1785 Returning and Receiving a Promotion

The cultivation Chu Yunfan comprehended was far higher than his true level. Coupled with the transition of his life essence and the breakthrough in his cultivation base, there was simply an earth-shattering change. Moreover, after his lifespan became several times longer than that of ordinary people, some techniques that were originally taboo to others and required him to burn his life became a direction that Chu Yunfan could choose.

For cultivators, their ultimate goal was to defy the heavens and take lives so that they could live forever. For many cultivators, time was not enough, let alone using time to exchange for the use of some divine abilities. Unless they were forced to, they wouldn't do such a thing.

However, Chu Yunfan was different. His lifespan had increased by several times in one go, allowing him to use these methods. This was equivalent to him having another huge trump card—a trump card to deal with Li Qianyuan.

Through this operation, Chu Yunfan saw the strength of Meng Tianren, Huangfu Li, Zi Buyu, Hu Qingxuan, and others. Although they could not be compared, Chu Yunfan saw some clues about Li Qianyuan.

He was at least at the peak of the Cosmos Stage, maybe even past it. After all, he had been famous for many years, and few people had really seen his full strength. During this time, Chu Yunfan had made rapid progress, let alone Li Qianyuan. Of course, if he could, Chu Yunfan wouldn't want to use such a cruel method. After all, every extra bit of lifespan was a chance. He could continue to break through until he reached the peak of martial arts and live forever.

There was an endless number of camps near Pingyao. In one of the most remote camps, You Chuyun, who was dressed in armor, looked up at the sky with a worried expression. Chu Yunfan had been away for a long time, and there had been no news from him. Li Qianyuan was putting even more pressure on him than ever before, trying to move the Baotai soldiers to the most dangerous front line.

During this period of time, You Chuyun witnessed the most tragic battlefield. It was the most intense part of the entire Pingyao battlefield. The elite armies of both sides continued to enter. Countless powerful monsters ran amok, and many powerful martial arts experts continued to kill. It was like a mill of flesh and blood, swallowing countless elites. The terrifying killing efficiency made him tremble in fear.

If the Baotai garrison were to be thrown into such a battlefield, they would probably not be able to hold on for more than an hour and would be completely annihilated. After all, they were only a small army of 500 people, and they lacked an absolute expert to oversee them. If it wasn't for the fact that Chu Yunfan had killed many monsters and reported them, You Chuyun probably wouldn't have been able to stop the transfer order from Pingyao.

Even so, in these two days, if they didn't go to the battlefield, Li Qianyuan would behead them all for disobeying military orders. At this time, You Chuyun really understood what it meant to be a high-ranking official. Moreover, Li Qianyuan was the first marquis of the younger generation. He could be said to have monstrous power. How could ordinary people like them be compared with Li Qianyuan?

"What should we do? If Senior Chu doesn't come back soon, the Baotai garrison won't be able to hold out," You Chuyun said gloomily.

Suddenly, a light beam streaked across the sky. You Chuyun's vision blurred, and a figure appeared in the military camp. He immediately revealed a surprised and happy expression.

"Senior Chu, you're finally back!"

He was sure that the person in front of him was Chu Yunfan.

Chu Yunfan looked at You Chuyun and strode into the camp.

"Greetings, General."

Seeing Chu Yunfan walk in, the soldiers immediately bowed to him with fanatical expressions. Chu Yunfan had become a god-like existence among the Baotai soldiers. If it weren't for him, they wouldn't have been able to escape the fate of being enslaved and their strength would not have improved by leaps and bounds. They might even have the chance to reach a higher cultivation level by following Chu Yunfan.

"General? Has the promotion document from the Ministry of War been delivered?" Chu Yunfan frowned, but he immediately understood why.

"Yes," You Chuyun answered, "The Ministry has already issued a promotion document. From today onwards, you are promoted to a fifth-grade Tiger General."

Chu Yunfan nodded. Tiger General, it was obvious that he was a miscellaneous general, which was the lowest rank among the generals. However, he had also become a general and gotten rid of his lieutenant colonel rank. In the future, he would be directly under the the Grand Commandant's Office. It would not be so easy for Li Qianyuan to exert influence on him through the Ministry of War.

However, though he was just a general with a miscellaneous title, it would take at least a few decades for an ordinary person to become a general with a miscellaneous title. It was only possible for them after serving in the army with dignity for some time. Chu Yunfan took another path and was promoted through military merits. As long as he killed enough powerful enemies, his official position would be promoted very quickly. Moreover, it was a real battle record, and others would have nothing to say.

Li Qianyuan was the first marquis of the younger generation because he had presided over several wars and killed many powerful enemies. This allowed him to surpass many of the older generation's experts and become a marquis.

The title of marquis wasn't just a title of nobility. It also represented Grand Xia's recognition. From a cultivator's perspective, it would benefit Grand Xia's luck, allowing them to achieve twice the results with half the effort. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many experts joining Grand Xia. Wasn't it all for the sake of sharing resources and luck?

Although there was Li Qianyuan's influence, Grand Xia's Ministry of War was a behemoth. Even Li Qianyuan could only influence a small part of it and could not affect Chu Yunfan's promotion.

"However, the Ministry of War wants you to go to the capital to report on your work within a year," You Chuyun added.

"All right." Chu Yunfan nodded. "What has happened since I left?"

"Nothing much except for Li Qianyuan trying to mobilize the garrison to the most intense battlefield through the Ministry of War. It's obvious that he wants to kill us with a borrowed knife. Fortunately, we have the corpses of the monsters left by you, Senior Chu. We handed them over for military merits. Even Li Qianyuan can't do anything to us. After all, we're in the army, and he has to follow the rules," You Chuyun reported, "However, we won't be able to hold out for much longer. Fortunately, you have returned, Senior Chu. Otherwise, we might not be able to escape death."