Deputy Officer Zhang

Not far from the Shiyu City Branch, atop a not-too-high mountain, Yue Qianchou stood with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance. Wisps of smoke occasionally rose from the hills, from villages or hunters, it was unclear. Looking north, the entire outline of the capital of the Yaxi Kingdom could be seen, a vast and desolate landscape.

Guan Zhongkai and Yu Landu stood behind him, neither of them knowing what he was thinking. They stood there motionless for a long time. Not daring to disturb him, they exchanged glances while secretly communicating through telepathy.

Cultivators frequently flew overhead, a rare occurrence, and it was unclear what urgent matters they might be in. It was estimated that these flying cultivators wouldn't even notice the three people on the mountaintop. However, Guan Zhongkai and Yu Landu occasionally looked up.

"Why do you think these cultivators who soar through the sky would rule over the hardworking mortals on this earth?" Yue Qianchou suddenly pointed to the bustling capital city in the distance and asked.

Guan Zhongkai and Yu Landu exchanged a glance, wondering why he had asked such a question, but it was indeed a difficult one to answer. One's grandmaster and one's master were both lords of their own territories. How could they presume to make judgments?

But he couldn't just not reply. Guan Zhongkai stepped forward and said with a smile, "Mortals are mostly ignorant, how can they be worthy of ruling the world? We cultivators roam the world, with broad vision, and are naturally qualified to rule them."

Yu Landu also stepped forward and said, "With your cultivation level, Senior, you will become a lord of your own territory sooner or later, there is no doubt about that."

Yue Qianchou glanced around and asked, "When did this rule, that cultivators are forbidden from interfering in worldly affairs, originate?"

"Uh..." The two of them were taken aback at the same time, exchanging questioning glances. They both shook their heads slightly. Guan Zhongkai replied, "This rule has been around for a long time, but we really don't know when it came about. Why do you ask this, senior?"

Yue Qianchou said calmly, "Do you think everyone has followed this rule?"

"Of course!" Guan Zhongkai said with certainty, "Cultivators in the Cultivation World generally do not meddle in worldly affairs, as everyone knows."

"Then why do each country still have lords who influence each country, like your grandmaster Yin Baikang and your master Shangguan Taiping? Aren't they interfering in worldly affairs?" Yue Qianchou asked.

Guan Zhongkai remained silent, Yu Landu gave him a wink and smiled as she continued, "This is also for the good of ordinary people. With lords in charge, each country will not descend into chaos. Otherwise, with ordinary people fighting for power and profit, how could there not be conflicts in hundreds of countries? I'm afraid there would be wars every day, and it would be the ordinary people who suffer."

"Yes, yes, that's exactly right," Guan Zhongkai echoed.

"As far as I know, once a lord of one country is eliminated by a lord of another country, that is the beginning of a secular war. It begins with the annexation of the defeated country's territory." Yue Qianchou turned around and looked at the two of them, saying, "That's why almost every lord puts pressure on the secular emperor, making them keep a constant state of war prepared for the time when they want to annex territory."

"This..." Yu Landu said with a wry smile, "It has been like this for countless years, why does Senior have to worry about these mortals?"

Guan Zhongkai nodded and said, "Yes! Yes!"

Yue Qianchou glanced coldly at the two of them and continued, "Because countries maintain a constant state of war, the heavy burden of corvée labor and taxes causes the common people to suffer year after year. Even if they wanted to rebel, they would never have a chance to rise up because of the interference of the Cultivation World. The powerful and wealthy in these countries, backed by the influence of the Cultivation World, are not afraid of their power being overthrown, and they take the opportunity to act recklessly and arbitrarily exploit the common people. When a regime is corrupt and no longer viable, it should be overthrown. This is the normal law. The forced intervention of the Cultivation World goes against the natural order."

"Ah!" The two of them were taken aback at the same time. They really didn't know what to say; Yue Qianchou's words had somewhat overturned their usual understanding. Yu Landu tentatively asked, "Senior, what do you mean?"

"Hehe! Don't be surprised, I was just saying." Yue Qianchou smiled and turned around, knowing there was no point in saying these things to them. His eyes narrowed, flashing with a cold light, as he once again surveyed the world.

During this period of travel, he witnessed firsthand the hardships faced by ordinary people. Previously, limited by geographical constraints, he had assumed it was merely a problem within a single country's governance. However, after traversing so many countries, he found almost every one to be in the same Cultivation World. He couldn't understand why the people, driven to such a state, didn't rebel. Lost in thought, he considered the colossal world of cultivation, an entity that mortals could not overthrow. The rulers behind each country were top experts in Cultivation World, wielding immense power, leaving mortals with absolutely no chance of resistance.

Guan Zhongkai and Yu Landu suddenly realized that it was just a casual remark. They had thought that this senior was crazy and was bringing up mortals for no reason! His train of thought was too abrupt, and the two of them couldn't keep up.

"Senior, shouldn't we set off?" Guan Zhongkai asked.

"No rush, it's too late. We can leave tomorrow." After saying that, Yue Qianchou flew towards the Shiyu City Branch.

Too late? The two looked at the sun overhead. It was only just past noon. Was it really too late? What kind of logic was that? The two exchanged a helpless glance. They were used to Niu Youde's crazy behavior along the way, so they got up and followed him.

Upon arriving at the branch's inner hall, Yue Qianchou waved to the two who had followed him and said, "I'm going to sleep. Don't let anyone disturb me without my permission."

The two were speechless again and could only comply. This was the first time they'd ever seen a master who loved to sleep so much; he was always fast asleep on the flying Law Artifact. What a freak!

After the two men left, Yue Qianchou stared at the portrait of Yin Baikang in the main hall. Although he had fought against Yin Baikang in the Great Yang Kingdom, the two had never met. However, judging from the portrait, Yin Baikang did look quite respectable and had an air of otherworldly elegance.

"Hmph!" He gave a mocking snort and returned to the room prepared for him. Then he disappeared...

Inside the Utopia military camp, Guan Yu and Zhang Peng were summoned. Zhang Peng had been directly assigned by Yue Qianchou to be Guan Yu's adjutant, assisting Guan Yu in all matters.

After exchanging greetings, Yue Qianchou didn't waste any words and asked directly, "Zhang Peng, what's the cultivation level ratio among the team members in the military camp?"

Zhang Peng replied, "There are nearly three thousand people in the early Tribulation stage, nearly three thousand in the Nascent Soul Realm, and another three thousand or so whose cultivation has reached the Core Formation stage."

Yue Qianchou gave Guan Yu a questioning look, and Guan Yu nodded in agreement.

"Zhang Peng, I have a mission for you this time. Are you confident you can complete it?" Yue Qianchou asked with a smile.

"Yes." Zhang Peng became excited and couldn't help but ask, "Master, what kind of mission? Is it like last time?"

Yue Qianchou nodded and said, "That's right. But it's much larger in scale than last time." He then turned to Guan Yu and smiled, "Yun Chang, this guy lacks experience in commanding battles in the Cultivation World. How about we entrust this mission to him to formulate the battle plan?"

"Alright!" Guan Yu agreed, a hint of melancholy in his voice. He knew that their relationship had soured since he'd openly disobeyed his boss's orders. Although his boss still treated him with polite smiles, the sudden appointment of Zhang Peng as his adjutant was clearly significant.

Especially several powerful regimental Regiment Commander in the military camp, sometimes obeyed Zhang Peng more than he did himself. Guan Yu knew in his heart that these regimental Regiment Commander were people the boss was secretly contacting. The ambiguous attitude of these Regiment Commander actually indicated that the boss was behind them. It probably wouldn't be long before he had to step down from the limelight. The position of Chief Instructor would eventually have to be handed over to Zhang Peng.

Understanding this, he began to voluntarily relinquish power to Zhang Peng, intentionally or unintentionally highlighting Zhang Peng's status within the military. There was no need to fight for anything; in Utopia, no one could possibly win against the leader. Everyone knew that Yue Qianchou was the true leader of the entire Utopia.

Zhang Peng also sensed the dejection in Guan Yu's tone, but he wasn't a fool. A general who had once been a skilled and courageous warrior, no matter how reckless he seemed, couldn't possibly be a fool; otherwise, how could he have consistently won battles?

Although his master didn't say anything when he suddenly assigned him to be Guan Yu's adjutant, he understood the master's intentions by considering the cause and effect.

"Master, I am indeed inexperienced and I am afraid I will need the Chief Instructor's guidance." Zhang Peng said sincerely and humbly.

Guan Yu smiled and said, "You're capable. In terms of troop deployment, you're actually a step ahead of me."

Yue Qianchou glanced at Guan Yu silently, sighing inwardly. It's good that they're all smart people; it'll save them from falling out. It's better for everyone to have a peaceful beginning and an end.

He had originally intended to replace Guan Yu after Guan Yu's blatant disobedience. There was no room for negotiation on such matters; openly defying orders on the battlefield was unacceptable. However, Guan Yu held a high position in the army; he was the Chief Instructor of all the soldiers, and he had personally trained them all. Replacing him directly would have too much of an impact, destabilizing the morale of the troops!

Besides, it would be difficult to find a suitable person to take over immediately. So, Zhang Peng sent over as an adjutant to learn the ropes, trusting that someone with extensive experience in leading troops would be competent in the future. Now it seems everyone understands the situation, which is good, to avoid having to resort to ruthless purges later.

"That's settled then. Zhang Peng will lead the organization. If there are any shortcomings, Yun Chang, please provide guidance." Yue Qianchou changed the subject and said in a deep voice, "Gather all personnel and stand by. Await my message."

"Yes!" the two replied in unison. But Zhang Peng immediately reminded him with some doubt, "Master, won't sending so many people out at once be too conspicuous?" He had followed them outside for a while and knew how powerful those Spirit Transformation stage experts were. If they were discovered, it would be troublesome if so many people couldn't evacuate in time.

Knowing his concerns, Yue Qianchou sneered, "The fighting outside is raging, which is when the defenses are at their weakest. Now is the perfect time to make a move." With that, he disappeared.

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