fifth form

Chapter 3505 Three Pieces of Good News

Zhang Xuezhou brought news of his death, allowing the new emperor to more easily shed the matter of the hasty oversight of the Maoling Mausoleum.

He also brought three pieces of good news.

"Has Zhu Jiuyin really been captured?"

The new emperor had known for some time that Zhujiuyin might be targeted, but he did not expect things to happen so quickly.

"Two of the three holy sites of the Xiong Kingdom have been lost; this is Heaven's help to our Great Han!"

The death of Zhang Xuezhou was like cutting off the arm of the new emperor. Daojun was defeated and Zhujiuyin was captured by the Western Sect. This also cut off half of the Xiong Kingdom's territory, leaving only the Nine Spirits Primordial Saint, who could hardly support the overall situation. The other six ancestral lands of the Xiong Kingdom were like six different schools of thought, and their difficulty was almost negligible compared to the three holy lands.

The battle at Longcheng, the ancestral homeland, made it legitimate for the Han Dynasty to take the initiative to attack the Xiong Kingdom, while the crushing defeat of generals like Li Guang made the new emperor realize the reality of cavalry warfare.

To strike while the enemy is weak is an age-old principle, and the new emperor knew he had to seize this opportunity.

This was not a deep incursion into the Xiong Kingdom, but rather he needed to use the invaded territories such as Henan and Hexi as training grounds to put the Han Dynasty's cavalry into actual combat.

After several back-and-forth battles, the generals not only gained experience, but the cavalry legions also became less fearful.

This allows us to identify the gaps between the two sides and strive to bridge those gaps through other means.

Many thoughts swirled in the new emperor's mind until Zhang Xuezhou mentioned the second piece of good news.

"Possessed by a living soul?"

Donghua released the living souls from the Spirit Gathering Banner, numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Ren Anran collected four bottles of living souls, but that was only a portion of what was left.

Any living soul, once tamed, can possess a body, making the warrior even more courageous and fearless of death.

This is an extremely ancient sacrificial ritual that has reappeared after a thousand years. The new emperor harbors a greedy desire for power, but he also needs to be wary of potential future troubles.

Hearing that Zhang Xuezhou and the others had only taken four bottles containing a little over a thousand portions of living souls, he quickly nodded in agreement.

The results of this kind of thing can be found through later testing, or a small number of people can be exposed to it first, but it is necessary to control a large number of living souls. He must not allow others to use it.

"It's already remarkable that you have the help of capable cultivators to subdue the living soul. Others would probably have their flesh and blood drained if they even got close!"

Although he did not go to the Xieluoschuan Holy Land to witness it firsthand, the new emperor had some relevant knowledge and could also hear the danger from Zhang Xuezhou's words.

He felt incredibly lucky to have met Zhang Xuezhou, and Zhang Xuezhou was just as lucky to have met a cultivator who could subdue living souls.

The new emperor dared not allow a large number of living souls to possess cavalry soldiers, but the people of the Fiend Kingdom, who grafted demonic power onto them, were truly willing to do such a thing. As long as they could increase their power, the Fiend Kingdom would not care about the dangers that power brought, nor how many years they would live.

Even if these living souls were not used on the soldiers of the Han Dynasty, the new emperor felt that they should be collected and kept safe to avoid being used on the enemy.

"And what's the other good news?"

The news brought by Zhang Xuezhou was so good that the new emperor's mood shifted from depression and anger to joy, and he was eager to hear the third piece of good news.

“This does involve the practice of the Heart Sutra. A friend of mine brought some medicine to help with the practice, but he drank most of it as if it were wine. I didn’t have time to go back to Chang’an after I returned to the city, and I don’t know how many portions I left behind,” Zhang Xuezhou said.

"What brings you to Maoling with such an urgent matter?"

The new emperor felt a mixture of anxiety and heartache.

What worries him is that his progress on the Heart Sutra is almost zero. He is currently recruiting people from the Western Regions who are proficient in Sanskrit and Chinese, but he has not done any research himself. Suddenly, the medicine to boost his practice arrives.

His heartache also stemmed from the medication; upon learning that Zhang Xuezhou's friend was drinking the potent medicine like alcohol, the new emperor felt that the other party was wasting precious resources.

"He got so drunk at the Holy Mother of Wudang that he couldn't get out of bed. Whether I go early or late, the result will be the same!"

Zhang Xuezhou also found it difficult to criticize.

Whether he goes early or late makes little difference, since Yang Jian is currently drunk and drowsy, so whether he goes or not won't change the outcome.

Moreover, Zhang Xuezhou's situation after obtaining the Nine Treasures Wine was no different from that of the new emperor. He was not confident in bypassing the two Western religious leaders, and at this time he did not have the courage to promote the cultivation of the Heart Sutra.

Compared to the polite and measured approach of other great cultivators, these two sect leaders were seasoned killers, with a very high probability of life-or-death situations when they made their moves. Zhang Xuezhou had witnessed the two capturing 'Bai' and killing the Five Lakes Dragon King; he wouldn't dare gamble his life on such a cultivation without certainty.

"We still have to go!"

The new emperor pondered the power of his sword formation, then considered that he hadn't even gathered all four magic swords yet, and reflected on his lack of ability. He couldn't help but feel a sense of longing and regret.

But regardless of whether things can be accomplished, we should seize the opportunity to prepare now.

"I'm actually quite curious about your friends!"

“We can go take a look together. If he has a lot of medicinal wine left, you can help me bring it back!”

The new emperor was very curious about Zhang Xuezhou's circle of friends, and Zhang Xuezhou casually mentioned it, which also made the new emperor look at the large Qiankun bag at his waist.

The Han imperial family possessed both large and small Qiankun bags. The large Qiankun bag was unique, and there were only a few small Qiankun bags. Zhang Xuezhou was unharmed, but the small Qiankun bag was blown to shreds.

The Han imperial family lost a small Qiankun bag, and Zhang Xuezhou was likely bankrupt due to financial difficulties. No matter what treasures were hidden in the small Qiankun bag, they were all turned to ashes. Moreover, Zhang Xuezhou and his group only brought back a small number of dead souls from the Xieluoschuan Holy Land, which may also be related to the reason why they could not store items.

"Don't worry, everything is easy to handle. I'll visit my aunt tomorrow. She and Dong Yan are living happily ever after and no longer care about Huang Laodao, so she probably won't need the small Qiankun bag anymore. My uncle has passed away, so we can retrieve his Imperial Shuttle. We won't lack anything we need!"

Zhang Xuezhou understood immediately, and the new emperor also grasped the meaning instantly.

The two whispered to each other for a while, and eventually got along well again.

"Next time you hold a funeral for me, ask Dong Zhongshu. He should know whether I'm truly dead or not!"

The new emperor could not possibly use magical combat to test Zhang Xuezhou's existence, but Dong Zhongshu could sense it and determine Zhang Xuezhou's life or death.

Zhang Xuezhou did not see Dong Zhongshu among those who came to the funeral.

Given their relationship, even if Zhang Xuezhou and Dong Zhongshu lacked friendship, Dong Zhongshu would still come to verify Zhang Xuezhou's situation in order to use his magic, which means that Dong Zhongshu knew very well that Zhang Xuezhou was not dead.

"If that's how you put it, then I really haven't seen Dong Zhongshu these past few days. I originally thought that he and you weren't close, and he was too lazy to come to the funeral. I didn't expect that he knew you weren't dead, yet he didn't even remind me, making me suffer for so long for nothing. He's really not a human being!"

Zhang Xuezhou informed the new emperor of the method of judgment, which enraged the emperor, who wished he could arrest Dong Zhongshu and give him a good beating.

This made Zhang Xuezhou feel somewhat regretful, as he felt that the probability of conflict between cultivators using magic was quite high.

He collaborated with the new emperor, successfully bringing about his own demise, and in the blink of an eye, Dong Zhongshu's peace was over as well.

"Speaking of which, Master Dong used the technique of the unity of heaven and man to distribute the power, so I'm afraid he won't have an easy time for a while!"

Zhang Xuezhou could only offer a word of support, which finally calmed the anger that had been building up in the new emperor's heart, turning it into concern.

The two walked one after the other, their steps resembling galloping horses.

Several officials followed closely with cavalry, but later they lost sight of the two men.

"His Majesty and Dongfang Shuo aren't including us!"

Zhu Fuyan rode his yellow horse and chased after them for a while, but eventually had to give up in frustration.

He looked at the disappearing figure in the distance and couldn't help but sigh.

"Speaking of which, Dongfang Shuo's brother-in-law has gone to another place to take up an official post, so I should also find an opportunity to travel around!"

Master Yan's eyes darted around.

He was favored by the new emperor in Chang'an, but the appointment of an official in the court was not simply a matter of ability, but also involved connections, networks, and the ability to handle the court's demands.

These matters were quite difficult for Zhu Fuyan, who lacked a solid foundation; even his control over the money in Maoling would be investigated.

Within Chang'an, they were constantly restrained, but once they left the city, everything was just like controlling Maolingyi; as long as they were violent enough, they could easily control everything.

After much deliberation, he realized he needed to find someone he could control through violence and bully.