Northwest, Shu Region.
Perennially plagued by war and extre weather, the Shu Region remains desolate year-round. The parched land yields no crops, and in winter, thick snow blankets the earth like a heavy quilt.
At a cliff bordering the Great Jin Dynasty, King of Shu, Zhao Yuhuan, clad in a black velvet cloak, gazes deeply into the distance with sunken eyes:
"Soldiers!"
"The Great Jin Dynasty is so prosperous, its people live in peace and contentnt, free from the cold and hunger. Do you envy them?"
Behind him, the setting sun reflects off the black armor of hundreds of thousands, creating a shimring wave. In the sky, hidden deep within the clouds, countless cultivators can be faintly seen floating.
"Envy!"
All the hot-blooded n of Shu roared, their voices piercing the heavens, their montum unstoppable.
Their fervent gazes converged on the upright figure of the King of Shu, as if they were admiring the heroic posture of a deity.
Each of them knew exactly what they were doing—defying the Empress, committing an act of rebellion that would be condemned for generations.
But no one regretted it. For their holand, for the countless lights behind them that must not be extinguished by the storm, they were willing to bear eternal infamy!
"Do you want to conquer the Great Jin, to gain food and beauties?"
"Yes!"
"But the Empress is indifferent to the people of Shu, letting us fend for ourselves here. Tell , should I rebel?"
"Yes!"
A smile appeared on Zhao Yuhuan's weathered, furrowed face.
Stirring the people's hearts, performing righteous acts, and advocating for the people's welfare under the banner of justice is an eternal tactic, but also the most effective.
In fact, the Empress had never abandoned the people of Shu. She had been tirelessly helping them, with a quarter of the national budget flowing into the Shu Region. Even knowing Zhao Yuhuan's treacherous ambitions, her response was always the sa: the people are innocent, if the King of Shu dares to rebel, I will dare to kill!
But the foolish people did not know. They did not know that the Empress was about to forge an immortal-grade spiritual treasure that could change the climate, driving away the harsh winter and revitalizing the soil of the Shu Region.
It was because of this that Zhao Yuhuan felt a sense of crisis. He feared that the Empress would completely win over the hearts of the people of Shu, leaving him with no opportunity. Thus, he launched his plan prematurely.
Zhao Yuhuan glanced at the fervent soldiers, sneering inwardly:
Foolish people, thinking that I am the savior sent by the heavens to rescue them, not knowing that I am the demon leading them into the abyss, and they have mistakenly turned their blades against the true deity.
"Report! Urgent news from a thousand miles away!"
Suddenly, a cultivator of the Mountain Moving Realm shattered the void, expending his energy to rush over, shouting:
"Your Majesty, most of the county officials we secretly turned have been killed! It was General Qin Fenghuo who personally took action. The bandit troubles across the Great Jin have also been quelled by the army!"
"What!!!"
Zhao Yuhuan's defenses crumbled instantly. He grabbed the cultivator by the collar and roared:
"How is that possible? Even if the Empress reacted quickly, she couldn't have slaughtered officials without first uncovering the truth."
The ssenger cultivator stamred:
"I don't know, but it's true. I saw General Qin Fenghuo chop off a county official's head with my own eyes..."
Zhao Yuhuan staggered back a few steps, viciously throwing the cultivator aside.
He couldn't understand how the Empress had the audacity to kill officials on a large scale without knowing the truth, without fearing the panic it would cause.
Moreover, the Empress had always looked down on him, never considering Zhao Yuhuan a significant threat. She had mostly adopted a laissez-faire attitude towards his actions. Why had she suddenly changed her approach this ti?
Zhao Yuhuan imdiately contacted Zhao Gou, questioning:
"Do you know why the Empress suddenly sent Qin Fenghuo to eliminate the officials I turned?"
Holding the jade slip for long-distance communication, Zhao Gou was struck like lightning, exclaiming:
"What! Does this an our first phase of the plan has completely failed?"
The first phase of the plan was roughly as follows: Zhao Gou would infiltrate the capital, assassinate the Empress's advisor Jiang Canghai, turning her into a headless chicken. Then, they would incite bandit troubles, attacking on multiple fronts, surely causing the Empress to be overwheld, plunging the Great Jin Dynasty into chaos. At that mont, Zhao Yuhuan would reveal his trump card—a hidden army of 1.5 million soldiers, storming the capital...
But now, Zhao Gou had been discovered, accomplishing nothing and even losing a precious avatar.
Jiang Canghai was still alive.
The bandit troubles had been quelled, and the turned officials were all dead.
This ant the first phase of the plan had utterly failed. The only option left was to abandon all sches and engage in an open battle.
The success rate had plumted by more than fifty percent!
Zhao Gou was heartbroken, struggling to breathe, and said with difficulty: "I don't know. The Empress secretly sent Qin Fenghuo."
Zhao Yuhuan angrily retorted:
"Impossible! Could the Empress foresee the future? If so, why would I rebel?"
"That's true..." Zhao Gou suddenly rembered ng Qingzhou, the one who caused him to lose his avatar, and said:
"I rember soone! The Empress's husband, ng Qingzhou! He has a very strange ability to foresee the future. He once told that Shu would rebel and even accurately described my plan, leading to my avatar being captured."
Zhao Yuhuan rembered Zhao Gou ntioning this once, but he hadn't taken it seriously at the ti. Now, he regretted it deeply.
He should have suppressed ng Qingzhou in advance instead of inciting the bandit troubles!
This man was more threatening than the Empress.
No wonder!
I wondered why the Empress suddenly beca so clever. It turns out there was a demon advising her! Damn ng Qingzhou, ruining my plans ti and again!
"I want you to silence ng Qingzhou within three days. Can you do it?" Zhao Yuhuan demanded.
Zhao Gou solemnly replied: "I will not fail you!"
After hanging up the jade slip, Zhao Gou's expression grew serious. He hadn't expected that in just one week, a plan that had been in the works for years would be completely overturned by a blind Empress's husband who appeared out of nowhere.
"Half-step Mountain Moving Realm Wu Die can change her appearance and simulate others' auras at will. Assassinating a re mortal shouldn't be difficult."
Zhao Gou had great confidence in Wu Die and believed in her loyalty, especially since her supposed brother was still in his hands.
With this in mind, Zhao Gou took out a strange eyeball emitting a powerful and supre aura from his storage ring.
This eyeball was the remnant of a Great Being of the Morning Glow Realm, once known as the invincible double-pupil.
Anyone marked by this eyeball could be monitored from a distance, regardless of the distance or the strength of the surrounding restrictions.
Wu Die had naturally been marked by him.
Zhao Gou activated the eyeball, and the dark cave was instantly illuminated with dazzling light.
Then, a light screen projected from the eyeball.
Zhao Gou looked over expectantly, and then he saw...
In a courtyard filled with various exotic spiritual plants, under a peach blossom tree, a handso young man in a blue robe with a black silk band covering his eyes sat opposite Wu Die, who had changed her appearance and aura.
"Sir, what gift are you preparing for the Empress's birthday banquet?" Wu Die asked, resting her chin on her hands, gazing at ng Qingzhou.
ng Qingzhou smiled and replied:
"I haven't decided yet."
Wu Die asked again: "Then, sir, how do you train the Big Yellow Dog?"
ng Qingzhou answered seriously: "If it doesn't listen, I hit it. If it listens, I feed it!"
...
The two of them asked and answered, peach blossoms falling around them, creating a picturesque scene.
A handso man and a beautiful woman, the atmosphere harmonious, like a couple flirting.
"Damn it!!" Zhao Gou saw this scene, his vision went black, and he fell straight backward.
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