The poorest member of the Imperial Guard, the Empress begged me to embezzle.

"No need."

"Indecisiveness leads to disaster!"

"I will personally lead the elite of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to Yangzhou. Even if the Maitreya Sect's Unborn Ghost Soldiers and Unborn Ghost Generals have already emerged, I will still have the power to protect myself."

Chu Xiu shook his head and resolutely refused.

"Yes."

Upon hearing this, Ying Taotie spoke with a respectful expression.

Chu Xiu waved his sleeve and strode confidently toward the City Lord's training ground.

With a swift movement, Ying Taotie vanished from the spot, while he remained in the shadows to protect him.

Not long after.

Chu Xiu then arrived at the martial arts arena.

"Greetings to the Marquis."

Fang Heng, Pei Shiji, and Luo Tianxi, along with more than nine thousand elite Imperial Guards, bowed respectfully to Chu Xiu.

"No gift."

Chu Xiu said calmly.

"Thank you, Lord Marquis."

The crowd shouted in unison.

"Indeed, your strength has greatly improved."

Chu Xiu looked at the more than nine thousand elite Imperial Guards and said with a satisfied expression.

Fang Heng, Pei Shiji, and Luo Tianxi had already reached the peak of the ninth level of the Celestial Realm. After receiving the Taiqing Jade Liquid Pill from Chu Xiu, their cultivation level had reached the minor completion of the first level of the Human Immortal Realm.

After absorbing the cultivation power plundered from the previous killing blade array, his cultivation level has reached the peak of the third level of the Human Immortal Realm.

After obtaining five more Taiqing Jade Liquid Pills, Chu Xiu bestowed three more Taiqing Jade Liquid Pills upon Jiang Li, Shen Congyun, and Qin Changsheng.

After consuming the Taiqing Jade Liquid Pill and exhausting the cultivation they had plundered from the previous Killing Blade Formation, although they had not reached the level of Fang Heng and the other two, they had already reached the second stage of the Human Immortal Realm.

That is to say.

Among the more than 9,000 elite Imperial Guards, six experts at the Human Immortal Realm have emerged.

The remaining thousand households also all reached the peak of the ninth level of the Celestial Realm.

Even those at the hundred-household level have all reached the sixth level of the Celestial Realm, or even the seventh level.

"Let's go, we're heading to Yangzhou now."

Chu Xiu said something to Fang Heng and the others, took a step forward, and transformed into a streak of sword light, heading towards Yangzhou.

Fang Heng and his two companions, along with over nine thousand elite Imperial Guards, took to the air and followed behind Chu Xiu, disappearing into the sky like streaks of thunder.

Lujiang County, Wancheng.

Sheriff's Mansion.

"not good!"

"Chu Xiu is leading more than nine thousand elite Imperial Guards to the state capital."

The Netherworld Ghost Mother, Yin Wuyue, suddenly opened her eyes, looked up at the sky, and said with a look of horror on her face, "I must go to the state capital immediately to report this matter to the sect leader!"

After saying that, she disappeared into the prefectural governor's mansion.

She never intended to stop Chu Xiu and his more than nine thousand elite Imperial Guards on her own.

Because the difference in strength between the two is too great.

If she were to make a move, she would be courting death.

The best course of action is to arrive in the city before Chu Xiu and inform Xiao Yu of this matter.

After all, Chu Xiu, leading over nine thousand elite Imperial Guards, was certainly not as fast as she, a peak ninth-level Earth Immortal.

She knew very well that their Maitreya Sect's Unborn Ghost Soldiers and Unborn Ghost Generals had not yet been born. At this moment, with a killing blade formation composed of more than nine thousand elite Imperial Guards, their entire Maitreya Sect simply could not stop Chu Xiu.

Even though a large number of experts gathered in Yangzhou.

However, even with these people, they still cannot be a match for Chu Xiu.

Yangzhou, the city of Yangzhou.

An abandoned old house.

"Although I came to Yangzhou to get rid of Chu Xiu for our Wanfo Temple."

"But I cannot act rashly. It would be best to have these people openly attract Chu Xiu's attention."

"If they can get rid of Chu Xiu, then this old monk will not need to take action."

"If they can't get rid of Chu Xiu, this old monk will still be able to witness Chu Xiu's true strength through them."

Abbot Jingwu sat cross-legged on the ground, gazing in the direction of the Yangzhou Prefectural Governor's Mansion. With his hands clasped together, the old monk said in a meditative state, "If there is an opportunity, I will make my move again."

"If there's no opportunity, this old monk won't force his way in."

As the person with the highest status hidden within the Great Xiangguo Temple, Abbot Jingwu was naturally not a reckless person.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have remained in hiding for so long, never making a move.

Having finally become the abbot of the Arhat Academy in the Great Xiangguo Temple, a true high-ranking member of the temple, Abbot Jingwu would not easily give up this position.

After saying this, Abbot Jingwu closed his eyes and stopped looking at the Yangzhou Prefectural Governor's Mansion.

Although there was a certain distance between them, he could still see everything that happened in the Yangzhou Prefectural Governor's residence.

After a cup of tea.

Swish!

Yin Wuyue appeared outside a pavilion deep within the governor's mansion in Yangzhou City. She looked at Xiao Yu, who was sitting in the pavilion reading a book, and said with a tense expression, "Reporting to the sect leader, something has happened!"

"Say!"

Xiao Yu's eyes narrowed, and he looked at Yin Wuyue and said in a deep voice.

"Reporting to the Master, Chu Xiu is leading over nine thousand elite Imperial Guards towards the city!"

Yin Wuyue took a deep breath to calm herself down, and said in a trembling voice.

"Chu Xiu is here?"

Xiao Yu's expression changed slightly; he hadn't expected Chu Xiu to arrive so quickly.

He also planned to convene everyone tonight to discuss how to transfer more than 9,000 elite Imperial Guards away from Chu Xiu, or to transfer Chu Xiu away from Queyue City.

result……

His plan ended before it even began!

"Master, as long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn!"

"Your subordinate suggests that the leader withdraw from the city and temporarily avoid the enemy's advance!"

Yin Wuyue gritted her teeth and said to Xiao Yu.

"What you said, how could I not know?"

"But it's not an easy thing for us to evacuate."

"Moreover, now that I'm gone, do you think Chu Xiu will let this go so easily?"

Xiao Yu said with a bitter smile on his face.

Yangzhou was his home.

With Yangzhou gone, he completely lost any chance of contending for the throne.

"Amitabha Buddha, well said, well said..."

A Buddhist chant was heard.

The Great Wheel Bright King Master Yuanzhen appeared out of thin air in front of Xiao Yu and Yin Wuyue, and said with his hands clasped together, "Master, I will stay in the city and lead the experts of the major sects to resist Chu Xiu and buy you time."

Although Master Yuanzhen's face still looked pale, it was clear that his injuries had mostly healed.

"This……"

Xiao Yu's expression changed slightly, and he blurted out, "No!"

Master Yuanzhen was second only to him in strength within their entire Maitreya sect.

In other words, the Heavenly Realm is now suppressed by Heaven and Earth.

Otherwise, with Master Yuanzhen's strength, he would be one of the top masters in the entire world.

How could he bear to let Master Yuanzhen stay behind to obstruct him?

Letting Master Yuanzhen stay would mean that he would completely lose such a master.

"Master, one of us must stay behind."

"Otherwise, the experts from the major sects would definitely have discovered it."

"And they might not even help us then."

"Our leader is the master of our Maitreya sect. The leader cannot be harmed. As long as the leader is alive, our Maitreya sect still has a chance."

Master Yuanzhen looked at Xiao Yu with a serious expression and said.

"Then I'll have to trouble Master Yuanzhen!"

"Yin Wuyue, gather all the experts of our Maitreya Sect and leave with me."

Xiao Yu remained silent for a long while, then suddenly stood up, bowed to Master Yuanzhen, and with a slight movement, disappeared from the spot.