On the second day of the bandit fighting operation, Chen Wentian and Long Yifei's forces covered three hundred kilometers, entering deeper into bandit territory. They took down a smaller fortress and two towns. Casualties were low and the residents had mostly fled by the time they had arrived.
Those bandits that could still fight retreated north toward Three Clouds City. The rest, such as women, children, the ill, and the old, fled into the wilderness in all directions, disappearing into the forests and mountains.
Chen Wentian decided not to pursue these people. Although they would earn him points according to the rules of the Virtuous Order, Wu Qianyu would be against it.
On the third day, they didn't end up fighting any bandits. They had to cross through a dense forest on their way north. The place was crawling with ferocious spirit beasts of all shapes and sizes. Some trees would come to life to eat people. Even the ground could open up at random to swallow entire squads of cultivators.
The bandits must have known a safe route through the forest but Chen Wentian didn't. At first, he sent the sword cultivators ahead to serve as meat shields. However, they suffered far too many casualties and made little progress. In the end, Chen Wentian and his two immortal helpers were forced to intervene.
All across the Martial Brilliance Continent, similar scenes took place as a hundred sacred daughters and their armies pushed north into the central region. They were like a hundred blades, cutting into the belly of a slumbering beast, drawing blood little by little.
Some blades were sharper than the rest. Among them, four were particularly eye-catching. They belonged to the four champions of the four classics during the examinations. Instead of small blades, they were like spears that thrust deeply into bandit lands. They were the leaders of their generation and they were leading the charge.
The champion of song and dance was Wei Shuangshuang. Although her win was not a smooth one, she was still the champion in the end. Her name would be recorded in the history of the Virtuous Order, not the runner-up's.
Her acolyte was the famous Immortal Hundred Palms Wu Chao, Blue Sky Alchemist of the Undying Medicine Valley. Her forces numbered over two hundred thousand Spirit Initiate Realm cultivators. With the additional aid of three Spirit Lord Realm attendants, she rushed north, sweeping away everything in her path. Nothing could stop her. The bandits couldn't even flee fast enough.
The champion of musical instruments was Yang Lianxin. She was an expert with the flute. Holding a jade flute to her lips, she had no equal. She could defeat a crowd of opponents by just playing a few notes. Her music could even summon wind and rain as well as make ocean waves follow her will. She was the best of her year and several years for that matter.
Her acolyte was Immortal Jade Ocean Yang Qiuren. He was a Spirit King Realm elder of the Yang Clan of Great Waves. Yang Lianxian was a member of the clan. The two were related but not so close that it was taboo. The Yang Clan wanted to keep this sacred daughter within their family. Nobody would look down on them for that.
Her forces were even greater than Wei Shuangshuang's and numbered three hundred thousand. For her, the Yang Clan went all out, bringing an additional four Spirit Lords to manage the massive army which consisted of both clan forces as well as mercenaries.
The champion of the third classic, literature, was Wu Qi. It was said that she could memorize anything just by reading it once. She had already written many poems and her words were worth more than spiritual crystals. She was recognized as a worthy champion.
Her acolyte was Immortal Wandering Frostfire Mao Chengnan. They only brought one hundred thousand mortal cultivators but all of them were elites. In addition, they had a total of eight Spirit Lords and one Spirit King. Although Mao Chengnan himself was only at the Spirit Lord Realm, a grand general of the Frostfire Nation who was a Spirit King Realm expert was present to dissuade any stray bandits from trying anything.
The fourth champion was Sun Jian. She was a genius painter. Using a simple brush and black ink, she could create vivid scenes of landscapes, spirit beasts, and even people. Her paintings were not so well known just yet but her skills would only improve as she grew stronger.
Her acolyte was Immortal Blameless Blade Luo Baojun. He was a sword venerable of the Profound Sword Palace. Although he was one of the oldest acolytes of the current class, his reputation and cultivation at the Spirit King Realm were unquestioned. He personally led an army of two hundred thousand and five Spirit Lords on behalf of his sacred daughter, showcasing his commitment to this special woman.
"Four champions, four grand armies led by the best acolytes of the continent. They are the frontrunners to win the bandit fighting competition. At least, that's what that annoying woman told me…"
Chen Wentian had Long Yifei in his arms as they observed the progress of their troops through the dense forest. He had enough of Xuan Xina's pestering presence and managed to chase her away for a little while.
"Are you sure her information is accurate?" Long Yifei asked.
She also did not have a good impression of Xuan Xina, not anymore. The prioress was just an outsider but she liked to insert herself at random moments and divert Chen Wentian's attention from more important matters. She especially liked to show up when Chen Wentian and Long Yifei were having intimate moments.
Long Yifei took this rare chance to hug her master tightly, purposefully pushing her breasts against him. She smiled as she felt his fiery spiritual aura fluctuate slightly.
Chen Wentian grinned at her action and pulled her even closer, "It should be accurate. Such figures are difficult to lie about. Even the bandits would know by now what they are dealing with. They won't be dumb enough to stick around and get themselves killed."
"Master, of these four, who do you think is the weakest?"
He smiled and rubbed her back, "What you really want to ask is which one of the four we can potentially overtake, right?"
She didn't reply but she nodded subtly. She was still thinking about his conversation with Dong Ruming.
He didn't blame her. It wasn't something they could ignore completely.
"What do you think?" He asked.
She pursed her lips, "I think the weak point should be the champion of art, Sun Jian… or more specifically, her acolyte. I heard from my classmates. He is an old fart who is over seven hundred years old and at the end of his life. Yet he is the one leading the army. He is the easiest target if master wants to secretly take care of him."
"There is also Wu Qi and her acolyte Mao Chengnan. He is only a Spirit Lord so he is vulnerable. The others are all Spirit Kings. Even if they get ambushed, they can sacrifice their forces and take their sacred daughter away to safety. However, Mao Chengnan can easily die to a bandit Spirit King or an abbotess from the Sororal Order. As long as things get messy, either Wu Qi or Mao Chengnan will be in danger."
Chen Wentian laughed and kissed her cheek, "Fei'er, how did you get such dastardly ideas? Am I a bad influence on you?"
Long Yifei giggled, "Of course, how can a disciple not learn from her master? It is all your fault!"
"Ah! Then, I better educate her and turn her away from the wrong path!"
As he said that, he pushed her down onto the bed and pulled at her clothes.
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