Heaven rewards diligence, but there are always fairies plotting against me.

"ambush?"

Chu Chang stood with his hands behind his back, gazing in the direction Zhao Tianqiong had fled, a deep smile flashing in his eyes.

"I deliberately let him escape so that he would inform the Xiao family and the city lord's mansion. If they didn't gather together, it would be too troublesome for me to wipe them out one by one."

Chu Chang turned around and gave Lin Wuwen his orders.

"Lin Wuwen, collect the corpses of all the cultivators above the Golden Core stage in the Zhao family, including the inner core of that fourth-tier divine ox, and take them all. Also, don't leave a single thing in the Zhao family's treasure vault."

"Yes, Master."

Half an hour later.

The once prosperous ancestral home of the Zhao family has now been reduced to a desolate ruin. All resources have been looted, and the remaining ordinary disciples have scattered like monkeys fleeing for their lives.

The warships roared to life once more.

This time, Chu Chang no longer concealed his whereabouts. Instead, he led a vast army of puppets and Divine Sword Sect cultivators, heading straight for Dayuan City in an extremely arrogant manner.

With the downfall of the Zhao family, Dayuan City was in complete chaos.

Inside the city lord's mansion, the city lord of Dayuan and the patriarch of the Xiao family looked at the disheveled, seriously injured, and dying patriarch of the Zhao family with extremely solemn expressions.

"That Chu Chang... really has nine Purple Mansion level puppets?!" The Xiao family patriarch asked, his voice trembling.

"It's absolutely true! Even Tie Kuangtu and Zhao Wuji have been turned into walking corpses by him!" Zhao Tianqiong said in fear, coughing up blood. "Lord City Lord, if we don't ask the Grand Yuan Elder to take action soon, our Grand Yuan City will change hands!"

The city lord of Dayuan, a middle-aged man dressed in a dragon robe, sat in the main seat, his eyes coldly fixed on the void.

"What's the panic? This is Dayuan City. I am protected by the laws of Dayuan, and I also have a sub-array of the Dayuan National Protection Array at my disposal! If he dares to set foot in Dayuan City even half a step, I can use the charge of treason to kill him on the spot!"

However, what the City Lord of Dayuan City didn't know was that the Duanchen Ancient Sword in Chu Chang's hand, which he had obtained from the Iron Sword Sect, was now emitting an increasingly warm fluctuation.

The entrance to that ancient sword immortal's ruins, which has been coveted by various forces for a long time, seems to point directly below Dayuan City.

Dayuan City, as the second most important city of the Dayuan Dynasty after the capital, covered an area of ​​hundreds of miles and had a population of tens of millions.

The city walls, forged from a mixture of basalt and obsidian, soared into the clouds, covered with a dense array of defensive runes.

However, at this moment, this steel behemoth that had stood for hundreds of years was trembling violently.

"Boom!!!"

In the sky, three enormous blue stone warships loomed overhead like dark clouds.

At the front of the warship's deck, Chu Chang stood with his hands behind his back. Beside him, nine demonic puppets, including Lin Wuwen, Tie Kuangtu, and Zhao Wuji, were lined up in a row. The overwhelming death aura and demonic light intertwined, dyeing the entire sky an eerie dark green.

On the city wall, the Great Yuan City Lord, dressed in a purple-gold dragon robe, stood with a grim face.

Beside him were the Xiao family patriarch and the disheveled Zhao family patriarch, Zhao Tianqiong.

"Chu Chang!"

With the aid of the city's defensive array, the Great Yuan City Lord's voice echoed like thunder across the sky: "I am a high-ranking official personally appointed by the Great Yuan Emperor! Your Divine Sword Sect is merely an unorthodox sect within the Great Yuan territory. If you dare to attack the city today, you will be openly rebelling! The Great Yuan Empire's million iron cavalry and royal retainers will surely raze your Divine Sword Sect to the ground and exterminate your entire clan!"

"rebellion?"

Chu Chang looked down at Dayuan City, a mocking smile curving his lips.

"The dynasties of this mortal world are nothing but fleeting dust in my eyes. Do you think I would care about the threat of a mere mortal emperor?"

He slowly raised his right hand, and the rusty ancient sword "Dustbreaker" at his fingertips emitted a slight hum.

As the sword appeared, a deep, resonant sword cry echoed from the depths of Dayuan City, creating a symphony with its appearance.

"Beneath this city, indeed, lies a corner of the ruins. In that case, there is no need for this city to exist."

A hint of indifference flashed in Chu Chang's eyes. Having cultivated for so long, he knew all too well that indecisiveness was a cardinal sin in warfare. Since the Great Yuan City Lord and the Xiao and Zhao families had chosen to put up a stubborn resistance here, he would take the opportunity to completely eradicate this cancerous tumor of the Great Yuan Dynasty.

"Attack the city. Those who submit to me will prosper, those who oppose me will perish."

At Chu Chang's command, Lin Wuwen behind him let out a piercing shriek.

"boom!"

Nine demonic puppets shot out simultaneously, transforming into nine beams of destructive light that crashed violently into the Great Yuan City's protective formation, the "Xuanwu Zhenhai Formation."

Click!

Amidst the horrified gazes of countless rogue cultivators and mortals within the city, the blue water curtain, which was said to be able to withstand the continuous bombardment of a peak Purple Mansion expert for three days and three nights, shattered like a mirror after only three breaths under the combined attack of nine fearless puppets whose physical bodies were comparable to magical treasures.

"No! This is impossible!" The Xiao family patriarch's eyes widened in horror.

"Lord of the city, save me!" Zhao Tianqiong, whose old wounds had not yet healed, was terrified when he saw Tie Kuangtu's iron fist, which was like that of a demon god, coming down on him.

Pfft!!!

With the enhancement of the Heavenly Demon Puppet Technique and the Geng Metal Killing Qi, Iron Madman's fists were indestructible. A single punch blasted Zhao Tianqiong's defensive magic treasure along with his physical body into a bloody mist. The Zhao family's pillar of strength had fallen.

"Let's fight them!"

Knowing there was no way out today, the Lord of Dayuan City roared and summoned the Lord's Seal, which transformed into a mountain and smashed towards Chu Chang.

Chu Chang remained expressionless, simply pointing his fingers like a sword and gently slicing them across the seal. Driven by the Chaos True Essence, the sharpness of the Broken Dust Ancient Sword transformed into a gray thread, instantly cleaving the city lord's seal in two.

The next moment, Chu Chang's figure blurred, and he appeared in front of the Great Yuan City Lord. To the other party's horrified gaze, one of his hands had already gripped the city lord's neck with lightning speed.

"You...you madman...the capital...the capital will avenge me..." The city lord of Dayuan City said, his face flushed red.

"I will now go to the capital and escort your emperor to see you."

Chu Chang exerted force with his five fingers.

Click.

The Lord of Dayuan City died.

With the death of their commander, the city's garrison and the remnants of the Xiao family's power instantly collapsed. Chu Chang instructed Lin Wuwen and other puppets to slaughter the entire Xiao family and the remnants of the city lord's mansion, leaving no cultivator who had participated in the "blood sacrifice" alive.

In an instant, blood flowed like a river within Dayuan City, and the entire city was shrouded in a terrifying stench of blood.

Deep underground in the Great Yuan City Lord's Mansion, there is an extremely secret chamber.

The area was sealed off by numerous magical formations, but under Chu Chang's frenzied divine sense sweeping through, these formations were rendered useless.

Chu Chang stepped onto the broken stone bricks and entered the secret room.

In the center of the secret chamber, there is a dried-up blood pool, surrounded by countless twisted demonic runes. This is irrefutable evidence that the Great Yuan City Lord's Mansion secretly cooperated with the Divine Sword Sect to refine "Demonic Marrow".

In the center of the blood pool, there was a black wooden box.

Chu Chang stepped forward, flicked his finger, and opened the wooden box.

Inside lay half a yellowed sheepskin map and a golden dragon jade slip, unique to the Yuan Dynasty imperial family.

When Chu Chang picked up the half of the map, the ancient sword "Dustbreaker" in his storage bag trembled violently once again.

He unfolded the fragmented map and compared it with the information he had previously obtained from Lin Wuwen. His pupils involuntarily contracted slightly.

"I see………………"

This fragment of map depicts the complete map of the ancient sword immortal's ruins. And at the center of the map, it is clearly marked that the core entrance to the ruins lies beneath the forbidden grounds of the imperial palace in the capital of the Great Yuan Dynasty!

"The reason why Lin Wuwen, the Iron Sword Sect, and the City Lord's Mansion secretly colluded was not only to cultivate demonic arts, but also to use the blood energy of mortals and low-level rogue cultivators to destroy the Taiyi Golden Light Array that was guarded by the royal family of the Great Yuan capital."

Chu Chang read the information from the royal jade slip, and his expression gradually turned cold.

It turns out that the royal family of the Great Yuan Dynasty knew about the existence of this ruin from the very beginning. They were even one of the masterminds behind this demonic art! Every year, most of the rogue cultivators who secretly disappeared from various cities were sent to the imperial palace in the capital as "blood food" to nourish the demonic array that guarded the ruin.

"The entire Yuan Dynasty, from top to bottom, was already rotten to the core."

Chu Chang carefully put away the remaining map, his eyes flashing with a cold light.

He originally only wanted to seize the broken sword and search for the ruins. But now it seems that since the Great Yuan royal family is the mastermind behind this, he must destroy the dynasty in order to safely open the ruins and seize the heaven-defying fortune within.

"With our current military strength, we are not enough to destroy a dynasty."

Although Chu Chang was confident, he was not arrogant. The Great Yuan Dynasty had been able to stand for a thousand years, so there must have been an old monster at the Nascent Soul stage in the royal family, and the capital must have a national-level protective formation.

He needs to be better prepared.

"Send the order to empty all spirit stones, spirit herbs, and rough magic weapon artifacts in Dayuan City, as well as the city lord's mansion and the Xiao family's treasure vaults."

Chu Chang stepped out of the secret chamber and gave orders to the elders of the Divine Sword Sect.

"Yes, Grand Steward!"

At this point, the elders of the Divine Sword Sect no longer merely revered Chu Chang, but regarded him as a god. The fact that he could destroy even the City Lord's Mansion so easily demonstrated the audacity and power of this Supreme Deacon, far exceeding their expectations.

With the support of vast resources, Chu Chang brought the corpses of five Purple Mansion Realm experts who had perished in this battle—the City Lord of Dayuan, the Xiao Family Ancestor, Zhao Tianqiong, and others—to a Yin-gathering spiritual vein beneath Dayuan City.

"Heavenly Demon Controls Soul, Flesh and Blood Reconstructed!"

Chu Chang embarked on another insane journey of alchemy.

This time, he will not only use the ordinary "Heavenly Demon Puppet Technique," but also integrate the demonic secret techniques he plundered from the Great Yuan City Lord's Mansion, completely merging the physical bodies and souls of these Purple Mansion Realm experts into the baleful energy of the underground spiritual veins.

Rumble

For seven whole days, the sounds of wailing ghosts echoed continuously from the depths of Dayuan City.

Seven days later, when Chu Chang emerged from underground again, behind him, in addition to the original nine puppets, there were five more "Heavenly Demon Great Evils" radiating overwhelming power.

The Xiao family patriarch and the Lord of Dayuan City were among them.

Chu Chang now commands eight Purple Mansion Realm puppets and six Golden Core Realm puppets! This lineup is almost equivalent to the combined top combat power of half of the Great Yuan Dynasty.

"Supreme Deacon, all resources have been sorted. We have obtained 1.5 million mid-grade spirit stones, 8 million low-grade spirit stones, 3,000 talismans of the third rank or above, and 50 ballistae for city defense!" The elder stepped forward to report, his voice trembling with excitement.

"very good."

A glint of light flashed in Chu Chang's eyes.

"Equip all these ballistae and talismans for city defense onto the Divine Sword Sect's warships. We're heading to the capital."

During the seven days that Chu Chang was consolidating resources and crafting puppets, news of the destruction of Dayuan City spread like wildfire throughout the entire Dayuan Dynasty.

The capital of the Yuan Dynasty, Qianjing.

The ancient city, with a history spanning thousands of years, was now under martial law, its walls teeming with royal guards clad in golden armor. Royal monks riding white cranes patrolled the skies from time to time, creating an atmosphere of extreme tension.

Inside the Golden Palace.

Emperor Qian Yuanzi of the Great Yuan Dynasty sat on the dragon throne, his face ashen. Below him, all the civil and military officials trembled with fear, not daring to even breathe loudly.

"Chu Chang of the Divine Sword Sect... not only destroyed the Iron Sword Sect and the Zhao Family, but also dared to massacre my Great Yuan City, and even killed my city lord!"

Qian Yuanzi slammed his hand on the dragon throne, his voice filled with boundless killing intent: "He's rebelling! He's trying to overthrow my empire!"

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

An elderly man in a white robe stepped forward; he was the Grand Elder of the Imperial Family, possessing a peak Purple Mansion cultivation level.

"Although Chu Chang's methods are strange and he can control multiple Purple Mansion puppets, he is ultimately just one person. Our capital possesses the Nine Heavens Profound Thunder Protectorate Formation, which was personally set up by the founding emperor. Its power is comparable to a fifth-order formation, and even a Nascent Soul stage expert would not be able to break it easily. Moreover..."

The old man lowered his voice: "The Emperor Emeritus is at a crucial moment of emerging from seclusion. Once he breaks through to the Nascent Soul stage, Chu Changlai's arrival in the capital will be nothing more than walking into a trap."

Upon hearing the words "Emperor Emeritus," Qian Yuanzi's expression softened slightly.

"By imperial decree, seal off the entire area within a hundred li of the capital. Activate all city defense formations. Spirit stones are plentiful! I will ensure that Chu Chang never returns!"

Three days later.

On the horizon outside Qianjing City, dark clouds, accompanied by a fierce wind, were slowly drifting in at an extremely oppressive speed.

Upon closer inspection, it was clear that those were not dark clouds at all, but rather warships and the light of flying swords that blotted out the sky.

The three main warships of the Divine Sword Sect led the way, followed by dozens of warships captured from Dayuan City and other major forces. Thousands upon thousands of Divine Sword Sect disciples and their accompanying rogue cultivators, exuding murderous intent, completely surrounded the imperial capital.

Chu Chang stood atop the dragon head of the main warship, the wind whipping his black robes into the wind.

He gazed at the massive imperial capital shrouded in the phantoms of nine golden thunder dragons, and a surge of chaotic light shone brightly in the depths of his eyes.

"A fifth-tier defensive array, and there's even a faint aura of a Nascent Soul cultivator breaking through in seclusion..."

Chu Chang's lips curled up slightly, revealing a cold yet burning fighting spirit.

"The Great Yuan Dynasty, let it end here today."

With a flick of his wrist, the Broken Dust Ancient Sword emitted a deafening roar, pointing directly at Qianjing City!