Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies

Chapter 336 20 The Beginning of the Jing Luan Assembly Marks Their Doom

?? is about two thousand li away from Yongzhou.

At the pace Shen Qing and his group are traveling, journeying day and night, it would take just over ten days to get there.

As time passed day by day, as they progressed, they neared Dan Zhou, encountering many people like themselves on the road.

However, unlike them, the other cities had far fewer people than those from Yongzhou.

At a glance, other cities seemed to have gathered about thirty to forty people, mostly comprised of Jianghu Martial Artists.

In contrast, Yongzhou alone dispatched thirty-six officials, alongside martial masters, totaling over a hundred.

Among the eight hundred and ten cities of the Great Zhou Country, apart from those clustered together by Shi families in the Capital City, where people go for opportunities, Yongzhou truly stands out.

After another seven to eight days of journeying, Shen Qing and many martial masters finally arrived near Danzhou City.

There were dedicated personnel and people from various Southern Domain Military Departments tallying the numbers, and once confirmed, they passed one by one to set up camp in a designated open space prepared for them.

Entering the camp, Shen Qing looked around and saw the place bustling with martial masters.

He had never seen so many martial masters, and his heart was filled with awe.

It is said that such a martial masters' army, if united, when combined with military formations, even a Primordial Spirit Realm Great Power cannot easily win.

Unfortunately, for the Great Zhou Royal Family, stability is paramount.

They prefer to let these martial masters deplete themselves internally rather than properly organizing them.

They have always adhered to the principle of ensuring internal stability before external concerns.

However, Shen Qing could understand that.

What martial masters pursue is the supreme Martial Arts, the path to longevity.

To mobilize so many martial masters is not something that can be fulfilled with ordinary rations but requires various cultivation resources.

However, with so many martial masters, the daily requirement for cultivation resources is enormous.

Not to mention with the continual growth of cultivation, the need for cultivation resources also gradually increases.

So many martial masters form an insatiable void, which cannot be filled once activated.

Ultimately, it is because the cultivation resources in this world are too scarce, and Spiritual Energy is too thin that it has come to this.

"Are you guys from Yongzhou? Your resting area is in District D, just walk all the way from here," said a designated soldier pointing to Shen Qing and others as they entered the camp.

While speaking, the soldier took out a piece of dark stone etched with the character "D" from a burlap sack and beckoned, "Come, before you go past, collect the Merit Stones from me. Remember, these record your military merits, so take care of them and absolutely don't lose them."

"Merit Stone?"

Everyone felt a bit baffled.

In their puzzlement, they stepped forward one by one to take the stone.

"This is yours."

Shen Qing walked up to the soldier.

Seeing Shen Qing's robust aura, the soldier realized that his cultivation might be not low.

Hence, compared to others, his demeanor became much more respectful.

Shen Qing accepted the Merit Stone and examined it closely.

The Merit Stone was black, somewhat smooth, with a cool touch, and contained traces of thin Spiritual Energy.

At its very center was engraved a large "D" character.

The soldier casually explained, "This Merit Stone can absorb Evil Qi. The more people you kill, the heavier the Evil Qi in this Merit Stone becomes, and the more merits you have. The Jing Luan Assembly measures merits with these Merit Stones."

The soldier chuckled suddenly, adding pointedly, "Of course, even if the Evil Qi in your Merit Stone isn't heavy, having a lot of them is still acceptable."

Having many?

Shen Qing instantly grasped the implied meaning of the soldier's words.

Everyone is assigned one, but if you have many, you can only snatch them from others.

As for how to snatch them?

Shen Qing surmised that in this Jing Luan Assembly, it is likely that you kill the other party to seize their Merit Stones.

Holding back his thoughts, he slightly bowed his hands and proceeded towards District "D" as indicated by the soldier.

As Shen Qing passed by the center of the camp, he noticed a high platform built there, with a large chair placed on it, and a middle-aged man sitting in the chair.

His gaze was condescending, intimidating without anger.

As Shen Qing observed the middle-aged man above, the man inadvertently glanced at him.

A powerful force enveloped his body, causing him to tremble all over.

Just from that look, Shen Qing felt as if his consciousness was being torn apart.

This cultivation, clearly, was that of a Great Power in the Void Wandering Realm!!!

For the Jing Luan Assembly, the court even dispatched a Great Power in the Void Wandering Realm here!

No wonder no one dared to act recklessly in the camp.

With such a figure on guard, anyone with malicious intentions would be courting death.

Shen Qing's heart was pounding.

Immediately, he quickly retracted his gaze, not daring to look any longer.

He obediently proceeded to the "D" area of the camp, found an empty spot, and sat down to meditate.

Soon, others from Yongzhou also gradually arrived, gathering together and sitting down cross-legged.

After traveling a long distance, these people all appeared dusty and travel-worn, looking very disheveled.

The conditions in the camp were far from good, essentially non-existent.

Scattered tents and raised houses were mostly privately owned, occupied by some people with guards outside.

The rest were all empty spaces.

There wasn't even a single blade of grass, trampled until it was clean.

When it was noon, each person was given a bun, as hard as a rock, biting into it might knock out a tooth, leaving one speechless.

As the camp became more crowded, most people had emotionless faces, taut expressions, looking like misfortunate souls.

The many officials from Yongzhou felt pressured seeing so many martial masters.

Gathering around County Chancellor Dou Wenxi and County Supervisor Yan Xushou as initially discussed, they asked, "What should we do next, esteemed sirs?"

County Chancellor Dou Wenxi responded with a somber face, "Just now, when everyone received their Merit Stones, you all heard; this thing can absorb Evil Qi; the more people you kill, the stronger the Evil Qi. However, the soldier never said who you are supposed to kill…"

Upon hearing this, the officials from Yongzhou contemplated briefly and all looked disturbed.

County Chancellor Dou Wenxi's implication was clear: for battle merits, you could kill the Yellow Heaven Sect traitors, or you can kill our own people too; the key is a no-holds-barred approach.

"If we can think of this point, so can others. Therefore, we must absolutely not fall into disarray at this time. Although we seem unfortunate, having many people here, is it not an advantage for us?"

After hearing this, the others nodded in agreement.

"That's the logic; many hands make light work; a single chopstick breaks easily, but a bundle of chopsticks is not easily broken."

County Supervisor Yan Xushou gestured to the surrounding martial masters, stating, "Look at those scattered groups from other cities, to put it bluntly, the opening of the Jing Luan Assembly marks their death day. In such chaotic circumstances, being alone is a grave mistake!"