Loan Wusheng

Chapter 214 The Past of Divine Martial Arts

The Great Zhou Jinglong Dynasty was established in such a muddled and arbitrary manner that an auspicious day was not even chosen.

The operation of the Great Zhou Jinglong court was extremely casual, even to the point of being described as 'careless'.

This had little to do with His Highness Zheng Jun, the Right Chancellor and Military Governor of Lanzhou, Guanzhong, and Zhili.

After all, everyone knows that the Jinglong court is just something they use to attract attention and cover up their true intentions. As for the official positions in this court, Zheng Jun naturally wants to give them to those who don't want to make money.

What exactly will it look like?

Any martial artist with the ambition to establish a separatist regime and become a regional overlord, as long as they are willing to raise the banner of Emperor Jinglong, will be granted the title of Duke or Marquis according to the scope of their separatist territory.

As for Yuan Dan Martial Saints, no matter what your status is, you will all be granted the title of King!

However, this message has not yet been sent out; it was just a decision Zheng Jun made in his heart.

Since the news of Zheng Jun's investiture was released, many people have been worried that having too many titles would make it difficult to get rid of the burden.

Zheng Jun can only be described as somewhat naive.

The kings he bestowed upon were not his subjects, but merely other Yuan Dan Martial Saints of different surnames who had carved out their own territories. Even if he did not bestow them titles, could they not consider themselves kings?

As for the claim that the tail is too big to shake off, that's utter nonsense.

This official position belongs to the Great Zhou Dynasty. What does it have to do with Zheng Jun, the Prince of Han?
It's not a Han dynasty noble title, so how could such a problem occur?

Besides, if a Yuan Dan Martial Saint were truly willing to serve him, what difference would a mere kingship make?

Zheng Jun was not Emperor Shenwu. Emperor Shenwu was very wary of the princes who were not of the same surname, and there were very few princes who were not of the same surname during the entire Zhou Dynasty.

Zheng Jun is different. If he can help me to condense the Dharma image of the 'Lord of the World', what's wrong with being a vassal king of a different surname?

This is a world of high martial arts. In Zheng Jun's view, there is no difference between feudal lords, dukes, and county dukes; they are merely titles.

It's just a title, what harm is there in giving it to someone?
Therefore, Zheng Jun did not understand Emperor Shenwu's original intention.

Perhaps, for this mighty emperor, it was just a perverse pleasure.

The Divine Martial Emperor, who has condensed the Dharma Image of the 'Lord of the World', is undoubtedly the strongest Dharma Image True Martial Emperor in the world. If it weren't for this, Zheng Jun would not have been able to figure out why he was so restrained.

Waste of money and grain is detrimental to the people.
That's enough. His descendants ruled over various places and committed many outrageous acts.

"Prime Minister."

Just then, Wei Quan’s respectful voice came from outside the carriage: “According to the scouts, the Qin army has arrived at Shenkang County and is in formation, waiting for our army.”

"According to the Zhenfu Division, demonic energy permeates Shenkang County, and the demon king should be in the county seat. At the same time, the dragon banner has also been raised in Shenkang County, and Qin Ni himself is in Shenkang County!"

Wei Quan reported the current situation with utmost respect: "It is evident that the demon king and Qin Ni are both in Shenkang County, and Xinyi City is besieged. The one besieging Xinyi is Zhu Taiming, a peak-level martial artist under Qin Ni."

Upon hearing Wei Quan's report, Zheng Jun nodded slightly in approval.

However, Zheng Jun always felt that the title of 'Prime Minister' was a bit strange.

What's strange about it? It feels strangely good.

However, Wei Quan's shout gave Zheng Jun the feeling that he was about to forcibly abduct a married woman.

However, upon thinking about this, Zheng Jun immediately felt a sense of unease.

However, I cannot accomplish Prime Minister Cao's great cause.

After all, he was facing off against ancient beings who were two or three hundred years old, and their wives were probably in their seventies or eighties. Zheng Jun had no interest in such things.

With this thought in mind, Zheng Jun withdrew his strange idea and immediately said, "In that case, let's raise our banners and let Qin Ni and that demonic beast know that I'm here!"

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Quan immediately nodded in agreement, without offering any dissuasion.

If it were only Zheng Jun, Wei Quan would definitely try his best to dissuade him from doing so, as it was too risky. After all, those were two Yuan Dan Martial Saints, while his own Prime Minister had only reached the half-step Yuan Dan realm.

Even with exceptional talent, the gap in skill level is difficult to overcome.

But things are different now. There are now three Yuan Dan Martial Saints sneaking around in the army formation, just waiting for the final moment to give King Qin a big surprise.

Without hesitation, Wei Quan went to command the entire army, launching a grand and ostentatious display.

Watching Wei Quan's departing figure, Zheng Jun felt that his plan might not succeed.

The Demon King may have lost his mind, but the King of Qin is unlikely to be an idiot.

If someone as low as a half-step Yuan Dan cultivator came over in such a grand manner, anyone would suspect something was amiss.

Moreover, the news that the three Yuan Dan Martial Saints, Wu Liyang, Cai Kang, and Lu Zhenglin, had come together and were discussing the Dao in Lanzhou City was not known to ordinary people, but it was basically known to the generals above the Outer Gang level.

These three also made an appearance at the hastily held coronation ceremony.

Under these circumstances, the King of Qin would not be foolish enough to launch a preemptive attack.

Thinking about this, Zheng Jun felt indifferent.

In any case, all we paid was a huge price; if it didn't succeed, it didn't succeed.

Whether you have one sheep or two sheep, you can still herd them.

It's just a matter of convenience.

Upon realizing this, Zheng Jun stood up, his python robe making him appear exceptionally imposing amidst the army formation.

Zheng Jun gazed in the direction of Shenkang County and couldn't help but chuckle softly: "The King of Qin?"

"I, the King of Han, have come to destroy Qin!"

After saying that, Zheng Jun casually weighed the gold beans in his sleeve, thinking to himself, "Once I've eliminated Li Xun, I can distribute gold beans everywhere as a reward."

"This time, I have three Yuan Dan Martial Saints who can help me fight a battle. Whether I can achieve victory in one battle depends on today."

……

That night, in Shenkang County, at the Qin King's camp.

Now, Li Xun, the Prince of Qin, who has already proclaimed himself Emperor Yangwu, sits in his tent, idly drinking fine wine, his temper particularly volatile.

Looking at the messenger in front of him, Li Xun was even more furious. He smashed the bronze wine vessel to the ground, and the wine mixed with the shards splashed onto the kneeling messenger's face, but the soldier did not even dare to wipe it off.

"Trash! They're all trash!"

Li Xun's forehead veins bulged, and the cuffs of his dragon robe were stained with wine: "I gave them a chance to live, yet they dared to collude with that bastard Prince Jin! Issue an edict to exterminate all seventeen powerful clans that had previously submitted! Pile their heads into a mound and display it on the official road!"

"His Majesty……"

The dozen or so black-armored generals inside the tent remained silent, trembling with fear.

Half a month ago, after the King of Qin returned and quelled two rebellious prefectures, he proclaimed himself emperor in the capital. Subsequently, the rebellions in various prefectures of Guanzhong intensified.

First, the Yang family, an old clan in Guanzhong, openly supported the Prince of Jin, and then the remnants of the Imperial Guards launched an uprising in Chang'an.

What enraged Li Xun the most was that even his old stronghold, the only remaining of the Qin Prince's Mansion's three guards, the Jinglong Guard, had three outer-strength commanders defect overnight.

"Li Xun." Just then, the black-robed demon king lifted the curtain and entered, his deer-headed, human-bodied figure casting a distorted shadow in the candlelight.

He casually tossed a bloody human head over, grinning to reveal his gleaming white fangs: "Just killed one who was trying to report to Lanzhou. This is the seventh one today... Your camp is no good."

Li Xun glanced at the angry head on the ground, which belonged to the Tiger General he had personally appointed, a peak-level Outer Qi cultivator.

He thought highly of this person, but he never expected that even he would want to escape.

It seems that humans are not to be trusted.

Once I conquer the world, I will definitely share it with demons!
Where is Zheng Jun?

Li Xun took a deep breath, his face slightly contorted as he looked at the Deer Demon King: "This brat dares to call himself king? He's just a lowly bastard from a lowly official background, does he even deserve to be king? I'm going to kill him!"

Upon hearing Li Xun's words, the Deer Demon King licked the blood and suddenly chuckled sinisterly, "Whatever you say is fine... but there's something wrong with Zheng's camp. None of the little demons I sent out a few days ago have returned. One of the humans who did return said he sensed the aura of three Yuan Dan Martial Saints. We have to be careful."

At this point, the Deer Demon King's expression became somewhat worried.

It's indeed a bit overwhelming to have three Yuan Dan Martial Saints attacking together.

The demon race can be incredibly powerful in the Outer Gang and Tongqiao realms by relying on their innate divine abilities, but their abilities gradually weaken after reaching the Yuan Dan realm.

Therefore, when he heard the news that there were three Yuan Dan Martial Saints, the Deer Demon King immediately became extremely alert and began to carefully inquire about the situation.

"It's just a charade!"

Li Xun suddenly erupted, his Yuan Dan aura extinguishing the candlelight in the tent: "How could a nobody like him have three Yuan Dan experts supporting him? In this vast world, every Yuan Dan expert has a name and a reputation. If there are three of them, they must be the best in the Northern Frontier. Who do you think they could be?!"

"My brothers will help him? Humph!"

His words at this point were full of disdain.

Upon hearing Li Xun's words, the Deer Demon King looked at Li Xun and suddenly felt that this human was more like a demon than himself.

He's already gone a bit crazy.

The Deer Demon King pondered to himself.

When it was under the command of the Great Sage of the Northern Demon Court, it had heard a story.

The Great Zhou Emperor Shenwu was once a master of demonic arts, who attained enlightenment through demonic techniques.

So-called demonic arts are techniques created by human martial artists who imitate the habits of demons.

This kind of technique is more suitable for demons and monsters; it's somewhat unsuitable for humans.

Therefore, although human martial artists who practice demonic arts will be extremely powerful, they will also be tainted by demonic and bestial natures, becoming no different from demons.

Emperor Shenwu was indeed a man of extraordinary talent. Although he practiced demonic arts, he was extremely kind, self-disciplined, and righteous, and he never did anything demonic.

Of course, it's also possible that they did it, but did it discreetly so no one noticed.

In conclusion, after the Divine Martial Emperor condensed the Dharma form of the 'Lord of the World,' his demonic nature was naturally completely suppressed, and he became like an ordinary person.

However, more than a hundred years ago, the Divine Martial Emperor once visited the Northern Demon Court and had a face-to-face conversation with the Great Sage Overturning the Sea about breaking through to a higher realm.

Although the Great Sage Who Overturns the Seas and the Divine Martial Emperor had once fought each other, they were on the same path when it came to taking things a step further, and thus they had a peaceful discussion.

The Deer Demon King naturally wouldn't know the specific details. However, when he took his leave some time ago, the Great Sage Overturning the Sea, who had been silent for a hundred years and everyone thought had long since perished, suddenly sent a message, allowing the Deer Demon King to learn about a part of their discussion back then.

Very simple.

The Great Sage of the Overturning Seas and the Divine Martial Emperor believed that the reason he could not break through to a higher realm was because his body was too impure, and he needed to find a way to expel the demonic obstacles and impurities from his body.

How should we arrange them?

The Great Sage Who Overturned the Seas did not know, nor did he care to know.

But the Deer Demon King seems to know.

The birth time of this King of Qin was remarkably similar to the time after the debate on the Dao ended.

Upon seeing the pure demonic energy emanating from the King of Qin, the Deer Demon King clearly sensed something.

"It is said that among Emperor Shenwu's sons, Emperor Shenwu favored Prince Qin the most. He raised him in the capital from a young age and personally taught him. When he was enfeoffed as a prince, he was enfeoffed in Guanzhong, which is closest to the capital. It was thought that Emperor Shenwu favored him, but no one expected that there was such a reason."

The Deer Demon King thought to himself, "He kept him in the capital because he was worried that the boy's demonic nature would take hold and cause him to go on a killing spree. Later, when he reached the Tongqiao and Yuandan stages and was able to control his demonic nature, the Divine Martial Emperor was still not entirely at ease, so he kept him under his watchful eye."

"With the Divine Martial Emperor around, he was relatively well-behaved, but he had already made many connections with demons and monsters. Now that the Divine Martial Emperor is dead, naturally no one can restrain him."

The Deer Demon King thought this to himself, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that this matter might be true.

After all, the King of Qin's madness was getting worse and worse, and the Deer Demon King sometimes even doubted whether he or he was the demon.

"His Majesty!"

Just then, a captain of the personal guard rushed in. Looking at the dark tent, he immediately saluted and said, "Zheng Jun's Xiaoguo and Cangdao armies have entered the territory and are less than a hundred miles away!"

"The enemy forces are particularly rampant, using the banner of 'slaying demons and punishing rebels,' saying... saying they want to..."

At this point, the captain of the personal guard hesitated and dared not speak.

"Say!"

Li Xun said coldly.

The captain of the personal guards lowered his head: "They said they want to teach Your Majesty a good lesson on behalf of Emperor Taizu Gao..."

"Good! Very good!"

Li Xun laughed in fury, and a strange black and purple true energy suddenly rose from his body: "Order Zhu Taiming, there's no need to besiege Xinyi City! Assemble the entire army, I want to personally hang that little beast Zheng Jun's head on the Shenjing East Gate!"

Seeing this, the Deer Demon King suddenly grabbed his shoulder: "Wait, those three Yuan Dan..."

"You think I don't know?"

Li Xun shook off the demonic claws and said sternly, "At most, it's just Cai Kang. Who else could it be? Would Lu Zhenglin help him because of a great-granddaughter? You hold Cai Kang back while I kill that little thief! After I kill him, the Cangdao and Xiaoguo armies are yours to devour! Now, obey my command! I'm going to send a large army to the border and completely annihilate this little beast!!!"

Li Xun was furious. He had only one thought: to take Zheng Jun's head off and hang it at the Eastern Palace!

The Deer Demon King had a vague feeling that something was wrong, and the demon core in his body began to throb.

But seeing Li Xun's manic behavior, the Deer Demon King could only nod in agreement.

That's it.

Even if there really are three human Yuan Dan Martial Saints, so what? At worst, I can just run away. They wouldn't kill me, would they?

Just then, a loud 'boom' was heard outside the tent, followed by a great clap of thunder.

It rained heavily.

Looking at the torrential rain outside, the Deer Demon King's mind gradually calmed down.

Under the light of lightning, Li Xun, with his disheveled hair, looked quite eerie!
Li Xun stepped out of the tent, wielding a long halberd. The aura of a Yuan Dan Martial Saint instantly emanated outwards, causing the surrounding rain to flow backwards. Li Xun looked around, immediately circulated his true essence, and roared to his left and right, "Jinglong Guards, assemble! Follow me and lead the charge!"

"I want that scoundrel Zheng Jun to be skinned alive!"

(End of this chapter)