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

Time flies.

Before we knew it, darkness had fallen.

The post station in Didao County had long been decorated with lanterns.

The post station was unusually quiet, seemingly because the capture of ten secret agents by the Embroidered Uniform Guard had created a sense of oppression among the elite members of the guard.

in the hall.

Swish!

Ying Taotie appeared in the hall and bowed to Chu Xiu, who was sitting in the main seat, saying, "Greetings, Lord Marquis."

"No need to be polite."

Chu Xiu waved his hand and said to Ying Taotie.

"Thank you, Lord Marquis."

Ying Taotie thanked Chu Xiu.

"Tell me, have you found Shimen Village?"

Chu Xiu said calmly.

Based on the timeline, it should have been found by now.

After all, the experts sent out to find Shimen Village this time were from the Shadow Guard Elder Hall, true Immortal Realm level beings.

Thanks to the concealment technique he bestowed upon them, even a Xuanxian realm cultivator would be unable to detect their presence.

If we still can't find Shimen Village even after all this, then that would be a strange thing.

"Reporting to the Marquis, we now know the location of Shimen Village."

"Moreover, we have already ascertained the strength of Shimen Village."

Ying Taotie nodded and said with utmost respect.

"Oh?"

"How strong is this Shimen Village? They actually dared to scheme against my Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Chu Xiu raised an eyebrow and asked Ying Taotie.

"Reporting to the Marquis, in Shimen Village, there is a village chief at the peak of the ninth level of the True Immortal Realm, and a strategist at the minor completion of the seventh level of the True Immortal Realm."

"The chieftain's name is Xu Tianba, and the strategist's name is Qi Xiuwen."

"The entire Shimen Village has a full 50,000 elite troops."

"These 50,000 elite troops are comparable to the Imperial Guard!"

"These 50,000 elite troops were trained using the Vermilion Bird Battle Formation."

Ying Taotie said solemnly.

"The Vermilion Bird Battle Formation of the State Soldiers?"

"So, this chieftain Xu Tianba is actually a general from our Great Zhou Dynasty?"

Chu Xiu's eyes narrowed, and he asked Ying Taotie.

"Reporting to the Marquis, this person should be a general of our Great Zhou Dynasty, but I have not seen him, so I cannot tell his identity or background."

"And the elders of our Shadow Guard Elder Hall have not stepped out of the Elder Hall for many years, and they do not know our Great Zhou Dynasty generals."

"However, I am certain that this person is either a general of our Great Zhou Dynasty or was once a general of our Great Zhou Dynasty."

“As soon as I see this person, I will be able to tell his identity and background.”

Ying Taotie considered for a moment before speaking.

"That's interesting. The chieftain of a mountain stronghold was once a general of our Great Zhou Dynasty, and he even trained 50,000 elite troops in such a stronghold that are no less than the Imperial Guards."

"The person behind him is no ordinary person!"

Chu Xiu said with a playful smile.

From the moment Chu Xiu learned that Xu Tianba had trained 50,000 elite soldiers, he had already guessed that Xu Tianba must have been training someone else.

After all, Xu Tianba's Shimen Village was hidden in a dense forest, a place rarely visited by people, and shrouded in clouds and mist all year round.

Such places are unlikely to be frequented by thieves or robbers, and they wouldn't even easily show themselves.

Because showing himself could expose the fact that he was training troops here.

If he didn't rob and plunder, where would Xu Tianba get the money to train his elite troops?

"My lord, besides these 50,000 elite troops, our Shadow Guard has also discovered a secret."

Ying Taotie hesitated for a moment, then spoke to Chu Xiu.

"What secret?"

Chu Xiu glanced at Ying Taotie and said calmly.

"Reporting to the Marquis, we have discovered demonic energy deep within Shimen Village."

"Although there is only one aura, this demonic aura is incredibly powerful."

"It's very likely a demon at the Mystic Immortal Realm!"

Ying Taotie said with utmost solemnity.

"Demons and monsters of the Mystic Immortal Realm?"

"The Heavenly Demon Sect?"

A glint of light flashed in Chu Xiu's eyes as he spoke in a deep voice.

"Reporting to the Marquis, it should be a remnant of the Heavenly Demon Sect, most likely one of the Heavenly Demon Sect's Xuanxian Realm level Dharma Kings."

"Within the Heavenly Demon Sect, only those whose cultivation level reaches the Profound Immortal Realm can become a Dharma King."

"The Dharma King holds an extremely high position within the Heavenly Demon Sect, serving as both left and right Dharma Protectors."

Above the left and right protectors is the sect leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect.

"It's a shadowy creature," Ying Taotie said softly.

"The Heavenly Demon Sect?"

"Elite troops?"

"This proves that Xu Tianba is definitely not a member of the Heavenly Demon Sect."

"It should be that the Heavenly Demon Sect is colluding with the person behind Xu Tianba, and the Heavenly Demon Sect attaches great importance to this person, which is why they specially dispatched a Xuanxian Realm Dharma King to guard the Stone Gate Village, which can also be regarded as protecting this elite force under Xu Tianba."

“Training an army in secret means that the person behind Xu Tianba wants to rebel or seize the throne.”

"Ying Taotie, do you think the person behind Xu Tianba is the Prince of Yan, or Dugu Ba, the governor of Liangzhou?"

Chu Xiu smiled slightly and looked at Ying Taotie, asking a question.

The Prince of Yan and the Heavenly Demon Sect are definitely in cahoots.

However, he has never obtained this piece of evidence.

Chu Xiu didn't know whether Dugu Ba, the governor of Liangzhou, was colluding with the Heavenly Demon Sect.

The reason for this speculation is simply because Shimenzhai is located at the northern end of the Minshan Mountains, within the territory of Liangzhou.

"Your Excellency, I am unaware."

Ying Taotie shook her head and said.

"Alright, I won't make things difficult for you anymore."

Chu Xiu smiled and said to Ying Taotie.

"Thank you, Lord Marquis."

Ying Taotie breathed a sigh of relief and said with a sense of relief.

"Besides these, does Shimen Village have any other forces?"

Chu Xiu smiled and looked at Ying Taotie, asking a question.

"Reporting to the Marquis, in addition to these, Xu Tianba also has a personal guard of three thousand men."

"The weakest of this personal guards is the Ascending Immortal Realm, and they have a large number of Heavenly Human Realm and even Human Immortal Realm warriors."

"Their strength should not be underestimated."

Ying Taotie said respectfully, "This humble servant has already instructed our Shadow Guard elders to keep a close eye on Shimen Village."

As soon as Xu Tianba leaves with his men, we'll definitely know immediately.

"very good."

Chu Xiu nodded slightly, a satisfied look on his face, and said.

The voice just fell.

A shadow guard appeared out of thin air in the hall, handed a note to Ying Taotie, and then disappeared from the hall.

"Reporting to the Marquis, Xu Tianba has left Shimen Village with three thousand personal guards and is heading towards the post station."

"At their speed, they could arrive at the post station in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

"Qi Xiuwen is stationed in Shimen Village."

“Demons at the Xuanxian realm level are also hiding in the shadows, coming with Xu Tianba.”

"Our Shadow Guard elders are asking whether it is necessary to take action to rescue the ten Embroidered Uniform Guard spies who are imprisoned in the Stone Gate dungeon."

Ying Taotie opened the note, glanced at it, and said to Chu Xiu.

Neither Chu Xiu nor Ying Taotie had any worries after learning that there was a demon at the Xuanxian realm.

Since Empress Murong Si knew that Chu Xiu had left the capital and come to Liangzhou, she would definitely send a real expert to protect him in secret.

"No need. Tell the Shadow Guard Elder not to alert the enemy."

"After dealing with Xu Tianba, we will head to Shimen Village and raze the entire village to the ground."

Chu Xiu stood with his hands behind his back and spoke calmly.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will obey your command."

Ying Taotie responded and then disappeared in a flash.

"Now we're just waiting for Xu Tianba to arrive."

Chu Xiu said with a murderous aura, "I want to see who's really behind Xu Tianba!"