Chapter 284: Whoever Dares to Speak Ill of General Zhao is a Traitor

After finding the location, Zhao Xing couldn't help but survey the surrounding environment. "It's actually hidden this deep underground?"

This was a massive underground karst cave.

The area was filled with monolithic rock formations. There was only a small opening above, seemingly where pieces of rock had fallen away due to the passage of time. That was also a wind tunnel, with fierce winds blowing out from it.

"The fierce wind is very strong. Who knows how many years it has corroded the underground space, creating such a vast area."

The underground space was so vast it could easily accommodate a small barbican.

A rectangular object floated in mid-air. It was a hundred meters long, fifty meters high, and thirty-five meters wide. Directly facing the wind tunnel was an ancient, rustic gate. The gate bore inscriptions resembling shrimp and earthworms, along with mysterious crescent-moon-like carvings.

"In this entire underground space, only this single spot has a magic array set up. However, it was clearly arranged by a later arrival, as the traces are very recent."

"It seems to be the invisible illusion array set up by Yang Dang," Zhao Xing thought to himself. He had opened his Heavenly Eye, so the array was easily seen through, allowing him to directly perceive the hidden object itself. After all, the Heavenly Eye technique was already at a top-tier level.

"Let this clone try," Zhao Xing mused.

After capturing the city, he dispatched many clones to search. One of them, using a遁法 (escape/遁術 -遁法 could be a fast travel technique, or a specific magical escape), quickly located the treasure vault indicated by his deductions.

"Whoosh,"

As Zhao Xing's clone approached, it felt a tremendous resistance. "Yin wind?" Zhao Xing looked at the distorted, blurry gate ahead. At this moment, he was blocked by the yin wind.

"It's not set by Yang Dang, but emitted by the treasure vault itself," Zhao Xing concluded. "The intensity of this yin wind is very high; even a fifth-grade Soul of Fate would perish here."

Even as a clone, Zhao Xing was unafraid of this level of yin wind. He continued flying forward.

"Whoosh, whoosh~"

After the yin wind, a green light suddenly flashed, mixed within the wind.

"Poof~"

Zhao Xing's Myriad Arts clone suddenly trembled. The green ghost fire, seemingly transparent, didn't burn but instead burrowed into the straw figure, heading directly for his detached soul.

"Wow, Yin Fire! How interesting!"

Zhao Xing's eyes lit up. Yin Fire didn't burn anything else; it only burned soul-type objects, and the Soul of Fate naturally belonged to this category. However, the Yin Fire technique was extremely difficult to control. As the saying goes, isolated Yin cannot generate, and solitary Yang cannot grow. It was extremely difficult to summon Yin Fire alone to fight an enemy.

"A mere wisp of Yin Fire, what can it do to me—!"

On the ground, Zhao Xing's main body was stunned. Because one of his 'method straw figures' (presumably a type of clone or proxy) exploded.

"Interesting, such a high level. What kind of flame is this? Six Ding Divine Fire? Profound Yin Ghost Fire? It can't possibly be of the Nine Yin Netherflame or Grand Yin True Fire caliber, can it?"

"Investigate again!"

Zhao Xing became interested and sent more clones to the location. At the same time, his main body ordered his subordinates to confiscate Yang Dang's property.

"Li Gan, go and seal all of Yang Dang's assets. No one is allowed to approach without my command. All documents and records are to be brought here immediately. I suspect he was also colluding with the rebellious prince in the adjacent prefecture."

"Yes, sir," Li Gan obediently replied.

By now, Li Gan no longer commanded troops, as he was no longer qualified. Under Zhao Xing's command were now two powerful armies: the Yuan Kui and Yuan Yu forces. A portion of the Yuan He Army's generals also took orders there. Among the military generals, Li Gan was no longer highly ranked. Fortunately, having joined Zhao Xing early, he still served as the commander of Zhao Xing's personal guards.

"Let me see what Yang Dang has bought in recent years and what information he's searched for in the Earth Mirror," Zhao Xing said, pulling out the Earth Mirror and arriving at the Beifeng Commandery Prefecture.

"Yang Dang, the Martial Marquis of Beifeng, was enfeoffed as a Martial Marquis in the 145th year of the Dingxin era. Since the entire Beifeng Commandery's land wasn't particularly good, the imperial court at the time bestowed the entire commandery upon him as his fiefdom."

"Here, the Yang clan was practically local emperors, and there were no other powerful families in Beifeng Commandery."

"In recent decades, Yang Dang has been very low-key. Originally, in King Luo's intelligence reports, Yang Dang was not considered likely to rebel because, although he was a fourth-grade perfect realm cultivator, his strength was rated as 'mediocre'."

"The reasons for this evaluation were that Yang Dang was low-key, and he was also getting old," Zhao Xing said, shaking his head as he looked at the information in the Earth Mirror. "That's absurdly wrong. How could Yang Dang be a weak fourth-grade?"

Judging by the attack on Beifeng Commandery, Yang Dang's martial arts strength was very formidable, easily qualifying him as excellent! Especially his Soul of Fate. Logically, a fourth-grade cultivator only cultivates their corporeal soul, making it impossible to begin cultivating their spiritual soul. Except for priests, or geniuses like Zhao Xing who cultivated their souls early, other officials' Soul of Fate realms lagged behind their physical realms. Yet, Yang Dang's Soul of Fate had also reached the fourth-grade perfect realm, and he even displayed incredibly strong resistance when facing the 'Dream Walking Technique'. It took a full quarter of an hour to slay him in the dream realm!

"In the past thirty years, he bought many ancient books in the military realm, mainly historical texts."

"It seems Yang Dang also discovered the underground treasure vault and was in the process of translating and deciphering it."

A general studying history was nothing unusual. If Zhao Xing hadn't discovered the treasure vault, he wouldn't have made the connection. Moreover, Yang Dang was low-key and reclusive, so he rarely appeared in the military realm's purview.

"He's cautious enough, so why would he think of rebelling with King Liang?"

Zhao Xing put away the Earth Mirror. Soon after, ten more clones entered the underground space.

"Poof, poof~"

Approaching within a hundred meters of the gate, they were still incinerated.

"There's a trick to this. It seems I can't enter without using my main soul," Zhao Xing mused. He stopped wasting clones and simply observed the surroundings.

Meanwhile, the Beifeng Marquisate Mansion was also searched and sealed. All documents were classified as secret and loaded onto a ship.

"My lord, the matter is settled," Li Gan reported.

"Mm," Zhao Xing nodded and quickly boarded the ship.

About an hour later.

"So those were the ancient Han Dynasty's characters?"

"According to the information on the gate and the materials collected by Yang Dang, the underground treasure vault was left by the Nether Soul Sect during the ancient Han Dynasty era."

"I see, the Nether Soul Sect, one of the ten great divine sects of ancient times," Zhao Xing realized. "It seems this is a relic site of the Nether Soul Sect."

Many of the ten great divine sects of ancient times did not pass down their legacies, perishing in the river of history.

"The Nether Soul Sect also cultivated souls, just like the Dream God Sect. Cultivating souls often leads to broken inheritances," Zhao Xing lamented. For those who walked the path of the soul, whether in cultivation or external combat, if they died, they could easily turn into complete nothingness, unable to even enter the Yin Realm.

"There's actually a divine sect ruin here, and it seems to be of a high level."

Once the origin of the ruins was determined, things became easier. In his previous life, during the Era of Spiritual Energy, earth vein shifts caused numerous ancient ruins to emerge. Players had dug up every tomb, and many dungeons involved exploring these ruins.

"Beifeng Commandery must have historically been a branch of the Nether Soul Sect."

"The treasure vault below should be the branch's treasury."

Zhao Xing searched the Primordial Warship, gathered enough equipment, and then delved underground. At this moment, all of his clones, except for the two at Xuantian Academy and Kunyuan Academy, were here.

"Collect!"

Zhao Xing gathered all his clones into the Pure Origin Space.

"Seven Star Soul of Fate, unite!"

Within his Sea of Consciousness, the seven major souls merged into one.

"Wind-Stabilizing Pearl!"

Ten greenish beads whirled up and flew towards the ancient gate. Top-grade Seventh-tier, Wind-Stabilizing Pearl! The ten Wind-Stabilizing Pearls circled the treasure vault.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~"

The gate shimmered with purple light, and the fierce winds were continuously absorbed by the Wind-Stabilizing Pearls. The intensity of the yin wind immediately weakened, no longer able to harm a fifth-grade Soul of Fate.

"Huodou! Go!"

Zhao Xing released a series of black dog-like mechanical puppets from behind him. The mechanical puppets, Huodou, were also top-grade seventh-tier. Huodou liked to devour flames. The twenty Huodou released by Zhao Xing were all of the Yin attribute, perfectly capable of devouring this area of Yin Fire. The flames diverted, splitting into twenty thin streams that entered the bodies of the two-meter-tall Huodou. Their black bodies immediately took on a greenish hue.

"It's reduced. The Yin Fire's intensity is below fourth-grade, no longer a threat to a fourth-grade Soul of Fate."

Zhao Xing released another clone, which continued forward.

"Buzz~"

An extremely sharp piercing force immediately rushed into the clone's body, also attacking its Soul of Fate.

"Clang, clang~"

The Soul Annihilation Bell activated! This attack, which pierced the Soul of Fate, was immediately blocked by the Soul Annihilation Bell.

"Proceed again!"

Zhao Xing ordered the clone to advance again. At this moment, the clone's body suddenly dropped three meters, as if it had been crushed by something. This was purely spiritual suppression, an immensely heavy oppressive feeling, making Zhao Xing feel as if he were carrying a mountain.

"Accelerate!"

Zhao Xing abandoned this clone, allowing it to quickly rush into the gate's range. It simultaneously endured a heavy oppressive force and a continuous, extremely cold pushing force.

"Poof~" The clone's body was unharmed, but its detached soul had vanished.

"Well, well, the five elements of Yin Soul attacks are all complete here," Zhao Xing said, pulling out a bottle of Prime Soul Liquid and drinking it to replenish his soul power. "What's hidden inside is definitely something good."

The harder it was, the more excited Zhao Xing became. Because ordinary treasures were no longer difficult for him to acquire. Items like the Huodou and Wind-Stabilizing Pearls were all seventh-tier treasures, falling under the category of high-grade military supplies. But now he could requisition a batch of them for use, because the entire Tianhe Prefecture Transport Department was at Zhao Xing's disposal. Yang Dang didn't have this capability; even acquiring one seventh-tier treasure would be difficult for him.

"Almost there." After more than a dozen continuous experiments, Zhao Xing had roughly figured out the conditions for breaching it. It was then that his main body began to engage. The soul strength of his main body was incomparable to that of a clone. Wearing a top-grade eighth-tier Soul Armor and activating the Soul Annihilation Bell, with the auxiliary suppression from the Huodou and Wind-Stabilizing Pearls, Zhao Xing successfully reached the purple gate of the treasure vault. Purple light flowed over the gate, still functioning even after countless years.

"World-Breaking Nails."

Zhao Xing took out nine long, intricately carved nails from the box on his back. Though called nails, these objects were actually as thick as a forearm.

"Go!"

Zhao Xing inserted them into the purple light.

"Whoosh~"

The nine top-grade seventh-tier World-Breaking Nails immediately began to spin, continuously drilling inwards. They drilled for a full hour! Finally—

"Buzz-boom~"

As if unable to bear the burden, the purple light finally vanished, and the gate opened with a thunderous roar. The heavy stone gate was covered with mottled traces, marks of erosion by time. Green, carpet-like moss covered the once magnificent carvings; now the patterns were blurred, leaving only faint, mysterious outlines. The runes on the walls were also dim, and Zhao Xing could clearly see traces of mechanical arrays, but only a faint aura remained.

Entering the treasure vault, a musty scent wafted forth. There were many shelves on both sides, holding various broken weapons and books that would crumble at a touch.

"Most of them have shattered, unable to withstand the erosion of time," Zhao Xing observed the broken items. "Typically, materials of the seventh-tier begin to disintegrate after fifty thousand years, collapsing completely internally. Even with special preservation methods, they wouldn't last more than a hundred thousand years."

"The Han Dynasty is probably over five hundred thousand years ago. To still see remnants, that divine sect must have been truly glorious back then," Zhao Xing mused.

With a casual wave of his hand, a fierce wind blew into the treasure vault. As the fierce wind swept through, numerous items completely disintegrated into particle form, crumbling thoroughly.

"Anything that remains must be at least an eighth-tier treasure," Zhao Xing watched with anticipation. As the fierce wind swept through, the piles of remnants in the treasure vault finally vanished.

"Hmm? Something's here!" A purple light suddenly flashed before Zhao Xing's eyes and flew towards the door. "And it's a big one!"

Zhao Xing was instantly excited by this sight. Something that could fly away on its own clearly possessed an 'artifact spirit'!

"Where do you think you're going?!"

Zhao Xing immediately threw out the Heavenly Net.

"Poof~"

The seventh-tier Heavenly Net was simply penetrated by the purple light. It couldn't stop it at all.

"Go!"

Zhao Xing immediately cast a lightning spell. His Heavenly Lightning Finger struck the purple light, knocking it away.

"Clang, clang, clang!"

The Soul Annihilation Bell continuously vibrated. The first layer of the Soul Evolution Art operated at full power! Zhao Xing was giving his all!

"Whoosh~"

The purple light finally slowed down. At this point, Zhao Xing finally saw clearly the item enveloped in light. It was a divine lamp shaped like a lotus flower! It was entirely black, with a shimmering purple moon in the lotus blossom. As the Soul Annihilation Bell rang, a figure struggled within the purple moon.

"Dice gulu! Jigula!"

A sound came from inside the moon. Zhao Xing couldn't understand what it was saying. So he continued casting spells.

"Ban gulu! Jigula—"

The sound gradually weakened. Zhao Xing gradually understood what the voice was trying to convey, probably something like 'I surrender, stop fighting'.

"Acknowledge me as your master, and I'll spare you!" Zhao Xing squeezed out a drop of blood and sent it flying towards the purple lotus lamp. He was certain the artifact spirit would understand, as blood acknowledgment was a common ancient method used to subdue artifact spirits and divine weapons. Even without understanding the language, seeing the situation, it would grasp the meaning.

The voice inside the moon continued speaking. Seeing that it didn't accept his blood for acknowledgment, Zhao Xing snorted: "Don't whine at me. You only have two paths: acknowledge me as master or be annihilated."

He continued to activate the Soul Annihilation Bell!

"Clang, clang, clang!"

Waves of soul power, like an unending tide, surged towards the purple moon in a continuous cycle.

"Om"

Finally, the artifact spirit, having no choice, absorbed Zhao Xing's drop of blood. The purple light slowly weakened, and a faint connection was established. Zhao Xing closed his eyes and began receiving patterns, characters, and sounds transmitted by the artifact spirit. This wasn't some secret technique, but rather the script and pronunciation from the Han Dynasty era.

About a quarter of an hour later, Zhao Xing was able to communicate with the artifact spirit. "What is your name, and what kind of lamp is this?"

A phantom of a woman in a magical robe appeared inverted in the moon. "Master, my name is Chuchu; I am the artifact spirit of the Purple Moon Soul Lamp."

"Purple Moon Soul Lamp?" Zhao Xing's eyes immediately lit up. He sent a clone to run over and hold the Purple Moon Soul Lamp, examining it closely. "So it's this treasure. What a good find! I have soul-defense treasures like soul armor, but no soul-attack treasures. This Purple Moon Soul Lamp can perfectly fill that gap."

Although he could use the Soul Annihilation Bell, who would want to go into battle 'naked' if they had a treasure?

"Master, would Chuchu like to explain the functions of the Soul Lamp?" the artifact spirit asked.

"Yes," Zhao Xing nodded. "Go ahead and tell me."

"The Purple Moon Soul Lamp has four functions. First, when your Prime Soul leaves your body, holding the Purple Moon Soul Lamp can stabilize your soul form. As long as the lamp's light remains, your soul will not perish. All attacks will be borne by the Soul Lamp until its power is exhausted. Second, the Purple Moon Soul Lamp can serve as an anchor point, guiding your soul back to your physical body. It greatly enhances the mobility of your Prime Soul when it leaves your body, ensuring you can find your way back no matter how far you travel from your physical form. Third, the Purple Moon Soul Lamp is crafted from a special material called Purple Yin Soul Crystal. Wielding the Soul Lamp in combat can amplify the power of soul-type attacks. For example, if the attack secret art you just performed is cast through the Purple Moon Soul Lamp, its power can be increased by several times. Fourth, the Purple Moon Soul Lamp itself contains top-tier magic arrays and can unleash five spells: Nine Yin Fire, Grand Yin Wind, Nether Soul Stab, Buried Soul Mountain, and Nether River."

After listening to the artifact spirit's introduction, Zhao Xing found that it was similar to what he already knew. Holding the divine lamp, Zhao Xing walked into the treasure vault.

"Chuchu, do you know if there are any hidden compartments or secret treasure locations inside here?"

"No," Chuchu shook her head, standing on the moon. "There used to be a few other treasures in the inner vault, but Chuchu can't tell how long ago that was. This treasure vault was supported by the Purple Moon Divine Lamp. Before Master arrived, there was another person who stayed outside for thirty years, but he could never get in."

Zhao Xing nodded. The Nether Soul Sect's treasure repository had inner and outer sections. It seemed Yang Dang had only acquired the outer treasures and had spent years using the Purple Moon Divine Lamp's guardian array as a training ground, allowing his Soul of Fate to reach fourth-grade perfection, making it tougher than ordinary fourth-grade Souls of Fate. However, Yang Dang's strength was ultimately lacking; his Soul of Fate wasn't as strong as Zhao Xing's. Nor did he have as many treasures at his disposal to suppress the Purple Moon Divine Lamp's power. In the end, he died without being able to open the inner vault. But even if he had opened it, with Yang Dang's strength, he probably wouldn't have been able to subdue it at all.

"Yang Dang, it's a good thing you rebelled," Zhao Xing said, looking at the underground space. "If you hadn't rebelled, I wouldn't have gotten this treasure."

Beifeng Commandery had existed for several centuries. For such a long time, this treasure vault remained undiscovered by others, until Yang Dang stumbled upon it unintentionally in recent decades. If he hadn't come to attack Yang Dang, where would he have found a top-grade eighth-tier Purple Moon Soul Lamp? Top-grade eighth-tier warship-type treasures and soul-type eighth-tier treasures were equivalent in value to other types of ninth-tier treasures!

"Even King Tianxia didn't have such a fine treasure, but an unremarkable Yang Dang did. It seems I'll have to be more thorough when confiscating properties in the future; I can't underestimate those minor rebels."

Zhao Xing searched thoroughly again, then ascended.

After defeating Yang Dang and confiscating his property, it was already March 17th. With Yang Dang's death, there were virtually no significant rebels left in Tianhe Prefecture, only minor scoundrels. These were the types who, immediately after declaring rebellion, were apprehended at home by the county's Inspectorate.

"There's nothing left to pacify; it's time to return," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

He had been fighting for a month and a half straight, with almost no rest. He Zhengchen, seeing how effective Zhao Xing was, tasked him with even greater responsibilities. The Yuan Kui, Yuan Yu, and Yuan He forces, the city guard army, the Yin soldiers and generals, and the Transport Department were all placed under Zhao Xing's command.

"Once we return to the prefectural city, I'll compile a summary of the battles for King Luo. I wonder how things are in other places," Zhao Xing said, standing on the observation deck of the tower ship. The prefectural city was already distantly visible.

Back in the prefectural city, Prefect He Zhengchen, along with a host of civil and military officials, had come to greet him.

"Greetings, Prefect, and greetings, sirs," Zhao Xing clasped his hands in salute.

"Chen An, quickly dispense with the formalities," He Zhengchen stepped forward, grasping Zhao Xing's hands. This was his first time meeting Zhao Xing in person. He hadn't expected that this young man would quell the unrest in Tianhe Prefecture in just over a month. Without Zhao Xing, He Zhengchen wouldn't have known how chaotic Tianhe Prefecture would become. If he had waited to leave the prefectural city to suppress the rebellion, even if it was eventually quelled, countless lives would have been lost. Every extra day, the rebel forces would grow stronger and solidify their foothold. Even if He Zhengchen marched with Tianhe's city guard army, Yin soldiers, and Yin generals, the war would drag on for a very long time. It would likely have lasted until the heavens collapsed and mountains shifted.

"Chen An, you should rest now," He Zhengchen said. "I heard you haven't closed your eyes for over a month."

"Thank you for your concern, Prefect," Zhao Xing replied, clasping his hands. "I oversee five prefectures, and there are still four other prefectural areas awaiting my confiscation... pacification. I dare not slacken."

He Zhengchen, Zhang Ping, and Wu Xuanying, upon hearing this, couldn't help but twitch their mouths. This young man, why did he speak his true thoughts? But it had to be said, Zhao Xing was truly fierce. Fighting continuously for over a month, moving between multiple locations, he was still full of vigor.

"Even if you can endure it, your soldiers cannot," He Zhengchen said. "Chen An, you should let your subordinates organize and rest, recover their spirits, and then discuss other matters."

"Yes, Your Excellency, I obey," Zhao Xing replied. He was merely giving He Zhengchen a heads-up, expressing his intention to deploy troops and conquer the other four prefectures. If he truly intended to fight, he couldn't depart right away. First, he genuinely needed to rest and reorganize, streamlining and integrating the armies he had taken over. Second, moving troops across prefectures was troublesome. It would be fine if he went alone, but taking over a hundred thousand soldiers elsewhere required consulting King Luo. Third, Zhao Xing also needed to sort through intelligence; he couldn't just fight blindly. If he encountered a tough opponent, 'capsized in a ditch', and destroyed his army, then all the merits gained and prestige earned in Tianhe Prefecture would have been in vain.

Returning to his official residence in Tianhe Prefectural City, Zhao Xing declined the banquet and immediately began reporting to King Luo.

"Buzz~" The Earth Mirror activated, and King Luo's phantom gradually solidified.

"Your subordinate greets King Luo," Zhao Xing respectfully saluted.

"Zhao Xing, how is the situation in Tianhe Prefecture?" King Luo asked.

"Reporting to King Luo, the rebellion in Tianhe Prefecture has been largely quelled. What remains is merely pacifying the people, appointing the worthy, and filling vacant official positions," Zhao Xing stated.

"Your speed is quite impressive," King Luo praised. "Tianhe Prefecture was pacified in just over a month."

"Thanks to your support, Zhao Xing dares not claim credit."

"You may not dare to claim credit, but your reputation has already spread. You must be careful," King Luo said in a deep voice. "You should stay in Tianhe Prefecture and rest for a few days. I will replace your Earth Mirror with a dedicated one. You can exchange any intelligence you desire with others. In half a day, go to the Lihuo Dao Academy in Tianhe Prefecture and collect it from Peng Yu."

"Yes, sir."

After ending the conversation, Zhao Xing went to the Lihuo Dao Academy branch in Tianhe Prefecture. This branch of Lihuo Dao Academy served purely military purposes. It was small, didn't admit students, and was maintained solely by a group of military officers. Half a day later, Zhao Xing received his new specialized Earth Mirror from Peng Yu, the dean of this branch academy. It enhanced the original communication function, intelligence querying, and database storage, and also added a confidential communication group.

"King Luo's United Front chat group?"

At this moment, countless messages flashed within the communication group. The dense messages remained visible for only an extremely short time. Zhao Xing immediately determined that this volume of information could only be processed by those who had reached the third grade.

"So, everyone here is a high-grade powerhouse?" Zhao Xing couldn't help but be surprised. Previously, King Luo had only given him a list. Now he had real-time communication privileges and could participate in top-level classified matters!

Zhao Xing couldn't help but check the contact list; including himself, there were only one hundred and fifty people. "It seems it's just a specific chat group." The total number of high-grade cultivators in Pinghai Province simply couldn't be this small. And Liu Tianning wasn't in it either. Clearly, these one hundred and fifty people were either from a specific region or responsible for a particular part of an operation. Zhao Xing observed for a while and noticed that the information flow flashing through was mostly related to the twelve eastern prefectures of Pinghai Province.

"It should be specifically for handling affairs of the twelve eastern prefectures."

"It includes Prefect Ye Yukong of Mingyue Prefecture, Prefect Xuanyuan Pojun of Longyuan Prefecture, King Jin Feng of Pingdao, King Li Bingxue of Feixue, and Jinwu General Yang Wanli."

Zhao Xing couldn't help but mock inwardly, "These powerhouses really have achieved something, being in the same group as me." There were even second-grade powerhouses among them!

Zhao Xing didn't post any information, as he had just joined and preferred to observe first. However, after Zhao Xing was added, it drew the attention of the others. Because Zhao Xing's personal information only listed him as a Third-level Inspector of the five eastern prefectures of Pinghai Province, Tianhe Prefecture Hundred Waterway Transport Commissioner, and Yuan Marquis. Among these titles, his peerage was only a third-rank scattered peerage, the Transport Commissioner was merely a Senior Fifth Rank official, and even the Third-level Inspector was merely a Senior Fourth Rank official.

Which member in the group wasn't at least Third Grade? Even if they didn't hold a Third Grade official position, they either had a very high peerage, a high scattered official rank, possessed formidable personal strength, or ranked highly in their respective Dao academies. Zhao Xing's addition was like a Chihuahua suddenly appearing among a pack of wolves. It seemed strange no matter how one looked at it.

"What is King Luo doing? Did he add the wrong person?"

In Tianhu Prefecture, before a vast, emerald lake, a burly, wild man wearing golden dragon-patterned battle armor and carrying a man-height saber on his back couldn't help but frown. His name was Yang Wanli, a Third-Grade Perfect Realm cultivator. This location was a secret military realm passage in Pinghai Province. Even King Liang was unaware that there was a small passage here. Yang Wanli was a Jinwu General. The Jinwu Guards were one of the Emperor's three great Imperial Guard legions. A Jinwu General was an excellent military commander within the Jinwu Guards. For powerful cultivators, the sudden addition of a new member to a confidential group would certainly not be ignored. Yang Wanli looked at Zhao Xing's personal information and completely failed to understand why this person could enter here.

"Is King Luo getting muddled from being busy? How could a mid-grade cultivator be allowed to participate in such confidential and important matters?"

However, Yang Wanli dared not question it openly, as King Luo was a First-Grade cultivator. He merely privately inquired of him.

"Wanli, what is it?" King Luo asked.

"King Luo," Yang Wanli said to the projection above, "the Eastern Ninth Group just gained a new member. Did you grant him access, King Luo?"

"Yes," King Luo nodded.

"Was there a mistake?" Yang Wanli asked. "Why bring in a Fourth-Grade?"

"He can enter because he has the strength to enter," King Luo said. "Just guard the Bihua Lake passage well."

"Yes, sir," Yang Wanli obediently clasped his hands.

Buzz~ The phantom dissipated.

"An ordinary Fourth-Grade, even if they could merely protect their life in front of a Third-Grade, wouldn't be able to enter here," Yang Wanli mused. "It seems this Zhao Xing can at least kill some weaker Third-Grades."

Pinghai Province, Longyuan Prefecture.

"Zhao Xing?" Xuanyuan Pojun, the Prefect of Longyuan, was standing in front of a sandbox, giving commands, when he suddenly noticed a new member in the Eastern Secret Group Nine. "Oh, so it's that young man who slew King Tianxia."

The Prefect of Longyuan's thoughts shifted, and a message from over a month ago quickly surfaced in his mind. It had been over a month since Zhao Xing slew King Tianxia. As a Second-Grade Enfeoffed King and Prefect of Longyuan, he naturally knew this intelligence. However, he hadn't paid much attention at the time, as the report stated that fifty Primordial Warships had been deployed and the Lihuo Great Array activated.

"Tianhe Prefecture was pacified so quickly; it seems Zhao Xing's own strength is not weak," the Prefect of Longyuan thought, then the message sank back into his mind. There were priorities, and he certainly couldn't spend too much energy on such irrelevant information. His Longyuan Prefecture was facing the aquatic rebels from the East Sea, led by Hong Yuanba and Hong Yuanshou, two brothers who led the Eastern Sea Army in rebellion!

In the distant east, on a snow-capped mountain near the sea, a cold-faced woman in a purple magic robe put away her Earth Mirror.

"A disciple of Liu Wanfa, actually made it into Secret Group Nine. I wonder how much ability he has compared to Liu Tianning."

The moment Zhao Xing joined, many of the one hundred and forty-nine members in the confidential group noticed him. Of course, only a small portion paid slight attention; the vast majority were busy with their own tasks.

Zhao Xing watched for a while, then put away his Earth Mirror. "King Liang called for a gathering of feudal lords. His main forces are in the northern and southern regions. The eastern and western regions, apart from guarding and seizing military realm passages and blockading internal and external entrances, are not heavily guarded by troops or strong cultivators."

"Currently, King Liang's plan is to entrust the eastern region to the brothers Hong Yuanba and Hong Yuanshou to create chaos. The western region, meanwhile, has seen a defection of the powerful Nuer Army members. Hong Yuanba and Hong Yuanshou leading the aquatic rebellion will require a significant portion of our efforts to counter. The foreign generals of the Nuer Army also deeply resent Liu Si, because the Nuer Army system he created, which categorized them into secondary and Zhounian registrations, has led to two centuries of severe oppression and many unfair situations for the Nuer Army. Merits are not rewarded equally to Great Zhou soldiers, but mistakes are punished doubly. Dayuan Prefecture, Datong Prefecture, Anping Prefecture—these three prefectures are King Luo's and their allies' base against King Liang. For now, I don't need to worry about Nanyang Commandery—"

"Currently, King Liang's main army hasn't moved much; instead, other feudal kings are eagerly jumping into action. Because Luliang Province is King Liang's hometown, and he doesn't have full control there, he currently dares not launch a full-scale attack. He wants to force Emperor Jing to execute Liu Si and order him to return to Luliang Province."

After receiving numerous pieces of intelligence, Zhao Xing was also processing them.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Zhao Xing opened his eyes, stopping his intelligence analysis. Then he closed his eyes again.

Meanwhile, at Xuantian Academy, within the Jinghu Courtyard. Zhao Xing's clone also opened its eyes, coming back online. Ever since the rebellion in Tianhe Prefecture was quelled, his clone in Tianyuan Prefecture had been offline, not even attending classes. Originally, this was nothing. With King Liang rebelling, who would care if a Scripture Doctor attended classes? But today, many people had suddenly appeared outside his Jinghu Courtyard.

"Could there be trouble at the Tianyuan Prefecture branch of Xuantian Academy? There's no reason for it; Li Boqian and Wang Tianzhi are still here," Zhao Xing muttered, walking out of the courtyard in confusion.

"Doctor Zhao!"

"Teacher!"

"Sir, please come out for a moment!"

"Sir, mighty!"

The sounds outside were chaotic; some were perched on walls, others straddling trees. Zhao Xing's rough estimate was that at least several thousand people surrounded the Jinghu Courtyard, both on the ground and in the air.

"What's going on?" Zhao Xing walked out, feeling perplexed.

After seeing Zhao Xing emerge, the crowd outside grew even more excited.

"He's out! Doctor Zhao is out!"

"Sir is truly a divine being!"

"Teacher, please accept me as your disciple!"

"Lord Zhao, I am your long-lost younger brother!"

"Get lost, aren't you ashamed?!"

Looking at the excited faces outside, Zhao Xing finally understood what was happening. It turned out that the news of him quelling the rebellion in Tianhe Prefecture and slaying King Tianxia had reached Xuantian Academy in Tianyuan Prefecture!

Because all commanderies and prefectures had immediately activated boundary steles for isolation. Even military Earth Mirrors, only a few high-ranking officials had fast communication functions. As for Yin spirits delivering messages, that was even harder; it might be possible across capitals, but across prefectures, only high-grade Yin spirits could do it. Therefore, it wasn't until March that the news of Zhao Xing slaying King Tianxia reached Xuantian Academy and became known to the mid- and low-ranking students and officials. When information was transmitted in relatively primitive ways, it was easy for the details to become distorted.

Zhao Xing slaying King Tianxia: he clearly first used the Dream Walking Technique to eliminate King Tianxia's core generals. Then he used the Primordial Warships to lure him in, enduring for three days and three nights. Finally, he invited True Lord Tianyang to possess him and unleash the Heavenly Lightning Finger, achieving a single-strike kill. However, when the news reached the academy, many detailed nuances were omitted. It was said that King Tianxia declared rebellion on February 3rd, and on February 4th, Zhao Xing left the city and annihilated King Tianxia with a single Heavenly Lightning Finger.

Especially Lin Yuejia and Liu Hui, two of the earliest students to hear Zhao Xing's "Treatise on the Three Yin, Three Yang, and Six Qi Grand Circulations," spared no effort in promoting it.

"Cloud Gate suppresses Tianhe, a single finger obliterates the rebel king! Master Zhao is mighty!"

"Three million soldiers of Tianxia Commandery turned to ashes in a snap! This is our Xuantian Academy's Scripture Doctor, Yuan Marquis Zhao Xing, Lord Zhao!"

While Lin Yuejia was promoting him, someone asked, "Who are you talking about? I've never heard of him."

"What, you don't know who Doctor Zhao is?" Lin Yuejia looked at the questioner with disdain. "Have you ever heard of the Treatise on the Three Yang, Three Yin, and Six Qi Grand Circulations?"

"Well, I've heard a little."

"Hmph, you don't even know this? Is Your Excellency from the countryside?"

"Nonsense! What is he, that I must know him?" The person who was asked couldn't help but laugh in anger, rolling up his sleeves, ready to argue with Lin Yuejia. "Today, I—"

But just as he was about to speak, he noticed a group of people around him staring at him with ill intent. Lin Yuejia, standing on the platform, pointed at the man and declared, "This person doesn't even know Master Zhao and dares to speak ill of him! He must be a rebel! Gentlemen, come on, quickly seize him and send him to Jinghu Courtyard for Master Zhao to deal with!"

"I, what are you doing—"

"Ouch, stop hitting!"

And so, this unlucky fellow named Xing Kai was seized by Lin Yuejia and Liu Hui. He wasn't an isolated case; there were more than a dozen other similarly unlucky individuals. Among them were even three or four Fifth-Grade Daoist Priests! They were tied up with five bonds, had several thorny branches tied to their backs, and were forced to kneel at the entrance of Jinghu Courtyard.

When Zhao Xing called Lin Yuejia over to clarify, he couldn't help but be dumbfounded. When did his influence become so great?

"Teacher!" Lin Yuejia knelt again. "Please accept me as your disciple! I am willing to follow you to Tianhe Prefecture and quell the rebellion!"

Liu Hui also knelt, saying with admiration, "Teacher, please take me with