Chapter 789

The Lotus Living Buddha, hearing Tie Muzhen's declaration, could not help but be deeply moved.

Willing to forsake personal life and hegemony, all for the sake of the Great Yuan's foundation.

This Great Khan, he had not chosen wrongly.

"Yet none of this requires such extremes!"

"This matter, though difficult, is also simple."

The Lotus Living Buddha smiled lightly, his eyes glinting with confidence.

"Please, Living Buddha, teach me."

Seeing the Lotus Living Buddha thus, Tie Muzhen was intensely curious.

Throughout the world, even the Great Qin, knowing the Qinglong Society might target them,

would be trembling in constant dread, unsure what to do.

Now that the Lotus Living Buddha has a solution, is that not perfect?

The Great Qing occupies a corner of the northeast of Jiuzhou, the smallest territory among all imperial dynasties.

Because here, the celestial and terrestrial Qi is scattered, it is called by the world a land beyond civilization.

Though within its borders, there are countless Zong Sects, and the martial spirit is not low.

But first, the ruling class seized power illegitimately, fearing peasant uprisings, and thus issued a ban on martial arts.

Second, this is inherently a land beyond civilization; any martial artist reaching the Earthly Immortal Realm wishes to leave the Great Qing.

Therefore, since the Great Qing imperial clan entered the pass and founded the state, martial arts within the Great Qing have steadily declined.

Until the Qinglong Society's tentacles infiltrated the Great Qing and overthrew the entire ruling class.

The martial spirit gradually flourished.

But later, after the Great Dragon Head Ximen Wudi departed Jiuzhou due to the opening of the Sword Realm,

several major factions secretly moved against the Qinglong Society, and at that time, most of the Dragon Heads were not at Qinglong Peak.

The guest masters numbered only Di Shitian alone.

Under Jiang Yuyan's orders, the Qinglong Society's top experts within the Great Qing returned to reinforce.

The rest went into hiding.

Who knew that this withdrawal allowed the suppressed Great Qing imperial clan to rise from the dead.

Not only did they regain control of the Great Qing's government, but they also reissued the nationwide ban on martial arts.

And this time, the ban on martial arts differed greatly from the last.

The last Qing court's target was primarily internal anti-Qing forces.

This time, they publicly targeted anti-Qing forces.

In truth, they secretly stirred up trouble, directing all Men Sects and righteous and evil martial artists to attack those hiding within the Qinglong Society.

Whether peripheral forces or Qinglong Society's direct assassins.

Suddenly, all within the Great Qing were besieged.

The evil martial artist Feng Huo Liancheng was one of the loyal enforcers of the Qing court's martial arts ban.

He commanded twelve gate generals, each at least at Grandmaster level, the strongest nearing late-stage Grandmaster.

Elsewhere in Jiuzhou, this might be an utterly insignificant small force.

But in this land of depleted celestial and terrestrial Qi, Feng Huo Liancheng's power was extremely strong.

Rumor has it that the Tian di hui Society branch in the northwest of the Great Qing is linked to the Qinglong Society.

The Qing court, under the pretext of the martial arts ban and accusing the Tian di hui Society of anti-Qing activities, ordered the extermination of the Tian di hui Society.

Each Tian di hui Society member could receive ten taels of silver as a reward.

Each Tian di hui Society branch leader could receive a hundred-year spiritual herb!

In this land beyond civilization, cultivation resources are extremely scarce.

A hundred-year spiritual herb is truly invaluable.

Thus, Feng Huo Liancheng, with his twelve gate generals, raised an evil martial army numbering over a thousand.

He pursued and slaughtered Tian di hui Society members relentlessly.

When the Qinglong Society overthrew Qing rule, some Tian di hui members had indeed joined.

But as Qinglong Society experts were withdrawn, many Tian di hui experts also left the Great Qing.

As a result, the Qinglong Society branches across the thirteen provinces of Jiangnan and Hebei were nearly eradicated under the siege of Feng Huo Liancheng and others.

After acquiring vast cultivation resources and rewards of gold, silver, and jewels,

Feng Huo Liancheng remained unsatisfied, and finally, under the guise of the martial arts ban, led his army toward the northwest.

Upon learning the news, the various Tian di hui Society branches in the northwest dispersed into small groups, disguising themselves as ordinary civilians among the populace.

On the other side, they urgently sent messengers, hoping to seek help from the Qinglong Society.

Unfortunately, the Qing court had long dispatched its henchmen to seal off all borders of the Great Qing.

Thus, despite the Great Qing's chaos for so long, the outside world remained unaware of its changes.

Of course, this also relates to the Great Qing being a land beyond civilization, unwatched by any forces of Jiuzhou.

Had it not been for the Great Dragon Head Ximen Wudi's planning, the Qinglong Society likely would never have included the Great Qing among its efforts to overthrow the various imperial dynasties.

Now, the Heavenly Dao Hundred Flowers List has suddenly been exposed: within the Great Qing lies the Forty-Two Chapters Scripture, a key secret even the Heavenly Dao Hundred Flowers List praises.

Instantly, the hearts of hidden masters across the Great Qing stirred.

Feng Huo Liancheng, leading his evil martial army, had just finished slaughtering ordinary martial artists.

At this moment, the small city was littered with corpses.

Not only ordinary martial artists, but all the townsfolk had become victims of Feng Huo Liancheng's blade.

"The Forty-Two Chapter Scripture?"

Fenghuo Liancheng, a large blade slung over one shoulder and some unknown leg bone gnawing in his other hand, casually tossed the bone aside.

Then he stared blankly at Long Er on the horizon, falling into deep thought without realizing it.

"Sect Master! A crucial secret even acknowledged by the Hundred Flowers Ranking of Heaven's Way — this Forty-Two Chapter Scripture must have an extraordinary origin.

I suggest we simply claim that the Shenlong Sect is also connected to the Heaven and Earth Society, board a ship and head out to sea, and slaughter Shenlong Island.

First, we'll seize the Forty-Two Chapter Scripture; second, we'll snatch this beauty for you, Sect Master!"

The one speaking was Shan Zhi, one of the Twelve General Generals of Fenghuo Liancheng.

These Twelve General Generals — not to mention their Wu Gong all came from Fenghuo Liancheng — their personalities also inherited Fenghuo Liancheng's cruelty and bloodthirstiness.

Moreover, every single one of them painted bizarre and strange patterns all over their faces and bodies; ordinary people would get chills down their spines at the sight.

Among the Twelve General Generals, Shan Zhi's Wu Gong was not outstanding.

But when it came to understanding Fenghuo Liancheng, he was the deepest.

He knew his own Sect Master was not only greedy, but also lecherous.

Long Er could make it onto the Golden Ranking of Heaven's Way, and Fenghuo Liancheng was staring so openly and without any concealment at Long Er's graceful, voluptuous figure above the heavens.

Therefore, although Shan Zhi was clearly scheming for the Forty-Two Chapter Scripture, he deliberately threw out Long Er as bait.

"Oh? Is that so?"

Fenghuo Liancheng's eyes, which had been full of greed, gradually returned to normal, and he gave Shan Zhi a casual glance as if nothing were amiss.

Shan Zhi's heart leaped wildly at that single glance from him.

"No! Sect Master, I don't agree with what Shan Zhi said."

Beside Shan Zhi, another General General, Shi Lang, suddenly spoke up, looking exasperated,

"Go on, tell me."

Fenghuo Liancheng looked at the Twelve General Generals with a half-smile, then finally fixed his gaze on Shi Lang.

"Our mission this trip, on the surface, was driven by profit — we came on behalf of the court to exterminate the Heaven and Earth Society's remaining forces in the northwest.

In reality, the court used threats and inducements to force us to come here and fight the Heaven and Earth Society to the death.

Gua Ge Luo previously went with me to scout the rear, and we saw an entire army of the court, only three hundred li away from us.

If we don't go exterminate the Heaven and Earth Society's remaining forces in the northwest, but instead head northeast to the Shenlong Sect,

I'm afraid the moment we set out, the court's army will descend upon us with the overwhelming force of Mount Taishan and leave none of us alive."

Shi Lang's words made all of the Twelve General Generals — except for Gua Ge Luo — turn pale.

They had assumed everything was driven by profit; who would have thought that right behind them was a great army of the Qing court.