The Star River Era! The Dimensional Freedom Demon

What are you saying? What are you saying?!

The leader's face turned as black as charcoal; he wished he could slap the vice leader twice on the spot.

The forces in the south that possess grandmasters—even the Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain came directly, and Wudang Mountain, which has already closed its gates, sent a Qi and Blood Transformation expert as a representative. If he dares to back out at the last minute…

Bai Yang taught Liu Qiguang, and that was his fate.

"With King Wu's stature and ambition, would he really set up a trap for us?"

The leader shouted in a low voice, but his voice "inadvertently" reached the ears of the other teams.

Having left the army, he was also worried that a top figure like Ji Qingyun might be shameless and try to kill him.

However, once he entered the city, the scene inside immediately dispelled most of his worries.

Along both sides of Hongdu Main Road, martial arts practitioners were everywhere. Even among the top masters of the third stage of Qi and Blood Transformation, Master Wang could always see one or two of them every hundred or two meters.

With so many martial arts masters gathered, the streets were bustling with activity.

Before the group from the Fragrance Sect had even completed half of their journey, they encountered no fewer than three masters setting up duels.

"King Wu is magnanimous. He allows them to run rampant in such a large city."

The vice-leader was immediately relieved after reading it.

"Um."

Leader Wang nodded, then shook his head.

"Even if King Wu lets them do as they please, these people don't dare to act recklessly. At least those who started the fight were very measured."

As Master Wang spoke, he finally unleashed his grandmaster aura, astonishing everyone around him. At the same time, the vice-master followed up with his own words:

"The leader of the Fragrance Sect congratulates King Wu!"

After the sound spread, pedestrians on the street all stepped aside to make way for the group from the Fragrance-Wen Sect.

Surrounded by martial arts masters, Ji Chen naturally heard the commotion outside. He smiled and said to Zhang Jichang, who was turning his head to the side:

"Master Wang was still cautious; he observed the city for a quarter of an hour before calling out the numbers."

Zhang Jichang could only force a smile.

At this moment, more than a thousand martial arts experts had gathered below the stage, their figures bustling and their voices rising like a tide.

With so many martial arts masters gathered together, their combined power made the winter chill seem like a warm spring day.

Within the four major provinces of Yizhou, Jingzhou, Jiaozhou, and Yangzhou, almost every martial arts sect with a name was led by its leader, who brought three to five core disciples to the gathering.

It can be said that Ji Chen's order mobilized more than half of the martial arts world in Kyushu to respond.

However, despite the large number of forces present, only those leading teams at the third stage of Qi and Blood Transformation were granted seats, and only grandmasters and experts could ascend the stage.

The rest could only stand and listen.

Ji Chen made no attempt to conceal his true intentions; his adherence to the rules was unwavering.

At this meeting to draft the rules of the new dynasty, military strength equals status, and social standing equals rank.

"Now that Leader Wang has arrived..."

Ji Chen turned his head and instructed Chen Xianli:

"You can pass on the notice now and have those people outside come over for the meeting."

Half an hour later, Ji Chen, ignoring the fact that not everyone had arrived, began to speak.

As for those forces that didn't arrive in time...

Sorry, there's no place for you in the new dynasty.

You dare to arrive later than a grandmaster? You'll be eating rice from the same field!

"I won't beat around the bush; I'll speak frankly and openly."

Ji Chen paused slightly, and seeing that everyone was watching, he continued speaking.

"I rose to power through force, taking over from my uncle's men, fighting my way up from 30,000 remnants to where I am today..."

"I've always disliked Confucianism. It's full of theories, but when the barbarians came, they were quicker to surrender than anyone else."

The room erupted in laughter.

Since ancient times, literature and martial arts have been irreconcilable enemies, and Ji Chen's words resonated deeply with everyone.

"Therefore! My new dynasty is destined to be different from all previous dynasties, sweeping away the corruption of Confucianism and establishing itself through military might!"

Meeting the eager gazes of the attendees, Ji Chen continued speaking.

"...Our Wu Dynasty does not share the world with the scholar-officials, but with everyone present here, and with the various sects!"

boom!

As soon as Ji Chen said this, no one could sit still. Even though his killing of four grandmasters in one day was a sign of his authority, they couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

"Your Majesty! You mustn't!"

Although he had expected this, Chen Xianli was still taken aback and instinctively grabbed Ji Chen's arm, trying to make him take back what he was saying.

"Is what King Wu said true?"

Before Chen Xianli could say anything more, an excited old man, his face flushed, stepped forward to interrupt him.

He was born in Baihu Mountain Villa in Yizhou, and he considered himself to be of some standing, having reached the third stage of Qi and Blood Transformation. When he saw someone trying to stop the hot-headed young king, he couldn't help but feel anxious.

Ji Chen ignored the old man, removed Chen Xianli's hand, and said:

"I know what I'm doing. The old guys have all been taken care of. Alright."

Ji Chen remained silent about the presumptuous old man, leaving the villain to Chief Wang.

"What kind of bastard are you? Who gives you the right to speak here? Get out!"

The spiritual realm of Master Wang spread out, like incense smoke swirling in a temple. Behind the swirling clouds of incense smoke, it seemed as if a smiling Maitreya Buddha appeared, radiating countless rays of light.

Before he could even move, the old master of Baihu Manor was suddenly gripped by an invisible giant hand, his bones creaking so hard they made his teeth ache. Then, without uttering a sound, he collapsed to the ground.

The shouts from the crowd below the stage immediately ceased, and the imposing presence of the grandmaster made them instantly realize who was the boss in this area.

If even grandmasters are this powerful, what about a martial king who can kill four grandmasters in a single day?

Upon realizing this, everyone sat up straight like obedient children.

Seeing that everyone's emotions had been calmed down, Ji Chen secretly gave Sect Leader Wang an approving look and slowly said:

"What I say is the will of Heaven here; how could it be false?"

The words, though not particularly heavy or light, carried a weighty weight, making everyone feel as if they were being crushed by the heavens.

Even the two grandmasters, Zhang Jichang and Master Wang, couldn't help but change color, and they could see the shock in each other's eyes as they looked at each other.

"I intend to grant the five great sects a 20% share of the civil service examinations each year, and to share the tax revenue of their respective prefectures with the new dynasty."

"Thirty-six assistants were appointed, and each year they were selected through the imperial examinations. They were entitled to a 20% share of the examinations and to share the tax revenue of their respective prefectures with the new dynasty."

"One hundred and eight minor clans will be granted a 10% share in the annual imperial examinations, and will share the tax revenue of their respective counties with the new dynasty."

This is modeled after the Nine-Rank System of the Wei, Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties, specifically the Grand and Junior Grand Judges, but the positions were filled by martial arts masters instead of local powerful clans.

Furthermore, these sects were granted local financial power, comparable to that of kings and nobles.

Ji Chen continued talking non-stop, dropping bombshells.

"The main lineage changes every fifty years, the auxiliary lineage every twenty years, and the minor lineage every ten years..."

At this moment, even Zhang Jichang couldn't sit still any longer and couldn't help but say:

"Your Highness, what are the selection criteria for the Upper Sect, Auxiliary Sect, and Minor Sect?"

With such favorable conditions, it would be a disservice to the prestigious name of the ancestral home of Taoism if Longhu Mountain didn't occupy a position as a top sect.

"That's exactly what I want to say next."

Ji Chen looked nostalgic, for the selection criteria were also key to whether he could gain new benefits after devouring this world.

"As you all probably know, at the end of last year, I erected five cloud-dragon stone tablets in Yingtian Prefecture."

Upon hearing the name of the Cloud Dragon Stele, Zhang Tianshi immediately murmured "May the Heavenly Venerable grant boundless blessings," and secretly apologized.

The leader's eyes twitched; the thought of it made his heart ache.

The people of Yingtian Prefecture died a truly tragic death.