Starting as a centurion, he fought his way through the chaos of the world.

Chapter 109 Separation
Over the course of three months, Lu Ming consumed a large quantity of Earth Element Fruits, a fruit with even better effects than Earth Spirit Fruits.

Each one is worth three million points.

Lu Ming consumed ten of them, bringing his "Xuanhuang Chuben" to the peak of the entry level. At this stage of cultivation, he could activate the earth veins within a radius of two hundred miles, making his combat power comparable to the peak of Qi Refining.

At the same time, he has undergone several scroll trials, and his spirit has progressed from its initial form to initial perfection.

Combat effectiveness has greatly increased.

The Xuanwu Golden Bell Cover technique has broken through to the late stage of perfection, and the physical body can also rival the peak of Qi Refining.

The only drawback is his cultivation level. Now that he is in the mid-stage of the Innate Realm, he has the blessing of divine essence. Without using any other trump cards, he can defeat even a mid-stage Qi Refining Realm opponent.

A combination of various combat techniques.

Lu Ming is now capable of fighting against a late-stage Foundation Establishment expert.

Of course, this is due to his own abilities.

If you add a military formation, it will be even stronger; even a Core Formation cultivator might not be a match for it.

"If I were to encounter that crocodile demon now, I wouldn't need any military formations; I could kill it with a single strike!" Lu Ming muttered to himself.

"Whoosh!" Then, the Dragon Sparrow Blade was drawn.

The blade was as sharp as water, flashing with a cold, eerie light.

It was somewhat dazzling in the enclosed room.

I gently ran my fingers across my arm, leaving only a white mark.

Lu Ming nodded in satisfaction.

Then, they went outside.

"Creak!" The door to the secret room was pushed open.

A blast of cold air hit me, and the sky was filled with dazzling stars.

The plum blossoms in the courtyard are in full bloom.

There was silence.

The night watchman's voice rang out.

"It's already past midnight," he said, and then tiptoed into the house.

The light was still on; it hadn't gone out.

My wife fell asleep on the table.

The candlelight shone on her earlobes, making them glisten.

The noise Lu Ming made woke Li Xirou, who looked up and a look of surprise appeared in her sleepy eyes.

"My lord, you've emerged from seclusion!"

As he spoke, he stood up.

I'm going to bring him his meal.

"Don't bother, I'm not hungry, go get some rest," Lu Ming said, pressing on Li Xirou's shoulder.

Seeing that the other party did not seem to be faking it.

Li Xirou did not insist.

After nodding and taking off his clothes, he extinguished the candle.

"My lord, we are surrounded by enemies. Can we hold off the rebels outside?" She felt the intense heat emanating from Lu Ming.

Li Xirou said softly.

Her voice was filled with worry.

Recently, Haizhou and Hongzhou have reportedly expanded their territories.

The six coastal prefectures were divided among three entities.

Whether it's the King of Zhenhai or the King of Lingshan in Hongzhou, they are both rebels.

Only my family belongs to the imperial court.

Rumors circulated that the two families were going to join forces to attack Lu Ming and divide up Yunzhou and Zezhou, though it was unclear whether this was true or not.

But in the teahouses and taverns outside, people were discussing it every day.

It made people panic.

In chaotic times, a person might be a high-ranking nobleman on the first day, but become a prisoner on the second day; such things happen all the time.

Some were even thrown directly into mass graves, left to be eaten by wild dogs.

A phoenix that has fallen to the ground is no better than a chicken; this is exactly what it means.

Li Xirou was naturally worried.

Lu Ming's eyes flashed.

He put his arm around his wife and said, "Don't worry, with your husband here, no one can get in."

Li Xirou's eyes were sparkling.

She nodded slightly.

Nothing happened that night. The next day, Lu Ming had just gotten up when he headed towards the training ground.

After three months of training, although the Governor's Office spent a lot of money, the results were still very obvious.

The elite troops of the governor's mansion, including the Mo Dao soldiers, the Tie Futu soldiers, and the three thousand strongmen, have all broken through to the early stage of True Essence, and their cultivation levels are in no way inferior to those of the Imperial Guards.

The army in Yunzhou, having already joined Lu Ming's command, has now all undergone bone forging.

They are not yet comparable to the Imperial Guards, but dealing with rebels who are not fully armored is very easy for them.

The 100,000-strong army in Zezhou has already been sent there with their cotton armor.

The armor for the elite soldiers and the infantry battalion is still being forged, but their cultivation has not lagged behind. The six thousand warriors were originally the elite of the army, and after entering the Governor's Mansion, with the allocation of resources, their cultivation has broken through to the Blood Transformation Realm.

Moreover, it is steadily improving.

Lu Ming is already preparing to exchange for some more military formations for them to practice.

As for generals like Wang Han, they all reached the Gangqi Realm one after another.

Wu Han, Su Lie, and others were already quite powerful in the past, and now they are at the Innate Realm, making them absolute experts.

If only we had more time.

Their strength will reach an even higher level.

As for the supply of pills, Lu Ming set a rule that, in addition to the basic pills, an extra two million taels of silver would be spent each month to purchase a lot of medicinal materials for refining Blood-Moving Pills, True Essence Pills, and罡气 Pills.

However, these elixirs will not be provided free of charge.

Instead, they were stored in Guo Zhun's warehouse, and a new batch was replenished every month.

It is for soldiers who have reached the level of Blood Transport.

But the prerequisite is that they must redeem it using military merit points.

This resulted in Lu Ming's soldiers having a very high level of enthusiasm for fighting.

However, it is now winter.

Lu Ming will try his best to avoid large-scale battles.

He believed that with a period of rest and recuperation, the army's strength would be even greater by next spring.

As soon as we arrived at the training ground, we heard shouts all around us.

The heavily armored warriors were all training intensively.

Even though it's already winter, I'm still sweating profusely.

Clearly, everyone cherishes the opportunity they have now.

After all, they had experienced life at the bottom of society and war, and they knew how hard-won it was to be able to cultivate now.

Baili's chubby body walked over.

She's gotten even fatter since the last time we met.

He was like a mountain of flesh, but his cultivation was much stronger, reaching the Qi Refining Realm.

The fluctuations of qi and blood in his body were extremely intense.

She had just arrived beside Lu Ming.

A smile appeared on his face. "Sir, this is what I was looking for. This is our income for the past three months."

Lu Ming raised an eyebrow, not expecting to earn money so soon.

He took the ledger and casually flipped through it.

“Jin Gang generated a profit of 500,000 taels of silver in just three months, which is quite good.”

Fish from Zezhou Bay were also put on the market, and in one month, they sold over a million taels of silver.

Although words cannot fill the gap in medicinal materials, it is only the beginning.

"That's already very good," Lu Ming thought to himself.

His gaze swept over Baili Fei, and he couldn't help but sigh, realizing he hadn't made a mistake in choosing him.

In such a short time, the Governor's Office has already started to profit.

Now, my expenses are too high.

Each month, the expenditure on elixirs alone amounted to more than five million taels of silver.

In just three months, more than ten million taels of silver were gone.

If things continue like this, I'm afraid we won't have any money left after this winter.

Therefore, opening up trade routes is really important.

"Not bad, you've earned so much silver in such a short time, you're really talented."

Lu Ming's words made Baili Fei feel a little embarrassed.

He quickly replied, "It was Lieutenant Li Xun who did the hard work. I was just organizing the supplies. He was the one who really did the work of delivering the goods."

Baili Fei did not take credit for it and quickly said.

Since Li Xun also entered the Governor's Office.

He became even more careful in his actions.

He became much more respectful when facing Lu Ming.

He glanced at Baili Fei.

Lu Ming said with a faint smile, "It's your achievement, so don't be so polite. Although Li Xun is my brother-in-law, he still has to follow the rules in the Governor's Mansion. Do a good job."

As he spoke, he patted Baili Fei on the shoulder.

Now, as Lu Ming's power grows, so too does his influence.

His aura of authority had become even more imposing.

Even Baili Fei now feels that this action is nothing special.

It seems that this is how it should be.

As the two were talking, they entered the front hall.

After Lu Ming sat down, he gestured for Baili Fei to sit down as well.

Then, picking up his teacup, he said calmly, "What's been happening in Hongzhou and Haizhou lately?"

Lu Ming was of course aware of the folk tales that Li Xirou had told him.

Moreover, they have been constantly investigating. They have also planted numerous spies within the caravan.

It was all for the purpose of obtaining information.

He believed that Baili Fei's visit today was definitely not just for him to see the accounts.

Sure enough, after hearing Lu Ming's question, the other party straightened up and said, "My lord, there is another important matter. After occupying Chizhou a few days ago, the King of Lingshan in Hongzhou declared that he would ascend the throne and become emperor, clamoring to rival the Great Yu."

The sect behind them also stood up to support them. It seemed to be called Medicine King Island and sent a lot of disciples. It was a small overseas sect.

This action enraged His Majesty.

However, the army was unable to pass through the territory of several rebel kings between the imperial court and them.

Several assassination attempts were made, but all failed due to interference from members of the immortal sects.

Lu Ming raised an eyebrow. He really hadn't expected the King of Lingshan to be so bold; he was determined to be the first to stick his neck out.

Even Prince Yong didn't dare to announce his ascension to the throne now, yet he actually ran away.

Was it genuine stupidity? Or were there other reasons?

"Do they intend to attack us?"

“The relationship between King Lingshan and King Zhenhai is indeed close.”

We have spies working in the Lingshan Prince's mansion.

According to his report, both sides have reached an agreement, seemingly to jointly divide our spoils after King Lingshan ascends the throne.

After saying this, a solemn expression appeared on his face.

Li nodded, indicating his shortcomings.

"Has the date for King Lingshan's ascension to the throne been set? What are the attitudes of the other rebel kings?"

"Just three months later, he ascended the throne at the New Year. The other rebel kings did not react for the time being, seemingly happy to see him being targeted by the court, thus relieving their own pressure."

Baili Fei smiled bitterly.

King Lingshan has become too arrogant. With the help of the spiritual herbs provided by Medicine King Island, his own strength and the strength of his army have indeed improved considerably.

However, in every aspect, they are no match for the anti-king forces that have the support of those major sects.

But he was destined to ascend the throne.

It's really incomprehensible.

"Do you think King Lingshan is stupid?" Lu Ming seemed to have thought of something, his eyes showing understanding, and he said calmly.

Baili Fei was honest enough to nod and say, "Indeed, ascending the throne at this time makes one extremely vulnerable to being targeted."

"He's not stupid. He knows his own strength, so what he wants is never to unify the world, but to truly establish a country and occupy these six coastal states. If I'm not mistaken, the King of Lingshan and the King of Zhenhai have probably already become one family."

Although it's unclear how they did it, the latter will likely support them.

This matter is not as simple as it seems.

After summarizing the information about Baili Fei.

A serious expression appeared in Lu Ming's eyes.

He has a guess, if it's true.

This King of Lingshan is more despicable than the other rebel kings.

These six coastal continents were indeed separated by them.

Tens of millions of people will likely become slaves of the immortal sects, a place for sea monsters to feed on. Within ten years, it will become just like the outer realms, bloody and chaotic.

Even if dynasties change, it would be extremely difficult to take it back.

Other rebel kings, at most, just wanted to change the dynasty.

But they were the humans who had completely betrayed humanity and abandoned their people.

Thinking of this, Lu Ming felt a chill run down his spine.

Looking at Baili Fei, he said, "Continue to investigate their situation. Don't spread this matter outside for now."

"Yes, sir!" the other party stood up and said solemnly.

At this moment, they clearly realized the seriousness of the situation, and their faces turned somewhat pale.

The Baili family has been operating in the coastal area for so many years, so if what Lu Ming said is true...

Their people will likely become food for the dead from now on.

After responding, Baili Fei hurriedly left.

Lu Ming stood up and let out a long breath.

I underestimated the power of human nature.

King Lingshan is the most ferocious one among the six coastal states.

For their own benefit, they simply sent away the people of the six prefectures.

They were reduced to slaves of the immortal sects and devoured by sea monsters.

Just damn.

Meanwhile, within the imperial court...

The Empress sat behind a curtain, while the courtiers below were already in an uproar.

A marquis stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, our Great Yu still has millions of troops. If the six states are temporarily occupied by the rebels, we can slowly take them back. But now, that King of Lingshan is actually trying to divide them up.”

They offered it to the sects in the sea, to be fed to the sea monsters; we must do everything in our power to take it back.

Otherwise, they would have no face to face the ancestors of the human race who pioneered this land after death.

This is Lord Tianlei, who commands the Tianlei Guards and is an outer disciple of the immortal sect.

However, his strength is not weak; he has already reached the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Moreover, he also possesses a mastery of lightning techniques, making him a true expert.

Among all the officials, he had the most violent temper.

Li Yan also stepped forward at this moment. His vitality was increasingly declining; his hair had turned silver, and the wrinkles on his face were more pronounced.

"Your Majesty, the six coastal prefectures must be conquered before the King of Lingshan ascends the throne. Although it will be difficult, we must not allow them to become foreign lands."

After saying that, he knelt down on the ground.

His dry palms were almost bleeding from being clenched so tightly.

He hadn't heard from Lu Ming for months and wondered how the other man was doing.

But King Lingshan dared to claim the throne.

He had made a statement about dividing the six coastal states, and in his view, his godson was probably in grave danger.

His trembling body expressed his inner excitement.

Lu Ming's guess was correct; the King of Lingshan had indeed cooperated with the King of Zhenhai, and they were actually planning to divide the six states.

"Order the Left and Right Martial Guards to advance with all their might toward the six coastal prefectures, break through the roads, and recover the six prefectures. The Imperial Palace will assist, with Grand Tutor Lin Hong as commander. Nearby prefectures are also responsible for assisting. Anyone who disobeys will be killed without mercy!"

The Empress's words carried a hint of determination.

She knew this battle was dangerous and would leave the central government of the Great Yu vulnerable.

This will give other rebel kings an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

They will definitely intensify their efforts and attack the prefectures surrounding the capital.

However, there is no solution this time.

The land of the six states can be occupied, but it cannot be lost, much less become foreign territory.

The ancestors of the human race in those days went through countless pioneering efforts on this land, risking their lives to create the ninety states of the Great Yu.

The imperial court may change, but the existing territory must never be divided up.

This is the bottom line for any dynasty.

"Yes, sir!" he replied after receiving the order.

The court officials immediately bowed and said.

At the same time, I admire the Empress's charisma.

The temple houses many powerful individuals, all of whom are independent cultivators from beyond the Great Yu realm recruited over the years.

Every time it is used, a considerable price must be paid.

Since the chaos of the Great Yu Dynasty, the number of times they have been dispatched can be counted on one hand.

This time, they were actually dispatched.

This shows His Majesty's determination.

Meanwhile, in the newly built palace of King Lingshan.

The other person was seated at the head of the table, wearing a black python robe.

His fair complexion made him look quite handsome.

However, his gloomy eyes and thin lips gave him a cruel and ruthless look.

He looked at an old man below and said, "Immortal Master, once the imperial court learns of my ascension to the throne, they will definitely take action, and it will be with overwhelming force. Can we really stop them?"

Although King Lingshan was ruthless, he was also exceptionally cautious.

I will never be careless about anything that could threaten my safety.

"Don't worry, Your Highness. The imperial army will have to pass through the territories of the two rebel kings to get here. We have already sent a large number of elixirs to the immortal sects behind them, and my disciples from Medicine King Island will also go to help."

Even if we can't defeat the imperial army, stopping them shouldn't be a problem.

Besides, didn't the siren go too?

It was agreed beforehand that six states would be divided, three of which would be his breeding grounds. He would naturally fight to the death. That guy's strength has already reached the Core Formation stage, and his actual combat power is even stronger than mine.

They are one of the strongest forces that the Great Yu can currently muster, so you can rest assured.

The old man who spoke was the island lord of Medicine King Island, whose cultivation had reached the Core Formation Realm.

Knowing his own weakness, he abandoned the idea of ​​conquering the world from the beginning, and his goal was only to divide the six states.

Now, he has brought out all of the hundreds of disciples who are available in the sect.

He was determined to make this happen, because he knew it.

If you miss this opportunity, who knows how many years you'll have to wait to encounter it again.

He had long coveted the fertile land of Dayu.

This time, we are determined to tear a piece of flesh off the other side.

Everything had already been arranged so that King Lingshan could ascend the throne smoothly.

"What about Yunzhou and Zezhou? That governor of Yunzhou seems to be a tough opponent."

"The crocodile is just tough and thick-skinned. Yunzhou was able to take it down. Although it was somewhat unexpected, it is still under control."

Your Highness, rest assured, I will personally oversee Hongzhou and ensure they dare not make a move.

"As long as we can hold off the imperial army, Yunzhou can be destroyed in the blink of an eye."

The old man said confidently that as the island lord of Medicine King Island, no one doubted his words in dealing with a fifth-rank general of the Great Yu Dynasty.

"Then I will await good news," King Lingshan said with a smile.

A broad smile appeared on his face.

(End of this chapter)