Shushan: Extinction

Chapter 277 Going out again
Tiangong Yunzhuan Bureau urgently needs: 2 Inscription Engineers

Requirements: No age limit, must be a cultivator at or above the fourth level of Qi Refining, and have some knowledge of inscription.

Job Responsibilities: Responsible for refining the inscription scheme based on the outline, completing tasks such as inscription hardware debugging, hardware circuit simulation, inscription schematic design, inscription function and performance debugging, unit testing, and design data organization.

Job requirements: Once hired, employees are not allowed to leave the company for at least six months.

Compensation: Ten-day probation period, with a monthly salary of 200 God of Wealth Silver Dollars. After becoming a full-time employee, the salary will be 320 God of Wealth Silver Dollars per month.

The game "Wanxiang Leshitang" is hiring a highly paid inscription weapon tester.

Requirements: No age limit, the higher the cultivation level, the better, preferably with rich practical experience and in-depth understanding of inscribed weapons.

Job Responsibilities: To test the newly developed inscribed weapons of this organization and find any flaws in them.

Job requirements: Once hired, employees are not allowed to leave the company for at least three years.

Compensation: Once both parties reach an agreement, a settlement allowance of 100 God of Wealth Silver Dollars will be given immediately. The salary is divided into two parts: regular and bonus.

The standard salary is 300 God of Wealth Silver Coins per month. For each test conducted, a bonus of 100-500 God of Wealth Silver Coins per test, depending on the level of danger.

The probationary period is three months, and the salary will be halved each month.

,,,

Shen's Xuanfu Pavilion is offering a hefty sum to hire an inscription and pattern artist.

Requirements: Excellent eyesight, steady fingers, cultivation level of Qi Refining Stage 2 or above, and rich experience in drawing inscriptions.

Job Responsibilities: Responsible for drawing the newly developed Frost Killing Inscription. This inscription is difficult to draw and uses expensive materials, so it requires a high level of technical skill.

Reward: Piecework. For each Frostbite Inscription successfully drawn, you will receive a reward of 80 God of Wealth Silver Coins.

Special note: You need to purchase the materials for drawing the Frostbite Inscription yourself.

Zhu Sha Ling Shu Fang is offering a hefty sum to hire an alchemist.
Claim
(The following 500 words are omitted)
Faced with this dazzling array of information, Chen Ming and Zhang Jun were immediately tempted.

The two of them have clearly felt their pockets have been empty these past few days. Haven't you noticed that they've been eating the cheapest five-cent set meal?

I never expected to get such a great opportunity right away! This long list of job postings, with salaries that looked incredibly tempting.

To be honest, cultivators wouldn't normally care about mere silver coins from the God of Wealth. However, since they discovered that these coins could be used to buy some processed spiritual items in the dining hall, the mindset of the cultivators who came here has begun to change rapidly.

So Chen Ming hesitated for a moment, then immediately stepped forward and greeted a woman holding up a sign:

"I know how to draw inscriptions."

Then someone came up and struck up a conversation with them. After exchanging a few words, smiles appeared on their faces.

Immediately afterwards, the man took out an inscription mirror and a diamond pen, and asked Chen Ming to draw a few strokes on the spot. After seeing Chen Ming's work, he nodded repeatedly.

Immediately afterwards, with the instructor witnessing, he signed the contract. After the instructor said a few words, the employer who came to hire him actually took out thirty silver dollars and paid them directly to Chen Ming, which should be considered a deposit.

In less than ten minutes, Chen Ming had finalized a deal. He was obviously in a great mood, so he went to the kitchen and ordered some good dishes to treat his two acquaintances to drinks.

Needless to say, Zhang Jun and Wu Qilang were both envious and curious. Zhang Jun, who was closest to Chen Ming, said:

What kind of job did you look for?

Chen Mingdao:
"I took the order from Shen's Xuanfu Pavilion. I talked to the person in charge and found out that the Frost Killing Inscription they wanted to make was actually a variant of the Frost Inscription. I happened to have studied it for a while when I was at home, so it wasn't a difficult task."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jun immediately said with regret:
"Oh! I should have listened to you and gotten involved in inscription."

Chen Ming didn't know how to respond to that, so he changed the subject:
"This instructor is quite nice. When he saw that we were about to sign the contract, he even took the initiative to help me find the shop manager and ask for a deposit of thirty silver dollars."

Wu Qilang said:

"The instructors here are indeed excellent and very dedicated. Last time, when I was studying the calligraphy of a sage, a sudden downpour occurred. Because I had gained some insights, I was reluctant to leave, so the instructor next to me found umbrellas and distributed them to each of us."

Zhang Junqi said:

"What saint's handwriting?"

Wu Qilang asked in surprise:
"Don't you know that the plaques of the Zangdao Tower, as well as some of the wise sayings inside, were all written by great figures of our time?"

"When these great beings write these inscriptions, they also incorporate the essence of heaven and earth into them. If one is fortunate enough to gain enlightenment from them, then one can obtain tremendous benefits from them."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ming and Zhang Jun were stunned and immediately recalled the many people who had been staring blankly in front of the plaque.

Zhang Jun said with some skepticism:

"This is ridiculous! Is it just a rumor?"

Wu Qilang shook his head, then whispered mysteriously:
"To be honest, I gained some insights when I was studying Emperor Qian's handwriting the other day."

His words made the two even more curious, and they both asked Wu Qilang to demonstrate.

Wu Qilang was a man who cared a lot about his reputation, so he took out a coin from his pocket and placed it on the table. Without any apparent movement, the coin stood upright on its own and began to move quickly.

Not only that, this thing jumped into the wine bowl next to it, dipped itself in the wine, and wrote the character "乌" (wu) on the table.

It looks very lively, as if it has its own life.

This scene left Zhang Jun and Chen Ming completely dumbfounded, which made them believe what he said.

Just then, another man walked into the dining hall. He was still wearing his disciplinary uniform, but he was surrounded by seven or eight guards, and a silver badge was hanging from his waist.

After looking around, the man spoke:

"By order of the Ministry of State Affairs, a new Merit Hall will be set up in the Zangdao Tower from today onwards, right next to the dining hall. Fellow Daoists are invited to visit it when you have time."

The dining hall was still quite noisy at this time, but the man spoke calmly and steadily, his voice resounding in everyone's ears, making it clear to everyone!
Wu Qilang couldn't think of any supernatural power that could achieve such an effect, so he was immediately alarmed: Could this person be the legendary Martial Saint?

***
After the three finished their meal, unable to resist their curiosity, they went to the Gongde Hall next door to take a look.

This place is also exceptionally spacious, with eight instructors already inside. Two huge lists are hanging on the walls, completely occupying two walls:

One list is in gold, and the other is in silver.

Zhang Jun first looked at the silver list and found that it contained a lot of information:

Name: Exploration and Mining of the Cangshan Mineral Vein

Task: Go to Cangshan to explore new mining sites and collect the corresponding ores. Submit 100 jin of black copper ore to complete the task.

Reward: 100 God of Wealth Silver Coins

Number: A517
Title: Investigation into the Disappearance of Ordinary People at Xiaogushan Mountain
Content: Something has happened to the Zhou family in Wuyin Village, Xiaogushan. Four people have died in the last three days. The truth behind this must be found.

Reward: 270 God of Wealth Silver Coins

Number: Xin 312
Name: Wedding Congratulations

Content: Master Zhao, who lives at No. 4 Shima Street in Jidu, will be celebrating his 70th birthday in three days. He hopes that a cultivator will come to congratulate him and perform some magic on the spot.

Reward: 40 God of Wealth Silver Coins

Number: A331
There are over a hundred of these ordinary tasks on the leaderboard, which is dazzling and overwhelming.

However, their numbers were rapidly disappearing, and continuous shouts could be heard nearby.
"Mentor! I've accepted mission number A173. It's mine, keep it for me."

"Hahaha, you idiot, sign in here first. It's no use standing there like an idiot shouting your lungs out."

"What? Each person can only accept one mission at a time?"

"Please act according to your abilities. Failure to complete the mission will be punished!"

"."

Zhang Jun, having learned a clever trick, saw the wedding congratulations task and thought it was extremely cost-effective. He immediately went to the row of instructors sitting next to him to report and decisively accepted the task.

When he returned, he curiously looked at the list of successful candidates and was immediately taken aback.

Although there are far fewer tasks on the Golden List, the difficulty level has increased significantly.

Name: Exorcism

Content: A Shura demon appeared in the Western Mountains. Its strength was about the early stage of Foundation Establishment. After killing it, bring back its demon horn as proof.

Reward: 1000 God of Wealth Silver Coins + Merit Token

Title: Overcoming Difficulties

Content: Assisting Inscription Master Sun Zhen in overcoming the problem of "irregular oscillation of inscriptions".

Reward: 8000 God of Wealth Silver Coins + 2 Merit Tokens

Name: Tree Plague

Content: There is a century-old sacred tree near Fish Leap Harbor, which has recently been infected with a tree plague and needs to be cured.

Reward: 100 God of Wealth Silver Coins + Withered Tree Staff (Medium-grade Yellow Item)
Looking at these rewarding tasks, the three of them were drooling with envy, but their attention was soon drawn to something new. Zhang Jun, being the outgoing type, immediately went to ask the instructor sitting next to him:
"Excuse me, what is this Merit Token?"

The instructor smiled and said:
"This is a kind of proof."

As he spoke, he took out a golden badge-like object from the side, with the words "merit" on it.

"This thing has many uses."

"First of all, it can be exchanged for money. One merit plaque can be exchanged for five hundred God of Wealth silver dollars at the Merit Hall."

"However, it's not the other way around. Even if you have five hundred or even a thousand God of Wealth silver coins, I won't exchange them for you."

At this moment, quite a few people gathered around to listen to the instruction and explanation, and someone immediately said:

"Only a fool would sell it."

The instructor smiled and said:

"People inevitably face emergencies at times."

He then added:

"In the future, those who have merit tokens can purchase the spiritual food section in the dining hall first, and can also purchase an extra serving."

"At the same time, some high-quality spiritual foods, such as the Immortal Peach Mystic Ice Drink and the Zhou Tian Star Soup, require not only God of Wealth Silver Dollars to purchase, but also Merit Tokens."

"Those with merit tokens can borrow the books in the Zangdaolou library with priority."

"For certain sought-after, high-quality tasks, those with merit tokens can choose them first."

Upon hearing this, many cultivators' eyes flickered.

But another instructor said:

"Not only that, I heard that merit tokens will be very useful in the future. For example, we will be opening a pill hall here in the future. If you want to exchange for all kinds of elixirs and divine medicines there, you will definitely need merit tokens."

Another instructor hesitated for a moment and said:

"I have heard another piece of news. Currently, there are quite a few sacred mountains and blessed lands under our control within the Great Qian territory. His Majesty feels that this is a great waste."

"Therefore, a pilot program will be launched soon. Once a thousand merit plaques are collected, one can apply to rent or purchase an unclaimed mountain gate."

These words, once spoken, were like a bomb, instantly igniting the entire scene and causing the minds of all the cultivators to become heated!
***
The next day,

The group of cultivators were pleasantly surprised to find that four more tasks with the nature of "long-term" and "public" had appeared on the Golden List.

These types of tasks are unlimited and do not require prior acceptance; they can be completed directly once the conditions for completion are met.

Furthermore, this task will remain in effect for an extended period of time!
These three long-term public tasks are as follows:

Name: Fire

Content: In order to pass on many cultivation secrets, anyone who can bring immortal seedlings and hand them over to the Hall of Merit will be given a high reward.

Rewards: Starting with 2000 God of Wealth Silver Coins + Merit Tokens. The higher the quality of the Immortal Seed, the greater the reward will be, with no upper limit.

Warning: The arrival of the immortal seedlings must be based on voluntary participation. Intimidation, killing, robbery, and other despicable means are strictly prohibited.

Name: Hunting Enemies
Content: Currently, those who dare to oppose our Great Qian include the Xun Kingdom, Chang Kingdom, Wei Kingdom, and other countries. At the same time, the hostile immortal sects are Wutai Mountain, Qingcheng Courtyard, Yunshan Residence, Hunyuan Mountain, Bixiao Sect, Feixue Sect, etc. We will hunt down important figures in these countries and disciples in these immortal sects.

Reward: Starting from 2000 God of Wealth Silver Coins + Merit Tokens. The higher the status and strength of the enemy killed, the greater the reward will be, with no upper limit.

Name: The Treasure Trove of the World

Content: The Hidden Dao Pavilion will surely become a holy land for cultivators in the future, but at present there are still many omissions and deficiencies. We need people with aspirations to share the cultivation methods, supernatural powers and secret techniques that have not yet been included in the Hidden Dao Pavilion.

Reward 1: His name, life story, and deeds will be listed on the merit list.

Reward 2: Starting with 2000 God of Wealth Silver Dollars + Merit Tokens, the rarer the shared cultivation techniques, supernatural abilities, and secret arts, the higher the reward.

The establishment of the Hall of Merit immediately drove many cultivators into a frenzy, their enthusiasm soaring to the max, and they began to follow the dictates of the Council of State Affairs. However, some people still saw through the hidden meaning behind it.

While Zhang Jun was eating his five-cent set meal, he suddenly whispered to Chen Ming:
"Hey brother, why do you think the series of measures that the Hidden Dao Pavilion has come up with sound so much like those measures taken by those major sects?"

Chen Ming was stunned for a moment, then suddenly asked in return:
"Do you offer to show me the cultivation techniques of major sects for free?"

Zhang Jun was stunned and shook his head.

Chen Ming then said:

"Are the major sects really this fair?"

Zhang Jun slowly shook his head again.

Without hesitation, Chen Ming asked again:
Are the cultivation conditions in major sects as good as here?

Zhang Jun sighed deeply:
"Hey, this is a blatant scheme by the Great Qian. We've gotten used to life here in Jidu, and we'll have to work for them in the future, won't we?"

In fact, just as Zhang Jun said, this was an open conspiracy by the imperial court.

After Da Qian unleashed this series of combined attacks, it was clear that it immediately pleased the rogue cultivators.

There are only a few things that independent cultivators fear most:

Without subsequent cultivation techniques and with cultivation resources provided intermittently, they would be oppressed by major sects.

However, at Zangdaolou, they could have no worries at all.

Further cultivation techniques? Heh, free!!
Having trouble with basic necessities like food, clothing, shelter, and transportation? Just give me the money!

Not enough cultivation resources? Go take on some quests and do some quests.

If you're determined to make money, the huge market of millions of people in Jidu isn't just for show.

Furthermore, now is the perfect time to vigorously develop inscription technology, and cultivators have a unique advantage in this area!

Oppression by major sects?

That's even more absurd. In the Great Qian Empire, as long as you abide by the law, you are treated equally and fairly.

At the same time, as long as you don't violate the laws of the Great Qian Empire, you are free to come and go.

Before this, the independent cultivators were indifferent and hostile towards the Great Qian Dynasty. But three years after the completion of the Hidden Dao Tower, more than 90% of the independent cultivators in the world regarded it as a sacred place!
The number of independent cultivators residing at Zangdao Tower has reached an astonishing 1,700, and it is increasing at a rate of nearly 100 people per month.

What pleased Gong Tianwu even more was that among these 1,700 people, more than 1,000 already held merit tokens.

The Merit Token is actually quite special. In other places, it's just a gold-plated plaque, worth at most half an ounce of gold.

However, within the Great Qian Dynasty, the value of a Merit Token is at least around 1,300 God of Wealth Silver Coins, and it is still difficult to find one that is evenly available.

The reason for such a large difference between the two is that the system of the Great Qian Empire endowed it with additional value.

Those who hold the Merit Token probably don't even realize that they have been forcibly and deeply bound to the war chariot of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Because once the Great Qian Dynasty collapses, it means that the value of merit tokens will be greatly depreciated, and that a large part of their wealth and privileges will be completely cut off.

After obtaining this intelligence, the monk Guangxiao silently studied it for a full ten minutes, and then directly submitted a secret memorial to Gong Tianwu, using an expedited channel.

In this situation, Gong Tianwu quickly obtained the secret report, on which was written a line of poetry:

“Flowers are ready to be broken when they bloom, but don’t wait to break branches when there are no flowers left.”

Upon seeing this, Gong Tianwu narrowed his eyes, then stood up and gazed at the distant sky for a while before suddenly saying:
"Did anything happen in court today?"

Yang Lun, the chief eunuch who was standing by with his hands at his sides, hurriedly stepped forward and whispered:

"Your Majesty, nothing major has happened, but there is an urgent report with a dragon pattern."

At this time, the Great Qian had already occupied one-fifth of the Great Wilderness, so the amount of intelligence reported to the central government every day was astonishing. Therefore, when Guangxiao was governing, he stipulated that intelligence reports would be divided into general intelligence and urgent reports.

Urgent reports were divided into three categories: dragon pattern, tiger pattern, and leopard pattern.

Any urgent report with a dragon pattern on the cover indicates that it contains extremely urgent information. Everyone who sees it must pass it on to their superiors immediately so that it can arrive at the Council of State Affairs as quickly as possible.

After hearing this, Gong Tianwu said:

"read."

Yang Lun said:
"A fierce storm raged on Dushan Mountain, with thirty-four thunderclaps in a short period of time, shaking the heavens and the earth. It must be a great calamity about to befall us."

Gong Tianwu suddenly realized:

"Dushan is the headquarters of the Zhushan Sect, right? I see. So, after the explosion of the teleportation channel of the Xutong Organization, there were indeed remnants who survived. It seems that this person was hiding in Zhushan."

He was by no means an indecisive person; after hesitating for a few seconds, he finally made up his mind:

"Although it's still a little early, it's about time to make our move. Someone, come here!" Yang Lun immediately ordered.
"The slave is here."

Gong Tianwu said, word by word:
"Prepare the projection array, notify the Grand Preceptor, the Prince of Zhenbei (Chen Shengzhi), the Marquis of Ningguo (Wu Dingzhong), the Marquis of Xuanyun (Chen Yunxian), the Marquis of Jingming (Yang Yun), and the Duke of Rui (Hasar)."

***
At the foot of Dushan Mountain, a vast sea of ​​bamboo stretches out, its green waves undulating in the wind, the bamboo tips pointing like swords to the sky, appearing and disappearing in the clouds and mist.

Suddenly, a streak of azure light shot up from the depths of the bamboo forest—it was the spiritual light of the "Thousand Bamboo Sword Curtain," the great protective formation of the Bamboo Mountain Sect. The formation light rippled outwards, dyeing the green bamboo within a hundred miles emerald green. The bamboo leaves rustled, like countless fine swords clashing, warning those who came not to enter the forbidden area.

This is the very place where the mainstay of the heretical sects, the Zhushan Sect, is located.

Because Emperor Tianyuan once served as the sect leader here, the place has flourished ever since, gradually becoming a rival to Emei and Qingcheng.

Suddenly, several fast horses galloped rapidly from afar, with triangular yellow dragon flags stuck on the backs of the riders on the horses.

Upon closer inspection, the yellow dragon flag fluttered in the wind, and the yellow dragon on it seemed to be about to fly out into the air, lifelike.

This indicates that they were special envoys sent by Xingguo.

The ruler of Xingguo is the fourth-generation descendant of Xu Lin, the current leader of the Zhushan Sect. Several of Xingguo's key ministers also have close ties with the elders of the Zhushan Sect.

As you can see, the Xingguo envoy jumped off his horse as soon as he arrived in front of the bamboo forest, and then shouted:
"I am Xu Zeng, the sixth prince of Xingguo. The false Qian has made some unusual moves! I have an extremely urgent matter to discuss with the sect leader!"

Upon hearing the words "pseudo-Qian," the disciples on duty in the bamboo forest immediately stepped out and led Xu Zeng into the bamboo mountain.

The group followed the path through the bamboo forest, and the stone slabs under their feet gradually showed signs of human intervention.

Faint cinnabar talismans appear on the bamboo stalks on both sides. These are "guide talismans." If someone with evil intentions takes the wrong step, the talisman will instantly transform into sword energy and kill them.

After walking for less than ten minutes, the bamboo path suddenly opened up, revealing a natural stone bridge spanning the abyss. The bridge was covered with moss, and clouds surged beneath it. Bamboo roots could be vaguely seen coiled into the shape of a dragon, which turned out to be a bamboo dragon formed from the earth's spiritual energy, guarding the mountain gate.

A hundred paces across the stone bridge, two thousand-year-old Thunder Sound Bamboos rise majestically from the ground, their trunks as thick as palace pillars, their purple veins winding like lightning. The two bamboos intertwine to form a gate.

A sword case is naturally embedded in the bamboo joint, containing the swords of the sect leaders of past generations. The sword energy emanates from the case and condenses into the four characters "Bamboo Mountain Sword Sect" on the lintel. The characters are like sword blades cleaving the air and do not dissipate day or night.

Stepping through the mountain gate, one finds that the blue bricks underfoot are paved with broken sword fragments, and a chilling sword aura seeps out from between the bricks, making it feel like walking on ice blades for ordinary people.

Inside the gate, twelve bamboo puppet sword attendants stand on either side of the passageway. They are made of spirit bamboo with talisman paper for skin, wielding bamboo-jointed swords, and their eyes flicker with eerie green flames. If anyone dares to trespass, the bamboo puppets will instantly form the "Heavenly Gang Sword Formation," with the bamboo swords transforming into rainbows to block all escape routes.

Xu Zeng was extremely anxious at this moment, and had no time to appreciate the strange scenery. He hurriedly followed the disciple in front to the elder on duty, Lin Ye, and knelt down, crying out in grief:
"The real one!! The fake emperor has suddenly launched a three-pronged attack on our country without any warning."

"It is hateful that those lowly people would actually act as traitors. In less than three days, our country has already fallen to the four prefectures of Xiaowu, Yishui, Fengping, and Wenli. The army at the front collapsed at the first contact!"

Lin Ye was stunned when he heard this. After all, the Qian Kingdom was at its zenith at this time. When it was first established, it was attacked by the combined forces of the Seventeen Immortal Sects and Twenty-Six Kingdoms, but it survived.

The feeling was like a ferocious beast that, despite being trapped and bound in layers, still defiantly broke free from the trap and its restraints, even though it was covered in wounds.

Fortunately, since the Qian Kingdom held its ground, it has maintained a defensive posture by relying on its strategic passes, as if to say, "I won't bother you, so don't bother me."

The various factions believed that the reason was that the Qian Kingdom had also suffered heavy losses in the previous offensive and defensive wars, so they did not take it to heart. In addition, the Qian Kingdom had become seemingly harmless in the past four years, so they became somewhat complacent.

But to everyone's surprise, the other side suddenly launched a fierce attack without warning!
In this situation, Lin Ye disregarded his status as a reclusive master and angrily roared at his disciple beside him:
"Immediately send a sword letter requesting reinforcements! Don't leave Emei and Qingcheng behind."

Then he said urgently to Xu Zeng:

"This is a very important matter, and I cannot make the decision on my own. Let's go see the sect leader first."

Xu Zeng nodded and said:
"As you wish."

After walking more than a hundred meters with Xu Zeng, Lin Ye suddenly felt a dull pain in his back, which was a recurrence of an old injury—to be precise, the scars left from when he faced those crazy Wind Warriors of the Great Qian.

Lin Ye immediately turned to Xu Zeng and said seriously:

"By the way, things are different now. Mortal armies are also an important part of offensive and defensive battles. You have already asked the Xiong Kingdom and the Dai Kingdom for help, right?"

Within a radius of ten thousand miles, there are about a dozen countries, but Xingguo, Xiongguo, and Daiguo are the most powerful, so it is normal for the forestry department to ask this question.

When asked this question, Xu hesitated for a moment, and then could only awkwardly reply:

"To be honest, there is another matter I have come here with that I would like to ask you to help mediate."

Lin Ye suddenly felt terrible and forcibly suppressed his anger, saying:
"What happened? Tell the truth!!"

Xu sighed and said painfully:
"Half a month ago, a rebellion suddenly broke out in Guangbei Prefecture, an important town in the Dai Kingdom. The situation became very serious, and a deputy general from Guangbei Prefecture even came to us for help. So we took the opportunity to send troops to occupy the place."

"However, at the time, none of us knew that the Crown Prince of Dai was also on an incognito visit to Guangbei Prefecture, and that he would die there during the rebellion."

"Therefore, our country is currently fighting on two fronts. On one hand, we have to deal with the surprise attack of the pseudo-Qian, and on the other hand, we are also fighting against the Dai Kingdom. I suspect that the turmoil in Guangbei Prefecture was orchestrated by the pseudo-Qian."

It should be understood that the Dai and Xing states were originally allies who were interdependent, but now that they have turned against each other, the situation is bound to worsen.

Hearing this, Lin Ye was truly exhausted and could say nothing more. He waved his hand helplessly and said:

"Alright, alright. You can stay in Zhushan. After all, you are the sect leader's direct bloodline in the mortal world. If anything happens to you in the future, it won't cause the Xing Kingdom's bloodline to be cut off."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zeng felt both worried and happy. He was originally an unappreciated prince, but now, judging from Lin Ye's words, he had the possibility of ascending the throne.

Should we hope for Xingguo's demise, or hold on?
Soon after Xu Zeng met the head of the Zhushan Sect, he was immediately interrogated until he was sweating profusely, because he found that he could not answer most of the questions asked by the old master.

"Are you sure this time, the fake emperor is launching an attack from three directions?"

"."

Who are the commanders of the three routes?

"."

"Does the pseudo-Qian have any current offensive routes?"

"Yes, yes, yes. Based on our speculation, they intend to launch a pincer attack on Yingdu (the capital of Xingguo) from the north and south."

"Does the pseudo-Chen have approximate troop numbers for each route?"

"."

"The pseudo-Qian army is advancing with unstoppable momentum? Then what new inscribed weaponry have they deployed?"

"."

Faced with this good-for-nothing descendant, Xu Lin shook his head slightly, waved for someone to take him away, and then said to the disciple beside him:

"Go and proclaim my decree, and use all your connections to gather intelligence on the false emperor."

Needless to say, the disciple bowed, accepted the order, and left.

For a local power like the Zhushan Sect, gathering intelligence isn't actually that difficult, especially when the Zhushan Sect Leader is the one issuing orders; their efficiency is phenomenal.

Within just two or three hours, a flood of intelligence poured in like snowflakes.

However, at this time, the problem for the Zhushan Sect was that they had too much intelligence.

Strictly speaking, the Zhushan Sect had two to three thousand people, including servants and other miscellaneous staff. They also had a special intelligence agency called Xuanjian Hall, which had more than a dozen people in charge of intelligence.

However, the intelligence they need to gather this time includes all the intelligence from the recent wars!

With all channels providing intelligence to the Zhushan Sect mobilized at full capacity, the news that came through was unimaginable.

Everyone in charge was extremely busy, even the servants who were sweeping the floor came to help. However, the sect leader was also urging them to hurry up, so they all looked like rabbits, with bloodshot eyes.

A day and a night passed in the blink of an eye, and the Xuanjian Hall was busier than ever. The tables in front of everyone were piled high with intelligence reports. Just when they managed to clear one stack, double the amount was piled up again.

Xue Qi, a Qi Refining stage disciple, picked up a piece of intelligence and glanced at it briefly. He couldn't help but burst into curses:
"Damn it, are these people's brains made of tofu? They say the attacking bandits number a million, do they even know how many a million people are?"

A junior disciple named Meng Gu next to him spat and said:

"I have an even more outrageous idiot here who says their city suddenly disappeared without a trace! This happened in broad daylight! Did they see a ghost in broad daylight?"

Xue Qi picked up another intelligence report, read it, and then impatiently tossed it aside.
"It feels like there's a battlefield everywhere! My mind is a complete mess right now. I feel like the pseudo-Qian forces are just pushing straight in, and there are more than three armies involved!"

But just then, a haughty and indifferent voice suddenly came from outside:
"The Emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty has arrived at Zhushan! You sinners, why don't you bind yourselves and come out to greet him?!"

Following that sound came a deafening, unanimous shout:

"Reign supreme! Reign supreme!!!"

***
Two hours later,

The entire Zhushan area was completely surrounded.

Looking down from the top of Zhushan Mountain

Tens of thousands of troops swept across the fields like a terrifying black tide, their spears and halberds piercing the thin mist, trapping the entire mountain as an isolated island.

The head of Zhushan Sect gripped the hilt of his jade sword tightly, his knuckles turning white, as he gazed into the distance at the central army's black dragon-patterned tent—Gong Tianwu's banners fluttering in the morning breeze.

As the saying goes, "When there are ten thousand people, there is no end in sight." For the people on Bamboo Mountain, it would be difficult to maintain their composure after witnessing such a sight.

Just a few years ago, these mortals were like insects to them, but now they can make them feel anger and pain.

"Haven't you figured out how they got here yet?"

Xu Lin's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling aura.

The disciple beside him hurriedly said in a trembling voice:
"We've figured it out. The fake Qian must have first sent out a large number of spies, as well as Wind Warriors, to infiltrate the country. Once they started, they began setting fires everywhere in the dark of night to create chaos."

"Not only that, but several highly mobile cavalry units constantly infiltrated and roamed, thus creating the illusion that there was war everywhere in the country."

Upon hearing this, Xu Lin immediately began to curse:
"Useless! Useless!!"

It's unclear whether he was referring to his own subordinates or to all the people in Xingguo.

The disciple beside him continued:

"Now it seems that their real main force is to sail downstream by boat and use cloud and mist inscriptions at night to cover their ships. This way, they can attack Canglong Pass from behind without anyone noticing and then reach the foot of my mountain!"

"At the same time, the other invading armies also came to join them."

Xu Lin sighed deeply.

At this point, all he could do was sigh and not know what else to do.

Suddenly, a figure flew out from the bamboo mountain. It was none other than the Supreme Elder Lei Ming. This man had a volatile temper and often cursed people. He had been in seclusion for ten years.

It was destined that this person would suffer this calamity. After waking up from his seclusion, he heard a commotion outside. Looking into the front room, he found that the usual offerings of elixirs had not been brought up.
Lei Ming was furious and went straight out of the pass to teach these good-for-nothing bastards a lesson, but he did not expect to see a large army surrounding the mountain.

"Is this some kind of madness?!"

Lei Ming witnessed this scene and was so angry that he laughed instead. He still regarded mortals as ants, so he simply flew away on his sword.

Then Lei Ming suddenly formed a sword incantation with his hands, arranged his qi and stepped on the dou, and what he was holding in his hand was the famous Zhushan Purple Thunder Sword!

This sword was forged from a hundred-year-old Xiangfei bamboo that had been struck by lightning. The scorch marks on the blade resembled winding, mysterious patterns, as if concealing an unknown, enigmatic power within the world. It was extremely profound.

The silk threads wrapped around the hilt subtly embody the principles of Yin and Yang, providing a steady grip and seemingly capable of summoning spirits and thunder. The scabbard is ancient and simple, engraved with cloud and thunder runes; the moment the sword is drawn, the sounds of wind and thunder accompany it.

Immediately afterwards, Lei Ming slashed down with his sword!

Immediately, three bolts of lightning appeared from the sky, then merged together, transforming into a lightning bolt resembling a thunderous python that struck down towards the ground.

That was the location of the central command tent of the Great Qian Dynasty. Under normal circumstances, Lei Ming believed that no mortal could survive within a radius of a hundred feet!
However, in the very next second, the soldiers below simultaneously shouted "Tiger! Tiger! Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!"

Immediately afterwards, a large expanse of pale blue light suddenly appeared below, instantly protecting the people below. The lightning bolts from the thunderbolt struck this light screen and instantly transformed into countless electric snakes, spreading out in all directions.

This is one of the fundamental reasons why mortals can contend with immortals: the inscription of sharing life and death.

The principle is to first absorb a portion of the terrifying power of the spell, and then distribute it evenly among everyone.

Although Lei Ming's attack was powerful, after being absorbed first and then distributed among thousands of people, it only caused them to vomit blood a couple of times.

Having failed to land a hit, Lei Ming was momentarily stunned, and the Daqian army's counterattack arrived immediately.

More than a dozen magic-breaking crossbows were already spinning rapidly, aimed at Leiming. The inscriptions on the crossbows were flashing, and the arrow slots were no longer filled with crossbow bolts in the physical sense, but with Xuan Yin arrows made from gathered Yin energy, which were specifically designed to break through protective spiritual energy.

Although Lei Ming didn't recognize the object, he instinctively became alert and instantly used the Wind Chasing Movement Technique, flashing several times to dodge the incoming Xuan Yin Arrow.

But in that brief moment of delay, eight Wind Warriors had already quietly appeared beside him.

Lei Ming was unmoved by this; his contempt for mortals was ingrained in his very being.

But the next second, Lei Ming paid a heavy price for his ignorance. The two sides crossed in mid-air, and at least three Wind Riders fell from mid-air amidst thick smoke.

But after Lei Ming had sped for more than ten meters, he suddenly lost his balance and crashed headfirst into the mountainside. Immediately afterward, two Wind Warriors chased after him like leeches, and a few seconds later, they flew up again with Lei Ming's bloody head in their hands.

There is only one reason why Lei Ming was killed so easily:
Among the eight Wind Warriors who attacked him, there were two Innate Realm experts and two Martial Saints mixed in! Lei Ming's mindset was still stuck ten years ago, regarding humans as ants.

As the saying goes, pride comes before a fall, especially since the enemy Lei Ming encountered had been plotting for a long time.

Even for a cultivator at the peak of Foundation Establishment, being forced within fifty meters by a Martial Saint is already extremely dangerous, let alone a large group of people armed to the teeth with inscribed equipment.
Upon Lei Ming's death, the cultivators on Bamboo Mountain were enraged, and several female cultivators were already in tears.

In fact, Lei Ming usually had very poor interpersonal relationships. The reason why these female cultivators cried was mostly because they saw their own future in him.
Suddenly, a person flew up from the central command tent.

The man was wearing a long black and gold robe. The robe was predominantly black, with gold trim outlining its exquisite silhouette, giving him an exceptionally dignified and imposing appearance.

The robe is embroidered with exquisite auspicious cloud patterns in gold thread. Most importantly, the chest and abdomen are decorated with golden dragon patterns that churn and surge like waves, layer upon layer, in an endless manner.

This person was none other than Emperor Gong Tianwu of the Great Qian Kingdom.

Since he became emperor, his destiny value has increased dramatically, making him appear even more majestic. Standing tall in the air, he exudes an aura of dominance over the world.

A true person cannot be insulted.

Gong Tianwu slowly said:

“Lei Ming’s cultivation was not easy; someone from Zhushan should come and collect his corpse.”

However, at that moment, the air beside them rippled, and a black-clad, masked man suddenly appeared. His black robe was embroidered with eerie runes and ghostly faces, which seemed to flicker with countless ghostly shadows as they fluttered in the wind, sending chills down one's spine.

What he held in his hand was a strange, almost imperceptible blue light, which he aimed straight at Gong Tianwu's back.

Amid the exclamations of the soldiers below, Gong Tianwu seemed to have known of his presence all along. He stood with his hands behind his back in the void, and his entire body began to teleport continuously over short distances in place.

This person attacked eleven times with all his might, but all his efforts were in vain. He suddenly retreated and hovered in mid-air like a wisp of smoke.

Gong Tianwu smiled gently:
"You must be Yu Wan from Golden Bell Island, who once obtained the secret manual of Shang Heyang, the Five Ghost Kings, and wields the Xuan-weapon Wind-Slaying Dagger."

Yu Wan suddenly said in a hoarse voice:
"You know that too."

Gong Tianwu smiled and said:

“I not only know of your existence, but I also know that there are actually three people who want to assassinate me: besides you, there are Tang Ming and Dongfang Xiao.”

"Xu Tong and the others have also given you a rare celestial artifact: the Escape Cloak, so what are you waiting for?"

Upon hearing Gong Tianwu's words, the clouds in the distance suddenly began to churn.

"boom!"

Five blinding golden rays shot out from the void, tearing through the clouds!

The assassin Tang Ming appeared a thousand feet away, wielding a demon-slaying moon crossbow!
This treasure should be a replica from the upper realm, but its power is just as astonishing.

With a creaking sound, Tang Ming's left arm, which was holding the crossbow, suddenly exploded into a cloud of bloody mist. Five Taiyi True Gold Pills turned into streams of light, sealing off all of Gong Tianwu's escape routes!
His eyes were bloodshot!

"Die!!"

Gong Tianwu smiled faintly, made a grasping motion with his right hand, and directly unleashed the Yuan Magnetic God-Slaying Hand.

In an instant, an endless magnetic force erupted.

The five golden pellets were launched at an obvious angle, with one of them changing direction and reflecting back at an even faster speed!

"Do not!!"

Tang Ming screamed in despair. He had just crushed the escape talisman and was about to flee when the golden pellet pierced through his body.

"boom!"

Flesh and blood exploded into a sky full of golden-red blood mist, the Demon-Slaying Bullet Moon Crossbow disintegrated in mid-air, and 365 taels of Taiyi True Gold fell like rain, creating a magnificent sight.

However, in the void behind Gong Tianwu, a nearly transparent figure suddenly approached!

The image of Yu Wan, which had been fixed in the distance, gradually faded, revealing itself to be an illusion.

His true form was draped in a cloak of light, his figure blending into the sky. The cold light of the Wind-Slaying Dagger in his hand was concealed, and the blade shimmered with a ghostly glow as he once again stabbed towards Gong Tianwu's heart!
Gong Tianwu didn't turn his head back, and the magnetic field around his body trembled slightly.

"Buzz——"

The dagger pierced three inches, but it was like being stuck in mud, unable to go any further!
Yu Wan's pupils contracted sharply. Just as he was about to pull away, he suddenly felt the dagger in his hand tremble violently.

"Crack!"

Under the illumination of the Yuan Magnetic Divine Light, the blade shattered on its own, and a sharp shard rolled back, instantly piercing through its throat!

Blood mist sprayed out, the cloak of escape light failed, and Yu Wan's corpse fell from the sky, only to be burned to ashes by the Yuan Magnetic Flame before it hit the ground.

However, Yu Wan knew he was going to die, but he got what he wanted, buying the other person enough time.

A sharp whistle resounded through the sky. Dongfang Xiao, who was hiding in another layer of clouds, tore off his cloak, and his whole body was engulfed in blood flames.

He formed hand seals. Previously, Dongfang Xiao had been fully unleashing the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique, and the sacrifice of his two companions had been laying the groundwork for this attack.

"kill!!!!"

Three thousand white needles shot out from Dongfang Xiao's seven orifices. The needle shadows, as fine as cow hair, covered the sky. After this attack, Dongfang Xiao spat out a mouthful of blood and his body swayed precariously.

(End of this chapter)