Chapter 1

The setting sun was like blood, and in the council hall of the Xiliang City Lord's residence, a key stronghold on the western frontier of the Great Tang Empire, City Lord Ximen Zhan, dressed in a blue suit of armor, sat in the main seat. On either side of him sat more than a dozen men, each with a heavy expression, except for the young man sitting at the end.

The young man had clear and bright eyes, and unlike the armored men around him, he wore only a white robe. His jet-black hair was tied back, and he held a folding fan in his hand, completely ignoring the solemn atmosphere, leisurely fanning himself as if he were enjoying tea in the afternoon rather than attending a military meeting.

City Lord Ximen Zhan glanced at the young man at the end and sighed softly.

How could a man of General Ziyang's great reputation have such a useless son?

At birth, his meridians were blocked, making it impossible for him to practice martial arts. Even in terms of literary skills, he was mediocre. Almost twenty years old, he couldn't even compose a simple doggerel, and his knowledge of the classics was a mess.

However, with the Ziyang family's power, raising such a useless person wasn't a big deal. But this rascal, who dared to flirt with the princess in broad daylight, was simply courting death.

If it weren't for the emperor's consideration of General Ziyang's countless contributions to the empire over the years, he would have been executed long ago.

Now, with his death sentence commuted, General Ziyang, in a fit of anger, had exiled him to Xiliang City, the front line against the grassland demons. If it were anyone else, being exiled here would be a death sentence. In this border region, cannon fodder was plentiful. But he was the son of General Ziyang, so how could Ximen Zhan really let him be cannon fodder?

He had given him a position as a strategist, hoping the boy would earn some military merit to report back to General Ziyang. But this boy was often absent from the military, instead causing trouble in Xiliang City, flirting with virtuous women. Thinking of the various complaints and charges over the past few months, Ximen Zhan felt an urge to send the boy to the suicide squad.

But why wasn't he out today? Instead, he was attending the military meeting for the first time? Could it be that he had heard about the demons surrounding Xiliang City? Was he here to persuade Ximen Zhan to abandon the city and flee? Given the boy's character, he wouldn't hesitate to say such a thing.

"Cough, cough..." Ximen Zhan cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention to him before continuing, "Everyone, the situation outside the city is clear. Let's hear your thoughts..."

The hall remained silent. Half a month ago, the grassland demons' ten-thousand-strong army had suddenly attacked Xiliang City, destroying the surrounding towns in just three days and cutting off all roads, leaving no time for Xiliang City to send a message.

Xiliang City, as a key border stronghold, had a permanent garrison of thirty thousand soldiers and twenty thousand militia. In theory, with such a force, defending Xiliang City should not be a problem. In conventional sieges, the ratio of attackers to defenders was usually three to one, and the grassland demons, mostly cavalry, were not skilled in sieges. In the past, they had to pay a five to ten times higher cost to capture a city.

But this time, a Xian Master appeared in their ranks.

A Xian Master, a legendary figure who could summon wind and rain, was almost invincible unless faced by a peak Martial Master. Anyone, even a beginner Xian Master, would likely die if they encountered one. After all, a Xian Master's spells were beyond the reach of ordinary martial artists.

The Great Tang Empire, founded on martial prowess, had a population of hundreds of millions and countless martial artists, but only a few had reached the peak Martial Master level, and even fewer were willing to serve the empire. The empire's four most powerful generals, including General Ziyang, were at the peak Martial Master level.

This gave an idea of how powerful a Xian Master was.

What puzzled everyone was that Xian Masters were all members of the Qingtian Dao Sect. When did the Qingtian Dao Sect ally with the grassland demons?

Didn't they always view the grassland people as demons? The term "demons" originated from the Qingtian Dao Sect.

But the memory of yesterday, when a black-clothed Xian Master used an Earthquake Spell to collapse a section of the city wall over ten meters wide, still sent shivers down their spines. If the city lord hadn't reacted quickly and sent the elite Qingyi Army to block the breach, the grassland cavalry would have already stormed into Xiliang City.

The city wall was their greatest defense against the grassland demons. But with a Xian Master who could cast Earthquake Spells, even a beginner Xian Master made the wall almost useless. A few more Earthquake Spells would create a breach over a hundred meters long, and the city's forces would be unable to resist the grassland cavalry. What could they do?

Seeing everyone's silence, Ximen Zhan sighed again. These were the elite of the Great Tang Empire, who had fought countless battles on the border, killing countless grassland demons. Even when the grassland demons' leader personally led a force of two hundred thousand to besiege the city a year ago, they had not been afraid. But now, the appearance of a Xian Master left them helpless.

Could they be blamed?

How could they be blamed when facing a mysterious and powerful Xian Master?

That was not something ordinary people could resist.

"Is it just ten thousand grassland demons? Look at how scared you all are. When my father led thirty thousand cavalry to the grasslands and was surrounded by two hundred thousand, he still fought his way back. We still have the city wall. What are you afraid of?" At this moment, a somewhat immature voice echoed in the large hall.

Hearing this, everyone's gaze turned to the end, to the young man in white holding a fan, his face calm.

"You know nothing. General Ziyang is a martial genius. Even a million-strong army would be no match for him. If you had even a fraction of his strength, we wouldn't be worried..."

"Exactly, ignorant child, how could General Ziyang have such a useless son..."

"Right, besides stealing and flirting with women, what else can you do?"

For a moment, everyone was indignant, and the silence was broken as they all turned their anger on Zichen. He was General Ziyang's son, but this was not the capital; it was the border army. They respected only the strong. They respected General Ziyang, but they would not be polite to a useless person.

"Ha, I may be useless, but at least I dare to speak my mind. You, on the other hand, are so scared of a ten-thousand-strong army that you can't even breathe. I wonder how you got to be generals..." Zichen sneered, showing no fear.

"What did you say..." Hearing Zichen, a useless person with no true qi, insult them all, Luo Yun, one of Ximen Zhan's deputy generals and the most hot-tempered, stood up from his seat.

"City Lord called you here to discuss, but you all remain silent. Isn't that just being too scared to speak?" Zichen was not afraid of Luo Yun's killing intent. As the son of one of the empire's four great generals, he didn't believe they would dare kill him here.

"You..."

"Enough..." Just as Luo Yun was about to explode, Ximen Zhan, sitting in the main seat, spoke up, slamming his palm on the solid wood table. The redwood table shattered into powder, the finest wood dust.

The wood dust scattered on the ground, and everyone's hearts skipped a beat. Had the City Lord's strength improved again?

"Zichen, do you have any good strategies?" Ignoring Luo Yun, Ximen Zhan asked Zichen. Though he didn't believe Zichen could offer any good strategies, as a strategist and the son of General Ziyang, he had to consider his face.

"Simple, capture the leader first. Since the Xian Master can cause significant damage to the city wall, killing him would solve the problem," Zichen said calmly, gently shaking his fan.

"Easier said than done. A Xian Master can only be dealt with by a peak Martial Master. Our strongest is only a Great Martial Master, and we don't even have a Xiantian expert. How can we kill a Xian Master?" Luo Yun, who had just suppressed his anger, sneered.

If it weren't for the City Lord's presence, he would have taught this arrogant second-generation rich kid a lesson. Yes, in everyone's eyes, Zichen was a second-generation rich kid.

"Who said only a peak Martial Master can deal with a Xian Master?" Zichen retorted.

"Isn't that the case?"

"Of course not. If it really required a peak Martial Master to deal with a Xian Master, wouldn't the Qingtian Dao Sect have unified the world long ago? But for years, they have never dared to challenge the Great Tang Empire. Why?" Zichen sneered.

"This..." Not just Luo Yun, but everyone in the hall was speechless.

Indeed, the empire had only a few peak Martial Masters, but the Qingtian Dao Sect had over a hundred Xian Masters. If Xian Masters were so powerful, wouldn't the Qingtian Dao Sect have unified the world long ago?

"Xian Masters are indeed powerful, but their strength lies in their spells, not their physical bodies. The reason peak Martial Masters can deal with Xian Masters is that they can project their true qi, forming a protective aura around their bodies to resist the Xian Master's spells. But to kill a Xian Master, especially a beginner, any martial artist, even an ordinary person, can do it..."

"How is that possible?" Everyone except Ximen Zhan exclaimed in shock.

A Xian Master was an extremely powerful and mysterious existence, even difficult for a Xiantian Martial Master to handle, let alone an ordinary person.

"Why not? A Xian Master is still human. A beginner Xian Master's physical strength is even weaker than a common martial apprentice. How hard can it be to kill him?" Zichen said calmly.

"How do you know?" Luo Yun asked.

"Hum..." Zichen only sneered in response.

The others suddenly understood. Who was he? He was the son of one of the empire's four great generals, General Ziyang, a peak Martial Master. Besides fighting the grassland demons, he had also led troops against the Southern Kingdom, which was under the Qingtian Dao Sect's influence. It was said that at least three Xian Masters had died at General Ziyang's hands. Who knew more about the weaknesses of Xian Masters?

As General Ziyang's son, even if he was useless, he must have heard something from his father.

"Even if a Xian Master's body is weak, they are heavily protected by the grassland demons. How can we kill him?" Another deputy general spoke up.

"We must try. If the Xian Master isn't killed, Xiliang City will fall. Liang Yin, you will be responsible for defending the city tomorrow. Luo Yun, Tian Xing, you will accompany me out of the city to kill the Xian Master..." Ximen Zhan, who had been sitting in the main seat, spoke up.

"General, this is too dangerous..." Hearing that Ximen Zhan would personally lead the attack, everyone was shocked. The enemy had ten thousand cavalry, and on the plains, the demons' cavalry was almost invincible. Even in Xiliang City, the only force capable of dealing with the demons' cavalry was the City Lord's three thousand Qingyi cavalry. Even if the City Lord led all three thousand out, trying to kill a Xian Master in a ten-thousand-strong army would be like a moth flying into a flame.

"Yes, General, you are the commander-in-chief. The central army needs you. Let me, Old Luo, handle the assassination of the Xian Master," Luo Yun jumped up. As Ximen Zhan's deputy, he couldn't let Ximen Zhan take such a risk.

"Do you have the confidence to complete the mission?" Ximen Zhan asked calmly.

"This..." Luo Yun fell silent. Though he was a Great Martial Master, he had no confidence in cutting through thousands of cavalry to kill a general. But he couldn't let the general take such a risk.

"You don't have to say you'll bring his head back. I know your loyalty, but this concerns the safety of Xiliang City. I must go," Ximen Zhan said firmly.

As the strongest in Xiliang City, he had to take this responsibility.

"General, even if you go, the chances of killing the Xian Master are slim. If I'm not mistaken, the Xian Master is likely with the demons' commander. Even if you are a martial genius, reaching the commander's flag will be extremely difficult. And even if you do, there will certainly be other experts around," Zichen spoke up again.

"Even if the chances are slim, I must go. If the Xian Master destroys the city wall, the city's forces won't last until the general arrives," Ximen Zhan's eyes were resolute.

"Actually, General, you don't need to take such a risk. I can recommend someone who can definitely kill the Xian Master," Zichen said calmly.

"Who?" Not just Ximen Zhan, everyone in the hall looked at Zichen. In all of Xiliang City, was there really someone who could cut through thousands of troops to kill a general?

"Me..." Zichen puffed out his chest, shook his fan, and tossed his head, truly a charming sight...

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