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

Qin Tianjian.

Above the ninth floor.

Qi Tianchen was standing in front of a desk, holding a calligraphy brush in his right hand, writing the character "Yang" on a piece of snow-white Xuan paper.

Pei Guanyin went up to the ninth floor and bowed respectfully to Qi Tianchen, saying, "Greetings, teacher."

"When did Little Guanyin become so polite to this old man?"

Qi Tianchen put down his brush and looked at Pei Guanyin with a smile.

"teacher……"

Pei Guanyin stamped her foot and said with a blush on her pretty face.

"Little Guanyin has grown up too."

Qi Tianchen smiled and said, "Speak, did His Majesty summon you here to send me to Yangzhou?"

"Uh-huh."

"The Marquis will be leading the elite of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to Yangzhou to oversee the situation. His Majesty is worried that the Marquis may be in danger, so he wants to ask you, teacher, to protect the Marquis secretly."

Upon hearing this, Pei Guanyin's expression turned serious, and she spoke softly.

"Very well, I'll go then."

"Based on my understanding of you, my lord, I'm afraid you not only want to suppress Yang Xuance, but also want to see the true strength of the Yellow Heaven Sect in Ji Province, right?"

Qi Tianchen smiled slightly and said.

"That's exactly why His Majesty is worried about the Marquis's safety."

Pei Guanyin said with a solemn expression.

"Little Guanyin, go back and tell His Majesty that with this old man here, the Marquis will surely be safe and sound."

Qi Tianchen nodded and said.

"Yes, the disciple retire."

Pei Guanyin bowed to Qi Tianchen and disappeared from the ninth floor of the main building of the Imperial Observatory.

"Yang Xuance, Hongnong Yang Clan, Heavenly Sword Sect, Dongyang Family, Star Guard..."

After watching Pei Guanyin disappear, a glint of light flashed in Qi Tianchen's eyes. He took a step forward and vanished from the ninth floor of the Imperial Observatory.

At this moment, the news that Chu Xiu had killed Yang Yan, the former Grand Secretary and head of the Hongnong Yang Clan, with a single strike, and even ravaged the entire ancestral land of the Hongnong Yang Clan and the entire Tianjian Sect, had spread throughout the capital.

The nobles and powerful families of the Great Zhou Dynasty were utterly shocked when they heard the news, and simply could not believe it was true.

You should know that this is the Hongnong Yang clan, which is the most prominent of the five surnames and seven noble families.

Besides the Yang family of Hongnong, the powerful families and clans of Tianjian Sect, a sacred place for swordsmanship in Sizhou, are also very familiar with it.

However, Chu Xiu razed this sacred place of swordsmanship to the ground.

The sky is falling!

For powerful and influential families, it was like the sky had fallen and the earth had collapsed!

When did Chu Xiu's strength grow to such a terrifying level?

In particular, some powerful and influential families who had always harbored ulterior motives were worried that one day Chu Xiu's blade would fall upon them.

Once this knife falls upon them, they will surely suffer the same fate as the Yang family of Hongnong, being exterminated along with their entire clan!

At this moment, all the powerful and influential families began to feel insecure!

The main hall of the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters.

Ximen Jue entered the hall and bowed to Chu Xiu, who was sitting in the main seat, saying, "Greetings, Lord Marquis."

“Ximen Jue, you will personally lead 5,000 elite guards from our Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters to the Heavenly Sword Sect to replace Fang Heng and the others.”

"Tell Fang Heng to lead over nine thousand elite Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) to Yangzhou. They must arrive in Yangzhou as quickly as possible."

"I will be waiting for him in Yangzhou!"

Chu Xiu stood up and spoke to Ximen Jue in a deep and powerful voice.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Ximen Jue's expression turned solemn, and he spoke in a firm and powerful voice.

He had already guessed that Chu Xiu's trip to Yangzhou to take charge was likely related to his vigilance against Yang Xuance in Xuzhou.

After all, the Yang family of Hongnong had been captured, so it was impossible for Yang Xuance not to rebel.

Yang Xuance's rebellion will most likely lead to an attack on Yangzhou, with the aim of taking it in one fell swoop and then conquering Jingzhou.

Both of these places were extremely important to Yang Xuance.

Now that he had rebelled, Yang Xuance was bound to fight for control of the country.

"You are in charge of handling matters concerning our Embroidered Uniform Guard. If there are any issues you cannot resolve, send someone to Yangzhou to report to me."

Chu Xiu said to Ximen Jue.

"Yes, I understand."

Ximen Jue said with a solemn expression.

With a slight movement, Chu Xiu disappeared from the main hall of the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters.

"Your subordinate respectfully sees off the Marquis."

Seeing Chu Xiu leave, Ximen Jue said respectfully.

Xuzhou.

The Prefectural Governor's Office of Xuzhou.

Outside the study in a courtyard.

Swish!

An elderly man in a gray robe with gray hair appeared outside the study, his eyes red and his face filled with grief. He said, "Young master, something has happened!"

Squeak.

A handsome young man, with a dignified appearance, a robust build, and a dashing face, dressed in the official robes of the governor of Xuzhou, walked out of the study and said calmly, "Second Elder, what has happened?"

This young man is none other than Yang Xuance, the governor of Xuzhou!

The old man in gray robes was Yang Yao, the second elder of the Hongnong Yang clan.

“Young master, our Hongnong Yang clan’s involvement in assisting Xiao Yu, the leader of the Maitreya Sect, in his rebellion has been exposed.”

"Champion Marquis Chu Xiu killed the patriarch with a single strike..."

Yang Yao said, heartbroken.

"What did you say?"

Yang Xuance felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He couldn't believe it was real. His eyes widened in horror as he stared at Yang Yao through gritted teeth.

Yang Yao felt immense pressure at that moment, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, and he said in a trembling voice, "Reporting to Young Master, the Patriarch is dead!"

"Chu Xiu!"

"What a Chu Xiu!"

"I swear I will kill you!"

A terrifying aura erupted from Yang Xuance as he roared hysterically.

The flowers, plants, and trees in the entire courtyard were reduced to dust by this breath.

Even the surrounding buildings began to sway precariously.

“Young master, apart from the patriarch, our entire ancestral land of the Yang clan in Hongnong has also been wiped out.”

"After Chu Xiu annihilated our Hongnong Yang clan's ancestral land, he went to the Heavenly Sword Sect and razed the entire Heavenly Sword Sect to the ground."

"I suspect that all officials in the capital who were affiliated with our Hongnong Yang family have already been purged."

Yang Yao gritted his teeth, bearing the immense pressure from Yang Xuance, and said, "Perhaps it won't be long before Murong Si makes a move against you, young master. You must be prepared to deal with it!"

He no longer showed any respect to Empress Murong Si, and instead addressed her by her given name.

"Such a deep-seated blood feud, I must avenge my father and our entire Hongnong Yang clan!"

"Not only Chu Xiu must die, but Murong Si must also die!"

"Since they're trying to force me, I might as well rebel!"

A murderous glint flashed in Yang Xuance's eyes as he coldly and ruthlessly said, "Second Elder, go and inform the Ancestor, the Heavenly Sword Ancestor, the Eastern Sun Ancestor, and the Commander of the Star Guard that I have important matters to discuss with them and that they should wait in the main hall!"

Whether it's Yang Changtian, the patriarch of the Yang family, or Tianjian and Dongyang, they are all true peak beings at the ninth level of the True Immortal Realm.

Each one is only one step away from the Profound Immortal Realm, which is above the True Immortal Realm.

The three of them were suppressed by the heavens and earth, and were unable to unleash their full power.

So even if he rebels, these three are unlikely to intervene; he will ultimately rely on himself.

However, these three represent three major forces.

Even though Yang Xuance was in charge of the Yang family, such a major event could not be kept from Yang Changtian.

He needed the support of the Heavenly Sword Ancestor and the Eastern Sun Ancestor.

The Star Guard is different; it is a trump card in the hands of the Hongnong Yang clan.

Since he became the governor of Xuzhou, Yang Yan has handed over the Star Guard to him, and he has been completely in charge of it.

"Yes!"

Yang Yao's eyes narrowed, and he said firmly.