Chapter 273: The pseudo-emperor was indeed a man who did not stand on ceremony

Guo Ming's strength had broken through once more; he now possessed an additional sword, the Mao Hour Tai Chong Sword. However, his strength remained at Rank Three, and unlike before, it did not directly jump up by a full rank.

Clearly, the increase in rank had also altered his upper limits.

At the same time, the Prince of Ning's massive army surged forward, showing no intention of stopping.

To them, Chu Chu Danqing and his companions were not even the target; they could simply crush them by rolling the army over them.

If it were only Chu Chu Danqing and Da Bao, they truly would not have been able to block such a massive force.

But with Guo Ming here, it was a different story. The Su Nu Sword Spirit manifested behind him, raising her spear to fire.

A violent surge of sword Qi swept instantly across the army that had shown no intention of slowing down.

Simultaneously, four flying swords formed the Four Symbols Sword Array.

In that instant, the Prince of Ning's army was torn open, creating a massive, bloody gap.

They paid the price for their own contempt.

"How bold!" A roar echoed, and Chu Chu Danqing saw a Dimensional Apostle leading his summoned creatures arrive first.

Chu Chu Danqing glanced at the opponent, then proceeded to ignore him entirely.

It was not inconceivable for an Apostle to join the Prince of Ning's camp. The opponent had recognized Chu Chu Danqing as an Apostle and had volunteered to come and deal with him.

Yet, the moment he arrived, he witnessed the scene of Guo Ming sweeping the entire field with one person and five swords.

The Apostle couldn't help but swallow hard, turning to flee.

However, since he had already come and jumped out to attract Guo Ming's attention, the Zi Hour Divine Queen Sword very smoothly skewered the Apostle and his summoned creatures like a string of gourds.

"The quality is uneven." Chu Chu Danqing sighed. He recalled Black Crow, a Reserve-rank Apostle from the Long Hu Alliance he had met in his Reserve-stage welfare sprint class; that one was truly formidable.

As he spoke, the Prince of Ning's army slowly came to a halt due to the assault, simultaneously parting to create a path.

An old man dressed in golden armor, with a broad face and a long beard under his jaw, rode out on a tall steed, surrounded by guards.

"You are the Prince of Ning?" Chu Chu Danqing looked the man up and down before speaking.

He also gave Guo Ming a look, signaling him to kill the man at the first opportunity.

"I was indeed the Prince of Ning before, but I ascended the throne following the imperial edict. I am now the Anyong Emperor; you should address me as Your Majesty," Yang Yang Zhenhao said.

His voice was not overbearing; on the contrary, it felt like a spring breeze.

Chu Chu Danqing suspected this was the charm effect added by the man's Purple Mansion Spirit Beast, the *Record of Contending Beauties*.

However, he estimated that this charm attribute was inferior to his own, though their directions of charm differed.

The opponent's charm was more like brainwashing, unlike Chu Chu Danqing's affinity.

There were many similarities between the two, but the difference lay in one directly altering a person's senses, while the other was a subtle, silent influence on their inclinations.

"Is the legitimacy of your Anyong Emperor... orthodox?" Chu Chu Danqing only felt that the situation had taken a turn.

Initially, his target was the debauched Anyong Emperor, Yang Qianzheng, only to find that the guy was quite human, just a bit mediocre.

Then the target became the Prince of Ning, but he was ultimately just a feudal prince.

But now that the man had declared himself emperor, and the Paradise's description of his identity was "pseudo-emperor," did that even count as an emperor?

"It is naturally orthodox." After Yang Yang Zhenhao replied, he continued: "Since ancient times, if there is no son, the brother succeeds the brother. Yang Qianzheng was merely an adopted son."

"How could he inherit the great throne?"

"But at least he doesn't treat the common people like blades of grass, using them as resources at will." Chu Chu Danqing had never recognized things like orthodoxy or bloodlines.

He never cared who became emperor; he only cared about whether they could make the lives of the people better.

"Those who achieve great things do not stand on ceremony." Yang Yang Zhenhao was dismissive of Chu Chu Danqing's words.

It was just a few deaths; once he ascended, there would be plenty of Confucian scholars to debate the scriptures for him.

Losing a bit of reputation didn't matter; implementing benevolent governance would win it back.

As for how future history books would write it? After he died, let the floods come.

Hearing this, Chu Chu Danqing shook his head: "If one cannot sweep a single room, how can one sweep the world?"

As the words fell, Guo Ming made his move.

Yang Yang Zhenhao was just about to retort when he saw the flying swords strike.

The reason he had spoken so much with Chu Chu Danqing was, naturally, to recruit Guo Ming.

With such formidable strength, if he could be used, he would naturally be a great asset.

"Scoundrel!" Yang Yang Zhenhao cursed. His spirit beast, the *Record of Contending Beauties*, manifested, and one by one, the spirits of the beauties scrambled to block in front of him.

At the same time, the guards and generals beside him reacted, moving to counterattack immediately.

Chu Chu Danqing wasn't just chatting idly with the man; he was stalling for time for Da Gu to chant.

As for why he didn't chant earlier, it was naturally because there was no target.

What was the use of killing a bunch of foot soldiers? Killing a general, or even a core figure in the Prince of Ning's army, would have an effect far superior to killing a pile of soldiers.

He hadn't expected the Prince of Ning to come to the front lines himself; it seemed Guo Ming's temptation was indeed great.

The *Sorrowful Wind* broke through layers of obstacles and, joining forces with Guo Ming's Chou Hour Great Fortune Sword, instantly tore through the protective layer formed by the beauty spirits.

Seeing the situation was dire, the Prince of Ning immediately activated a life-saving spirit treasure. His figure distorted for a moment, and then he vanished from his horse.

He retreated directly to the center of the army.

The *Sorrowful Wind* and the Chou Hour Great Fortune Sword struck empty air.

Under Da Gu's control, the *Sorrowful Wind* re-selected a person who appeared to be a high-ranking general.

And the Chou Hour Great Fortune Sword chose another target.

"Brother Guo, leave the pseudo-emperor to you to resolve; I'll handle the rest." As Chu Chu Danqing said this, he grabbed the Yue Lan Totem Pillar.

Guo Ming looked at Chu Chu Danqing hesitantly and asked: "Can you handle it?"

Guo Ming knew that Chu Chu Danqing hadn't fought in a long time.

"I can!" Chu Chu Danqing replied, immediately swinging the Yue Lan Totem Pillar.

With 20 points of Strength, even without any buffs, he was quite ferocious.

"Da Bao, protect Brother Chu well; I'll be back shortly." Guo Ming knew that with his own strength alone, the fastest way to crush this army of one hundred thousand was to capture the ringleader first.

Once the pseudo-emperor was killed, the rest would be easy to resolve.

After giving his instructions, Guo Ming flew off on his sword to hunt down Yang Yang Zhenhao, his sword Qi, sword intent, and sword momentum carving a bloody path through the hundred-thousand-strong army.

"Protect the Emperor! Reinforce and protect the Emperor!" several generals roared uncontrollably.

The conversation between Chu Chu Danqing and Guo Ming had not been concealed, so it was naturally overheard.

"I'm afraid it's too late." As Chu Chu Danqing spoke, he swung the Yue Lan Totem Pillar with such force that anyone attempting to approach him had no chance at all.

At the same time, the *Sorrowful Wind* began chanting again, and Da Bao used his sharp claws to tear apart the spirit beasts flying in from the air.

The good news was that most of the capable generals had gone back to save Yang Yang Zhenhao, leaving only the foot soldiers behind.

They all shared a common trait: their strength was on the lower side.

The spirit beasts' attributes averaged around 10 points, and the soldiers' attributes were even lower, at only 7 points.

With Chu Chu Danqing's 20-point five-dimensional attributes, even if he wasn't skilled in combat, as long as he could swing the Yue Lan Totem Pillar, basically no one could get close to him.

If one person approached, he smashed them; if a group approached, he swept them away.

Coupled with Da Bao filling the gaps on the side, Chu Chu Danqing truly cleared out a large empty area.

However, because he lacked relevant basic skills, Chu Chu Danqing's "drunken fist" style consumed his stamina very quickly.

Plus, his HP was at 50%, and his own state wasn't exactly optimal.

Yet he held his ground.

As more soldiers died, they naturally hesitated, daring only to surround Chu Chu Danqing without approaching the attack range of his Yue Lan Totem Pillar.

"What? Too afraid to come?" Chu Chu Danqing said provocatively: "Stupid as you are, at least you know your lives are important."

"The pseudo-emperor is in the back eating and drinking without any danger to his life, while you are eating chaff and swallowing vegetables, using your lives to fill the front lines. I thought you really had no brains."

Once these words were out, combined with the initial favorability brought by Chu Chu Danqing's "Appearance of the Sun" and his own charm attribute, the expressions of the soldiers shifted slightly.

"Do you know why the pseudo-emperor led the army to kill me?" Chu Chu Danqing asked and answered himself: "Because the Yaksha spirit beasts he raised using human lives were all slaughtered by me. Yes, that's the Taijiang Guard."

"Guess again: were the people used as cultivation materials from official families, or were they from ordinary backgrounds like you?"

"That's right, they were definitely from ordinary backgrounds like you. He did say that those who achieve great things do not stand on ceremony."

"Who knows, your own family members might have already been used as materials for the Yaksha spirit beasts." Chu Chu Danqing changed his tone and continued.

The affinity brought by Chu Chu Danqing's charm attribute began to take effect, countering the charm influence formed by the pseudo-emperor Yang Yang Zhenhao's *Record of Contending Beauties*.

Yang Yang Zhenhao was currently preoccupied, and since Chu Chu Danqing was on the scene, his words were naturally more effective.

After he finished speaking, the expressions of the soldiers surrounding him became even more pronounced.

"Now, you are rebel soldiers."

"I know that rebelling was not your own wish, but that you were coerced."

"The pseudo-emperor bewitched you with the *Record of Contending Beauties*, evolved from the souls of three thousand women. It's not too late to turn back now."

"Even if you want to achieve great things and become meritorious subjects of the new dynasty, let alone whether his rebellion against the world can succeed, are you sure you can survive to receive the reward?"

"And you must also consider your families. Is this worth it?"

"It is not too late to repent."

"Join me now to capture the pseudo-emperor. This is not just atonement for your crimes, but a merit of suppressing a rebellion!" When Chu Chu Danqing said this, his charm attribute was pushed to the limit.

Chu Chu Danqing didn't just start from the perspective of righteousness; he also gave them a way out and the possibility of being pardoned and rewarded afterward.

As long as he could successfully turn a portion of the soldiers, he could break the situation point by point and expand his own advantage.

As for whether it would succeed, how would Chu Chu Danqing know? He wasn't the little mustache giving speeches in a beer hall; he could only rely on his charm attribute to do his best and leave the rest to fate.

Fortunately, when he finished speaking, the first soldier raised his arm and shouted: "Execute the pseudo-emperor, suppress the rebellion!"

(End of chapter)