Even without cheats, we must survive the apocalypse

Hong Zhan pulled the corners of his lips coldly, his hard and square face showing sarcasm, "Whether you evil cultivators can be trusted or not, do you think I can't tell?"

There is nothing good about evil practitioners.

Hong Zhan cooperated with them and had made several plans in mind, otherwise if the other party did something, he would not even know how he died. Of course, the success of this formation was the wish of both parties. Hong Zhan did it not for himself, but for his only son Hong Jing. The Xiexin Sect's wish was simpler, as long as it could damage the strength of the Xianhuang Empire.

It’s just that this Xia Jiuxie in front of him… wants a little more.

"Don't worry, my Xiexin Sect is considered to have some credibility among the evil cultivators."

"That's good."

Hong Zhan's tone was cold.

"I have arranged for someone to build this formation. I will not stay in the royal city from now on. I have some grudges to settle... Anyway, the prince doesn't really want to see me, right?"

Xia Jiuxie took back the formation plate, with a gleam of cruelty and excitement in his eyes.

Hong Zhan frowned, "Are you going to attack her?"

"Of course. After all, I suffered a lot at the hands of these bastards from the Immortal Phoenix Royal Family. If I don't get back at them, wouldn't it be a shame for my reputation?"

"I won't kill her outright. For such a delicious prey, of course I have to set up some tricks and traps and wait for her to fall into them. That would be more interesting."

Hong Zhan was silent, only to see that the desire for revenge on Xia Jiuxie's face was ignited, expanding and bursting like a malignant tumor, making a crackling sound. His distorted face made him look dark and crazy, like a poisonous snake waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Revenge always brings a momentary pleasure.

And this process is always enjoyable.

In order to enjoy this process, Xia Jiuxie would think a lot and make more interesting arrangements.

Hong Zhan knew what Xia Jiuxie's purpose in coming here was...the Wanling Qi-stealing Array and harming the Xianhuang Empire were all secondary.

He set his sights on the life of the Ninth Princess, Huang Yanyao.

Xia Jiuxie is not the kind of person who thinks long-term. Compared with swallowing up part of the national destiny of the Xianhuang Empire, a person's life and hatred are really insignificant. If it were King Nanling, he would make a choice. He would temporarily give up revenge and focus on major things, but Xia Jiuxie doesn't think so. Compared with taking Huang Yanyao's life, everything else can be put off for a while.

"...I wish you good luck."

Hong Zhan thought about it for a long time but couldn't say anything.

Huang Yanyao was a thorn in the heart of King Nanling. The sooner she was removed, the better. However, he absolutely did not trust this evil cultivator. If Xia Jiuxie killed Huang Yanyao, that would be great. But if on the contrary, Xia Jiuxie failed and lost his life, King Nanling would be even happier, because his disgust for evil cultivators would not change because of this fragile cooperative relationship.

"Thank you for your kind words, Your Majesty."

Xia Jiuxie's hypocritical smile made Hong Zhan feel full of sarcasm.

The two men disliked each other and were always planning to stab each other in the back, but this peaceful scene was maintained tacitly. If they had a falling out, both sides would have spared no effort to make the scene even more bloody and tragic.

Hong Zhan did not resist the arrival of that day, and the same was true for Xia Jiuxie.

……

After traveling northwest from Zhaotian City for ten days, one would have already reached the southern border of the empire, away from the border, and into the heart of southern border.

Huang Yanyao's territory is not large. Unlike Nanling King Hong Zhan who controls twelve important cities, she is a newcomer and is now only the governor of three cities. In terms of territory, it is actually not large, and Huang Yanyao is regarded as a threat by almost every force in southern Xinjiang.

Although they all bask in the glory of the Fairy Phoenix Emperor, if the Emperor's children want to cultivate the territory they have managed for a long time, some of them will have overt or covert rebellious intentions.

Of course, the Emperor does not interfere in such matters.

In order not to appear too stingy.

The royal family also needs experience. Since Huang Yanyao returned to the clan, she has been staying in her own side hall all day long. The emperor is also interested in what abilities this Ninth Princess who has been stranded outside has.

……

Outside Tianque City, soldiers clad in black armor set up camp, with tall flags fluttering in the wind.

The shouts and cries of the soldiers training merged into one, drizzles were floating in the sky, and the bloody clouds in the army formation were floating and flying. The army was solemn and sharp, and the orders were strictly enforced, which was frightening even from a long distance.

This is Huang Yanyao’s army.

There were not many people, and judging from the power contained in the blood cloud, it was not as thick and terrifying as what Lu Mu saw in Zhaotian City.

He and Gu Yunxi stood at the far end of the avenue, staring at the bloody cloud of the military formation.

Lu Mu just said indifferently: "Yeah, very energetic."

Chapter 23: Something Happened

This black-armored army is still very young and seems to have had little experience in combat. Most of them are rookies, and only the leader has reached the Hedao realm.

Although personal cultivation is important, it is especially important to have a strong elite army under your command, especially in the Central Region Dynasty. It is impossible to defend such a territory by relying solely on one's own strength.

Huang Yanyao came here from Tianhuang City with only about 10,000 soldiers, which was already quite small, at least not enough for her to defend the borders of the territory, let alone deal with the chaos.

She needed a strong army.

"I know you don't take it to heart."

Gu Yunxi adjusted the curtain on her bamboo hat, revealing half of her fair and beautiful face. She raised the corner of her mouth and sighed lightly, "Sister Yanyao's power is indeed much weaker than that of King Nanling."

She didn't understand what Lu Mu said that didn't belong to this world, but she knew that one person alone could not control the territory.

Huang Yanyao's foundation is fragile. The reason why she can now gain a foothold in Southern Xinjiang is because of her identity as the Ninth Emperor's daughter, but that's all.

Although he would not take her life openly, I wonder how he would curse this princess who had interfered in his relationship in private.

Lu Mu chuckled and patted her shoulder. "What if I said that she would not only be in charge of the Immortal Phoenix Dynasty in the future, but would also unify the Central Region and establish an unprecedented huge ancient dynasty?"

Gu Yunxi was stunned for a second, then shook her head and laughed, "You really love to joke."

"I was serious."

Lu Mu's eyes darkened and his voice became slightly deeper.

"Okay, you're serious, and so am I."

Gu Yunxi smiled brilliantly.

She didn't believe such words. If it was said that Huang Yanyao would be able to ascend the throne of the emperor in the future, that would be very believable, but if it was said that she would go to war and unify the Central Region... Gu Yunxi knew Huang Yanyao's personality and she didn't have such big ambitions.

It is not easy to be the eternal emperor.

When Lu Mu said this, Gu Yunxi just thought he was just trying to make her happy.

Unless this guy can predict the future, but how is that possible?

At the gate of Tianque City, black-armored soldiers were patrolling back and forth, and everything was in order. Gu Yunxi and Lu Mu were dressed a little strangely, so they were stopped, but she just showed a silver order with a Vermillion Bird painted on it, and the gatekeepers were surprised, then respectfully stepped back and did not dare to stop them.

"what is that?"

"The royal family's secret order, sister Yanyao has one, and I have one."

Gu Yunxi raised her thin lips proudly.

"She really trusts you."

"Didn't I tell you that?"

The two figures slowly merged into the crowd of people on the avenue leading into the city, accompanied by the faint light of the sun.

Tianque City is a larger and more prosperous city than Zhaotian City. Although the sudden change that happened three months ago is still being talked about even now, the new person in power in Tianque City does not matter much to ordinary people, and even more so to those independent cultivators. The only ones who would be nervous about this would be the local aristocratic gangs.

After all, the lord of a city represents a lot of things.

Huang Yanyao's takeover certainly caused a stir.

“Nice place.”

Gu Yunxi intended to take Lu Mu to have a good look at the city ruled by Huang Yanyao, and he was also happy to take a sightseeing tour.

"Yes, Sister Yanyao's influence has expanded thousands of miles."

She said with a smile, her eyes sweeping across the streets and alleys of Tianque City. It was still the familiar look, but calmer. She still remembered that when they first moved in, the three noble families and several gangs in the city refused to pay tribute to the new leader Huang Yanyao, nor did they come to visit. It was not until Huang Yanyao used thundering means to uproot them or beat them severely that the entire Tianque City was completely shocked.

She thought of Huang Yanyao's cold and domineering look at that time, and couldn't help but smiled with her lips pursed.

Sister Yanyao can be very decisive sometimes.

Although this job of showing courage needs to be done by subordinates...that is her.

"She originally had two cities, Lingyun and Youfeng, but there is such a huge monster sandwiched between them. If she doesn't take them all together, problems will arise sooner or later."

Gu Yunxi was immersed in the memories of several months ago.

"Where is the original commander?"

"That guy is Shen Han's best friend. He has been causing trouble since Sister Yan Yao took office. First, he detained the tax collectors sent by Sister Yan Yao, and then he tried every means to win over some fence-sitters in Sister Yan Yao's territory, attempting to make Sister Yan Yao a commander without any troops..."

"now what?"

"I remember his body was buried on a mountain a hundred miles away from Tianque City."

A hint of hostility flashed across Gu Yunxi's brows. After she finished speaking, she paused and added, "That mountain is quite desolate, just right for burying him."

Lu Mu didn't plan to ask anything else.

Huang Yanyao's power in Southern Xinjiang will grow stronger and stronger, until finally, the entire Southern Xinjiang of the Empire will be loyal to her.

The appointment of a leader of the Xianhuang Dynasty is actually much simpler. The Xianhuang Emperor does not have enough free time to write an imperial decree for every leader who takes office. In many cases, a leader is jointly nominated by the huge local aristocratic clans.

If Huang Yanyao had not come to the office with the emperor's decree, the governors of Lingyun and Youfeng cities would never have allowed her to move in so easily.

And when they tried to expand their sphere of influence, what they needed was not the emperor's approval, but to see whether their fists were strong enough.

The Immortal Phoenix Emperor simply would not care about so many things. For him who has already reached the holy realm, it does not matter how his subordinates fight for power and cause bloodshed everywhere. Only in this way can he bring more capable people to the empire.

The only ones he had to take care of were those big families whose strength was only slightly weaker than that of the royal family.

"arrive."

The two of them strolled around for half an hour and finally stopped in front of the Tongshi Palace in the center of the city.

The Tongshi Palace in Tianque City is even more luxurious, with a majestic and vast beauty of antiquity. The black-armored soldiers standing guard at the palace gate have all reached the innate realm. Before they even step in, the fluctuations of the palace-protecting formation can be faintly heard.

Gu Yunxi once again displayed the Silver Phoenix Order, and the gatekeeper let them in. They walked through a carefully maintained flower garden and entered the palace. The guards along the way were also somewhat strict. Unlike the peaceful atmosphere in the city, there seemed to be a heavy pressure in the palace. Gu Yunxi frowned and unknowingly quickened her pace.

At the door of the meeting room in the Tongshi Palace, before I even entered, I heard a loud and fierce shout from inside.

"……what happened?"

Gu Yunxi was confused, she could tell it was Huang Yanyao's voice, and now, she was very unhappy.

When I left, it seemed like something big had gone wrong.

She quickly pushed the door open and walked in, and the shouting from inside could be clearly heard.

"This is outrageous! That traitor was able to sneak into the palace, kill my maid, and escape, but you didn't even see his shadow!"

Huang Yanyao stood in front of the desk, tapping on it with her jade fingers, her pretty face full of anger.

Chapter 24: Huang Yanyao's capable assistant

The impression Lu Mu had of Huang Yanyao was not easy to reconcile with the furious and shouting girl in front of him.

The last time I saw her was outside the Moonfall Secret Realm.

At that time, Huang Yanyao was like a beautiful little white lotus quietly hiding in the corner. She was neither lovable nor vying for beauty. She was as calm as water, wearing a well-cut palace skirt, staying beside her sixth sister Huang Yue. Huang Yue liked to bloom more than she did, but that didn't make Huang Yanyao look ordinary.

Of course, when Lu Mu saw her at that time, he just thought she was the immature and shy Ninth Prince's daughter. Although she was a princess, she did not have the royal dignity. In short, she regarded herself as an unpopular little transparent person. She could not be said to be shining, but just lived a stable life.

And now, Huang Yanyao, who was standing in the main seat, had the aura of a superior and was dressed differently.

She wore a close-fitting black and gold official dress with a phoenix pattern and a purple jade belt around her waist. Her ink-black long hair was tied up in a bun with a phoenix hairpin inlaid with a blood-red ruby ​​inserted diagonally. Her hairpins made light sounds. Her cheeks were adorned with two bright red cinnabar moles. Her eyebrows were raised sideways, and her narrow eyes were filled with anger and coldness. A hint of official authority emanated from her eyes.

Lu Mu looked down. The hem of her skirt only reached her calves. Her slender feet were stepped into gilded official boots, revealing her smooth, snow-white ankles.

This outfit gave her an indescribable sense of majesty and elegance. It was different from the loose and luxurious palace dress and skirt. It was very clean and neat.

She seemed to be reborn.

"Master Commander, calm down! I will do my best to catch that man!"

A burly man with a strong build knelt on one knee with a serious expression on his face.

The armor was washed clean, with only the scratches left on it being very obvious. Even so, a strong smell of blood could be smelled from it... This was a rare tiger general.

"Huh, that's best!"