Wife, you didn't really drug me, did you?

Chapter 617 Ambush from All Sides: Chen Jiu Si's Great Crisis
The Prince of Ruyang left with the two Dao Fruits. Zhao Ya watched her father leave, then turned to Chen Jie and asked, "Husband, you gave these Dao Fruits to Father. Do you have enough to advance to the third stage?"

Chen Jie glanced at Zhao Ya after hearing this and said, "Hehe, the Dao Fruit is actually just a threshold for advancement."

"After the first and second stages of transformation, because you have experienced the refinement and enlightenment of many realms such as skin polishing, flesh tempering, willow tendon, iron bone, power transformation, elixir embracing, smoke of war, rainbow, dragon-like, furnace, etc., you have already comprehended a part of the way of the changes of heaven and earth. Therefore, for a normal person, as long as you have the Dao Fruit and can use the power of heaven and earth after the first and second stages of the Fusion God, you are considered to have entered the realm."

"But the third level of the Fusion God realm is not possible. It is already very difficult for ordinary people to comprehend this through normal means. Only those with extraordinary talent can comprehend the changes of heaven and earth through their own methods and finally achieve the third level or above of the Fusion God realm."

"Or they had a fortuitous encounter and, through some extraordinary methods, reached the third level of the Fusion God realm or higher."

"The Dao Fruit allows your realm to function, but it doesn't automatically raise your level. Also..."

Chen Jie looked at Zhao Ya and said, "To advance from the second to the third stage of the Fusion God realm, you need four Dao Fruits. I currently have sixteen Dao Fruits. I gave two to your father, so I have fourteen left!"

Sixteen! That's a lot!

Zhao Ya looked at Chen Jie in shock, and Chen Jie laughed and said, "Hehe, I have to thank Boluo for this."

It should be noted that Boluo was a fourth-level Fusion God. It takes a full fifteen Dao Fruits to advance from the first level to the fourth level. After killing Boluo, Chen Jie took some of his Dao Fruits and put them into his storage ring. Together with the previous ones, he now had a total of sixteen Dao Fruits.

These Dao Fruits are enough for Chen Jie to advance to the fourth level of the Fusion God realm. What he lacks most now is a deeper understanding of his cultivation level.

But only when you reach Chen Jie's level do you realize how difficult it is to comprehend. You either have to learn from some people who attain enlightenment through killing, killing nine million to become the greatest of heroes, or if you kill enough, you can lay down your butcher's knife and turn to Buddhism to become a Buddha on the spot.

These are all methods. Of course, one can also spend a lifetime studying, like Feng Xuewen who became a saint through reading. Of course, his foundation was not stable. If his foundation were solid, and he took one step at a time, slowly nurturing himself with Dao fruits, he might really become a terrestrial immortal.

Or, after experiencing the tribulations of the mortal world and seeing through worldly affairs, one can gain an understanding that transcends the Tao and ultimately go even further, like those old monsters who have hidden themselves in the deep mountains, who have walked this path before.

Of course, besides these, there is another great path, which is to follow the way of Heaven.

As for how the Way of Heaven manifests itself, such as the change of dynasties, this is the best manifestation of the Way of Heaven. At this time, if you can choose a good faction and take advantage of the national fortune, you can rise to the top and become a national martial god. For example, the national teacher Phagpa successfully seized the opportunity when the Mulan tribe attacked the Central Plains, stood out from the crowd, and achieved the realm of a terrestrial immortal.

Because of the example of Phagpa, many people wanted to seize this moment of great change and make a big splash in hopes of achieving good results.

Chen Jie explained these things to Zhao Ya, and Zhao Ya nodded. She didn't expect there to be so many explanations after the Fusion God Realm. Thinking this, the two chatted for a few more minutes. Just then, Du Xiong rushed over.

Zhang Dingbian went to subdue the Baoxiang Army, fearing that Du Xiong, an unstable element, might cause some bad things to happen, such as Du Xiong acting impulsively and directly fighting the Baoxiang Army.

Although the Baoxiang Army is already half-crippled, there are still some methods to recruit them. For example, overly violent methods cannot be used. Chen Jie needs to preserve the Baoxiang Army's fighting strength. Only if the Baoxiang Army is preserved as a whole can its superior combat power be demonstrated.

Du Xiong is better suited for charging into battle, while strategic receiving work like this is better left to someone with military talent like Zhang Dingbian.

And so, Du Xiong was left behind to handle the intelligence gathering from Chen Jie and Huangzhou Prefecture over the past few days.

Just then, he rushed in and, upon seeing Chen Jie, immediately exclaimed, "My lord, something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened!"

Chen Jie glanced at him and said, "Something terrible has happened. What terrible thing?"

Upon hearing this, Du Xiong said, "I just received an urgent report from the front lines. Last night, Chen Youding from Fujian Road, Ming Yuzhen from Sichuan, and several other forces all headed towards our Huangzhou Prefecture. It seems they are planning to take advantage of our lord's serious injury to try and get a share of the spoils in Huangzhou Prefecture!"

Chen Jie frowned slightly upon hearing this and said, "They really know how to pick their time."

After speaking, Chen Jie looked at Du Xiong and asked, "How is our defense?"

After hearing this, Du Xiong remained silent for a moment and said, "Although the brothers are all eager to kill the bandits, Chen Youding from Fujian and Ming Yuzhen from Sichuan both have combat power of more than the third level of the Fusion God Realm."

"Especially Ming Yuzhen from Shu. He comes from the Tang Clan. According to our intelligence, the Tang Clan has produced two patriarchs this time, one at the third level of the Fusion God Realm and the other at the fourth level. The Tang Clan is now terrifyingly strong."

"This strong move out of Sichuan doesn't seem like it can be easily dealt with."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie frowned slightly, pondered for a long time, and then said, "Arrange the carriages and horses, I'll go back to Huangzhou Prefecture first."

After saying this, Zhao Ya said, "Your body!"

Chen Jie said, "It's alright, he won't die."

After saying that, Chen Jie looked at Zhao Ya and said, "By the way, don't come back to Huangzhou Prefecture with me yet. Anqing Prefecture needs someone to look after it. It's not too late for you to go back to Huangzhou Prefecture after Kuokuo returns."

Zhao Ya said, "Husband, I'm worried about your health if I'm not by your side. How about this, let Du Xiong stay and guard the city. Then we can return Anqing City to my third brother."

Chen Jie paused slightly upon hearing this, then nodded and said, "Yes, that works too."

After saying this, Chen Jie looked at Du Xiong and said, "My husband and I will go first. Anqing City is in your hands now, and there must be no mistakes."

Du Xiong looked at Chen Jie and said, "This road may not be safe. Why don't I go and protect you? Any general can be chosen to guard Anqing Prefecture."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jie looked at Du Xiong and said, "Stop haggling and follow orders."

Upon hearing this, Du Xiong felt quite helpless. Although he was unwilling, he dared not truly compete with Zhao Ya for the opportunity to return to Huangzhou Prefecture with Chen Jie. Soon, the arrangements were made, and with the military situation extremely critical, Chen Jie could not afford to be negligent in the slightest.

After a long journey, Chen Jie finally returned to Huangzhou Prefecture two days later. At the same time, news came from the front lines that Chen Youding had led an army of 50,000 across Jiangxi and was about to attack Xianning Prefecture.

Ming Yuzhen of Shuzhong led 30,000 troops to cross Shuzhong and attack Enshi.

In addition, several other armies came from the north, hoping to take a bite out of Huangzhou Prefecture at this time.

As Chen Jie listened to the reports from the front lines, his gaze gradually sharpened. Behind these attacks, if you looked closely, you could see the figures of other old monsters at the Fusion God Realm. In other words, these people were actually bait sent by these old monsters at the Fusion God Realm to test him.

At this moment, Chen Jie frowned deeply, and at the same time, all the eyes of the martial artists in the world were focused on him. They were not stupid and naturally knew that behind these people, there might be a trap set by these old monsters of the Melting God to deal with Chen Jiu Si.

Chen Jiusi's slaying of Boluo, a fourth-level fusion god, was truly shocking to these old fogies in the world. Therefore, they had to test him out to calm their fears.

Yes, they were genuinely terrified. They wanted to see if Chen Jiu Si truly possessed the ability to kill a fourth-level Molten God, or if he had simply gotten lucky and used a technique similar to the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique to forcibly elevate his strength to a level that was disproportionate to his current abilities.

For so many reasons, this is why these emerging forces from all sides are attacking Chen Jie.

A crisis has descended upon Chen Jie, and he now needs time to resolve it, but clearly these people are not giving him that time.

It was truly a tragic story. After returning from Southeast Asia, one hardship followed another. The situation in the Central Plains had deteriorated to such an extent that Chen Jie had never expected it. Moreover, Xu Shouhui rebelled, which led to the destruction of Monk Peng's Buddhist heart. Although Chen Jie intended to have him switch to Mahayana Buddhism, this would take time.

Secondly, among Chen Jie's forces above the Fusion God Realm, only the Prince of Ruyang remains. However, the Prince of Ruyang has gone to Suzhou and Hangzhou to resist Zhang Shicheng. Zhang Shicheng was able to break away from the White Deer Army and establish his own power base, which clearly indicates that he has powerful backers. Otherwise, given Zhang Shicheng's cautious nature, he would not have done something so rash.

Therefore, the Prince of Ruyang cannot be touched. The only remaining option is Ni Wenjun, who is recuperating in Huangzhou Prefecture. However, although Ni Wenjun has broken through to the Eighth Level and entered the Melting God Realm, the side effects of the Eighth Level still exist. That is, he has to start all over again. Currently, Ni Wenjun's strength has only recovered to the Changhong Realm, which is far from the peak Melting God Realm.

As for Chen Jie himself, although the side effects of the Immortal Blood were not as severe as the first time, it would still take at least a month to recover.

After figuring this out, Chen Jie was quite troubled. The enemy had chosen this moment to attack, so it seemed they were really preparing to take advantage of Huangzhou Prefecture and leave it in a state of decline. If they waited a few more days, Ni Wenjun would recover, Peng Yingyu would return to the path of Mahayana Buddhism, and the Prince of Ruyang would be able to return victorious. With himself added to the mix, would they still be afraid of these people coming to challenge them?
But now, everything is still a problem. Thinking of this, Chen Jie shook his head helplessly. However, this did not push him to the brink. At this moment, he thought for a moment and said to Zhao Ya, "Ya Ya, go to Xiantao Village for me. Inside the mist within the dragon vein, there is an altar. Place this copper coin on the altar. Don't worry about the rest. Just come back."

Zhao Ya looked at the copper coin that Chen Jie handed over. Although the coin was old-fashioned, it had no rust and was obviously something that had been handled frequently.

Zhao Ya looked at Chen Jie and asked, "This?"

"Plum blossom coins are used for divination."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ya thought for a moment and seemed to understand something, but she did not delve into the matter further. She simply nodded and set off immediately, traveling light and with only a few personal guards.

There's no need to worry about safety within Huangzhou Prefecture at the moment.

As Chen Jie watched Zhao Ya leave, he thought to himself, "If we want to get through this, we need to find a powerful person to support Huangzhou Prefecture!"

However, Chen Jie wondered where that guy had gone off to and when he would return. He was somewhat worried. The forces in Huangzhou Prefecture were indeed struggling to support this effort. To put it bluntly, the reason Huangzhou Prefecture had made such a big show of force was actually because Chen Jie was the one supporting them.

However, there are too few strong individuals below. Chen decided to try to obtain a few Dao Fruits and help talented individuals, such as his trusted confidants like Chen Xiaohu, to advance their strength to the first or second stage of the Fusion God realm.

Ni Wenjun is fine. Once he recovers, we'll give him three Dao Fruits to help him advance to the second level of the Fusion God realm. This will allow the Huangzhou Prefecture's defenses to reach a new level.

Of course, these are all things to be discussed later. Next, Chen Jie should figure out a way to get through this crisis.

Chen Jie's crisis in Huangzhou Prefecture has become the focus of the world. At this time, countless people are paying attention to this battle, and countless others are also worried about it.

At this moment in the Southern Frontier, Linglong rushed into the Gu God's Hall in a hurry. There she saw the Gu Mother worshipping a deity statue. After the Gu Mother finished worshipping the deity, she saw Linglong rushing in and said, "What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?"

Upon hearing this, Linglong said, "Mother, Brother Chen is in trouble. We just received the news that after Brother Chen killed Boluo, he was attacked by the whole world. Brother Chen has been kind to us, and we cannot ignore his life or death!"

Upon hearing this, the Gu Mother glanced at Linglong and said, "Linglong, you're almost twenty. Are you interested in the position of Gu Mother?"

Upon hearing this, Linglong shook her head and said, "Me? Can I?"

The Gu Mother said, "Yes, this is a test for you. On one side is Chen Jiu Si, with whom you have a deep friendship, and on the other side is the life and death of our Five Poisons Sect. Are you going to use the Five Poisons Sect to shield Chen Jiu Si from this crisis?"

Upon hearing this, Linglong looked at the Gu Mother and after a long pause asked, "Mother, what do you mean?"

The Gu Mother said, "The Five Poisons Sect hides deep in the mountains for self-preservation. No one has attacked our Five Poisons Sect for so many years because we have always maintained neutrality and have never favored any power. Therefore, we are safe until these major powers decide the winner."

"But if you make a move this time, it means you've already sided with Chen Jiu Si. Putting aside the possibility that Chen Jiu Si might actually seize power in the future, if he fails, our Five Poisons Sect will be purged. Have you considered the consequences?"

Linglong was stunned. She hadn't expected there to be such a reason. She thought that since Chen Jie was her friend, she should help him. What was wrong with friends helping each other?
However, after Gu Mu said this, Linglong was immediately under immense pressure. She hadn't expected that her statement would represent the entire Five Poisons Sect, and might even lead to the deaths of members of the Five Poisons Sect.

She fell silent. The Gu Mother looked at her and said, "Linglong, you're not young anymore. Once you're over twenty, the position of Gu Mother will be yours. As the leader, you should think about where you want to lead the Five Poisons Sect!"

(End of this chapter)