Longzang

Chapter 924 Who is here?
Zhang Sheng, dressed in a blue robe, sat in the city lord's mansion in the new city, taking stock of the troops.

This year, the Xu family's young men had another batch of children, and after only two instances of mutual cannibalism, the total number increased by three thousand. Although the earliest batch of children were not very old, they already looked like teenagers, and their intelligence was no different from that of an average eighteen-year-old adult.

Including those who haven't yet reached adulthood, the Xu family now has nearly 70,000 youths, with a total of nearly 50,000 usable soldiers. There are over 20,000 warriors who were sacrificed to the emperor. Of the 50,000 Xu family youths, over 4,000 have reached the Foundation Establishment stage, plus another 1,000 from the sacrificed individuals, bringing the total number of Foundation Establishment cultivators in the new city to 5,400, all of whom are combat cultivators.

The Xu family's young talents are enough to support more Dao foundations, but many children grow too fast and have only a few years of actual cultivation time, so they still need time to accumulate.

Zhang Sheng has been working tirelessly for several days, checking the roster, inspecting the soldiers' condition, readjusting equipment plans, and stockpiling the corresponding military supplies until the final army organization is adjusted.

At this moment, Zhang Sheng was somewhat overwhelmed by the densely packed numbers on the paper.

The soldiers of Xincheng were his absolute confidants, and Zhang Sheng naturally prioritized equipping them. However, the logistical supplies needed for 70,000 men were astronomical compared to the past, with each person requiring an average of over a thousand kilograms of supplies to sustain a war.

It's time to establish a dedicated logistics and transportation unit... Zhang Sheng spread out a new sheet of jade paper and began writing the organizational plan for the new unit.

At this moment, a general walked into the city lord's mansion, placed a thick stack of official documents on the table, and said, "The information you requested is all here."

Zhang Sheng hummed in agreement and was about to take the documents when he suddenly remembered something and asked in confusion, "Cui Yu? What are you still doing here?"

"If I'm not here, where am I?"

"Didn't you go back to your clan to receive the immortal's inheritance? Why are you still in Qingming, and..." Suddenly, a small ray of blue light shot out from Zhang Sheng's eyes, and in an instant, twelve heavenly soldiers appeared above Cui Yu's head.

Upon seeing the twelve celestial soldiers, Zhang Sheng frowned slightly and said, "Your innate talent hasn't changed. I remember Wei Yuan telling me that when you return this time, your family's ancestor will give you a celestial medicine to enhance your Dharma Aspect aptitude."

Cui Yu gave a wry smile and said, "Things have changed a bit, so I came back ahead of schedule."

A glint flashed in Zhang Sheng's eyes. He put down the jade paper in his hand and said, "No rush, tell me in detail."

After a moment, Zhang Sheng said, "...So, after you went back, you only got some cultivation techniques and a few magic weapons. You didn't even see the body-tempering medicine? Song Cui thinks that since he already has the enclave, you are no longer that important, so he withheld the most important reward?"

Cui Yu said, "I didn't say that. However... there may be other considerations and arrangements at home."

Zhang Sheng said slowly, "I can't control what the Cui family thinks, but the reason I agreed to let them build a city in the Western Regions was because they were willing to give you the immortal medicine to improve your physical constitution. Wei Yuan has always kept this in mind. Since the Cui family has gone back on their word and withheld your immortal medicine, then they shouldn't build their city either."

Cui Yu was taken aback and said, "Isn't this going a bit too far? It might not look good on the Immortal Ancestor."

Zhang Sheng sneered: "By withholding the immortal medicine from your own juniors, how much face does your immortal ancestor have left? To be able to exchange a single dose of immortal medicine for the right to build a city, where else can you find such a good deal! If it weren't for you, how could the new city have fallen into the hands of Song Cui? However, you are still the city lord of the Cui family's new city, which is a bit difficult. Let me think about it first, and I must prevent them from sidelining you..."

As he pondered, Zhang Sheng suddenly noticed a change in Cui Yu's expression. A thought struck him, and he said, "You're still in Qingming... but you've lost your position as city lord?"

Cui Yu could only smile wryly: "The clan said that I am still young and my cultivation is not enough. If I were to become the city lord now, I would probably not be able to convince the people. So they let me gain more experience for a few more years and serve as the city lord's deputy first. After a while, they will let me become the city lord."

Who is the new city lord?

"Elder Cui Chengxiao will temporarily take on this role."

Zhang Sheng remained calm, tapped the table lightly, summoned several servants, and instructed them: "Report on the current situation of Cui Family New City."

A moment later, a scholar hurried in and said, "The Cui family has chosen a location for their new city nine thousand li to the southwest, seemingly intending to benefit both the mountain people and the shamans. It is said that the boundary stones placed by the Cui family are of exceptional quality, with a radius of four thousand li. The Cui family guards that area very closely, and even our spies have difficulty getting close."

However, based on the estimated transport capacity of a flying boat every three days, and after bribing some of the city's construction workers to verify, it is currently known that 150,000 people have already been transported to the new city, including 20,000 elite garrison troops. Judging from the extent of the excavated foundations, the initial plan is to build an inner city with a radius of five li.

Zhang Sheng then asked, "How much supplies did they purchase from us?"

"We only bought grain, timber, and stone; nothing else. We didn't ask for any special discounts when we made the purchases; we acted just like any other caravan."

Zhang Sheng asked a few more questions, then ordered the servants to leave. He then said to Cui Yu, "It seems that Song and Cui of Qinghe don't want to have much of a entanglement with us. Their attempt to cover it up only makes things worse. They don't want to give you your elixir and the city lord."

Cui Yu sighed, "Whether the Immortal Ancestor gives it or not, he has his own reasons. It's just that if he doesn't give it to me, he must compensate Qingming in other ways. Only then will it be fair."

Zhang Sheng said, "It's alright, they don't need to compensate Qingming. Heh, nine thousand li... I clearly told them it was twelve thousand li away. Are they acting recklessly just because you're here, or are they just used to being domineering? In any case, they can forget about building this new city."

Cui Yu was surprised again: "Is it necessary to make things so tense?" Zhang Sheng stood up, led Cui Yu to the map, and gestured around the area west of Qingming, saying: "Wei Yuan's thoughts are similar to mine. This area will all belong to Qingming in the future. Even if we don't have time to occupy it, we won't allow others to take root here."

Cui Yu was stunned when he saw Zhang Sheng draw a line with his finger and encompass tens of thousands of miles.

Zhang Sheng returned to his seat, picked up the jade paper again, and said calmly, "You can see for yourself how to do it. We'll have results within a few days."

At the edge of the azure sky, a large flying boat bearing the Cui family's insignia pierced through the sky and slowly flew westward.

On the deck of the flying boat, a beautiful woman in palace attire, accompanied by a pale and sickly young man, pointed into the distance and said, "Lian'er, look, we're almost at the Western Regions New City. That will be your territory from now on. With the blessing of the city's fortune, your body will gradually recover and you'll be able to cultivate normally again."

"But..." The sickly boy wanted to say something, but suddenly his face turned pale, and an immense fear that came from nowhere locked onto his soul!

Before the beautiful woman in palace attire could even express her anger, a crew member on lookout duty on the airship shouted, "Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

Chaos erupted instantly on the flying boat. The beautiful woman in palace attire had just rushed out of the flying boat when she saw a huge flying sword, four feet long, suddenly shooting down from the blue sky below!
The sword strike came with incredible speed, instantly hitting the stern of the flying boat and blasting away half of it, causing the entire flying boat to crash to the ground. The power was truly astonishing.

Below, in the dense forest, faint lights flickered, indicating that there was more than one flying sword. The beautiful woman in palace attire looked around and knew that they were still within the Azure Netherworld's range. The opponent's attack was amplified by the boundary, making it extremely powerful. So she gritted her teeth, suppressed her anger, and ordered a full-speed escape.

At this moment, the giant flying sword was still stuck to the stern of the ship, its blade trembling wildly, trying to escape. The beautiful woman in palace attire flew over, grabbed it, and then affixed a talisman, instantly suppressing it.

The flying boat began to accelerate, and the beautiful woman in palace attire made a series of moves, dodging the subsequent attacks of several flying swords, and finally flew back to Cui Family New City, dragging the wrecked hull.

Inside the city lord's mansion, a beautiful woman in palace attire slammed the four-foot-long flying sword heavily in front of Cui Chengxiao, angrily saying, "Qingming actually attacked our flying boat and almost injured Lian'er! It's utterly outrageous! This matter must not be let off lightly!"

Cui Chengxiao picked up the flying sword and examined it. Seeing that the Qingming mark was indeed engraved on the blade, his face immediately darkened, and he said coldly, "We have a long-standing agreement with Qingming. How dare they attack our flying boat? Have they gone mad? Don't worry, I will make them hand over the murderer! Not only the murderer, but the mastermind behind it will also be executed on the spot!"

The beautiful woman in palace attire had a cold expression. She said, "The Lord of the Azure Netherworld is not here, so the realm is currently without a leader. To prevent them from continuing their misbehavior, I think it's necessary to place some people in important positions to avoid similar incidents in the future!"

A glint flashed in Cui Chengxiao's eyes as he slowly said, "This is a major move, especially regarding the Immortal Ancestor..."

The beautiful woman in palace attire said, "The Immortal Ancestor will surely pretend not to know, but if it succeeds, he will surely be happy to see it happen."

She paused, then said, "How can this 'wooden armor' compare to Qingming?"

A cold glint flashed across Cui Chengxiao's face as he said, "Too many people are watching Qingming. This time, we'll take the opportunity to plant a spy. As long as we gradually place our trusted confidants in the position, the position of Realm Lord will be ours sooner or later."

The beautiful woman in palace attire said, "You know many people are watching, so you need to act quickly. And also, give Lian'er some revenge."

Cui Chengxiao nodded, picked up his four-foot-long sword, and hurriedly left for Qingming.

Upon entering Qingming, Cui Chengxiao unleashed his full power, overwhelming the Qingming officials who came to greet him.

Cui Chengxiao showed no mercy, shouting, "I have no point in arguing with you. Let the person in charge of Qingming come out! If you don't give me an explanation today, I might just tear down your boundary stone!"

Seeing that Cui Chengxiao was truly enraged, the official quickly led Cui Chengxiao to the border town and into a large hall resembling a public court, saying, "Please wait a moment, the Realm Lord has already heard about this matter and will be here soon."

The official then left. Cui Chengxiao looked around the hall, which resembled a government office, and found himself standing in the center, not only without a seat or tea, but also like a prisoner awaiting trial.

He narrowed his eyes, about to lash out, when a group of people emerged from the back hall. Dozens of Qingming cultivators and officials stood on either side, and then a square-shaped cultivator entered. He wasn't particularly tall, but as soon as he stood there, everything in the hall seemed to shift towards him.

Upon seeing this cultivator, Cui Chengxiao's arrogance immediately diminished. This was an extremely formidable body cultivator, nearing the perfection of the Dharma Aspect realm. Cui Chengxiao instinctively felt that defeating him would likely require considerable effort.

The cultivator simply stood behind the main seat in the center, as if he were a guard.

Only then did a cultivator in a blue robe emerge from the back hall. To Cui Chengxiao, he was no longer human, but a condensed sword light that resembled a large pearl!
Although this cultivator in green robes was only at the Dao Foundation stage, his aura was in no way inferior to Cui Chengxiao's. The pressure he deliberately released would be shredded by the sword light if it came within three feet of him.

The monk in the blue robe came to the head of the table, sat down behind the desk, and then calmly asked, "Who here has filed a complaint against me?"

(End of this chapter)