Loan Wusheng

Two months later, at the location of the earth's veins in Lingzhou City, the purple-gold dragon robe fluttered in the north wind.

Zheng Jun pressed his palm downwards, and the phantom of the Nine Cauldrons crashed down from the clouds, its legs embedding deeply into the nodes of the Lingzhou earth veins.

In an instant, the entire city trembled violently, and a roar like a dragon's cry came from the ground.

"rise!"

With a decree from Zheng Jun, all seventy-two ancient wells in Lingzhou simultaneously spewed forth purple vapor.

The power of the earth's veins flowed like rivers into the sea, merging into Zheng Jun's palm along the patterns of the Nine Cauldrons.

As the last wisp of purple energy from the earth veins entered his palm, Zheng Jun exhaled and finished his practice, his hands clasped behind his back.

At this moment, he has absorbed twenty-nine ley lines, and Lingzhou is the last piece to complete the puzzle.

Now that it has been fully absorbed, the last piece of the puzzle has been completely completed.

[Absorbing the power of the earth's veins: 30/30.]

The gilded characters flashed by, and Zheng Jun's lips curled up slightly as he exhaled.

In this way, the only thing left for him to repay as the "Lord of the World" is the "Altar of the State".

The Altar of the State has been completed; all that remains is for me to return to the capital.

After all the kings were defeated, the world was united.

His own "ruler of the world" can be said to have completely completed the process of getting on the train first and buying the ticket later.

That’s very good.

After absorbing the earth veins of Lingzhou, Zheng Jun looked at the towering mountain not far away with a hint of mockery in his eyes.

That place is where the Southern Demon Court is located, and where the Great Sage Burning Heaven resides.

Calling it the 'Southern Demon Court' is no longer quite appropriate, because the Northern Demon Court has been completely destroyed. The Southern Demon Court is now the only remaining demon court in the entire world.

Zheng Jun could sense that the Great Sage Burning Heaven was also staring at him, seemingly observing him silently.

There was no way around it; as the holder of the 'Lord of the World' Dharma form, one was destined to be coveted by all humans and demons in the world.

Alas, the loneliness is invincible.

Zheng Jun had no intention of going over to beat up the Great Sage Burning Heaven.

Although, according to Zheng Jun's observation, if he wanted to do it, the problem of suppressing the many Dharma forms in this world would not be that big.

As long as you have patience, you can always do the same thing to them as you did to kill the True Lord Fulong.

However, the problem is that as the number of Dharma forms decreases, the suppression of the will of heaven and earth will become more and more obvious.

After all, the suppression was originally divided into six parts, and each death increased the suppression by one part. If he were to kill two or three more Dharma Aspects, it would be difficult to say how much the will of heaven and earth would suppress them.

Therefore, as long as they don't provoke him, Zheng Jun is too lazy to deal with them before he steals the secrets of other worlds to cover his tracks.

Upon realizing this, Zheng Jun immediately released his Dharma Aura, crushing towards the Southern Demon Court as a warning.

After issuing the warning, Zheng Jun waved his sleeve and strode northwards with a powerful stride, returning to Shenjing.

Meanwhile, in the Southern Demon Court, a cold and aloof woman in a phoenix robe frowned deeply.

This aloof woman stood atop the mountain, her crimson robes fluttering in the wind, her eyes, like cold stars, fixed on the direction Zheng Jun had departed.

The overwhelming aura of the Dharma form caused her fingertips to tremble slightly, and the demonic power within her body to stagnate.

This woman is none other than the Great Sage of Burning Heaven.

She is also the only Yuanjun in the world, known as the "Burning Heaven Great Sage" among the demon race and as the "Ember Calamity Blazing Clouds Yuanjun" among all the heavens.

"What a fine 'ruler of the world'..."

The Great Sage of Burning Heaven murmured softly, his jade-like face still cold, but a deep sense of fear flashed in his eyes.

'This person's strength far exceeds expectations; if we rashly engage him, we will certainly be no match for him...'

After taking a deep breath, he finally suppressed the restlessness in his heart, turned around and disappeared into the clouds.

……

A few days later, outside the capital city, the nine-zhang-tall Altar of the God of Soil and Grain stood majestically. The altar was built with rammed earth of five colors, and the four sides of the steps were inlaid with three hundred and sixty-five star-patterned jade pieces. The bronze cauldron on the top of the altar was emitting a misty purple aura.

Zheng Jun stood with his hands behind his back in front of the cauldron, his purple-gold dragon robe shimmering with an awe-inspiring aura in the morning light.

The officials stood on both sides below the altar, even their breathing was deliberately slowed down.

Today is not only the inauguration ceremony of the Altar of the State, but also the day when the three surrendered kings pay their respects.

"Summon—Lu Meng, Zhang Bengong, and Li Hong to enter the altar and pay homage!"

As the master of ceremonies proclaimed his greeting, three figures slowly walked out from the white jade passageway.

On the far left, Lu Meng wore a plain robe and looked calm; in the center, Zhang Bengong was pale and looked panicked; on the right, Li Hong lowered his head and held a mottled bamboo scroll.

The three men walked nine steps to the foot of the altar and knelt down in unison: "Your Majesty, we are your guilty subjects! Long live the Emperor!"

The sound of the waves rose up, and Zheng Jun lowered his eyes and looked down, his gaze lingering on Zhang Bengong for a moment longer.

This was the first time Zheng Jun had ever met Zhang Bengong.

Several years ago, Zhang Bengong was a huge obstacle for Zheng Jun, but also a powerful facilitator in Zheng Jun's rise to wealth.

If Zhang Bengong hadn't rebelled, Zheng Jun's path to advancement might have been delayed for another three or four years.

Although the results are the same.

but……

Zheng Jun looked at Zhang Bengong, who was still at the half-step Yuan Dan realm and had never stepped into the Yuan Dan realm, which made Zheng Jun feel a little emotional.

It should be noted that when Zhang Bengong was a powerful cultivator at the Tongqiao level, dominating Pingzhang County, Zheng Jun was only at the Waigang level.

But now, things have completely reversed.

After Zheng Jun sighed, he lightly flicked his sleeve, and the three of them immediately felt an invisible force lifting them up: "Rise."

Before they could even stand still, the bronze cauldron on top of the altar suddenly hummed and trembled, and images of the three men's past appeared on its surface: scenes of Lu Meng building water conservancy projects in Wu and Li Hong reducing taxes in Chu flashed by, while Zhang Bengong's images were filled with corpses hanging in various cities of Bashu!
"Today, I use the imperial cauldron to examine the merits and demerits of your governance."

Zheng Jun lightly tapped the handle of the cauldron with his fingertips, the sound like the clinking of gold and jade: "Lu Meng."

Wu Zhu Lu Meng, whose name was called, trembled, only to see Zheng Jun take out a jade tiger tally from the jade plate held by Hui Yue: "You surrendered without firing a shot, your merit is profound, you are hereby granted the title of Marquis of Jinghai, appointed as the Inspector General of the East Sea, to guard Yizhou Island, and to command the East Sea Navy."

Lu Meng was stunned for a moment, then suddenly kowtowed to the ground: "Your Majesty, I... Your Majesty, thank you for your great kindness!"

He thought he was lucky to have survived, but he never expected to have such an opportunity.

Looking at King Li Hong of Chu, Zheng Jun nodded slightly and then said, "The kings of the Zhou dynasty who surrendered have made meritorious contributions. The two kings and three ministers have already been appointed. However, you are only at the Yuan Dan realm. If you have no intention of rebelling, you can be sent to guard the East Sea as the 'Marquis of the East Sea,' and you will be in charge of coordinating the affairs of the East Sea Islands for me."

Li Hong was overjoyed and quickly expressed his gratitude.

Upon hearing Zheng Jun's words, the surrounding officials were slightly surprised.

Li Hong is, after all, a remnant of the previous dynasty!

However, Zheng Jun didn't seem to care at all.

What does it matter if he's a remnant of the previous dynasty? Even if the Divine Martial Emperor were to be resurrected, as long as he isn't the supreme Dharma body of the world, he can't turn the world upside down.

After all, the current 'Lord of the World' is himself.

King Li Hong of Chu did not take any measures to attack from both sides. Instead, he made good relations with many parties and later even took the initiative to submit to them.

Therefore, in Zheng Jun's view, this King of Chu was more worthy of being trusted than his cheap father-in-law, the King of Han, and the puppet emperor, the Duke of Anle, whom he had appointed.

In addition, the East China Sea is in a mess. After all, Li Hong was once a prince, so it wouldn't be a problem for him to go to the East China Sea to deal with this mess.

After bestowing titles upon the rulers of Wu and Chu, Zheng Jun turned his attention to the last king of Bashu.

"Zhang Bengong".

Zheng Jun's voice suddenly turned cold: "Xuanzhou and Suzhou are now filled with refugees because of you. I thought things would change after you entered Bashu and made great achievements, but I never expected that you would still commit acts of killing in Bashu."

"To be executed."

With that, Zheng Jun waved his sleeve, and purple energy appeared, firmly binding Zhang Bengong to the spot, making him unable to move!
Zhang Bengong's face was deathly pale, his lips trembled as he tried to defend himself, but he couldn't utter a single word.

"Preach my will."

Zheng Jun's voice shook the heavens: "Immediately cut this scoundrel in half at the waist to appease the spirits of the people who died unjustly in Xuan and Su prefectures and in the land of Ba and Shu!"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers from Suzhou and Xuanzhou, who were among the junior officers stationed around the Altar of the State, immediately had tears in their eyes.

Some gripped their sword hilts so tightly their veins bulged, while others couldn't help but whisper in praise: "His Majesty is wise! The End!"

Several armored captains below the altar knelt on one knee, clasped their fists, and shouted, "On behalf of our hometown elders, we thank Your Majesty for upholding justice!"

His voice carried a mixture of resentment and satisfaction that had been suppressed for many years.

Back then, their relatives either died under Zhang Bengong's army's sword or were forced to flee thousands of miles away. Now that their enemy has been executed, how could they not be excited?
After saying this, Zheng Jun could clearly see that some of his civil and military officials looked rather unnatural.

especially……

Lu Liangchen, Grand Secretary of the Cabinet.

In a sense, Zhang Bengong's ability to sweep through Su and Xuan prefectures was also a result of their indulgence.

They also wanted to break the deadlock.

Now that Zhang Bengong has been punished, how can they face His Majesty the Emperor?
Although Lu Liangchen was not too worried about being executed along with his clan, after all, his ancestor Lu Zhenglin had provided some assistance to His Majesty when he was still a prince, and His Majesty had promised to spare his life except for treason.

However, it will be difficult for the Lu family to enter the core decision-making level of the Han Dynasty in the future, or rather, in the hearts of the Han emperors.

Apart from……

Lu Chengbi.

Lu Chengbi, on the other hand, remained there in submission, completely unperturbed, seemingly not caring about the matter at all.

Even if Zhang Bengong was his former strategist.

On the altar of the land and grain, purple aura, like a dragon, swirled around Zheng Jun. Zhang Bengong's corpse had already been dragged down, and the bloodstains were quickly cleaned up by the attendants below the altar, as if they had never existed.

But the chilling atmosphere still lingered in everyone's hearts, and no one dared to look up and stare directly at the figure at the top of the altar.

Zheng Jun stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the dark mass of people below the altar.

Civil and military officials, surrendered kings, soldiers, and common people all bowed their heads and knelt down, spreading like a tide to the gates of the capital.

"rise."

Zheng Jun spoke softly, but his voice was as loud and clear as a bell, echoing in everyone's ears.

Ten thousand people stood together, yet not one dared to make a sound.

Zheng Jun, standing on the altar of the land and grain, felt the power of the incense offerings from all the people constantly surging between heaven and earth, and couldn't help but feel something special.

This divine power of incense, revered by all, is not like the earth's veins, which can help Zheng Jun, but rather a unique energy that nurtures the Dharma form of the 'Lord of the World'.

If the Dharma form of the 'Lord of the World' is damaged, it can be restored through the power of the people's reverence.

This is why emperors throughout history, after gaining power, did not become arbitrary and treat the people like pigs and dogs simply because they had become high-ranking officials. Instead, they still needed to wear the skin of a wise and sage ruler: they truly needed this power of reverence to guard against unforeseen events.

As the dust settled, Zheng Jun suddenly sensed something, and a line of gilded characters materialized before his eyes:
[Altar of the God of Earth and Grain: 1/1.]

As this passage of small characters appeared, Zheng Jun couldn't help but smile slightly. Soon, lines of gilded small characters reappeared before his eyes.

[The 'Lord of the World' Dharma Image has been fully repaid!]

As the gilded characters appeared before his eyes, the 'Lord of the World' dharma form within Zheng Jun's body emitted a clear and melodious dragon roar, and the causal chains that had been binding the dharma form broke inch by inch.

Zheng Jun's lips curled up slightly.

Only then did the Dharma image of the 'Lord of the World' truly belong to him.

The earth's energy surrounding the Altar of the God of Soil and Grain flowed into Zheng Jun's body like rivers flowing into the sea. The officials below the altar saw the purple aura surging around His Majesty, vaguely forming the phantom of a twelve-tasseled crown, and they all involuntarily knelt down again.

No one knew why His Majesty the Emperor had suddenly become agitated, but that did not prevent them from kneeling in worship.

After they bowed, Zheng Jun stood on the altar of the land and grain, and the 'Great Dao Martial Book' appeared before his eyes once again.

[Image of the "Painted Skin Venerable" (advance payment possible).]

[The Dharma Image of 'Stealing Heavenly Secrets' (cannot be obtained in advance).]

Zheng Jun didn't know what use the painted skin of the Buddha was, so he didn't use it in advance, nor did he want to, and put it aside for the time being.

As for the Heavenly Secret Dharma Image, it cannot be obtained in advance because the True Lord Fulong is not completely dead yet.

therefore……

Upon realizing this, the remnant soul of the True Lord Fulong, imprisoned in Fangcun Mountain, immediately appeared before Zheng Jun.

"Fellow Daoist Song, it's time to get going."

The soul of True Lord Fulong trembled violently, and the illusory bronze compass shattered inch by inch amidst the purple aura: "Zheng Jun! You have already obtained the Dharma form of 'Lord of the World,' why do you still..."

Before he finished speaking, the illusory image of the Nine Cauldrons descended from the void, and the soul of the True Lord of Subduing Dragon turned into specks of blue light.

Those blue lights struggled to reassemble, but had already scattered into the world.

Zheng Jun was relatively kind.

This action did not cause the soul of the True Lord Fulong to be annihilated, but instead sent him to be reincarnated in this world.

These tiny specks of starlight are the spiritual essence of the True Lord Fulong.

Thousands of years later, a lucky one emerged who inherited the spiritual essence of this True Lord Fulong.

After the reincarnation of the True Lord Fulong, a line of gilded characters appeared before Zheng Jun.

[The "Stealing Heavenly Secrets" Dharma Image (can be used in advance).]

The moment the gilded characters danced before his eyes, Zheng Jun chose to pay in advance without hesitation.

In an instant, the originally stable space within Zheng Jun's consciousness trembled violently, and a bronze compass phantom emerged from the chaos, shining brightly alongside the purple-gold imperial aura!
The bronze compass was immediately suppressed by the purple-gold imperial aura upon contact with it, becoming its subordinate, like a subject, submitting to the purple-gold imperial aura.

"Ok?"

Zheng Jun was also somewhat surprised to see this.

If that's the case, the actions and arrangements of the 'Lord of the World' Dharma Image, suppressing other condensed Dharma Images, don't seem to place much demand on the Dharma Images themselves, so there shouldn't be any conflict.

After all, the Dharma form of the 'Lord of the World' is so domineering, it is the number one in the world.

"Perhaps this is the way for the Lord of the World to break through to the Dao Lord's path."

As Zheng Jun was thinking to himself, a booming sound suddenly came from the Altar of the State.

"boom--!"

The altar of the god of soil and grain, which had just completed the sacrificial ceremony, suddenly burst open with hundreds of cracks.

The officials below the altar looked up in alarm, only to see two Dharma images simultaneously appearing around Zheng Jun.

On the left, a purple-gold dragon shadow entwines around the nine cauldrons; on the right, a bronze compass reverses the universe!

"what?!"

Huiyue was utterly astonished and blurted out in a daze.

The exclamation was like a stone thrown into a still pond, and gasps of surprise erupted all around the Altar of the God of Earth!

At this moment, Zheng Jun had no time to pay attention to the shock of his ministers.

He was gazing at the newly acquired 'Stealing Heavenly Secrets' Dharma Image and discovered that it was seven parts similar to the original Dharma Image of True Lord Fulong, except that there was an extra Purple Star Emperor Pattern in the center of the compass.

The images of Buddha statues from different dynasties all seem to be quite similar.

Zheng Jun's eyes gleamed as he glanced at the repayment terms.

The repayment conditions remain the same three, nothing special. However, after obtaining the 'Stealing Heavenly Secrets' Dharma Image, Zheng Jun can go to the Xuanhuang Realm to have some fun and test whether this repayment is effective outside the domain.

Just as he was pondering, he suddenly sensed five powerful divine senses probing towards him.

Zheng Jun looked up with a cold laugh, only to see the wind and clouds surging in the sky, and five illusory images of Dharma figures appearing across tens of thousands of miles.

In the far west, the swastika symbol on the palm of the golden Buddha flickers intermittently.

In the demon court of the southern frontier, the fiery phoenix of the heavens cries out, shaking the nine heavens.

In the depths of the North Sea, a black tortoise bears the Hetu and Luoshu diagrams on its back.

In the mountains and fields of Chuzhou, the herb-wielding hoe of the Venerable Shennong emitted a bluish light.

At the Taoist temple in Pengzhou, the Venerable Qingxu swept away the stars with his whisk.

These five images of deities are reflected simultaneously.

They were clearly quite taken aback by Zheng Jun's acquisition of the second Dharma image.

Because the last time Zheng Jun condensed a Dharma image was a year ago!

One year.

Just one year.

He then condensed his second Dharma form!

Moreover, they recognized this Dharma image.

Stealing the secrets of heaven.

The Secret of Heaven Stealing by the True Lord of the Upper Cave Subduing Dragon!

The True Lord Fulong of Shangdong was just killed by Zheng Jun a few months ago!

This……

For a moment, the other five deities' minds went blank.

They were completely baffled and had no idea how Zheng Jun had managed to do it.

The Lord of the World, Dharma Image, was already the best in the world. Now that he has obtained the secrets of stealing the heavens, he is like a tiger with wings!

Zheng Jun smiled slightly as he faced the five pairs of eyes that were peering at him.

Previously, he could only sense that someone was watching him.

Now that two Dharma forms have been condensed, things are much clearer, and we can see quite a lot.

For example, this Western World-Honored One.

There were actually three Dharma images on his body.

He has condensed three Dharma forms!
In addition, the Great Sage Burning Heaven and the Venerable Master of Ten Thousand Laws of the Southern Demon Court also possessed two Dharma forms.

As for the Lord of the Myriad Demon Palace and Venerable Shennong, they each only possess one Dharma form.

but……

"If fellow Daoists have not seen enough, you are welcome to come to the capital and discuss the Dao with me. I will not hesitate to ask for your guidance."

After saying that, the purple-gold dragon shadow and the bronze compass rose into the sky, actually condensing into an unprecedented 'Purple Star Heavenly Compass' in the clouds. The Nine Cauldrons Dao Pattern and the Heavenly Stealing Pattern were perfectly integrated, and the pressure that erupted directly pushed the five divine senses back thousands of miles!

After being repelled, the five Dharma images remained silent for a long time before dissipating.

No one will come to the capital to discuss philosophy.

No one would dare to provoke Zheng Jun.

Although they had many thoughts in their minds, they still had to avoid direct confrontation for now.

After all, the 'Lord of the World' Dharma Form was already incredibly powerful. Ten years ago, the Divine Martial Emperor used this Dharma Form to injure the Great Sage Burning Heaven, who possessed two Dharma Forms.

Now, Zheng Jun has also become a dual Dharma Master.

They now had no doubt that, excluding the Western World Honored One, even if the other four of them attacked together in the Central Plains, they might not be a match for Zheng Jun. (End of Chapter)