Chapter 642: Zhunti Enters Zhaoge

Xiqi.

The Xibo Marquis Mansion.

When the battle report arrived, all of Xiqi was stunned.

Jin Ning, a peak Golden Immortal, had actually been captured alive, and the Fengyun Sect had been killed in battle by the State Preceptor Yang Daoren.

This reversal had come too suddenly.

A short time ago, the State Preceptor Yang Daoren had been beaten to the point where he only dared to cower in the city, yet in the blink of an eye, he had captured Jin Ning alive.

More importantly, Zhao Gongming had taken action.

Zhao Gongming was the first disciple of the Jie Sect's outer sect and, to a certain extent, could represent the Jie Sect.

This meant that the Jie Sect had decided to intervene in the Investiture of the Gods.

Thinking of the Jie Sect, this behemoth, not to mention Ji Chang and the others, even Jiang Ziya felt immense pressure.

Yin Shang already had one Golden Immortal; if the Jie Sect were to enter the fray at any time, then for their upcoming mobilization, they would need at least a few of the "Twelve Golden Immortals" to come and preside.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ziya said loudly, "Everyone, there is no need to worry too much. The Jie Sect is strong, but my Exposition Sect is not weak either. Let us do this: I will send a message to a few senior brothers and ask them to come and preside."

Ji Chang and the others nodded one after another, feeling slightly relieved.

San Yisheng sighed, "The outcome in Qingzhou is decided; I fear Eastern Lu and the North Sea will not be able to hold out for much longer."

……

Youzhou.

The Youzhou Marquis Mansion.

Upon receiving the news from Qingzhou, Yuan Futong was also terrified and hurriedly invited the two Mysterious Immortals of the Western Sect, saying in a panic, "Two High Immortals, Qingzhou just sent news that Jin Ning has been captured alive and the Fengyun Sect killed."

"What!"

The two Mysterious Immortals of the Western Sect were also stunned.

Jin Ning was a Heavenly Maiden of the Phoenix Clan and a peak Golden Immortal; how could she have been defeated so miserably?

They looked at each other, both seeing the cowardice in the other's eyes.

Wen Zhong alone was enough to keep them exhausted, let alone the State Preceptor Yang Daoren; once he pacified Eastern Lu and could free himself to come to Youzhou, they would be dead for sure.

Yuan Futong lowered his status and pleaded, "I know the two High Immortals have extraordinary origins; I beg the two High Immortals to seek help from the forces behind you. If I can become the Human Emperor in the future, I will surely give you five million slaves as blood food every year."

He thought the forces behind them were some powerful Demon Clan.

For the sake of his ambition, he stopped pretending.

If five million slaves were not enough, then fifty million would do.

In any case, the Primordial World was so vast, and there were countless humans; he wasn't afraid of not being able to catch enough slaves.

"Cough, cough!"

One of the Mysterious Immortals coughed lightly and feigned composure, "Marquis, we will report your request, but as for what the higher-ups decide, I fear it is not something we can control."

Yuan Futong nodded repeatedly, "I know that. You can tell them that if they have any requirements, just state them; everything is negotiable."

"Good. We will return now."

The other Mysterious Immortal nodded, and the two bowed and turned to leave.

After leaving the Youzhou Marquis Mansion, the two cast an invisibility spell and soared into the sky, leaving Youzhou without looking back.

As for the Demon Clan they had brought, they naturally abandoned them directly.

Reporting was impossible; saving their lives was the priority, because the Western Sect could not possibly send a Golden Immortal, as that would mean being completely dragged into the Investiture of the Gods; how could the two Saints agree to that?

In any case, their mission had long been completed, and they could report back upon returning.

According to the intelligence they had gathered, the Exposition Sect had already chosen Xiqi, and Xiqi had also been expanding its military and preparing for war all these years; now there were signs that mobilization was imminent.

In the Investiture of the Gods, the struggle between the Exposition Sect and the Jie Sect was the main course.

Their assistance to Youzhou was merely an appetizer, including the rebellions in Qingzhou and Eastern Lu.

………

"So this is Zhaoge!"

Walking on the streets of Zhaoge, Zhunti Daoren could not help but marvel. He saw the streets bustling with traffic, and the buildings on both sides were all high-rises, generally over thirty stories tall.

The streets were spotless, the pedestrians were dressed in bright and beautiful clothes, and everyone's face was filled with a happy smile.

Looking around, one saw only cultivators, and immortal-realm cultivators could be seen everywhere.

All kinds of novel things kept him busy; since he was born, he did not know how many cities he had traveled through—Dragon, Phoenix, Qilin, Witch, Demon, and all other clans—but no city could compare to Zhaoge.

Those cities were all the same, only Zhaoge was refreshing and filled with vibrant life.

He did not forget his purpose; he came to a mobile phone specialty store and bought a top-grade spirit-tool-level mobile phone.

It was not that he did not want to buy an immortal-level one, but the specialty store was out of stock.

After quickly reading the manual, Zhunti Daoren began operating the phone and soon became familiar with it, discovering that the various applications on the phone were quite helpful for cultivation, but that was all.

This made him frown; how could a mobile phone be related to the rise and fall of the Western Sect?

Perhaps it was because the time was too short.

Zhunti Daoren finally comforted himself; after all, he had just gotten the phone, and it would certainly take some time to fully familiarize himself and understand it.

He prepared to stay in Zhaoge for a few days and wait until he had studied the phone thoroughly before deciding.

……

The surrender document from Eastern Lu entering the capital made the civil and military officials boil with excitement.

No one expected that the Battle of Qingyang City would not only completely crush the Qingzhou rebel army but also scare Eastern Lu into surrendering directly.

Zichen Hall.

Yin Qi convened a small court meeting, including ministers from the Cabinet, the Military Affairs Department, the Five Ministries, the Censorate, and other departments, to discuss how to deal with Eastern Lu and the various feudal lords.

As the primary culprit, Jiang Huanchu certainly had to be put to death.

Although Yin Shou was an accomplice, as the protagonist of the rebellion, some suggested putting him to death, some suggested demoting him to a commoner, and others suggested house arrest in the Clan Affairs Office.

As for the various feudal lords, their fiefs were to be reduced according to custom.

The newly vacated fiefs, of course, also had to be distributed in a timely manner to the princes, nobles, and meritorious individuals.

Yin Qi sat upright, listening quietly.

As the officials argued, they suddenly noticed Yin Qi's expressionless face, and they all froze, hurriedly quieting down.

Everyone knew their proposals had not been approved by the Great King.

But which proposal was it?

Seeing the officials quiet down, Yin Qi said faintly, "Jiang Huanchu is to be put to death, the Eastern Lu fief is to be reclaimed, the entire Jiang clan is to be demoted to commoners and dispersed for resettlement; the Ministry of Revenue is to come up with a concrete plan."

The Minister of Revenue hurriedly agreed, "Yes, Great King."

"As for Yin Shou, demote him to a commoner, remove him from the clan genealogy, and he is not to return to Zhaoge for the rest of his life."

Having said this, Yin Qi paused and looked at Shang Rong, "Prime Minister, regarding the various feudal lords, how do you think they should be dealt with?"

Swish! Swish!

Everyone looked at Shang Rong.

They were all smart people and soon understood that Yin Qi was dissatisfied with the proposal to reduce the fiefs.

But this was custom.

Shang Rong's expression became solemn, and he bowed, "Replying to the Great King, rebellion is an unforgivable crime; how can it be dealt with by merely reducing fiefs? In this old minister's view, to deter people's hearts, all the fiefs of the lords should be reclaimed.

Furthermore, regarding all the reclaimed fiefs, this old minister suggests they be taken as state property and no longer distributed.

Previously, the feudal system was implemented because the territory was too large to be managed effectively.

But now that teleportation arrays are everywhere, travel is extremely convenient, so naturally, there is no need to continue the feudal system, lest today's events repeat themselves in the future."

Regarding Yin Qi's desire for centralization, Shang Rong was aware.

When Youzhou, Qingzhou, and Eastern Lu rebelled, Yin Qi did not suppress them immediately but dragged it out for three years, just to completely muddy the situation, drag all the lords into the water, and then take the opportunity to reclaim all the fiefs.

Therefore, facing Yin Qi's question, he naturally had to take the initiative to propose it and share the pressure for Yin Qi.

The feudal system had long been deeply rooted in people's hearts.

He knew his suggestion would certainly cause an uproar in the world, or even invite countless attacks, and even the reputation he had accumulated over half a lifetime would be destroyed in an instant.

But for the future of Yin Shang, he had to do it. ===== CHAPTER 643 =====