70: Scouting Messenger

"The fourth Meridian has been opened…"

"It seems the snake demon's Blood Qi is stronger than I imagined!"

Han Li opened his eyes.

Having opened the fourth Meridian, his strength had increased considerably.

His Blood Qi was strengthened, leading to an all-around improvement.

"Why are those two Golden Spirit Sect Disciples here?"

"Could it be they also accepted some mission?"

Han Li blinked.

"Never mind, I won't think about that problem. Let's look at the second mission…"

"Nantong County."

After confirming the mission details, Han Li took out his ruyi compass to determine the distance.

It was only about a hundred li away.

"I'll rest today and leave early tomorrow. There shouldn't be any problems."

With that thought, Han Li closed his eyes, took out his Iron Plate, and once again absorbed Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to Cultivate… The next day, early in the morning, Han Li checked out and left.

A hundred li journey.

Han Li arrived very quickly.

Following the mission's details, Han Li still scouted the situation first.

The second demon-hunting mission was a weasel demon.

It was even easier than the snake demon.

Both were Peak monster-grade demons, but there were still differences in strength.

However, it was still a Peak monster-grade demon. Killing the weasel demon took Han Li some effort; its foul stench almost made him question his life.

After completing the second demon-hunting mission, Han Li headed straight for Beichuan County.

Of the three missions, this was the most difficult one… Winter days are short. By the time he arrived at Beichuan County, it was already completely dark.

The cold wind was biting, and the moon and stars were sparse.

Han Li directly entered Beichuan County town and chose an inn to stay in.

Sitting on the bed, Han Li closed his eyes and checked the detailed information of Black Tiger Stronghold.

Black Tiger Stronghold was located in the Hundred Barbarian Mountains of Beichuan County.

Hundred Barbarian Mountains.

This was a mountain range spanning hundreds of li, running through Beichuan County.

And Black Tiger Stronghold was located in the deepest part of the Hundred Barbarian Mountains.

The entire stronghold had over a hundred mountain bandits.

However, the most troublesome were the three Chiefs.

The strongest in power was Black Tiger, the Chief of Black Tiger Stronghold, who was at the Tōngmài Realm Peak.

According to the information, this Chief seemed to have Cultivated a special Body Tempering martial arts, possessing a strong Physical Body, making him more powerful than an ordinary Vein Opening Realm Martial Artist.

The other two Chiefs were unremarkable.

But they should not be underestimated either.

"Body Tempering martial arts…"

Han Li opened his eyes, his brows tightly furrowed.

From the mission details, he only knew that this Chief had practiced a special Body Tempering martial arts, but what specific martial arts it was, was unclear.

"As long as Black Tiger, the Chief is dealt with, the rest will be stable. If I can slaughter everyone in the entire Black Tiger Stronghold, then this wave of Blood Qi…"

Looking at the night outside the window, Han Li's heart pounded.

Opening one Meridian would be easy, and he might even open two.

Of course, this was just a guess.

Of the more than a hundred mountain bandits, one-third were ordinary people, and the remaining two-thirds were Martial Artists, but only Body Tempering Realm Martial Artists.

Killing Blood Qi: the stronger the Martial Artist or demon, the stronger the Blood Qi provided.

This was not comparable by quantity; of course, if the quantity reached a certain level, that would also work.

"Rest for an hour. Tonight, I'll go scout the situation first."

Looking at the night outside the window, Han Li made up his mind.

Relying solely on mission information was still inaccurate. Behind Black Tiger Stronghold was the Blood Spirit Sect, one of the Three Demonic Sects of Youzhou.

If he was going to act, he had to thoroughly understand everything; a slight oversight could lead to a disastrous failure.

"Buzz—!"

With a thought, Han Li released the Demonic Seed, and the Blood Qi from killing the weasel demon instantly surged into his body like a torrent.

Strong Qi and Blood surged, and scorching Yang Qi spread out like a furnace, with ripples even permeating the air.

Muscles, bones, blood, and internal organs rapidly improved under the absorption of Blood Qi.

His Physique became even more robust and powerful.

His height had even increased a bit.

He now approached eight feet tall.

After a while, Han Li's eyes opened, shining brightly.

Although the weasel demon's Blood Qi did not immediately open the fifth Meridian, it significantly improved him, advancing his strength further.

Vast power surged.

Han Li had also tested his strength in Yuhua Hall.

His strength had reached nearly five thousand jun of power.

One jun of power is thirty catties.

The division of Martial Artist's strength is based on the three stages: jun, shi, and ding.

One shi of power is equal to four jun of power.

Ten shi is one ding.

That is, one thousand two hundred catties of power, equal to forty jun of power.

Five thousand jun of power, a full one hundred and fifty thousand catties of power, is equivalent to one hundred and twenty-five ding of power.

However, generally, a Tōngmài Realm Peak's strength is only about a thousand jun of power.

Of course, this is only for ordinary Vein Opening Realm Martial Artists; if there are those with special Physiques, then it's more than that.

His strength had already surpassed that of most Tōngmài Realm Peak Martial Artists by several times.

Even compared to Martial Artists with special Physical Bodies, Han Li was not inferior at all.

Killing Blood Qi, the Demonic Seed's enhancement to oneself, has no upper limit.

Five thousand jun of power is equivalent to half of a Xiantian martial artist's strength.

However, compared to a Xiantian martial artist, the gap is much more than half.

Ten thousand jun of power is merely the basic strength of a Xiantian martial artist; powerful martial arts and Spiritual Artifact amplification far exceed ten thousand jun of power.

Ten thousand jun of power is just the threshold for a Xiantian martial artist.

The Physical Body transforming into the ordinary, undergoing a complete metamorphosis—this is not just talk. The fundamental strength gap means one Xiantian martial artist can completely crush anyone below the Xiantian realm.

Only a very small number of Martial Artists with special Physiques can cross such a stage.

In terms of strength, there is a tenfold difference, but the true power gap is far more than tenfold; a hundredfold is normal.

Vast power flowed within his body. Han Li closed his eyes, controlling the increased strength.

—

It was late at night, darkness enveloped everything, and even the starlight in the night sky was covered, like an endless abyss.

In the inn, Han Li opened his eyes and came to the window.

There was no one on the street.

"It's almost time. Let's go."

Han Li moved, flipped over the window, and left the inn like a ghost.

Divine Travel Eight Desolations erupted, and he quickly disappeared into the night.

—

Under the night, the Hundred Barbarian Mountains were pitch black and very quiet.

On a mountain Peak in the Hundred Barbarian Mountains, Han Li's figure appeared silently.

The winter night was bitterly cold, but it had little effect on him.

Standing on the mountain Peak, Han Li gazed into the distance.

Ten li away, a majestic Peak stood tall. This was where Black Tiger Stronghold's base camp was located.

In the night, faint specks of firelight could be seen on the majestic Peak.

Compared to Blood Wind Stronghold's Earth-Grade location, Black Tiger Stronghold's geographical location was much better.

With the experience of scouting Blood Wind Stronghold, Han Li felt even more at ease this time.

After traveling ten li, he arrived at the mountain where Black Tiger Stronghold was located.

As night fell, relying on his extraordinary perception, Han Li easily avoided the various bandit sentries.

The stronghold was large, enclosed by a wooden fence more than two zhang high.

Han Li silently arrived at a corner in the night.

From here, he could see most of the stronghold's situation.

He memorized the terrain inside, one by one.

After scouting back and forth, Han Li did not enter the stronghold.

His goal was to understand the main terrain and the general layout of the sentries.

"That's about it."

It took three incense sticks of time for Han Li to essentially figure out the outer situation.

He even found out the time for changing shifts.

Black Tiger Stronghold's sentries rotated, not just one person guarding alone.

They changed every incense stick of time.

It was very strict, not like ordinary bandits.

However, considering that Black Tiger Stronghold had the support of the Blood Spirit Sect, this was normal.

He also confirmed that all three Chiefs were in Black Tiger Stronghold.

After figuring out the general situation, Han Li disappeared into the night… Returning to the inn, it was already the fourth watch.

After recuperating, Han Li ate lunch around noon and then left Beichuan County town.

Around afternoon, Han Li once again came near the Hundred Barbarian Mountains.

Using the exquisite control of his movement technique, Divine Travel Eight Desolations, Han Li avoided the sentries and arrived in the jungle about a hundred zhang away from the main camp.

From this position, he could see everything inside the stronghold, and at the same time, he could hide himself.

Being too close would make it easy to be discovered.

A Martial Artist's perception is not to be underestimated.

Under the sunlight, inside Black Tiger Stronghold, a room door opened, and a burly man stepped out.

He was nine feet tall, with massive muscles, wearing only a thin shirt.

His fierce face indicated he was not a kind person.

"Chief…"

Looking at the burly man stepping out of the room, Han Li instantly knew his identity.

Black Tiger, the Chief of Black Tiger Stronghold, Black Tiger.

His real name was Chen Hu.

He was the strongest in Black Tiger Stronghold.

Han Li merely glanced at him, then immediately shifted his gaze. Staring for too long could easily lead to discovery.

However, Han Li was still watching with his peripheral vision.

Stepping out of the room, Black Tiger, the Chief walked straight to the left, arriving in front of another room.

Stopping, he reached out and knocked on the door.

"Hmm?"

Seeing this scene, Han Li's heart skipped a beat.

Given Black Tiger's strength and status, he was absolute in Black Tiger Stronghold. Who would require him to be treated in such a manner?

"Come in."

A voice came from inside the room, and the door opened in response. Black Tiger looked around and then stepped into the room.

"Could it be… there's someone from the Blood Spirit Sect in there?"

Han Li frowned.

If that were the case, then the difficulty of this mission would likely be greatly increased.

Someone from the Blood Spirit Sect.

Their strength would certainly not be that of a Trash.

"Let's see first…"

Composing himself, Han Li continued to hide in the jungle.

About half an hour later, Black Tiger, the Chief opened the door and stepped out.

Closely following him, a purple-clad figure also stepped out of the room.

It was a woman in purple.

Black Tiger, the Chief was very respectful in front of this purple-clad woman.

"I'll be leaving now, no need to see me off. Remember my instructions; if you mess up, you know the consequences," the purple-clad woman said indifferently.

Black Tiger, the Chief nodded: "Don't worry, I know what to do."

"Good, then that's settled," the purple-clad woman nodded, then walked towards the outside of the stronghold.

"Ambassador, take care!"

Black Tiger, the Chief spoke, and the purple-clad woman quickly stepped out of the stronghold and went down the mountain.

"Ambassador…"

Listening to Black Tiger, the Chief's final words, Han Li watched the purple-clad woman's disappearing figure as she descended the mountain.