National Division

Chapter 140 Shen Zhai: It's too early to talk about becoming a general or a prime minister!

Qianyuan Hall, Rear Hall
After reading the imperial edict, the Empress turned to Murong Yue and asked, "Imperial Preceptor, in your opinion, with so many troops dispatched by the court, can the Corpse Yin Sect be completely wiped out?"

"According to several fellow disciples in the sect, the Corpse Yin Sect Master Mo Qianqiu, along with his wife Han Bing, led all the inner disciples out, seemingly with a grand scheme." Murong Yue's face, usually veiled in coldness, now showed a solemn expression.

The Empress nodded, a serious look appearing in her beautiful, alluring eyes beneath her delicate, arched eyebrows. She said, "It's precisely because I don't know what their specific scheme is that it makes me so uneasy."

Murong Yue did not continue the topic, but instead parted her pink lips slightly and said, "Your Majesty, Junior Brother Shen is still young and has not had much experience in leading troops. Aren't you afraid that Junior Brother will be unable to shoulder the heavy responsibility of leading troops to resist the demons of the Corpse Yin Sect?"

In fact, the female Taoist priest was also worried about Shen Xian. After all, he had never led a large army into battle before. If a mistake was made, it might affect the Empress's trust in him and also cause great losses.

King Zhao Yang Youxing did not leave for a moment, thinking to himself, Shen Xian is only a teenager. Even if he is a genius, how could he possibly know the way of leading troops?
In the end, it's probably because he and Wei Bo Jie Shuai An Yongxin led the troops, allowing this young man to reap the credit.

"I believe Mr. Shen will not disappoint me." The Empress smiled, seemingly unconcerned about the issue, and then said, "Besides, this is also an opportunity for Mr. Shen to demonstrate his talents."

It can be said that as time went by, the Empress relied more and more on Shen Xian's talents.

Murong Yue nodded and did not try to persuade her further.

She understood; this was an opportunity to further assess her junior brother's talent.

Moreover, the Empress Dowager did not entrust him with full military power. If Shen Xian was truly unable to play a pivotal role, there was also An Yongxin, the military governor of Weibo, who would assist in commanding the troops.

This ensures that the campaign to eliminate the Corpse Yin Sect will not go awry.

Meanwhile, as Gu Nanzhu handed over the Empress's edict to the Secretariat for drafting, the court and the public learned of this astonishing news over time.

Shen Xian, the former scholar of Zhaowen Hall, has been promoted again and appointed as the General of Zhuangwu. What is even more surprising is that he has been appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Shenbingdao Army, in charge of the left and right gate guards who are about to set out to fight, and in charge of the war.

How much did the Empress trust Shen Xian?
The main hall of the Shen residence—

Shen Lin sat down in a grand chair, his once vigorous face now bearing a look of worry.

Shen Zhai said, "Father, I heard that a corpse demon is causing trouble in Hebei Province. Isn't Mu Zhi in Hebei Province now?"

“Yes, Father, I admire him for going to inspect Hebei Province, but he just happened to run into this kind of thing,” Shen Zheng said.

Shen Lin said gently, "Mu Zhi is also a martial artist, so there's no need to worry too much."

As she spoke, she looked intently at Shen Zheng, frowned, and asked, "Did you send someone to invite Zhong Cheng earlier?"

Shen Zhengdao: "I've already gone to invite them."

"Go and take a look." Shen Lin was silent for a moment, his eyes deep, and said, "I heard that this time it's about transferring the troops of the left and right gate guards."

A short while later, a servant entered the hall, clasped his hands, and announced, "Master, Master, Second Master, the person has arrived."

Shen Lin said, "Zheng'er, Zhai'er, you two go and greet them."

Shen Zheng and Shen Zhai responded murmuredly, then stood up to greet Shen Qian.

A short while later, Shen Qian entered the hall, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed to Shen Lin, saying, "Greetings, Uncle."

Shen Lin frowned and asked, "What exactly do you mean?"

"The Empress has issued a decree, and the left and right gate guards will set off in the next few days," Shen Qian said gently, his gaze deep beneath his thick eyebrows.

Shen Lin nodded and said, "With the left and right gate guards going on the expedition, you will have more opportunities to earn merit."

As she spoke, she looked intently at Shen Qian and asked, "However, I heard that this time, demonic cultivators are wreaking havoc. You should be careful outside."

Shen Qian said, "Nephew Xian is currently in Guhe County, Anzhou."

Shen Lin said, "I was just talking about this."

“If you ask me, there’s no need for Mu Zhi to stay in Anzhou in such a vast Hebei Province. He could go to other places to inspect.” Shen Zhai chimed in.

Shen Qian frowned, his face darkened, and he shouted, "Nephew Xian was originally a trusted minister of the Empress. When such a thing happens, it is precisely the time to share the burden for the emperor. How can you be afraid of danger and hardship?"

Shen Zhai's expression froze for a moment, then he said gently, "I didn't say that Mu Zhi should leave to avoid danger. I just wanted to discuss some expediency."

"Enough!" Shen Lin's gaze was deep as he said coldly, "A strong wind reveals the strength of the grass, and turmoil reveals the loyalty of a minister. If you admired him and avoided the dangers of Anzhou, why would the Empress Dowager trust you so much and entrust you with such a responsibility at such a young age?"

This junior secretary of the Imperial Secretariat has a rather profound literary cultivation, quoting classical texts, clearly a famous saying of Emperor Zhenyuan Taizong.

Shen Zhai, however, forced a smile and stammered, "Father, I had no such intention."

Just then, a servant rushed in from the outer room and said loudly, "Master, the military headquarters says that the young master has been appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Divine Army, leading the imperial army to suppress the demons."

Shen Zhai: "..."

At this moment, the second master of the Shen family felt as if he had swallowed a fly.

Upon hearing this, Shen Lin's face lit up with joy, and he asked, "What exactly happened?"

The servant said, "They said he performed a great service at the front."

Shen Lin's face showed impatience as he said, "Go and inquire again quickly."

Previously, because he was worried about Shen Xian's safety in Anzhou, Shen Lin had instructed his servants to keep watch outside the Ministry of War and inquire about news from the Ministry of War at any time.

"He actually made a great contribution?" Shen Qian's square face could not hide his excitement as he said loudly, "It seems that Nephew Xian has truly won the Empress's favor this time in leading the troops."

Shen Lin said, "Although the appointment of a military commander is temporary, if he makes great contributions, he will soon be promoted to a high-ranking official position."

It can be said that Shen Lin, a seasoned official, immediately saw through the Empress's intentions.

If Shen Xian is given a platform to showcase his talents, and he makes great contributions in military campaigns and commanding the troops, the next step will likely be to be promoted to the Council of State Affairs and become a Vice Minister of State Affairs.

Shen Zheng sighed, "How old is Mu Zhi? How come he's reached such a high position? Isn't that...?"

Shen Zhai's lips twitched slightly as he thought to himself, "I'm afraid that if a young man suddenly rises to a high position, like that of General Huo, it will be more of a curse than a blessing."

As Mingyue once said, life has no waves that only rise and never fall.

“Mu Zhi is resolute and has no youthful arrogance.” Beneath Shen Lin’s aged brows, his eyes gleamed with undisguised joy. “Among three generations, there should be a son who brings prosperity to the family. My Lanxi Shen family has declined in reputation in my generation, and now we are facing the prospect of both rise and fall.”

Shen Qian said, "Uncle is too modest. Your reputation is known throughout the court and among the people. It's just that we, the second generation of the Shen family, are not up to par."

Shen Zheng quickly replied, "It is my fault for causing the family's decline."

Shen Lin's aged voice was filled with excitement and joy as he said, "Now that we have such a promising young man after three generations, even if I am a hundred years from now and in the underworld, I will have the face to meet my ancestors in the Shen family."

Shen Zhai sat down at the lower end, expressionless, his eyes unfathomable.

This is just the beginning! Whether he can lead troops to victory is still uncertain, so it's too early to talk about him becoming a general or prime minister!

Cui family ancestral home

Cui Yan, the head of the Cui family, had a face ashen as iron. He slammed his dragon-headed cane heavily on the ground and roared, "Can anyone tell me what's going on?"

Why don't those demonic cultivators tear that brat Shen Xian to pieces?
Cui Yanxin felt a surge of vicious curses.

Cui Kun, the eldest son of the Cui family, standing to the side, also did not look very good.

Since the banner reading "Traitor Cui Lu" was hung on the flagpole, the Cui family of Boling has been utterly disgraced and its reputation has plummeted.

Cui Ang's face was cold and stern, and he said in an impolite tone, "Didn't that brat Shen Xian say he had made a great contribution? I wonder what kind of contribution it was. Could it be that the palace was just giving him an undeserved reward?"

Not far away, Cui You had a gloomy face. It was clear that the young master of the Cui family had been put down. Lu Ziling was sitting next to him.

The two can be described as brothers in misfortune.

The news about Shen Xian was brought by Lu Ziling, because a member of the Lu family was serving as a secretary in the Secretariat.

Lu Ziling picked up the conversation and said, "I heard from Seventh Uncle that he made great contributions against the demonic people of the Corpse Yin Sect, but he didn't say exactly what kind of contributions he made."

Cui Kun looked at Cui Yan, whose face showed anger, and said, "Father, my fourth brother works in the Ministry of War. He can directly participate in the selection, promotion and demotion of military officers. When the imperial edict is handed over to the Ministry of War for execution, he will know the reason. If it is true that the palace has been indiscriminately rewarding merits and titles for minor achievements, the public opinion will definitely be in uproar."

Upon hearing this, Cui Yan calmed down and the anger on his face subsided somewhat.

“A promotion may not be a good thing. Hebei Road has become a playground for demons. If he, a martial arts master, provokes someone he shouldn’t, his death will come sooner or later.” Cui Ang said coldly, his gaze deep.

A little while later, a servant entered the hall and announced, "Master, Fourth Master has returned."

The Fourth Master was none other than Cui Sheng, who worked in the Ministry of War and undoubtedly knew more of the details.

As Cui Sheng entered the hall, he was met with a barrage of questions from Cui Yan: "Why did the palace promote that boy?"

Facing the rather surprised gazes of the crowd, Cui Sheng explained, "Reporting to Father, the Secretariat said that Shen Xian killed a demonic cultivator at the fourth level of the Corpse Yin Sect."

Upon hearing this, the Cui family members in the hall were stunned into silence.

"What?" Cui You was equally incredulous.

Cui Sheng said, "I'm afraid Shen Xian's martial arts cultivation has improved again." "With the backing of the royal family, it's not surprising that his martial arts cultivation has improved by leaps and bounds." Cui An, who had not uttered a word from beginning to end, suddenly spoke up.

"Did Yuqing send anyone? Or was it just the Shangqing family?" Cui Yan asked.

Cui Sheng cupped his hands in greeting and said, "I am unaware of this matter; we will discuss it with my sixth brother upon his return."

Cui Shang was the sixth son in the Cui family and a disciple of Yuqing.

Cui Yan's face was as cold as ice as he said in a cold voice, "If the Shangqing Sect is still the same, then it is only a matter of time before the imperial court suffers a great defeat. Even a good tiger cannot withstand a pack of wolves."

Cui Sheng nodded without saying anything more.

……

……

Heshan, inside a tent—

Shen Xian sat cross-legged on the bed, a faint aura emanating from his body, while a hint of doubt appeared on his calm and serene face.

Once a martial artist cultivates to the level of a grandmaster, the protective energy generated by the Five Elements True Essence will cause some damage to the martial artist's internal organs.

But at this moment, Shen Xian used the Five Elements True Essence to condense his Qi and found that his internal organs did not experience the pain described in some previous notes. It seemed that the damage... did not exist?

“The five internal organs correspond to the five elements, so it’s perfect to use the true essence of the five elements to temper the five internal organs.” Shen Xian’s clear and bright eyes flickered, and a wave of enlightenment surged in her heart.

"However, we should also try our best to catch up in terms of immortal cultivation and strive to make progress together."

Shen Xian pondered.

While refining the five elements of true energy within his body, he unknowingly arrived at the next day.

Despite his lack of energy, his eyes, beneath his thick eyebrows, gleamed with a subtle, restrained light.

Shen Xian clenched his fist, feeling the surging true energy within it, and his eyes lit up with excitement.

After leaving the tent and walking a short distance, I looked up and saw Xue Zhihua.

"Have the Corpse Yin Sect's reinforcements arrived?"

Xue Zhihua nodded, her tone grave, and said, "The army has arrived in full force, and the aura of death fills the sky."

Shen Xian asked, "What's the situation with Her Highness the Eldest Princess?"

"I have already sent him the jade tablet for transmitting messages; it should be on its way," Xue Zhihua said.

As Shen Xian spoke, he and Xue Zhihua arrived at the mountain peak, stood on the cliff, and looked down.

But then they saw a large, densely packed mass of corpse demons at the foot of the mountain, and said, "The Corpse Yin Sect's army has arrived in full force; it looks like there are tens of thousands of them."

"With two Dao Embryo Realm cultivators killed, the Corpse Yin Sect must have mobilized its entire force this time," Xue Zhihua said softly.

Shen Xian said, "Among the corpse demons of the Corpse Yin Sect, there are Taoists at the Divine Illumination Realm."

Xue Zhihua nodded and said gently, "Should we still use that divine jade slip to deliver a thunderous strike?"

“If Her Highness the Eldest Princess arrives in time, we won’t need the Divine Sense Jade Slip. I’d like to keep it for self-defense,” Shen Xian said.

“We can just ask Master for it again,” Xue Zhihua said.

Shen Xian: "..."

Well, he certainly couldn't be as assertive as Xue Zhihua in demanding such things. The production of these jade slips must have taken a lot of effort, as they were all gifts from powerful immortals to their closest relatives and promising juniors.

Meanwhile, the hall master Shen Cong and Pang Shuxun were also gazing at the low Crane Mountain, their spiritual energy concentrated in their eyes as they observed the energy flow.

"It doesn't seem like there's a cultivator at the Divine Illumination Realm." Shen Cong frowned and said in a clear voice.

Pang Shuxun's dark face was solemn, unlike his previous optimism. He said in a deep voice, "If it is a master above the Void Realm who is secretly hiding in the void, neither you nor I will be able to detect him."

Shen Cong nodded and said, "That makes sense, but it's impossible to hide absolutely no trace of it."

Pang Shuxun asked, "Then what should we do?"

"Let's send some men to test the waters first," Shen Cong said.

The two hall masters reached an agreement and began to mobilize their troops. Several Dao Embryo Realm altar masters and Danxia Realm incense masters under their command drove thousands of corpse demons to besiege Crane Mountain.

Suddenly, the war drums sounded, almost like thunder.

A large number of Corpse Yin Sect disciples drove the corpse demons toward Crane Mountain to besiege it.

At this moment, atop Crane Mountain, Shen Bin held a steel saber, his gaze coldly fixed on the Corpse Yin Sect demon below.

The indifferent face of the Crane Guardian Daoist beside him revealed a hint of seriousness, and he said, "The enemy should have arrived at the Divine Illumination Realm."

Shen Xian appeared from behind and asked, "Teacher, did you also sense the aura of a Daoist in the Divine Illumination Realm just now?"

Crane Guardian Daoist turned his thin face and stared at Shen Xian. He was shocked. The tall and slender young man in front of him already had the supreme demeanor of a Grandmaster in every gesture.

After thinking about it, I felt a little relieved.

Having slain two Dao Embryo Realm cultivators yesterday, the young man before me has now achieved complete fulfillment of his will.

"The two Divine Illumination Realm cultivators didn't conceal their auras just now." Crane Guardian Daoist's gaze turned to the green-robed Daoist of the Corpse Yin Sect in the distance.

Shen Xian asked, "Teacher, you should have found the key to the Divine Illumination Realm by now, right?"

Crane Guardian's expression froze for a moment, then he said, "The bottleneck has loosened a bit."

To be honest, he was quite puzzled. His cultivation had remained stagnant for several years, but when he was still and eager to move, he participated in the work of subduing demons and monsters, and his bottleneck actually loosened.

"The Taiqing Dao is also seeking a path to the Great Dao, and it is also about striving. The so-called 'doing without doing' is what we mean by 'doing without doing.' Now that you are following the will of Heaven and the people, you will naturally have an understanding. Otherwise, why did the Taiqing Sect Leader help the Great Jing fight for the Dragon back then?" Shen Xian's face was calm and his voice was clear, but it was like a morning bell and evening drum, helping Daoist He Shou to re-establish his Dao heart.

This time, Crane Guardian Daoist did not refute as he had in the past, but his eyes showed a thoughtful expression.

Shen Xian's heart stirred slightly upon seeing this scene.

If he were still the son of the former county magistrate of Guhe, would Crane Guardian Daoist have listened to him say these things?
It must be something like this for a young child.

But now he holds a high-ranking position in the court and also serves as the Hebei Circuit Intendant, making him a powerful official in the region. The attitude of the Crane Guardian towards him is completely different from before.

Beneath Shen Bin's thick eyebrows, his tiger-like eyes were filled with solemnity as he said, "The Corpse Yin Sect has made a move."

Shen Xian said, "They're probably testing whether we have advanced combat capabilities."

Crane Guardian Daoist looked thoughtful and said, "If they find that we don't have a Void Realm expert in charge, these two Divine Illumination Realm experts will definitely take action soon."

"Her Highness the Princess should be on her way, Teacher, please don't worry," Shen Xian said softly.

In fact, even if we take a step back, he still has the trump cards of Divine Illumination Finger and Void-Penetrating Sword.

Although I don't want to use it now, I have no choice but to do so if the situation becomes urgent.

At this moment, in the dark void above, the Princess and Daoist Dongyang concealed their figures within the void.

The kind-faced Taoist Dongyang now wore a solemn and serious expression. He said, "Your Highness, the enemy should not have anyone at the Sixth Realm."

The eldest princess said, "They probably didn't expect that you or I would make a move."

Everyone thought the Jade Purity Church would stand idly by, but no one expected that the Eldest Princess would invite Daoist Dongyang, a cultivator at the Void Realm.

Daoist Dongyang looked surprised and asked, "Does Your Highness mean to make a move now?"

"Does Senior Brother Dongyang have the confidence to kill with one strike?" the Princess asked.

The Daoist Dongyang's face showed a thoughtful expression, and he said uncertainly, "One is at the peak of the Divine Illumination Realm, and the other is at the late stage of the Divine Illumination Realm. I cannot help them both, and they may escape."

The eldest princess smiled gently and said, "Then let's wait and see. I think so too."

The Taoist priest Dongyang said softly, "I am a little worried about the Guhe River."

The eldest princess said, "With Senior Brother Liang and Senior Brother Ji going to suppress it, there shouldn't be much of a problem."

"I was referring to the Void Realm of the Corpse Yin Sect," said Daoist Dongyang in a clear voice, a hint of worry on his face.

The eldest princess said, "I heard that two people at the Void Realm had indeed been spotted. Could it be that the Shangqing Sect has sent out even more powerful figures?"

“At least not now. Junior Brothers Liang and Ji both have communication jade tablets. If there is anything unusual, they will send a message.” Dongyang Daoist said.

(End of this chapter)