The Star River Era! The Dimensional Freedom Demon

The first thing Prefect Liu, who was slowly awakened by having his philtrum pinched, said was:

"Nan Zhengze has misled me, Nan Zhengze has misled me!"

Despite suffering from hysteria, Prefect Liu regained his composure and, suppressing his anxiety, said to the gatekeeper:

"Quickly, go and invite Sect Master Shen of the Xuanhe Clan!"

The gatekeeper ran incredibly fast, his legs blurring as he headed straight for Sect Master Shen.

Before long, Master Shen, having learned the current situation, stepped forward to pay his respects to the prefect with a bitter expression.

"Prefect, the best course of action now is to leave. Otherwise, once the White Sun Sect reunites its forces, we will likely become sitting ducks."

"Sect Master Shen is a great master of the third stage of Qi and Blood Transformation. What can he do now? Sect Master Shen has a large group of people under his command who rely on the shops in the city for their offerings. Once the city falls, Sect Master Shen will have nothing left."

At this point, Prefect Liu was like an ant on a hot pan. If he committed suicide to defend the city after it fell, all would be well. But if he dared to escape, he would be the one to lose his head once he reached the capital.

Nine Clans: My turn?

Therefore, he no longer cared about past relationships and directly threatened Sect Leader Shen.

Sect Leader Shen was helpless. Their entire sect was too deeply tied to Yuezhou Prefecture, and Prefect Liu had struck at his weak point with a single blow.

After carefully inquiring about the information, Sect Leader Shen's eyes lit up, and he said:

"My lord, I have another plan. The city's garrison still has two thousand soldiers and three thousand local militia. We still have a fighting chance. As long as we kill Lu Xiao on the other side, the Baiyang Sect's morale will surely collapse. In that case, we might still have a chance to turn the tide."

Reminded by Sect Leader Shen, Prefect Liu's chaotic thoughts vanished, and his mind became clear. He said:

"But that thief is incredibly strong, beyond the capabilities of ordinary people. I wonder who can kill him?"

The question was phrased as a question, but the eyes were fixed intently on Sect Leader Shen, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Sect Leader Shen gritted his teeth, thinking of his disciples, and replied:

"I still have considerable strength and am willing to help the prefect. However, my skills are limited; I fear I can only defeat, not kill. I will need the prefect to send another expert to cooperate with me!"

"Of course, of course." Prefect Liu instructed his confidant, "Go and summon the third-class guard 'Ghost Shadow Smoke Guest.' His injuries should be almost healed, and now is the time for him to serve His Majesty faithfully."

. . . . . .

Ji Chen tapped the bow arm lightly with his fingers, signaling his men to move the looted gold and silver treasures over, his thoughts racing.

Now that he has captured the south gate, he should logically proceed to attack the other gates immediately, thus putting them in a pincer movement and coordinating with the other forces of the Baiyang Sect.

However, everyone understands that the majority of the Baiyang Sect members are now a motley crew, each always fighting for their own gain.

If Ji Chen dares to foolishly go and help out today, he might not even get a single penny back.

Of course, since they had all become rebels, Qingting's silver notes were essentially worthless to them; real silver was much more appealing and useful.

At this moment, Zhang Shunwu rushed over and whispered in his ear:

"Boss, General Li has sent orders for us to rush to the East Gate immediately. What should we do?"

Ever since Ji Chen subdued him, Zhang Shunwu has started calling him "boss".

Ji Chen sneered and simply said:

"Which city gate did he take his men to? We'll send some men to follow them."

Zhang Shunwu's expression was strange as he said:

"General Li hasn't made a move yet. Right now, he's behind us demanding money from those wealthy families. I heard he's even caused quite a few deaths."

Ji Chen's expression turned cold, and his opinion of Li Cheng worsened.

They were so harsh on other districts that they could have plundered, which is no different from the behavior of bandits.

Although I felt a bit angry, I also knew that this was the reality of the times.

Thieves pass by like combs, soldiers pass by like fine brushes.

Even government officials and soldiers would kill innocent people to claim credit, let alone them.

"By the way, did Commander Liu manage to get his hands on the armory? And how's the incorporation of those surrendered soldiers going?"

"Commander Liu has already captured the armory and obtained a lot of good armor and weapons. He is on his way now. As for the incorporation, I have reopened a battalion as you instructed, and mixed up the surrendered soldiers for incorporation. I have transferred some veterans to serve as junior officers. After half a month of training and integration, we will surely have another battalion of fighting soldiers."

Ji Chen was very satisfied. He always believed that the quality of soldiers was more important than the quantity.

Therefore, not all the surrendered soldiers were incorporated into the army. Instead, some good men from local families were selected to form two battalions of a thousand men.

In retrospect, Zhang Shunwu executed the plan quite well.

He patted Zhang Shunwu on the shoulder and said:

"Alright, you've done all that very well. But right now..."

Ji Chen kicked the sandalwood box beside his feet, and the lid popped open, revealing scattered pieces of silver and glittering jewels inside.

"I'll set a rule," he said, holding up three fingers and waving them.

"From now on, whoever follows me and makes a profit, 30% will go to me, and the remaining 30% will be split among you managers. Everyone will get a share."

"The rest..." Ji Chen suddenly raised his voice and shouted to the thirsty soldiers outside the courtyard:

"I won't let my brothers who risk their lives for me be disheartened. The remaining forty percent is for you all! Whether you buy wine and meat, save it to marry a wife, or buy land, it's all up to you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, thunderous cheers erupted outside.

Some who were unaware of what was going on, after the cheering crowd explained, started yelling and shouting wildly.

"Long live Boss Lu!"

I don't know who started it, but then there was a deafening, synchronized shout:

"Long live Boss Lu!"

Such a commotion was heard not only by the entire city, but by at least half of it.

The citizens, already living in fear because of the war, were now even more afraid and unable to sleep amidst the cheers.

However, while these cheers boosted the morale of Ji Chen's men and accelerated their cohesion, they also provided excellent cover for the dangers lurking in the darkness.

With a deafening roar, the roof above Ji Chen's head shattered into pieces, and amidst the flying tiles, a sword light, fierce as a venomous snake, pierced downwards towards the top of Ji Chen's head.

The ruthlessness of the attacker and the precision of the timing were things Ji Chen had never seen before.

Even more terrifying was the mournful whistling sound as the sword tip pierced the air.

A true expert's skill is immediately apparent.

Putting everything else aside, the person who made the move was either a master of Qi and Blood Transformation 2 or a great expert of Qi and Blood Transformation 3.

In that life-or-death moment, all the distracting thoughts in Ji Chen's mind vanished, revealing an unusual clarity.

In the flickering firelight, the shadow of the sword hanging overhead was cast on the brick wall, just like a bolt of lightning striking down.

The shrieking sound of the sword slicing through the air was still ringing in his ears when his body moved sideways like a ghost.

But the sword was too fast, and he couldn't dodge it in time. With a "whoosh," he felt a chill in his left ear. Before half a piece of flesh could fall off, it was shredded into a bloody mist by the sword energy.

"A fine sword."

Ji Chen's lips curled into a ferocious smile.

His body was covered in large, twisting veins like a python, and his arms suddenly swelled up, tearing his sleeves to shreds. The lamplight cast this terrifying figure onto the wall, making it appear like a surging, monstrous dragon.

"Smash it!"

Ji Chen roared in anger, his strength rising from the ground, and he shot straight towards the roof beam like a cannonball.