"Choose your own garrison location?"

Shangguan Siheng paused for a moment, "That should not be a problem."

"Good, then please convey to Brother Shangguan that once the Holy Sect agrees, I will immediately deploy troops to Heavenly Water."

Chen Sansi agreed to send troops primarily because of the matters concerning the Secret Realm in the Extreme North.

It also serves as an opportunity to delay the outbreak of conflict between both sides.

Over the past year, the spiritual energy concentration of the Mang Mountain Ancestor Vein has been constantly increasing, and the cracks in the sealing are widening.

If the Thirty-Six Heavenly Water Sects were to act at this juncture, it could indeed bring huge trouble.

Taking advantage of the great battle between righteous and demon paths, finding the Secret Realm location and refining the Destructive Spirit Array is the only way to solve the problem once and for all.

Considering all the above, since the Three Heavens Sect is still willing to offer a large batch of spirit stones for free, why not?

"Your Majesty Tianwu's profound understanding of righteousness, on behalf of the people of Heavenly Water, I thank the Great Han and His Majesty!"

Shangguan Siheng joyfully said, "I will head back and relay the terms to them immediately!"

...

In the eighth month of the twenty-sixth year of Tianwu's reign,

For over two decades since its founding, the Great Han Dynasty enjoyed peace and prosperity for the first time as it mobilized the entire nation, dispatching military provisions from across the realm, marching south to Xuzhou, and directing their forces straight toward Heavenly Water.

The current Great Han Dynasty had long unified the Eastern Continent, boasting vast territories and ample military resources, with nearly four million elite forces alone.

This expedition deployed over 2.6 million troops; combined with civilian support, the numbers approached eight million.

Deploying such a force is an incredibly lengthy process, and even with assistance from flying Immortal Ships, it still requires a significant amount of time.

During this time, Chen Sansi continued to hone various skills.

[Skill: Talisman Painting (Second-tier)]

[Progress: 945/1000]

...

[Skill: Alchemy (Second-tier)]

[Progress: 966/1000]

...

[Skill: Heavenly Calculation of Ten Thousand Soldiers (Second Level)]

[Progress: 788/1000]

Both Talisman Painting and Alchemy are just a final bottleneck away from breaking through to the third tier, while the progress of Puppetry Technique is slightly behind.

However, since it's a Lifebound Puppet and can absorb spiritual energy by itself, after Chen Sansi breaks through to the Golden Core Realm, this puppet's strength already reaches Foundation Establishment.

If he could obtain a Demon Core someday, he might even upgrade it to a Golden Core level puppet.

Of course, these are matters for the future; for now, the immediate priority is to locate the Secret Realm.

This time, with the million Iron Cavalry expeditions, Chen Sansi himself took command, appointing Qi Cheng as the military advisor, and Fourth Brother Wang Zhi as the Vice Commander.

The "Heavenly Assault Army" composed of ten thousand cultivators from Sky Wall City, with the Main General appointed as Sima Yao and the Deputy General as Wang Li.

The remaining army of over two million Qi-Blood Martial Artists was led by various founding military officers.

The former Po Yang brothers have now all become veteran generals, with an average age close to sixty, long capable of independent command.

It's worth mentioning that due to the presence of Emperor's Breath Soil, even growing treasure medicine at the periphery significantly enhanced the overall realm of Qi-Blood Martial Artists.

"Father Emperor."

Chen Yunxi approached him, "Is it truly unnecessary for your children to go with you?"

"You and Yun Huan should stay in the Capital City, taking care of the spiritual beasts raised on Langfeng Peak."

Chen Sansi jested, "Our Great Han Dynasty has yet to reach the point of needing a princess on the battlefield."

Chen Yunxi and Xu Yunhuan exchanged glances, both feeling a bit dejected but said no more.

"By the way, Yunxi, your father has something for you."

Chen Sansi took out a scroll from his chest and handed it to her, "This magical treasure is called the 'Hundred Beasts List,' which can carry hundreds of spiritual beasts at once."

His eldest daughter's Beast Taming talent was excellent, perfectly matching this magical treasure.

"Thank you, Father Emperor."

Chen Yunxi recognized the value of the magical treasure and carefully stowed it into her storage bag.

"Alright, you all may leave now."

Chen Sansi waved them away.

The preparations for the military campaign needed more time, and he handed over the remaining miscellaneous tasks to Xu Wencai while he left the Eastern Continent, returning to the Sky Water Continent's Qingxu Sect.

He needed the identity of "Lu Shengzhi" to leverage the sect's Spirit Vein for cultivation, so he couldn't remain absent for too long.

Recent news announced that the sect's higher-ups were convening a meeting, requiring all cultivators of the Golden Core Realm and above to attend.

In Qingxu Sect, there were few inhabitants.

Over seventy percent of the disciples were dispatched to the border battlegrounds.

The meeting's location was on the cliffside at the peak of "Taiyuan Peak," where the Supreme Elder resided.

The Inner Sect Elders of the eight peaks were seated on the ground, including the Supreme Elder and the master's wife.

They were incessantly discussing something, making the mountaintop exceptionally noisy.

"The Qingxuan Mountain group is truly bullying too much!"

"Yes, to have us, Qingxu Sect, defend the most dangerous area, is clearly an attempt to borrow the demon path to weaken our Qingxu Sect's strength!"

"Heavenly Water is on the brink of peril, yet these people still engage in internal power struggles. It's outrageous!"

"In my opinion, this must be a suggestion from the Heavenly Sword Sect; otherwise, how would Qingxuan Mountain dare?!"

"..."

Noticing someone arriving at the mountaintop, the Elders all turned their attention collectively.

Chen Sansi clasped his hands in salute, "Disciple Lu Shengzhi greets all senior uncles and teachers. My apologies for not being present earlier due to seclusion."

"As the first disciple of this generation to form a Core, it's great to finally meet. You truly have an impressive presence," Sect Leader Master Xuancheng praised, "The future development of our sect's Daoist Inheritance will rely on young talents like you.

"Since you're here, sit down and listen in. Having formed a Golden Core, you're qualified to open a peak of your own; with some accumulated prestige, you can become the ninth Inner Sect Elder."

"Thank you, Sect Leader."

Chen Sansi sat himself down in a corner.

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