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

Explore the infinite categories of the universe; there's bound to be one that suits you.

Lu Zuo bent down, picked up the inspection order, and continued running towards the prefectural governor's mansion.

He still had some things to do in Dongyang, and besides, that fictional Song Dynasty was different from the Ming Dynasty and the Qin Dynasty; there was nothing he urgently needed to obtain.

Take care of what you have to do first, and you can go when you have time.

……

The Qin Dynasty world lasts three days, while the Tang Dynasty world lasts more than seven hours.

When Lu Zuo returned to the prefectural governor's mansion, it was already late at night. He then arranged for people to receive the mechanical beasts and taught them how to use them.

This busy period lasted until the early hours of the next morning.

A thin mist, like gauze, lightly enveloped the prefectural governor's mansion. The outline of the eaves became clear in the gradually brightening light of the sky, and a fine layer of dew condensed on the dark tiles, reflecting the pale light of dawn on the eastern horizon.

Lu Zuo, who hadn't slept all night, stood alone under the corridor in the courtyard, but there was no sign of fatigue in his eyes. He took a deep breath of fresh air and slowly exhaled.

Time, time is what we lack most right now...

How can we prevent internal strife and factional strife in the Sui Dynasty?

"Lord Lu."

Just then, a pleasant female voice came from behind.

Lu Zuo turned around and saw

Zhu Yuyan approached from the thin mist, holding a rolled-up piece of paper in her hand.

When she came to his side, she handed the note to Lu Zuo: "The message that arrived last night was sent by carrier pigeon, and my master sent someone to deliver it to me this morning."

The latter took the note, looked down, and saw a line of small characters written on it: "Crown Prince Yang Yong of Sui died suddenly in the Eastern Palace."

Lu Zuo's fingers tightened suddenly as he held the note, his heart leaping violently as if struck by a heavy hammer!

The blood seemed to freeze for a moment.

Yang Yong... is dead?

He just died like that?

His original plan was to take advantage of the increasingly fierce factional struggle between Yang Yong, the crown prince of the Sui Dynasty, and Yang Guang, the Prince of Jin.

Whether by fanning the flames or by secretly sowing discord, they aimed to deplete the Sui state's national strength, attention, and time to the greatest extent possible.

Although Yang Yong was incompetent and cowardly, he was, after all, the rightful crown prince and the best pawn to restrain Yang Guang and create internal rifts.

But now, this chess piece, so without warning, so abruptly...

Broken?

Without Yang Yong, the rightful crown prince, to check and balance the court, Yang Guang's path to the throne would be unobstructed.

Without factional strife, the Sui Dynasty would surely be united. Once the threat from the Northern Turks was resolved and the national strength was consolidated, they would definitely march south and unify the land!

How much time do I have left?

Three years, two years?

Or……

Not even two years!

It's hard to say what will happen, after all, no one knows when the Turks will give up.

The so-called two to three years is just a guess or estimate.

The truth is...

The Sui army could march south at any moment!

Ugh……

If I could have five years to develop, what would I have to fear from the Sui Dynasty?

Is there really such a thing as destiny in this world?

But the Mandate of Heaven resided in the Sui Dynasty! In Yang Guang!

As for me, I was destined from the depths of fate to be a ruler of a fallen kingdom, and there was no way to change that.

"Lord Lu, you should report this matter to His Majesty immediately."

Zhu Yuyan's voice interrupted Lu Zuo's reverie. He nodded, gave a soft "hmm," and asked:

"Miss Zhu, how are your injuries?"

Zhu Yuyan shook her head: "She's fine now..."

Before she could finish speaking, Lu Zuo grabbed her wrist. She raised her eyebrows slightly and instinctively tried to pull her hand back.

"Don't move."

Lu Zuo's voice was deep and powerful. Upon hearing those two words, Zhu Yuyan truly stopped moving.

Immediately, she felt a surge of vitality emanating from Lu Zuo's fingertips, flowing through her body along her pulse points.

Wherever it passed, the slight blockages and hidden injuries left in the meridians from the previous fierce battle melted away quietly, like ice and snow meeting the sun.

A vibrant life force then spread, nourishing the previously depleted true essence and sweeping away the body's fatigue.

After a short while, Lu Zuo released her and said in a low voice, "That person's technique from the night before last was too vicious, leaving hidden injuries in your body."

"I have already used wood-elemental true energy to neutralize it for you."

Zhu Yuyan silently sensed the internal changes and felt that her meridians and internal organs had become incredibly pure and full of vitality, as if they contained the fresh vitality of newly sprouted plants.

It makes you feel completely relaxed and comfortable, so comfortable that you want to hum aloud...

She quickly took a half step back, intending to bow in greeting, but her eyes suddenly sharpened as she looked behind Lu Zuo: "Who are you?"

Before she could speak, Lu Zuo had already sensed someone rapidly approaching him.

When he turned around, the other person had already landed in the courtyard and was standing opposite him.

This person was slender and graceful, dressed in a black outfit, wearing a bamboo hat, and with her face covered by a thin veil, so her appearance could not be seen.

But judging from her chest and the vaguely visible facial features, she was a woman, an extremely beautiful woman.

Lu Zuo had seen this woman's figure before.

The only woman among the eleven Shadow Guards who chased Yin Tianzi that night!

She didn't reply to Zhu Yuyan, seemingly not caring what she said at all, but instead stared intently at Lu Zuo.

"Who exactly are you?"

"Why do you look just like His Majesty?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuyan was slightly taken aback, and then the woman in black said, "Although your disguise is exquisite, it cannot fool my eyes."

This is outrageous!

She suspected that Lu Zuo was the emperor and wrote to Zhang Lihua, asking her to write a letter every day to report on the emperor's situation.

Upon comparison, it was found that Lu Zuo and the emperor appeared in Nantong and Jiankang respectively at the same time.

Could he really create clones?

As she pondered, Lu Zuo was also muttering to himself, "The Shadow Guards didn't make a move directly, which means they haven't seen through my 'Emperor' identity. They're just treating me as Lu Zuo, the Prefect of Dongyang..."

"Therefore, naturally they won't kill me just because I don't have royal blood."

"In that case, perhaps we can use the Shadow Guards to find the Underworld Emperor and resolve this problem!"

"and……"

"When they are both exhausted, I can reap the benefits."

Thinking of this, Lu Zuo said in a deep voice, "This matter is not for you to concern yourself with, is it?"

"And who exactly are you?"

"Why did you suddenly appear here? What is your purpose?"

The woman in black hesitated for a moment, then cupped her hands in a fist salute: "I am Ye Niang, a member of the royal family's Shadow Guard."

"We have come to Lord Lu to ask for your help in dealing with someone."

"And you have seen this person before; he is the one who injured the Imperial Advisor that night."

Lu Zuo feigned a look of sudden realization: "I see..."

"That explains why so many people suddenly appeared that night."

"But how can I verify your identity?"

Ye Niang quickly took out the Dragon Scale Dagger from her bosom and handed it to Lu Zuo: "This is the token of the Shadow Guard. Lord Lu only needs to present it to His Majesty to confirm my identity."

The latter reached out and took it, then asked, "Where is that person?"

"And who is he?"

Night Maiden replied, "This person is named Yin Tianzi, and was the former lord of the Hundred Ghosts City..."

Soon, Lu Zuo learned from Ye Niang what happened after that night.

The Shadow Guards chased the Emperor of the Underworld for over 700 li, but he still managed to escape.

Everyone knew that with the current strength of the Underworld Emperor, they could no longer besiege him and could only seek outside help.

And Lu Zuo...

A master who had reached the Inner Heaven and Earth Realm became the Shadow Guard's primary target.

As for asking about Lu Zuo's identity, it was simply because Ye Niang and the others were curious about him...

"Since it is for the sake of the imperial court, I will do my best to assist you."

"but….."

Lu Zuo glanced at the dragon scale dagger in his hand: "I will only take action after confirming your identity."

"Of course." Ye Niang nodded, then took her leave.

After she left, Lu Zuo pretended to send the dagger along with a memorial to the emperor, ordering the post station in Yunshan County to send it to the capital, Jiankang, as soon as possible.

……

The following morning, more good news arrived.

The closure of thirty-nine temples meant that Lu Zuo received 390,000 cultivation points.

In the following days, he gained tens of thousands of cultivation points almost every day, and Lu Zuo's Five Elements Yin Yang Technique also improved rapidly.

Not only has he mastered the Myriad Leaves Flying Flower Flow, but he has also cultivated the Fire-type Skull Blood Handprint to a little over halfway.

but……

With the complete eradication of the Dongyang Buddhist sect, the daily increase in cultivation level, ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands, also came to a halt.

……

After the Ghost of Reapers and Zhang Zhongjian led their soldiers to sweep through the Buddhist temples in several counties, they escorted a cart loaded with gold and silver treasures back towards Dongyang City.

The convoy had just rounded the last mountain ridge leading to Dongyang City when it was frozen in place by the sight before it.

Ahead, on the vast wilderness, a dozen enormous creatures, resembling giant wild boars and clad in heavy bronze armor, were advancing with a muffled roar and an almost ferocious efficiency.

Wherever it passed, patches of barren land, once overgrown with weeds and littered with pebbles, were quickly plowed up, raising clouds of dust...

A young soldier stared wide-eyed, nearly dropping his spear, and muttered, "What...what kind of monster is that? Is it...is it plowing the land?"

"Shut up!"

"What monster?"

An old soldier next to him patted him on the shoulder: "That's a mechanical beast!"

"It is a powerful tool for pioneering new lands, commissioned by His Majesty."

The Ghost Reaper reined in his horse, his gaze fixed intently ahead: "I've long heard of the power of mechanical beasts, but I never imagined they'd be like this?"

Zhang Zhongjian's eyes widened, and after a long while, he finally exhaled a breath of stale air: "Hoo..."

"Incredible!"

"That's incredible!"

"I've seen battering rams and siege towers, but I never imagined... such lethal weapons could be used for land reclamation!"

After a few words of reflection, he looked into the distance, thinking to himself, "Having such a powerful weapon is secondary..."

"The important thing is that the emperor actually distributed the land equally among the people."

"Perhaps, Chen Guozhen is worth keeping..."

"Hmm, let's take another look."

……

At this very moment, Lu Zuo had already brought Jing Ni, Li Wu, and Xiang Fei to Xinzheng City.

He indulged in debauchery and immorality day and night with these women, as well as the Tide Demoness and others.

After all, the timelines are different, so it's more worthwhile to improve one's cultivation in this world.

Of course, he would return to Jiankang every three days to torment Zhang Lihua, Bi Xiuxin, Fan Qinghui, and others.

With such high efficiency, his cultivation level increased rapidly, gaining more than 10,000 points almost every day!

This gave him a thought: if there were women in the Ming and Song dynasties who knew martial arts, they might be able to help him.

Why worry about cultivation level anymore?