Daqian Martial Saint

”We bid you farewell, Lord Chen!”

”May you have a safe journey, My Lord!”

”...”

At the gates of the Five Peaks Mountain Residence, a large group of elite constables had gathered to see Chen Ping’an off.

”Mount up!”

With a wave of his hand, Chen Ping’an vaulted onto his horse.

”Yes, sir!”

Behind him, the constables all mounted their horses, their unified response echoing with imposing might.

Chen Ping’an pulled on his reins, surveyed the crowd, and declared, ”Wait for my return! We ride!”

With that, he tugged the reins, and his horse shot forward. The riders behind him immediately followed.

”We send off the Lord! May your journey be smooth and successful!” a Standard-Bearer shouted.

”We send off the Lord! May your journey be smooth and successful!” the constables echoed in unison, their voices thundering before the residence gates.

Dressed in plain clothes, Chen Ping’an led his riders away, kicking up a cloud of dust. They soon vanished from sight.

...

’He’s not at the residence? He’s left?’

On a small hill not far from the Five Peaks Mountain Residence stood a young man with narrow eyes. This was none other than Li Pingjiang, who had come on the orders of the Seven Extremes Elder. He had traveled a thousand leagues, only to find he had come for nothing.

By the time he arrived, Chen Ping’an had already left the Five Peaks Mountain Residence.

’I’ll wait until dark and ask around. Where did he run off to?’ Li Pingjiang thought, gazing into the distance as a glint flashed in his eyes.

Their asset planted here—the local Celestial Net Church entrance—had been wiped out by the Garrison Commandant’s Office. Their remaining strongholds had also been hastily dismantled and evacuated, leaving him effectively blind upon his arrival.

Without intelligence support, his movements were severely restricted, unlike the smooth operations of the past.

This highlighted the impact losing a church had on the Celestial Net Sect. It would take more than a year or two to recover from such a blow.

’That Chen Ping’an really deserves to die!’ A vicious look flashed across Li Pingjiang’s face.

Killing Chen Ping’an wasn’t just about Gu Wu; it was also for the losses the Celestial Net Sect had suffered!

’Profound Light Battle Power? Nothing but paper tigers, crumbling at the first blow!’

...

Compared to Weishui County City, White Stone City was actually closer to the Five Peaks Mountain Residence.

Chen Ping’an led his riders at a steady, urgent pace and was finally about to reach White Stone City.

As they neared White Stone City, two riders spurred their horses and galloped ahead. They were to announce the news in advance, informing the city that Commander Chen would soon arrive!

With Chen Ping’an’s current status, he could fully expect all the major powers in the city to prepare a grand welcome!

Garrison Commandant’s Office, Standard Commander Level—this was no laughing matter!

Even in Weishui County City, a place teeming with the rich and powerful, that was a rank that commanded respect and influence!

Across the whole of Weishui County, Chen Ping’an’s current rank was now just one step away from the core decision-makers!

Not far from the gates of White Stone City, by the side of the official road, there was a small tea stall. It wasn’t large, but it offered a place for travelers to rest their feet.

Inside the tea stall, three or four tables of customers were seated, chatting idly in small groups.

”If you ask me, public order in White Stone City is much better than it used to be!”

”You can say that again! The Garrison Commandant’s Office really cracked down this time. Several of the city’s gangs were wiped out!”

”Yeah, and not just the gangs! Most of those prominent families were wiped out, too!”

”The families were wiped out, too?”

”Who made that call? That’s so ruthless! Weren’t they afraid of backlash?!”

”Afraid? You clearly don’t know the man in charge! It caused quite a stir back then. The new Commander-in-Chief—oh, no, he was still the Deputy Commander at the time—his methods, his audacity... truly... tsk, tsk...”

”HISS~”

”...”

The customers exchanged stories about White Stone City’s recent past, occasionally bringing up its Commander-in-Chief and recounting the events of that time. Besides this topic, they also shared interesting things they had seen and heard on their travels.

As they were chatting animatedly, the sound of hoofbeats rang out from the official road.

CLIP-CLOP! CLIP-CLOP!...

Two riders galloped past in quick succession.

The passing riders drew the attention of everyone present. Some watched with curiosity, while others looked on in confusion.

”They seemed to be in such a rush. Did something happen?”

”Not necessarily. Maybe they’re just in a hurry to get where they’re going.”

”It didn’t look like it!”

”We’ll know if we just watch!”

The tea stall was not far from the city gate, and a customer with good eyesight could stand up and get a rough idea of what was happening there.

Although White Stone City was a small city, a long line of people was still queued up before its gates.

The two riders were seen galloping toward the city gate. The constables guarding the gate quickly reacted, stepping forward to intercept them.

But the lead rider pulled something from his robes, and upon seeing it, the constables immediately backed away.

Bypassing the crowd, the two riders rode straight through the gates of White Stone City.

”They got in?”

”What’s going on?”

The customers at the tea stall broke into a flurry of discussion, completely baffled.

Since the gate constables didn’t stop them, the two riders seemed to be from an officials’ family. As for their exact background, there was too little information to guess.

After a heated discussion, the customers at the tea stall didn’t give it much more thought. Such incidents were not common, but not entirely rare either.

However, about half an hour later, a large contingent of Garrison Commandant’s Office constables suddenly emerged from White Stone City, lining up neatly on both sides of the road. Civilians entering the city were redirected to a side gate, and the main gate was completely cleared.

Not only that, but after a little while longer, other people seemed to rush over. Judging by their attire, they were either rich or noble.

Then, the city gate was adorned with lanterns and colorful banners, and more and more people began to gather.

”What’s going on?” The people at the tea stall looked at each other, unable to understand the situation.

CLIP-CLOP! CLIP-CLOP!...

Another wave of hoofbeats came from the official road, this time much denser than before.

”More people are coming?”

They all looked up and saw a large group of riders steadily approaching in the distance.

At first, they were only silhouettes, but they became clearer and clearer as they drew closer.

It was a party of more than ten riders, each one strong and imposing with eyes like lightning. A single glance revealed they were Qi Blood masters who had stepped onto the Martial Dao.

What caught their attention was that these extraordinary riders were clustered around a young man.

Well, perhaps not a youth, but a young man in his early twenties. In another two years, he would be a full-fledged young adult.

”Which family’s young master is he?”

a customer guessed.

A quicker-witted person saw the commotion at the White Stone City gate and had a feeling that a truly important figure had arrived.

The horses were extremely fast, quickly passing the tea stall and heading toward the White Stone City gate.

A curious onlooker quickly got up and followed them.

”He doesn’t seem like an ordinary person. Come on, let’s go have a look!”

”Follow them? Are you that bored? What’s so interesting to see? Isn’t it nice just sitting here drinking tea?!”

someone at the stall objected, but the ones who suggested it had already vanished in a flash.

”Really have nothing better to do!” someone said with a laugh and a shake of his head. He took a few sips of tea but ultimately couldn’t suppress his curiosity and stood up.

”Heh heh, I’ll go take a look too.”

With that, he headed toward the White Stone City gate.

”Tch, what’s with him? Talking about others being bored! Didn’t he just go himself? Unbelievable.” Someone couldn’t help but sneer, but before he could catch his breath, he changed his tune and stood up as well.

”I’m going to take a look too!”

”HAHAHA... You’re all the same!” The remaining few burst out laughing.

They were all just that bored. Of course they were going to go look!

But just at that moment, several deep, unified shouts carried from the distance. Despite the distance, the sound rumbled, wave after wave, each louder than the last.

’What’s happening?’

The men exchanged glances and simultaneously put down their teacups.

’Let’s go, let’s see!’