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

Chapter 168 The Beginning of the Fated Showdown

At this time, Lu Ming's cultivation had reached the mid-stage of the Refining Spirit realm.

Six earth-colored lines, shimmering with an earthy yellow light, converge together like a totem.

The six celestial patterns also converge to form a totem.

Two long snakes were intertwined behind him.

It looks as if it grew out of its back.

Its vertical pupils emitted a cold, eerie beam of light, ready to devour anyone it could.

The "Black Tortoise Golden Bell Cover" technique has reached the late stage of the seventh level, comparable to a powerhouse in the late stage of the Refining God realm.

On his body, cyan-gold runes were pulsating.

When standing still.

As the muscles in his body twitched, it seemed as if thunder was rumbling through his flesh.

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

Lu Ming slowly walked towards the door.

Mu Qinglin was standing outside when he heard the sound and quickly turned around.

He then bowed and said, "Greetings, Lord Marquis."

"Has Madam emerged from seclusion?" While he was in seclusion, Li Xirou naturally obtained the scroll and also chose to go into seclusion.

"Reporting to the Marquis, the Madam has not yet emerged from seclusion."

Mu Qinglin quickly replied.

Lu Ming nodded, glanced at her, and then walked towards the front yard.

This made the other party tremble involuntarily, thinking that they had offended Lu Ming.

When we arrived at the front yard.

Then they saw Wang Yue leading his soldiers in drills.

He has clearly already made the breakthrough.

The cultivation level at the early stage of Spirit Refinement is not bad.

Now, Lu Ming felt that he should prepare the true blood of the ferocious beasts.

However, he had already checked and determined the current permissions for opening the store.

The beast blood obtained through exchange wasn't considered particularly high-grade.

If I can be promoted one level.

The beast blood obtained from that is quite different.

He even saw the true blood of Kunpeng and the true blood of Zhulong, although they were extremely expensive.

However, the boost to their strength is not just a little bit.

A higher-level bloodline can even challenge a lower-level bloodline, or even a bloodline that is of a higher level.

Moreover, this bloodline power will accompany the user throughout their life.

Even in the Immortal Realm, one still needs to constantly purify their bloodline to allow their condensed Dharma form to continuously grow.

Therefore, this is very important.

Lu Ming naturally wanted to ensure that he and his subordinates had good bloodlines.

"Lord Marquis!" Wang Yue also saw Lu Ming and walked over with a smile.

"Any news about Wu Han and his group? How strong are they now?"

Lu Ming asked.

Wang Yue's face lit up instantly. "They've all reached the Refining Spirit stage. The garrison-level generals are all at the Transformation Spirit stage, the captains have reached the Purple Mansion stage, and the centurions have all broken through to the Golden Core stage, although they're still a bit behind the navy."

But with the Marquis's protection, everyone was confident they could catch up.

Lu Ming looked at him, nodded and said, "You should cultivate more in the future and not always think about relying on me. I hope that each of you will become a fierce general in the army and be able to support the Marquis's mansion after you go out into the world."

"Yes, Lord Marquis!" Wang Yue replied hastily.

At this moment, he also noticed the seriousness on Lu Ming's face.

"How is the situation at the imperial court?"

"I really don't know that. Zhang Meng collects all the battle reports," Wang Yue said cautiously.

"Bring Zhang Meng here. I'll wait for him in the front hall."

After saying that, Lu Ming walked inside.

Wang Yue hurriedly ran outside to look for Zhang Meng.

A moment later, the other party, dressed in black armor, appeared outside the door.

At this moment, Zhang Meng looked quite manly.

His face was covered in stubble.

It has a touch of ruggedness.

As soon as he arrived at Lu Ming's side, he bowed and said, "Greetings, Lord Marquis."

"Tell me about the situation in the imperial court. How is it now?"

"The imperial court doesn't seem to be in a good position right now. Six rebel kings have gathered in Hanzhou, wanting to break it down."

Although the Kaiyang Sect dispatched experts to hold back the Divine Power Realm powerhouse, Tian Shu Daozi's strength was too great; within the Dharma Aspect Realm, no one could match him.

It is said that he is about to enter the realm of supernatural powers.

Even the Holy Maiden of Kaiyang almost suffered a loss at his hands.

Now, the entire Hanzhou has become a hellish place. Several rebel kings, along with the imperial army and millions of troops, have gathered in Hanzhou.

Several thousand experts from various sects have also gone there. Now it's not just about fighting for cities anymore; they've even started seizing villages. The two sides are now locked in fierce combat. The rebels might occupy a village during the day, only to have it seized by the imperial court by nightfall.

However, overall, the forces opposing the king still gained the upper hand.

The Qilin Dharma Form of Tian Shu Dao Zi was virtually unstoppable.

Lu Ming nodded.

After a moment of contemplation, he asked, "Has the imperial court not issued any decree to our Marquis's residence?"

"Not yet. I heard that the Holy Maiden of Kaiyang seems to have a lot of opinions about you, which is why the court doesn't intend to send you there for the time being, fearing that the Holy Maiden of Kaiyang will cause you trouble," Zhang Meng said resentfully.

At this moment, a hint of indignation appeared in his eyes.

In his view, anyone who opposes the Marquis is at fault.

At this moment, Lu Ming pondered for a moment and then said, "Go and tell Bai Yan to submit a memorial requesting permission to fight. Hanzhou cannot be lost. If something really goes wrong, it will be like the central government losing an arm."

I'll go see for myself.

The Marquis of Zhige's mansion is now completely intertwined with the Great Yu Dynasty.

Only if the Great Yu dynasty is not destroyed can more rebel kings be restrained.

If the Great Yu were destroyed.

Various rebel kings marched towards the southern border.

At that time, the current strength of the Marquis of Zhige's mansion will not be able to withstand it.

Moreover, he also wanted to meet Tian Shu Dao Zi.

Just how powerful must it be to make its destined soulmate willing to pay such a huge price?

She severed her ties with her husband and got together with Tian Shu Dao Zi.

"Yes, Lord Marquis," Zhang Meng replied and then withdrew.

Meanwhile, in the capital city, the Empress's cold gaze swept over the assembled officials below.

"You must all know what happened in Hanzhou. Seven Nascent Soul cultivators from the royal family died in battle, and three Dharma Aspect Realm experts from the Tianyang Sect were suppressed by the Tian Shu Dao Zi. Of the 1.3 million troops, more than 200,000 have already died in battle."

This has only been a little over ten days.

Do you have any good suggestions?

The crisp sound carried a hint of coldness at this moment.

Clearly, the Queen was genuinely anxious.

After the assembled officials exchanged glances, the Minister of War stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, from what I've observed in the fighting these past few days, our warriors still hold a certain advantage over the rebels. The only shortcoming is that Tian Shu Dao Zi is too strong; he alone can hold off several Dharma Aspects."

The last time the Holy Maiden of Kaiyang led a group to intercept them, she managed to break through the encirclement with ease, and even injured two Dharma Aspects of the Kaiyang Sect.

If this man is not eliminated, Hanzhou will fall to him sooner or later.

In short, whether they were powerful members of the royal family, officials of the Great Yu Dynasty, or disciples of the Kaiyang Sect, they all fell into deep thought.

Thinking about it now, it really is true.

In the battle between supernatural powers, although their side did not have the upper hand, they still managed to hold off the experts from the six major sects.

It has to be said that the Kaiyang Sect really put in a lot of effort this time.

In order to obtain the dragon's fortune, most of the sect's supernatural experts were dispatched.

He even brought several top-grade spiritual artifacts with him.

They held back all the powerful cultivators from the six major sects.

On the contrary, the people of the major sects all wanted to preserve their strength, which allowed the Kaiyang Sect to gain a lot of advantages.

Currently, at the Dharma Aspect Realm, no one can stop the Heavenly Pivot Dao Child.

Moreover, apart from the Daoist of Tian Shu, the Daoists of other major sects also personally went out of the mountains to gain experience.

Such a lineup was too much for the Kaiyang Sect to handle.

However, there is almost no solution now.

We can't just conjure up a few experts out of thin air who can rival the Dao Sons of the major sects and even surpass the Dao Sons of Tian Shu.

Just as everyone was discussing the matter, a eunuch ran in from outside, holding a communication jade talisman in his hand.

"Your Majesty, Marquis Zhige requests permission to lead an army to Hanzhou."

For a moment, the hall fell silent.

"Zhigehou is exceptionally strong, but compared to Fa, he is still somewhat inferior. However, his subordinates are all battle-hardened elites, and if they go to Hanzhou, they might be able to play a significant role."

A powerful member of the royal family spoke up.

The others in the hall nodded in agreement.

Only after Li Yan pondered for a moment did he say, "But it seems that the Holy Maiden of Kaiyang and Marquis Zhige have some grudges. What if the two sides clash in Hanzhou?"

Lu Ming is, after all, Li Yan's godson.

At this point, he naturally had to consider the other party's perspective.

At the very least, there must be a guarantee from someone from the Kaiyang Sect.

Otherwise, if Lu Ming arrives and doesn't suffer any losses at the hands of the enemy, but instead gets injured at the hands of the Kaiyang Sect...

Although Li Yan had no cultivation whatsoever.

But she also had to stand up for her godson.

After all, he had served as prime minister of Dayu for so many years, and he had the life-extending herb, plus Lu Ming of the Southern Frontier was leading troops outside.

Nowadays, quite a few of Li Yan's former students and associates have sought refuge with him.

I can't say for sure about anything else, but it's definitely no problem for it to stir up a huge wave in Dayu.

At this moment, the sixth patriarch of the imperial clan turned around and his gaze fell on a deacon of the Kaiyang Sect who was at the Divine Power Realm.

Obviously, we need to wait for the other party's reply.

The current imperial family also attaches great importance to Lu Ming.

After a moment, the deacon said, "I will explain this matter to the Holy Maiden and will make sure she doesn't make things difficult for Marquis Zhige, thus affecting our cooperation."

Now, the Great Yu can be said to be the only way for the Kaiyang Sect to obtain fortune.

They cherish it very much.

Of course, personal likes and dislikes should not cause the relationship between the two parties to break down.

However, he also knew in his heart that although the Holy Maiden would not take action, she had a bad temper, and Marquis Zhige would probably suffer some humiliation.

But there is nothing that can be done about it.

Among the disciples and saintesses of other sects.

As the third-ranked Holy Maiden of Kaiyang, she naturally had the right to be arrogant.

As the Kaiyang Sect steward's voice faded away...

The Empress said calmly, "Inform Marquis Zhige that I have given my permission."

Actually, she had no other choice.

The Great Yu Dynasty no longer has a large army to mobilize.

In the battle of the northern frontier, the Imperial Guards suffered nearly half their elite force losses.

One-third of the border troops were also killed in battle.

The remaining troops still had to guard the four directions.

The imperial army in Hanzhou is still able to hold out.

Moreover, they were more elite than the rebel army, but their numbers were much smaller.

If the fighting continues for a long time...

They are destined to lose.

Therefore, even if Lu Ming doesn't volunteer for the battle, the imperial court will likely have to send him to Hanzhou before long.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The eunuch responded and then carefully withdrew.

After he left.

The Empress then discussed with her ministers again how to deal with the rebel king.

Inside the Marquis of Zhige's residence, a short while later...

Zhang Meng rushed back and informed Lu Ming that Empress Lu Ming had approved the Marquis's family's decision to send troops.

We received the news.

Lu Ming's lips curled up involuntarily.

If he can obtain enough points in this battle and acquire another cauldron, he will be able to suppress extraterrestrial experts at the Divine Power Realm within his own territory.

Only then will he truly have confidence.

When I thought of this...

He looked at Zhang Meng and said, "Pass down the word that the troops will be dispatched in three days. All the camps of the Marquis's Mansion will follow me to Hanzhou. Baili Fei will be responsible for escorting the grain and fodder. The affairs of the fourteen prefectures will be temporarily managed by Bai Yan."

"As ordered!"

After Zhang Meng responded, he prepared to leave.

However, Lu Ming then seemed to remember something and said, "There is a bay in Hanzhou. You should inform Zhang He and Sun He to each lead their naval forces."

"Capture the warship and travel by water to Hanzhou to provide support."

"Yes, Lord Marquis!"

Zhang Meng quickly left the main hall.

The main reason Lu Ming sent the navy this time was to see if the people from these two families were capable.

To truly understand someone, you always have to go through certain experiences.

After dealing with these matters.

Lu Ming then walked towards the backyard.

Li Xirou went into seclusion later than him and is not yet able to come out.

Therefore, all they could do was leave a letter on the table.

Once the other side comes out, they will naturally know that he has gone to war.

Over the next three days, Lu Ming reorganized the army, loading all sorts of supplies onto vehicles, while storing items that were difficult to transport in his storage ring.

Baili Fei has been very busy these past few days.

There are too many things to carry: spirit stones, pills, and spirit rice.

Now, a new crop of spirit rice has grown within the Marquis of Zhige's residence, enough to supply the army.

Lu Ming naturally wouldn't be stingy with his money.

The military has already started eating spirit rice.

One bowl a day is enough to meet your daily needs.

It is most suitable for carrying during military campaigns.

In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.

This is outside Hongdu City on this day.

The army has already assembled.

The army of tens of thousands exuded an aura of immense power.

Lu Ming glanced at the soldiers in front of him and spoke slowly.

"This battle can be said to be our first time venturing out of the southern border to fight. Not only is the imperial court watching, but also people from various sects are watching. All our opponents hope that we will make a fool of ourselves."

But can we let them have their way?

"No!" The massive, dark army roared at this moment.

Lu Ming nodded in satisfaction.

The jet-black armor gleamed in the sunlight.

His authoritative gaze swept across the crowd.

He then said, "Let's go!"

After the order is issued.

He took the lead and went ahead, with the others naturally following closely behind.

As Lu Ming led his army out of the southern border...

This news spread like wildfire.

It spread throughout all the major sects.

Inside the camp of the Tian Shu Sect, Tian Shu Daozi sipped a cup of tea and said with a smile.

"The Marquis of Zhige, who killed Jin Poyue, is actually coming. That's good news. It'll be a good opportunity for my junior brothers to practice on him."

This year's disciples are indeed quite lazy.

Clearly, he didn't take Lu Ming seriously.

However, he wasn't the only one; everyone else was the same.

After all, Tian Shu Dao Zi has now become the number one Dao Zi among all the major sects.

Such a master can be said to be invincible in the realm of Dharma.

Although Lu Ming has a considerable reputation, no one would believe that he can rival Tian Shu Dao Zi.

In everyone's heart.

Let alone the Heavenly Pivot Dao Child, even other Dao Children from various sects would be no match for him.

Therefore, many rebel kings were eager to kill Lu Ming once he arrived in Hanzhou.

(End of this chapter)