In this chaotic world of vying for power, I can become stronger by marrying a wife.

The sky returned to silence.

Su Ming swayed and fell from the sky.

[Ding! Mission complete! Safeguarding the capital successfully!]

[Reward: Cultivation breakthrough to early stage of Rank 5! Fragment of the divine weapon "Xuanyuan Sword" x1 has been received!]

[System scan activated; clues discovered regarding the Demonic Cult's headquarters...]

When Su Ming landed on the ground, the bluestone slab beneath his feet shattered inch by inch.

He leaned on his spear, his body covered in blood, but his eyes shone with an astonishing light.

"Commander Su!"

Three thousand imperial guards knelt down in unison, the clanging of their armor resounding through the sky.

At that moment, their eyes were devoid of doubt, filled only with fervent worship.

To defeat a pseudo-third-rank demon with the strength of a sixth-rank cultivator is not just a miracle, it is a divine feat.

The Emperor strode forward, personally helped Su Ming up, and said earnestly, "Minister Su, you saved me, and you saved the Great Zhou."

Su Ming wiped the blood from his face and said calmly, "This subject is simply fulfilling his duty."

"What a fine example of fulfilling one's duty!" The Emperor laughed heartily, "Issue the decree! Promote Su Ming to the rank of First-Rank General Who Guards the Nation, confer the title of Marquis of Champion, bestow upon him a python robe, and allow him to wear a sword in the palace. He shall not kneel before me!"

The surrounding ministers gasped in shock.

A first-rank general? A champion marquis?

In the three hundred years since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, there has never been such a young person who has been granted a marquisate.

But looking at the still-dripping Heavenly Spear, no one dared to utter a single word of dissent.

Su Ming closed his eyes, feeling the surging power within his body.

Fifth rank.

That was a watershed moment in martial arts.

If the sixth rank is the pinnacle of mortals, then the fifth rank is the beginning of the extraordinary.

The true energy within his body had completely liquefied, and every drop contained explosive power.

"Your Majesty, although the Crown Prince has been taken away, his remnants remain." Su Ming opened his eyes, his killing intent palpable. "I request an imperial decree to investigate and confiscate the Eastern Palace and the Crown Prince's associates. Anyone found to be colluding with the Demonic Sect shall be executed without mercy!"

"Granted!" The Emperor waved his sleeve, his eyes fierce. "I grant you the power of life and death. This capital city needs a cleansing."

That night, the capital city was sleepless.

Su Ming mounted his black horse and, leading the Divine Machine Battalion and the Imperial Guards, swept through the entire capital like a black torrent.

The Eastern Palace, a place that once symbolized the pinnacle of power in the Great Zhou Dynasty, had its gates violently forced open.

"Su Ming! You dare to touch me?" a princeling minister shouted.

Su Ming didn't even glance at him, and casually swung the Asura Blade.

Heads fell to the ground.

"Not a single person on the list will be spared."

Su Ming entered the Crown Prince's study, and the system scan continuously emitted crisp sounds.

[Ding! Secret room detected!]

He kicked open the hidden door behind the display shelf, which was filled with gold and silver treasures, as well as boxes of tightly packaged gunpowder.

In the deepest part of the secret room, Su Ming found a letter that had not yet been burned.

The signature on the letter made him frown.

"The Northern Barbarian royal family, the Demonic Sect, and the neighboring Great Qian Kingdom?"

Su Ming sneered, putting the letter into his pocket. "This is quite a big game, but unfortunately, it ran into me."

At this moment, Wei Lang rushed in, his expression strange: "My lord, we found someone in the backyard of the Crown Prince's residence."

"Who?"

"Miss Li Yueru."

Su Ming was stunned.

Isn't Yue Ru at the Shenji Camp's garrison?

He strode to the backyard and saw Li Yueru tied to a chair. Although she looked a little haggard, she was fine.

Upon seeing Su Ming, Li Yueru's eyes instantly reddened: "Su Ming, I knew you would come."

Su Ming walked over, cut the rope with a single stroke, and then pulled her into his arms.

"Sorry I'm late."

Li Yueru leaned against his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat, and whispered, "It's not too late. As long as it's you, it's never too late."

[Ding! Host's emotional bond has deepened, gaining 200 Luck Points!]

……

Three days later.

Blood flowed like a river at the Meridian Gate of Beijing.

More than 300 of the Crown Prince's cronies were beheaded and their heads displayed in public, but the people were not afraid; instead, they cheered.

Su Ming stood on the city wall, looking down at the commotion below, toying with a golden fragment in his hand.

Those are fragments of the Xuanyuan Sword.

Even from this small fragment, he could feel the terrifying power contained within it, a power that surpassed even the pseudo-third rank, and even the first rank.

"My lord, the army has been assembled." Chen Xiu walked up the city wall, now dressed in a smart and practical outfit.

"The entire 3,000-strong Divine Machine Battalion is equipped with the new muskets and thunderclaps you designed."

Su Ming turned his head: "Old Chen, are you really determined to come with me?"

"I'm so tired of being in the palace, my bones are practically melting." Chen Xiu chuckled. "Besides, you're too good at causing trouble. Without me watching over you, I'm afraid you'll really blow things up."

Su Ming smiled and turned his gaze northward.

Although the leader of the demonic sect has escaped, the system has already located his position—the far north, the Demon Abyss.

That place was not only the headquarters of the Demonic Cult, but also the true birthplace of the Northern Barbarian Army.

"Have you given the instructions to His Majesty?" Su Ming asked.

"His Majesty said that as long as you can pacify the northern border, he is willing to share half of the Great Zhou's territory with you." Chen Xiu lowered his voice. "It seems he is truly afraid."

Su Ming shook his head: "I have no interest in power. I just don't like having someone staring at my neck from behind."

He stepped down from the city wall and mounted his warhorse.

Five hundred Shenji Battalion soldiers stood in perfect formation, the muskets on their backs gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

This is a prototype of a repeating rifle that Su Ming rushed to produce overnight using the last of his basic industrial modules.

Although the craftsmanship was crude, in this era of cold weapons, this was divine punishment.

"Set off!"

At Su Ming's command, the army set off.

At the gates of the capital, Li Yueru stood in the crowd, silently watching that departing figure.

She didn't stop him, because she knew that man belonged to the battlefield, to the pinnacle.

During the march, Su Ming brought up the system panel.

Name: Su Ming

[Cultivation Level: Early Stage of Fifth Rank]

[Luck Value: 3500]

[Techniques: Asura Battle Manual, Heavenly Gang Spear Technique, Great Archer Archery]

[Current Mission: Storm the Demonic Abyss and Eradicate the Demonic Cult! Reward: Unlock the Intermediate Industrial Module, and advance your cultivation to Rank 4!]

Su Ming was looking at the panel when a commotion suddenly came from in front of him.

A scout galloped back: "Report! My lord, a small detachment of northern barbarians, about a thousand strong, has been spotted ahead, escorting a large number of people from the Central Plains northwards!"

Su Ming's eyes turned cold, and he drew his Asura Blade.

"A squad of a thousand?"

"Wei Lang, lead a team to flank from behind."

"Old Chen, you should lead your men in a frontal assault."

Su Ming patted the horse's head, a cruel smile curving his lips.

"As for me, I'll go test the power of the new weapon."

He took out a strangely shaped, long, black-barreled weapon from beside the saddle.

That was a specially made sniper rifle equipped with a system sight.

A kilometer away, a general of the Northern Barbarians was whipping an old man while cursing.

Su Ming pulled the trigger.

"Bang!"

A kilometer away, the head of the northern barbarian general exploded instantly like a rotten watermelon.

The entire room fell silent.

The northern barbarian soldiers looked around in terror, but couldn't see even a shadow of the enemy.

"A miracle! It's a miracle!" the people cried out as they knelt on the ground.

Su Ming sheathed his musket and pointed his spear: "Kill! Leave no one alive!"