Chapter 477: Million Merit Points, Celestial Master's Summons

"Slaying two True Immortal Realm ninth level ancient demons, five eighth level, nine seventh level..."

In the courtyard, Stone Tianjing sat at the head, blade across his lap, tallying his own merit points. As he finished counting up, a satisfied smile spread across his face, and he declared:

"Finally, I don't have to keep babysitting newbies in this Wildfire Army. Adding up the merit points I accumulated previously, it's a total of two hundred thousand. With my perfected True Immortal Realm tenth level cultivation, I can apply to join the Peacock Army!"

Hearing his words, the veteran soldiers present all showed envy in their eyes, offering congratulations and well-wishes.

Being part of the Peacock Army meant that if they took leave during their service to return to the inner lands of the Immortal Dynasty, their status would even rival that of elders (Immortal Lord Realm) from the Heavenly Four Sects.

After all, the Peacock Army represented the Imperial Family of the Yan-Chu Immortal Dynasty. They were untouchable. Even Heavenly Four Sects elders whose cultivation was a realm higher would have to show them some respect.

Furthermore, if they were to seek marriage alliances, the potential partners would at least be daughters of the direct lineage from families with ten thousand years of history, or daughters of garrison commanders from various immortal cities and prefectures.

The newer recruits were a bit slow to react, but seeing the veterans fawning and ingratiating themselves, they also followed suit, offering compliments.

The cultivation world was about both individual strength and navigating social dynamics; sects and dynasties were all the same.

"Xiaoqi, what about you? You must have killed quite a few this time, right?"

Stone Tianjing looked towards the young man sitting on the side.

Although this young man was a new recruit, their battle camp had been able to scavenge and hunt down so many ancient demons this time largely thanks to him. Otherwise, his own merit points might have been reduced by ten or twenty thousand.

"Hmm, a little over a hundred thousand."

Huo Xiaoqi nodded, his expression rather calm.

"Over a hundred thousand merit points, combined with your cultivation, is enough to enter the Tiger-Lion Army. If you work a little harder, you could even get into the Peacock Army!"

Stone Tianjing laughed heartily, patting his shoulder. Over the past few months of getting along, he had come to regard Huo Xiaoqi as an important connection, making repeated overtures of goodwill, and their relationship could be considered friendly.

The others looked at Huo Xiaoqi, their eyes filled with envy. To accumulate so many merit points right after arriving, they had seen the treasures in the merit point exchange vault. These hundred thousand plus merit points were enough to exchange for quite a lot of cultivation resources.

Hearing Stone Tianjing's words, Huo Xiaoqi didn't feel particularly happy. He had come here not to join the Peacock Army, but to train himself, preparing for the Southern Domain Grand War in ten years.

Of course, if he could incidentally earn merit points and attain a higher position in the military, that wouldn't be a bad path either.

However, at this very moment, he couldn't help but think of that figure.

If he were still here...

Dong dong.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Everyone turned their heads to look towards the courtyard gate. They saw a young man's figure standing at the gate, gently knocking, and then slowly walking in.

"Chong Er?"

Seeing Li Hao's face, everyone was stunned, their eyes widening in shock.

Stone Tianjing, who had been sitting with legs spread wide on his chair, abruptly stood up. He was momentarily dazed, but a smile quickly plastered on his face, and he rushed forward, saying:

"Chong Er, you're back! That's great! We haven't seen you for months and were really worried, thinking you'd run into trouble!"

Li Hao ignored his feigned enthusiasm, nodding to Huo Xiaoqi when he saw him.

After several months, Huo Xiaoqi's aura was clearly much more composed and steady, exuding a sharp and resolute energy.

Seeing Li Hao, Huo Xiaoqi was momentarily stunned, but quickly reacted. He flickered and appeared in front of Li Hao, unable to help but ask:

"Where have you been these past few months? I thought you were too reckless and got targeted by a commander among the ancient demons!"

Being too prominent on the battlefield and getting killed by the enemy general was not uncommon. This was one of the reasons even geniuses didn't easily step onto the battlefield; accidents could happen at any time.

Li Hao smiled. The situation was indeed somewhat similar. He said, "Some minor incidents happened, but overall, I'm fine."

Stone Tianjing saw that Li Hao was ignoring him completely, a hint of awkwardness flashed across his face. Previously, when Li Hao had arrived, he had also completely disregarded this True Immortal Realm third level nobody, too lazy to even acknowledge him, treating him like he was already dead. Now being ignored by the other party, he could only feel sullen.

"We haven't even had a chance to properly thank you for saving us last time, come, come, sit."

Stone Tianjing enthusiastically welcomed Li Hao, not revealing any of his inner displeasure, wanting to befriend Li Hao and make him one of his connections.

Li Hao didn't stand on ceremony and sat down naturally. He noticed that there were significantly fewer people in the courtyard than before. Some of those missing, he hadn't even properly recognized. This was perhaps the cruelty of border wars.

"With Brother Chong Er's strength, you must have accumulated quite a few merit points these past few months, probably even tens of thousands!"

Stone Tianjing said with a smile, pouring tea for Li Hao and handing it to him.

Li Hao tapped the table lightly with his fingers in thanks but didn't drink. Instead, he turned to Huo Xiaoqi and asked, "What about you?"

"I can't compare to you."

Huo Xiaoqi shook his head, looking at Li Hao with a complicated gaze. From the initial surprise and excitement of seeing Li Hao again, he had calmed down. Recalling the strength Li Hao had displayed when saving them previously, he lowered his voice and said, "Your cultivation realm... are you a disciple of the Heavenly Palace?"

Li Hao shook his head, thinking of the Southern Domain Grand War Huo Xiaoqi had mentioned, he smiled and said, "You'll know when the Southern Domain Grand War arrives."

Huo Xiaoqi couldn't help but smile wryly, remembering how he had given the same answer when the young man had asked him earlier.

Stone Tianjing saw that Li Hao had no intention of befriending him at all. A hint of anger flashed in his eyes, but he still plastered a smile on his face and said,

"Brother Chong Er, with your talent, I can recommend you to the Demon Subduing Division. I have a brother who serves as a Demon Subduing Guard there."

Hearing his words, the others all looked at Stone Tianjing in surprise, not expecting him to have connections within the Demon Subduing Division.

The corner of Stone Tianjing's mouth slightly curved upwards. Since he himself hadn't been favored by Li Hao, he could only bring out his connection to the Demon Subduing Division.

Although the "brother" he spoke of was merely an acquaintance who barely nodded to him, who would know?

Li Hao's eyes flickered slightly. Demon Subduing Guard? His senior brother, Ji Qingxuan, seemed to be a Demon Subduing Guard.

"How about it?"

Stone Tianjing asked smugly.

Li Hao shook his head, "Not really interested."

Stone Tianjing was stunned, a look of awkwardness appearing on his face, but inwardly he felt somewhat humiliated and annoyed.

Huo Xiaoqi shook his head secretly, knowing that someone with Li Hao's talent wouldn't be moved by the Demon Subduing Division. Besides, if he really wanted to join the Demon Subduing Division, he would have plenty of ways. He changed the subject and asked,

"How many merit points have you got?"

"Haven't counted yet."

Li Hao picked up his identity token and said, "Let me take a look."

He separated a strand of his divine sense and penetrated the token, beginning to tally his merit points.

Stone Tianjing's eyes showed a hint of greed and resentment. If he had known Li Hao possessed such formidable battle prowess, he shouldn't have agreed when Li Hao said he wanted to act alone back then. If that were the case, the merit points Li Hao earned would have to be distributed according to the battle camp's rules, and he could have received half of it for free.

With Li Hao's cultivation, if he worked hard enough for a few months, he might even have accumulated hundreds of thousands of merit points!

Thinking of this, his heart ached.

Seeing Li Hao tallying his merit points, the others all stopped what they were doing and stared intently at the young man, their eyes filled with curiosity.

After a long while.

Li Hao's divine sense finished tallying the Ancient Demon Essence absorbed by the identity token. The final merit point count surprised even Li Hao himself.

"How many?"

Seeing Li Hao put down the token, Stone Tianjing was the first to eagerly ask.

Li Hao saw Huo Xiaoqi's curious gaze and said, "1.37 million merit points."

Instant silence.

The courtyard seemed to have been suddenly frozen in ice, not a sound to be heard.

Like a falling leaf breaking the silence, Stone Tianjing's eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets, horrified, "How much?!"

Huo Xiaoqi was also stunned, his mouth agape, looking at Li Hao in bewildered astonishment.

He had initially followed Stone Tianjing to hunt ancient demons, and later, like Li Hao, chose to fight alone, and only then had he accumulated a hundred thousand merit points. And Li Hao was actually... 1.37 million?!

How many ancient demons would he have to kill to get so many merit points?

One must know that on this dangerous battlefield, if only considering cultivation realm, a True Immortal Realm tenth level expert could easily sweep through True Immortal Realm first level ancient demons and continuously accumulate merit points.

But the reality was not like that. Firstly, ancient demons would form large formations. For example, the Peacock Army's Primal Aspect Immortal Formation was enough to fight across realms.

Moreover, when someone who could disrupt the battle situation appeared on the battlefield, there would be corresponding, or even stronger, entities to suppress and kill them. Simply killing ancient demons was not difficult, but to kill ancient demons and still survive was very difficult!

And Li Hao had accumulated 1.37 million merit points and returned alive. This was extremely terrifying!

"This, these merit points... even applying to join the Chu Immortal Army, you could get in, right?"

"How many ancient demons did he kill? Could it be those ancient demons were just lying down for him to kill?"

The others also looked at Li Hao in shock, finding it hard to believe.

After just one deployment, the new recruit before them seemed to have completely entered a different world from them.

Stone Tianjing also came back to his senses, staring at Li Hao's face, confirming that the young man was not lying. His eye sockets were somewhat red. If he hadn't agreed to let Li Hao leave back then, he could have directly and freely obtained nearly seven hundred thousand merit points!

So many merit points were enough for him to join the Dragon War Army, and he could also exchange for a full set of immortal weapons and armor, greatly enhancing his combat strength!

His breathing became heavy, feeling a tightness in his throat. Regret gnawed at his heart.

While everyone was in shock, suddenly, two sounds of air being torn apart came from outside the courtyard gate.

Immediately after, the courtyard door was knocked again.

Two young men dressed in black long robes and wearing black pointed helmets stood at the courtyard gate. Their gazes swept across the surroundings, their eyes carrying an air of arrogance and a chilling killing aura. They said coldly:

"Who is Chong Er?"

Li Hao and the others turned to look. When Stone Tianjing saw the two men's attire, his heart leaped violently, and his face changed color.

"Demon Subduing Guards!"

"Why would Demon Subduing Guards come here?"

"Could it be the recommendation Camp Leader Stone was just talking about? But it's too fast..."

The crowd couldn't help but look at Stone Tianjing, then at Li Hao, somewhat bewildered.

Stone Tianjing's heart was also pounding. He hadn't even notified that "brother" yet.

"It's me, who are you?"

Li Hao stood up, frowning as he looked at the two Demon Subduing Guards, feeling that their arrival was aggressive, perhaps not a good thing.

However, as soon as the thought arose, the two young men saw Li Hao stand up, and the coldness and killing aura in their eyes instantly dissipated, replaced by smiles. They slightly bowed and said,

"Mr. Chong Er, we are here on the Celestial Master's orders to summon you. Please come with us to meet the Celestial Master."

Li Hao was slightly taken aback, immediately thinking of what Mi Xueyao had said when they parted.

That Celestial Master, could it be the old man who had fought the Dijiang Clan's King Realm expert on the battlefield?

Why would he summon him?

Thoughts raced in Li Hao's mind, but he couldn't figure it out. Could it be that because he was walking with Mi Xueyao, he was being regarded as a spy?

However, his conscience was clear, so he wasn't afraid, unless the other party was completely unreasonable.

"Alright."

Li Hao agreed and stepped forward to come before the two men.

Stone Tianjing and the others were all dumbfounded. Even Huo Xiaoqi's expression changed. The Celestial Master - in the Yan-Chu Immortal Dynasty, almost no one didn't know who that was. In the Demon Subduing Division, he was second only to the Four Great Demon Suppressing Kings!

"Let's go."

The two young Demon Subduing Guards nodded and turned to lead the way.

Li Hao followed them and left.

Stone Tianjing and the others exchanged glances, considering Li Hao's million merit points, there was no doubt that this trip to the Demon Subduing Division was likely a good thing.

Stone Tianjing's face burned, and he secretly clenched his fist. Just now he had said he was going to introduce Li Hao to his Demon Subduing Guard brother and help him get a recommendation. But in the blink of an eye, the other party received a summons from the Celestial Master. The difference in status was beyond words.

...

Qinghe Mo City, Main General's Residence.

This residence was located in the center of the vast Mo River, like a majestic mountain, with a ten thousand zhang high Heavenly Gate standing tall. On the gate were Demon Subduing Guards and Dragon War Army soldiers patrolling.

Standing on the Heavenly Gate of this Main General's Residence, one could see the signals coming from various city camp areas within the city, and also see the Sect Merit Point Rankings flying all over the city.

At this moment, in the Star Sea Hall within the Main General's Residence.

The floor of the hall was a miniature projection of a dark starry sky. Within the starry sky, there were faint lights like grains of sand. These were immortal formations buried within the starry sky, and the Sendai platform used these immortal formations to amplify divine sense, allowing it to cover half the battlefield.

Currently, in the starry sky projection, countless lights flickered, and streams of immortal techniques exploded.

But these were all projections, appearing extremely small, their power like firecrackers. However, in the real battlefield earlier, they were terrifying attacks that could shake heaven and earth.

On the main seat, an old man with snow-white temples sat upright, his eyes slightly lowered, seemingly closed, but there was a sliver of a gap, overlooking the starry sky projection.

Immortal power surrounded him, and phantoms of immortal kingdoms emerged, phenomena manifested in profusion.

At this moment, driven by his immortal kingdom, he was gradually replaying the battlefield situation of the past few months.

"This time's ancient demon attack was indeed directed at us."

Beside him, a silver-haired, black-helmeted young man stared at the replayed battlefield. Now, re-examining it from a larger perspective, they could see clearly the various subtle actions of the ancient demons in this battle.

"On the surface it seemed like a minor disturbance, but in reality, they concealed a King Realm expert. If it weren't for the Celestial Master's advance warning, we might have already perished."

Next to him, a woman with double pupils and heterochromatic eyes said solemnly.

The old man gently gestured with his hand, and the starry sky projection changed accordingly. He said softly:

"The Southern Domain Grand War is about to begin. These sect disciples are becoming more and more eager to hunt ancient demons. This time, re-ranking the sects and re-allocating resources is not just about the disciple rankings in the Southern Domain Grand War. It's also combined with merit points. His Majesty's move is brilliant. By integrating resources, he also makes all sects willingly throw themselves into the battlefield, slaying demons and eliminating evil!"

"Indeed, these sects usually live in comfort and collect resources everywhere. It's time they come to the battlefield and make some contributions." The silver-haired, black-helmeted young man nodded in agreement.

"If it weren't for these sect disciples working hard this time, I'm afraid the Tiger-Lion Army would have suffered even greater losses."

The woman with double pupils watched the starry sky projection. In several areas of the battlefield, the Heavenly Sect disciples were locked in fierce battles with ancient demons, and the fight was inseparable.

The old man slightly waved his hand, and the battlefield shifted. A smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he said, "These are not surprising. On the contrary, it's this place, this little fellow, do you still remember him?"

As the starry sky projection shifted, at the second line of defense, a tiny figure was constantly fighting, shuttling between various battle camps and ancient demons.

The woman with double pupils glanced at it and said in a low voice, "Of course, I remember."

This was the young man the Celestial Master had praised a few months ago. Naturally, she wouldn't forget him.

"What's so special about this young man?"

Beside them, a middle-aged man with a majestic stature, wearing a black flood dragon robe, asked with a hint of surprise.

He sat upright on a massive stone chair, surrounded by black dragon qi, a manifestation of gathered immortal Dao power, resembling a nine-dragon supreme being.

Hearing his words, the old man smiled but didn't answer. Instead, he moved his palm, turning the starry sky projection to the moment of the final battle, and said:

"If it weren't for this young man, Zhao Wang, your Peacock Army would have been unable to avoid annihilation. And once this Peacock Army is annihilated, this place, this place, these few places will all be affected. By the time I repel Di Qiu, the chain reaction of casualties triggered here, you can see for yourselves..."

(End of Chapter)