"Spirit Stone, hehe, so much spirit stone."
The Suicheng spirit mine, when the martial army of the Wu Kingdom reached this place, all the soldiers and officers were filled with excitement upon seeing the spirit stones.
They excitedly climbed onto the mine cart, touching the newly mined spirit stone, their eyes filled with greed, yearning to possess all the spirit stones on the cart.
"Stop right there!"
A cold, stern voice suddenly halted everyone, and then a man clad in silver armor, with a cold and proud expression, walked in.
"Great General."
Upon seeing the newcomer, everyone was momentarily taken aback, and then they hastily jumped off the mine car and scrambled into formation, their faces slightly pale with fear and their heads hanging in submission, too afraid to make eye contact with the man.
The man was the Great General of the Wu Kingdom, Qiu Tianming, who was also a royal relative. Not only did he have an esteemed status, but his combat prowess was unparalleled as well.
All the soldiers in the army respected and feared him.
"Look at how you all look now, what dignity do you have? The emperor sent us south, to regain the dignity of our Wu Kingdom, not for you to fill your pockets…"
Qiu Tianming gave a sharp rebuke and then turned to look at the mine carts filled with spirit stones behind him, his eyes full of longing.
Each time the Crescent Slash Alliance moves south, their objective is nothing but these spirit stones, which are the most crucial strategic resource and also a source of cultivation. Besides enhancing the combat strength of their soldiers, they can also be traded for material wealth. Every time they venture southward, some of the spirit stones that accompany them in battle will be claimed by their soldiers.
However, this southern campaign is different from the past.
The Crescent Slash Alliance has fallen into disarray, with three factions vying for the position of alliance leader. To end the internal conflict and consolidate their own position, this time the three factions have reached a certain understanding and have descended to conquer the Tian Mo Sect. Whichever faction can secure the most spirit stone resources from the Tian Mo Sect will take up the mantle of alliance leader.
Among the three factions, the Wu Kingdom has the weakest power and knows it cannot compete with the other two. But he also has ambitions to see his country grow stronger. Moreover, if he performs poorly this time, it's possible that other forces in the Crescent Slash Alliance that are allied with the Wu Kingdom might switch sides and turn against him.
For this reason, the Wu Kingdom emperor has given orders to Qiu Tianming to seize enough spirit stone resources.
Qiu Tianming, looking at the carloads of spirit stones, recalled the emperor's command before he left. He could only suppress his greed and said, "Follow my orders. Quickly load the newly mined spirit stones onto the carts. We must fight swiftly and decisively. Under no circumstances should we linger here."
The journey had been too smooth, even to the point where they hadn't seen the shadow of the Saintess. Qiu Tianming worried there was a trap, and dared not linger. He quickly summoned these soldiers who were drunk with victory.
Bang!
Suddenly, a series of explosive bangs sounded as several figures flew towards the spirit mine from above, crashing heavily to the ground, their blood staining the earth crimson.
"Attack!"
Suddenly, the alarm sound outside rang out. Qiu Tianming's heart tightened, pulling out his sword from his waist, and leading the soldiers in a simultaneous charge.
"It's here!"
At this moment, Chen Mo and the others waiting outside the spirit mine had seen Qiu Tianming and his men bursting out from within.
Jiang Dongli's hands were crossed over her chest, staring at the soldiers who had burst out from within with an arrogant expression, and coldly snorted, "Hmph, I am who? Just a small soldier from the Wu Kingdom. And you send him to die like this……"
"Jiang Dongli?"
With the sword in his hand, Qiu Tianming noticed Jiang Dongli's presence now. They were both at the third level of rank, but every time he had faced her before, he always ended up in defeat, never returning unscathed.
As he delved deeper into the heart of the territory, he worried about encountering her, but he never expected to actually meet her here.
"If you have come, then don't return."
Jiang Dongli coldly snorted, and her second-level cultivation instantly erupted. In that instant, Qiu Tianming's face turned as pale as death.
If Jiang Dongli were at the third level, he might still have a chance to escape. However, she had already broken through to the second level, and in such a case, his life would probably be at stake.
However, as he was hesitating, he saw Jiang Dongli coming at him, and with no choice, he had to steel himself to face her.
"Uncle……"
As soon as he saw Qiu Tianming, Song Jian couldn't help but exclaim, but was quickly interrupted by his sister, Song Qiu, who then gave him a fierce glare.
Chen Mo immediately noticed this and couldn't help but smile slightly. "Both of you, what are you ashamed of? Qiu Tianming is the brother of the Concubine Shu, and therefore also your uncle. Why, do you have a bad relationship with this uncle and want to see him die in front of you? Ha, I'm not afraid to tell you the truth; with Loveリー's current strength, killing him would be as easy as picking a bean from a pod."
Song Qiu clenched her fist with five fingers, her nails embedding into her flesh and bleeding slightly, yet she said nothing.
Is Qiu Tianming unkind to them? On the contrary, Qiu Tianming has been too good to them, to the point where since they were young, they have considered Qiu Tianming as their family, while the old emperor is just a stranger with whom they share a filial relationship.
However, in the current situation, Song Qiu can't be sure of Chen Mo's thoughts, so she dares not reveal herself boldly. Otherwise, they might end up in danger even for their lives.
"Stop"
Upon noticing Song Qiu's reaction, Chen Mo turned his gaze to Jiang Dongli and shouted. She hesitated for a moment, then immediately stopped what she was doing and returned to his side.
"What's wrong?"
Jiang Dongli asked in a dissatisfied tone.
"Stop fighting for now."
Chen Mo shook his head and turned to look at Song Qiu, who was also looking at him, her eyes full of confusion.
"Qiu Tianming holds heavy troops and himself is a third-level martial artist. If you want to seize the throne, you will certainly need his support."
Chen Mo asked with a smile, and Song Qiu remained silent for a moment before nodding silently.
"You leave with Qiu Tianming and tell people that you were brought here by us, and then use this as a threat. However, Qiu Tianming risked his life to save you, and your seventh brother was ultimately killed in this battle."
Chen Mo was saying this when Song Jian lifted his finger and pointed at himself, "Ah? I'm dead?"
Song Qiu raised an eyebrow and stared at Chen Mo for a moment, sensing a hint of determination in his slightly playful eyes. Suddenly, as if he understood something, he jumped down from the height and charged towards Qiu Tianming.
"Excuse me, Uncle Chen, is it true that I should die?"
Song Jian uneasily watched Chen Mo.
"Do you want to die?"
Chen Mo inquired, and Song Jian shook his head.
"Go, hide with the King of An Country. Wait until your elder brother ascends the throne before you return. Otherwise, your presence will affect his grand plan."
Chen Mo patted Song Jian's shoulder and said.
The latter was momentarily taken aback and nodded in a manner that suggested he understood but wasn't entirely certain. He then turned and ran back towards the city of Su he had just left.
After Jiang Dongli retreated, she also ordered her subordinates to cease combat. The tense Qiu Tianming and his men, upon seeing Song Qiu, put down their worries a bit. They chatted for a while, the content of their conversation unknown, and soon quietly withdrew their troops.
Looking at the retreating backs of those far away, Jiang Dongli slightly raised her eyebrows and leaned close to Chen Mo, curiosity evident in her voice, "Why did you let them go? What do you want to do?"
