Swords emerge from Mount Hua, sweeping across the heavens from the world of Swordsman.

Zhu Wushi's body was embedded in the steps.

His eyes bulged, his arm trembled as he pointed at Yue Zhuoqun, vomiting blood as he spoke haltingly:

"Heh heh...you, how could this be? I...I don't...believe it..."

boom!

His arms hung limply, and his last breath escaped slowly, as he murmured in a voice only he could hear:

"Su... Suxin, I... I still couldn't become emperor, and I... I'll never have the chance to... save you again..."

Yue Zhuoqun looked at Zhu Wushi, who had completely breathed his last but whose eyes remained open in death, and sighed.

Zhu Wushi was definitely the strongest person he had ever fought.

If it weren't for the unexpected nature of his Soul Searching and Soul Stealing technique, victory would have been truly difficult for him.

This is a formidable opponent.

Unfortunately, their positions destined them to fight to the death.

……

The battle ended, and the arena fell silent.

A good quarter of an hour passed before the palace gates in the distance opened a crack, and a little eunuch cautiously peeked out to observe.

Upon seeing Zhu Wushi's corpse, he turned around with a look of surprise and exclaimed:

"Your Majesty, we have won! Hero Yue has triumphed! Iron-Blooded Marquis has been killed in front of the palace."

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Houzhao was seen pushing aside the eunuch and impatiently walking out of the palace, looking down at Zhu Wushi's corpse.

After a moment, he let out a long breath, completely relaxing: "Hahaha, good!"

The dark clouds that had been hanging over him since his ascension to the throne finally dissipated.

"Master Yue has rendered meritorious service in eliminating the traitors, and I shall reward him handsomely. Guards, summon all civil and military officials to the Hall of Supreme Harmony for court."

Chapter 87 The Eastern Sisters Go to Mount Hua

Of the sixteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty, most had some degree of faith in Taoism, with the most devoted being the Jiajing Emperor, who was Zhu Houzhao's cousin.

Relatively speaking, Zhu Houzhao's admiration for Taoism was not excessive; he was more indulging in pleasure and entertainment.

Because of his excessive debauchery and constant use of tonics, he became so addicted to them that he was never without them, which resulted in him being childless for the rest of his life.

He also built a leopard house in the northwest of the imperial city to raise tigers, leopards and other animals as his place of enjoyment.

In this world, Zhu Houzhao's desire for pleasure had not yet reached its peak due to the oppressive power of Cao Zhengchun and Zhu Wushi.

On the contrary, Yue Zhuoqun's appearance inspired his faith in Taoism.

At the court assembly, he lavishly expressed his admiration for Taoism and Yue Zhuoqun, and on the spot bestowed upon Yue Zhuoqun a golden seal, awarded him 100,000 gold coins, conferred upon him the title of Duke of Protector of the Nation, and appointed him as the Imperial Tutor.

Silver was also allocated from the national treasury for the repair of the Huashan Taoist temple.

Even Ning Zhongze, Feng Buping, Hua Shaokun, and others from the Huashan Sect were granted titles.

For the next two weeks, whenever he had time, he would invite Yue Zhuoqun to the palace to learn about Taoism, and he would also bestow rewards upon him one after another.

They even asked Yue Zhuoqun to lead the organization of the Universal Ritual, but Yue Zhuoqun declined and only attended the ceremony.

Among the Taoist rituals, the Universal Ritual, the Zhou Tian Ritual, and the Luo Tian Ritual are the largest in scale and are collectively known as the Nine Altars and Three Rituals.

The Luotian Grand Ritual is generally presided over by folk Taoist sects, and 1,200 altars are set up, forming the lower three altars.

The Zhou Tian Grand Ritual was presided over by princes and ministers, and offered 2,400 altars, forming the middle three altars.

The grand sacrificial ceremony required the emperor to preside over it personally, and 3,600 sacrificial tablets were offered, forming the three upper altars.

Organizing a grand Taoist ritual would be time-consuming and laborious, lasting for forty-nine days, and Yue Zhuoqun was too lazy to put in the effort.

However, instead of taking the lead, he sent out a group of high-ranking members of the Huashan Sect.

This is a great opportunity to elevate the sect's status and increase its influence.

It took three or four months for the Zhou Tian Grand Ritual to finally come to a close.

In a short time, the trend of following Taoism flourished in the Ming Dynasty, and the reputation of the Huashan Sect spread far and wide, overshadowing that of Longhu Mountain.

Every day, hundreds of people travel to Mount Hua to seek apprenticeship and learn martial arts. Some come to learn martial arts, while many more come sincerely to cultivate Taoism.

……

Several months later, Yue Zhuoqun returned to Mount Hua and once again received a system reward.

[Ding! The host led the Huashan disciples to maintain stability in the imperial court, participated in the grand ritual, and enhanced the sect's influence. The main quest "Revitalizing Huashan" has progressed to 90%.]

[Rewards: 200 Internal Strength Points, 100 Martial Coins, 5 Luck Points, the martial arts skills Absorbing Power Technique and Indestructible Vajra Divine Skill, and two Great Completion Scrolls.]

"Learn and use the Great Scroll."

As the words fell, Yue Zhuoqun felt his body tremble, his blood boil and flow, his whole body feel warm, and his flesh and blood were filled with boundless power.

He activated the internal energy according to the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill, and the internal energy in his dantian instantly filled every inch of his flesh and blood, and his skin emitted a faint golden light.

Dang Dang!

The two fists collided, producing a metallic tremor, as if their bodies were cast in gold.

But upon closer inspection, he realized that his body had not turned into metal; it still had the same texture as ordinary flesh and blood.

It's just that the golden internal energy enhances the flesh and blood, like putting on armor, which is why it emits a metallic tremor.

Moreover, his appearance is different from Cheng Shifei's.

At most, his physical body emitted a faint golden light, while Cheng Shifei directly turned into a small golden man.

"It must be due to the proficiency level!" Yue Zhuoqun said after a moment of contemplation.

Cheng Shifei's Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill was created by Gu Santong directly infusing his body with internal energy. It would take at most two years to learn it, and although he could use it, his proficiency level would not be very high.

He is already at the advanced level of proficiency. If he could improve to perfection, he might even be able to conceal this faint golden light.

That's fine, he doesn't want to turn into a little golden statue when he fights someone.

After a moment of observation, he discovered that even without activating his golden body, his flesh and blood had become much stronger after cultivating the Vajra Indestructible Divine Art, and a single punch could generate over a thousand pounds of force.

Activating the Golden Body will rapidly deplete internal energy.

His skill, comparable to eighty years of experience, could only last for a little over half an hour. Once the time limit was reached, he had to exit the golden body state and recover some of his internal energy before he could use it again.

Yue Zhuoqun was not disappointed; half an hour was enough.

His battle with Zhu Wushi lasted longer than this, enough to handle 99% of the battles in the world.

Then he stopped the operation of the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill and opened his palms to activate the Absorption Technique.

Boom!

A gust of wind swept through the room, and a powerful attraction appeared in the palm of his hand, pulling the tables and chairs several meters away towards him.

The Absorption Technique can not only absorb a person's internal energy and essence, but also absorb external objects, making it incredibly useful in combat.

However, only one-twentieth of the absorbed internal energy can ultimately be fully converted into one's own.

Thinking about it, that makes sense. Of the more than two hundred experts that Zhu Wushi absorbed back then, which one didn't have twenty or thirty years of cultivation and refinement?

If they were all converted, Zhu Wushi would not have the power of three Ren Woxings, but sixty!

Then you're no longer an ordinary person, but a god!

After experiencing both martial arts techniques, Yue Zhuoqun got up with satisfaction. Just as he was about to put the table and chairs back in their places, his ears suddenly twitched.

A faint ripple could be heard coming from afar, and my gaze turned toward the Cliff of Contemplation on Mount Hua.

"There are experts fighting. One of them is Uncle Feng. Who is the other one?"

He raised an eyebrow and quickly headed towards the Cliff of Repentance.

On the Cliff of Contemplation, Feng Qingyang, with his white hair and beard, stood proudly in the center, continuously pointing out the Nine Swords of Dugu with his fingers, the sword energy crisscrossing.

All around were a large red afterimage, constantly moving and attacking with swift and ghostly moves.

Not far away, there stood a pretty woman wearing a cloth hat and a long skirt, her hands clasped tightly to her chest, watching the two fighting in the arena with nervousness.

"Sister, senior, please stop fighting."

But Feng Qingyang and the other man ignored her words, and the battle was evenly matched.

"What amazing martial arts skills! He even managed to climb up the back cliff with this girl."

"Speak, what brings you to the forbidden area of ​​my Huashan Sect?"

Feng Qingyang brandished his sword finger while demanding an answer.

Over the years, the Huashan Sect has grown stronger and stronger, and the Dugu Nine Swords have been passed down. He had no regrets and has been living in seclusion on the Cliff of Contemplation ever since.

Apart from Yang Lin, Linghu Chong, and a few others who would visit him every now and then, he rarely had contact with outsiders.

"So what if it's a forbidden area? This leader can go wherever he wants."

The bright red afterimage was none other than Dongfang Bubai, and the woman in the long dress beside her was Yilin.

Dongfang Bubai recently took Yilin's lost sachet to Hengshan, and the two sisters were finally reunited.