui Town.

Saving a life was equivalent to building a seven-story pagoda, and such indirect acts of saving lives also earned merit.

At the same time, Bai Chen felt that although his cultivation progress was not slow, his combat skills seemed to lag behind. Each time he fought, he ended up severely injured.

Of course, this was just Bai Chen's perspective. If it were anyone else, they would be terrified by his formidable combat power.

Bai Chen always placed himself in the most challenging situations, choosing opponents that were either vast armies or countless experts. Anyone else would find it overwhelming.

Bai Chen had been looking for a suitable martial art on the second floor, as he now had 580,000 merit points, giving him more options.

He had asked Jiesha multiple times to help him find a suitable martial art.

However, Jiesha's response was always the same: no million merit points, no deal.

Jiesha's arrogant attitude made Bai Chen's nose twitch, but he had to accept Jiesha's advice.

Jiesha's recommendations were indeed the best for Bai Chen, whether it was the Iron Shirt or the Seven Injuries Fist, both of which had significantly enhanced his overall strength.

The thought of a million merit points gave Bai Chen a headache.

Although he had accumulated more than half, the remaining half would not just fall from the sky.

Jiesha offered a "loan" with the usual terms of nine out and thirteen in, but taking such a large loan would make Bai Chen a martial slave for the rest of his life.

Bai Chen looked at Mu Wan'er: "If I don't get better soon, I'm afraid you'll leave me."

"Be serious. This is not the time for your romantic nonsense," Mu Wan'er said sternly, as if someone owed her millions.

"Live for today, and worry about tomorrow when it comes."

Mu Wan'er shook her head helplessly. She could not be as carefree as Bai Chen... or perhaps she thought he was heartless.

The current situation was not optimistic. They had caused a major disturbance in Little Stone Valley, and the Shen Ce Army would not let them off easily.

If they were found, it would likely lead to a fierce battle.

Moreover, their trump cards in Little Stone Valley had been fully exposed, leaving no room for侥幸.

Mu Wan'er looked at Bai Chen seriously: "What's your plan now?"

"None," Bai Chen answered straightforwardly.

Mu Wan'er was anxious. While she was tending to Bai Chen's injuries, she had been thinking about how to escape their current predicament.

Bai Chen, on the other hand, seemed to take the situation lightly.

"Having no plan is the best plan. The most meticulous plans can be seen through by the enemy. So, we should remain flexible and wait for their move, then counter it. That's the true path to victory."

Bai Chen was simply making an excuse because he could not think of a solution.

Mu Wan'er thought about it. Last night, they had a well-laid plan, but it was still seen through by Kaiyang. Bai Chen's words made sense; remaining flexible could give them a chance to seize the initiative.