I've already become an immortal lord, and only now is the spiritual energy reviving?

Shanglin Village.

The night was dark and gloomy, with dark clouds obscuring the moon.

A few oil lamps flickered in the drafty thatched hut, illuminating the deep wrinkles on the old faces of the family.

The atmosphere was oppressive.

Several clan elders from Shanglin Village, along with the usually domineering upper-class figures from the neighboring Xiaoheyan Village, all frowned and remained silent.

The tobacco pipes had long since gone out, and no one bothered to light them.

Only a few occasional sighs pierced my heart.

"Tap, tap, tap."

The dark-faced village chief of Xiaheyan Village paced back and forth in his small area, his shoes scraping the ground and raising clouds of dust, revealing his inner anxiety.

He stopped in his tracks, his eyes red as he looked at the elderly man seated at the head of the table, his voice trembling:

"Old Yan! It's been half a month!"

"Even if Yan Song had to crawl, he should have sent a reply after traveling hundreds of miles through the mountains. There's still no news. Could something have gone wrong? The disciples patrolling the mountains at Guanhua Gate aren't blind. What if..."

"Silence!"

Yan Zeshan slammed his cane heavily on the ground.

thump.

"One must remain calm in the face of great events."

"Yan Song is no reckless person, and besides, what is he carrying? The token of Elder Zhuxuan of the Imperial Sword Sect!"

The old man stood up, paced back and forth, and raised his voice:

"You and I both witnessed him slipping into the secret passage that day. Given his quick wit, it must be a good thing that he hasn't returned yet."

"Oh?"

Some people don't understand.

Yan Zeshan sneered:

"What kind of existence is the Imperial Sword Sect? Yan Song has most likely gained the favor of a noble person for his meritorious service in presenting the treasure, and has already entered the immortal sect to cultivate. Or he is currently being led by the Imperial Sword Heavenly Soldiers, intending to finish his work in one battle and completely wipe out Guanhua!"

These words were like the sun breaking through the clouds.

"Brilliant! Elder Yan's insight is truly remarkable!"

"That's for sure! Military secrets are of utmost importance and must be kept confidential. Nephew Yan Song is about to give us a tremendous surprise."

The dark-faced village chief's worry turned to joy, his face, full of fat, revealing his greed:

"Once the royal army is victorious and Guanhua is wiped out, I will also let those opportunists in Dafeng and Shixi know who truly controls the fate of Qinglu Mountain."

The gloomy atmosphere in the room vanished instantly, and the group even began to discuss the scale of the victory celebration banquet.

"Knock knock knock".

The knocking was abrupt.

It is slight, yet extremely penetrating.

Everyone inside froze, except for the dark-faced village chief, whose eyes flashed with a sharp light as he leaped up.

"It must be my nephew returning to deliver the news! I'll go open the door!"

His face was flushed and he could hardly contain himself.

Squeak.

The wooden door opened, and moonlight, having broken through the clouds, cast a pale, frosty glow.

Before the dark-faced man could utter the words "nephew" from the corner of his mouth, he felt his vision suddenly blur.

The world turned upside down.

He was shocked to find that his imposing figure was still standing inside the threshold, while his view was irreversibly falling towards the ground.

puff.

His head rolled on the ground, but his face still showed a look of astonishment and ecstasy.

Dead silence.

There was no returning nephew outside the door.

Dozens of gray-blue figures stood silently, a blood-red "soldier" character on their chests, exuding a suffocating chill under the moonlight.

Guanhua Gate, the barracks.

"By order, eliminate the traitors."

The leading disciple flicked his hand, and a ghostly green talisman spontaneously combusted without fire.

Before the powerful and wealthy inside could even cry out in alarm, the soil beneath their feet churned up, and thick vines sprang up like venomous snakes, binding their hands and feet and silencing their tongues in an instant.

sizzle.

Sparks flew everywhere.

A thick, black sword, as wide as a door panel, plowed through the hard ground and slowly advanced.

With one hand holding his sword, Chai Wu's murderous aura, emanating from the mountains of corpses and seas of blood, caused the temperature in the thatched hut to plummet.

Everyone fell silent, and the soldiers of the Slaughter Camp made way for them.

When Chai Wu walked up to Yan Zeshan, he was as calm as if he were looking at a lump of dead flesh.

"Is it you, old codger, who tried to let the wolf into the house and ruin my clan's foundation?"

"Waaaah... Waaah!"

Yan Zeshan's pupils trembled, his usual composure vanished, and a stench of urine emanated from his crotch.

"Nausea."

Chai Wu frowned in disgust and lost all interest in saying anything more.

The heavy sword swept across.

puff.

The old head flew off, ending its life of scheming and plotting.

"Take everything except the corpses."

......

The next day, dawn broke.

The threshing ground at the border of the two villages was densely packed with local gentry and elders who usually acted arrogantly and domineeringly.

On the outer perimeter, the soldiers' killing camp was like a forest of black blades.

Further out, there were hundreds of ordinary villagers, their faces filled with confusion, holding hoes and sickles.

Deacon Guan Hua held the ledger high, his voice infused with spiritual power, booming in everyone's ears:

"The Yan family sold off their ancestral property for gold, silver, and valuables, intending to flee to the Imperial Sword Sect with the entire family."

"We'll sacrifice the lives of three hundred villagers as a pledge of allegiance, inviting foreign enemies to massacre the village in exchange for a few menial labor positions."

"Gentlemen, is this the elder you all revere?"

A few words, like hot oil dripping into boiling water.

Blindness, conformity, and even apathy are the norm for ordinary people.

Only when the bloody truth of being "betrayed" and "used as a pawn" is laid bare will the anger of being fooled transform into a raging inferno.

"You scoundrel! You want us to go and die?!"

"They eat our flesh and blood every day, and then they smash the pot before they leave?!"

The first stone flew out.

Then came a rain of clods of earth and hoes.

Chai Wu sat upright on the high platform, his gaze cold and sharp. He even waved his hand to signal the soldiers to retreat.

Let the anger out.

Screams, wails, pleas for mercy.

The powerful and wealthy of yesteryear were ultimately submerged under the feet of the peasants they regarded as worthless.

This is the pledge of allegiance.

Once your hands are stained with the blood of your former master, there is no turning back.

After a while, the dust settled.

The newly elected village chiefs were all honest and simple men. They knelt below the platform, kowtowing repeatedly, begging for the protection of Guanhuamen.

Chai Wu touched his prickly stubble, a chill creeping into his heart.

"Indeed, it's better to offend the King of Hell than a scholar."

"Junior Sister's psychological attack is truly sharper than my sword."

At the summit of Qinglu Mountain, the main hall is deep and secluded.

At the head of the table, Hua Yangzi listened to the report and merely nodded slightly.

The vermilion brush moves.

On the map on the wall, the last two gaps in the west were filled with red circles.

"Order the General Affairs Office to immediately begin the relocation of the people from the two villages to the valley at the foot of the mountain, where they will join the four villages including Dafeng."

"Let's name it Jiping Town."

"Gather the strength of the masses and pacify the four directions."

He Qin wrote down everything with great speed and efficiency.

"Master."

Shu Yan put away the jade slip on the table, stood up, and said in a cold voice: "Since the fig leaf has been torn off, there is no need to keep Yu Si Pavilion and Cang Chun Valley for the New Year."

Hua Yangzi stroked his beard: "What does Yan'er mean?"

"Once you're on the Imperial Sword Sect's ship, you can't be a spineless coward who collapses at the slightest push."

Shu Yan looked westward, her gaze sharp as lightning:

"Wen Xianyun is greedy by nature. What he wants is not a docile dog, but a sharp blade that can exploit him and keep order."

"If we are timid and hesitant, it will only make him look down on us and think that Guanhua Gate is worthless and can be abandoned at any time."

"Now that we have been given the 'Golden Edge Ceasefire Talisman,' we should make good use of it."

Upon hearing this, Hua Yangzi revealed a cunning smile, like that of an old fox. He took out a talisman gleaming with golden light from his robes and slammed it down on the table.

Snapped!

"Then let's push straight through!"

"Let the Rain Silk Pavilion and their ilk think twice: do they want to withstand the Foundation Establishment spiritual power of the Sword Control Sect head-on, or kneel down and become dogs!"

......

"That's right."

Qingyuan nodded in satisfaction.

Hua Yangzi and Shu Yan, master and disciple, one shrewd and calculating, the other quick-witted and clever, are a perfect match.

almost.

Once we take over the remaining two territories, the population will double, and the incense offerings will definitely surge.

Then, they pulled Chai Wu, that stubborn mule, into the "proxy" group chat as well.

Tank plus mage, top-tier setup!

"By then, Shu Yan's cultivation technique will also be fully refined."

A fiery glint flashed in Qingyuan's eyes.

He stared at the toad icon at the eighth level of Qi Refining on the south side of the map, and the tempting [Azure Blood Earth Core Lotus] next to it.

"To gain a foothold in this world of cultivation, deception alone is not enough; you also need to have a strong fist."

Now that he's already openly acknowledging Wen Xianyun's intentions, continuing to play the subservient role would only make him a real subservient.

He has to show off his muscles.

Make the other party feel that without Guanhua Gate, Young Master Wen's biggest supply chain would be cut off.

"Unfortunately, the current field of vision is still too limited."

Qingyuan frowned, his gaze lingering in the direction of the Imperial Sword Sect.

Looking at the logs alone is just hindsight.

If only there were a skill similar to "True Sight," even just sticking a listening device on Wen Xianyun would be fine.

I wonder if such supernatural powers exist.

He glanced at the well-organized sects on the screen.

"Alright, the road has been paved for you. Whether you can fly or not depends on fate."