Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

At this moment, inside the inner city of Tiandu, within Prince Huai's Mansion.

In the midst of a particularly spacious hall, King Huai and Master Gongsun were sitting here, with an incense burner beside them, from which strands of smoke were slowly rising.

After brewing a pot of tea, Master Gongsun handed it to King Huai, a trace of worry surfacing on his face as he said, "Your Highness, the current situation in the world seems to have truly descended into chaos."

King Huai picked up the tea, lightly sipped the fragrant liquid, and in his deep eyes, there was also a hint of solemnity.

Nowadays, not to mention the various states, just within Shen Zhou alone, a large number of demons and specters have suddenly appeared, launching attacks in all directions!

Furthermore, the forces from the demonic cults have also emerged, commencing the slaughter of the common people. Fortunately, due to previous battles with the demonic cults, Da Xia had taken precautions; so although there were losses, they remained within an acceptable range.

All of these developments trace back to seven days ago.

That day, the echoes of Da Xia's victory over Da Yuan still lingered, and the people of Tiandu were still immersed in excitement— the Crown Prince included.

It was on that day that several monstrous specters emerged in Liyang Mansion, and these specters did not come from the Six Union God Sect's release but rather descended abruptly upon the nine provinces!

Fortunately, the local government responded in time, and with the presence of a stationed army and the timely arrival of the Jing Tian Department, these monstrous specters were successfully slain.

Indeed, not just in Shen Zhou, but across all the major provinces of the world, on the same day, a great many specters emerged!

It was owing to the mass appearance of specters that the Six Union God Sect reemerged as well, continuously gathering specters to strengthen their own power.

That even a Martial Grandmaster of the Innate Realm like Master Gongsun would show a trace of concern on his face indicated just how severe the world's situation had become.

"Your Highness, with the current situation, as time goes by, will there be even more specters descending upon the nine provinces?" Master Gongsun asked with a frown.

With his status as an Innate Realm Martial Grandmaster and as a trusted confidant of King Huai, he naturally knew why specters had appeared in the nine provinces.

Specters, vile creatures that were antagonistic to the Human Clan or to all living beings of the nine provinces, did not originate from the provinces themselves but came from beyond this realm!

It could be said that specters were invaders in the world of the nine provinces. Their emergence, their very reason for existence, was to annihilate the Human Clan, to destroy all living beings in the nine provinces, and even to obliterate the entire world.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Therefore, the Human Clan and specters were inherently irreconcilable; without slaying the specters, the entire nine provinces would one day be laid to ruin.

However, even Master Gongsun and King Huai were only aware that the specters came from beyond, but as for the specific origins and reasons why they had descended upon the nine provinces, the two of them were not entirely clear.

This was a matter, perhaps known only to the Emperor of Da Xia, the Grand Commander of the Jing Tian Department, the Tower Supervisor of the Mingjing Department, and the Tower Supervisor of the Qintian Monitor.

Beyond them, only the six great holy lands.

And the changes that occurred over these seven days did not stop there.

After returning to Da Yuan, Zha Jiedunzhu soon released news that the Human Emperor of Da Xia had failed his heavenly tribulation, had vanished, and might even have fallen.

Once this statement was made, there was an immediate uproar across the nine provinces; some did not believe it, while others were dubious.

But no matter what, the matter of the Emperor's tribulation was brought up again, and everyone's attention was once again focused on this issue.

Zha Jiedunzhu's words held credibility; what Da Yuan had done in Tiandu had long been spread far and wide. If the Emperor were still around, with his temperament, how could Zha Jiedunzhu possibly escape? He would have been killed by the Emperor on the spot, his blood spilling five steps.

Moreover, a vital point was that since undergoing the tribulation, the Emperor had not shown himself, further leading the lords across the land to harbor doubts.

So much time had passed, they had already concluded secretly that even if the Emperor had not died, he must have been severely injured and was recuperating in seclusion somewhere.

The difficulty of ascending to the realm of the Heavenly Man is well known; the stronger one's martial prowess, the clearer the understanding.

If it were so easy, then there would not be tens of thousands of years without the birth of a martial artist in the realm of the Heavenly Man in the nine provinces.

This point was unavoidable. Everyone privy to the inside story understood that this matter would inevitably be perceived by the people of the world and could not be delayed for long.

Once this affair was confirmed, the already turbulent undercurrents of the nine provinces would definitely plunge into great chaos!

The disappearance of the Emperor was a signal for the great chaos of the nine provinces!

With his presence, no one dared to act recklessly, but once this pinnacle figure, able to stabilize the world, was gone, the nine provinces would surely descend into chaos.

"An age of turmoil is approaching," Master Gongsun sighed.

After Da Yuan released the news of the Emperor's disappearance, and possible demise, the various martial arts factions in the Central Plains began to stir with ambition towards Da Xia.

After all, martial artists are inherently rebellious, and spilling blood at the slightest disagreement is common; conflicts occur daily within the martial fraternity.

Furthermore, the Emperor had suppressed these martial artists for a full twenty-three years, and the Jing Tian Department loomed over them like a sharp sword, the Central Plains martial community—or rather, the entirety of the nine provinces—had long grown weary of living in such constant trepidation.

Moreover, with the increasingly severe disaster of the specters, top forces in the martial world like the Seven Sects and Eight Factions might very well take action against Da Xia at some point, seeking to overthrow Da Xia's rule.

At that moment, as if thinking of something, Master Gongsun slightly furrowed his brow and said, "Your Highness, there's something I don't understand and I hope you can enlighten me."

"Speak," King Huai nodded slightly.

Mr. Gongsun said, "These jianghu warriors want to overthrow Da Xia, but have they considered who will deal with the demons causing chaos in the world once Da Xia falls?"

The "jianghu warriors" he referred to naturally means the top forces of the Central Plains' jianghu, such as the Seven Sects, Eight Factions, and Three Great Sects.

King Huai put down his cup and said indifferently, "The Six Sacred Lands."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Gongsun's gaze sharpened as he said, "Will the Six Sacred Lands take action against demons?"

When King Huai heard this, for the first time, a hint of disdain appeared on his face as he said, "The Six Sacred Lands will not act. Unless one day, demons are about to destroy Shen Zhou, they will remain indifferent, no matter how many people die in the nine states."

"So these jianghu warriors still want to join forces against Da Xia?" Mr. Gongsun was even more puzzled.

With an expressionless face, King Huai said, "A bunch of martial artists, at best, how far can their vision reach? They think that with the Six Sacred Lands around and relying on their own strength, even if the number of demons increases, they can still protect themselves.

A group of frogs in a well, completely oblivious to the true nature of the Six Sacred Lands, have overestimated themselves and underestimated the demons."

"They have never known the truth of this world and have not realized the severity of the demon threat!"

Mr. Gongsun nodded slowly upon hearing this; the fact that demons came from beyond this realm was top secret, and even he knew it only because of King Huai.

Not many among the top forces in the jianghu knew this, and, as King Huai said, these jianghu warriors felt secure because of the Six Sacred Lands, so they were not worried about the demons.

There will always be those who hold on to a stroke of luck, thinking that if Da Xia can suppress the demons, then there's no reason they can't do it by joining forces.

Compared to the demons, they detest Da Xia even more, this presence looming over their heads.

No one likes to be suppressed, let alone fierce and unyielding martial artists.

Throughout history, the jianghu and the imperial court have always been clearly divided, each minding their own business without interfering with the other; the imperial court was also unable to suppress the forces of the jianghu.

It was only during the reign of the Emperor of Summer that this unparalleled ruler suppressed everything with his supreme power.

Now with the Emperor of Summer missing, the warriors of the jianghu in the nine states believed this was their best opportunity.

Of course, as to the current national strength of Da Xia and the remaining power of the Jing Tian Department, they were unaware, so they wouldn't take action in the short term.

However, for the Jing Tian Department to restrain them as before would not be so easy anymore.

Therefore, the current situation was that Da Xia had fallen into a multi-faceted siege, virtually becoming the public enemy of the nine states.

At this moment, King Huai continued, "A few days ago, news came from Yan State that the barbarian tribes on the border are stirring. The Marquis of Pingxi wants to increase the troops and is asking the court and the Crown Prince for military provisions."

Mr. Gongsun curiously asked, "How many troops does the Marquis of Pingxi want to increase?"

"Two hundred thousand troops," King Huai replied indifferently.

"Two hundred thousand?!"

Mr. Gongsun was shocked at the news, as currently, under the Marquis of Pingxi, there were already six hundred thousand troops on the border of Yan State, which was the most elite troop of Da Xia, costing an astronomical sum in military provisions every year.

Now, with the Marquis of Pingxi wanting to increase by two hundred thousand, the number of his troops would reach a total of eight hundred thousand. Eight hundred thousand men, even if they did nothing but eat every day, would be a huge expense!

Furthermore, there was more than one troop under the command of Da Xia. If the news of the Marquis of Pingxi's troop increase spread, other places would certainly make the same request. If the troops were increased across the board, without doing anything else, just those military provisions alone could bleed Da Xia dry!

"The Marquis of Pingxi's letter mentioned that the barbarian tribes have found something in the depths of the Hundred Thousand Mountains that has greatly increased their strength. Now, with the news of the Emperor's disappearance, they have been restless on the border. That is why he requested reinforcements from Tiandu," said King Huai.

"But isn't two hundred thousand a bit too much? Did Your Highness agree?" Mr. Gongsun asked.

King Huai shook his head and said, "How could that be possible? Such a precedent cannot be set. Once established, others would also begin to ask, and besides, the Marquis of Pingxi has been in charge of the Yan State border for so many years, turning it into an impregnable stronghold. Apart from him, even I would have no say if I went there. My nephew is not foolish; he can vaguely sense something."

Mr. Gongsun's pupils contracted upon hearing this, and looking at King Huai, he said, "Your Highness, are you suggesting that the Marquis of Pingxi, he..."

King Huai remained calm and spoke indifferently, "It is still too early to talk about these things. With the Emperor missing, many have developed other aspirations, which I understand. To have aspirations is acceptable, but if anyone dares to reach out and engage in actions that endanger Da Xia, then the nature of their actions changes."

Even though King Huai put these words out lightly, Mr. Gongsun, who was familiar with King Huai's character, could not help but feel a chill instinctively.

Despite being a frail, non-martial person, King Huai somehow often managed to exude a tremendous sense of authority, perhaps what comes with being a person of extraordinary destiny who has been in a high position for a long time.

If such cases of disobedience by the Marquis of Pingxi were considered throughout the history of the nine states, they were not really uncommon.

What happens next would depend on the personal choices of the Marquis of Pingxi himself.

However, at least for the time being, the Marquis of Pingxi would not likely take any drastic actions.

"What about you? Have you received any news recently?" King Huai asked Mr. Gongsun.

Upon hearing this, a serious expression appeared on Mr. Gongsun's face. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Your Highness, I have an important matter to report!"

Seeing his reaction, King Huai slightly frowned and asked, "What is it?"

Mr. Gongsun spoke gravely, "I have heard that the leader of the Six Union God Sect, Dugu Yun, did not die three hundred years ago and is currently presiding over the Six Union God Sect!"