As an official, what's wrong with raising a few monsters?

Chapter 363 Long Lian's Tribulation

"Young master, where do we go next?"

After driving away Tian Hong's troublesome troops, Mingchen led his army on their way home.

His original mission was to resist Tian Hong and stop his continued invasion. Now he has exceeded his mission and can go back to collect his reward.

The troops rested and reorganized at night, with the campfire crackling loudly.

The little bird landed on Mingchen's shoulder and asked him a question.

"I'll return to the North."

The remaining resistance forces in the south are insignificant; Xiao Xinyue's men are more than enough to wipe them out.

Sister Dai and Long Lian are still struggling in the Northern Territory, so he naturally has to go back.

"Oh……"

The little bird nodded gently.

Mingchen poked her head and asked, "What's wrong? Do you have some other ideas?"

The little bird shook its head: "No~"

However, it's been a while since I've had any dipping sauce made with soybeans.

I've been thinking about it... a bit.

With the war in the North urgent, Ling Yu, as the commander-in-chief, will definitely be working non-stop.

I wonder if I'll ever have the chance to have a wild time with Ling Yu.

Suddenly, the little bird spoke up and asked, "Young master, do you like Long Lian?"

"Oh? You like it~"

Who doesn't love a gentle and quiet beauty?

Long Lian naturally possesses her own unique charm.

Time flowed slowly, and Long Lian was the kind of demon who was gentle and peaceful, never fighting or vying for anything.

When you need her, she quietly appears by your side, like a gentle older sister.

Mingchen is a womanizer, but he never denies his appreciation for the beautiful girls around him.

As soon as he finished speaking, Mingchen was taken aback, feeling that this little bird, who had completely gone astray, wasn't up to any good: "Why are you asking this?"

"Young master, don't ask so many questions, just like it~"

"Young master, do you want a wife?"

The little bird nudged Mingchen closer, its mischievous expression revealing a human-like quality: "As long as you say the word, I'll..."

Mingchen: ...

Mingchen grabbed the little bird and pretended to be fierce, saying, "I think you haven't hit it in days!"

The little bird didn't struggle, it just scratched its little claws: "My lord~"

"Please don't pity me~"

Mingchen: ...

That poor guy has really been spoiled rotten.

A man and a bird laughed and frolicked in the night.

Suddenly, a cold wind blew, and Mingchen shivered involuntarily.

For no apparent reason, my heart skipped a beat, my hair stood on end, and I felt inexplicably nervous.

He had never practiced magic, nor had he practiced any divination or fortune-telling techniques; it was merely a feeling.

"Sir, what's wrong?"

Seeing Mingchen frown, the little bird couldn't help but ask with concern.

Mingchen shook his head, his mind racing as he considered whether there had been any mishaps along the way.

If anything could happen, it seems to be only the uncertain North.

After thinking for a moment, he finally shook his head and said, "It's nothing."

After a while, he ordered several guards, "Go and summon General Bai, General Li, General Liu... all of them."

"Yes!"

Before long, several generals were led to him.

The generals were excited and overjoyed.

Their army's role was merely to block Tian Hong, but unexpectedly they drove him out of Qian Yuan and killed many enemy soldiers.

This is a great victory, and it brings honor and merit.

At this moment, they revered Mingchen as if he were a god.

This renowned undefeated duke truly possessed divine abilities, unpredictable and capable of turning the rotten into the miraculous.

Even though he was extremely young, none of them dared to underestimate him.

"I have urgent business to attend to and need to return to the North."

Mingchen glanced at the group of people, then turned to a composed general and said, "General Bai, you will temporarily assume the position of Grand General and lead the army back to the capital to report to His Majesty on my behalf."

"what?"

The generals were somewhat bewildered.

Why is General Ming leaving so suddenly?

At least go back to court and report to His Majesty first...

However... this is Ming Chen, and he has power that is undisciplined and unorganized.

The general who was called out was also taken aback for a moment, but he didn't ask any questions. He then cupped his hands towards Mingchen and said, "Yes!"

There aren't that many "whys" in military formations.

The subordinates simply need to execute the orders given by their superiors.

This army is unlikely to encounter any major dangers.

Mingchen gave a few simple instructions.

Then,

"Wow!"

A bird's loud cry pierced the cold night, catching the generals' stunned gazes.

Their god-like commander has left us just like that.

……

"That's unreasonable!"

"How unreasonable!"

On the other side, in the south.

The three men and two riders entered Xinhe City, the so-called 'new capital' of the Great Qi Dynasty.

In the dilapidated restaurant, the man, who had been holding back his anger all the way, slammed his hand on the table and smashed it, his eyes blazing with fury as he roared out incessantly.

When Wang Huai faked his death, he anticipated that ambitious people would incite the remnants of the Blood-Clad Army to continue causing trouble.

Along his journey, he witnessed far too many righteous people corrupted by wealth and glory.

After his idealism faded, he also came to know the harsh realities of human nature.

However, when he saw it with his own eyes, he couldn't help but feel angry.

Along the way, he witnessed widespread chaos, corrupt officials oppressing the people, and countless people living in dire straits.

The violent machine these villains rely on is the blood-clad army that shouts, "I will forge armor with my blood and sweat, and sacrifice my heroic soul for peace."

He recognized some of the bureaucrats.

The Blood-Clad Army had only been in rebellion for a short time, yet in such a short period, they had become the very people he had hated most back then.

They are completely oblivious to restraint and boundaries.

The righteous and courageous warriors, full of passion and fervor, also became tools for those villains to commit crimes.

I heard that Grand Marshal Du Yun'an was tyrannical and extorted, and had built a mansion in Xinye City that was even more luxurious than the imperial palace.

He had countless beautiful wives and concubines, indulged in wine and women, and squandered his wealth recklessly.

Resistance forces gathered here, oppressing the people on one hand and rebelling against Qian Yuan on the other, preventing the unification of the country.

Everything sounded so jarring to Wang Huai.

Seeing it with his own eyes, he couldn't help but feel heartbroken.

The Blood-Clad Army he painstakingly built up ended up like this.

They were a group of righteous soldiers with lofty ideals, but now they have forgotten their faith and degenerated into a bunch of demons.

The corrupt circle at the top manipulates a group of warriors, causing them to sink into the abyss of desire and hindering the progress of the times.

The 'Emperor Qi' is dead, but Wang Huai is not.

He can't stand this.

He couldn't bear to see those devout, blood-stained warriors risking their lives for villains.

"Brother Wang, what are you going to do?"

The head monk's face was also tense and somewhat unpleasant. He was sincere and, although impetuous, deeply influenced by Buddhist compassion, he was a kind person.

The sights he witnessed along the way filled him with resentment.

Before him stood the leader of the Blood-Clad Army, but he knew that this was not Wang Huai's true intention.

Upon hearing this, Wang Huai gritted his teeth, touched the scabbard at his waist, and looked at the large sword on the table.

With a flash of insight, he finally made up his mind and said to Bu Chen, "Brother, back then, when I, Wang, beheaded the evil official in Xiaoyao City, I raised my voice and rallied a million people. Now... I want to do it again. Are you willing to help me?"

The 'Emperor Qi' is dead, and the era of the Blood-Clad Army is over.

Mingchen only wanted his elder brother to enjoy his old age in peace and live a comfortable life as an ordinary wealthy man.

The general trend of the world cannot be stopped or changed by one person.

Whether there's one more person or one less person, it doesn't really make a difference.

However, for some people, it's not good to leave them standing by and doing nothing.

That would be worse than killing him.

He would rather die a martyr than live a peaceful, secluded life.

Wang Huai was about to draw his broadsword, breaking his promise to Ming Chen.

"Hahahaha!"

"Good good!"

"Brother Wang, I haven't taken a single life in a long time. I'll accompany you on this trip!"

It was clear that Wang Huai's eyes had regained their sharpness.

The head monk laughed heartily, and with a flick of his hand, a nine-ringed broadsword appeared in his palm: "Don't worry, whatever Du Yun'an, whatever scheming and despicable people, whatever demons and monsters, this humble monk will cut them all down for you!"

……

"Boom boom boom!"

In the northern border, there is Libu Pass.

Under the cover of dark clouds, in a gloomy and eerie space.

Countless eyes gleamed with an eerie light, and with a thunderous roar, bolts of divine lightning, seemingly capable of destroying everything, rained down from the dome.

"Forehead……"

"hiss……"

The azure dragon, over a hundred feet long, roared in agony, rolling continuously on the ground, causing the earth to tremble.

The once-mighty Libu Pass was utterly destroyed and reduced to ruins in these repeated upheavals.

It hurts so much!
A pain that penetrates to the very soul, a pain that is piercing to the bone.

Each bolt of lightning seemed to tear Long Lian's soul apart, leaving a charred mark on her body, shattering her scales and scorching her soft muscles.

A continuous stream of thunderbolts fell, as fine as rain.

In an instant, Long Lian's true form of the Azure Dragon was completely mangled.

Large gushes of blood gushed out relentlessly from the gaps in the scales.

In the blink of an eye, it had already formed a small pool of blood.

This is not over yet!
Accompanied by deafening thunder, a fierce and violent gale mixed with black sand surged wildly in this space, forming wind blades that wantonly destroyed and cut anything they encountered.

Each gust of wind left a huge bloodstain on Long Lian's body, the strange energy corroding her flesh and blood, until the bone was exposed.

Long Lian was in pain all over her body; she had never suffered such a severe injury in her life.

She felt as if her consciousness was becoming somewhat hazy.

Long Lian can actually change size and transform into human form to minimize damage.

However, she did not do that.

Her teacher once told her that her cultivation over the past two thousand years had reached perfection.

It was just one calamity away.

She must be forged by the thunder of heaven and earth, sculpted by the winds of darkness, and endure hardship to temper her mind and bloodline. Only then can she break free from the constraints of heaven and earth and roam the world freely.

Everything is governed by the law of cause and effect.

When Mingchen was about to head north, she volunteered to go with him.

Firstly, I genuinely enjoy spending time with Mingchen. He's a very charming person, and it's easy and pleasant to be around him.

Secondly, she had a feeling that she needed to go on this journey with Mingchen, that her tribulation was coming soon, and that it would definitely happen during this trip to the Northern Territory.

Now, we've arrived.

The cultivator opposite, whose origins were unknown, unleashed a supernatural power that was not of this world, causing heavenly lightning to descend and divine winds to howl.

This is her tribulation, and also her destiny.

The time has come!
She would withstand this calamity with her true form, break his spell, and temper her bloodline and will.

The karmic connection that brought her to fruition.

Thinking of this, she suddenly raised her head, her vertical pupils filled with determination and sharpness.

The pairs of eyes on the dome exuded majesty and sublimity, as if they were looking down on her and judging her.

"Humph!"

She snorted coldly, enduring countless heavenly thunderbolts and endless pressure.

Instead, it crashed into the sky where lightning kept falling.

Her master had told her that spiritual practice is about cultivating the mind.

To live freely and in harmony with nature, one must first have an unwavering and sincere heart, pure self-confidence, and never bow to any existence.

The air in this space was incredibly heavy. Long Lian exhausted all her magical power, and she didn't know where the power came from.

Her heart pounded violently, urging her to fly upwards, to crash upwards, to charge into the sky.

She gritted her teeth and dragged her injured body toward the sky.

Those eyes that unleashed heavenly lightning seemed to flicker and disappear when she touched them.

But then...

"Boom boom boom!"

This world seemed to be enraged by Long Lian's resistance.

The world lost its color, and endless, terrifying thunder crashed down from the sky.

It was as if they wanted to destroy everything completely.

The raging thunder dried up the river, leveled the land, severed mountain ridges, and destroyed everything in its path.

Ji Yuting, who had caused all of this outside the formation, was somewhat bewildered.

"boom!"

Long Lian, who had just soared into the sky, was slammed down again.

Endless bolts of lightning struck her.

Long Lian felt as if every scale of hers was falling off, and her flesh and blood were being dissolved by the violent energy.

Fine lightning covered everything in her eyes.

She felt her life force rapidly fading away, her whole body aching, and she seemed... somewhat exhausted.

too strong!
Too bad!
She couldn't help but wonder if she could really survive such a calamity...

"Forehead……"

The moment such a feeling arose, she felt as if the breath in her heart had dissipated, as if she had lost all her strength.

The thunder and gale became increasingly violent and turbulent, and consciousness became increasingly blurred under the relentless bombardment.

She felt she had reached her limit.

It seems... we're almost there.

She was very calm, neither afraid nor nervous.

For some reason, a gentle and carefree face appeared in her mind, and she remembered the person who had changed her boring, reclusive life.

She felt a little regretful; there were still some things she hadn't said.

Young master... I'm very happy to have walked with you all this way.

As Long Lian's life unfolded...

Suddenly, a streak of light flashed by.

The green light instantly illuminated the entire space, and the dry leaves that seemed fragile were suddenly filled with energy, radiating vitality outwards.

Before she knew it, Long Lian's best magical artifact appeared before her.

The Withered and Flourishing Sword.

The withered flowers on the hilt of the sword have bloomed, their pink and red petals exuding the breath of life. The bright green leaves adorn the sword's edge, creating a beautiful and exquisite scene. The ugly appearance of the withered leaves and flowers is nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, a deep, aged voice rang in Long Lian's ears: "Disciple... is too honest!"

"You can try to avoid it, but I don't mean you have to take it all on your own."

(End of this chapter)