Chapter 654: Pre-battle Admonition

Gazing at the swarm of insects surging across the sky, Li Junwu's heart began to race involuntarily, his pupils flickering erratically.

They've arrived.

Even with preparations, the surge of adrenaline was unavoidable.

Gently pressing his palm against his chest, he felt the pulse beneath it beating faster than the first time he had stepped onto the battlefield.

Li Junwu took a deep breath, his slightly pale lips unconsciously curling into a smile.

As if sensing her unusual state, he beside her suddenly asked with a smile:

"Are you scared?"

She glared at him:

"Miss, this is excitement."

Xu Yuan casually reminded:

"Whatever you say, whether you're afraid or excited, as the commander within the city, right now you need absolute calm—too much excitement makes it easy to forget important things."

Li Junwu remained silent for a moment, then retorted:

"Your heart rate is racing so fast it's about to burst—how dare you accuse me of that?"

Xu Yuan's still expression didn't shift in the slightest. He replied calmly:

"It's different. My heart's racing is a physiological reaction, not a psychological one."

"What do you mean?" Li Junwu's delicate face flickered with confusion.

Xu Yuan's eyes seemed to pierce through the swarm of insects in the sky, past the dark silhouette of a boy hidden in the shadows, and smiled gently:

"All this information I've already told you before—there's a little demon outside, one of the same origin as me, and it wants to devour me. My heart rate is a result of its influence."

The scorching summer wind swept through the courtyard. Li Junwu paused, stunned:

"You never said it wanted to eat you."

"Now it's said."

Xu Yuan smiled faintly, a gentle breeze swirling around him as his form rose effortlessly into the air.

"Everyone has their first time. You needn't be overly tense—everything has been done. All that remains is to remember the warnings I gave you yesterday."

With that, Xu Yuan turned back, his gaze lingering on the armored woman at the entrance of the hall, then waved a hand dismissively.

"Prepare well. I'm leaving now, Junwu."

"..."

Watching the figure race swiftly toward the city walls, Li Junwu gently pressed his lips together.

The warnings given yesterday.

The sun, low and sinking, filtered through the windowpanes, casting warm light into the room. The teapot on the hearth hissed softly, the air thick with the heat of summer.

He sat in the window chair, dozing lightly. She sat at the edge of the bed, while the little goddess, bound for hours, lay curled up on the bed, withdrawn and silent.

In this quiet contentment, his soft voice suddenly rose:

"Junwu, I've just been thinking—to avoid any unforeseen consequences, I'd like to ask upfront: facing a Sage, the tactics are entirely different from ordinary warfare, aren't they?"

"Of course I know."

Li Junwu withdrew his hand from soothing his sister, the goddess, and smiled lightly: "Military treatises clearly outline how to guard against high-level cultivators."

Hearing this, Xu Yuan seemed distinctly unimpressed:

"Military treatises are military treatises; reality is reality."

"Oh?"

"No, you wouldn't think a ruler would allow a method of killing them to be written into military texts and disseminated, would you?"

"..." Li Junwu.

Xu Yuan exhaled softly:

"Yeah, the Western Town Prefecture was established no more than forty years ago, so having no accumulated intelligence records makes perfect sense. Still, I recall that the Tachao Emperor who died at your father's hands back then was actually a Sage. He faked his death—your father didn't kill him."

"..." Li Junwu.

Glancing briefly at Ca Yi, who had been leaning in with ears perked up, Xu Yuan didn't conceal his words. He spoke slowly and calmly:

"I've studied countless case records related to Sages. I've even witnessed Sage-to-Sage combat during my time at the Imperial An. And I personally slew a fully ascended barbarian king in the northern frontier."

"Weren't the barbarian king's head taken by Wu Yuan?"

"..."

Xu Yuan rolled his eyes, scoffing:

"Ugh, don't worry about whether I used Li Qingyan as the main strategist when I killed a Sage—just remember what I'm about to say."

As he spoke, Xu Yuan turned the armchair by the window toward the bed, one leg crossed over the other, his voice drifting lazily:

"A Sage, in essence, is just a human who has become significantly stronger. Their physical structure is nearly identical to that of high-tier cultivators, except for one key difference—a substance known as 'Sage Source.'"

"What is the Sacred Source?" Caoyi instinctively voiced out.

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan glanced over, his eyes holding a smile.

For a brief moment of eye contact, Caoyi felt a sudden blush rise to her core, her cheeks burning as she silently buried her head into the pillow.

Xu Yuan had no intention of continuing to tease this divine young maiden. With a gentle smile, he said:

"The Sacred Source is the fundamental essence of a Saint's power. You may think of it as an advanced form of the Source. When incorporated into techniques, it greatly amplifies their strength and grants a certain ability to bypass counter-spells. Moreover, when a Saint employs the Sacred Source to manifest their domain, it can overwhelm ordinary domains, even causing them to shatter instantly."

"Do you mean to say we should avoid direct confrontation with Saints in technique battles?" Li Junwu asked.

"There's some truth to that. What I'm trying to emphasize is the invincibility the Sacred Source grants to Saints."

"Invincibility?"

"After surpassing the Primordial Stage, a cultivator's bodily regeneration becomes beyond human comprehension. A Saint is even stronger than ordinary cultivators—like the feeling that as long as the Sacred Source remains, the Saint cannot die. Therefore, eliminating them is practically impossible."

"..." Li Junwu.

“.” Jia Yi.

The atmosphere in the room instantly dropped to a freezing point.

Watching the two women first freeze in surprise, then sink into a hollowed-out sadness, Xu Yuan’s expression remained unchanged—calm, serene. He smiled softly and said:

"You two don't need to be so tense. The Sacred Source isn't the same as the Source itself. With just a few rounds of meditation and breath control, one can restore their peak state at will. Therefore, generally speaking, sages rarely use the Sacred Source—after all, it seems capable of extending one's lifespan."

As he spoke, Xu Yuan's eyes gradually narrowed, his gentle tone turning steadily more serious:

"Also, from your expressions, it appears you've misunderstood something—our objective has never been to kill the sages outside the city. It has always been to force them to withdraw."

With a soft, measured breath, Li Junwu replied in a calm voice:

"That makes things much simpler."

Xu Yuan returned to his usual composure, casually tossing a secret text into Li Junwu's hands, and smiled: "Of course, this still requires your cooperation, Junwu."

Li Junwu stared at the nameless scripture in his hands:

“This?”

“Some methods of eliminating sages—though with your current cultivation level, you’d hardly need them. Simply follow the instructions above, use military formations and city defenses to drain their life sources.”

“.”

At these words, Li Junwu instinctively reached for the scroll to browse through it, but was abruptly stopped by Xu Yuan:

“Wait a moment.”

Feeling the gaze of the two women, Xu Yuan glanced at Gaiyi, who had turned away, and smiled, waving a hand.

“Gaiyi, you can also look through it. After all, the lion-wolf will be involved later. I’m holding back because I haven’t finished speaking yet.”

“A war against sages is not like a conventional battle. Weapons and the bravery of soldiers are secondary. Knowing your enemy is paramount. If you understand the types of spells your opponent uses, the war will begin with far less unnecessary loss. I happen to have some knowledge about certain spells used by among the six sages. Once I’ve shared all this information with you, you two can then go through the secret techniques together.”

Saying this, Xu Yuan stood up from the armchair and continued:

“But remember this—no matter how much you know, you must absolutely, absolutely never consider killing them. Even if they show clear weaknesses, never think of striking them down. The survival abilities of sages are far beyond what you can imagine.”

“Even if we seize their military authority and tactics tomorrow, the gap in our strength remains vast and irreparable. Absolutely, absolutely do not attempt to match their forces with the meager resources at hand. Simply consume the Sacred Source until they retreat.”