Da Xuan Martial Saint

With the arrival of Xiahou Yan leading over a hundred men to maintain order, the entire troop instantly became solemn and orderly.

Even though Chen Mu had previously made arrangements by appointing Lu Yun and some other skilled women to temporarily supervise order, they were ultimately not as effective as the border pass soldiers brought by Xiahou Yan.

Once the order among the thousands was restored, the speed of their journey increased somewhat as they continued on their way.

Lu Yun and the others could finally breathe a sigh of relief. With the support of Xiahou Yan and his men, they felt much more at ease and saw greater hope, as they were getting ever closer to Sha Prefecture.

The team continued to move forward, shifting from heading southwest to going straight south. Chen Mu walked at the very end of the troop alongside Xiahou Yan, discussing border affairs while still controlling the sweep of the cold wind within a certain range.

"Junior Brother Chen, your understanding of just the Xun Wind alone is nearly on par with mine," Xiahou Yan remarked while walking and feeling Chen Mu's manipulation of the cold wind, unable to help expressing his admiration.

Back in Sha Prefecture, although Chen Mu's strength had surpassed his due to the complete mastery of Qiankun Artistic Conception and the control over Heaven and Earth Wheel Seal, which involved an almost transformative leap, his understanding of the Xun Wind was still not as profound as Xiahou Yan's.

Although Xiahou Yan had not cultivated the Xun Wind Domain, his years of comprehension had already pushed the Xun Wind Artistic Conception to the limit of the second step. Yet now, after a year or two, seeing Chen Mu once again, his control over the Xun Wind was almost equal to Xiahou Yan's own.

And considering Chen Mu had cultivated Qiankun Artistic Conception, it suggested that his Qiankun Eight Phases might have reached a level comparable to his. Such a shocking talent was rare. After all, it took Xiahou Yan decades of cultivation to achieve his current realm, whereas Chen Mu had only spent a few years.

"Senior Brother Xiahou flatters me. Compared to your proficiency, I am still somewhat unskilled," Chen Mu responded amiably.

This time, he wasn't feigning modesty. Indeed, if discussing only the Xun Wind Artistic Conception, he hadn't delved as deeply as Xiahou Yan. He would need to complete the seventh or even the eighth deduction of the Qiankun Artistic Conception to reach the limit of the second step.

During his nearly half-month journey through Han State, coupled with previous collections, he had gathered enough experience for the seventh deduction, but lacking an appropriate moment, he had to delay it. He wasn't in a rush for this small stage of improvement.

"With your talent, you might reach Perfection in your Artistic Conception in just a few years. And with your abilities, now that you already govern the Three Feet Forbidden Domain, it likely won't be difficult for you to comprehend the Domain. Within ten years, perhaps you will be able to rival Peak Master Qin," Xiahou Yan said while looking at Chen Mu, with a gleaming look in his eyes.

Many had practiced the Qiankun Path in history, but the same Martial Arts could be stronger or weaker depending on the practitioner. Without a doubt, Chen Mu was the strongest person in the last many years on the Cold North Path to cultivate the Qiankun Path. Without even unlocking the Qiankun Domain, he had reached the top three of the Wind Cloud List, his strength approaching that of a very powerful grandmaster like Feng Hongsheng.

In Xiahou Yan's view, once Chen Mu unlocked the Qiankun Domain, his strength would surge further, possibly surpassing those of elders like Feng Hongsheng. Perhaps, even with the cultivation of the Six Viscera Realm, he could be on par with top grandmasters such as Qin Mengjun!

"Ten years, hm?"

Chen Mu shook his head slightly and didn't continue the discussion on the subject. Instead, he changed the topic to inquire about the situation at the border of Sha Prefecture, to which Xiahou Yan responded in detail, explaining the arrangements and the conditions over the period.

As the two talked and walked, an hour passed by unknowingly.

"... That's roughly the situation. Currently, the main forces stationed in Han Prefecture are from the 'Wu Mong tribe' of the Foreign Race beyond the border, whose overall strength is not weak among the tribes invading Ice State, with as many as five grandmasters."

At this point, Xiahou Yan was sharing with Chen Mu the limited intelligence concerning Han Prefecture.

Chen Mu had also come to understand a fair amount about Han Prefecture during this time, and Xiahou Yan, responsible for the garrison at Sha Prefecture's border, had some insight into the situation as well.

"The group you exterminated earlier should have been troops from the Wu Mong tribe. This tribe is extremely fierce, and if they ascertain the situation, they probably won't let it go easily. We still have a way to go before reaching Sha Prefecture, so we must hurry on our journey," Xiahou Yan said with a serious tone.

Being in Han Prefecture, it was hard to say what might happen, with the Wu Mong tribe being extraordinary. The main issue was the lack of concrete intelligence, and they didn't know how many grandmasters from the Wu Mong tribe were currently in Han Prefecture.

Given their current pace, even if the Wu Mong tribe noticed something amiss, it would take some time to locate them. The probability was that neither the troops nor the army would arrive in time, and the only ones who could possibly catch up were the grandmasters of the Wu Mong tribe.

Among the five grandmasters of the Wu Mong tribe, there were two marquises and three clan chiefs. The clan chiefs were not particularly strong, and with Chen Mu being in the top three of the Wind Cloud List, even if two of them arrived, he would not fear them. However, the two marquises were different; they were strong grandmasters with outstanding reputations.

"The Wu Mong tribe..." Chen Mu pondered thoughtfully.

Now, he was of the mind that if he could annihilate the Foreign Races beyond the border, he would do so entirely. From what he knew of the Wu Mong tribe's capabilities so far, no one was his match. However, a mobilization of ten thousand elite troops in a formation by master grandmasters would be a different matter.

The best-case scenario would be for the Grandmasters of the Wumeng tribe to leave the Military Formation, either roaming outside or wandering alone. If Chen Mu were to encounter them, he could eliminate them, thus gradually weakening their forces, making it much easier for the Seven Profound Sect to subsequently invade Han Prefecture.

And it was while Chen Mu was contemplating this.

Suddenly.

In the howling cold wind, there emerged a wisp of an extraordinary presence that caused his gaze to shift slightly. He swiftly turned to look behind him, only to see that it was nearly sunset, with dark clouds covering the northern sky and the last ray of sunlight casting a fading glow on the dusky twilight.

Chen Mu's actions quickly caught the attention of Xiahou Yan next to him. Xiahou Yan showed a moment of surprise and followed Chen Mu's gaze instinctively, but he saw nothing out of the ordinary—just an empty expanse of Wasteland, and he could not sense any abnormalities.

However, just then.

Chen Mu silently stopped in his tracks, no longer following the group forward. Instead, he turned around, his hands behind his back, calmly gazing toward the darkening Wasteland to the north.

The cold wind blowing over the Wasteland was just as before, but whether because of the approaching evening or some other change, it seemed to have grown colder still. Yet in front of Chen Mu, it quietly dissipated into nothingness.

"...Chen Junior Brother?"

Xiahou Yan still hadn't detected any anomalies, but seeing Chen Mu's movement, he began to have a vague sense of foreboding. He became tense, stopped by his side, and asked.

Chen Mu's expression remained calm as he surveyed the distant Wasteland. He said, "Someone is coming after us, but Xiahou Senior Brother, there's no need to worry. You take them and continue on. I will meet whoever is approaching."

Having said that.

They saw Chen Mu take a step, and his figure already moved in the opposite direction, landing dozens of feet away.

Xiahou Yan gasped when he heard Chen Mu's words. His gaze changed as he noticed some Army Soldiers also looking in their direction. He then spoke in a stern voice, "Don't panic, keep moving!"

While signaling the Army Soldiers and the group to continue on, he cast his gaze toward the direction Chen Mu was heading. At that moment, he finally perceived something, and a grave look appeared in his eyes.

He could feel that in the fierce cold wind, there spread an oppressive aura that was far from ordinary. This presence, concentrated and unyielding, traveled far along with the wind, carrying an intimidation that was beyond what someone of the Six Viscera Realm could achieve. And since there was no trace of Demon Qi or the stench of undead mingled within it, its origin was evident.

Grandmaster!

A Foreign Race Grandmaster!

Indeed, after Chen Mu had slaughtered over a thousand elites of the Wumeng tribe, it was impossible for them not to react. Even if the search took some time, ultimately a Grandmaster had found them!

"The Wumeng Tribe has five Grandmasters, two Marquises and three leaders. It remains to be seen who has come…"

Xiahou Yan couldn't help but take a deep breath. Despite some tension and concern in his eyes, he had no intention of joining Chen Mu.
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After all, the difference in strength between him and Chen Mu had long since grown vast, and he had no ability to confront a Grandmaster himself. He would merely be like an ant that could be squashed by a flick of a finger in front of a Foreign Race Grandmaster.

Here on this Wasteland, within Han Prefecture, the only one capable of standing against a Foreign Race Grandmaster was Chen Mu alone.

The only piece of good news was that with the major conflict in Ice State, the main forces of the Foreign Race were all concentrated at the State Government Office. It was unlikely that all five Grandmasters of the Wumeng Tribe of Han Prefecture were present—there could be at most two or three, and whoever had arrived could only be one or two, or perhaps even just one person.

If the one who had come was a 'leader' from the Wumeng Tribe, that would be somewhat better. The power of those three leaders was all within the normal range of a Grandmaster, a notch below the likes of Feng Hongsheng and Shi Zhenyong. They stood no advantage before Chen Mu.

But if one of the two Marquises had arrived, that would be a different matter.

The two Marquises of the Wumeng Tribe included the Tuguhou and the Wu Gu Marquis. The former was immensely powerful, having once fought head-on with Elder Han Yi of the Ice Extreme Palace without conceding defeat. Han Yi's prowess was on par with Feng Hongsheng and Shi Zhenyong, making him one of the mightiest among Grandmasters, second only to those at the pinnacle.

As for the Wu Gu Marquis, he was said to be even stronger by a third, with a reputation approaching the top tier of Grandmasters. But due to scarce intelligence and fewer appearances, his true power remains uncertain, only known to exceed that of Tuguhou.

If it was one of these two Marquises, regardless of which, it would undoubtedly be a great issue. The former would not be easily handled by Chen Mu, even as one of the top three on the Wind Cloud List. As for the latter, it would likely be hard to stop him!

If the Wu Gu Marquis was indeed the one approaching, and Chen Mu couldn't halt him, then even though Chen Mu had the means to retreat unscathed, none of the group that had entered Han Prefecture would likely survive.

However.

At that moment, the only thing Xiahou Yan could do was to hurry on their way. He had no power to influence a battle of Grandmasters, hoping only that the one who had come was not the Wu Gu Marquis. In that case, Chen Mu would at least have the ability to fend him off and not be faced with the worst-case scenario.