87: Command the guards and head to the southern border.

Having finished delegating government affairs, Li Qinghe didn't stay any longer. With a flicker of his body, he had already left the study. In the next moment, he directly used his Qi to take flight, heading towards the military camp.

Before landing, he could already hear the dull thuds and heavy panting coming from the training grounds.

A burly and sturdy figure, bare-chested and carrying a massive log, was launching charges over and over again. Sweat poured down his bronze skin like rain, his muscles bulging and filled with explosive power; it was his Eldest Brother, Li Qingyun.

Beside him, the equally tall and rough-faced Man En raised one arm and shouted loudly:

"Faster! Faster! Strength is dead, but people are alive! You must twist your strength into a single strand and explode it out! Yes! Just like that! Strike!"

Li Qinghe quietly landed on the general's platform of the training grounds, watching silently.

It was Man En who first sensed an unusual Spiritual Pressure. He jerked his head back and, seeing it was Li Qinghe, a flash of surprise crossed his face. He immediately knelt on one knee and saluted by striking his chest with one hand.

"Man En greets the Fourth Master! Congratulations on your successful exit from seclusion!"

Li Qingshan stopped his movements upon hearing this, dropped the log with a bang, turned around panting, and saw Li Qinghe. A simple and pleasantly surprised smile appeared on his face:

"Fourth Brother! You're out!"

He strode over and patted Li Qinghe's shoulder hard.

"Good! Good! Now our family has a pillar of support again!"

"Eldest Brother, Instructor Man En."

Li Qinghe nodded to his elder brother and raised a hand to Man En.

"Rise. Eldest Brother has made rapid progress; Instructor Man En has worked hard."

Man En stood up and said respectfully:

"The First Master is diligent himself and has good talent. I dare not take the credit."

Li Qinghe didn't waste time on pleasantries and gave Man En a direct order:

"Man En, beat the drums! Assemble the officers! Gather all remaining Qingxuan Guards!"

"Yes!"

Man En didn't hesitate and turned to run towards the massive war drum.

"Dong! Dong! Dong!"

The heavy, rapid drumbeats instantly echoed through the military camp, breaking the rhythm of the drills.

The more than three hundred Qingxuan Guards scattered everywhere were first stunned, then reflexively and quickly converged toward the center of the training grounds. Their movements were swift, showing they were well-trained.

About forty-five minutes later, the three hundred-plus men had formed a neat phalanx. It was dead silent, and all eyes were focused on the unfamiliar green-robed figure on the general's platform.

Li Qinghe took a step forward, his gaze sweeping over the men below.

Without any nonsense, with a slight thought, he suddenly released a faint Qi Refining Spiritual Pressure, which enveloped the entire training grounds like an invisible tide!

In an instant, all the soldiers felt their breathing hitch, as if a great mountain were pressing down on their chests, or as if they were submerged in cold seawater. It was difficult to move even a finger. Looks of shock and fear appeared on their faces; they had only felt this sensation from the Garrison Commander!

This was exactly the effect Li Qinghe wanted.

He didn't have time to slowly win people's hearts. Only absolute power could bring absolute obedience.

The pressure was released and then immediately withdrawn. Everyone felt the weight lift and breathed heavily. Looking at Li Qinghe again, their eyes were filled with awe and fear.

Li Qinghe spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly, carrying an unquestionable decisiveness:

"My Third Brother, Li Qingfeng, is not here."

"From now on, I am taking over."

"Listen clearly to my first command."

"Everyone, return to your respective villages immediately. Tell your parents, wives, children, relatives, friends, and all the villagers!"

"First, the Qingxuan Guards are recruiting again! Any young man who is healthy and willing to join the army can sign up!"

"Second, the Barbarians are heading south, and the flames of war may spread! Those who want to live, pack your things immediately and move to New Town! The town has plenty of empty houses to settle you!"

"Third, for those who are neither willing to join the army nor move, tell them that life and death are up to fate! Whether they stay in their poor villages waiting for the Barbarians to behead them, or come here to earn a way to survive, let them choose for themselves!"

He paused, his voice suddenly changing as his gaze swept through the crowd, especially those from Li Family Village.

"Especially those from Li Family Village! Listen, if the Barbarians really come from Black Mountain, Li Family Village will be the first to be hit! Go back and tell all the Li clansmen—whether collateral or direct line, elderly, weak, women, or children—all must move to New Town immediately!"

"All young men should use local materials to dig trenches, set traps, and build defensive fortifications! All defense matters of Li Family Village will later be fully managed by my father, Li Dashan!"

"Now, everyone, move out immediately!"

"Except for the personnel from Li Family Village who will return to their village to stand by, everyone else will gather and report at the training grounds at noon in three days!"

"If anyone is delayed and does not arrive... they will be treated as deserters!"

Li Qinghe's voice was bone-chillingly cold.

"They will be executed on the spot! Their family's money and grain will be confiscated, and the whole family will be expelled from New Town's territory, never to return!"

"Do you understand?!"

He suddenly shouted.

The soldiers below were intimidated by this series of orders and the severe punishment. They subconsciously responded in unison:

"Understood!"

"Louder! Haven't you eaten?!"

Li Qinghe's voice was like thunder.

"Understood! Understood! Understood!"

The ear-splitting roars of more than three hundred people echoed over the training grounds.

Li Qinghe waved his hand, showing no hesitation.

"Move!"

"Yes!!!"

Military orders were like mountains. The formation instantly disbanded. With tension and a sense of mission, the soldiers rushed to the stables or directly out of the camp at top speed, heading back to where they came from.

On the general's platform, Li Qinghe stood with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering in the wind. His gaze was already fixed on the direction of Black Mountain to the north.

The wind before the storm... The green bamboo shuttle turned into a streak of green light, tearing through the thin clouds above and speeding southward at an extremely high speed.

Inside the shuttle, Li Qingfeng sat cross-legged with his eyes closed. His Divine Sense extended outward like a blanket, scanning the rolling forests and occasional villages below.

The further south he went, the more obvious the faint Killing Intent and Evil Qi permeating the air became.

Three days ago, he had handed over five hundred Qingxuan Guards to Wang Tiezhu's command, ordering them to follow at a normal marching speed, while he used the speed of the green bamboo shuttle to go ahead.

Speed was essential in war. He needed to understand the real situation on the front line as soon as possible and rendezvous with Zhao Tianbao and the others.

Flying the tool for three consecutive days and nights without rest, even as a Qi Refining level two Cultivator, he felt a huge consumption of Divine Sense and Spiritual Power.

But when the outline of a majestic mountain range and the shadow of a giant city embraced by the mountains appeared on the distant horizon, all his fatigue was suppressed.

The terrain below gradually changed, and large areas of carefully cultivated lush forests appeared. The concentration of Spiritual Qi also increased significantly.

According to the map provided by Zhao Tianbao, the giant city ahead, built against several beautiful spiritual peaks with towering walls, was the destination of this trip.

Qingmao Mountain, Qingmu City. He had arrived!

The closer he got, the more he could feel the majesty of this city.

The city walls were tall and upright, not made of ordinary brick and stone, but a mixture of giant wood and rock with a greenish-black luster. They were inscribed with complex runes, faintly flowing with spiritual light, exuding a tough and heavy aura.

The entire city was built against the mountain, almost merging with the lush forest.