You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

The moonlight bathed the pine shadows, cascading down gently.

Madam Cai stood under the tree, listening attentively. Her plain dress fluttered in the night breeze, and the moonlight outlined a faint silvery halo around her.

a long time……

Only after Zhu Yuyan finished recounting what she had seen did she raise an eyebrow.

"He wants to use Nantong and Dongyang as a base to rebuild his team..."

Zhu Yuyan nodded: "Master, that's what I think too."

"Using the Shen An incident, the emperor had all the powerful families in Nantong County, large and small, wiped out without leaving a single one alive, and also transferred almost all the troops away."

"It is precisely to make room for those from poor families and ordinary people."

"After that, he gave important positions to people from poor families, trained ordinary citizens, and provided education for disaster victims..."

"All indications suggest that the emperor wanted to bypass the infiltration of powerful clans and cultivate his own unique foundation."

Madam Cai paused for a moment, then said calmly, "The idea is good, but it's too difficult to implement."

"It's just one or two counties; they can't develop much of a presence there."

"The fate of the Southern Chen dynasty remains unchanged; his destiny as a ruler destined for the downfall of his kingdom is sealed."

Zhu Yuyan parted her red lips slightly, seemingly wanting to retort, but ultimately remained silent, instead asking, "Master, has the Yin Gui Sect come here to launch a large-scale southward invasion?"

"Um."

Madam Cai hummed in agreement and said, "Although the fate of the Southern Chen Kingdom is sealed and the family is destroyed, it will still take several more years."

"Now that the emperor supports us, you have also become the Grand Preceptor of the Southern Chen Dynasty."

"We will use these next few years to wipe out the Buddhist forces and strengthen the Yin Gui Sect."

"When the Sui Dynasty invades in the future, even if the land is unified, the foundation of my Yin Gui Sect in the south will be established."

"Even if the Buddhist sect and the imperial court join forces to suppress it, the Yin Gui Sect will not perish by then."

"Any news from Cihang Jingzhai?"

Upon hearing this question, Zhu Yuyan chuckled softly, "That's an interesting story..."

She then told her master everything about Fan Qinghui and Lu Zuo's attitude toward Cihang Jingzhai.

Upon hearing this, the latter chuckled, "Ha, the Holy Maiden of Jingzhai offered herself to the demon; how many heroes of the world has she bewitched?"

"Now, it seems to be failing on a tyrannical ruler?"

"Ridiculous, this saintess is truly laughable..."

After a pause, Madam Cai shook her head again: "No, this Southern Chen emperor can't be considered a foolish ruler. He was just morally flawed and absurd in small matters, but he was never confused in important ones."

"he……"

"It's just bad luck; I was born in the wrong era."

At this point, Madam Cai sighed softly, "Alas..."

"It is fate. The time is not in his favor, the circumstances are not in his favor. He is destined to be a king who will bring about the downfall of his kingdom. What can we do about it?"

"Since the establishment of the Yin Gui School, it has never had the support of an emperor."

"It wasn't easy to finally have one, but it turned out to be..."

Madam Cai's tone was tinged with sadness: "Is our Holy Sect destined to hide in darkness, never to rise again?"

She had no desire for the Southern Chen dynasty to perish.

However, as long as one has a certain perspective, seeing the prosperous era of the Sui Dynasty and the miserable state of the people of the Southern Chen Dynasty, one will know that the general trend has been determined and no one can change it!

"Um?"

Suddenly, Madam Cai's eyes flashed: "Someone's here, and it's..."

Before she could finish speaking, she raised her hand, grabbed Zhu Yuyan's wrist, and then moved slightly, silently disappearing into the pine tree.

Only then did Zhu Yuyan see a blurry figure approaching from over a hundred feet away.

With her cultivation level and eyesight, she could hear a pin drop within a hundred feet, and if someone was within two hundred feet, their facial features would be clearly visible.

But now...

She looked slightly surprised, using her inner energy to prevent her voice from leaking out, and asked, "Master, why can't I see that person clearly?"

Madam Cai also used her true energy to condense her voice: "This person has already opened up the inner world, and his energy has merged with all things around him."

"If he wanted to, even if he were right in front of you, you would hardly notice, let alone if you were a hundred feet away."

"but……"

After a pause, Madam Cai's expression turned solemn: "This person's killing intent is far too strong; it doesn't seem like the aura a martial artist who has opened up the inner world should have."

"It must have been created using some kind of unorthodox cultivation method..."

"These kinds of people are very scary. If you encounter them in the future, try to avoid them."

Madam Cai, along with other top experts from the Demonic Sect, including the three Grandmasters, and even the Master of Jingzhai, was only at the Inner Heaven and Earth Opening stage of cultivation.

She naturally didn't want to provoke someone with such a murderous intent.

As she pondered, another person approached from a distance, whose figure was indistinct in Zhu Yuyan's sight.

……

In the wilderness.

Ye Jiu's eyes were sharp as she stared at Lu Zuo, who was slowly approaching, wielding the Demon Blade Thousand Blades.

With just one glance, his brows furrowed and his pupils contracted: "Who... exactly are you?"

So you recognized me that way?

Lu Zuo was still hoping to get away with it, but he didn't expect this result.

If that's the case...

Then he cannot be allowed to live!

Clang!

A soft cry, like the low murmur of a dragon, suddenly rang out, and the Demon Blade Thousand Blades in Lu Zuo's hand was unsheathed, raising a dazzling cold light!

Night Dove's eyes darkened, and he exclaimed inwardly, "They couldn't even spot the flaw?"

Immediately, he swayed and leaped into the air, his body instantly enveloped in billowing black energy. Then he swooped down, carrying the rolling black energy straight towards Lu Zuo!

Netherworldly sorrow?

In that instant!

The feeling that Ye Jiu gave Lu Zuo was somewhat similar to the national tragedy he witnessed in the Qin Dynasty world.

At the same time, Lu Zuo also entered a strange state.

All sounds around them vanished at that moment.

At this moment, all things in heaven and earth became hazy and lost their color.

In sight, only the body of the Night Dove was clearly visible!

Buzz!

The blade trembled slightly and made a humming sound.

Whoosh!

He simply picked up his knife and slashed through the air, and Night Dove was decapitated, falling to the ground with a thud.

The entire process took only a flash, a mere instant.

Lu Zuo glanced at the corpse on the ground and felt a little strange. Could it be that the Underworld Emperor and the Shadow Guard were related to the Netherworld Pavilion?

"Since there might be a connection, then perhaps the Night Dove also possesses immortality techniques like those of the Netherworld God."

"The body cannot be left!"

With a thought, Lu Zuo's wrist trembled violently!

hiss hiss hiss...

The blade sliced ​​through the air with a chilling light, like a waterfall of cold water cascading down from above!

The sharp blade light instantly engulfed the Night Dove's corpse, then rapidly decomposed it.

All that could be seen were mangled bodies and clothes, which crumbled into dust in the cold light, scattering across the ground!

Boom!

Immediately, the scorching true energy generated by the Nine Yang Returning to Origin Technique surged from Lu Zuo's palm, instantly burning away the fragments and dust...

"It should be alright now..."

Lu Zuo watched for a while longer before turning and leaving.

……

"Such powerful methods..."

As Lu Zuo walked away, Madam Cai exclaimed softly, "This man's understanding of the laws of heaven and earth is probably even greater than mine."

"He looks to be in his early twenties. Has he mastered some kind of age-preserving technique?"