After being exiled for eighteen years, the prince returned to the capital as a veritable immortal.

Gold and silver jewelry, martial arts manuals, divine weapons...

One by one, valuable items were collected from the pit.

The place was filled with dazzling jewels and a dazzling array of items, piled up like miscellaneous clutter.

Wu Meng was truly amazed and exclaimed:

"Tsk tsk, the Zhu family has really amassed quite a few good things."

"So rich! Even the Liangzhou national treasury isn't this wealthy." Si Xuan was equally astonished.

It should be noted that Liangzhou was Zhou Yi's fiefdom.

The vassal states were not required to pay taxes to the imperial court and had independent financial and tax powers.

Compared to the wealth of the Zhu family's entire estate, Si Xuan felt ashamed for his father, who actually held power in Liangzhou.

With so much wealth, it would take a hundred horse-drawn carriages to transport it away.

Si Xuan was immediately troubled.

How can this be done?

Just as he was frowning in worry, dust clouded the sky and a large cavalry army galloped in.

Judging by its size, it must have at least 10,000 people.

Upon approaching, the ten thousand riders dismounted and paid homage:

"Greetings, Your Highness Prince Yi!"

The leading veteran general was none other than Si Gong, the governor of Liangzhou.

Upon receiving Si Xuan's message, he led all his cavalry to rush to the rescue.

However, ordinary horses have limited range.

We traveled day and night and have only just arrived.

Faced with the Zhujiabao ruins in the deep pit, thousands of people were collectively stunned and speechless.

"Is this... divine retribution?"

Si Gong's heart finally settled down. Looking at the ten-mile-deep pit, he wondered why it had turned out this way.

“Yes, the Zhu family committed too many sins and were punished by heaven,” Lan Xinling said happily.

"What divine retribution?"

Si Xuan immediately became excited, gesturing wildly:

"It was Your Highness. With a gentle palm strike, the Zhu Family Fortress was driven into the ground."

"And also, they want to use the Five Ghosts Shedding Their Skin Technique..."

"Can you believe it? The Zhu family lured the disaster victims here, then extracted their souls..."

As Si Xuan got excited, his face turned bright red.

Wu Meng stood to one side, occasionally adding details and pointing out omissions.

The two Golden Core cultivators were eager to talk, like children bragging about their achievements to their parents.

The ten thousand soldiers looked as if they were watching two madmen talking nonsense, completely unable to believe it.

One palm strike can destroy a city.

How could His Highness Prince Yi, a refined, composed, and gentlemanly figure, be so violent?

This is so cool!

No, what should be astonishing is that His Highness Prince Yi possesses such great power.

As expected of a royal grandmaster!

"Father, you are responsible for transporting these back to Liangzhou."

Si Xuan pointed excitedly at the glittering treasures scattered on the ground:

"They're all ours!"

……

"Snapped!"

Zhou Yi placed his hand on the treasure box, examined it for a while, and then opened it.

"Ok?"

A hint of surprise appeared on his face.

Inside the treasure box were not the things he had expected to find related to Nie.

Instead, there was only a broken jade slip containing the cultivation technique.

Hu Die bent down and carefully scooped it out.

Zhu Anshi is the leader of the Martial Arts Alliance and a half-immortal in the Celestial Realm.

The cultivation technique that he cares so much about must be extremely precious.

"what?"

Slowly opening the jade slip, Hu Die exclaimed in surprise, "It's the Daoist Scripture!"

Taoist scriptures?

Everyone was taken aback.

The sixteen characters of the Taoist scripture can be recited fluently by any talking toddler.

I really can't think of any collectible value in it.

A voice as clear as a butterfly's or a nightingale's rang out, and everyone's expressions became even stranger.

"The crisis of public sentiment,"

"The pride of the Dao heart."

……

This fragment of the Daoist scripture also consists of sixteen characters.

The difference is that while the content has some similarities, the actual content is quite different.

How can there be two different Daoist scriptures in this world?

A hint of doubt rose in Hu Die's beautiful eyes.

Zhou Yi couldn't explain why either.

"Put it away first."

The martial arts manuals were so numerous they could fill several trucks.

A portion of the goods were discarded, and Hu Die arranged for carriages to carry them away; the rest were taken with the group.

His Highness has no other hobbies but enjoys studying cultivation techniques.

Hu Die was overjoyed to have so many martial arts techniques and secret manuals.

I was even happier than when I wore new clothes and a new phoenix hairpin during the New Year.

"that is all?"

Zhou Yi examined all the spoils of war, a look of doubt in his eyes:

"Could I have misunderstood? I shouldn't have."

Inside the Zhu Family Fortress, nothing related to evil was found.

Zhou Yi gazed into the distance, focusing on the nine mountain ridges, and began to reorganize his thoughts.

Based on the first two encounters, he was quite certain.

The wicked possess only simple instincts and lack complete intelligence.

Like a fool whose soul has been ripped out, devoid of spirit.

Therefore, he speculated.

The Zhu family used the Nine Dragons Soul-Seizing Formation to extract the spiritual essence of the disaster victims and strengthen their own offspring.

The remaining earth spirits, ignorant and acting on impulse, perfectly fit the characteristics of evil.

If it has nothing to do with Zhujiabao, then where did it come from?

"interesting."

Zhou Yi smiled gently, not in a hurry.

Since that thing has its eye on him, it'll come knocking on his door sooner or later.

There are plenty of opportunities for research.

……

"The water is flowing down!"

"This is mountain spring water."

Nine streams of water rushed down and merged into the deep pit.

At first, it was muddy and murky, but later it became clear and sweet.

Nine dragons gather water, which converges to form a lake.

People from the surrounding villages came to see what was going on.

Seeing that Zhujiabao had been turned into a deep pit and a swamp, everyone was astonished.

After learning of the evil deeds committed by the Zhu family against the disaster victims, the people knelt down to express their gratitude.

“People often go missing in the surrounding villages and towns.”

"I used to think it was just carried away by a wild animal."

"It seems there weren't enough disaster victims, so the Zhu family captured them to fill the pits."

"Thank you, Your Highness Prince Yi, for ridding the people of this scourge!"

Even after Zhou Yi's convoy had driven far away, the villagers still sighed with regret.

"If only Yangling belonged to Liangzhou."

"Yes, His Highness Prince Yi is a wise ruler, a hundred times better than the incompetent Emperor Wu."

……

May the clear mountain springs cleanse the sins of the world.

Looking back at the receding mountains, Hu Die silently prayed.

"The crisis of public sentiment,"

"The pride of the Dao heart."

The convoy sped along, and the melodious voices of recitation rose again.

This is the Tao Te Ching.

A new version of the Daoist classic was discovered in Zhujiabao.

Si Xuan, Wu Meng, and the guards were all invigorated.

Even Ji Yu, who usually doesn't care about anything, subconsciously straightened up and listened attentively.

Yesterday, His Highness Prince Yi practiced meditation, which involved reciting the Daoist scriptures.

The thrill of rapidly increasing skill was like flying.

I've never felt so good in my life.

Having experienced that once, everyone is filled with a burning desire to go through it again.

Will this new version of the fragment also have a miraculous effect?

"A precarious situation."

"Only a wise and virtuous person can know this."

……

The sixteen-character mantra, repeated from beginning to end.

Again and again...

however.

It's completely useless.

Soon, everyone felt relieved.

His Highness's skill lies in his understanding of cultivation, not in those sixteen characters.

Even if it were written in other languages, Your Highness could still take everyone flying.

Their hopes were dashed, and the guards quickly found new things to be interested in.

Many eyes turned to the red-robed eunuchs in the front row.

Confucius said: "Beauty is pleasing to the eye."

Beautiful scenery can also relieve the fatigue of marching.

……

In the world of cultivation, there are many means of remote communication.

The message was delivered much faster than that of the half-demon horse.

As they headed towards the capital, Zhou Yi and his companions heard various versions of the news.

Message 1.

The Zhu Family Fortress harassed the disaster victims, and was slapped into the abyss of hell by the Grandson of the Emperor.

The grandson of the emperor performed a ritual, and pure water descended from the sky, washing away the filth and forming a lake.

The people called it Huangsun Lake.

The lake water is crystal clear, and drinking it can cure all kinds of diseases.

Message 2.

Zhu Anshi, the leader of the Martial Arts Alliance, announced to the world that he had not returned to Zhu Family Fortress for decades.

The filth within the fortress is none of their concern.

After the announcement, they also specifically thanked Zhou Yi for acting on behalf of Heaven.

……

The whole family was wiped out, and they even thanked the murderer.

Is the hero Yangling so magnanimous?

Si Xuan turned his head and asked Ji Yu:

"Eunuch Ji, is Zhu Anshi a person who repays evil with kindness?"

"What do you think?" Ji Yu didn't bother to reply.

Tsk tsk.

Si Xuan finally understood the true meaning behind the announcement.

If the other party were truly that magnanimous, why would they have fabricated the Crown Prince's wrongful conviction to exonerate themselves back then?

This sword master and demigod will inevitably clash sooner or later.

In front.

The majestic city gate drew ever closer, and the capital city was within reach.

The blue brick city wall, several dozen feet high, cast a cold shadow directly into Si Xuan's heart.

It stretches longer and longer, becoming heavier and heavier.

That person in the palace is probably even more ruthless than a half-immortal.

The imperial dragon throne, the martial arts alliance's throne.

It's true, we're caught between a rock and a hard place.