Starting from the Tiger Demon Yaksha, the demon immortality

Chapter 360 370 The Clone's Inability to Split into Multiple Positions

The voices of several monks drifted into his ears on the wind. Li Cunxiao merely smiled upon hearing this, his steps continuing uninterrupted.

I've gotten used to it by now.

The shock of seeing a familiar face suddenly become a powerful figure who controls the lives and deaths of thousands is immense.

But for Li Cunxiao himself, this kind of "looking at someone with new eyes" drama has been played out many times.

Returning home in glory is naturally gratifying, but what's more important right now is another appointment that came along with the imperial edict of being made a king—the Grand Commander of the Central Route Army.

The Grand Protector, now Prince Qin, Li Siyuan, launched an attack from Hedong shortly after the Tongguang reign was changed, encroaching on Hebei Province from the north.

When the Qin and Liao states became sworn brothers, with the Liao ruler's support, the two armies marched south and invaded Henan, their opponent being the "Silver Spear Grand Tutor" Yang Shihou.

The Third Protector, now Prince Jin, Li Cunxu, first attacked Shannan Road, and then reached a tacit agreement with Yang Huayuan of Huainan to use Maoshan and Magushan to restrain Mingzun, advancing from south to north.

Now that the Venerable One is dead, all that remains is to eliminate the remaining Dharma Kings before heading north.

The central route leads directly to Pengcheng, the old capital of Liang, which is guarded by the "clone general" Ge Congzhou.

Li Yisheng launched a three-pronged attack on Liang, gradually eroding and encroaching upon its territory. As long as Zhu Quanzhong still harbored ambitions of dominating the region, he would inevitably make his appearance.

Otherwise, if we lose the fertile Central Plains, we will only have a small piece of land near the East China Sea left. How many soldiers can we support?
Without an army, the struggle for supremacy is just a joke.

Therefore, the roles played by Li Cunxiao, Li Siyuan, and Li Cunxu, the three chief commanders of the military expedition, are self-evident.

Opportunities are often accompanied by risks, but for Li Cunxiao, he was not only a grandmaster, but also a master of the Daoist temple that only a great grandmaster could master.

Dealing with a grandmaster like Ge Congzhou is a piece of cake. Even if I encounter Zhu Quanzhong, even if I can't beat him, I'm confident I can escape.

According to Li Yisheng's order, troops will be dispatched tomorrow, and the other Grand Protectors arrived in Songzhou last night.

Li Cunxiao knew the character of those soldiers, so he only allowed them to wait outside the city for orders and forbade them to enter the city and disturb the people.

In a sense, it can be considered a show of force.

Without stopping, Li Cunxiao and Li Guangyi soon arrived at Kanglefang.

Because the Dragon Armor Army is disciplined, they swiftly slaughtered all the gangsters after entering the city, and the city's order has improved a lot, with a slightly larger flow of people.

"However, it is much more desolate than when my older brother brought me here."

"On the contrary, the place in Hitain is even more lively than in previous years. It's really ironic."

Looking at the changed world before him, Li Guangyi couldn't help but sigh.

The place in front of me was much larger than I remembered, and I could hear lively voices even through the walls.

Li Cunxiao still remembered when Ming Cult spies infiltrated the city and abducted children everywhere. He investigated the matter under Qi Ci's secret arrangement, which was also his first battle after breaking through to the Yellow Court.

In recent years, with constant warfare and piles of bones, the number of orphans in Hitain has increased dramatically.

Fortunately, Bai Xiangshan took good care of this. Since the Tiangu Temple had no natural defenses outside its mountain gate, after it moved to the city, he often sent young disciples to teach the children.

Thanks to this, Master Jingyue's life's work was not tainted by blood and fire.

"Senior Brother Li, you've arrived?"

At the entrance of the Hita-in Temple, a young monk hurried to greet him.

Although his face looked older, his composure, or rather, his wooden demeanor, remained unchanged.

"It's Mingzhu. The abbot and the others have arrived?"

As Li Cunxiao walked into Beitian Temple, he observed the monks ahead and sighed inwardly.

As times change and people's minds wander, many inner and outer disciples of Tiangu Temple have left the temple to try their luck in pursuing fame and fortune.

Dezheng was powerless to stop it and could only acquiesce.

Even after his master died from qi deviation, Mingzhu still chose to stay in the turbulent Songzhou.

A few days ago, Li Cunxiao asked Mingzhu why, and Mingzhu only said that if he left, there would be no one to sweep Yuanhua's grave, and he would become a lonely ghost.

'The true form cultivation method of demonic martial arts is still too risky.'

'Uncle-Master Yuanhua had already reached the fifth realm, but due to the constant warfare, there was nowhere he could find peace and quiet for seclusion.'

'He was unwilling to follow the Ming Cult's path of venting his demonic nature, and over time, he was naturally prone to going astray in his cultivation.'

"Now that I have taken over Songzhou, and the character of Abbot Dezheng of Tiangu Temple is trustworthy, could we perhaps find an opportunity to promote the Dragon Pearl and the new Dharma here?"

My thoughts raced, but only a dozen or so breaths had passed outside.

After passing through the school where the children were studying, Li Cunxiao soon met Abbess Jingyue and a group of high-ranking officials from Tiangu Temple.

Besides Dezheng, Daoyuan, the head of the Bodhidharma Institute, Daoqing, the head of the Discipline Institute, Decong of the Medicine King Institute, and his disciple Yuancan were also included.

As for Deming, the head of the Luohan Hall, he was lying on a folding chair with his legs below the knees empty, and his complexion was not very good.

"Nephew Li, the pill formula you gave me the other day was truly exquisite! I stayed up for two nights after returning home before I finally grasped its secrets. Look at the changes in the body's balance here."

Upon seeing the newcomer, De Cong immediately jumped in front of him and began to speak incessantly, startling the two abbots who rushed forward, grabbed his robes, and whispered angrily:

"Junior Brother De Cong, you mustn't be rude! Junior Nephew Li, Magistrate Li..."

"It's alright, everyone is my elder, there's no need to be so formal. I know that Chief Abbot Decong is obsessed with alchemy, so how could I be offending him?"

De Cong snorted, and the two chiefs then sheepishly stopped.

In times of war, elixirs are especially valuable, and alchemists are even rarer; the people of Liang also understood this principle.

Therefore, from the head monk Decong down, most of the people in the Medicine King Temple were safe and sound.

However, the other hospitals suffered heavy casualties, either from dealing with demons or encountering large bandits and soldiers.

To Li Cunxiao's relief, after many years, De Cong was still the same pure person, unlike others who had become distant due to changes in their status.

"Master Jingyue, how have you been?"

"Benefactor Li," the old nun rose and bowed. Her silver hair, barely concealed beneath her monk's hat, revealed her visibly aged face.

Raising orphans is difficult even in times of peace, let alone during times of war. Even with Abbess Jingyue exhausting her energy, many children in the Beitian Academy still froze, starved, or died of illness.

It wasn't until Tiangu Temple arrived and De Cong was there that the situation improved somewhat.

"Please sit down. I've come today to discuss something with you all."

At Li Cunxiao's insistence, Dezheng sat with him at the head of the table.

He got straight to the point:

"By order of His Majesty, I will lead the troops into battle tomorrow."

"The administration of the city will continue to be handled by Governor Bai."

"As for the Hitain, my idea is to invest money and supplies, expand its scale, and absorb orphans."

"Teachers are assigned to teach different subjects to children of different ages, such as arithmetic, grammar, crafts, etc."

"Not only should we keep them alive, but we should also give them a skill. If they have outstanding talent in martial arts, they can also join the army."

"This matter will be handled entirely by Li Guangyi on my behalf."

After saying this, Li Guangyi naturally stepped out from behind Li Cunxiao, smiled, and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to the crowd.

"I am a military commander under the Song King. If any monks of Tiangu Temple are interested in joining the army, they may come to me." After saying this, he withdrew and said no more.

Abbess Jingyue had no objections.

In these days, children are basically considered a burden; giving them even a bite to eat is considered a blessing.

Not to mention that Li Cunxiao was even willing to find someone to teach him the craft, it was like a windfall.

Of course, there is always something to gain in return for something else. When these children grow up, they will inevitably have to repay the gifts they have received with loyalty.

But is being loyal to someone like Li Cunxiao a bad thing?

Besides, given the current situation, even if one wanted to refuse, it wouldn't be possible.

“Your Majesty has a compassionate heart. This humble nun thanks Your Majesty on behalf of those orphaned children.”

"The nun is a highly respected elder whom I admire, as are everyone at Tiangu Temple. I will need your help with matters in the city in the future."

Li Cunxiao smiled with satisfaction. The reason he specially sought out people to discuss this was, frankly speaking, because he valued the influence of people like Dezheng and Abbess Jingyue in Songzhou.

Even if the Dragon Armor Army is highly disciplined, it will take time to gain the trust of the people.

With someone's endorsement, this time can be greatly shortened, allowing the area to quickly become his loyal territory.

"I see that several of the abbots are injured. Is the temple lacking in elixirs?"

Li Cunxiao sensed the auras of the group and, without waiting for a reply, reached out and grabbed. In the void, spiritual energy transformed from formless to tangible, spinning rapidly like a vortex.

Everyone was speechless with astonishment at this move, and Dezheng was especially shocked.

'His control over the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is so effortless; indeed, Li Cunxiao has already reached the Grandmaster realm!'

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, several pills condensed into shape. With a wave of his hand, Li Cunxiao presented each of the monks of Tiangu Temple, including Abbess Jingyue, with a pill in front of them.

"It's just a small token of my appreciation, please excuse my poor attempt."

The crowd looked at each other in disbelief. The ability to form pills from nothing was truly astonishing, and no one had been able to react in a short time. It was De Cong who took the pill first, and then the others followed one after another.

In an instant, pure spiritual energy spread throughout the room, with the most noticeable effects on Abbess Jingyue and Deming, the head of the Arhat Hall.

The former's full head of silver hair visibly turned black, and the wrinkles on his face were smoothed out; the latter's trouser legs twitched, and two new feet grew out of his trousers.

Upon seeing this scene, Dezheng was speechless.

He could only console himself, after all, he was the disciple of the alchemy master Taiyi Zhenren, so it was only natural that he would behave this way!

To create something from nothingness in the void—that's practically the skill of an Arhat or a celestial being!
"Abbot, my palace is currently lacking a chief clerk. I wonder if you would be interested?"

Li Cunxiao took a sip of tea with a smile and added:

"Of course, I will not interfere in the affairs of Tiangu Temple."

“Talented people are hard to find, and you are in your prime. Taking up an official post would be a good thing for the sect and the people.”

“Since Junior Nephew Li has put it this way, how could I refuse?”

Dezheng thought for a moment, but ultimately did not refuse.

With the Qin Dynasty about to reclaim the Central Plains, having an acquaintance to help them is naturally a great thing.

He understood that the position of Chief Secretary of the Prince's Mansion was actually only equivalent to that of a guest minister.

After all, Li Guangyi already held both civil and military positions, so how could he possibly interfere?
It's just a matter of borrowing his and Tiangu Temple's reputation for a while.

In return, Li Cunxiao would provide Tiangu Temple with elixirs, and disciples who joined the army or became officials would also receive preferential treatment.

You have resources, I have people; cooperation benefits both of us.

Having settled the matter, Li Cunxiao did not linger and went to take another look at the Flying Tiger Escort Agency.

Since his return to Songzhou, the news that "Flying Tiger Escort Agency has a past relationship with the King of Song" has spread like wildfire, and many interested people have turned their attention to this place.

After his reunion with the镖局 (escort agency) members, Zhang Lishi secretly approached Li Cunxiao and subtly expressed that he was already satisfied with his current life and did not want too much attention.

Li Cunxiao had originally planned to promote his old friend and give him a sinecure in the army, but he understood the old man's concerns.

Human relationships are something that diminish with use. Zhang Lishi was unwilling to exchange his teacher-student relationship for wealth and status, and was probably also tired of war and strife.

Nowadays, the escort agency is surrounded by elite Dragon Armor Army soldiers who secretly protect it to prevent outsiders from disturbing Zhang Lishi's family's life.

When Li Cunxiao arrived, he merely concealed his presence and glanced at the sky.

After instructing his younger brother to visit him from time to time and leave behind a batch of pills, he went straight out of the city to the central army camp, where he beat the drum and raised the tent.

To be fair, these soldiers from the Hedong military governorship, though ruthless, were not perfunctory in their formation drills, and they were assembled within a quarter of an hour.

Looking at the neat and solemn array in the training ground, Li Cunxiao was finally satisfied. He then turned to look at the six bodyguards below the command platform.

Li Yisheng did not go on the expedition with the army; in fact, no one knows where he is now.

Li Yisheng and Zhu Quanzhong are now playing hide-and-seek, seeing who will find the other first.

If one of them dies, the surviving Grandmaster will directly determine the course of the war.

The six bodyguards looked at Li Cunxiao, who was full of vigor on the platform, and each of them had mixed feelings.

Once overlooked by everyone, the thirteenth prince has now become the third king after the eldest and third princes, and his cultivation level is so high that he crushes everyone with the power of a grandmaster.

Even if they disliked each other back then, they dared not reveal their thoughts now, for fear that Li Cunxiao would seize on their weaknesses and make an example of them.

However, these people's worries were completely unnecessary. Li Cunxiao's mind was now focused on attacking Xuzhou, and he couldn't be bothered with them.

With his Grandmaster realm as a foundation, dealing with a few seventh-realm martial artists would be a piece of cake.

Li Cunxiao himself led 14,000 troops, leaving 8,000 in Songzhou to guard key locations.

The six Taibaos nominally each led an army, but in reality, due to repeated battles, each had less than 10,000 men, totaling only about 50,000.

Because of the existence of Grandmasters, a large army may not be as effective as elite troops when attacking a city.

Therefore, after entering Xuzhou, he directly divided his troops into three routes, surrounding Pengcheng from three sides and cutting off the defenders' retreat.

He himself led four thousand Imperial Dragon Soldiers and six thousand Dragon Armored Soldiers on a rapid march straight towards the front.

Along the way, the prefectures and counties that saw the Qin banners surrendered almost without a second thought; any resistance was quickly suppressed.

In just seven days, Li Cunxiao arrived ten miles outside Pengcheng.

They set up camp, sent out scouts to gather intelligence, and prepared for a tough battle.
Surprisingly, the garrison had already withdrawn, leaving the place deserted except for a group of elderly, weak, sick, and disabled people.

After searching the city, they learned that Ge Congzhou knew the Qin army was coming and had already started packing his bags.

Li Cunxiao had fought this person before and guessed that the other party probably had a clone outside. As soon as he heard any disturbance, he immediately ran away.

"If we continue to send troops out, the large number of people will only slow things down."

Li Cunxiao made a decisive move, leading a thousand Yinglong soldiers capable of flying in formation ahead, with the rest of the army following behind.

Two days later, traces of Liang Jun's passage were finally discovered.

On the third day at noon, Liang's troops were discovered outside a valley.

Carts loaded with oxen and horses were clearly laden with gold, silver, and all sorts of rare and precious materials.

The leading general, whose eyes had more white than black, was none other than Ge Congzhou!
(End of this chapter)