Da Xuan Martial Saint

Ji Yuanshan!

Vice Pavilion Master of the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion, ranked ninety-eighth on the Wind Cloud List, and tenth among the Grandmasters of the Cold North Path!

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Qin Mengjun! Continue reading stories on My Virtual Library Empire

Peak Master of the Spirit Profound Peak of the Seven Profound Sect, ranked seventy-fourth on the Wind Cloud List, and sixth among the Grandmasters of the Cold North Path!

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Jiang Changsheng!

Elder of the Heavenly Sword Sect, ranked forty-second on the Wind Cloud List, and third among the Grandmasters of the Cold North Path!

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Apart from Ji Yuanshan, no other Grandmasters in the Cold North Path held a rank in the Da Xuan Dynasty Court's "Wind Cloud List". Therefore, only the top ten supreme Grandmasters had rankings, and the strength of Grandmasters beyond these was not listed.

Had Chen Mu indeed been stuck at the Mysterious Pass, unable to achieve the rank of Grandmaster, he might have cared a little about the ranking on the Wind Cloud List, but now, his sights had long been set on these top Grandmasters standing at the pinnacle of the Cold North Path.

Who knows what rank he could achieve after he breaks through the Mysterious Pass and steps into the Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster Realm.

Could he be... ranked number what?

Zhao Zhenchuan naturally didn't know the thoughts in Chen Mu's mind. At that moment, all he could do was listen to Chen Mu's words and laugh, saying, "Hahaha, Junior Brother, if you were just an ordinary Martial Man, with how many Martial Artists there are in the Cold North Path, wouldn't they all become like simple farmhands?"

Chen Mu also laughed along.

But soon, Zhao Zhenchuan's expression became serious, and he said, "Junior Brother, I've come here this time by Elder Qi's command. Elder Qi, acting on behalf of the Sect Master, has ordered you to take the position of 'Inspector of the Yu State Inspectorate' and concurrently 'Military Pacification Envoy of the Yu Forest Army', to go with me to the borders of Lang Prefecture to quell the chaos in Ice State."

Chen Mu looked at Zhao Zhenchuan, his expression also changing slightly, and he said, "Military Pacification Envoy of the Yu Forest Army? Does this mean that the main force of the Yu Forest Army will also be going to Ice State to participate in the war?"

Yu State, under the control of the Seven Profound Sect, consists of several powerful forces.

One is the disciples, stewards, and protectors under the Seven Peaks of the Seven Profound Sect... These are the core forces of the Seven Profound Sect.

Another is the six major families of the State Government Office, the official forces of the various Prefectural Governments, and the many Protectorate Armies.

The third is the Yu Forest Army stationed in Yu State.

This is a truly elite military force, which the Seven Profound Sect has always heavily invested in. To Chen Mu's knowledge, it consists of hundreds of thousands of people, all of whom are above the Body Refinement Realm. They all practice with military formations, and even if they cannot compare to the former Azure Dragon and White Tiger Four Armies of the Da Xuan Dynasty that dominated the world, they are certainly not mere display like the Protectorate Army of Yu County.

Hundreds of thousands of Body Refinement Martial Men, if scattered, might not pose any threat even to Martial Artists in the Five Viscera Realm, but if they can condense their momentum with a military formation, it's entirely different – like a mobile 'Qiankun Lock Dragon Formation'!

Once such military power unfolds, even a Martial Arts Grandmaster might risk death if trapped within. Only someone in the Blood Exchange Realm might possibly withstand it through supreme personal martial power, but even the outcome in that case is unpredictable, because the Azure Dragon and White Tiger Four Armies of the Imperial Court have a record of killing existences in the Blood Exchange Realm.

A mobile Qiankun Lock Dragon Formation is certainly terrifying, but its shortcomings are also quite clear.

Compared to proper Martial Artists, its slow speed of march is a weakness. No matter how strong a Body Refinement Martial Man is, they cannot outrun a Tendon Changing, let alone Bone Tempering Realm Martial Artist, so their overall mobility is extremely poor, and they also cannot disperse, as the more they scatter, the weaker they become.

Furthermore, the more people gather in a military formation, the greater the consumption of food and supplies becomes. Martial Men in the Body Refinement Realm need a lot of meat to maintain peak Qi-Blood levels, consuming far more than ordinary people. The consumption of hundreds of thousands of troops is also extremely frightening.

Without a legendary Spirit Weapon like the 'Qiankun Pot', transporting supplies is the most significant challenge. After all, even if the military formation is so powerful that not even someone in the Blood Exchange Realm can launch a frontal attack, by cutting off their supply routes and resources, they can be worn down gradually, and eventually be defeated.

Therefore.

The Jade Forest Army, to Chen Mu's knowledge, had not been mobilized for at least twenty to thirty years, and the last mobilization was only partial, aimed at suppressing a massive demonic uprising that affected the entirety of Yu State.

"Mm."

Zhao Zhenchuan nodded slightly and said, "The State Government Office will mobilize a hundred thousand Jade Forest soldiers to garrison Lang Prefecture and strengthen the border defenses of Lang Prefecture. The Jade Forest Army functions as an independent system and does not require junior brother to command, but to avoid certain issues and to allow junior brother to come and go freely, junior brother will concurrently hold the position of pacification commissioner."

After hearing this, Chen Mu appeared to be lost in thought. An army with the strength of the Jade Forest Army would not be easily mobilized unless it was absolutely necessary, because doing so was extremely troublesome; they were much less agile than Martial Artists of the Five Organ and Viscera Realm, and were often more suited for garrison duty than offensive action.

The mobilization of the Jade Forest Army was not to directly engage in the conflict in Ice State, but rather to be dispatched for the defense of Lang Prefecture, and that alone was sufficient. With an elite force of one hundred thousand soldiers guarding and stationed, even top Grandmasters would not dare to easily attack the Prefectural Government.

After all, even though top Grandmasters were strong and highly mobile, if they were entangled by Grandmasters from the Seven Profound Sect and could not extricate themselves for a time, and then fell into a siege by a large army and were suppressed by the military formation, even with extraordinary abilities, they would likely perish bitterly.

In fact.

Ice Extreme Palace had been besieged by the Sky Demon Sect, Heavenly Corpse Sect, and foreign races beyond the border, yet even now they still managed to hold Yu State's State Government. On one hand, it was because Ice Extreme Palace had Earth's Veins formations similar to those of the Seven Profound Sect, which were impenetrable, and on the other hand, it was because the State Government had the 'Ice Protector Army' stationed there. Even though the overall strength was inferior to that of the Jade Forest Army due to geographical factors, it was still a force that all parties feared, and even strong Martial Artists did not wish to be trapped within it.

The many years of suppression of the foreign races beyond the border were in fact because they lacked resources. Even if they could birth some highly capable individual warriors and top Grandmasters, they still could not support a large number of elite soldiers like the Jade Forest Army.

"When do I need to depart?"

After a brief moment of deliberation, Chen Mu asked Zhao Zhenchuan.

Zhao Zhenchuan looked at Chen Mu and said, "The sooner, the better."

"Alright."

Chen Mu nodded and said, "Then I'll trouble Brother Zhao to take a short rest in the main hall; I need to explain a few things to my wife."

Zhao Zhenchuan gave a slight nod to Chen Mu.

Chen Mu invited Zhao Zhenchuan to the main hall in the front courtyard and had tea served, then he returned to the back courtyard. Upon his arrival, he saw Xu Hongyu, Xiao He, Yu Ru, and Chen Yue, and the others, all gathered in the courtyard.

Everyone was silent, looking at him, waiting for him to speak.

"Yu State has issued an order, appointing me as an Inspector and Pacification Commissioner, to go to the border pass of Lang Prefecture. Judging by the situation, there is also the deployment of the Seven Profound Sect, and most likely we'll have a few fights with the Heavenly Corpse Sect, Sky Demon Sect, and the foreign races beyond the border."

"The duration of the conflict is uncertain. If I enter Ice State, I'll probably have little time to write home. Even if the border becomes chaotic, the State Government Office will not be affected immediately, so there's no need for you to worry too much about living there."

Chen Mu's gaze passed over Xu Hongyu, Xiao He, Chen Yue, and the others, as he addressed them all.

Chen Yue and Yu Ru looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

In the end, it was Xu Hongyu who took the initiative and said, "If my husband is going to Ice State, please be careful in all matters..."

Although everyone had been with Chen Mu for more than a day or two and knew that he was always composed, they also knew that these reminders were meaningless since Chen Mu's decisions and thoughts were sure to be much better than theirs. Still, the chaos in Ice State was well known, and even some elevated Grandmasters had perished. It was natural for them to feel uneasy.

"Be at ease."

Chen Mu looked at Xu Hongyu and the others, smiled, and comforted them, "You all know how I act. There's no need to worry for me. Ice State may be in chaos, but it might just be an opportunity for me. Just wait for my news from the rear."

Indeed, his journey to Ice State was bound to embroil him in the chaos of war, but with his current strength, he had little to fear internally. And since Ice State was a unique place, comprehending it could greatly advance his Qiankun Artistic Conception.

After reassuring Xu Hongyu and the others, Chen Mu said his goodbyes to the women. Accompanied and seen off by Xu Hongyu, Chen Yue, and the rest, his figure receded along the corridor and disappeared into the back courtyard.

Xu Hongyu and the other women knew that they could not be of much help to Chen Mu in his journey to the border pass of Lang Prefecture. They could only pray silently in their hearts, hoping that Chen Mu would return safely and soon.