Loan Wusheng

Chapter 221 Entering the Divine Capital, the 'Great Dao Martial Book' is terrifyingly powerful; even the Dharma Form can be drawn in advance?!
Inside the Xuan Shi Hall, blood gushed forth like a spring.

Li Xun was shirtless, with disheveled hair, revealing the demonic patterns covering his body. His eyes were bloodshot, his expression was extremely ferocious, and he had many wounds on his body.

Above the main hall, the corpses of demons lay scattered, their blood soaking through the shattered gold bricks. The six demons, including the Jade-Faced Fox Demon and the Iron-Backed Bear Demon, were all mutilated and died tragically. Among them, all the demons' corpses had five bloody holes, clearly indicating that Li Xun had crushed their demon cores with his bare hands.

Even when these six powerful demons with the ability to open the gates of enlightenment attacked together, they were still no match for Li Xun!

but……

Li Xun was clearly not much better off either.

Li Xun sat on the dragon throne, casually picked up the wine placed beside it, drank it down in one gulp, and cursed, "These damned beasts, they really can't be trusted, they really can't be trusted!"

Apart from the area about ten feet where Li Xun's dragon throne stood, the entire Xuan Shi Hall had long since turned into ruins. There was even a large hole in the palace's dome, and the autumn sun slanted down onto the pool of viscous demon blood, causing a stench-filled mist to rise.

Zhou Tong and the other eight human cultivators, all at the Tongqiao stage, stood on the edge of the Dan Chi platform thirty zhang away, their expressions shifting between anger and uncertainty as they gazed at the still surging aftershocks of demonic energy.

"His Majesty……"

Just as Zhou Tong opened his mouth, Li Xun's demonic aura rushed towards him!

Li Xun's bloodshot eyes flickered like will-o'-the-wisps. He crushed the wine pot in his hand, laughing maniacally, his voice fierce: "Now you know to call me Your Majesty? You bunch of useless trash! What use are you to me?! Why did you all stand idly by when the demons were causing chaos? Useless! All of you are useless!"

Li Xun's fierce roar exploded in Zhou Tong's ears, and a chill ran down his spine. He felt like prey being stared at by a venomous snake, with a chill seeping into his very bones.

Just as he was about to explain, he saw the demonic energy surging and twisting around Li Xun, turning into a hideous ghost face.

Li Xun spoke coldly, each word carrying a chilling killing intent: "How eager you were to open the city gates! Now that you see I am wounded, you've harbored rebellious thoughts, haven't you?! Let me tell you, even if my Yuan Dan is damaged, killing you ants will be as easy as slaughtering dogs!"

"Your Majesty, we dare not!"

Zhou Tong and the others were forced to kneel on the ground by the demonic power, their foreheads pressed against the blood-stained gold bricks.

Li Xun was breathing heavily. His eyes were clearly filled with murderous intent, as if he was calculating whether or not to kill the eight people in front of him.

The eight human warriors, led by Zhou Tong, were also extremely nervous, each of them surging with true energy, seemingly waiting for Li Xun's reaction: once Li Xun made his move, they would naturally not kneel here and offer their necks for slaughter.

"All of you, get out there and set up defenses!"

Li Xun suddenly stopped his frenzied state, his voice as cold as ice: "Each of the eight gates of the capital has been reinforced with three additional restrictions, and three hundred explosive flame talismans have been buried underground in the Taiji Hall. If Zheng Jun is allowed to step even half a step into the imperial city..."

Suddenly, Li Xun made a grasping motion with his five fingers, and the half-eaten fox demon corpse in the distance suddenly exploded into a bloody mist. He said in a sinister tone, "This is the example!"

After saying that, Li Xun said in a chilling tone, "But before you do any of that, you must kill all the external demons in the city! Leave no one alive, and collect all their demon cores!"

Besides these six powerful demons with the ability to understand the Dao, there are nearly a hundred other external demons in this capital city.

These demons all come from the Northern Demon Court.

Strictly speaking, most of the demons came from the Deer Demon King of the Northern Demon Court.

For example, most of these external demons are external demons who serve the Deer Demon King, and most of them are deer demons.

It can be said that most of the deer-like demons in the world have gathered here.

With the fall of the Deer Demon King and the rebellion of the six powerful demons, Li Xun is now completely disillusioned with these demons. That is why he issued an edict without hesitation to exterminate all of them, leaving no one alive!
Li Xun is still very angry.

They even felt that they had been blind before, actually thinking that these demons were a force that could be relied on. Now it seems that these demons are clearly a bunch of wicked beasts and evil creatures!
The son of a Zhongshan wolf will become arrogant when he succeeds!
Demons must not be allowed to live!

We still have to rely on human warriors to make achievements for us!

Li Xun thought to himself.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Zhou Tong and the others, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, were about to take their leave when suddenly hurried footsteps sounded outside the hall. A messenger stumbled into the ruined palace, not daring to pay attention to the demons around him, and hissed, "Report! Urgent report from last night: the garrison commander of Chongshan Pass, Chi Chi Hu, devoured eight hundred soldiers defending the city and fled, abandoning the pass. The remaining soldiers, led by the traitor, have surrendered! The Han army has crossed the Baiyu River, and the capital is in imminent danger, Your Majesty!"

"Crack!"

Upon hearing this news, Li Xun instantly crushed the intact armrest on the other side of the dragon throne.

"Winged Tiger... It's a demon race again, another demon race!!!"

Li Xun's slightly restored senses suddenly turned ferocious again. His eyes were bloodshot and filled with terror. He poked his head out and gritted his teeth, saying, "I'll tear him to pieces! Tear him to pieces!!!"

Zhou Tong and the others remained silent, not daring to speak. After all, Li Xun was currently acting too wildly, making them afraid to react.

They were now beginning to regret not joining the six demons in attacking Li Xun.

Given Li Xun's current state, Zhou Tong felt that he might suddenly erupt and attack one of the Qi-opening martial artists present at any moment.

The messenger was also trembling, feeling even more terrified by Li Xun's current appearance.

Previously, when His Highness the Prince of Qin believed in demons and acted like one, these human warriors felt extremely frantic, believing that demons had bewitched the wise and mighty Prince of Qin; now that His Highness the Prince of Qin wants to exterminate all the demons in the capital, this makes them feel frantic and terrified.

It seems that His Highness the King of Qin's madness does not stem from demons. Demons do not appear to have bewitched His Highness the King of Qin; His Highness has always been this way.

"Alright, I understand. You may all leave now."

Li Xun let out a breath; the demonic influence that had been plaguing his mind had gradually subsided. He slumped onto the dragon throne, waved his hand weakly, and said, "Zhou Tong, stay here for a moment."

Zhou Tong, who was about to leave, felt a chill run down his spine after hearing Li Xun's words, and immediately broke out in a cold sweat: "Your Majesty, what is it?"

Is this guy out of his mind to try and kill them all one by one?
With this feeling of fear and unease, Zhou Tong's hands trembled slightly.

How many troops are still in the city?

Li Xun suddenly asked a question, and Zhou Tong breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing it.

That's it?

I thought they had finally grown a brain and were going to divide me up and wipe me out in one fell swoop.

"Your Majesty, there are still more than 50,000 troops in the capital city. However, most of them are former guards who surrendered to the capital, about 30,000 of them. There are also 20,000 county soldiers brought from Guanzhong after you entered the capital."

Zhou Tong reported honestly, not daring to hide anything.

Although he had already harbored thoughts of betrayal, he was still weaker than the injured Li Xun. If he were to make a rash move, he would be courting death.

Therefore, at this time, it is still necessary to appear as a loyal subject, first stabilize Li Xun, and then open the city gates to welcome the 'King of Han' into the city.

"Twenty thousand soldiers from Guanzhong and thirty thousand guards from Shenjing?"

Li Xun pondered for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, before saying, "Zhou Tong, I hereby appoint you as the Commander-in-Chief of Shenjing, in command of the Shenjing troops and to guard the north gate of Shenjing! As for the 20,000 troops from Guanzhong, under the command of Guanzhong general He Jing, they will set up an ambush outside the city and launch a preemptive attack on Zheng Jun!"

"This……"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Tong was taken aback.

What kind of time is this to be setting up an ambush outside the city?
Isn't this just handing kills to others?

Zhou Tong didn't dare to think too much. He had now secured a decent position as the North Gate Guardian, enough for him to surrender the capital city once more.

Thinking of this, Zhou Tong felt relieved and immediately bowed his head to Li Xun, saying, "This subordinate obeys the order. His Majesty's divine might is overwhelming, and that traitor Zheng is no match for His Majesty."

"Go back."

Li Xun waved his hand again, and this time Zhou Tong had no doubts and left directly.

Apart from the corpses of those demons, the entire dilapidated hall was now empty except for Li Xun, who sat alone on the supreme dragon throne symbolizing the emperor's supreme status.

Li Xun reached out and slowly stroked the dragon throne, which symbolized supreme power, his eyes revealing a sense of reluctance.

It seems he is about to abandon the dragon throne.

This dragon throne once belonged to Emperor Shenwu and Emperor Yongchang, and also briefly belonged to him.

Just then, Li Xun's face suddenly twisted, and he opened his mouth and said ferociously, "What are you thinking? You keep saying I'm crazy, but I know we can't go out of the city to fight in the open at this time. That Black Mountain bailiff may be a lowly scoundrel, but he is incredibly strong. I'm no match for him. How could He Jing be a match for him? He's just giving him more military merits!"

After a short while, Li Xun regained his composure and said, "Who said it was a field battle outside the city? These 30,000 Shenjing Guards are untrustworthy, Zhou Tong is untrustworthy... Only He Jing and the 20,000 Guanzhong soldiers are trustworthy. These are my core forces. I will blend in with these 20,000 Guanzhong soldiers and leave Shenjing with them to return to Guanzhong to recuperate."

"There were two mistakes in the previous decision-making."

"First of all, I should never have cooperated with demons and become sworn brothers with them. I thought they would become my allies, but I never expected that because of them, the whole world would turn against me. Even my own brothers dared not come to help me because of the accusation of 'colluding with demons'."

"Secondly, we should not have attacked Shenjing City. I thought that once we entered Shenjing City, we could announce to the world who the legitimate ruler was, but I never expected that after being possessed by demons, I would slaughter the meritorious sons and royal family members of Shenjing, thus tearing off the fig leaf of the royal family. This gave that brat Zheng Jun an opportunity to support Prince Jing as emperor, giving him a fig leaf."

Li Xun muttered to himself in the empty hall, seemingly saying something.

After he finished speaking, Li Xun suddenly surged with demonic energy, transforming into a ferocious appearance. He nonchalantly opened his mouth and said, "Fine, fine, just listen to me! Stop dreaming about becoming a king and dominating the world!"

“Make a deal with that Black Mountain official, give him Guanzhong, and you can get the demon core of the Deer Demon King, refine it into your own demon core, and we can change our methods and approaches. Why do we have to condense the ‘Lord of the World’? After we become half-demons, we can condense the ‘Evil Form’, using the demon core of the Deer Demon King as the evil, and your human nature as the manifestation, to synthesize the ‘Evil Form’. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

"At worst, we can still condense the 'Painted Skin Venerable'... Although this Dharma form is just a conjecture, the person who came up with this conjecture is Father Emperor. Peel off the human skin and coexist with the demon body, wouldn't that be wonderful?"

As the demonic energy surged, Li Xun's expression still held a hint of a smile, but in an instant, it turned into uncontrollable rage, and he roared, "Get out!"

"I've taken away your burden for my father! This throne should have been mine! Mine! What right does Li Ji have to be emperor?! This is what I deserve!"

After roaring several times, Li Xun gradually calmed down.

As the demonic influence and his true essence dissipated simultaneously, he stood up.

He could already sense that external troops were gathering.

It's time to leave this place.

After standing up, Li Xun glanced behind him.

Looking at the magnificent palace, Li Xun's eyes revealed a hint of reluctance: "Shenjing, I will come back."

If he had a choice, he really wanted to burn this place to ashes and destroy the entire capital city into ruins, leaving Zheng Jun with only ruins.

But he can't.

Because once he does that, everyone in the city will know that he's about to run away.

Then everyone will become your enemy.

Now he no longer possessed the immortal pressure of a Yuan Dan Martial Saint; all he had was the strength of a peak Tong Qiao cultivator.

Having already struggled to hold on against six powerful demons who had reached the Qi Refining stage, if he were to provoke those surrendered officials again, he feared he would die not at Zheng Jun's hands, but at the hands of these people.

"Zheng Jun, I'll cede the capital to you for now! I'd like to see how my brothers will react when they find out you've seized control of the capital!"

……

Zheng Jun's army is marching towards the capital city.

The Han soldiers were in high spirits, showing no fear whatsoever. On the contrary, they all had excited expressions on their faces, and there were even signs of them whispering to each other during the march.

"What does the capital city look like?"

"I don't know, but that's the capital city! It must be much bigger and higher than Lanzhou City! The rich people in the city must be sleeping on golden pillows, covered with golden quilts, and eating monster meat every day! Their wives must be even more beautiful!"

"Wouldn't it be possible for us to rob them if we went into the city?"

"Nonsense! Insolence! The Prime Minister just issued a military order this morning, establishing three rules for us: those who kill will be executed, those who injure or steal will be punished, and all others will be subject to the law. Anyone who violates these rules will be punished, even with divine merit! Do you remember General Lin of the Xiaoguo Army? He was a general at the second level of the Outer Gang Realm, but he was executed on the spot for disobeying military orders and stealing a few bottles of pills when he entered Lanzhou City!"

"Is it that serious? Then we..."

"Just wait, once we take Shenjing City, the Prime Minister will reward us even more! It'll be worth far more than what you've robbed."

"..."

The soldiers whispered among themselves, but Zheng Jun did not punish them for it.

After all, what kind of military discipline do you want in this era?
All I need is the ability to wield a knife, fight, and kill people.

Zheng Jun gazed in the direction of Shenjing. Although he could not see any movement from Shenjing, the majestic city of Shenjing truly made Zheng Jun's blood boil.

The capital, the divine capital!
How could Zheng Jun not be excited?

After all, capturing Shenjing means taking control of the world's largest city. Once the eight passes are under control, even if Lanzhou is lost and Zhili changes hands, he can shut himself off and remain in control, leaving the enemy with no opportunity to take advantage. A direct attack would come at a considerable cost.

Lanzhou is a battleground on all sides. Bozhou and Xuanzhou are now allies, so the pressure has been reduced considerably. But who can predict what will happen in the future? If we can take Shenjing, my sense of security will be greatly enhanced, and the Jinglong Emperor I support will be more legitimate.

The emperor should be in the capital!

What kind of emperor is one who isn't in the capital?!

Thinking of this, Zheng Jun gripped the Dragon Abyss Blade tighter, and with a thought, the gilded dragon halberd he had been nurturing hummed several times.

The army marched for about two days and reached the walls of the capital!

However, before Zheng Jun could begin his attack on the city, he saw that the north gate was wide open, which immediately startled him.

"Ok?"

Zheng Jun was taken aback upon seeing this.

A moment later, a martial artist with the Qi Refining Realm sped out from the North Gate. From a distance, he showed great respect to Zheng Jun and proclaimed, "This humble official, Zhou Tong, the Grand Chancellor of the Secretariat, concurrently serving as the Left Marquis of Shenjing, the Grand General of the First Class, and the Marquis of Nan'an, pays his respects to the Grand Chancellor!"

"Your Majesty's divine might is like the sun descending upon the abyss, your divine might like a dragon soaring through the sky! I, your humble servant, have been blind and deaf for many years, residing in this false throne. Only today, witnessing the Prime Minister's golden spear pointing, do I understand the meaning of 'those who obey Heaven prosper'! This filthy city is unworthy to be stained by Your Majesty's footsteps! I beg to serve as Your Majesty's vanguard, to hold the whip and stirrup! When history records this glorious event, it will surely say, 'Your Majesty's benevolence has nurtured even the most stubborn rocks.' Even an ant like me has been able to bask in the bounty of the ocean!"

Zhou Tong was extremely respectful and had already come to Zheng Jun's side, kneeling in front of Zheng Jun's imperial carriage, seemingly wanting to act as a human stool for Zheng Jun to step on when getting off the carriage.

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jun chuckled and said, "The Marquis of Nan'an is very thoughtful... Now that you've opened the city gates to welcome me into the city, it shows your loyalty. But what about Li Xun? Didn't he stop you?"

"Your Majesty, I truly do not know."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Tong immediately lowered his head and began to recount the news that had occurred in the capital city in the past few days. He continued, "That traitorous Qin brat has been arrogant and presumptuous, claiming to be acting according to the will of Heaven. He has become insane and deranged. I have endured humiliation and hardship so that I could offer the city to Your Majesty today. Therefore, I have not dared to approach the imperial city these past few days, lest that traitorous Qin discover my presence..."

In short, he didn't even know where Li Xun was right now. Because he was afraid of dying, he hadn't dared to approach the capital for the past few days, fearing that the madman might suddenly go crazy and stab him to death.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jun immediately nodded and then said, "Then let's go into the city."

After saying this, Zheng Jun lifted the curtain from the carriage.

However, instead of stepping on Zhou Tong to dismount, he took a rein directly from the groom Yu Shen, released one of the demon-blooded horses, and rode into the city on his own initiative!
Feigned surrender?

Zheng Jun was fearless.

After his battles with the Deer Demon King and Li Xun, Zheng Jun already knew his own level of skill.

Even among Yuan Dan Martial Saints, he is considered above average, and among all Yuan Dan Martial Saints in the world, he is enough to rank in the top 30.

That's his strength!
Being in the top 30 might sound abstract, but it's not.

There are thirty-nine Yuan Dan Martial Saints in the Central Plains alone. There are about eleven or twelve Yuan Dan Martial Saints from the Northern Rong, Western Di, Southern Man, and Eastern Yi barbarians. There are also about twenty Yuan Dan Martial Saints on the shores of the East Sea, the coast of the North Sea, and the far reaches of the Western Regions.

In the Western Buddhist Kingdom, there are no fewer than fifteen Yuan Dan Martial Saints.

In other words, there are nearly one hundred Yuan Dan Martial Saints among the human race.

Adding the Yuan Dan demons, there are more than twenty known ones. Including some unknown Yuan Dan demon kings, there are probably between one hundred and fifty and two hundred Yuan Dan realm cultivators in the world. This is already the limit.

Among such a number, ranking in the top thirty is already extremely impressive.

However, the barbarians from all directions, the East Sea, the North Sea, the Western Regions, the Western Buddhist Kingdom, and the demons have nothing to do with Zheng Jun now.

The enemies before him were only these thirty-eight people from the Central Plains.

No, there are thirty-seven people now.

Li Xun is no longer the Yuan Dan Martial Saint!

Zheng Jun rode into the city, and Zhou Tong hurriedly followed.

Behind Zheng Jun, Wei Quan, Dugu Yuan, and Yu Shen also entered the city together.

As for generals such as Xu Shimao, Shan Xiongyi, and Xu Hou, they did not immediately follow Zheng Jun into the city.

They were all generals in command of troops, to guard against unforeseen circumstances.

If they were ambushed inside the city, there would be no one outside to command the more than 200,000 troops to provide rescue.

"Long live the King of Han!"

"Long live the King of Han!"

"..."

Zheng Jun rode into the city, and the guards on both sides shouted "Long live the King of Han" in unison, the sound like a tidal wave, but it could not hide the desolation inside the city.

Zheng Jun reined in his horse and slowed down, his gaze sweeping across the street. He saw that although there were many houses, the doors were tightly closed. Occasionally, people would peek out, but most of them were emaciated and looked frightened before quickly retreating back into their hiding places.

The long street was deserted, lacking any trace of the bustling atmosphere of the capital, and even the lively atmosphere of an ordinary county town was far superior.

"How could the capital city have fallen into such a state of disrepair?" Zheng Jun frowned slightly and turned to ask Zhou Tong, who was leading the way.

Zhou Tong bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, ever since Li Xun colluded with demons and occupied the capital, the people in the city have suffered. Those demons feed on humans, plundering and killing by day and taking lives by night. There are even powerful demons like the 'Jade-Faced Fox' that openly devour children... Those who could escape had already moved to other states with their families. The rest are mostly the old, weak, sick, and disabled, who are unable to flee far away."

After saying that, Zhou Tong paused again, then cupped his hands to Zheng Jun and said, "Besides that, Qin Ni also forcibly conscripted young men to be 'blood furnaces' in order to refine his demonic arts. Now, nine out of ten houses in the city are empty, and there are probably less than 500,000 living people."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jun's eyes flashed with a cold light. He had long known that Li Xun was tyrannical, but he never expected that he would turn the thousand-year-old imperial capital into a ghost town.

Just as he was about to ask again, several ragged children suddenly darted out from the street corner, knelt down, kowtowed, and cried out, "Your Majesty, save us! Please give us some food!"

Upon seeing this, Zhou Tong's expression changed instantly. He cursed inwardly, "What are these guards doing? They can't even keep an eye on two children." He immediately prepared to drive them away.

However, just as Zhou Tong was about to drive them away, Zheng Jun raised his hand to stop him and ordered someone to bring dry food to distribute to the children.

One of the children took the bread, but said in a trembling voice, "My sister is imprisoned in the dungeon in the south of the city... Please, Your Majesty, have mercy..."

"Dungeon?"

Zheng Jun's gaze suddenly sharpened. Zhou Tong hurriedly explained, "It's the place where Li Xun is imprisoned in the 'Blood Furnace'! He needs the essence and blood of living people to nourish his demonic arts, and he has to have his marrow and heart extracted every day!"

Before he could finish speaking, Zheng Jun had already turned his horse around and shouted coldly, "Lead the way!"

Zhou Tong had no choice but to lead the way.

A sense of panic welled up inside him.

He had no idea what Zheng Jun was up to. In Zhou Tong's opinion, the most urgent task at the moment was to go to the capital immediately and intercept Li Xun to prevent him from escaping.

Instead of caring about these lowly people. What use are these lowly people? They are like leeks; even if only a few hundred thousand remain now, in ten or twenty years, they will still multiply into millions.

In Zhou Tong's opinion, it would be better if these people were dead.

To avoid the city of Shenjing being overcrowded by a large population.

What Zheng Jun saw along the way was even more shocking.

The alleyways were piled with white bones, the walls were splattered with black blood, and there were even limbs with lingering demonic energy hanging from the treetops.

Upon reaching the dungeon south of the city, the guards, seeing the banner of the King of Han, were immediately terrified and knelt down to beg for mercy, daring not to obstruct them.

Zheng Jun burst through the door, and a stench assaulted his nostrils. The dimly lit cell was crammed with thousands of dying civilians, all emaciated and chained.

Upon seeing someone approaching, the prisoners shrank back, their eyes filled with despair.

"Li Xun... deserves to be torn to pieces!"

Zheng Jun was so angry that he laughed, while Zhou Tong, who was standing nearby, was also very perceptive. He immediately stepped forward, swung his knife and cut the iron chain, and ordered his personal guards to quickly summon a military doctor to save the person.

After releasing the people from the dungeon, Zhou Tong cautiously inquired, "Your Majesty, what about Li Xun..."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jun pondered for a moment, then pointed to the devastation of the city and said, "Issue the order to open the capital's treasury and distribute grain for relief; post notices to reassure the people, providing travel expenses for those who wish to return home and allocating land and houses to those who wish to stay; also dispatch one hundred medical officers from Lanzhou to treat the people of the capital."

After speaking, Zheng Jun paused, his voice like the clang of metal: "I will again proclaim to the world Li Xun's crimes, each one deserving of death! I will personally behead him to appease the wronged souls in the capital!"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding people finally broke down in tears, prostrating themselves on the ground and shouting, "Your Excellency is benevolent!"

Zheng Jun looked up towards the direction of the palace and saw that the once magnificent palace was now dilapidated and mottled due to the corruption of demonic energy. The stone beasts crouching on the eaves had grown ferocious fleshy wings, clearly indicating that they had been mutated by demonic magic.

"Your Majesty, do you intend to..."

Zhou Tong was about to give Zheng Jun another piece of advice, urging him to kill Li Xun as soon as possible.

After all, Zhou Tong can't sleep soundly as long as Li Xun is alive!

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jun said coldly, "Li Xun has already escaped! Although the demonic energy was dense, it was from several days ago. Our army did not encounter any Guanzhong soldiers when we arrived. It is likely that Li Xun took advantage of the time when the Guanzhong soldiers left the city and returned to Guanzhong with them."

Li Xun's escape has given Zheng Jun a headache.

Although Li Xun fled in defeat, he will inevitably use Guanzhong as a base to launch a counterattack, and may even contact other princes of the imperial clan, such as the Prince of Zhao and the Prince of Jin.

There are definitely many demons in the city. Before Li Xun left, he issued an order to kill the external demons, but there are probably still many demons hiding in the city.

Besides, there are many powerful clans in this capital city harboring ambitions, all of whom need to be eliminated with swift and decisive measures.

"Bring the map."

Zheng Jun said to his generals in a deep voice, "Li Xun must be killed. Although the capital city has been secured, Li Xun must die! Appoint Xu Hou as General Who Pacifies the North to capture Tiebi Pass and Yunxiao Pass; appoint Xu Shimao as General Who Pacifies the South to capture Luoshui Pass, Duanhong Pass, and Nanping Pass; appoint Shan Xiongyi as General Who Pacifies the East to capture Xuanyong Pass!"

Having said that, Zheng Jun took a deep breath and spoke again: "The Cangdao Army will follow me on my western expedition, and I, the king, will personally lead the expedition to Langu Pass!"

"We will set off in three days!"

Hearing the overwhelming killing intent in Zheng Jun's words, Zhou Tong naturally dared not utter a word, only somewhat dumbfounded, a faint worry creeping into his heart: 'This killing god is far too bloodthirsty. Is following such a master a blessing or a curse? But no matter what, it's still better than following Li Xun.'

Li Xun is a madman, so following Zheng Jun is definitely better than following a madman.

Zhou Tong's ideal ruler is the King of Qi of Qingzhou.

Why the King of Qi?

Because he was from Qingzhou, and he had heard that Prince Qi was respectful to scholars and was the prince most like Emperor Shenwu. If he hadn't been of a lower birth, the position of crown prince probably wouldn't have gone to Emperor Yongchang... no, Emperor Liezong Zhao.

Zhou Tong cupped his hands in agreement, while Zheng Jun rode straight toward the imperial city, saying, "Yu Shen, you are in charge of the people here. Take the Xiaoguo Army and search house to house to see if any demons remain."

"promise!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Shen immediately bowed and accepted the order, preparing to lead his troops to press on any remaining demons in the capital.

Of course, there is one more thing.

Yu Shen had been by Zheng Jun's side for a long time and understood another layer of Zheng Jun's meaning.

Take this opportunity to give the powerful clans of Shenjing City a warning.

After all, most of the powerful families living under the emperor's nose have powerful backgrounds.

However, their background has vanished along with the Qin King's conquest of Shenjing City, and now it is Zheng Jun's era of ruling Shenjing.

What kind of bullshit background is this? If he doesn't submit to Zheng Jun's rule, Zheng Jun will teach him a lesson that means "trampling the bones of nobles on the streets and burning the treasury to ashes."

Zheng Jun spurred his horse forward and, seeing the Xiaoguo Army gathering around him, immediately said to Zhou Tong beside him, "Find the old eunuchs and palace maids in the palace to guide me."

Zhou Tong cautiously said, "Your Majesty, most of the old eunuchs and female officials in the imperial city have been eaten by demons, leaving only a few who have recently entered the palace."

Zheng Jun was taken aback upon hearing this.

Why does this demon eat everything?
After shaking his head, he continued, "Then let's find one who has just entered the palace!"

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Tong immediately ordered people to go and search. A moment later, two or three trembling palace maids and eunuchs appeared before Zheng Jun and said to him in a trembling voice, "This servant greets the King of Han... the King of Han."

"No need to be polite."

Zheng Jun shook his head, casually flicked a few gold beans from his sleeve, and then asked, "Where is the library in the imperial city that houses the royal books?"

Upon hearing Zheng Jun's question, one of the palace maids, who had a pretty face, bowed deeply and immediately said, "Your Majesty, please follow me."

Seeing this, Zheng Jun was naturally not in a hurry, so he had the palace maid lead the way, going deep into the palace.

This imperial city is extremely large.

How big is it?
It's roughly equivalent to a county town in Heishan.

Although Heishan County is not a large area, it is large enough to support 200,000 people.

And the imperial city is no exception!
The area was so large that, apart from the emperor, his concubines, and some young princes, the rest of the people were all palace maids and eunuchs, which is truly astonishing.

This demon has an insatiable appetite!

Are we going into a buffet restaurant?

Zheng Jun shook his head and followed the path. Before long, he arrived at the location of the library.

Following the directions of the palace maid, Zheng Jun entered the Imperial Library of the Capital.

Looking up, the majestic building with its nine-tiered eaves and brackets resembles a lurking beast in the twilight. The main gate, lacquered in vermilion and studded with gold, is half-open, and the three characters "Wenyuan Pavilion" on the lintel are mottled and faded, clearly indicating that it has not been repaired for a long time.

Upon entering, the first two shelves of nanmu wood bookshelves were empty, with only dust and scattered scraps of paper proving that this place once housed thousands of volumes of books.

Zhou Tong, drenched in cold sweat, prostrated himself and begged for forgiveness: "Your Majesty, please understand! After Li Xun became emperor, he looted all the martial arts manuals collected in the first and second layers, either rewarding his warriors or transporting them directly to Guanzhong... This humble general was unable to stop him..."

Zheng Jun waved his hand to stop him from speaking, his gaze fixed on the bronze staircase leading to the third floor.

At the end of the stairs, a dark golden talisman seal hangs above the entrance, its patterns resembling coiled dragons and snakes, faintly exuding an aura of power.

Zhou Tong immediately cupped his hands and said, "The third floor is a restricted area, where royal secrets are hidden... Only members of the royal family are allowed to enter."

"Royalty? Hmph."

Zheng Jun chuckled lightly, and without hesitation, a flash of golden light appeared in his hand, and the gilded dragon halberd appeared.

Since the rule was that "non-royal members are not allowed to enter," Zheng Jun wanted to see if he could enter by brute force!

The gilded dragon halberd in his hand suddenly burst forth with azure-gold light, its tip wreathed in violent true energy, and he slashed fiercely at the dark gold talisman!
"boom--!"

The talisman trembled violently upon impact, radiating golden light, but it did not shatter. The entire Wenyuan Pavilion shook, bookshelves swayed, and dust fell in a flurry.

"interesting."

Zheng Jun's fighting spirit intensified, and his true essence condensed once more, causing the halberd to hum like the roar of a dragon and the howl of a tiger.

"Come again!"

Immediately afterwards, the azure-gold true essence transformed into an angry dragon, roaring as it crashed into the talisman.

The patterns on the talisman began to crack, and the golden light dimmed, but it was not completely broken yet.

Zhou Tong and several palace maids had already retreated to a distance, their faces filled with horror.

They had never seen anyone dare to so brazenly challenge the royal restrictions, and they never imagined that Zheng Jun's power was so terrifying.

"Come!"

Zheng Jun's true energy surged, and the dragon patterns on the gilded dragon halberd seemed to come alive. A dazzling golden light condensed on the halberd's tip, and like the sun falling, it crashed down!

"Crack!"

The talisman finally gave way and shattered completely, dissipating into a sky full of golden light.

The entrance to the third floor was unobstructed, and an ancient, long-sealed aura wafted over.

Zheng Jun sheathed his halberd and stood there, his gaze coldly fixed on the depths of the dark staircase. He said calmly, "You all stay here and guard the place. I'll go in and take a look."

"Yes."

Zhou Tong stood obediently outside, and the palace maids dared not utter a sound.

After entering the three floors and looking at all the books on them, Zheng Jun felt rather bored.

This was not the book-hiding place Zheng Jun had imagined, but rather some secret royal matters.

It's completely useless!

Most of them were Emperor Shenwu's insights from his campaigns, with a few words about demonic techniques. Zheng Jun glanced at them casually. There were also detailed records of the national treasury's expenditures throughout history. After reading them, Zheng Jun felt a headache coming on.

"What are all these things? Is it really necessary to lock them up for such a small amount?"

Zheng Jun frowned, then his eyes narrowed, and he began to rapidly scan the books on the entire third floor with his divine sense.

There must be something useful in this!
After searching through the documents, they finally found something different in a handwritten letter from Emperor Shenwu, written seventy or eighty years ago.

"Painted Skin Venerable?"

Zheng Jun narrowed his eyes and then looked at the contents of the handwritten letter.

This is actually a method of condensing a Dharma image!

This form originates from the "Thousand Forms of the Skin Bag Sutra" left behind by the "Peeling Patriarch". It requires "illusory form" as the bone, "skin of sentient beings" as the flesh, and "causal lines" as the sinews. Finally, the "peeling skin to see the Buddha" ritual must be completed on the night of a lunar eclipse to be able to condense.

After condensation, the Dharma form presents a thousand overlapping faces, each face representing the original owner of the skin that the cultivator had previously peeled off.

If one wishes to condense this Dharma form, one needs to forge the illusory form bone, collect the skins of thirty-six sentient beings, and bind the karmic tendons.

Forging the illusory bones is relatively simple; one only needs to cultivate a few supernatural abilities that enhance the bones.

The latter two are the most difficult.

To collect the skins of thirty-six sentient beings, one needs to collect the skins of thirty-three people at the Tongqiao Realm, including the skins of top scholars and generals. Finally, one even needs three more Yuandan skins: the skin of an emperor, the skin of an innate Dao embryo, and the skin of karmic obstacles!

That's alright, but the entanglement of karma requires getting entangled in karma. You need to remove seven of each of the seven emotions and six desires. That is, you need to enter the secular world, fall in love with someone, and get a beloved person, which will arouse your seven emotions and six desires. Then you have to peel off their skin and pull out their tendons!
"Tsk, that's really tough."

Zheng Jun clicked his tongue in amazement.

These things all take time, especially the last one.

To find someone you truly love.

What defines true love? There's no way to determine that.

Even if you don't know how to condense it yourself, having another way is always a good thing.

Zheng Jun continued reading, immediately becoming completely absorbed.

Because what follows is the method of condensing the Dharma image of the 'Lord of the World'!

"Emperor Shenwu... no, Emperor Taizu Gao could, he didn't hold back at all."

Zheng Jun nodded. Although the method of condensing the 'Lord of the World' Dharma Image was no secret to many people, Zheng Jun came from a nobody and didn't know about it!
All he knew was that he needed the earth's veins.

After seeing how the 'Lord of the World' was formed, Zheng Jun felt it was rather simple.

It requires the emperor's destiny as the foundation, the earth's veins and dragon energy as the guide, and the will and power of the people as the fire, so that the "coronation of mountains and rivers" can be completed at the "Grand Ceremony of Sacrificing to Heaven".

First, one must forge the destiny of an emperor, which naturally means ascending the throne, enjoying the respect of all subjects, consuming the 'Purple Emperor's Heart Pill,' and refining a national treasure.

The main ingredients of this 'Purple Star Emperor's Heart Pill' are 'Purple Star Fragments' and 'Heart's Blood of a True Dragon in the Yuan Dan Realm'.

Zheng Jun already possessed the so-called imperial destiny.

Because he had cultivated the two techniques 'Radiant Sun and Flowing Light' and 'Floating Shadows and Life', he didn't need to do anything else and already possessed the initial qualities of an emperor.

As for the 'Purple Star Emperor's Heart Pill', it's a bit difficult, but not a big problem.

These fragments of the Purple Star require a hundred years of starlight to be absorbed at the Imperial Observatory, but the Great Zhou Dynasty has quite a few.

The only problem is the heart blood of a Yuan Dan realm true dragon, which means Zheng Jun must kill a Yuan Dan realm true dragon.

It's not a big problem either.

After completing this step, the next step is to gather the power of thirty earth veins and the power of mountains and rivers.

That is, to cultivate and absorb the earth's veins in each state for at least one month.

Zheng Jun has already absorbed the Lanzhou ley line; next, he can absorb the Shenjing ley line.

One-fifteenth of the work has been completed.

It is a challenging and long-term task.

Finally, there is the gathering of the will and strength of all people.

To put it bluntly, it's about building the 'Altar of the State' to govern the people with the laws of the emperor, absorbing the true energy and blood essence offered by millions of people, similar to when Zheng Jun formed the formation.

Once the three are gathered together, the Dharma form of the 'Lord of the World' can be formed.

"Compared to the other two, the 'World Ruler' method seems more complicated, but in practice, it is indeed the simplest method."

The most difficult part is probably these thirty ley lines.

One clever way is to sneak into the prefecture and absorb the earth's veins.

The problem is that Yuan Dan Martial Saint's actions are too drastic and will inevitably be discovered.

Therefore, in most cases, it is still necessary to conquer the territory.

but……

Zheng Jun suddenly realized something.

"Wait a minute, the way this Dharma form is condensed looks kind of familiar. Why does it feel a bit similar to the repayment conditions of my 'Great Dao Martial Book'?"

Zheng Jun swallowed hard, and with a thought, the image of the 'Great Dao Martial Book' appeared in his sea of ​​consciousness.

"Martial arts can be borrowed in advance, supernatural powers can be borrowed in advance, but can you borrow this Dharma form in advance?"

Zheng Jun muttered to himself.

[The Dharma image of the 'Lord of the World'.]

[Prerequisite for advance payment: Reaching the peak of the Yuan Dan realm is sufficient for advance payment.]

[The image of the "Painted Skin Venerable"]

[Prerequisite for advance payment: Reaching the peak of the Yuan Dan realm is sufficient for advance payment.]

Zheng Jun: !!!
I fucking bastard.

You actually think you can get an advance?!

but……

If one can foresee the Dharma form, doesn't that prove something?
The so-called Dharma form is a kind of supernatural power.

In fact, each person can condense more than one form?
Not right either.

If that's the case, why don't all the Dharma forms in the world come to claim the Dharma form of this 'Lord of the World' in advance, but instead avoid it like the plague?
Zheng Jun had some doubts.

Although he had some doubts, Zheng Jun did not delve too deeply into it.

After all, he hasn't reached the peak of the Yuan Dan realm yet, so it's too early.

Then, Zheng Jun continued searching through the many books on the third floor.

These things are actually quite useful.

Many of the items were left behind by the Divine Martial Emperor, including some of his insights into the cultivation of Yuan Dan, which proved quite effective for Zheng Jun.

And just like that, two days passed in a flash.

Two days later, a presence suddenly came from outside the door, as if someone was hesitating whether to come in.

Zheng Jun held a copy of the Divine Martial Emperor's notes in one hand and asked, "What is it?"

"Prime Minister."

Wei Quan's voice came from outside the door. Wei Quan knelt on one knee and said respectfully, "A strange thing has happened. The Qin traitor Li Xun is begging to surrender and wants to join our army to kill the Prince of Jin together."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jun was taken aback. He immediately put down the cultivation manual of the Divine Martial Emperor in his hand and looked up at Wei Quan outside the door.

"Does Li Xun want to surrender?"

(End of this chapter)