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

After the secret meeting at Tianxiang Tower ended, the major martial arts forces in Liuyun County secretly relayed orders and acted swiftly.

Although gangs ran rampant and cultivators were arrogant in the past, they still gave the imperial court some face and did not openly slaughter officials in office.

But now, in order to intimidate Li Xuancang, these lawless people have abandoned all scruples and acted recklessly.

The night was deep, and darkness enveloped the entire city.

Several carefully selected groups of martial arts assassins, moving stealthily and stealthily, rushed in batches to the residences and offices of several civil officials in the prefecture who were always cowardly and timid and had no backing.

These officials were usually intimidated by the power of the underworld and dared not get involved in its affairs. They would only endure and back down when trouble arose, and were practically useless in the county.

For the underworld forces to target them, there was no risk involved, and it served as a powerful deterrent.

At midnight, a piercing scream briefly shattered the night sky before being swallowed up by the darkness.

Bloodshed erupted in streets and alleys, official residences and villas, and at city gates.

People in the martial arts world are ruthless and merciless, killing without hesitation or delay.

Within half an hour, three civil officials from the prefectural government, two county clerks, and several guards on duty were all assassinated.

The assassin acted with extreme arrogance, making no attempt to conceal his actions.

Instead, they deliberately displayed the corpses in prominent places in front of the county government gate and at the intersection of the official road, with blood staining the bluestone ground, a shocking sight.

"Oh no, someone's dead!"

The next morning at dawn, the people of the county town got up and went out. They saw corpses lying all over the ground and blood flowing everywhere in front of their doors. They were instantly terrified, their faces turned pale, and they retreated in fear.

The news spread like wildfire, sweeping through the entire city of Liuyun.

Officials from both the court and the provinces were brutally murdered in broad daylight, their bodies dumped in the streets, demonstrating an extreme disregard for the laws of the court.

The court officials were terrified, everyone was in danger, and they dared not go out.

Some cowardly officials even secretly packed their bags, intending to abandon their posts and flee Liuyun County, fearing that they would be the next to suffer.

The people in the city were filled with fear and knew that Liuyun County was in complete chaos, and that the powerful figures of the martial arts world had openly broken ties with the imperial court.

Li Xuancang was unaware of what had happened in Liuyun County and was marching at full speed.

When the army arrived at Liuyun County, the news reached the city first.

Prefect Sun Shouyi led a group of court officials out of the city to welcome them, their hearts filled with excitement and anticipation.

"My lord, the imperial army is coming. From now on, we have a powerful backer and no longer need to be so accommodating."

Some officials had long been dissatisfied with the underworld forces, but had previously suffered from a lack of power to confront them, and could only swallow their anger and dare not speak out.

Now that Li Xuancang has led three thousand soldiers here, they will have someone to rely on in the future, and they will no longer have to live in fear and sleepless nights.

"Upon learning of Lord Li's arrival, the Jianghu forces have gone mad and wantonly slaughtered officials of the imperial court. This is intolerable! I must inform Lord Li of this matter and ask him to take charge."

Sun Shouyi's face was frosty. He was not only frustrated in his position as prefect, but also had to live in constant fear and was threatened by people from the martial arts world. He had long since had enough of it.

"My lord, these people from the martial arts world are trying to give Lord Li a hard time. They've miscalculated this time."

Sun Shouyi and others had secretly received orders from the imperial court to fully support Li Xuancang, knowing that Li Xuancang had come to clean up the Jianghu forces in Liuyun County.

The martial arts world murdered several government officials to intimidate Li Xuancang.

However, they miscalculated. Such behavior would only be seen as a provocation by Li Xuancang, who would surely be furious and retaliate.

Before long, the army approached the city gate, attracting countless people to line the streets and watch.

"It's the army, the imperial army has arrived."

"After so many years, the imperial court has finally sent troops."

"Great, we're saved!"

"..."

The people cheered with joy upon seeing the imperial army arrive; they had been waiting for this day for far too long.

The imperial court was merely a figurehead in Liuyun County; the Jianghu forces were the true rulers.

However, people's lives did not get better; on the contrary, they became more difficult.

The underworld forces act swiftly and without restraint, killing people at the slightest provocation, resulting in the tragic deaths of many civilians, yet no one dares to intervene.

People in the martial arts world also need to eat. They privately divide up their own factions and collect exorbitant taxes that are even more burdensome than those levied by the imperial court.

The common people have long suffered under the influence of the Jianghu forces, yet they have been powerless to resist. Now that the imperial army has arrived, they have seen hope.

As they approached the city gate, Li Xuancang slightly raised his hand, and the army immediately stopped.

Although they had not experienced the battlefield and did not possess any bloodthirsty aura, their discipline and high level of training were something that ordinary armies could not achieve.

"Sun Shouyi, the prefect of Liuyun County, along with a group of officials from Liuyun County, met with Lieutenant Li."

As soon as Li Xuancang dismounted, Sun Shouyi and the others jogged over to him and bowed first.

"Greetings, Lord Sun, and greetings to all my colleagues."

Li Xuancang clasped his hands in greeting to everyone.

"Lord Li, I have prepared a banquet to welcome you all. Please come in."

"You're too kind, Lord Sun. Please."

The group quickly entered the city, and Wang Xiaoniu led the army to the Liuyun County military camp.

"Li Xuancang has entered the city."

"This is Liuyun County, even dragons have to lie down before us."

"We hope Li Xuancang likes the gift we prepared for him."

"..."

When the various factions saw Li Xuancang enter the city, they all revealed sinister smiles, completely disregarding him.

Upon arriving at the prefectural governor's residence, a group of officials continuously toasted Li Xuancang, and the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves immensely.

After a few rounds of drinks, Sun Shouyi's face flushed, and he grabbed Li Xuancang's hand, pouring out his grievances.

"Lord Li, you've finally arrived! We...we..."

At this point, Sun Shouyi was already sobbing uncontrollably, as if he had suffered a great injustice.

Other officials also had slightly red eyes and were wiping away tears.

After a moment, Sun Shouyi finally composed himself.

"I have lost my composure; please forgive me, Lord Li."

The officials gradually recovered, and the previous cheerful atmosphere was long gone.

"Lord Li, you have no idea what kind of life we're living. Just two days ago, several of our colleagues were murdered in the night and their bodies were left exposed in the streets, their deaths gruesome. These江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world) people are simply lawless!"

As Sun Shouyi continued his accusations, Li Xuancang's face gradually darkened.

He instantly realized that these underworld forces were trying to intimidate him.

Although he knew that Liuyun County was ruled by the Jianghu forces, he did not expect the situation to deteriorate to this extent, with even imperial officials being killed at will, and the lawlessness reaching its extreme.

"My lords, rest assured, now that I have arrived, I will restore order to Liuyun County and ensure that no one commits crimes or acts with disregard for the law."

Li Xuancang immediately assured everyone, giving them peace of mind so that they would have the confidence to fully support his actions in the future.

Upon hearing this, everyone was extremely excited and overjoyed.

"We will certainly do our utmost to help you eliminate the Jianghu forces as soon as possible and restore peace to Liuyun County."

Everyone immediately expressed their full support for Li Xuancang.