One month later, in the northern region of the Great River Sect.
Yan Chuan led his army through rugged mountains, stopping at the peak of a towering cliff. Behind him stood Huo Guang and Liu Jin.
Yan Chuan gently touched a small, grey jade pendant hanging around his neck and smiled faintly.
"Your Majesty, the queen gave you a 'protection charm' through the Great Swordsman when she arrived in Wuyou City? We've already entered the cultivation world, do such charms still hold any power?" Liu Jin asked with a smile.
"This is not a protection charm. Perhaps even Zizi has never seen a real one. She just wanted to give me something for peace of mind," Yan Chuan replied with a soft smile.
"Either way, it's a token of her heartfelt intentions! Even if it's only symbolic, it brings her peace," Liu Jin remarked, smiling.
"No, it's not a trinket either. This is called an Earth Escape Talisman. Even the Great Swordsman didn't recognize it because they've likely never seen one before," Yan Chuan explained.
"An Earth Escape Talisman?"
"Yes, it's extremely rare. In many situations, it can save your life. Even a Heaven-level cultivation technique can't compare," Yan Chuan said solemnly.
"Oh!" Liu Jin nodded thoughtfully.
"Your Majesty, where are we headed? Along the way, we encountered some demon beasts, yet you didn't allow us to kill them. Why is that?" Huo Guang asked, puzzled.
"I'm taking you to earn merit," Yan Chuan said with a smile.
"Merit?" Huo Guang said, surprised.
"Your Majesty, how do we earn merit?" Liu Jin asked curiously.
"It's not too hard, but not too simple either," Yan Chuan said.
"Oh?"
"A simple, pure sense of gratitude—that's merit," Yan Chuan explained with a smile.
"Gratitude? How do we evoke that?" Liu Jin asked, intrigued.
"For instance, imagine a bandit about to slaughter ten innocent women and children. At their most desperate moment, you step in and drive the bandit away, or even kill him. Wouldn't those ten women and children feel immense gratitude toward you?" Yan Chuan asked.
"They probably would."
"That sense of gratitude becomes merit. If you have a merit pool, that gratitude will flow into it continuously," Yan Chuan explained.
"So merit is just a sense of gratitude? That simple?" Huo Guang asked, astonished.
"But wait, Your Majesty, what if the gratitude is falsely earned? For example, if there were no bandits, but I tricked the women and children into believing there were, and then pretended to save them. They would still feel grateful, wouldn't they? Would that still count as merit?" Liu Jin asked after thinking for a moment.
"Haha, good question! But no, that wouldn't count."
"Why not?"
"Merit, when broken down, consists of two parts: '功' (achievement) and '德' (virtue). Gratitude reflects the '德' (virtue), but if you haven't genuinely earned it through '功' (achievement), how can it form merit? As the saying goes, 'Heaven sees all,'" Yan Chuan said with a smile.
"I understand now!" Both men nodded deeply, absorbing the lesson.
"You've barely tasted merit. As the peak master of Tianfeng, the merit I enjoy can double my cultivation speed. Sect Leader Feng Tairan's merit triples his speed. This is why higher-tier sects enjoy increasingly potent benefits as they rise through the ranks," Yan Chuan explained.
"Understood. We will work hard to accumulate merit!" Huo Guang said, somewhat excited.
"Let's move on. Ahead lies the boundary of the Wind Demon Mountain Range and a mortal kingdom. At this very moment, countless demon beasts are fleeing, making that land a gathering ground for these creatures. We'll slay them to not only stockpile resources but also earn merit," Yan Chuan declared.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
…
Half a day later, after crossing over a hundred rivers and mountains, Yan Chuan and his entourage stood atop a small hill. Everyone's eyes widened in shock.
Before them lay a city, reminiscent of Yan Jing, with vast sections of the city walls collapsed.
"Ah!"
"Help!"
"Father, save me!"
Screams of terror filled the air, unending. Above the city, bat-like demon beasts flew in swarms, snatching mortals and devouring them nearby. On the ground, demon wolves rampaged through the city, tearing people apart. It was a scene of utter carnage—a living hell.
"Your Majesty?" Huo Guang's face darkened.
"Demon beasts interested in mortals aren't likely to be very powerful. They should be at most in the Essence Realm. Go kill them. Build your achievements first, then gain your merit!" Yan Chuan commanded in a deep voice.
"Yes!" Huo Guang responded immediately.
"The First Legion, follow me to battle!" Huo Guang shouted.
"Yes!"
Like tigers descending from the mountains, the three thousand elite soldiers charged toward the demon beasts below.
"Release the arrows!" Huo Guang commanded.
"Boom!"
A rain of thousands of arrows shot toward the bat demons in the distance.
"Skreeee!" The bat demons screeched in fury.
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
The army charged into the city, cutting down the demon beasts wherever they went.
Hundreds of demon wolves filled the streets, and hundreds of bat demons filled the skies, but the disciplined soldiers were unstoppable wherever they marched.
"Immortals have come! We're saved!"
"Help us!"
"Save my father, he's been taken by the bats!"
"We're saved!"
The once-helpless civilians, trapped in hell, now looked toward the soldiers with renewed hope.
The immortals had arrived to slay the demons. There was hope for salvation. Gratitude filled their eyes.
On the peak, Liu Jin stood with Yan Chuan, watching the slaughter unfold in the city.
"Your Majesty, the sect's techniques are truly extraordinary. Huo Guang and his troops are fighting with at least thirty percent more strength!" Liu Jin said, brimming with excitement.
"Techniques? The best techniques are honed in life and death struggles," Yan Chuan replied calmly.
They quietly watched the city's massacre continue.
An hour passed, then two, then three.
After slaughtering nearly six hundred demon beasts, the remaining creatures fled in terror.
"We're saved!"
"The demons are gone! The demons are gone!"
"We're saved! I don't want to die!"
The surviving townspeople were ecstatic, their joy overwhelming.
But after a while, silence returned, as the grief of losing loved ones sank in once more.
"Immortal masters, without you, all the people of this city would be dead. May I ask where you hail from? We, the people of Ye City, will erect shrines in your honor to thank you eternally!" the city lord came forward to ask.
"We are from the Great River Sect, under Tianfeng. I am Huo Guang," Huo Guang replied with a smile.
Ignoring the mortals, he directed his men to carry the demon beasts out of the city.
The townspeople followed them out, many kneeling in gratitude.
One by one, their gratitude turned into streams of golden light, rushing toward the soldiers.
Though the soldiers didn't notice, Huo Guang, possessing a warrior's keen sense, felt a warm current flow into his heart.
At the same time, in the Great River Sect...
"Boom!"
The Merit Pool surged with energy, churning endlessly.
Many disciples looked up in awe.
"The Merit Pool is expanding? Such an enormous amount of merit!"
"Who earned it?"
"It's coming from Tianfeng! The merit is gathering from that direction!"
"Tianfeng?"
Many of the Great River Sect's disciples looked on in surprise. How long had Yan Chuan been back, and he was already accumulating merit?
Mo Wuhui, Gao Bufan, and Feng Tianyu all frowned as they gazed toward the sky.
"Did Yan Chuan go out? He's probably saving the mortals of the northern Liang Kingdom," Feng Tianyu speculated.
"Boundless merit! But with so many demon beasts on the loose, low-level ones are manageable, but what if he encounters stronger ones? Wouldn't that be dangerous?" Gao Bufan sighed.
"Before he left, the sect master instructed us not to leave the sect. Besides, we don't know where Yan Chuan went. There's nothing we can do," Mo Wuhui said, furrowing his brow.
"I'll send my seven disciples to search for Yan Chuan and protect him if needed," Gao Bufan suggested after some thought.
"That would be best," Feng Tianyu agreed with a nod.
Mo Wuhui remained silent.
...
In a secluded valley.
Liu Jin and the others attended to Yan Chuan as he ate.
While chewing on wolf meat, Yan Chuan glanced at the two men and asked, "Huo Guang, how are the soldiers feeling?"
"After three days, the men have consumed nearly five hundred demon beasts! Something they would've never dreamed of before!" Huo Guang replied.
"I'm asking about the battle. Any insights?" Yan Chuan asked with a smile.
"Oh, right! My apologies, Your Majesty. The battle? The spear techniques we learned over the last month were greatly refined through combat!" Huo Guang said, his expression turning serious.
"Good. This is just the beginning. We've only conquered one city so far. This mortal kingdom has more than one city. It's called the Liang Kingdom! We will march toward their capital, Liangjing. However many demon beasts there are, kill