Supreme Sword Exalt

At the feet of the barbarian, the pool of red liquid churned nonstop, endless blazing intent rising continuously. Strands of vital qi were mixed within.

After thinking for a moment, a powerful surge of qi rose from him. “Forget it. Since it’s in the east, it’s definitely related to the Great Flame Empire!”

He fled out of the mountain pass, arriving outside. The strange peak sat at a secret realm of the War God Hall. Not only was the spirit qi abundant, even the ground carried a faint red hue and a blazing aura from the red pool, making it an excellent body tempering location.

In fact, it was a cultivation Holy Land that the War God Hall had specifically selected for its war gods and their candidates. The pool of red liquid was even more of a treasure among treasures. However, after the barbarian occupied it a year ago, no one dared to enter anymore.

Suddenly, he stopped walking and looked into the distance. “Oh? Sang Ge? What are you doing here?”

A barbarian youth landed before him. He wore no armor, nor did he have golden bangles on his arms, but his cultivation was at the Half-Step Transcendent realm. This was Sang Ge.

Sang Ge looked him over a few times and raised an eyebrow. “Tuo Jun? You came out of seclusion so quickly? I thought you were going to stay there for eight or ten years. What, did you sense your human tribulation?”

Tuo Jun remained impassive. “Hmph! My affairs are none of your business! As for you, since you’re unwilling to go to the battlefield and serve as the second war god, then why are you staying here?”

Sang Ge stared at him. “Once I reach the Transcendent realm, I will fight that woman and take her life. As for the second war god, I have no interest in second place. If I’m going to do it, I’ll be the first war god!”

Tuo Jun sneered. “What a pity. As long as I’m here, you’ll forever only be second.”

Sang Ge turned slightly cold. “Don’t be so quick to judge. We both drew nine rings from the Dao Bell. You wasted a full year forcefully comprehending your human tribulation. Now, cultivation has surpassed yours. Soon, I will completely enter the Transcendent realm! At that time, the one who needs to catch up will be you!”

Tuo Jun glared at him. “Sang Ge, remember one thing! You drew nine rings because that’s your limit. I have nine because the Dao Bell has a limit. Understand? And lastly, the War God Hall doesn’t raise idle people. Compared to you, I much prefer obedient ones like Ba Tu—”

Sang Ge’s face darkened. “Ba Tu? He died a long time ago!”

“What did you say?!”

“Not just him. The rest of the war gods were wiped out on the battlefield. Their heads are still hanging outside the Great Flame Military Camp! Because of those trash, the barbarians suffered an unprecedented defeat, chased and killed for hundreds of li by their border army!”

Tuo Jun didn’t speak. Wisps of qi steamed from the red armor, and even space itself twisted along with it. Suddenly, his qi erupted instantly, destroying the surrounding environment beyond recognition.

Amid the flying dust and smoke came his voice. “Just as I thought! They’re all a bunch of trash!”

***

A hundred li away stood a massive building with an enormous footprint, constructed from unknown jade blocks veined with red patterns. Rough yet imposing, savage yet dignified, it embodied the barbarians’ traits, a complete contrast to the Eastern Wasteland.

The passing barbarians all had the look of reverence and fanaticism. After all, it was the most sacred location of the Northern Domain’s barbarian tribe, the War God Hall.

Inside a palace, seven barbarians frowned deeply, discussing nonstop.

“What do you all think?”

“I’ve never heard of nor seen these pills before!”

“With pills like these, it’s no wonder the Great Flame Border Army’s combat strength has increased so much. If we try to push them around like before, it’ll probably be difficult!”

They were the seven Saint realm barbarians who had fought against the Flame Emperor and the War Prince that day. While serving as the seven great elders of the War God Hall, they also controlled the seven largest tribes of the Northern Domain. Their power was immense, their authority extremely great, second only to that mysterious hall master.

Floating before them were the pills they had salvaged from the battlefield: the Emerald Condensation Pill, the Yi Wood Pill, and the Wondrous Clarity Pill.

The great elder said slowly, “The issue of the pills is secondary. What’s most important now is how to restore the War God Hall’s reputation!”

The third elder nodded. “That’s right. We can still lessen the impact of the defeat this time. If there’s another one, not only will the hall master punish us, but the foundation and prestige the hall has accumulated over countless years will also suffer greatly.”

The fourth elder’s tone was ice-cold. “The best way to restore reputation is to tear that brat limb from limb in front of everyone!”

Just as they were speaking, Tuo Jun’s respectful voice came from outside. “Elders, the first war god requests an audience!”

They felt a surge of joy in their hearts. Tuo Jun came out of seclusion?!

Soon, Tuo Jun arrived at the deepest part of the hall, where he saw the seven men.

He placed his right fist across his chest, and performed a unique barbarian salute. “Greetings, Elders!”

The great elder sighed. “You’ve heard about everything, right?”

Tuo Jun nodded, a cold light flashing in his red eyes. “Yes.”

Along the way, he had already heard the details of what happened. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. A war god of the dignified sacred hall had actually been butchered twice over by someone!

Even the barbarians’ disastrous defeat half a month ago was related to this person. Moreover, the one who did it wasn’t Feng Xi, but an unknown Soaring realm cultivator from nowhere.

“With you here, we don’t need to worry so much.”

Tuo Jun clenched his fists, producing cracking sounds. “Elders, rest assured. He has made himself the mortal enemy of the barbarian tribe. I will definitely kill him!”

The seven men were relieved. Tuo Jun was the younger generation they favored most, their number one heavenly pride. Not only was he born with the Profound Crimson Yang Golden Physique, he had even cultivated Dual Supreme Stage as a body cultivator. He surpassed the previous first war god in every respect.

Just then, someone softly cleared their throat.

In an instant, whether the seven elders or Tuo Jun, they all crossed their hands over their chests and bowed at the waist. “Greetings, Hall Master!”

The hall master sounded somewhat weak. “Tuo Jun, have you gained anything after a year in seclusion?”

Tuo Jun nodded. “Yes! I’ve already sensed my human tribulation. It’s to the east! I’m very sure it’s within the Great Flame Empire!”

The seven men frowned deeply. “What...?”

They actually didn’t want Tuo Jun to undergo the human tribulation. Calling it ten deaths and no life was no joke. Even at the Saint realm, they had never seen anyone successfully overcoming the human tribulation.

The hall master fell silent for a moment, somewhat reflective. “The east, huh. Who could it be?”

Tuo Jun was calm and unruffled. “Based on my inference, My human tribulation should relate to slaughter and combat. There’s a high probability it’s Feng Xi!”

The elders’ hearts sank. What?!

If what Tuo Jun said was the truth, then they would stop him from undergoing the tribulation no matter what. That would just be courting death!

The hall master chuckled. “For the past ten-plus years, she’s been at the border. If it really was her, you would have sensed it long ago.”

Tuo Jun was somewhat unconvinced. “Hall Master, other than her, is there anyone in the younger generation of the empire who can compare to me?”

The hall master didn’t refute him either. “Enough. The matter of the human tribulation is determined by the Heavenly Dao’s will. Even I cannot interfere. Since you insist on undergoing it, then go ahead. But there’s one thing, don’t forget the responsibility of the first war god. Understood?”

Tuo Jun bowed again. “Yes. I will repay yesterday’s disgrace a hundredfold!”

***

More than ten li behind the War God Hall, there was a quiet little valley. It was a forbidden zone of both the hall and the entire Northern Domain. Apart from the seven elders, who were occasionally granted the honor of entering once, no one else had ever set foot here. Even those war gods of previous generations were no more fortunate.

Inside the valley stood a thatched hut, with a small, murky pond about a zhang square in front of it. If one looked closely, it wasn’t hard to spot a chi-long green dragon coiled within the water. Except, the dragon appeared lifeless, relentlessly exuding an aura of decay. The pond water grew increasingly murkier with each passing second.

Beside the pond, there was a middle-aged man dressed in a green robe. His demeanor was refined and elegant, but a faint sickly pallor lurked on his face.

He was the master of the War God Hall. Apart from a handful of high-ranking members, no barbarian could have imagined that their leader wasn’t one of them. The man, who rarely revealed himself, held the Northern Domain in the palm of his hand.

He looked down at the three pills in his palm. “These pills are indeed remarkable. Why did they suddenly appear in the Great Flame army? Could that brat have brought them?”

Then, he shifted his gaze on the green dragon inside the pond. “Yun Tian, why is it that every time you’re at the end of your rope, a variable always appears to help you? We’ve been fighting for so many years, I am running out of patience and time. You need to make a decision soon!”

***

Over half a month, under the instruction of Divine Physician Xue and Dean Liu, the rogue alchemists grew increasingly skilled. Production rose from one batch every seven days to one every five days for the three pills. The interval would only grow shorter over time.

Furthermore, the hidden strength of the Great Flame Border Army had increased several folds, lessening the gap in power with the barbarian tribe.

For a time, the border troops’ confidence soared thanks to the pills and Gu Han’s heroic feat. They rubbed their hands together eagerly, itching to fight a few more battles against the barbarian tribe.

Unbeknownst to them, the great hero responsible for all this had nearly driven himself to death.