Supreme Sword Exalt

Gu Han glanced at Fatty. “Fatty, you should not go back for now. We still don’t know the situation at the border. If you stay, you might be able to help.”

He wouldn’t mince words with Fatty.

Meanwhile, Fatty felt deeply wronged. Go back my ass! My most prized possession was finished by Uncle Gu, how can I go back?!

He was certain that even if he explained the situation, his father would beat him half to death.

Gu Han glanced at Zhao Mengyou, who was still staring blankly. “Divine Maiden Zhao, I am going to the border. Besides seeking revenge, I will also stay there to help Senior Sister. If you want to go back, I will not stop you.”

Though Zhao Mengyou was a bit like Liu Ying in some ways, she was ultimately more loyal and righteous. That was also why he was willing to let her go.

Snapping back to reality, Zhao Mengyou said subconsciously, “Huh? Why... did you save me...?”

Gu Han was taken aback. Is that what I was talking about???

Gu Han could only helplessly repeat himself.

Zhao Mengyou hesitated. “I... I...”

If it were before, she would be overjoyed and would not stay a moment longer. Now that Gu Han had saved her life, she could not make up her mind.

She stared blankly at Gu Han.

Clad in a white robe, he stood tall and upright, appearing extraordinary. All traces of childishness had vanished from him, the combination of heroic spirit and killing intent adding an indescribable charm.

Her face flushed slightly. Why did I never notice how handsome he was before?

She blurted out, “I... I don’t want to leave.”

She was afraid that if she left, that would be the last time she ever saw him again.

Gu Han frowned deeply. You don’t want to leave? Wouldn’t that be adding another burden?

Fatty let out a strange cry. “What?! You... you actually fell for Brother Gu?”

Everyone heard it clearly. Zhao Mengyou was completely dumbfounded by their strange looks. She never expected Fatty would pull such a stunt. This bastard definitely did it on purpose!

Zhao Mengyou blushed, not daring to lift her head at all. Her gaze drifted restlessly, as if searching for something on the ground.

Fatty wore a concerned expression. “Are you looking for a crack in the ground? I have good eyes. Do you want me to help you find it?”

Zhao Mengyou completely broke down. “I—fucking Fatty, I’m going to kill you!!”

Everyone subconsciously thought, what a piece of work Fatty is!

Gu Han frowned slightly. “Enough. Stop messing around. There is no time to lose. Let’s hurry to the border as soon as possible!”

He did not understand Zhao Mengyou’s feelings, nor did he want to. Although he no longer felt much animosity towards her, falling for her was simply impossible.

Yun Fan, who had been silent, asked with a serious look on his face. “Brother Gu, do you really want to annihilate the Yudan Sect?”

Gu Han glanced at him. “What? Didn’t you say these people are getting ahead of themselves? Not only are they hoarding resources, they are half-assing in alchemy! Wouldn’t annihilating them be perfect?”

Yun Fan hesitated for a moment. “They are indeed quite despicable. Many people in the army are dissatisfied with them as well. But... Brother Gu, if we lose them, the supply of pills at the border would drop by over seventy percent. That would be a devastating blow for the war situation!”

Having suffered a small loss, Zhou Ye learned to be smarter, so he stepped forward first. “That won’t be a problem! Princess Feng Xi has a close relationship with our young sect master. Just send a message, and the Holy Demon Sect will deliver a large number of pills!”

Unwilling to be outdone, Wang Yong grandly took on the responsibility. “The Luoheng Holy Land will offer its full support!”

Yun Fan shook his head. “Even so, that would only solve the problem temporarily. It is not a long-term solution.”

War was different from ordinary cultivator conflicts. Not only did it last for an extremely long time, but the quantity of pills required was also terrifying.

Gu Han looked at him. “You also think that I should prioritize the bigger picture?”

Yun Fan said nothing, while Divine Physician Xue sighed quietly. He did not want Gu Han to avenge him and fall into a dilemma.

Gu Han nodded. “Indeed. Revenge and the bigger picture, which also concerns Senior Sister, are indeed frustrating. But why should I choose?”

Yun Fan was stunned. Huh? Is he saying...?

Gu Han smiled. “I will annihilate the Yudan Sect and figure out the rest!”

***

A towering and exceptionally steep mountain range lay at the border of the Great Flame Empire. Seemingly endless, the mountain range was extremely long, even faintly bordering the Central Continent. It also served as an important marker dividing the Eastern Wasteland and the Northern Domain.

Inside were several valleys, each hundreds of li wide, connected by several channels about a li wide. The army of the Great Flame Empire was stationed there. More precisely, in the valley at the very center, which stretched nearly a thousand li in both length and width. Two peaks stood on the left and right outside, with a hundred-zhang-wide exit between them. Two majestic and domineering words were carved on the stone wall above it, Heavenly Pass.

Within said valley, military camps of various sizes were arranged extremely neatly as far as the eye could see. Military cultivators came and went through them, each carrying an aura of solemn killing and bloodshed.

At the very back of the valley was a huge, white military camp. Waves of medicinal fragrance, mixed with bursts of scorching heat, continuously radiated outward. It was where the pills were distributed.

Since a fierce battle had just ended, a large number of soldiers came to receive pills. However, faint sounds of argument seemed to drift over.

A pale cultivator, seemingly severely injured, looked at his pill bottle with extreme dissatisfaction. “Why only one bottle? Wasn’t it two before?”

Opposite him, a middle-aged, alchemist-looking man shook his head. “Well, it is what it is. The battles have been too intense, and we’ve ruined a few more pills, so the supply is insufficient. We worked day and night just to produce this one bottle. You just have to make do.”

The cultivator flew into a rage. “This is too much! You used to give us three, then it became two, and now it’s only one! How are you producing less pills when we keep giving you more spirit materials?! Ruined pills? I think you are embezzling them!”

The alchemist’s expression changed slightly. “Watch your words! Alchemy inherently depends on fate. Even the best alchemist in the world can’t guarantee a one hundred percent success rate! If you are dissatisfied, feel free to summon those rogue alchemists! Do you think you’ll get even a single bottle if you replace us?!”

The cultivator choked with rage. “This is too much! I will report this to Her Highness! Once she investigates, let’s see what you have to say!”

With that, he stormed out of the camp room furiously.

***

In the center of the military camp, inside a luxurious pill chamber, an old man looked at the young man before him respectfully. “Young Sect Master, these people are starting to get dissatisfied again.”

The young man waved his hand. “It doesn’t matter. When Elder Hong reduced three bottles to two, they were like this too. They will get used to it.”

One of them was an elder of the Yudan Sect while the other was the son of the Yudan Sect Master. They heard the cultivator’s protest word for word.

The old man hesitated slightly. “Ruining four out of ten furnaces is already the limit. Any more, and it might provoke the displeasure of the War Prince or even the Flame Emperor.”

The young man thought for a moment, ultimately not daring to go too far. “We’ll leave it at that, then. Let’s discuss it again after they get used to it. So what if they are dissatisfied? Without the Yudan Sect, where could they find so many alchemists in such a short time? Rely on those useless rogue cultivators? What great achievements could they make?”

The old man also laughed. “That’s true. How could those who learned haphazardly compare to us alchemists with proper heritage?”

Then, something seemed to occur to the young man, as a look of infatuation flashed in his eyes. “Actually, if she were to say a word to me, restoring the supply to two bottles or more wouldn’t be impossible!”

A few years ago, he bumped into Feng Xi once. From then on, he was deeply enamored by her. He didn’t even return to his sect, took over from Elder Hong, and stayed here to handle all affairs. The young man thought he was quite good looking and respectable. Moreover, he was responsible for seventy percent of the pill supply for the border war. He had thought Fengxi would treat him with courtesy. Unfortunately, several years passed without Feng Xi even glancing at him, let alone knowing his name. The more he became aware of it, the more unwilling he felt inside.

The old man dared not speak because Feng Xi’s status was too special. Not a single soul in the Eastern Wasteland dared to force her to do anything. Even the Holy Lands would not dare show the slightest disrespect toward her.

The old man’s silence frustrated the young man slightly. “By the way, I’ve been too busy these days, I forgot to ask whether Xue Mao is dead.”

The old man quickly said, “I will go to Marquis Song’s camp to inquire later.”

The young man snorted coldly. “What Wu Fire Profound Divine Pill? What immunity to divine core suppression? A nonsensical pill formula, yet they treat it like a treasure? I think the Ghost Physician is also someone who seeks undeserved fame! Wasting so much of the Yudan Sect’s energy trying to decipher it!”

The old man deeply agreed. He had also seen the Wu Fire Profound Divine Pill. A pill formula with a strange name and an equally strange effect. To them, it was worse than a ruined pill!

***

Outside the military camp, the cultivator ran into two people, Shen Xuan and Murong Yan. Shen Xuan moved like a breeze, while Murong Yan was lugging a wolf-toothed club. The club was black, covered in a terrifying array of spikes, and even taller than her.

Along the way, the cultivators who saw her treated her with respect. After all, strength commanded admiration on the battlefield. With the Giant Spirit Bloodline, plus the club that Feng Xi had specially found for her, Murong Yan thrived. Not a single ounce of her immense innate strength went to waste.

Most of the Northern Domain barbarians were physique cultivators. Not only did they possess immense brute strength, their defenses were also exceptionally high, causing immense trouble for the Great Flame Empire. However, the moment those barbarians encountered Murong Yan, they could only pray she left their corpses intact.

As a result, Murong Yan stole the spotlight numerous times, earning tenfold the respect Shen Xuan did. In less than three days since her arrival, she had come to love this place.

Murong Yan swung her club. “I knew Brother Gu was capable! Obviously, my brother has survived countless deadly tribulations. When did he not make it through? I wonder when he will arrive.”

The sight of her weapon made Shen Xuan go pale with fright. “Soon! It should be today!”

Just now, they had learned from Feng Xi that Gu Han was about to arrive, so they were overjoyed.

“Let me tell you, we still have to rely on Brother Gu on this battlefield. Once those barbarians meet him—huh? Zhang Shan?” Murong Yan swung her club even more vigorously. Mid-sentence, she noticed the cultivator. “What’s wrong with you?”

Zhang Shan, who was familiar with the two, quickly came over. “Sister Murong? Brother Shen?”

Although Murong Yan had only been there a short time, she had saved the lives of many cultivators. To top it off, she was generous and straightforward, so she had considerable prestige. Although she was young, she was respectfully called “Sister Murong” by the cultivators. She liked it and was very satisfied with it.

After hearing Zhang Shan’s account, Murong Yan flew into a rage.

“What?! While we’re out here fighting for our lives, these bastards dare to embezzle our pills!” She swung her wolf-toothed club, creating a gust of wind. “Let’s go! Let me go smash those bastards!”