Da Xuan Martial Saint

Having taken action, I absolutely cannot abandon them in the wilderness to fend for themselves.

Chen Mu shook his head and then walked towards the group of women and children who had been captured by the foreign tribe. Saying they were women and children, in actuality, they were all females, the oldest not surpassing thirty years of age, and the youngest merely ten.

Foreign tribes captured women for two reasons: pleasure and reproduction. Only those of suitable age could survive in their hands.

Seeing Chen Mu approaching,

over a thousand disheveled young women, girls, and female children all became visibly excited. They were all too aware of the fate that awaited them after being captured by a foreign tribe. Throughout the ordeal, they had barely been treated as humans by their captors, some of their eyes even devoid of life. However, the arrival of Chen Mu, who single-handedly defeated a thousand of the enemy soldiers, reignited a glimmer of hope in many.

Gratitude, sobbing, and all sorts of chaotic sounds mixed together, creating a tumultuous scene.

"Quiet."
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Chen Mu shook his head slightly at the sight and spoke softly, though his voice, not very stern, carried a degree of authority that echoed in everyone's ears, overpowering the numerous chaotic sounds.

"Is there anyone who can lead?"

Chen Mu continued to speak after the crowd swiftly quieted down.

As his words ended, many of the women looked at each other. Amidst some confusion, several young women stepped forward, many bearing scars, but even so, their steps were firm, all possessing some martial arts skills.

"My lord."

The one at the forefront had the highest cultivation, her Qi-Blood fluctuating, almost at the level of Body Refinement Perfection, with an apparent through-and-through wound on her shoulder roughly bandaged with coarse cloth, still seeping blood. Her complexion was somewhat pale, but her gaze remained steadfast as she respectfully greeted Chen Mu.

"My name is Lu Yun, a patrol officer from Donglin Township of Hannan County..."

"Mm."

Chen Mu nodded slightly at the woman in front of him, stepped forward to inspect her shoulder wound, and then raised his right hand slightly. A strand of Inner Breath was cast out, invoking the water and wood spirit energy between heaven and earth to converge, generating a trace of vitality.

The through-and-through wound on Lu Yun's shoulder soon stopped bleeding, and the injury was temporarily contained. However, it was not completely healed, for even the Qiankun Path could not perform miracles like raising the dead and mending flesh and bones – that would be Immortal Technique. Chen Mu simply sealed her wound for the time being and slightly regulated the Qi-Blood within her body.

"Thank you, my lord."

Feeling the injury on her shoulder being contained and regaining strength, Lu Yun's heart relaxed. She bowed to Chen Mu again, her eyes expressing gratitude.

Chen Mu said to her, "Han Prefecture currently lacks a place of safety. Here, Sha Prefecture is the closest, but it's still about six hundred li away. I will escort you to Sha Prefecture. You should organize the women, count the numbers, and attend to those who are injured or unable to walk."

"Understood."

Lu Yun was slightly startled when Chen Mu mentioned Sha Prefecture, and upon hearing there were six hundred li to go, a hint of hesitation crossed her face. But at last, she respectfully agreed and, leading the women with martial arts skills, turned to count the numbers and control the order.

Six hundred li… For someone with martial arts skills, it wasn't too bad – it could be managed within a few days. However, not all in this group had such skills; a great majority were weak women, including ten-year-old girls.

Yet,

just as Chen Mu had said, there truly was no place of safety in Han Prefecture, especially for this group of people. It seemed only fleeing to Yu State would offer them a chance of survival and respite.

After all, with so many elite cavalry soldiers of the foreign race dead, they surely would not let the matter rest. Even if they weren't aware of the situation for a short period, as time passed, they would undoubtedly learn of it, and then they would send pursuers.

The situation would only become more perilous at that point.

By a twist of fate, they had managed to escape from the hands of the foreign tribe, and naturally, none of them wished to be captured again. Many would rather die in the wilderness than be taken away by the foreign tribe and reduced to livestock.

…

Upon the barren wilderness,

many encampments were stationed there.

In the central grand tent, numerous tribal commanders had gathered, led by a middle-aged man with an imposing face, whose presence was as deep as an abyss, incomparable to the Six Viscera Realm – he was a foreign race Grandmaster!

Even in regions beyond the border, a Grandmaster's status was highly esteemed. In any faction of the foreign race, they were of paramount importance, akin to being granted the title of 'Marquis.' Now, presiding at the head of the camp was the foreign race's 'Tuguhou'!

"So you're saying there's been no movement in Frost County for now," Tuguhou said in an even tone.

"Although the Seven Profound Sect has taken Frost County, I believe their appetite isn't limited to just one county. Next, they will likely choose another county to attack, either heading north to Snow County or moving west into Han Prefecture… The chances of them coming here are substantial," said a commander gravely from below. "After all, we are situated quite close to Sha Prefecture, and the Sky Demon Sect and Heavenly Corpse Sect have recently been harassing the borders of Sha Prefecture."

Despite their cooperation with the Sky Demon Sect and Heavenly Corpse Sect in attacking Ice State, they each harbored their own conspiracies. Clearly, the Sky Demon Sect and Heavenly Corpse Sect were unwilling to directly confront the Seven Profound Sect in Frost County. As a result, they were conducting incremental operations in Han Prefecture, raiding the borders of Sha Prefecture. If the Seven Profound Sect did not respond, that played into their hands for revenge. If the Seven Profound Sect advanced into Han Prefecture, the 'Wumeng Tribe' would inevitably have to mobilize and resist. In any case, they wanted to drag them into a unified battlefront.

"Humph."

Tuguhou snorted coldly.

He held the actions of the Sky Demon Sect and Heavenly Corpse Sect in contempt. Even knowing that the two sects harbored ulterior motives and were trying to draw them into the fray, they couldn't afford to turn against them at the moment, given that Ice Extreme Palace and the Seven Profound Sect were indeed common enemies.

"We need to accelerate the plundering. The four groups dispatched eastward should also be called back swiftly," a commander said somberly.

Now that they are plundering all around Han Prefecture with their forces scattered, the current situation suggests it is no longer suitable to continue the plundering. Whether they should quickly escort the captured women beyond the border or transport the gathered resources to the main forces in Ice State, it's imperative to rapidly consolidate the dispersed troops in Han Prefecture. They cannot afford to keep raiding in such a scattered manner.

Although the division of the forces wasn't overly dispersed, with each unit having over a thousand foot soldiers accompanied by Elite Cavalry, enough to sweep across Han Prefecture, encountering a Grandmaster-level character would make such dispersed troops extremely dangerous, with the risk of the entire force being annihilated.

"Mm, gather the troops as quickly as possible. Where have the four units headed east reached?"

Tuguhou looked at a Commander and inquired.

The Commander quickly replied, "The first batch is just over a hundred miles from here, nearly arrived. The second and third batches are still four hundred miles out, and the fourth batch... we lost contact yesterday and are unclear of the situation; I have already dispatched Scouts."

Upon hearing that one unit had lost contact, Tuguhou's brow immediately furrowed and he asked, "When was the last time there was news?"

"The day before yesterday. They had traveled the farthest, capturing two to three thousand people, and were doing their best to hurry back," replied the Commander in charge of intelligence communication in a low voice.

"That means it's already been two days since we've had contact..."

Tuguhou murmured to himself.

Although the Seven Profound Sect's forces in Frost County had not shown any unusual movements, if they truly intended to advance westward, then it was extremely possible for a Grandmaster from Seven Profound Sect to quietly enter Han Prefecture.

And though each dispersed unit of army soldiers had over a thousand men, if they really encountered Grandmasters like Shi Zhenyong or Feng Hongsheng from the Seven Profound Sect, they would likely stand no chance at all and be utterly destroyed.

This won't do!

He needed to see the situation for himself.

A thousand plus foot soldiers were no small number for their Wumeng Tribe, and they could not afford to suffer such losses lightly.

"You all continue to gather the troops. I will go and take a look myself," Tuguhou commanded, his thoughts flashing. Rising to his feet, he spoke in a deep voice, then took a step and left the tent, heading in the direction of the route taken by the fourth unit that had lost contact, quickly disappearing between the headquarters.

As a Grandmaster of the Wumeng Tribe, Tuguhou was very fast. In less than half a day, he had traveled over nine hundred miles to where the fourth unit's march was supposed to be, but he saw no trace of the unit.

"..."

Tuguhou frowned and immediately began to search along the established route.

After nearly half a day of searching, he finally discovered something unusual on a frost-covered wasteland. There were traces of large-scale shattering on the ground.

Boom!

Tuguhou stared at the unusual trace of frozen earth and suddenly drew a curved blade, hacking at the ground and tearing open a ten zhang wide fissure.

Then, looking down the fissure, his expression immediately turned ugly.

He saw that beneath the shattered earth lay buried bodies and severed limbs easily identifiable as the missing unit of soldiers.

Boom!

Tuguhou's face sinister with gloom, he stomped on the ground, shattering tens of zhang more, and turned over many more unrecognizable corpses from beneath the frozen soil.

The situation was now clear: this unit of over a thousand soldiers had likely been entirely obliterated and buried here.

"A Grandmaster from the Seven Profound Sect?"

"No... these traces..."

Tuguhou surveyed the buried traces with an icy gaze. Although everything was destroyed beyond recognition, he was still a Grandmaster and could discern some details.

"Qiankun Eight Phases, is it the Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal?"

Tuguhou's eyes narrowed slightly.

Chen Mu?!

He had heard about how the three Great Demon Venerables from the Sky Demon Sect died at the hands of Chen Mu, knowing that Chen Mu was hailed as a rare genius of a century on the Cold North Path, a cultivator of Qiankun Martial Arts, and had recently reached the top three of the Wind Cloud List.

He had a rough understanding of the strength of the individuals on the Wind Cloud List of the Cold North Path. A thousand elite soldiers and several hundred Elite Cavalry, even facing the top ten from the list, wouldn't be so easily annihilated, but if it was an encounter with the top three, it would be inevitable.

"Having killed our warriors, it's unlikely you've gotten far."

Tuguhou coldly looked into the distance.

Although the traces indicated that the incident had happened two days ago, this unit had captured several thousand women and children, which could not just vanish into thin air.

Even if Chen Mu was ranked third on the Wind Cloud List, no matter his capabilities, it would be impossible to make several thousand people disappear in just two days. In such a short time, he couldn't have gotten very far.

Chen Mu might have managed to retreat alone, but if he intended to rescue the entire group of women and children... No matter that he's third on the Wind Cloud List, or even if it were Feng Hongsheng or Shi Zhenyong here, Tuguhou wouldn't fear the slightest and would not let him leave that easily!

Whoosh.

With a cold snort, Tuguhou's figure flashed as he rose from the ground, and after discerning a direction, he set out to search.