Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

Chapter 336 The Twenty-Four Towers in the Early Years of the Yuan You Era, the Awakening of Insects!

Immediately afterwards, a thick tiger tail, over eight feet long, swung out, its entire body covered in scales that gleamed with a blood-red luster.

The red and black intertwined qi and blood swirled around him like smoke from a wolf's beak, and an overwhelming and unstoppable tiger's might spread out, making the surrounding Jin soldiers almost unable to breathe.

"Demon Beast!"

"What the hell is this!"

Exclamations and uproar instantly erupted within the Plain Yellow Banner army formation. The Jin soldiers retreated in fear, their weapons trembling uncontrollably.

They had never seen such a thing before and thought it was a legendary demon descended to earth.

Without any hesitation, Chen Zhan activated the Taotie True Form.

The two relics circulated quietly in front of his chest, continuously replenishing his vital energy, giving him a sense of control over this true body that far surpassed what he had experienced before.

With a cold, vertical gaze sweeping over the panicked Jin soldiers in the formation, Chen Zhan, in his Taotie form, charged straight into the crowd without any further movement, and a one-sided massacre began.

He was killing Jin soldiers, Qing soldiers, and Tatar soldiers who had been plundering the Ming Dynasty's territory and slaughtering the people of the Central Plains for years. Chen Zhan felt no burden in his heart, only pure killing intent remained.

His blood and qi were no longer the usual crimson, but a thick, dark red, almost black, as if congealed blood was churning and surging.

The twelve-foot-tall demon stood in the crowd like a moving ferocious god. With a slight touch of its feet, it leaped dozens of meters into the air, causing the golden soldiers beneath it to break their bones and tendons upon landing.

Wherever it passed, the thick beast claws tore through the air, and five condensed, blade-like arcs of blood energy suddenly erupted out, whistling past the crowd.

Before countless Jin soldiers could react, they were severed in half by arcs of blood and qi, their limbs and blood splattering everywhere.

The eight-foot tiger tail behind him suddenly swept across, the strong wind carrying blood and qi. Wherever it swept, several more Jin soldiers were decapitated, their heads rolling on the ground, their eyes wide open, filled with terror.

At this moment, Chen Zhan was the perfect killer. Every claw swing and every tail flick carried a world-destroying power, tearing a huge gap in the Plain Yellow Banner army formation in the blink of an eye.

This inhumanly ferocious scene instantly drew everyone's attention on the battlefield.

Ajige, the commander of the Plain Yellow Banner, was sitting on a tall horse, directing the troops from the rear of the formation.

He witnessed Chen Zhan's true form as Taotie, and for a moment he was so overwhelmed that he lost his senses. He unconsciously loosened his grip on the whip, and didn't even notice when the whip slipped off the horse.

The Plain Yellow Banner has always used the dragon as a symbol, regarding it as a representation of imperial power and military strength, but the real dragon ultimately only exists in legends.

But Chen Zhan, such a ferocious and malevolent monster, appeared vividly before their eyes.
They were still wantonly slaughtering soldiers in their own ranks, with heart-wrenching screams and blood and flesh flying everywhere.

This was something even the battle-hardened general of the Later Jin Dynasty found hard to believe, and
But after a moment of stunned silence, a chill ran from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

Because the monster was heading straight for him at an incredible speed, and no one could withstand it for even a moment.

At a distance of a hundred feet, in the blink of an eye, the monster's vertical pupils were already close to Ajige's face.

"Are you Ajige, the Commander-in-Chief of the Plain Yellow Banner?"

The monster in front of him actually spoke human language. Ajige was instantly terrified. Chen Zhan didn't give him time to think. He gently placed his hand, which was larger than his chest, on the armor on his chest, and the armor shattered inch by inch.

Beneath the armor was the official robe of the Commander-in-Chief of the Plain Yellow Banner, and it also bore a jade plaque.

Yi Sao Yu Pai is someone mentioned in Han Tiange's letter.

Chen Zhan smiled and pressed his palm against the other person's body. He felt a surge of internal force and tried to resist, but it was instantly crushed by the force of his hand.

Then, Ajige transformed into a rain of blood.

After eliminating Ajige, Chen Zhan transformed into a streak of blood, shooting straight at the Bordered Yellow Banner army formation besieging Liaoyang on the other side.

The sounds of killing resumed, quickly attracting the attention of both sides on the city wall and on the battlefield.

Han Tiange spotted the ferocious figure on the city wall at a glance. She had never seen Chen Zhan in this beast-like state before, but she had seen similar records in the Holy Sect's scriptures. Surprised, she was already certain.

Chen Zhan has arrived.

The soldiers and civilians on the city wall gradually realized that something was wrong below.

The Jin soldiers, who had been frantically scaling the city walls and fearlessly fighting, noticeably weakened their offensive. Many turned to look at the rear of the formation, their faces filled with terror, and their climbing movements slowed down.

Chen Zhan's killing figure was too fast, and he was far from the city wall, so the crowd could not see his exact appearance, but they could clearly see the ever-expanding blood and chaos in the Jin army formation.

All I know is that reinforcements have arrived.

This boosted the morale of the soldiers and civilians defending the city. Their exhausted bodies seemed to regain their strength, and their movements in wielding weapons became even more fierce.

Chen Zhan had already stormed into the Bordered Yellow Banner's garrison.

The Jin soldiers finally recovered from their initial shock, and Eidu, the commander of the Bordered Yellow Banner, urgently dispatched his best soldiers to their aid.

Warriors at the Acquired Realm formed a sword formation, while experts at the Innate Realm thrust their blades forward, attempting to stop this ferocious god.

However, in front of Chen Zhan's Taotie true form, there is no difference between innate and acquired.

Chen Zhan used his qi and blood without restraint to maintain the ancestral state of the ferocious beast. Apart from being conscious, his body was completely controlled by the instincts of the ancient ferocious beast. Every claw swing and tail flick released the terrifying power of the four ferocious beasts.

The black and red blade light formed from the condensation of qi and blood swept across, instantly shattering the sword formation, and the acquired warriors were all cut in two.

The beast's claws slammed down, crushing the innate expert's weapon along with his protective inner force. His body flew out like a tattered rag, and he was already dead when he landed.

Before long, Chen Zhan broke through the Yellow Banner formation, and E Yidu was not spared either, his neck was severed by a single sweep of his tail.

Immediately afterwards, he turned around and charged straight at the Bordered White Banner's garrison. The Bordered White Banner's commander, Dudu, personally led his troops to intercept him, but his fate was no different from that of Ajige and Eidu; he died instantly under the beast's claws.

With all three commanders dead, the Plain Yellow Banner, Bordered Yellow Banner, and Bordered White Banner were completely leaderless.

Without their commander, the Jin soldiers could no longer hold on, their will to fight vanished, and they scattered and fled.

The people on the city wall witnessed the Jin soldiers' rout. Their tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and their long-suppressed emotions burst forth. Overjoyed, they wept, and most of them collapsed, unable to hold on any longer.

Chen Zhan did not pursue, but quietly entered the city and met up with Han Tiange.

Ten days later.

Xu Long led his army to join them. After learning the situation, he guessed that Chen Zhan must be there, but since he wouldn't come out to meet him, there was no way to find him.

He can only do things according to his own ideas.

Although only one city remained in Liaodong after its fall, it was not just the soldiers inside that city.

Most of the Ming soldiers were scattered. The Ming soldiers could not surrender, and the Later Jin would not accept their surrender; if they surrendered, they would be killed.

Therefore, many scattered soldiers hid and eke out a living on the Liaodong land.

Xu Long ordered that 3,000 men be organized into teams, with the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard leading the way, to go out of the city and gather the displaced soldiers and refugees.

We brought enough provisions this time.

The purge of the imperial clan involved more than just money; it also involved the grain accumulated over a century.

Within a month, they gathered tens of thousands of refugees and twenty to thirty thousand soldiers.

Surprisingly, they encountered no resistance whatsoever.

Meanwhile, Xu Long's scouts reported that the Later Jin camp was in complete chaos, with many cities in Liaodong in ruins and the Jin soldiers preoccupied with their own problems.

Almost every city's main camp was attacked by ancient ferocious beasts.

The decapitation tactic was unstoppable; within a month, almost all the generals of the Eight Banners were slaughtered by the ferocious beasts.

When the survivors reported to the Jin army camp, their portraits were all identical to the one from that day outside Liaoyang.

The Jin army has only just been confirmed.

The attack that day was not carried out by a ferocious beast, nor by coincidence, but by people from the Ming Dynasty!

Inside the tent, everyone was silent, trying to come up with a plan. Chen Zhan was too fast and too lethal, and with the help of the giant bird, a large army's encirclement and attack was useless.

At that very moment, a crimson light descended from the sky.

"boom!!!"

The tent was destroyed almost instantly. The guards were all experts, but they could only see a figure in red shadow armor falling from the sky. With one blow, the area several feet in size was turned into a huge crater.

Those who had been talking inside the tent were now nothing but severed limbs. The person clad in red armor spread their wings and flew away into the night sky.

They wiped out almost all the generals in the Jin army camp in an instant.

This scene was witnessed by countless Jin soldiers, who were terrified and unable to recover for a long time.

Chen Zhan returned to Liaoyang, met with Han Tiange and Yan Tieshi, said a few words to them, and left a letter for them to give to Ding Baiying.

They then arrived at Xu Long's residence.

Xu Long was already used to it and wasn't too surprised. On one hand, this was Chen Zhan's style of doing things, and on the other hand, he knew that Chen Zhan was nearby.

"Should I call you Mr. Chen, or Daoist Master?" Xu Long asked.

"Suit yourself. I have almost completely slaughtered the Jin generals. The rest are yours. If you still can't defeat them, then the Ming Dynasty is doomed."

Chen Zhan's words were so blunt that Xu Long was speechless for a moment.

"What does Daojun want to say?"

Xu Long did not answer the question from before. In fact, with ample funds and supplies, and under his leadership, there was no fear of the Later Jin army. Moreover, Chen Zhan had already cleared most of the obstacles.

If the Ming Dynasty is still no match for the Later Jin, then it is indeed time for it to perish.

"Two things. First, the Qi Family Army must not be discarded after it has served its purpose. At least during Zhu Yijun's lifetime, the independence of the Qi Family Army must be guaranteed."

"Secondly, the Huangting Sacred Sect has returned to the Central Plains. The Huangting Sacred Sect will not act recklessly. The Ming Dynasty can treat it as an ordinary sect."

"Of course, you don't need to agree to these things. Just give this letter to Zhu Yijun."

Xu Long immediately said, "Why doesn't Daoist Lord go in person?"

Chen Zhan said, "I'm too lazy to go again. I have important things to do."

Xu Long nodded in agreement without hesitation.

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Zhan moved and transformed into a streak of green, disappearing from sight.

The day after Chen Zhan left, Xu Long did not delay any longer and immediately mobilized troops outside Liaoyang City to deploy a comprehensive plan to attack Liaodong.

With Chen Zhan's previous massacre of the elite troops of the Later Jin three banners and the killing of the three commanders, the Jin soldiers were already in a state of panic.

With the assistance of top experts from the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot, the Ming army's offensive was overwhelming and unstoppable.

In just three months, the Liaodong region, which had been occupied by the Later Jin, was completely recovered by the Ming army.

When the good news reached the capital, it shook the court and the public.

Xu Long understood the principle of not being greedy for merit and acting rashly. He left a portion of his troops to garrison Liaodong and pacify the people, while he led the main force back to the capital.

Zhu Yijun was overjoyed upon hearing the news and immediately issued an edict to hold a grand celebration banquet for Xu Long and all the generals and soldiers. The celebration lasted for three days, and countless rewards were bestowed upon them.

After the victory banquet, Zhu Yijun dismissed his attendants and summoned Xu Long to the imperial study for a private talk.

Zhu Yijun had already read Chen Zhan's letter. He ran his fingertips along the edge of the letter, his expression serious.

Chen Zhan is still young. Even if I were to become more than ten years younger with Chen Zhan's help, I would still have no chance of outliving him.

It wasn't until Xu Long recounted the entire story of his relationship with Chen Zhan that Zhu Yijun gradually came to understand.

Chen Zhan was clearly going to be away for a while; otherwise, there would have been no need for such special instructions, let alone a warning.
With him around, who in the Ming Dynasty would dare to touch Qi Jiguang's army or Huang Ting Shengjiao?

The two talked privately for a long time and finalized their next steps.

Three months later, the Ming Dynasty launched another war against the Later Jin.

Xu Long personally led the expedition, and his soldiers were in high spirits, striking straight into the heart of the Later Jin territory in one fell swoop.

Without the Eight Banners commander in charge, and already severely damaged, the Jin army was in complete disarray and retreated in defeat.

This war was later known as the fourth major campaign during the Wanli era.

The Ming army won a great victory, completely defeating the main force of the Later Jin and eliminating the greatest threat to the northern border.

The Ming Dynasty, which had already shown signs of decline, was able to reverse its downward trend and regain its vitality after this painful reform and bloody war, thus continuing its national fortune for another century.
-
The Great Song Dynasty.

Yuanyou’s early years!

It was during the "Yuanyou Reform" period.

Emperor Shenzong died in the eighth year of the Yuanfeng era, and Emperor Zhezong, who was only 10 years old, succeeded him.

Empress Dowager Gao, the mother of Emperor Shenzong, ruled from behind the curtain and held real power. Empress Dowager Gao had always opposed the new laws, and she immediately summoned the old party ministers who had been excluded.

Sima Guang and others were appointed to overthrow Wang Anshi's new laws and restore the old system, while the struggle between the new and old factions intensified.

Chaos broke out in the imperial court.

Beset by internal troubles, it also faces numerous external threats.

With its two powerful enemies, the Liao and Western Xia, it maintained a peaceful standoff through "annual tribute" and there were no large-scale wars, but border frictions continued.

They often showed disdain and provocation towards the Song Dynasty.

Among the surrounding countries, the Dali Kingdom in the southwest maintained a tributary relationship with the Song Dynasty for a long time, and the two sides did not attack each other. It was a stable "back garden" with trade as the main activity.

The various Tibetan tribes in the northwest split into multiple tribes, some of which submitted to the Song Dynasty and others to the Western Xia Dynasty, forming a "buffer zone" in the struggle between the Song and Western Xia.

Jiaozhi in the south occasionally raided the Guangxi border, but its strength was weak and it was easily repelled by the Song Dynasty, and it was generally in a state of submission.

The Jurchen tribes in the Northeast were not yet unified and were scattered and dependent on the Liao Dynasty, posing no direct threat to the Song Dynasty.

While the surrounding countries remained relatively stable, the entire martial arts world was thrown into chaos.

The trouble started in the Beggars' Sect.

Lu Zhang, the Beggar Clan's elder who passed on martial arts skills, died a month ago at the Hongyan Tower in Kaifeng.

He died knowing the truth; the murderer had sent him a calling card beforehand, indicating that he would take his life in person at Hongyan Tower three days later.

Indeed, he died three days later.

The Beggars' Sect is the largest sect in the world, with over ten thousand members spread throughout the city and countryside. Both the imperial court and the martial arts world have to give them some respect.

The position of Transmission Elder is responsible for the inheritance of martial arts within the sect, ranking alongside the Enforcement Elder, second only to the sect leader and deputy sect leader. The murderer's actions were tantamount to slapping the Beggars' Sect in the face in front of the entire world.

The news spread, causing a stir in the martial arts world. The Beggars' Sect disciples were outraged and wished they could immediately find the murderer and tear him to pieces.

Wang Jiantong, disregarding his duty at headquarters, personally led his trusted confidants to Kaifeng Prefecture.

He initially thought it was a conspiracy against the Beggars' Sect, perhaps the work of a sect with an old grudge against the Beggars' Sect, or the secret instigation of the imperial court. However, when he arrived at Hongyan Tower, he found that there was no need to bother investigating at all.

The murderer's name card is still there, with strong, clear handwriting that clearly explains his origins and reasons.

The person who killed Lü Zhang did not have a grudge against the Beggars' Sect; he was simply acting on someone else's orders.

The person who asked him to kill was neither a martial arts practitioner nor a court official, but a woman from the largest brothel in Kaifeng.

The reason is even more unbelievable.

Lu Zhang, confident in his superior martial arts skills, roamed freely and frequented brothels for days without paying a single penny.

The woman repeatedly demanded her money back without success, and was instead verbally humiliated by him. Enraged, she hired someone to kill him.

Wang Jiantong gripped the name card tightly, his knuckles turning white, and his eyes twitching uncontrollably.

He had roamed the martial arts world for decades, witnessing murders over secret manuals, battles for territory, and fights over grudges and affections, but he had never seen such an outrageous reason for killing.

A dignified elder of the Beggars' Sect, responsible for transmitting martial arts techniques, lost his life over a dispute about prostitution fees.
Those wretched beggars, they'll never have a good life!
He suppressed the absurdity and anger in his heart and continued reading.

At the end of the business card, the signature section lists the employee's background.
Twenty-four towers, the Awakening of Insects!

(End of this chapter)