Start from Wusheng

Chapter 1000: Promotion to Prefect and Entry into Southern Xinjiang

A stone pillar pierces through the sky, seemingly supporting the heavens and preventing them from falling.

Amidst the swirling clouds, the pitted and uneven surface of the stone pillar and its stone texture are faintly visible, clearly indicating that this is a colossal pillar with a diameter exceeding one million meters.

Anyone who sees it will only have one thought in their mind: ...a colossal pillar supporting the sky.

In fact, this stone pillar does indeed come from the true towering pillar of the Southern Frontier... Lord Shen.

Some time ago, the former "Yin Dao" returned from another place and invaded the southern border, where he was unstoppable.

He stormed all the way to Luofu Mountain, broke through the military formation formed by the thirty-six disciples under Lord Shen, and retrieved the remaining half of the demon king's corpse from the mountain.

When he reappeared, he had regained his former strength and decisively challenged Lord Shen.

That battle did not escalate, perhaps because both sides had reservations and it was only a brief encounter.

Even so, the original southern border region was split in two, with the tiger corpse occupying one half, facing Lord Shen from afar.

On the other side was another territory defended by Lord Shen and his disciples and confidants.

After years of peace, southern Xinjiang was plunged into turmoil and was subsequently divided into eastern and western halves.

The dividing line was that stone pillar. Lord Shen used his unparalleled staff technique to unleash a move that pierced the sky, forcing back the tiger corpse. The aftershocks rippled endlessly, leaving traces in the void and creating the strange phenomenon of the 'stone pillar'.

Indeed, what appears to be an incredibly real stone pillar is actually a shadow left behind by the passage of time.

"The treacherous demons have joined forces with the tiger corpse and are now occupying the rest of the western part of the southern border. All the demons and monsters that have risen from the ashes have gathered around them, clamoring to kill Lord Shen and break this pillar."

"Lord Shen is no pushover either. All thirty-six of his disciples are Grandmasters, and he even has a Heavenly Sect Master like Yuan Fazu."

"When he entered southern Xinjiang, he felt that the local martial arts were declining, so he opened his doors to teach on several occasions."

"Nine out of ten martial artists in the southern border region who practice staff fighting are his students, providing a constant stream of helpers."

The reality is that southern Xinjiang is sparsely populated, and many places are dangerous environments rarely visited by people.

That's right, these less valuable areas are all concentrated in the western part of southern Xinjiang, where tiger corpses roam.

The eastern part of Southern Xinjiang is a prosperous region with a dense population and numerous mountain strongholds. It is also the most deeply controlled and resource-rich directly administered territory of Lord Shen and his followers.

The tiger corpse split the southern border, and the followers of Lord Shen's camp gathered in the eastern part of the southern border. Instead of losing strength, their overall strength became more cohesive because of their gathering.

However, the turmoil caused by the division swept across the entire southern Xinjiang region and even affected the outside world.

Li Huo Prefecture was the first to be affected, because the southern border had become undefended, and every day, surviving demons attempted to cross the prefecture and enter the southern border to return to their ancestral lands.

After the great battle, although the overall strength of the demon race was scattered, their numbers were too large, and they had scattered to the countryside. Taking advantage of their beastly bodies, they hid in ditches, swamps, and wild fields, making them impossible to wipe out completely.

The war to exterminate the monsters is still ongoing, but it has shifted from direct combat to extermination.

These demons, though abandoned, still harbored illusions about the grand scheme of the demon race created by the treacherous demon, and continued to venture into the western part of the southern border.

Against this backdrop, Zhou You and Zhou Nanwang followed the Great Gentleman's party into the southern border region.

Due to the urgency of the situation, after only a few days of hasty recuperation following the war, news of the dramatic changes in southern Xinjiang arrived.

The stone pillar that fell from the sky attracted attention from all directions, and the battle between Lord Shen and the tiger corpse directly changed the landscape and situation of the southern border.

If Tiger Corpse is allowed to recruit soldiers and horses with the help of the borrowed troops, the Southern Frontier may develop into a stronghold of the demon race, making it even more difficult to deal with than the southeastern states.

The Ten Demons of the Southeast were incredibly arrogant, commanding a million demons who ravaged various prefectures and counties. However, they were ultimately rootless and adrift, constantly besieged and attacked by governors and prefects, yet they refused to retreat despite their defeats. But the Southern Frontier was different; it was from there that the demons were driven out.

Once these monsters take root and flourish in the area, or uncover some ancestral secrets, the calamity may be quelled only to be followed by another, and an even greater one.

A great gentleman treats the virtuous and learned with respect, and greets those who travel around with gentle warmth.

"Lord Zhou, you must be heading to the southern frontier before even taking office. You must be exhausted!"

He already knew that Zhou You had once sought refuge with his eighth brother, but they later parted ways due to disagreements. Now, he was following Zhou Nanwang to take up his post, and could be considered part of the feudal lord's camp.

In fact, Zhou You broke through to the Human Sect realm during the great battle, his cultivation level rose, and he made numerous military achievements.

Zhou Nanwang also kept his promise and appointed him as the prefect of Lihuo Prefecture.

Well, let's consider him acting prefect for now. To be officially appointed, we'll have to wait for the official appointment from the lord.

However, whether it is the state above or below Huozhou, or the neighboring southeastern states, the position of traveling around is tacitly accepted.

Therefore, Zhou You's title has changed from the son of the governor to the lord of the prefecture.

Whenever Zhou You heard people address him as "Lord," he would feel a moment of disbelief, realizing that he too had one day been called "Lord of the Prefecture."

Once upon a time, I moved to the prefectural city with my whole family. Looking at the magnificent city and the countless people, I heard that the supreme city lord was called the Prefectural Lord, or even a Grandmaster.

At that time, Zhou You thought that if he could become the Prefect one day, he would not dare to suppress his emotions.

Now that my dream has come true, I just feel it's nothing special.

Before he could even take office and inspect his own prefecture, he was summoned by the Grand Gentleman to accompany several governors to the southern frontier.

The Great Gentleman is of the Heavenly Sect, while the governors of the southeastern states are of the Earthly Sect; clearly, this trip involves elite troops.

Although Zhou You was a member of the Human Sect, his overall strength was equivalent to that of a weak Earth Sect member. He was accompanied by nine other Prefectural Lords, all of whom were outstanding performers in this battle.

Now, Zhou You and these prefects have common topics to talk about.

He used to be just the son of a governor, and in the eyes of the Grandmasters, he was Zhou Nanwang's son. Now it's different. He's at the Human Sect realm and is the newly appointed Lord of Qingzhe Prefecture. He's someone from the same circle.

"The Grand Gentleman's journey to the Southern Frontier has already been communicated to Lord Shen in advance!"

"Although Lord Shen did not reveal the plan, he approved of the Grand Gentleman's entry into the southern border to assist in the war, and even specifically pointed out that the western part, where the tiger corpses were entrenched, was dangerous, and told us not to go near it!"

One of the officials shared his insider information, and his companions nodded thoughtfully.

During this period, Lord Shen's response was clearly flawed; he failed to kill the tiger corpse immediately, allowing it to split the southern border and gather demons to develop its strength.

This action is undoubtedly like raising a tiger to cause trouble, and it is inconsistent with the identity of the towering pillar.

Therefore, many people speculate that Lord Shen has his own plans and will certainly not let this go easily.

As the Grand Master of the Heavenly Sect, he led a group of Grandmasters to aid the Southern Frontier, which is equivalent to a fresh force and will bring about a brand new change to the Southern Frontier, which is divided into two halves.

As for the future development, those involved are too caught up in the situation to see the trend clearly for the time being.

The governors and prefects, including the Grand Gentleman, entered the southern border with their own agendas, their target being the eastern region under Lord Shen's command.

(End of this chapter)