Atop the Star-gazing Tower.
Gu Shicun leaned over the balustrade, surveying the night scene of the Capital City, which lay spread out before him. If one looked closely, they would notice that his gaze was directed toward the Pri Minister’s residence.
The State Preceptor stood by his side, occasionally glancing up at the sky with a slight frown on his brow.
"State Preceptor, can I directly dismiss the Pri Minister now?" Gu Shiming said calmly, "These days, the streets are full of rumors about the Heavenly Demon, saying that it’s because I appointed the Heavenly Demon as the Pri Minister that today’s chaos has ensued. If I heed the will of the people and remove the Pri Minister, there shouldn’t be any problem with that."
"Your Majesty," the State Preceptor fell silent for a mont before he spoke, "The Pri Minister is but a short-lived star, not worth our concern. The world is now plagued by demons, and the celestial signs are obscure, hard to discern. In my opinion, Your Majesty should wait and see how things unfold, letting the Pri Minister and the Demon Star struggle against each other. If you were to remove the Pri Minister now, it might lead to the calamity of brotherly strife."
"Calamity of brotherly strife?" Gu Shicun suddenly turned around, with an air of authority that was imposing without anger, "Are you talking about the Fourth Prince?"
The State Preceptor bowed deeply to the ground and didn’t dare to raise his head for a long ti.
After a long while.
Gu Shicun’s emotions seed to have settled sowhat, "State Preceptor, rise. I don’t suspect you, just speak honestly with ."
The State Preceptor stood up straight, letting out a sigh, "As of late, after the list of Heavenly Demons was published, the celestial patterns have been thrown into disarray. The once high-flying Empress Star also seems to be tottering. Only the Demon Star, Minister Star, Sky Mansion Guest Star, Martial Star, Red Luan Star, Earthly Lonely Star, and General Star and others seem to echo each other from afar, as if they are poised to sweep across the world.
Upon my analysis, these ten stars correspond exactly to the ten people on the list. And the Sky Mansion Guest Star supports the Sky Mansion Star, with the Sky Mansion Star being the Fourth Prince. Thus, I boldly speculate that the Fourth Prince might harbor thoughts of rebellion. Of course, the Prince might also be misled by his advisers, so I dare not make any rash assertions."
Gu Shiming looked up at the sky. The stars twinkled innurably, revealing nothing particular. He leaned on the railing again, alternately observing the Pri Minister’s residence and the Prince’s estate, deep in thought.
"Your Majesty," the State Preceptor took a step forward, "With Your Majesty presiding over the Capital City, neither the Pri Minister nor the Fourth Prince will be able to stir up much trouble for the ti being, so I would like to leave the capital for a while."
"Where to?" Gu Shicun asked.
"Linyang City," the State Preceptor replied, "General Cao Lin has mobilized his troops toward Linyang. I intend to lend General Cao a helping hand, and et that Demon Star who has thrown the world into chaos."
"You don’t have a high opinion of Cao Lin?" Gu Shicun frowned again.
"I wish to see for myself what extraordinary qualities this Demon Star possesses," said the State Preceptor diplomatically.
"Very well, I’ll have Eunuch Liu accompany you," Gu Shicun declared.
"Your Majesty, Eunuch Liu must stay to secure the Capital City and protect Your Majesty’s safety. I shall go alone," the State Preceptor said with a smile, "Your Majesty, Cao Lin is a Grandmaster, and I have the power of a Grandmaster too. With two Grandmasters working together, the Demon Star, no matter how talented, will have no escape from fate."
"Alright," Gu Shicun looked at the State Preceptor and nodded, "You must be cautious on this trip, State Preceptor. If the situation is beyond reach, do not insist on taking action. The nation cannot be without its State Preceptor for a single day."
"This servant understands," the State Preceptor bowed deeply.
...
"Imperial Master, General Cao Lin is leading thirty thousand troops on a forced march straight to Linyang. He will arrive in Linyang City in five days. At present, Linyang City has only ten thousand elite soldiers at most, and there are no natural defenses to rely on. Once General Cao arrives, our side can hold out for at most one day."
Huangfu Yue reported recent intelligence to Duge, "Linyang City is in a state of panic, the citizens are all discussing the identity of the Imperial Master, saying that the Imperial Master is the Heavenly Demon who has co to wreak havoc among the people..."
As she spoke,
she sneaked a glance at Duge, and suddenly forgave him for his actions.
If he were a normal man who had done those things to her, he would be a pervert. But if it’s the Heavenly Demon, then such acts would be all too normal. Aren’t all Heavenly Demons evil? The way the Princess looked at him, her eyes soft with sentint, maybe she too had been matured by his ’training’...
"The people’s hearts are not with us?" Duge asked with a smile.
"The hearts of the people are not with us," Huangfu Yue confird, "Cao Lin’s reputation is too grand. He is a god of war raised from the ranks, with almost no defeats to his na. Upon hearing that they have to face him, many soldiers tasked with defending the city have lost their morale to an extre low. Otherwise, I would not think that Linyang City could only hold out for one day."
A god of war, huh?
Duge pondered. He knew of Cao Lin, a small soldier from a prisoner-of-war camp, who climbed the ranks step by step through the military cultivation technique to beco a Grandmaster and reach the position of a general.
A man’s reputation casts a long shadow.
Even without the thirty thousand soldiers under his command, he alone could tear through Linyang City’s defenses.
When all is said and done,
Luo Shuang, Huangfu Yue, and he himself had too little prestige.
Having never fought a major battle, they were not worthy of the soldiers’ and civilians’ trust, let alone the fact that they had only occupied Linyang City for barely more than ten days. Most likely, in the eyes of the citizens of Linyang, they were still considered nothing more than roaming bandits.
"Are Grandmasters formidable?" Duge looked at the more than ten Innate Experts sent by Gu Shiming and asked, "Could you withstand a few moves from a Grandmaster?"
The faces of these Innate Experts changed on the spot.
After a long ti,
one of the Innate Experts stood out and said with a bitter smile, "Imperial Master, you have overestimated us. A Grandmaster can sever rivers and move mountains with his own strength. Not to ntion a few moves, I’m afraid that together, we couldn’t even withstand a single strike."
"One move?" Duge frowned, saying, "Why don’t all of you make your move with full force and try to withstand one move from ."
The list of the top ten was announced.
No one knows how many alien warriors helped promote them, but Duge’s attributes surged dramatically. Having revealed his identity, he then prompted figures like Shi Pingchuan to follow suit and reveal theirs.
Inadvertently, he had set yet another trend.
Almost single-handedly, he had altered the situation on the Alien Battlefield, influencing the course of every nation involved.
Inevitably, his attributes spiked again, and in these few days, Duge’s progress in cultivation was extraordinarily rapid. He had almost mastered the Dragon Teeth cultivation technique, reaching the Innate Realm, with his True Qi endlessly circulating.
After that, his cultivation ca to a standstill, likely constrained by the limitations of the technique.
Busy as he was, he had no ti for combat with others and had no clue what level his power had reached. This was an excellent opportunity to test himself, to see if he could withstand Grandmasters, split rivers, move mountains...
From what they described about Grandmasters, the martial prowess of this world’s Grandmasters seed to peak at what equals the Divinity Transformation Realm in other alien battlefields, and didn’t appear to be so heaven-defying.
In Leng Shi’s mory, he had never seen a Grandmaster-level individual in action,
In Dragon Teeth, reaching the Innate Realm already classified one as a top fighter.
After posting the notice, when no individuals from Qiyuan Star ca to join him, Duge had no choice but to prepare for the worst, count on himself to reverse the adverse situation.
It was extrely difficult for one person to face an entire nation without the suitable skills.
Too hard.
Those damn Pan-Universe Entertainnt people, for the sake of their viewership ratings, considered their lives as nothing. Sooner or later, he would put those from Pan-Universe Entertainnt on leashes and throw them onto the Alien Battlefield, to entertain the public as well.
...
Martial Arts Stage.
Duge stood opposite more than a dozen Innate Experts.
Below the stage were thousands of soldiers watching the event.
With morale low, showcasing personal martial power was good dicine to lift spirits, and Duge wasn’t about to miss any opportunity to exploit this.
Huangfu Yue held her long spear below the stage, her eyes sharp, trying to pierce through to Duge’s true level of martial skills on the stage. She was eager to see just how skilled Duge was in martial arts without the aid of art techniques.
Luo Shuang stood behind her, arms crossed, looking tense.
She had seldom seen Duge in action, and her impression of him was still based on the martial skills he displayed while pursuing her.
Back then, Duge’s martial skills were fairly ordinary, on par with her guards.
In subsequent encounters, he had relied on Water Series art techniques, and she didn’t understand why her master suddenly decided to challenge Innate Experts.
Yet, she also held a faint expectation, as it was said that the Heavenly Demon could grow through attributes. In the past month, her master hadn’t refrained from using vines to torture her in various ways—surely her status as a princess must have boosted his attributes significantly!
"Gentlen, please," Duge gestured with his hand on the Martial Arts Stage.
"Imperial master, please," responded the group of Innate Experts, looking at each other hesitantly, not making a move. They were waiting for Duge to attack first.
There was no water on the Martial Arts Stage, which was akin to tying a magician’s hands and feet.
They felt that once they made a move, Duge would no longer have the strength to retaliate, so they intended to leave him a chance to show off in front of the army.
Duge saw through their intentions, smiled faintly, and with a blur of his figure, he appeared like a phantom in between the ten individuals.
The more than a dozen Innate Experts saw a blur before their eyes and before they could react, they heard a ripping sound and felt lighter. By the ti they collected themselves, they found their clothes had been pulled away by Duge, standing there bare-chested.
Gulp!
The more than a dozen Innate Experts all swallowed in unison, their faces turning very unsightly in an instant.
This skill, this speed?
A Half-Step Grandmaster?
...
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