I Possess a Scroll of Demon-Subduing Records

Xiao Zhao forced himself to calm down and said, "Then explain it to me."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I have discerned the three stars: Po Jun, Qi Sha, and Tan Lang. These three stars are devouring the ruler, and the brilliance of Mars is evident. This signifies a great upheaval in the world, with demons and monsters rising everywhere."

According to my master's judgment, the imperial line will end within five years..."

"I don't believe it!"

Xiao Zhao flung Zheng Zheng away, and Zheng Zheng fell to the ground, immediately spitting out a mouthful of blood and losing consciousness.

Xiao Zhao had no interest in caring about him; he only felt angry, frantic, and a little panicked.

The emperor's life was supposed to last eight years, but why did it suddenly shorten by three years?

What's even more frightening is that if we can save three years this time, will we save even more next time?

Why is this happening?

Isn't it said that fate is hard to change?

Why is it that his imperial fortune can decrease but not increase?

Heaven is unjust! It's so unfair!

Xiao Zhao was furious. Looking at the memorials on the table, he realized that in terms of diligence in government affairs, he far surpassed Xiao Qian, and in terms of knowing how to use people, he was also far superior to Xiao Qian.

Why was Xiao Qian able to reign as emperor for over ten years with such ease and so many officials serving him faithfully? Was it simply because he was born good?

Xiao Zhao was so angry he was about to explode, and he wanted nothing more than to wreak havoc to vent his rage.

But at this moment, Yan Qingqiu appeared.

Her appearance was still strange.

I don't know where she came from, but in the blink of an eye, she appeared in front of me.

This time, she wore a white fox mask, which added to her mystique.

"You refuse to submit to fate, so why are you throwing yourself into chaos over things that haven't even happened yet?"

What she said actually made a lot of sense, but to Xiao Zhao, it was just easy for him to talk when he was not in her shoes.

It's like a patient who is unwilling to accept that they will die in eight years and wants to try their best to live.

Then someone told him that he didn't have to wait eight years, that he would die in five years. How could he not be angry?

Just then, someone told him, "Since you're not willing to die in eight years anyway and want to fight back, what are you afraid of about dying in five years?"

Listen to this, is this human language?

Xiao Zhao was so angry he felt like vomiting blood, but when he saw Yan Qingqiu, he forced himself to calm down.

Yan Qingqiu is both a partner and a hidden enemy; he cannot lose his composure in front of Yan Qingqiu.

"From what you're saying, it seems you already have a solution? Why don't you tell me about it?"

Yan Qingqiu chuckled and said, "You guessed right. The three stars are devouring their master. Why don't you just destroy those three stars? With Mars shining brightly, demons are rising up everywhere. What are you afraid of? You're in cahoots with the demons!"

Xiao Zhao: "..."

It sounds outrageous, but it seems to make sense.

For a moment, he was speechless.

After a moment of silence, he said, "You are all-powerful, do you know who the Three Stars are?"

“I do know, but I paid a considerable price to deduce these three things, so you can’t just take it for nothing.”

Yan Qingqiu was clearly taking advantage of Xiao Zhao's misfortune to extort him, but Xiao Zhao had no choice but to agree to this deal.

What do you want?

The two had been working together for a long time, so there was no need for pretense now.

Yan Qingqiu said directly, "I want the Dragon Slayer Sword."

Xiao Zhao's face immediately darkened. He only knew that Yan Qingqiu wanted to take advantage of the situation, but he did not expect her to make such an outrageous demand for the Dragon Slayer Sword.

This is an imperial weapon, and it was also used to suppress his destiny; how could he give it away so easily?

"You must know what slaying the dragon means to me."

Xiao Zhao secretly vowed that if Yan Qingqiu insisted on demanding the dragon-slaying weapon, he would turn on him without hesitation.

"Now that you have ascended the throne and become emperor, and possess the Imperial Seal to suppress the nation's destiny, the Dragon Slayer is no longer of much use to you. You might as well give it to me, so that it can be put to good use."

Xiao Zhao: "..."

He had been completely outmaneuvered by this fox, and he absolutely couldn't back down like this again.

Xiao Zhao said coldly, "The Dragon-Slaying Sword concerns the fate of the nation, and I will absolutely not hand it over to you so easily."

He had calculated that he was of use to Yan Qingqiu, and that Yan Qingqiu would certainly not stand by and watch him die.

Therefore, he must fight for this round.

Yan Qingqiu indeed backed down, saying, "Since you won't give me the Dragon-Slaying Sword, how about the Dragon-Binding Rope?"

Now Xiao Zhao had no reason to refuse. The Dragon-Binding Rope was the legendary rope that bound the white dragon. After being stained with dragon blood, it also gained special power.

In terms of grade, it is actually only a spiritual artifact, not quite reaching the category of immortal artifacts, but this item has a great restraining effect on dragons.

The Dragon-Binding Rope was thrown out, and any creature possessing dragon power would be firmly bound, unable to use any of its magical power.

This fox spirit first wanted the Dragon-Slaying Sword, then the Dragon-Binding Rope. What exactly is she trying to do?

Xiao Zhao realized that he couldn't figure Yan Qingqiu out at all, so he didn't press him further and had no choice but to agree to Yan Qingqiu's request.

In fact, Yan Qingqiu's initial goal was the Dragon Binding Rope; she had Xiao Zhao completely outmaneuvered.

Xiao Zhao took out a red silk ribbon, the red color of which was dyed with dragon blood.

Yan Qingqiu accepted it and, as promised, revealed Samsung's identity.

"It's quite a coincidence that two of these three stars have a close relationship with you. The Greedy Wolf Star is your niece, named Yue, who rose to prominence in the Northwest."

The Seven Killings Star is your daughter, Xiao Se, in the southwest.

Po Jun is shrouded in a mysterious power; all I know is that her surname is Zhao, she's in the south, and she's currently lying low. You only have two enemies to deal with at the moment.

Xiao Zhao: "..."

He was worried when he didn't know who the enemy was; now that he knows, his feelings are even more complicated.

A niece and a daughter, well done, truly well done!

"I knew all along that this rebellious son would turn against me; I shouldn't have been soft-hearted in the first place!"

Xiao Zhao said bitterly, while Yan Qingqiu secretly mocked him. He clearly hadn't killed Xiao Se immediately in order to seek greater benefits, and now he was saying he was soft-hearted.

As expected of humans, they are indeed hypocritical.

However, she had no reason to anger Xiao Zhao, so she pretended not to hear and left quietly.

When Xiao Zhao turned around and Yan Qingqiu was gone, he felt even more resentful.

What an impudent fairy!

"One day, I will make you pay the price!"

Xiao Zhao muttered something harshly, looked up at the sky, and saw that the Greedy Wolf Star was indeed dazzling.

In other words, the first star to appear is Greedy Wolf.

With the Greedy Wolf Star in the northwest, Xiao Zhao quickly sent someone to inquire where Xiao Yue had sold her. Upon inquiry, he learned that it was to Hanzhong Prefecture.

"Greedy Wolf Star? I'd like to see what you're capable of!"

……

The story of Hanzhong Prefecture unfolded in a way that exceeded Lin Yi's expectations.

He had expected at least a fierce battle to follow, but he didn't know how many men Xiao Yue had or whether she could defeat Liu Jian.

Even before the fight started, Lin Yi had already planned that if a fight were to break out, he would step in and act as a peacemaker to minimize casualties on both sides.

The best outcome would be for us to keep to ourselves and not interfere with each other. Our common enemy is the imperial court, so there's no need to make too many enemies now.

Moreover, they all share the same goal.

To everyone's surprise, Liu Jian was far more tolerant than Lin Yi had imagined. As soon as he met Xiao Yue, he bowed his head and submitted, expressing his willingness to be subordinate to Xiao Yue and work together to punish the traitor.

In order to stabilize the situation for the time being, Xiao Yue did not immediately take over Liu Jian's team, but continued to let him lead them.

At this point, only one force remains in Hanzhong.

In the firelight, Lin Yi looked at Xiao Yue as if he were seeing a rising star slowly ascending...

Chapter 367 Northern Expedition against Wei

The people of Hanzhong Commandery were unaware that Xiao Zhao had already issued orders to mobilize troops, and within three days, the surrounding prefectures and counties would respond.

Not only the visible troops, but also the demons hidden in the shadows will join forces.

Generally speaking, it wouldn't be necessary to mobilize such a large force to quell a small rebellion like the one in Hanzhong Commandery. The national treasury was already low on funds, and fighting a war would consume a considerable amount of money and provisions.

But Yan Qingqiu had made it very clear to him, so Xiao Zhao certainly wouldn't underestimate this Greedy Wolf Star.

He decided to use swift and decisive measures to kill Greedy Wolf Star in one fell swoop.

Whether we can defy fate or not, success or failure hinges on this one move!

Due to differences in intelligence, Liu Jian and Xiao Yue are still discussing development strategies.

Since he had already revealed his intentions to Lin Yi, and Xiao Yue had already shown her sincerity by letting him continue to lead her troops, Liu Jian didn't want to be too stingy and become a laughingstock.

He then recounted his original plan: to gradually seize Liangzhou and secretly cross the border into Yinping.

This plan is excellent, but Xiao Yue has no intention of using it.

She hadn't discussed it with Lin Yi yet, but her thinking was strikingly similar to his.

While the plan to seize Yizhou seemed prudent, it also led to a loss of ambition and drive.

Moreover, news of their rebellion will soon reach Jiankang, and Xiao Zhao will send troops to suppress them. With only Yizhou, how can it stand against the whole country?

Instead of retreating into a defensive posture, it's better to take the initiative and attack.