Chapter 229: If you guys don't rebel again, I'm going to become a court official

These two great victories from Li Chen's expedition led to unprecedented growth in the Tian Ce Dynasty's territories.

As citizens of the Tian Ce Dynasty, upon learning the news, they were naturally incomparably jubilant.

Li Chen's reputation could be said to have reached a peak in the Tian Ce Dynasty.

The streets and alleys of the Tian Ce Dynasty were filled with a jubilant atmosphere everywhere.

The tea master carried a long-spouted copper pot to refill tea for the guests in the teahouse, and the storyteller's gavel sounded sharply, drowning out the clamor of the crowd.

People were enthusiastically discussing Li Chen's two great victories, and the storytellers were even writing segments overnight, constantly mythologizing Li Chen.

Saying things like Li Chen entered the camp of hundreds of thousands of enemy troops alone, as if entering an empty land!

The enemy commander, seeing His Majesty so heroic, was scared into kneeling and begging for mercy, and the hundreds of thousands of enemy troops were crushed into a rout by His Majesty's divine might.

There was also Li Chen attracting the raid of tens of thousands of monster legions with his own strength, trapped under a cliff.

The divine horse under his crotch leaped up, soaring to a cliff a thousand meters high, and galloped away.

So-called official history is not necessarily correct, but unofficial history is definitely wild enough.

Li Chen just moved his hands a few times, and it was arranged into history by these storytellers.

There were even many famous battles circulating among the people; if Li Chen knew, he might be very confused: when did I participate in these battles?

But one point was worth affirming, and that was that more and more people in the Tian Ce Dynasty wanted to join the army, all wanting to follow in His Majesty's footsteps to expand the territory for the dynasty!

Especially those students in the combat academy, who regretted not joining the army these two times; now there weren't even enough spots.

In the hearts of the people, Li Chen was not just the Emperor, but their faith.

Every one of his victories made the subjects of the Tian Ce Dynasty feel incomparably proud.

In their eyes, the Tian Ce Dynasty was already the center of the world, and Li Chen was the holy monarch leading them toward brilliance.

The news of the two great victories was also gradually circulating in the cultivation world.

Sect cultivators had always held themselves in high regard, believing that secular dynasties were just games for mortals, and that cultivators were existences transcending the secular.

"I didn't expect that I always felt secular dynasties were just passing clouds, but now it seems the prosperity of the Tian Ce Dynasty is no longer something we can look down upon," a sect elder stood on the mountain peak, looking at the distant imperial city, his tone carrying a bit of emotion.

"Indeed, I also have disciples under my sect who participated in this war, and while gaining experience, they also obtained quite a few resources. What's more valuable is that their spirit and energy are much better than before; this is the baptism of war," another elderly cultivator echoed in a low voice.

Actually, what made the two of them feel most rare was that in every generation of dynasties, whenever a strong monarch emerged, in order to consolidate their position, they would certainly suppress the sects.

Even if they didn't do it openly, they would do it by laying out plans in secret.

But Li Chen not only didn't, he even gave major sects more opportunities to develop.

Everyone's gaze was no longer limited to the resources around them, and many sects began to head toward further places.

For example, the Lingyan Dao Sect had already built its own branch in the north, and its resources and student sources began to expand constantly.

They even cooperated with the Tian Ce Dynasty's combat academy, putting effort into alchemy technology and the cultivation of exotic fire seeds, making alchemy no longer a niche, and allowing cultivators to afford elixirs.

Inside the capital of the Tian Ce Dynasty, the ministers were so excited upon hearing the news that they couldn't help themselves.

The imperial historian was even preparing to compile history books, recording Li Chen's achievements in detail for future generations to admire!

The most shocking were the Third Prince and the Prince of Zhennan, who were still fighting internally in the south of the Tian Ce Dynasty.

Originally, when Li Chen became Emperor, there were crises on all sides in the court; if any side was not handled well, a major event of changing dynasties would occur.

But now Li Chen had already solved two sides, and both the Third Prince and the Prince of Zhennan had a bad premonition.

In their view, Li Chen's next target might be to deal with them.

So at the current stage, the war in the south was no longer that serious.

The commander of the Second Group Army, Yun Xu, had even begun to have a rift with Li Yu.

Even though Li Yu was his student and had a good relationship with him.

But as a commander, Yun Xu did not want to bear the crime of treason.

And he had no reason to betray the Tian Ce Dynasty.

Even if Yun Xu and Li Chen hadn't met, Li Chen was the legitimate Emperor, and as long as Li Chen didn't do anything out of line, Yun Xu certainly wouldn't have any ulterior motives.

What's more, his daughter kept writing letters, saying how good Li Chen was, simply an emperor through the ages.

If it were before, his daughter just wanted to be Empress, but now, every word and line was filled with admiration for His Majesty.

This made Yun Xu very curious about what kind of emperor Li Chen was to make his daughter favor him so much.

In a remote small town in the south of the Tian Ce Dynasty, several mysterious figures appeared in the teahouse today.

At first, it was just some cultivators who looked casual, coming to the teahouse to drink tea.

Immediately after, a person wearing a black cloak entered the private room, and not long after, another person wearing a black cloak entered the private room.

Their subordinates were guarding nearby, preventing others from knowing the news, or also guarding against the other side.

These two people were the Third Prince of the Tian Ce Dynasty and the Prince of Zhennan of the Tian Ce Dynasty.

The Third Prince Li Yu arrived here first and waited for a while before the Prince of Zhennan Xu Su arrived.

The reason they agreed to meet here was to chat about future trends.

Because if they kept fighting like this, they felt Li Chen would certainly reap the benefits.

Xu Su actually had great resentment toward Li Yu; if it weren't for you brat turning against him at the last moment, wouldn't I have already fought into the capital?

Li Yu also had his own resentment; it was agreed to fight Li Chen together, but you guys insisted on waiting for me first, and even mocked my people; otherwise, could I have fought you?

When coming here, the two seemed to have reached a consensus and didn't mention this matter again, because if they talked about this, they could probably pull it out for days and nights.

They could even fight on the spot.

The private room of the tea house was located on the second floor, and outside the window was a bamboo forest; the breeze blew by, and the bamboo leaves rustled, appearing exceptionally quiet.

Inside the private room, a rosewood tea table was placed in the center, with a set of exquisite celadon tea sets on the table, and a faint tea fragrance drifted from the teapot, yet no one went to touch it.

The tea had long since cooled, as if hinting at the coldness of this conversation.

Or rather, both of them were afraid that the other had put something in the tea.

The Third Prince Li Yu and the Prince of Zhennan Xu Su sat opposite each other, with a mysterious expert standing behind each of them, their aura restrained but faintly revealing a sense of oppression, clearly high-level guards.

The atmosphere in the private room was so heavy it was almost suffocating, and even the people in the tea house felt oppressed.

Li Yu wore a dark purple brocade robe, his face handsome but carrying a bit of fatigue, and a trace of worry showed in his eyes.

Xu Su was in black tight-fitting clothes, his brows filled with sharpness, his fingers tapping the table unconsciously, making a slight "da da" sound.

The two had met many times before and couldn't be called unfamiliar; at that time, Xu Su was still the former Emperor's capable general, and Li Yu naturally came and went often, but at this moment, neither had the mind for small talk.

The Prince of Zhennan Xu Su spoke directly, his voice low: "You know about the Sassanid Dynasty matter, right?"

Li Yu nodded slightly, his tone calm but carrying a trace of helplessness: "I know, I didn't expect the Empress to surrender so quickly."

Both of them must have thought that if the Sassanid Dynasty won, then Li Chen would be severely injured and would certainly not be able to pose a threat to them.

Even if Li Chen won, he would suffer losses in troops and generals, national power would be greatly damaged, and he wouldn't be able to stir up any wind or waves in a short time.

Who knew it would be finished in less than a month; it was simply weaker than the Northern Royal Court.

Xu Su snorted coldly, his gaze piercing toward Li Yu like a knife, saying: "Li Chen might come back in a while; what do you plan to do?"

His purpose in coming here was not to talk nonsense with Li Yu.

Since he knew how strong Li Chen was, then the two of them certainly didn't have the mind for internal fighting and began to feel insecure.

Li Yu was silent for a moment and said slowly: "He and I are brothers after all."

"Brothers?" Xu Su slapped the table angrily, the tea set clattering: "If you don't want to talk, then let's continue fighting!"

I've already come here, and you're still telling me this? What's the point?

If it were normal times, if anyone dared to talk to Li Yu like this, he would certainly draw his sword.

But now it was different; he suppressed the anger in his heart, took a deep breath, and said: "Then let's make an agreement: whoever fights into the capital first will be the Emperor, how about that?"

Xu Su narrowed his eyes, his tone carrying a bit of sarcasm: "That's not impossible, but you have to help me kill Yun Xu; otherwise, we can't talk."

Mentioning Yun Xu, Li Yu's brows furrowed even tighter.

Yun Xu was not only his mentor, but also the father of the woman he loved, Yun Shang.

To have him take action against Yun Xu, he was extremely conflicted in his heart.

Xu Su saw this and continued: "You also know that with Yun Xu blocking here, the two of us certainly won't be able to reach the capital smoothly. If we wait for Li Chen to come back, the two of us really won't have a chance. You don't want to become a prisoner, do you?"

Xu Su was forcing Li Yu to go and kill Yun Xu, because if the Prince of Zhennan and the Third Prince were to attack the capital at the same time, then Yun Xu would certainly extract most of his troops to resist the Prince of Zhennan.

That way, the Prince of Zhennan would suffer a huge loss, and he could only watch Li Yu kill his way toward the capital.

He wasn't that helpful; if Li Yu didn't kill Yun Xu, he didn't plan to go north either.

Li Yu lowered his head, his fingers rubbing the edge of the tea cup unconsciously, his heart struggling endlessly.

He hadn't officially torn his face with Li Chen yet, which meant he still had a way out.

At worst, he could surrender, perhaps he could still save his life and obtain the status of a Prince.

But Xu Su was different; he was already a well-known rebel and had no way out at all.

Thinking of this, Li Yu raised his head, his tone carrying a bit of probing: "Give me a day to think about it."

A trace of displeasure flashed in Xu Su's eyes, but in the end, he nodded and stood up: "Fine, I'll give you a day, but don't forget, time waits for no one."

After speaking, Xu Su turned and left, the mysterious expert behind him following closely. Li Yu sat in place, looking at Xu Su's departing back, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

He didn't know what Xu Su was planning, but he knew he had to make a choice as soon as possible.

Inside the private room, the tea fragrance remained, but no one moved again.

The Prince of Zhennan returned to his camp quickly, and a mysterious messenger appeared.

He handed over a letter, which was a letter written to him by the Prince of Zhennan's heir, Xu Zifeng.

The Prince of Zhennan had always been very satisfied with this son; his son was his pride.

Ever since the war in the north began, Xu Zifeng had penetrated deep into the northern hinterland, and the father and son had lost contact.

Now that he had finally seen his son's letter, the Prince of Zhennan opened it quickly.

After reading for a while, the Prince of Zhennan frowned.

The confidant beside him asked: "Your Highness, has the Wang Shizi encountered trouble?"

!

He knew the Prince of Zhennan cared very much about his son, so he expressed concern.

"That's not it, it's just that the people of the Ji family actually dared to hide this kind of thing from me!" Xu Su's voice was slightly angry.

In the letter, Xu Zifeng first explained his encounter in the north, which was that he had already lured the northern holy beast, the Snow Leopard God, but in the end, it was intercepted by Li Chen, which made him unable to sleep for several days.

Then, just after returning to the capital, he was immediately arranged by Li Chen to go on a western expedition; now he had already reached the Sassanid Dynasty's capital, obtained quite a few offerings, and his official position was constantly rising.

These were not the main points, because Xu Zifeng didn't have many thoughts about official positions.

The main point was that his mother was at the Ji family mansion in the capital, which made Xu Zifeng not know what to do.

If his mother weren't in the capital, he would have long since found a way to break away from the Tian Ce Dynasty's army and return to the Prince of Zhennan's camp.

This was the main reason for the Prince of Zhennan's anger.

It could be seen that he really didn't care about the Princess of Zhennan; his wife had gone to the capital to stay for so many days, and he only knew now, and didn't even know his wife was serving in bed.

While he was fighting, the Ji family had actually moved to the capital constantly.

The Prince of Zhennan was thinking at this moment that if he fought into the capital, he must give the Ji family a bloody lesson.

Back then, I gave you guys the opportunity to develop in the south, and you ran back when you saw Li Chen was powerful?

These fence-sitters are really unreliable.

The Prince of Zhennan even gave orders directly to withdraw the positions of the Ji family members in the army and cities, throwing them all into prison to await his disposal.

Because in the south, the Prince of Zhennan's authority was very great; this was his territory, and he could make the decisions.

His subordinates went to handle it quickly, and the Ji family members entered the prison one after another.

The news spread, and it was clear that it would make the Ji family in the capital lean even more toward the imperial family.

Xu Su came to the sand table and was constantly analyzing the war situation.

With the surrender of the Sassanid Dynasty, Li Chen's million-strong army was now freed up.

If they came south directly, wouldn't I suffer a huge loss?

By then, the one coming might be Guo Guo Po Yun, and Guo Guo Po Yun and Yun Xu were not on the same level of generals.

What's more, Li Chen had many Sage Realm experts under his command, and the manpower he had recruited was not enough to look at.

Now the only hope was that Li Yu could attack the capital with him, taking advantage of Li Chen not having returned yet to seize the Tian Ce Dynasty's core control.

Then they would occupy the capital, and Li Chen would become a 'feudal prince', reversing the situation.

By then, the Tian Ce Dynasty would become a situation of two heroes dividing the land.

It was normal that other countries' armies couldn't beat the Tian Ce Dynasty's army.

The Prince of Zhennan also knew that only the Tian Ce Dynasty's army could resist the Tian Ce Dynasty's army.

At this moment, the mysterious expert following the Prince of Zhennan said: "Your Highness, if Li Yu doesn't give an answer tomorrow, what should we do?"

This expert had reached a consensus with the Prince of Zhennan.

Because he invested in the Prince of Zhennan, thinking that after the Prince of Zhennan ascended the throne, he would become the State Preceptor, and by then his status would be lofty, also to obtain benefits.

But looking at the current situation, that Li Chen whom they had never put in their eyes had developed to this extent, and he felt the pressure was very great.

If the Prince of Zhennan didn't have a better plan, he wasn't willing to go bankrupt to accompany the Prince of Zhennan.

"Hmph, if Li Yu doesn't give me an explanation tomorrow, I'll let him know what a surprise is!" When the Prince of Zhennan said this sentence, a trace of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.

Since the Prince of Zhennan had a way, this expert didn't say anything else, just bid farewell and left the camp.

As a Sage Realm expert, he was just the Prince of Zhennan's partner, not the Prince of Zhennan's subordinate.

And he was the Holy Master of the Witchcraft Holy Land, Ma Hei's master.

As the Holy Master of the legendary cultivation holy land in the south, his strength had reached a terrifying level.

He couldn't leave the southern border, also because his cultivation technique was too peculiar, which was using Gu.

The world might have a great misunderstanding about Gu insects, thinking that southern border cultivators were poison cultivators.

But on the contrary, the most powerful poison masters were certainly also the most powerful medicine masters.

Their understanding of various medicinal herbs had exceeded the scope of ordinary people.

So-called Gu insects were nothing more than a means of cultivation.

For example, Poison Heart Gu, Poison Dragon Gu, which were made with Poison Heart Grass and poisonous snakes as materials, allowing holy land cultivators to release toxins during battle to erode the enemy's heart.

There were also Blood Skull Gu, which used a person's blood as a sacrifice, and so on.

It sounded very scary, but that was also just a type of side-door category.

But those were all old-era Gu insect types, and very few people cultivated them.

Now the mainstream of the Witchcraft Holy Land was Bear Strength Gu, Moonlight Gu, Copper Skin Gu, etc.

Because these Gu insects only needed to find corresponding materials to start cultivation.

For example, if you caught a Brute Force Bear, you could refine many Bear Strength Gu, or if you raised Copper Skin Beasts, then Copper Skin Gu would also be practiced very quickly.

Times were developing, and the Witchcraft Holy Land had also carried out many reforms.

In the past, the Witchcraft Holy Land couldn't develop because everyone was afraid of this place and also afraid of the people of the Witchcraft Holy Land.

So it was very troublesome to inherit, and they could only pass it on to their own descendants.

They would even be exterminated by so-called 'righteous people' and couldn't walk out of the southern border.

But now it was different; some young cultivators even developed Righteous Qi Gu, Haoran Gu, which stunned the Holy Master of the Witchcraft Holy Land.

But this way, it could be accepted by the world, and there would be people coming to the Witchcraft Holy Land to apprentice and study.

Most importantly, the threshold for cultivating Gu insects was low, not requiring too high a talent, only persistence and effort, and one would certainly achieve something.

Over time, the Witchcraft Holy Land slowly developed.

But to develop further, they needed to expand their influence.

The Holy Master felt that as long as the Prince of Zhennan could ascend the throne, then a golden age of Gu would appear on this continent.

But the problem was, the Prince of Zhennan couldn't fight his way out now, so he was a bit hesitant.

Don't look at how they usually called each other brothers; that was also a relationship of interest. If the Prince of Zhennan really couldn't do it, he also planned to 'withdraw capital', perhaps waiting for two days, there would be a result.

Just as the Holy Master returned to the holy land, a tribesman handed him a letter.

This letter was naturally sent by his beloved disciple Ma Hei.

The general content was Ma Hei asking his master whether they intended to rebel; if they didn't rebel again, he would almost become a high official inside the 'enemy', and in a while, he could even attend the morning court.

Holy Master: "..."

Ma Hei had already become familiar in the Tian Ce Dynasty's army camp, and he had illustrious military achievements; whether it was the northern expedition or the western expedition, he couldn't say he had made great contributions, but he had also made great achievements.

Now he was also in battle robes; wherever he walked, people nearby had to call him General, and his heart was also beautiful.

And Ma Hei estimated that Li Chen's 'ambition' was certainly not low.

Ma Hei wasn't stupid either; he sent this letter to the Holy Master to tell the Holy Master that if the Prince of Zhennan wasn't reliable, they might as well defect to His Majesty Li Chen.

How strong His Majesty Li Chen was, you old man didn't know, but I had seen it with my own eyes.

Let alone fighting Li Chen, I didn't even have the courage to look at him.

What's more, Li Chen had experts like clouds under his command, and now he had occupied the Sassanid Dynasty, and these experts of the Sassanid Dynasty were also surrendering one after another.

Li Chen's power had expanded to the point of inflation; at the end of the letter, Ma Hei even said bluntly: He didn't think there was any force capable of resisting Li Chen at the current stage.

At least in Ma Hei's cognition, there was no such existence.

To put it ugly, the Prince of Zhennan at the beginning was indeed fierce, but now he really wasn't qualified to fight Li Chen.

This made the Holy Master of the Witchcraft Holy Land feel troubled, but he still decided to wait for the Prince of Zhennan for a few days; if the Prince of Zhennan didn't let him see hope, he would prepare a 'way out' for himself.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 230 =====