Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

"bring it here!"

While Shen Lang and his group were fleeing, Lü Meng had already led his troops to the Liuzhou government office and brought the prefect Ren Guangtian and a group of officials directly to Zhuque's side.

Before Ren Guangtian could speak, Zhuque asked directly, "Ren Guangtian, I ask you, as the prefect of Liuzhou, are you aware of the news that the people under your jurisdiction have been taken away by the Qingyi Sect to refine human pills?"

Ren Guangtian shook his head: "General, I really don't know anything about this."

All registered residents, including those involved in funerals and weddings, in Liuzhou have been documented, and no cases of missing persons have been found.

"hehe."

Zhuque chuckled, then used his black-gloved hands to fold a horsewhip and press it directly against Ren Guangtian's chin.

Upon seeing the cold Vermilion Bird mask, Ren Guangtian felt an overwhelming pressure sweep over his mind, and his stunned body trembled involuntarily.

"The registered population hasn't decreased? Then what's with the hundreds of drug users in the Green Robe Sect's secret chamber? Do you need an explanation?"

"This humble official truly did not know. Qingshan City is controlled by the Qingyi Sect, and the imperial court has no right to interfere."

"You mean you have no dealings with the Azure Robe Sect, the Weapon Refining Sect, or the Heavenly Profound Sect, is that right?"

Ren Guangtian nodded immediately.

Just then, Mu Qingqiu ordered people to carry several boxes to Zhuque's side.

"Commander, this is what was discovered in Ren Guangtian's secret chamber—correspondence between them over the years with the Qingyi Sect, the Refining Sect, and the Tianxuan Sect."

It details Ren Guangtian's clandestine activities of capturing people alive and taking them to the aforementioned sects for alchemy.

Upon hearing this, Ren Guangtian's forehead was immediately covered in sweat.

Suzaku: "Now that things have come to this, what else do you have to say?"

Ren Guangtian looked at the boxes of incriminating evidence and knew he had been exposed, so he stopped trying to cover it up.

His gaze towards Zhuque instantly turned icy: "Hmph, now that things have come to this, I will no longer hide it from you. The imperial court is acting perversely and making enemies of the sects."

It is a path to self-destruction. The Empress's tyranny is deserving of universal condemnation. She wants to abolish the status of martial artists in the Chu Kingdom? Then prepare to face the wrath of the sects.

"Hmph, the Empress will be dethroned by the new emperor sooner or later, and your end will be extremely miserable!"

Suzaku: "Tell me, who is the new ruler you want to enthrone?"

"Hahaha, would I be stupid enough to tell you who the new emperor is? Go back and tell the Empress that her reign won't last long, and the Heavenly Venerable will definitely avenge me!"

Upon hearing this, Zhuque slowly released Ren Guangtian.

In the instant he turned around, a cold glint flashed from the straight blade at his waist.

The next moment, Ren Guangtian's head lolled to the side, and he collapsed into a pool of blood.

The other officials, instead of being terrified by this scene, went completely mad, shouting, "Long live the Heavenly Venerable! Long live the new emperor!"

blow--

With a single sweep of his sword, Zhuque's sword energy pierced through everyone's necks, and in the blink of an eye, more than a dozen corpses lay on the ground.

"Lu Meng!"

"My subordinate is here!"

"Order Qu Yi's troops to lead a brigade to attack the Weapon Refining Sect. Your unit will also send a regiment to join me in attacking the Xuan Tian Sect!"

"Yes!"

Lu Meng accepted the order and immediately went to carry it out.

As soon as everyone left, Mu Qingqiu approached again and said, "Commander, the methods for obtaining those Mysterious Heaven Pills and Bliss Pills have been found out."

This is a long-lost, heretical alchemy method involving blood sacrifice. Regardless of the type of elixir, once ingested...

This can cause mental excitement, loss of pain sensation, and in severe cases, even hallucinations.

Suzaku: "Destroy it. This kind of elixir will only poison living beings if it remains in the world."

"As ordered."

"besides."

Zhuque called out to her.

“Eliminate those alchemists as well; Great Chu has no need for these wicked beasts.”

"As ordered!"

……

Half a month later, Shen Lang and Xue Wuying braved the rain and frost, avoiding questioning and pursuit by government troops in various places. After disguising themselves, they crossed the long river and arrived in Huaizhou in the north.

"We should be safe now that we're here."

Xue Wuying looked at the surging river and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"I never imagined that I, Xue Wuying, would end up in such a state. That hateful Empress, is she truly determined to wipe us all out?"

Shen Lang asked coldly, "Is this the territory of the Heavenly Venerable that you mentioned?"

Xue Wuying shook his head: "The Celestial Venerable is not in Huaizhou, but in Qingzhou, which is more than two thousand miles away from here."

However, the north is still within the sphere of influence of the sects, and the Empress's control is not strict, so it's basically safe here.

"So, the main stronghold of the resistance against the Empress is in the north?"

"That's natural." Xue Wuying tightened the hem of his damp clothes and said casually, "After all, the Southern court has strict control, and last year the Jiangnan gentry were..."

He glanced at Shen Lang and then said nothing more.

This means that Shen Lang was criticizing the "persecution" of the Jiangnan gentry last year.

Shen Lang didn't care, took off his boots, and poured out a puddle of muddy water: "Continue."

Xue Wuying: "In short, after learning that the Empress was preparing to reform the military system, the northern sects had already called on all sects to unite in resistance."

He had intended to use this opportunity to persuade the Empress to abandon her reforms and maintain the balance of power between the sects and the court, but he hadn't expected the Empress to act so swiftly.

At the beginning of the year, they implemented military reforms, annexed the Wu region in one fell swoop, and even subjugated the Heavenly Dao Sect. This forced them to resort to extreme measures.

"Then why haven't you made a move yet?"

"What do you say?"

Xue Wuying looked at Shen Lang with a hint of resentment in her eyes.

"If it weren't for the fact that the new firearms you created were so powerful that they made the various factions in the sects wary, the person sitting in the Chu court now would probably already be a new emperor."

"I understand."

Shen Lang sneered: "So it was you sects who fabricated the rumor that I ate people, forcing my husband and me to turn against each other. Heh, what a clever trick."

Xue Wuying frankly admitted: "Don't blame us, this is the Heavenly Venerable's will. As long as we sow discord between you and the Empress..."

If the Jinling arsenal is brought to a standstill, then the State of Chu will pose no threat. Of course, you should also be aware of one thing...

With your abilities, Brother Shen, sooner or later you will be feared by the Empress. The imperial family is the most ruthless.

Even without our intervention, once you're no longer of any use to us, you'll inevitably suffer the fate of being discarded like a hunting dog after the hunt is over.

This is just to let you get used to it in advance; after all, serving a ruler is like walking on thin ice.

"What you said makes some sense. Now that things have come to this, I have no choice but to go with you."

"Don't worry, Brother Shen. If you can teach the sect how to manufacture firearms, why should you fear the Empress at all?"

"Once this is accomplished, you will be a founding hero, assisting the new emperor in bestowing upon you a royal title—that will make you a true king or noble!"

Shen Lang sneered: "Forget it, after it's done..."

I just want to take some money and leave this place of trouble. Whether it's the imperial court or the martial world, I don't want to get involved with it anymore.

After saying that, he glanced at the sky.

"It's getting late, let's get going."

Xue Wuying: "Guangling City is just ahead. Tonight, we'll go there to find our fellow travelers and rest for the night. Tomorrow, we'll head towards Qingzhou."

"it is good."

The two immediately got up, and just as they were about to continue their journey, the river surface suddenly rippled.

The next moment, water splashed everywhere.

Several wet figures climbed ashore.

"Are they disciples of the Weapon Refining Sect and the Heavenly Profound Sect?"

Xue Wuying recognized the person and immediately stepped forward to help him up.

"How did you get here? Where is your sect leader?"

"It's Sect Leader Xue!"

Upon seeing Xue Wuying, the group burst into tears.

"Sect Leader Xue, both the Weapon Refining Sect and the Heavenly Profound Sect are gone!"

"The government troops suddenly attacked and began slaughtering everyone in our sect without saying a word. Before we could even react, we saw our fellow disciples lying all over the ground."

"The sect leader and the elders were directly blasted into dust by something called a high-explosive bomb."

I saw with my own eyes how the sect leader's body disintegrated like minced meat in a wonton wrapper.

"The bits of flesh flying everywhere, it's so tragic, waaaaah—"