My strength increases by one percent every day; I can destroy stars with my bare hands.

Knowing the current situation in Anzhou, Li Xuancang temporarily suppressed his personal grudges, but his vigilance and killing intent remained undiminished.

He knew that the current calm was only a temporary period of calm before undercurrents.

Iron Fist Sect harbors resentment, and other martial arts sects also hold grudges and will surely seek revenge.

The Mysterious Old Man lurked in the shadows like a venomous snake, ready to leap out at any moment.

The rebel forces of Prince Fu of Yunzhou are lurking in the shadows of Anzhou, ready to unleash their insidious schemes at any moment.

In chaotic times, enemies are everywhere, and crises never seem to be far away.

Half a month later, the conflict between the army and the Iron Fist Sect gradually subsided, but everyone knew that both sides were secretly working together, waiting for the opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.

Liu Qingyun led his troops back to the military camp.

Du Tianfeng made no secret of his favoritism towards Li Xuancang and quickly replenished the manpower he had lost.

"Li Xuancang is incredibly strong, and with Commandant Du's full support, I have absolutely no chance."

After witnessing Li Xuancang's terrifying strength and seeing Du Tianfeng's support for him, Liu Qingyun had no choice but to reluctantly relinquish his power.

"Given the current chaotic situation, being promoted to centurion might not be a bad thing."

Liu Qingyun quickly made a decision to promote him to centurion.

At this point, Li Xuancang had completely taken control of the Third Battalion.

As the border situation becomes increasingly tense, even ordinary people can feel the oppressive atmosphere in the city and are filled with anxiety.

The government and the army joined forces to strengthen martial law throughout the city, block all roads leading out of the city, strictly inspect travelers, and keep a close eye on independent martial artists and unfamiliar martial artists.

Li Xuancang spent his days shuttling between the military camp and his residence, devoting himself to training the army and selecting some soldiers to become his personal guards.

More than half a month passed in the blink of an eye. Li Xuancang remained on high alert, but neither the Iron Fist Sect nor the Xuan Yin Elder made a move.

On the border of Anzhou, some figures mingled with the migrant caravans and merchant wagons, quietly entering Anzhou.

"Start the operation, sabotage Anzhou, and help the Prince achieve his great goal."

They had a clear division of labor and were well-trained, with the sole purpose of disrupting the stability of Anju.

Some people hid in the alleys and streets, disguised themselves as ordinary merchants, itinerant doctors, or down-on-their-luck warriors, and mingled with the crowd to find out about the city's defenses, grain storage areas, and military camp routines.

Some people wandered around villages and towns outside the city, secretly setting up evil formations to absorb the yin energy of the earth's veins and silently pollute the area.

There are also evil practitioners who are skilled at bewitching people, targeting remote villages and vulnerable villagers, secretly spreading rumors, creating panic, and inciting public resentment.

In a short period of time, Anzhou was in turmoil, and strange things began to happen in the villages and towns near Anzhou City.

First, in the middle of the night, children in the village had nightmares, cried hysterically, felt cold all over, and had a persistent high fever.

Poultry and livestock died suddenly and mysteriously, their bodies turned black, and the blood smelled foul.

Overnight, the seedlings in the fields withered and turned yellow and black, and an eerie gray mist rose from the land. Strangers who approached it felt disoriented, dizzy, and nauseous.

"This is the work of evil spirits and demons; we have been targeted by them."

"The village has become a cursed place. If you don't want to die, you'd better run for your life!"

"Hurry up, it'll be too late if we're late."

"..."

Rumors spread throughout the countryside, causing widespread panic.

The news quickly reached the prefectural city, causing panic and unrest among the people, with everyone feeling insecure.

Inside the military camp, Du Tianfeng summoned more than a dozen centurions for a meeting.

"This is a common tactic of the Prince of Fu, who uses evil cultivators to disrupt the stability of Anzhou and try to influence the army at the front."

Du Tianfeng knew that this was a tactic from Yunzhou, aimed at disrupting Anzhou and giving the Yunzhou army an opportunity to take advantage.

Even knowing that Yunzhou was behind it, Du Tianfeng couldn't think of a solution for the time being.

Now that Anzhou's connection with the imperial court has been severed and it is unable to receive support, it is short-handed and unable to launch a full-scale sweep.

Du Tianfeng's expression was solemn as he said, "Recently, everyone has been on high alert, remaining in the army and ready to be deployed at any time."

Now that Du Tianhao is leading the main force of the army outside, the heavy responsibility of the entire Anzhou City rests on his shoulders, and he cannot be careless in the slightest.

Based on Yunzhou's past methods, they will take a multi-pronged approach.

First, it disrupts the judgment of the government and the army, rendering their efforts futile.

Secondly, they created public opinion that "evil spirits cannot be eradicated, the government is useless, and the government and army are powerless to protect the people," thus shaking public morale.

Third, they secretly sowed discord and sought opportunities to win over local martial arts forces dissatisfied with the imperial court.

"Yes, sir!"

Everyone looked solemn and filled with worry.

Upon returning to the military camp, Li Xuancang immediately ordered, "Yang Tiangang stays behind, and all of you go to my residence to guard it."

Unable to return home and worried about his family, Li Xuancang sent all his personal guards to his residence.

Even after his personal guards left, Li Xuancang was still uneasy. After a moment's thought, he left the military camp.

The Iron Fist Sect and other martial arts sects already harbored resentment and hatred towards the imperial court.

Chaos reignited in the city, rumors flew, and some people began to stir in secret.

Many independent cultivators and disciples of small and medium-sized sects discussed it privately.

"The government troops' suppression of evil only made things more chaotic."

"The imperial court is incompetent in governing its army; it can't even suppress evil spirits in a single city. How can it guard the borders?"

"It would be better for the martial arts world to establish its own checks and balances, and protect itself and survive."

"..."

The seeds sown in secret have quietly taken root and sprouted.

Undercurrents surged within the city, public sentiment wavered, the martial arts world stirred, and evil spirits wreaked havoc, creating a three-way crisis.

The entire city of Anzhou was like a giant powder keg, ready to explode at any moment.

As bad news continued to pour in from the villages and towns below, both the government and the army were under tremendous pressure.

Although the government did not care about the lives of ordinary people, if it ignored the surrounding villages and towns, it would inevitably cause greater unrest, so it had to take action.

Inside the military camp, Li Xuancang and the others were summoned once again.

Du Tianfeng cut to the chase, "The evil cultivators are causing chaos everywhere in Yunzhou and need to be suppressed as soon as possible. Who among you is willing to go?"

Anzhou City must not be thrown into chaos; the unrest in the surrounding villages and towns must be suppressed with overwhelming force.

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, and no one spoke.

Everyone knew that the evil cultivators had come with great force, and it was very likely that they were trying to lure the snakes out of their hole, to make them leave the city, and to lay a trap to kill them. No one dared to risk their lives.

Li Xuancang did not volunteer this time either. In this time of crisis, he wanted to stay in the city so that he could better take care of his family.