Chapter 1920

"Isn't that just propaganda?"

Generally, during rebellions, strange and bizarre legends always spread.

What about the fox that cried, "Great Chu shall rise, Chen Sheng shall be king!"

"What about 'The blue heaven is dead, the yellow heaven shall rise!'"

Having never seen Zhang Junbao fight, Qiuxue, Xiao Donggua, and others did not believe those rumors.

Too fake!

They were martial artists too—how could they not know the mysteries of martial cultivation?

How could a human's strength cut off an entire mountain peak with one sword strike? Even slicing through a single massive boulder would already be astonishing.

After all, they were flesh and blood, in a low-martial world where martial arts were not so fantastical.

"You haven't seen it, so naturally you don't believe," said Daoist Ling, his face filled with reverence. "Come, I'll take you to the battlefield—you'll understand."

Saying this, he led the way, guiding the group toward the city's outskirts.

Zhang Junbao, being kind-hearted, had not sealed the city gates nor imposed harsh policies; the group verified their identities and easily left the city.

Outside the city, after running a while, the group saw before them a field of scattered rocks.

On the rock field, stones of all sizes lay everywhere—some several meters tall, others no bigger than fists.

It hadn't rained in recent days, yet the rocks were damp, clearly having just tumbled down.

More importantly, not far away, a mountain peak's cliff face was smooth, leaving only half of it standing alone, giving off a deeply strange feeling.

Qiuxue climbed up a massive rock several meters high using hands and feet, and saw a long, narrow canyon carved into the base of the half-mountain.

Even from this distance, she could still sense a sensation that made her skin ache.

"Could this really have been carved by a single sword strike from the True Martial Emperor?"

Qiuxue felt her entire worldview shatter.

Just then, Xiao Donggua and Daoist Ling also climbed onto a nearby massive rock.

Xiao Donggua was stunned: "This—this was really cut by a single sword strike?"

At this moment, she nearly believed it.

The group moved forward a little further, feeling the sharp aura grow ever stronger, and dared not advance any farther.

"Didn't I tell you?" Daoist Ling said proudly, "Our Taoist True Martial Emperor has truly descended to save the world!"

Qiuxue and Xiao Donggua nodded vigorously, deeply astonished.

"It really is the True Martial Emperor!"

"I never thought gods truly existed!"

"By the way, Reverend, earlier rumors said the World-Honored One had descended—could that be true too?"

Daoist Ling shook his head: "In the past, this would've been nothing but monkish nonsense. But now, it might actually be true."

After all, if the True Martial Emperor has appeared, the emergence of a World-Honored One like Tathagata doesn't seem so hard to accept.

Feeling the piercing aura, the group dared not linger, cast one last deep look, and all retreated, returning to the city.

"With the Emperor here, we no longer need to rebel against the imperial court," Qiuxue marveled, feeling a sudden lightness in her body. "With the True Martial Emperor's speed, he'll likely seize all under heaven soon."

Xiao Donggua nodded: "Yes. With this, life will be much more stable."

In truth, as ordinary commoners, who would risk their heads rebelling against the imperial court if their lives were still bearable?

Zhang Junbao's group was extremely efficient, especially after the local Daoist Priests—these local power brokers—joined them, making everything proceed even more smoothly.

In just three days, the entire Xiang Yang had become orderly and well-managed.

Meanwhile, Zhang Junbao had arrived at Mount Wudang and entered the True Martial Hall.

Looking at the statue within the hall, Zhang Junbao felt a strange sensation rise within him.

"Tianbao says I am the True Martial Emperor, but I don't know if it's true—Great Emperor, can you tell me the truth?"

As soon as he spoke, silence filled the surroundings; there was no response.

Seeing this, Zhang Junbao sighed inwardly, lit a stick of incense before the True Martial statue, and exited the hall.

Outside the door, many Daoist Priests waited respectfully; seeing him emerge, they immediately bowed.

"We bow before the Emperor!"

"Rise."

Zhang Junbao pondered inwardly, and began to consider cultivating his own faction.

Having spent time among the common folk, he had learned one truth: as a ruler, one cannot succeed without a loyal inner circle.

And these Daoist Priests were naturally his own inner circle.

"You have aided me in governing Xiang Yang—therefore, I shall grant you a Divine Light Spell. Follow me in recitation, and you shall gain benefits!"

Saying this, he transmitted the Divine Light Spell to them all.

Dong Tianbao, as a member of the chat group, would never hoard a divine spell.

When sending Zhang Junbao down the mountain, he had already given him this spell and granted him authority to act as he saw fit.

With the hope of eternal life and immortality, Dong Tianbao was not reluctant to part with earthly power.

More importantly—Zhang Junbao had powerful patrons behind him.

Now that Junbao has risen from obscurity, this is the perfect time to invest, the perfect moment to offer coal in the snow.