Chapter 279: Rebel Elite: In One Month, a Mysterious Treasure! (Major Chapter)

"Is this information reliable?" Lord Luo's face showed clear shock.

"Yes, I have already executed him."

Lord Luo's expression turned serious: "Don't casually claim credit. If this is later uncovered as fraud, the consequences will be severe."

"I have complete enforcement records, three identical copies, including the Mirage Pearl, Echo Screw, witness statements from assistant officials, and confirmation from the Judicial Yin Spirit," Zhao Xing said.

Lord Luo remained silent for a long time.

This news was truly shocking.

Because Lord Luo's understanding of Zhao Xing had become outdated.

He knew Zhao Xing had already mastered the first layer of the Yan Shen Jue.

But he did not know Zhao Xing was the record-breaker—the first-layer Yan Shen Jue not only condenses seven main souls, but also unifies them into one, allowing the life soul to split into 49,999 fragments!

Second, he knew Zhao Xing had sent avatars to the Xuantian Academy branch and the Kunyuan Academy headquarters, and had mastered top-tier techniques.

But he did not know how far Zhao Xing had progressed, nor that his avatars could also wield top-tier techniques, nor that Li Baqian had taught him 【Kunpeng Transformation】 and 【Weeping Ruler to the Ends of the World】.

In Lord Luo's view, Zhao Xing was still immature, still vastly inferior to a Third Rank powerhouse, perhaps able to survive in their presence.

But to kill a Third Rank? Lord Luo had never entertained such a fantasy.

Otherwise, he would not have granted Zhao Xing only the temporary position of 'Provisional Patrol Inspector of Five Prefectures and Three Levels in Haizhou.'

Authority over all civil and military officials below Third Rank implied Lord Luo believed Zhao Xing could not handle affairs of higher rank.

Now he was suddenly told: Zhao Xing had killed the Xia Wang.

How could Lord Luo not be stunned?

"Fine, I understand."

"Preserve the original records and archive them. I will send someone later to retrieve them. Also, submit a written, detailed account of the events to me," Lord Luo said.

"Yes," Zhao Xing nodded—it was standard procedure for a Patrol Inspector.

Such great power could not be wielded arbitrarily; the proper procedures must be followed.

"I have another matter to report, Your Highness, please render judgment," Zhao Xing said.

"Speak."

"Now that the Xia Wang is dead, may I confiscate his estate? If so, how should the seized assets be handled—sent to the Tianhe Prefecture's Contraband Office for sealing, or otherwise arranged?"

"With many officials across the six commanderies about to become vacant, may I make temporary appointments?"

Zhao Xing was very familiar with these procedures—he had been executed by Old Liu so many times in his past life.

But he had only just assumed office; he could not appear too proficient.

He must give Lord Luo, his grand boss, the chance to guide him.

Sure enough, Lord Luo immediately said: "You have no authority to confiscate the estate of a Third Rank rebel king. Only a Second Rank Patrol Inspector has that right."

"But exceptional cases demand exceptional measures—if I wait to send someone, it will slow your progress."

"I will use the Li Huo Dao Academy's channels to send you my royal decree, authorizing you to conduct the confiscation and make temporary appointments."

"You may transport all seized assets back to Tianhe Prefecture first; I will send someone later to inventory them."

"Yes," Zhao Xing listened obediently.

Now he was confiscating under Lord Luo's name—procedurally, everything was sound.

If anyone questions it? Let them argue with Lord Luo!

Lord Luo's actions were backing Zhao Xing's back.

Lord Luo's words successfully drew the attention of Prince Xin and Prince Anning.

"Who killed the Xia Wang? The Lord of Mingyue Prefecture?" Prince Liu Yong asked, curious. "I don't recall the Lord of Mingyue Prefecture also serving as Military Inspector."

Prince Xin was referring to Mingyue Prefecture, next to Tianhe Prefecture.

The Lord of Mingyue Prefecture, Ye Yukong, was not the Prefect—he was the Dean of the Mingyue Military Academy.

But Prince Liu Yong and Prince Huang Jian, the older generation, were accustomed to calling Ye Yukong the Lord of Mingyue Prefecture.

Since the Xia Wang's eastern six commanderies bordered Mingyue Prefecture,

both assumed it was Lord Ye Yukong who had slain the Xia Wang.

This seemed perfectly reasonable—Ye Yukong was a Third Rank perfected sword master, famous far earlier than the Xia Wang.

His self-created Mingyue Sword Art and Moonshadow Body Technique were both top-tier methods.

"Not him," Lord Luo shook his head. "It was Zhao Xing."

"Who?!" Prince Liu Yong froze, thinking he'd misheard. He confirmed again. "I—Is that Zhao Xing?"

"Don't tell me it's that Zhao Xing, Liu Tianning's disciple," Prince Anning also widened his eyes.

"Yes, him," Lord Luo nodded. "To be honest, I can't believe it either—but I suspect he wouldn't dare lie to me."

"This—this is impossible?!" Prince Xin was stunned.

His main impression of Zhao Xing still came from the Dragon Court Ancient Land quota battle.

At that time, Zhao Xing was merely Fifth Rank.

He knew nothing of Zhao Xing's cultivation of the Yan Shen Jue or mastery of top-tier techniques.

But that was only in the 30th year of the Jingxin Era.

Only five years have passed—and Zhao Xing has slain a Third Rank?

The Xia Wang was no mere pretender!

"It's him, then—it must be—" Prince Anning accepted the news quickly.

As a feudal prince of the Shangyu Bureau, he knew more than Prince Xin—he handled intelligence.

"What is it? Spit it out!" Prince Liu Yong urged.

"Classified," Prince Anning smiled. "I can't tell you."

Prince Xin Liu Yong was so furious his whiskers bristled and his eyes bulged, yet he was helpless.

"I never expected it; only five years have passed," Prince Anning remarked with some emotion. "His rate of growth is far too rapid."

"He must have achieved something great there."

"Mm." Prince Luo nodded. "He refuses to say, but I believe it must be quite astonishing."

Prince Xin:

Liu Yong was driven to scratch his ears and rub his head by these two riddlers, wishing he could grab Prince Luo and Prince Anning by the neck and demand answers!

However, when he first assumed the role of ruling prince, his nature was the same as Ling De Wang's: a figurehead meant to take the blame.

It was only at this moment that he held slightly more actual power, yet it still fell far short of Prince Luo and Prince Anning.

"You two rascals! If you cannot speak, do not play riddles before me; use voice transmission!" Prince Xin flicked his sleeves and cursed as he withdrew.

"Hahaha, he is getting impatient." Prince Anning grinned.

Prince Luo also smiled, but there was no help for it; Prince Xin's strength and status were lacking.

For instance, when King Tianyan took Zhao Xing to the Star Palace to cultivate the Tianyan Divine Art, both he and Prince Anning had the right to know, but Prince Xin did not.

They also could not tell Prince Xin, because even King Tianyan had not informed the two of them of the detailed situation; clearly, the secrecy level had risen to a point where even ruling princes could not casually disclose it.

"We must send someone to Tianhe Prefecture."

"Together; I also need to deliver the Royal Decree."

Prince Anning and Prince Luo quickly made arrangements.

Above Tianxia Commandery, Zhao Xing deactivated the Earth Mirror on the Hunyuan Warship.

At this moment, the sky was still black.

But on the ground, flames already soared toward the heavens.

Li Gan, Yao Yuanchun, Zou Yong, and Ouyang Zhen led their men to begin swiftly purging the rebellious generals.

They were mainly officials of the fifth and fourth ranks.

Since Zhao Xing had already killed a wave earlier.

The flames and chaos lasted less than two hours before completely subsiding.

At this time, the sky had not yet dawned.

Tianxia Wang Fu, including the commandery city and three garrison counties (troop garrison towns), was fully pacified.

"My Lord Zhao, General Li requests you proceed to Wang Fu." Li Gan sent someone flying into the sky to report.

"Mm." Zhao Xing quickly led five warships down.

As for the other warships, they remained on high alert in the upper air.

Swish~

Zhao Xing's true body appeared at the entrance of Tianxia Wang Fu.

At this moment, Li Gan was waiting outside Wang Fu with his personal guards.

"My lord, the rebels within Wang Fu, totaling eight hundred and ninety-five, have all been executed."

"The family and servants of Tianxia Wang, totaling five thousand four hundred and thirty-two, have been arrested."

"Were there any casualties among the City Guard?"

"Thirteen dead, sixty-six injured." Li Gan reported. "This subordinate is incompetent."

"The mechanisms and formations of Wang Fu were severe; this is not your fault." Zhao Xing said. "Upon returning, report to the lords of Fucheng; your City Guard has certainly earned great merit."

"Thank you, my lord." Li Gan, kneeling on one knee, looked at Zhao Xing with eyes full of admiration.

He, a mere City Guard general, had never imagined that one day he could easily storm the residence of a titled prince.

This matter would be enough for him and his City Guard brothers to boast about for a lifetime.

"Five thousand family members? Why so many?" Zhao Xing looked at the list.

"The traitor concentrated his three clans into Tianxia Commandery." Li Gan said. "This subordinate suspects he had long planned to rebel."

"No resistance?"

"There was, but not much." Li Gan said. "The order to arrest them came from Lord Yao."

At this moment, Yao Yuanchun also walked out from within the residence.

He clasped his hands toward Zhao Xing and explained why he arrested rather than killed: "The sons of Tianxia Wang were all thoroughly slaughtered because they willingly rebelled."

"As for their grandsons, half were killed; the remaining half held the Blood Oath Iron Decree and knelt on the ground, begging for exemption from death."

"The reason there are so many people is mainly due to great-grandsons, fourth and fifth-generation descendants, and female relatives."

"Their clan members shouted that they were wronged, claiming they were coerced by Tianxia Wang, the ancestor."

"How to decide remains for your lordship to determine."

Yao Yuanchun and Li Gan dared not kill indiscriminately, because these people offered no resistance and produced the Blood Oath Iron Decree while kneeling to surrender.

How to proceed still depended on Zhao Xing to decide.

Zhao Xing handed the list to Li Gan and smiled: "The Blood Oath Iron Decree does not exempt the great crime of rebellion; since Tianxia Wang rebelled, his clan must be exterminated."

"He actually saved us trouble by gathering all three clans together."

"Then does your lordship mean to kill them now?" Li Gan asked.

"By procedure, they must be escorted back to Fucheng, then a memorial submitted to the imperial court for an edict, and execution scheduled for a chosen day. However, we do not have so much time to delay." Zhao Xing said.

"Brother Yao, please invite the Three Judicial Divine Gods to witness. Li Gan, you activate the Mirage Pearl and the Echo Conch to record and archive."

"In short, execute these three clans now; as for whether the imperial court later orders the extermination of five or nine clans, leave it to the Sikou Guard to apprehend them."

Why would Zhao Xing waste so much idle time on those tedious procedures? In any case, exterminating three clans for rebellion was the baseline; killing them was certainly correct.

A simplified procedure would suffice for now; Prince Luo's Royal Decree was already on the way, and Lord Zhao had no fear of any problems arising from it.

"Yes." Li Gan and Yao Yuanchun quickly ran back inside.

The two had just left when Zou Yong and Ouyang Zhen came running out again.

"My lord, the Wang Fu has been fully searched and the Xia Wang's assets have been roughly tallied."

Both Zou Yong and Ouyang Zhen had experience managing finances, so they tallied these spoils with remarkable speed.

"Everything has been moved to a separate courtyard within the Wang Fu. Please, my lord, come and inspect it."

"Hmm." Zhao Xing nodded and followed the two men, soaring into a large separate courtyard of the Tianxia Wang Fu.

The supplies here were piled as high as mountains, covering an area as vast as ten football fields, and they were already completely filled.

Zou Yong and Ouyang Zhen were quite the interesting characters.

When Zhao Xing arrived, not a single soul was present here.

Moreover, as Zhao Xing walked in, they stood a hundred meters behind him with their backs turned.

Unless called, they had no intention of approaching.

How could Zhao Xing not know what the two were thinking?

He immediately smiled and waved, saying, "Come over."

Why would Master Zhao need to take things so furtively?

"Above me is Luo Wang, the Great Inspector of the Military Realm."

"He has specially authorized me to handle the confiscation of the family's assets with full authority."

"The brothers following me all come to work with their heads tucked under their belts."

"Of the spoils here, aside from strategic military supplies and confidential documents which cannot be taken, everyone may enter and take three items."

"No whispering to one another, no checking prices via the Earth Mirror. Whether something is valuable or not depends entirely on luck."

"Once the brothers have taken their items, load them onto the ships and compile a list of the spoils." Zhao Xing looked at Zou Yong and Ouyang Zhen. "Have you understood my requirements?"

The two exchanged a glance, then clasped their hands and said, "Yes, we have understood clearly."

Zhao Xing then soared into the sky above, opening his Heaven Eye to scan the spoils; he was not arbitrarily setting rules on his own.

Such precedents existed in both the Inspection Bureau and the army.

"There really are quite a few good things." Zhao Xing inspected them rapidly. Most were pearls, jade, and precious treasures, as well as famous calligraphy and paintings intended to reward the generals and soldiers below.

Another portion consisted of spiritual pills, miraculous medicines, and valuable herbs.

And there were exquisite weapons, armor, and miniature mechanical weapons, among other things.

"There are many valuable items, but nothing I urgently need." After looking for a while, Zhao Xing lost interest.

For instance, regarding eighth-tier treasures, the Tianxia Wang possessed only one: that war chariot.

As for seventh-tier weapons and armor, there were indeed several dozen sets, but they were all available for purchase in the Military Realm.

These were classified as strategic military supplies, which Zhao Xing would not take; of course, he could requisition them temporarily, but currently, nothing here caught his eye.

"Rise!"

A gust of wind swept through, and Zhao Xing separated all the strategic military supplies to one side.

Essentially, only items below the seventh tier remained on the ground.

Even among those below the seventh tier, there were many strategic supplies that could not be distributed.

For example, sixth-tier supreme-grade military flying boats, or sixth-tier supreme-grade mechanical formation devices; these involved the Great Zhou's forging and manufacturing secrets, so Zhao Xing would not touch them at all.

"My lord."

Shortly after, Zou Yong, Ouyang Zhen, Yao Yuanchun, and Li Gan hurried over.

"Come in batches. Have the rules been made clear?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Yes, thank you, my lord, for your bounty." Li Gan, Zou Yong, Ouyang Zhen, and the others all clasped their hands.

"Then go ahead and enter." Zhao Xing waved his hand.

The crowd cheered as they entered the large separate courtyard.

Yao Yuanchun, however, remained standing in place.

"Brother Yao, not going to try your luck?" Zhao Xing asked with a smile.

"No need." Yao Yuanchun shook his head. "I have nothing I need."

It was not that Yao Yuanchun was aloof; rather, he truly had no need for anything.

Everything he currently used was already of the highest quality.

Even if a seventh-tier treasure were placed before him, Yao Yuanchun would still have to pick and choose carefully.

And seventh-tier treasures were mostly strategic-level military supplies, which could only be obtained through official channels.

Zhao Xing could not use these to bestow rewards either, as that would be harming them.

"Everyone follow the rules! Close your eyes and take three items! Do not pick and choose, or do not blame me for being ruthless!" Li Gan did not start selecting immediately but was instead disciplining the people below him.

"Do not take anything from the Juan Sect, do not take military supplies. For everything else, once you've chosen, get out quickly!"

"Remember, these are gifts from Lord Zhao to us; do not betray the lord's good intentions!"

"Yes!" The entire group laughed happily.

When had the City Guard ever received such treatment?

Even a fifth-rank official did not have a high salary, because without merit ranks, they had almost no source of wealth.

Of course, a fifth-rank official within the army was different; to reach fifth rank in the military, one must have at least four or five merit levels.

The City Guard did not usually face life-or-death risks, whereas those in the army risked their lives for their work, so naturally, the treatment was different.

Now, simply being allowed to take three items at random made them very happy.

The treasures here were all solidly "the Xia Wang's best selections."

Zhao Xing and Yao Yuanchun found them unappealing and too lazy to want them, but to them, these were all good things!

They waited in place for a moment.

The City Guard and the Agricultural Officials had all finished their selections and stepped out.

"Thank you, my lord Zhao!"

As each person stepped out, they bowed with clasped hands to Zhao Xing.

"So everyone has made their choice?" Zhao Xing asked with a smile.

"We have!" the people below replied happily.

"Does anyone feel they didn't get what they wanted?" Zhao Xing asked. "Step forward and let me see whose luck was so bad."

Indeed, one bold soul, seeing that Zhao Xing was easy to talk to, stepped forward.

"My lord, my colleagues say I only received three bottles of Fourth-Rank Pills." A middle-aged man with a simple, honest face stepped forward, holding three bottles.

"I saw 'Divine Protection Pill' written on it; since it had the character 'Divine', I thought it was something good. Damn it, these alchemist sorcerers are truly frauds."

"Hah!" The people around immediately burst into laughter.

"Hahaha." Zhao Xing laughed too.

The Xia Wang had plenty of treasures from Fourth to Sixth Rank; he had picked the bare minimum, so his luck was indeed bad. "But is there anyone with good luck?" Zhao Xing asked again.

This time, many more responded.

Some said they had obtained a Sixth-Rank Superior Treasure, others said they had obtained a Sixth-Rank Supreme Treasure—

"Very good." Zhao Xing looked again at the man who had just stepped forward.

"What is your name?"

"Replying to my lord, this humble official is Wang Ping." The honest middle-aged man answered.

"Good, Wang Ping." Zhao Xing said, "Did you hear? Many people got good things. It doesn't matter that you didn't choose well this time; there will be plenty of such opportunities later!"

"The Tianhe Prefecture currently has many rebel kings; what we must do now is eliminate these rebels and ransack their homes!"

"Tell me, do you want to do it?"

"We do!" everyone roared.

"Kill the bandits, ransack the homes!"

"Kill the bandits, ransack the homes!"

Seeing the morale stirred up, Zhao Xing raised his fist.

Immediately, these people fell silent, all watching Zhao Xing quietly.

"I am giving you time to rest and regroup; in half a month, we will march to punish the Xinyang Army! We will ransack the Marquis of Xinyang's home!"

"Yes!"

Li Gan led the City Guard to rest, while Zhao Xing could not stop; he began appointing and dismissing officials of the Tianxia Commandery. Yao Yuanchun watched Zhao Xing's original body and his clone busy themselves constantly and silently nodded in approval.

"Truly worthy of being a Military Marquis; he mobilized the City Guard with the least cost."

The army Li Gan led was too complex in composition; it included men from the Patrol Bureau, the City Guard, and the Judicial Guard. Because Zhao Xing had demanded that everyone be Fifth Rank, how could the City Guard Bureau alone supply so many people?

They earn three hundred taels a month; if you ask them to go out and suppress a rebellion, isn't that asking them to risk their lives?

They are not used to doing this kind of work; following Zhao Xing out was only because of orders, with no other choice.

Just now, in the battle, dozens more died or were wounded; who knows how much resentment they harbor in their hearts.

But now, their enthusiasm has been stirred up.

However, Yao Yuanchun still had something he could not understand; he found Zhao Xing and voiced his doubt: "My lord Zhao, may I ask a question?"

"Brother Yao, there is no need for such formality; when no one is around, just call me by my name." Zhao Xing held a special regard for Yao Yuanchun.

This person possessed high talent; at the upper level of the Fourth Rank, he already had the strength to fight someone at the early stage of the Third Rank.

Moreover, Yao Yuanchun's luck was very stable, always fluctuating within the range of Derivation Four and Derivation Five; even when Xia Wang was beheaded, this man did not drop down to Derivation Three.

"What do you wish to ask?"

"Our casualties were not great, and Brother Zhao, you just notified the Juncheng to send selected officials to fill the vacancies; so why rest for as long as half a month? And you specifically named the Xinyang Army as the target to punish; isn't that giving the enemy time to prepare?"

Zhao Xing smiled and said, "I will not rest for half a month; at the latest the day after tomorrow, I will lead the troops to depart."

"The one I actually intend to strike first is not the Xinyang Army in the north, but the Puyang Army in the south."

Yao Yuanchun suddenly understood: "Brother Zhao, you said that on purpose."

Zhao Xing nodded: "In war, speed is precious; the key is to strike when least expected."

"What we are doing in the Tianxia Commandery cannot be hidden; it will surely be known by those deserting soldiers and fleeing generals, who will spread the news."

"Since that is the case, I might as well say we will strike the Xinyang Army."

"The Xinyang Army will surely be nervous and defend with all their might, while the Puyang Army will lower their guard."

At this moment, Yao Yuanchun felt that every word Zhao Xing spoke had deep meaning, and his admiration for Zhao Xing grew even stronger.

How could he know that Zhao Xing was also acting out of necessity?

After all, the people he had gathered, while individually not weak, lacked cohesion when viewed as a whole.

Li Gan could barely even make the Fourth-Rank Battle Formation function properly.

If he were leading the Divine Might Army, even if their overall strength was one major rank lower, the combat power they could unleash would be stronger than this unit.

Training, coordination, and discipline were not on the same level.

"For now, we can only proceed this way; if I could command the Yuan Yu, Yuan Kui, and Yuan He armies among the eleven garrisons, that would be a true army," Zhao Xing thought silently.

These three armies were originally split from the "Tianhe Army".

The Tianhe Army, in the rankings of the Military Realm, was once ranked four hundred and sixtieth, comparable to the Divine Might Army.

But in the Battle of Yin You Mountain in the thirty-third year of the Jingxin Era, the Tianhe Army's main general died, along with over a dozen Fourth-Rank deputy generals and Commandants; finally, the Tianhe Army had to be split into three.

However, the Tianhe Army still retained many mid-grade officers; it was simply that they were headless, forcing them to be downgraded and split.

"Grandmaster." Zhao Xing returned to the warship and came to the hall where the Golden Body of the True Lord Tianyang was stored. "Is it done?"

"Yes, please order the return to Juncheng, notify Zhang Ping, Wu Xuanying, and others, and have them send some officials to supplement the Tianxia Commandery," Zhao Xing said.

"No problem." Tianyang Zhenjun glanced over and suddenly asked, "Grand-disciple, why didn't you bring up my Golden Body from Tianxia Commandery?"

"Ah?" Zhao Xing was stunned. "Grand-Grandfather, you have a Golden Body here too?"

"Of course," Fu Tianyang said. "Across the Nineteen Provinces, within and beyond the seas, inside and outside the Grotto-Heavens, among the five hundred and forty thousand-plus commanderies, Grand-Grandfather's Golden Bodies number roughly one hundred and seventy thousand."

"However, in places like commanderies, there are only Third Rank Golden Body statues; only prefectural cities possess Second Rank Golden Bodies."

So many?

Zhao Xing was actually unaware of this information.

But upon careful thought, one would realize that during this period, Grand-Grandfather's power in the Yin Realm was at its peak.

Because he was the previous Grand Minister of Agriculture; after death, arriving in the Yin Realm, he became the legitimate Grand Minister of Agriculture Deity!

Only after this current Grand Minister of Agriculture dies will his power be transferred to his disciple, Li Boqian.

At that time, the power of the Golden Bodies across the various regions will weaken by several tiers.

"Understood, this grand-disciple will go down immediately." Zhao Xing immediately ran down.

Why bring it up?

Because when Tianyang Zhenjun possesses a body, he does not need to pay a price himself; thus, it is the divine power of the Golden Body itself that is consumed.

Tianyang Zhenjun has already acted twice; this Second Rank Golden Body statue of his cannot continue to be consumed without cost indefinitely; it must be replenished.

"The temple of Tianxia Commandery." Zhao Xing took a single step and instantly appeared in the commandery temple below.

"No rebellion occurred here at all; not even the Yin Realm passage was opened."

The King of Tianxia raised his own banner to rebel.

As a king of a different surname, he possessed no Ji bloodline, nor was he invested by Liang Wang; fundamentally, no Yin Gods followed him to rebel.

Of course, although no rebellion appeared, a period of turmoil did arise.

"The King of Tianxia knew he could neither borrow the power of Yin Gods nor destroy them, so he used a formation array to seal the temple." Zhao Xing flew around the temple once.

Without an imperial order, Yin Gods cannot stray too far from the temple's bounds, nor act arbitrarily in the Yang World.

To act on a large scale, the priests must move together with the Golden Body.

The King of Tianxia dared not destroy the temple because the Yin Gods would counterattack.

Thus, sealing was the only option.

"The level is not high; breaking the formation with force will suffice."

Zhao Xing immediately unleashed the Heavenly Thunder Finger, blasting a large hole in the formation array.

He then flew to one of the temples within.

This place also held a Golden Body of Tianyang Zhenjun.

However, the height of the statue was actually greater than that of the one in the prefectural city.

The appearance was younger, the expression more fierce, possessing the domineering aura of the leader of the Heavenly Fate Sect.

"Grand-disciple Zhao Xing requests the Grand-Grandfather's Golden Body to exit the temple." Zhao Xing clasped his hands and bowed.

"That scoundrel Li Boqian!" The likeness of Tianyang Zhenjun suddenly came to life; his temperament and expression were extremely youthful, his eyebrows furrowed upward, radiating awe-inspiring authority without anger, completely different from the face on the boat.

"He wanted to protect his student, yet he treated my Golden Body as a consumable! What a scoundrel!"

Tianyang Zhenjun cursed angrily.

Zhao Xing dared not utter a single word, listening only.

Yin Gods have a thousand faces; the personalities, emotions, and temperaments attached to different Golden Bodies are not the same.

This Golden Body displayed the aspect of Tianyang Zhenjun's majesty.

"Unfilial descendants!" Tianyang Zhenjun cursed a few times, chiding him like one scolding iron that would not become steel. "Boy, when you meet Li Boqian in the future, you must convey my words!"

"Th-th-this... yes." Zhao Xing could only nod.

"Hmph!" Tianyang Zhenjun once again transformed into the statue state, signaling that Zhao Xing was permitted to carry it away.

Zhao Xing carried Tianyang Zhenjun's statue on his back as if carrying a furnace, and it was exceptionally heavy.

Fortunately, his Method Dao Body was not weak; otherwise, it would truly have been difficult to carry.

Arriving at the warship, Zhao Xing carried the Third Rank Golden Body into the temple.

"Grand-Grandfather."

Zhao Xing gently placed the second Golden Body upon the altar.

"Hahaha, were you scolded?" Tianyang Zhenjun's laughter entered Zhao Xing's ears.

"Grand-Grandfather indeed had words of gold and jade to teach this grand-disciple."

"Hahaha, you certainly know how to speak."

After a burst of laughter, the Third Rank Golden Body shattered, transforming into a ray of Jin Guang that merged into the Second Rank Golden Body.

Zhao Xing felt a change in the Second Rank Golden Body, but could not specify exactly what it was.

Seeing that Tianyang Zhenjun had no further instructions, he clasped his hands and withdrew.

Tianhe Prefectural City.

"What? The King of Tianxia has already been beheaded?" Zhang Ping was stunned. "Brother Wu, are you sure?"

"Tianyang Zhenjun stated it personally; how could it be false?" Wu Xuanying said. "Now Zhao Xing has already cleansed the rebels of Tianxia Commandery; he says numerous vacancies have appeared, requiring personnel from the prefectural city to manage them."

"Good, we shall immediately—hmm?" Zhang Ping was about to summon officials to discuss, but saw a flash of Jin Guang from the direction of the main government office.

Zhang Ping and Wu Xuanying exchanged a glance and swiftly flew over.

"Boom~"

The great doors of the government office opened; a refined figure walked out slowly, a blood-stained scripture tucked under his arm, followed by a group of Ritual Cultivators behind him.

"Pay respects to the Prefect!"

"Pay respects to the Prefect!"

Zhang Ping and Wu Xuanying immediately bowed respectfully.

Clearly, He Zhengchen had emerged victorious in the Great Ritual Debate.

This Lord He has, at last, not disappointed True Lord Tianyang.

As long as the one who emerges at the end is He Zhengchen, then even if Zhang Ping dies and Wu Xuanying dies, there is still a chance to salvage the situation.

"My Lord, how are you?" Wu Xuanying stepped forward.

"I am fine," He Zhengchen shook his head. "Yu and Wang are both dead; the remaining rebels have also been executed."

"My Lord, the situation in the city now—" Wu Xuanying was about to say something when she saw He Zhengchen raise his hand.

"You need not speak; I already know everything."

He Zhengchen flew toward the sky above Fucheng and softly chanted: "Forget the thousand sufferings of the mortal world; let all worries and troubles scatter into the void." As he chanted, a mighty power emanated from He Zhengchen, enveloping the entire Fucheng.

The Method of Forgetting Worries.

The Method of Forgetting Worries at this moment was different from the ordinary Great Array of Forgetting Worries.

The panic caused by the rebellion and the chaos in people's hearts; officials at all levels immediately fell silent at this very moment.

Their minds calmed down; although they still knew a rebellion had occurred, they were no longer terrified or restless.

"Heads of each department, quickly restore official functions; handle the backlog of official business immediately without delay."

He Zhengchen activated the "Golden Sound and Jade Resonance," which entered everyone's minds.

The official functions of Tianhe Fucheng were reactivated at this very moment.

Little Ji

The common people in the crowds also dared to step out onto the streets and begin daily activities, though they were still forbidden from leaving the city.

After He Zhengchen descended, he looked at Zhang and Wu.

"Why is the gap in mid-level officials so large? Did so many Fifth-Rank Realm cultivators die?"

"My Lord, Zhao Xing, the Level-Three Patrol Commissioner of the Five Prefectures of Haizhou, reassigned a group of people to leave the city to suppress the rebellion," Zhang Ping said.

"Patrol Commissioner Zhao Xing?" He Zhengchen, who was unaware of this detail, asked, "He reassigned one thousand people to suppress the rebellion there?"

"Xia Wang."

"What?!" He Zhengchen's expression changed. "Foolishness! How long has he been gone? Order him back immediately!"

"I'm afraid that is impossible."

"Has he already died?" He Zhengchen's expression changed drastically. "Did you not know he has another identity? Why did you not stop him?!"

He Zhengchen merely checked slightly within the official seal and discovered that Zhao Xing's filed records contained even more detailed information.

He knew Zhao Xing was a disciple of Liu Tianning, knew of his relationship with Princess Youruo, and even knew that he had been selected by Profound Heaven Academy and Kunyuan Academy.

How could Zhang Ping and Wu Xuanying allow Zhao Xing to engage in such suicidal behavior?

If so, how could he explain himself to all parties?

"My Lord, do not worry; Xia Wang has already been killed by Zhao Xing," Zhang Ping spoke up. "Zhao Xing is safe and sound; this is intelligence that just arrived."

He Zhengchen's eyes froze, his pupils dilating.

"My Lord, it is indeed so," Wu Xuanying said. "There is absolutely no mistake."

He Zhengchen suppressed the excitement in his heart and dared not say anything like "I already know everything" again.

"Regarding Zhao Xing's actions, you may speak in detail."

"Yes."

"On the second day of the second month, that day—"

Zhao Xing left the city to suppress the rebellion on the fourth day of the second month.

On the fifth day of the second month, it took one day to eliminate the mid-level generals of Xia Wang.

Attacking Xia Wang, activating the Separated Fire Great Array, burned for three days and three nights.

When the confiscation of property occurred, it was already the afternoon of the tenth day of the second month.

It was on this very day that He Zhengchen also emerged.

He personally contacted Zhao Xing and expressed his full support for Zhao Xing.

He dispatched a large number of selected officials to move out, heading toward Tianxia Commandery.

But He Zhengchen was also very worried about Zhao Xing's safety.

The implication was to let Zhao Xing return first.

However, by this time, Zhao Xing had already departed for Puyang Commandery.

On the thirteenth day of the second month, Marquis Puyang, along with his one hundred and five personal guards, were all beheaded.

On the same day, Zhao Xing deployed an army of straw men, including ninety-seven Myriad-Division Avatars, totaling forty thousand, rushing to the various counties of Puyang Commandery.

They beheaded over forty-three thousand eight hundred people; anyone judged as a rebel under the Heaven-Eye Method was executed without exception.

But many people had not received the Black Dragon Fortune edict from Liang Wang; they merely committed insane illegal acts due to the turmoil.

Zhao Xing's choice was: treat everything strictly!

Light punishments became heavy punishments; heavy punishments became death penalties!

Thus, the number of people reduced to cripples reached over one hundred and fifty thousand.

The number directly executed was also over forty thousand.

The blood-filled suppression caused the ancient Pei Let Louyang above the Flat Dragon Fortune State to vanish without a trace!

Because all the rebels were cut down cleanly!

On the evening of the sixteenth day of the second month.

Zhao Xing arrived at Yuhe Commandery.

At this time, He Zhengchen, in the name of the Lord, issued orders to the three armies of Yuan Kui, Yuan Yu, and Yuan He.

Letting them obey Zhao Xing's orders, and with his status as the Patrol Envoy, the fifty thousand-plus soldiers of the Jade River Army were smoothly taken over by Zhao Xing.

There were nine Fourth Rank and three thousand Fifth Rank, totaling fifty-one thousand soldiers in the entire army, coordinating with the military supplies Zhao Xing had gathered via fifty Hunyuan Warships.

Zhao Xing rushed straight for Xinyang Commandery.

Because this army had been contaminated in advance, of the two hundred thousand Xinyang Army soldiers, fewer than three thousand were actually innocent!

February 20th.

The entire Xinyang Army was declared annihilated.

This time it was all death tolls; two hundred thousand people, with absolutely no one escaping Xinyang Commandery.

This was because of He Zhengchen's cooperation; the boundary markers of Xinyang Commandery had sealed off the entire commandery, making escape impossible.

Forced to pick up weapons and resist, because if they didn't resist, they would be killed by the Marquis of Xinyang.

At this point, they could no longer be considered innocent.

In the end, all two hundred thousand people were killed!

February 23rd.

Zhao Xing led the Yuan Yu Army to the location of the fifth garrison to suppress the rebellion.

This was the easiest time; when he arrived in Shangdang Commandery, the governor of Shangdang Commandery, 'Qu Xin', had actually employed the strategy of the Ritual Cultivator, tricking all sixteen generals of the rebel 'Longyang Army' into the city and killing them.

When Zhao Xing arrived, the Longyang rebels were still obediently staying in the military camp outside the city, completely unaware of what had happened.

March 5th.

Zhao Xing arrived in Jiangwu Commandery.

This time was also the one with the most slaughter.

Because the suppression campaign put immense pressure on the three rebel armies near Jiangwu Commandery.

In this battle, Zhao Xing, leading the Yuan Yu Army, along with the Yuan Kui Army that had arrived, and thirty thousand Yin Soldiers and Yin Generals, annihilated the three united rebel armies, totaling seven hundred thousand people.

By now, among the eleven garrisons of the Tianhe Prefecture, only the last two rebel armies remained.

And they could no longer amount to anything.

Because He Zhengchen, having discovered Zhao Xing's ferocity by the end of February, had already mobilized the city guard of Fucheng, the remaining Yin Soldiers and Yin Generals of the Temple, and the military farmers of the Transport Office.

Beifeng Commandery, where the entire commandery is constantly swept by strong winds.

It is considered a place with relatively harsh conditions within the Tianhe Prefecture.

It was precisely this harsh environment that forged a powerful army, the 'Beifeng Army'.

"Why, why haven't the troops promised by Liang Wang arrived yet?"

"Why, why can you kill the Xia Wang! You are clearly just a Fourth Rank Realm farmer!" Beifeng Wu Hou Yang Dang, eyes bloodshot, stared fiercely at Zhao Xing outside the city formation.

He was unwilling; he had only just rebelled, not even a month had passed, and his dream had shattered.

"Sleep~ Sleep~"

The only answer was a faint voice; hiding inside the city formation, Beifeng Wu Hou Yang Dang still felt that, due to the slaughter of the past month or so, Zhao Xing's Dream Walking Technique had become increasingly proficient.

This spell was further supported by the vast number of Fate Souls provided by the Great Expansion Divine Art, making its power far beyond Zhao Xing's expectations.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Yang Dang could no longer hold on.

"Pfft~"

Yang Dang chopped off his only remaining leg to stay awake.

But another quarter of an hour later, he felt the heavy drowsiness again.

"I am unwilling, I am unwilling——."

Yang Dang muttered to himself; reduced to a mere shell, he fell from the sky and plunged into the dream realm.

"Thud~" Even with blood splattering everywhere from the fall, he did not wake up.

"Hmm? His Fourth Rank Perfection Fate Soul can actually withstand this much?" Zhao Xing discovered that even after Yang Dang fell asleep, it took him a full quarter of an hour to kill the man.

"Truly rare; as a Fourth Rank Perfection martial artist, his soul is actually approaching Third Rank!"

"I have killed so many Fourth Ranks, yet his Fate Soul not only kept pace with his physical realm but even exceeded it by a lot."

Zhao Xing vaguely felt that this Yang Dang was not simple.

Looking at the panel again, he discovered his luck had actually jumped to Great Expansion Seven.

"Did I run into a treasure?" Zhao Xing was stunned.

Combining the panel and spell divination, he sensed that there might truly be a secret on Yang Dang.

One that could even be considered a great opportunity for himself.

"Break the city quickly!"

"Once the city falls, immediately raid Yang Dang's home."

Zhao Xing got fired up, casting spells as if they cost nothing.

At the same time, he ordered all Hunyuan Warships to bombard this section of the city wall formation.

"Boom boom boom boom!"

Under the saturation attack, the city formation was finally broken!

"Swish swish swish~"