The night was surprisingly peaceful. Xie Qing was on guard and therefore did not sleep or meditate. Every half hour, he checked the surroundings for the presence of demonic monsters but found no traces. This silence should have caused fewer problems, but it was unsettling. So, he left the tent and began to walk around the area.


    "What a thick smell of blood," he thought, looking around. As he inspected the area, he was drawn into the forest. A thick smell of blood, both human and monster, emanated from here. He was wearing armor, just in case.


    "Silence... So quiet that it''s suspicious," Xie Qing pondered. The most important thing was that when he first came here, he was able to detect monsters. But now, there was no reaction from his Dao technique, as if he was descending a staircase and skipping a step.


    After walking around for several hours, Xie Qing gave up when he found no signs of activity. Although he was sure that someone might be deep in the forest, provoking them unnecessarily could be a fatal mistake and lead to pointless deaths. The young man cracked his neck and returned to the tent.


    In the morning, Xie Qing meditated out of boredom and woke up when he sensed the presence of a Qi Condensation cultivator outside the tent. Scanning with his Qi, the young man discovered that Lu Yin and Li Yun were still meditating.


    Having nothing to do, he stood up and went to the entrance of the tent, then exited. Due to his tall stature, Xie Qing looked quite imposing when he emerged from the tent. The cultivator who had deliberately released his Qi to warn the tent owner of his presence almost wet himself.


    "What can I help you with?" Xie Qing asked, looking into the man''s eyes. His tone was neither arrogant nor submissive - rather indifferent.


    "A... The general has requested your presence and that of the twodies at a meeting..." the cultivator muttered in response.


    "Alright, I''ve heard you. You can go." Xie Qing nodded and entered the tent, paying no attention to the man, who sighed in relief and ran away.


    The others whispered:


    "That''s Cao Wei... He was called Miss Li Yun''s biggest fan... Yesterday he bragged to me that he would challenge Destroying de. Haha..."


    "Poor guy. This monster hasn''t even said anything, and he''s already scared!" someone mocked the unfortunate cultivator.


    "Sigh, youth..."


    Many grew jealous seeing Xie Qing''s close rtionship with Lu Yin and Li Yun. They were confident when they spoke of their desire to challenge him. But when they met him face to face, these men had to fall silent.


    Such was the influence of power. Who would dare to bother you if your power could suppress them all?


    Xie Qing didn''t care much about the opinions of the cultivators of the united sects'' army. If they wanted something, they could always challenge him.


    "Lu Yin, Li Yun. The general has called us for a tactical discussion," Xie Qing calmly announced, sitting in the living room. Using the formations in the tent, he delivered the message directly to their rooms. The girls responded and came out to the living room after about ten minutes.


    "Did you put on the sect uniform? Is that necessary?" Xie Qing asked, surprised to see their official hanfu.


    "Of course. We represent our sects and are future sect masters," Lu Yin replied, giving Xie Qing a strange look. "Don''t tell me your master didn''t tell you about this."


    "Eh? Well... She said that if I wanted to, I could wear it. And if not, it doesn''t matter," Xie Qing recalled her words and smiled. "Since that''s the case, I''ll wear it too."


    The young man stood up and went into a free room. After a few minutes, he returned, dressed in red hanfu with gold patterns.


    "It suits you!" Lu Yin praised, and Li Yun nodded silently. Xie Qing smiled. The trio left the tent. The young man sealed the entrance, and they headed towards the central tent.


    There, as it turned out, they were already waiting. General Liu Bei nodded briefly upon seeing them, and his assistants looked somewhat displeased.


    "General," Xie Qing nodded in greeting, ignoring the rest. In any case, many were at the Soul Nascent cultivation level, and the only Spiritual Integration cultivator was the general himself.


    Liu Bei did not pay attention to Xie Qing''s behavior. He immediately got down to business.


    "This morning, the scouts reported that arge number of demonic monsters have gathered in the deepest part of the forest," the general reported, his expression indifferent as always, his brows furrowed. "I asked Elder Shan from the Starry Stream Sect to make a prediction. Apparently, someone with a demon lineage, albeit highly diluted, has appeared."


    "What?"


    "This..."


    There was a mor and an uproar. The others'' expressions became very subtle, and even Xie Qing looked somewhat wary.


    Demon lineage. Xu Mei had told him about how during the War of the Heirs, someone had tried to charm his Xie Hui and even seeded to some extent. So, the young man was very wary of these beings. After all, someone with a demon lineage was ten times stronger than an ordinary person, and the difference would only increase as their cultivation level grew.


    Although Xie Qing had some techniques to kill demons, if the opponent turned out to be at an equal level, even under such conditions, it would not be easy for him. This was precisely why demons were so terrifying. Their potential was enormous, but due to the Negative Karma around them, they had been sealed since ancient times.


    "Why does shit have to happen in my generation?" Xie Qing thought with some displeasure but then continued to consider how to solve this problem. "A diluted demon lineage is not that dangerous. I can kill such an opponent if I''m not interfered with. But even so, it won''t be easy."


    Evil cultivators were indeed a thorn in the side. Xie Qing knew that it would be very difficult to deal with experts.


    The general looked at everyone present and said in a serious tone, "We must be prepared for the worst oue. Even though we have many cultivators in our ranks, against such beings, numbers are useless!" The general began to speak, and everyone fell silent. He turned his gaze to Xie Qing and the two girls, saying, "The Great Saints have already made their move and sent you to us.


    We hope that with your help, we will be able to curb the poption of demonic cultivators and find a way to get rid of them."


    Liu Bei''s words caused the general''s assistants to turn their attention to the trio. Some gloated, some looked friendly, and others didn''t care at all.


    "I can guarantee that I will fight to the best of my abilities," Xie Qing informed them, then narrowed his eyes. "However, don''t expect me to solve everything for you. I won''t allow myself to be exploited while others sit idly on their asses."


    "Insolence!"


    "The younger generation doesn''t know how to speak to their elders!"


    Of course, Xie Qing''s statement angered the general''s assistants. Their faces turned red with anger. However, Liu Bei waved his hand to calm them down. No one dared to disobey the general.


    He looked at Xie Qing and, after a moment of silence, replied, "Of course, we will not exploit you. We only hope that with your help, we will have the opportunity to reduce the pressure on the soldiers."


    "In that case, I see no problem." Xie Qing nodded. From beginning to end, he showed no emotions on his face, appearing indifferent and cold. He had to maintain this image to prevent some assistants from taking advantage of his power. Although his arrogant behavior led to enmity, Xie Qing never cared about the weak. After all, he was naturally high and mighty.


    Lu Yin and Li Yun were somewhat worried, but seeing that everything ended well, they were able to sigh in relief. In case of conflict, they would have stood up for Xie Qing, but they wanted to minimize the possibility of internal strife.


    Liu Bei continued to exin their n. By evening, they nned to expand their controlled territories deeper into the forest and set up several formations that would repel demonic and ordinary beasts. Li Yun, as a formation expert, was second inmand of the Starry Stream Sect''s team. The leader remained Elder Shan.


    Lu Yin, as an alchemist, did not participate in battles and only controlled the team of alchemists to produce pills and supply the army.


    As for Xie Qing, as a Spiritual Integration cultivator, he was to apany Liu Bei on the front lines. The young man had no problem with this.


    "So, I ask everyone to prepare." Liu Bei ended the meeting, and each person left for their team. Xie Qing was mostly free, but he specifically chose an additional task to protect the formation team. Of course, the general had no problem with this, and it was even convenient for him.


    Lu Yin and Li Yun needed to familiarize themselves with their teams, so they parted ways. Since there was nothing to do, Xie Qing headed to an open space that was rtively deserted to practice his swordsmanship. This is how he passed the time until evening.


    Xie Qing looked around. More than a hundred thousand cultivators were ready and waiting for the general''s order. The general was saying something and raising morale. Since it was too boring, Xie Qing spent this time detecting enemies. To his great surprise, he really discovered something.


    "A hundred monsters at the Soul Nascent level... Are they breeding like rabbits? Huh?" His expression became strange, and he sent a mental message to the general.


    "A hundred? That''s indeed problematic," the general''s voice sounded in his head, sounding surprised and annoyed. "Alright, don''t mention this to anyone else. You need to help me in battle."


    "No problem." Xie Qing nodded, answering in a calm voice. The general waved his hand and gave the order. "Let''s move out!"