26, Only by cutting you down can the world be at peace

Inside the county office at Guangzong.

Huang Tian focused his mind into a meditative state, strands of invisible spiritual energy gradually converging into his Yellow Court, circulating through the apertures of his body for a full cycle before condensing back into the Yellow Court once more.

His chest rose and fell rhythmically, a faint white mist swirling around his nostrils, while his entire body emanated a subtle, golden glow.

After a long while, Huang Tian opened his eyes and slowly exhaled a breath of white mist. The mist took the shape of a sword, flying three feet through the void before dissipating into clouds with a soft puff.

The fourth level of Qi Refining has long been broken through, and the fifth is not far off... Huang Tian felt a flicker of joy in his heart.

More than half a month had passed since the second great battle of Guangzong; his cultivation had advanced another step, and the situation in Ji Province had completely stabilized.

The Yellow Turban Army had fanned out from the occupied Julu Commandery, easily seizing the entire Ji Province. With almost no resistance from the officials guarding the cities, the speed of the Yellow Turban Army's march was the speed at which cities fell.

In fact, not only was there no resistance, but many powerful clans voluntarily defected to the Yellow Turban Army. They believed the Great Han dynasty was nearing its end and rushed to align themselves with the Yellow Turban Army, hoping to secure higher status in the new dynasty.

However, once the land clearing and redistribution began, many of them would undoubtedly come to loathe the Yellow Turban Army with a passion, and by then...

A smile touched the corners of Huang Tian's mouth, a smile tinged with the scent of iron and blood.

He let his thoughts drift for a moment before habitually "switching on" his auditory perception.

Yes, he could hear all sorts of voices in the Late Han Dynasty World as well, especially now that the divine names "God Huang Tian" and "Sovereign Yellow Absolute" were circulating throughout the land; the voices calling out to him were becoming increasingly numerous.

Huang Tian, however, did not pay much heed to this, nor did he intend to extract any information from them.

Because in this world, no one could stop him from doing whatever he wished, and the intelligence gathered through these voices was of no use to him.

Yet, Huang Tian still maintained the habit of "listening and witnessing."

With a shift of his intent, various auditory threads connected, and countless voices flooded his ears.

"Sovereign Yellow Absolute, I beg you to bless my husband with good health, that he may never suffer from illness again."

"God Huang Tian is the only true god in this world! The ones you worship are false gods—they must all be torn down!"

"Ignorant! Ignorant! There is no such thing as God Huang Tian in this world. I have lived for over sixty years and have never heard of such a deity..."

"We are the children of God Huang Tian; the god will surely bless our fields with a bountiful harvest next year!"

"Sir, the Master says to respect ghosts and gods but keep them at a distance, yet there seems to be a true god in Ji Province now. How should we scholars view this?"

"Brother Ji, I hear that Ji Province has been occupied by the Great Peace Sect of the Yellow Turban. Their troops are strong and their horses sturdy, having defeated tens of thousands of the Han Army. They have even established a Political Academy and a Science Institute. Why don't you and I go to Ji Province to observe? If they truly represent a new dynasty, we could seek an official post..."

"The Moth Bandits worship the false god Huang Tian; it will not last long..."

"..."

Scene after scene appeared before Huang Tian. He scanned them briefly or ignored them entirely, until a deep black thread caught his eye.

Over this long period, Huang Tian had learned to distinguish between the various colors of these threads.

Ordinary threads were colorless, threads spanning across worlds were golden, those from people close to him were cyan, and those from people who felt extreme hatred and wished to kill him were black.

I have seen a few black threads before, but I have never seen one this pitch-black...

Huang Tian's mind stirred, his vision piercing through the layers of space and time.

In the Luoyang Imperial Palace, within an exquisite chamber.

The Han Emperor Liu Hong sat kneeling on a mat, with the most powerful figures of the current Han Court kneeling on his left and right.

Minister of Works Zhang Wen, General-in-Chief He Jin, Grand Tutor Yuan Wei, Commandant of Justice Yang Ci, Clan Elder Liu Yan, and Minister of the Masses Deng Sheng...

"My ministers, the Moth Bandits are now powerful and have easily taken Ji Province. The people of Luoyang are in a panic. What should We do?" Liu Hong asked, his heart filled with trepidation.

The group exchanged glances. Yang Ci stroked his white beard and spoke, "Your Majesty, the most urgent matter is to summon troops from the various provinces and commanderies to guard Luoyang. The Five Schools of the Northern Army of Luoyang have all been assigned to Huangfu, Lu, and Zhu. The former two were defeated and their fates are unknown, while Zhu Gongwei is still attacking Wan City. Luoyang no longer has any elite troops."

He Jin spoke up, "Luoyang is quite close to Ji Province; several passes need reinforcements to be guarded."

When Zhang Jiao first started the uprising, Liu Hong had strengthened the defenses of the various passes, "placing commandants at Hangu, Dagu, Guangcheng, Yique, Huanyuan, Xuanmen, Mengjin, and Xiaopingjin."

But now, facing the Yellow Turban Army that had unified Ji Province and the god-like Sovereign Yellow Absolute, He Jin still felt uneasy and proposed sending more troops to the passes.

Liu Yan frowned, "Everywhere needs reinforcements, but where is the imperial court to find so many troops? Since the Yellow Turban uprising, the world has been in turmoil. The Moth Bandits in the various provinces have not yet been fully cleared; if we rashly transfer troops, I fear that areas already pacified will stir into chaos once more."

He Jin was slightly displeased, "Is His Majesty and Luoyang more important, or are mere provinces and commanderies?"

Once these words were spoken, Liu Yan was left speechless.

Yuan Wei coughed, diluting the awkward atmosphere, "If we are to transfer troops, Minister of the Masses, where can we draw men from?"

Deng Sheng was of a very advanced age and frail. Hearing the question, he forced himself to gather his spirits, "Except for Jing Province, Ji Province, and Liang Province, we can draw some from everywhere else."

The Yellow Turbans in Wan City of Jing Province had not yet been wiped out, and Zhu Jun was tied down there; as for Ji Province, it went without saying that it had been entirely taken by the Yellow Turbans.

"Why not Liang Province?" He Jin asked, puzzled.

Deng Sheng explained, "The Qiang People of Liang Province have always been restless and often defy the imperial court. Even with the Commandery Soldiers suppressing them, they remain this way. If we withdraw the troops, the Qiang People will rebel in an instant..."

He Jin doubted him, "Is this just your speculation, Minister? Besides, even if they do rebel, so what? Liang Province is poor; we might as well abandon it."

Deng Sheng was so enraged by these absurd words that he stood up and glared at He Jin, "If I beheaded you, the world would be at peace!"

He Jin's expression changed drastically. Liu Hong hurriedly mediated, "Minister, sit down, sit down! Do not be angry!"

Zhang Wen, who was sitting to the side, stepped forward at a signal from Liu Hong to soothe Deng Sheng, "Minister, please sit. Do not be hasty."

Deng Sheng suppressed the fire in his heart and sat down, turning to Liu Hong with sincere intensity, "If the Qiang People take Liang Province, they will be a scourge for generations. Without Liang Province, the Sanfu region is in danger; if the Sanfu region is in danger, the capital is exposed! Your Majesty, you must never abandon Liang Province!"

Liu Hong nodded hurriedly: "Deng Sheng, you worry too much. Imperial We would never abandon Liang Province."

After speaking, he cast a reproachful glance at He Jin. Deng Sheng was already at death's door; if he were to drop dead right here in the palace from sheer anger, he, as the Emperor, would have to bear the responsibility.

He Jin pressed his lips together and remained silent.

"Deng Sheng, excluding Liang, Ji, and Jing Provinces, how many troops can the imperial court gather in total to defend Luoyang?" Liu Hong quickly changed the subject, asking the question that concerned him most.

Deng Sheng pondered for a moment before replying: "With the Commandery Soldiers from each province, plus some miscellaneous Hu cavalry, it is feasible to assemble seventy or eighty thousand men within three months, but..."