A Headlong Collision With the Present Age

Although Gao Ye said that with their physical strength, it would not take them more than a day to travel to Jingxiang, crossing mountains and rivers.

However, this trip was not a life-or-death emergency.

If one rushes to Jingxiang and Xiangyang just to inspect the local situation, that is not the demeanor expected of a court official.

So along the way, they were quite leisurely, enjoying the scenery and pointing out the sights along the route.

The main conversation was between Gao Ye and Master Diantou; Lan Ziya simply stroked his beard, observing more and speaking less.

But as they walked this route, even the Dream-Eating Marquis began to notice a different flavor.

Heading south from the capital, traversing a large area of North Zhili, crossing the Yellow River, and entering the Mount Song region.

The 108 Sea of Bitterness Dharma Protectors walked in silence, and by the time they reached the foot of Mount Song, it was already night.

It was neither the time for morning prayers nor evening prayers, yet the temples on Mount Song were ringing out with the sound of bells.

The monks on the mountain carried down wooden houses, each built from a large solid log, joined with mortise and tenon joints and coated with glue, making them very sturdy.

Four monks could build the entire house, and they could run swiftly along the mountain path, making it seem as if the house moved on its own.

Once the house was at the foot of the mountain, it was neatly arranged, draped with brocade, hung with wall hangings, and furnished with blankets, incense burner, mattress, and food—everything was provided.

"I've long heard that every two or three years, the imperial court sends one of the top ten masters on the Heavenly Ranking to lead the Imperial Guards on a journey through the martial arts world under a pretext, demonstrating the court's strength and keeping the various sects of the martial arts world in check."

Watching the monks set up their lodgings, the Dream-Eating Marquis chuckled, "It seems my invitation has been used by Lord Gao as a pretext for inspecting the martial world."

Gao Ye did not exert himself to unleash his full power.

The reason why the various sects of Mount Song reacted this way was simply because they sensed the presence of the Sea of Bitterness Dharma Protectors.

The capital city is a place where hidden talents abound. The residences, formations, and troop deployments left behind by the Ancient Heavenly Ranking are numerous and their auras are incredibly complex.

Furthermore, the Sea of Bitterness Dharma Protectors, being in the capital, would deliberately conceal his aura and not be too conspicuous.

However, once they left the capital, these 108 people constantly demonstrated their strong connection with the second-ranked person on the Ancient Heavenly Ranking.

In other words, the illusory image of the Heavenly Ranking has been floating high above this group of people.

The name of Venerable Changti shone brightly on the illusory image of the list.

For masters from various sects, even if they are dozens of miles apart, they will be inspired to look up at the sky and see this scene.

If the rankings continue to move, then it's just passing by, giving each sect a routine warning.

Imagine, the list stops at a certain point.

The martial arts sects in the vicinity are responsible for receiving them, and they cannot invite them back to their own sects.

Under heaven, all land belongs to the emperor; it is perfectly natural for this imperial procession to stop wherever it wishes.

The martial arts sects have no right to interfere; they must take the initiative to transport the supplies to that area without the slightest negligence.

"Within the first hundred years of the Great Xuan, this rule was indeed good. When the imperial court's troops toured various regions, they would resolve disputes, adjudicate conflicts in the martial arts world, and appease the people."

Lan Ziya shook his head slightly and said, "But in recent decades, whenever the imperial court's troops go out, besides using force to intimidate, accepting supplies, and telling various factions not to rebel, have they ever seriously investigated local governments or arbitrated martial arts disputes?"

The Master Diantou said, "Perhaps it's because there are no major conflicts in the world, and everything is peaceful."

Lan Ziya laughed out loud, looked at a small river below the mountain, and bent down to pick up a Shitou.

"This river surface is as smooth as a bald head, not a single hair grows on it. It's such a smooth surface, watch me break this bald head."

He threw a Shitou into the water, and it felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

In the center of the river, a huge bowl-shaped gap was created by the pressure of this small Shitou, causing large waves to splash.

The wreckage of large and small fish fighting underwater, the algae that grow from the wreckage, and the lurking water snakes and rats were all disturbed by these waves.

Some large fish, in their panicked flight, would suddenly twist their bodies, bite off a river shrimp, and swallow half of its tail.

It seems that although the surface of a river may be smooth at times, the water beneath is not so calm.

The Master Diantou touched his bald head, but wasn't annoyed.

"Amitabha Buddha, the last time the imperial court inspected the martial arts world, it was the Commander of the Brocade Guard Gu Qiuxing, who led the way, from the capital to the East Sea China Sea, and from east to west, annihilating a large number of bandit gangs entrenched along the Silk Road."

Regardless of other factors, this is at least a good deed.

Master Diantou chuckled, "Back then, many idle people in the martial world went to watch, and afterwards they all praised the methods of the Imperial Guards."

"And the time before that, and the time before that, even though it was a case of killing the chicken to make an example of the monkey, the one killed was still an extraordinary bird of prey."

"This time, however, Lord Gao's pretext is merely a trip to Jingxiang. I'm afraid the idlers who followed him along the way won't see anything exciting."

Master Diantou's gaze swept across the dark mountain forest.

Countless martial arts practitioners, who had followed along the way, were leisurely sleeping under the trees, meditating on the side of the rocks, or even gathering in small groups to drink wine and tea.

The world is vast, and there are far too many idle people around.

The higher the position, the stronger the person, the more leisurely they tend to be.

The existence of the Heavenly Ranking makes these people happy to show their faces in major events, which is also a good opportunity to see the true strength of the imperial court, whether it has weakened or strengthened.

Lan Ziya said, "What's there to be disappointed about? The Dream Marquis is creating dreams in Jingxiang. If these people go, they won't see the fighting, but they can at least see the wondrous dreams. That's good too."

The Dream-Eating Marquis chuckled inwardly twice and said, "Not bad, I'm sure I won't disappoint them."

Some people in the mountains with exceptionally good hearing overheard this conversation and couldn't help but show disappointment.

"That's boring, I want to see rivers of blood."

A burly man complained to the scholar next to him, "Since we're just going to see some kind of dream-making spectacle, let's not go."

The scholar clicked his tongue and said, "Brother, that's the dream of the seventh-ranked person on the Heavenly Ranking. The fact that it attracted the Duke Yi, Lord Xuantan, and Master Diantou makes me even more eager to see it."

The night, as still as water, quietly passed by, taking with it many idle chatter and whispers from the mountains and forests.

At dawn, the Sea of Bitterness Dharma Protectors set off once again.

After leaving Mount Song, they took a detour to Wudang.

The Mount Wudang, stretching for eight hundred li, are adjacent to the Jingxiang region. After passing through the Mount Wudang, a large number of martial arts practitioners followed the imperial procession.

At this point, they had already entered the Jingxiang region, but they would need the Dream-Eating Marquis to guide them on their specific destination.

As they walked on, many of the martial arts practitioners hadn't yet noticed anything unusual about the place, but Gao Ye's brows were already furrowed.

Many of the roads between the hills showed signs of repair, and it was completed not long ago.

Sometimes, when he looked up, he could see large groups of people in the mountains, carrying the new products from Fire God Gully and pumping water from the mine.

Many coal mines are unable to operate due to severe groundwater accumulation. Although the new coal produced in Fire God Gully can absorb groundwater, it is expensive and requires specialized maintenance.

If a township or county were to make a firm decision and purchase such valuable items, there's a high chance that someone from a neighboring county would come and sabotage them.

But along the way, Gao Ye didn't see any large-scale private fights.

"Dream-Eating Marquis, if you were merely creating dreams, that would be one thing, but what methods did you use to seemingly bring order to the Jingxiang region?"

If the imperial court fails to rectify this region, and the Dream-Eating Marquis Manor manages to do so, where will the imperial court's face be?

A murderous thought flashed through Gao Ye's mind, but then he thought that this was also a good thing. The court could take advantage of this time to increase taxes without worrying about the people of Jingxiang and Xiangyang rising up in rebellion.

Alternatively, they could transfer their trusted confidants from the court to take over the credit of the Dream-Eating Marquis Manor's mansion.

If Jingxiang can truly be restored, it will not only be a tremendous achievement, leaving a mark on history and adding glory to the Heavenly Ranking, but it will also be a truly fertile land, adding immeasurable depth to our own power.

Eliminate potential rivals!

Seize the credit to enhance our foundation!

But the root of Jingxiang's problems cannot be eradicated so easily. It is unlikely that the Dream-Eating Marquis Manor can use this to grow stronger. Such a loss would be more of a waste than a gain, and it would truly seem like they were just creating a dream.

Gao Ye gradually ruled out murder and stealing credit, and leaned towards taking the opportunity to raise taxes.

Well, once we return to the capital, we'll get the tax increases in Jingxiang and Xiangyang implemented.

"Arrive!!"

Suddenly, the Dream-Eating Marquis in front called out, turned around with a smile, and reached out to pull Lan Ziya.

"Brother Lan, come on, come on, that's where the banquet is being held on the mountain, I'll take you up there."

Lan Ziya didn't really refuse and was pulled along by him towards the stone steps leading up the mountain.

The Master Diantou followed with a smile, but after a while, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

The Dream-Eating Marquis's pace seems a bit hurried; why is he walking faster and faster?

Master Diantou grew suspicious and stopped in his tracks.

The two figures, like wisps of hot smoke, shot off, drifting over the stone steps and soaring to the mountaintop.

Gao Ye looked at the mountain and felt a strange sensation. He raised his right hand to his ear and waved it slightly forward.

The figures of the Sea of Bitterness Dharma Protectors suddenly accelerated, catching up to the stone steps like weightless black shadows, slender and agile.

Almost every jump clears hundreds of stone steps.

After three or four jumps, the first few were almost at the top of the mountain.

Wow!!!

At the mountaintop, a scroll suddenly appeared.

Behind the scroll, a long white cloth was attached, which flew out from the mountaintop plaza and spread down the hundreds of stone steps.

The scroll was only two feet wide.

But wherever the scroll passed, an immense pressure forced the six or seven Sea of Bitterness Dharma Protectors at the very front to fly backwards.

The white cloth on the roll grew longer and longer, hanging lower and lower as it rolled.

The six or seven Sea of Bitterness Dharma Protectors had already collided with their companions, yet they still couldn't stop their retreat.

Collapse!!!

Finally, the white cloth scroll was fully unrolled.

The moment Bai Bu straightened up, a wave of energy burst forth, blasting away all the nearby Sea of Bitterness Dharma Protectors, who drifted down the mountain like leaves.

Thump thump thump!!

Gao Ye led the Master Diantou up the stone steps, his eyes fixed straight ahead, his gaze rising higher and higher.

Those Sea of Bitterness Dharma Protectors crashed down beside the two of them.

The power of the Sea of Bitterness Dharma Protectors, drawn by the arduous cultivation of the Heavenly Ranking, was exceptionally solid. Although they were all blasted down the mountain, they only rolled halfway upon hitting the ground before regaining their footing and looking up at the mountain.

Once the white cloth was fully unfurled, the hidden writing was revealed.

All were written with large cinnabar brushes, the strokes like splashed ink, yet each character was clear and distinct.

Those martial arts practitioners who followed behind could see it clearly with just a slight squint.

"The crimes of Duke Yi Gao Ye of Yiguo are as follows?!"

"He shielded his relatives, indulged his servants, seized 60,000 mu of fertile land and 110,000 mu of barren land, ruined over a thousand families, and kept nearly ten thousand slaves—"

Two years ago, I challenged Qin Quji, the fifth-ranked Sea-Pacifying Hand on the Heavenly Ranking, to a duel. After winning, I wiped out his entire family and then used overwhelming force to destroy the Sea-Pacifying Stronghold fortress, causing the mountain to collapse and annihilating the villages below.

Nine years ago, under the pretext of suppressing bandits, a raid was launched on eighteen warehouses Hidden Forest Mountain, resulting in the beheading of over 4,100 civilians, young and old alike, who were used as the heads of bandits and their remains were displayed in a mound outside the county.

Eleven years ago, fourteen years ago, sixteen years ago----

Many martial arts practitioners have a habit of silently reciting what they read. When they saw such a charge, they also muttered it softly, and the more they recited it, the more their eyelids twitched.

Gao Ye's reputation in the martial arts world has always been based on his ruthlessness, but in what exactly he is ruthless is not something that everyone can say for sure.

This impression seems to have appeared out of nowhere.

But when all his crimes over the past decades were laid out before him, even some self-proclaimed evil figures in the martial arts world felt a pang of unease.

High-ranking officials in the imperial court, and powerful figures on the Heavenly Ranking.

When these two identities are combined, if Gao Ye were to commit evil, it would be far more serious than the combined wickedness of some evil sects in the martial arts world.

"Dream-Eating Marquis!"

Gao Ye spoke in a deep voice, the sound waves booming outwards, and fine cracks immediately appeared on the surrounding mountain rocks.

"You use this white cloth with red lettering to slander a first-class duke of the imperial court. What is your intention? Are you planning a rebellion?!"

A young voice came from the mountaintop.

"Slander? I don't think so."

Gao Ye was in charge of the Six Gates, Wu Bo belonged to the Divine Machine Battalion. The Divine Machine Battalion had always focused on collecting dirt on the Six Gates, so the charges against this Lord Gao were naturally countless.

With three thousand Dream-Gathering Sect spread across various regions, they have formed a natural intelligence network over the years.

Chu Tianshu had already had their intelligence corroborated, and he also dispatched soldiers to search for witnesses and personally verify the authenticity of their testimonies.

This work was carried out simultaneously with the reorganization of the Jingxiang region.

At that time, Chu Tianshu had already set his sights on the figures on the Heavenly Ranking, preparing to sift through them.

The decision to invite Lord Xuantan was made after he had considered all this information.

"I prepared far more than two charges against you, but only two of you have come."

Along with the sound, another scroll flew out from the mountain, bearing red characters on a white cloth, and unfurled down the stone steps.

The Master Diantou Nodding saw his own name written at the top of the scroll, his eyes turned cold.

However, the Master Diantou's scroll was much shorter than Gao Ye's, almost only one-tenth the Gao Ye.

"Fortunately, this humble monk has done far fewer bad things than him."

Master Diantou Nodding felt a strange sense of relief, but then suddenly realized something was wrong.

The people on the mountain haven't even actually made a move, yet they're already putting him under so much pressure?!

"Who are you, you scoundrel, trying to play tricks?"

Gao Ye took a deep breath and spoke, looking towards the mountaintop. Rings of sound waves flew up the mountain path and then disappeared without a sound, like a clay ox sinking into the sea.

His eyes flashed with a fierce light, and his skill increased once more.

"You scoundrels, colluding with the Dream-Eating Marquis, have used such cunning to lure me here. I'm sure there are countless more treacherous schemes and ambushes waiting for me in the mountains."

"Fine, if you don't come out now, I'll destroy this mountain and see what kind of ambush can still be hidden here!!"

Even a master ranked on the Heavenly Ranking cannot destroy a mountain with a single blow.

But given their attack speed, if they were truly targeting a small mountain, they could unleash a hundred or so palm strikes in an instant.

Destroying mountains and breaking through peaks is not a difficult task.

The people on the mountain, however, spoke softly and quietly.

"The Heavenly Ranking can examine reputation and strength, but it cannot examine good and evil. Just think, how many unbearable sins and filth are hidden in the reputations of those hundreds of powerful figures?"

"These filth, hanging high above everyone's heads along with the Heavenly Ranking, are truly—"

The voices of the people on the mountain suddenly changed.

"It displeases me!!"

"When I saw my name on the Heavenly Ranking, it was like seeing my once beloved orchid fall into the mud. Even if the orchid was pure in its youth, it was inevitable that it would be stained with foul mud when I tried to pull it out."

The invisible pressure piled up layer upon layer down the mountain, causing vegetation to lie flat and stones to sink into the soil.

Gao Ye's expression was cold and stern, Master Diantou's face showed increasing surprise and doubt.

The sound grew louder and louder, shaking the area for miles around the mountain.

Anyone within this range will feel their eardrums vibrating.

People ten or twenty miles away, though not conscious of the deafening sound, could hear it clearly, as if it came from the horizon. They looked up in astonishment in the town.

The martial arts practitioners around Zongheng Temple all recognized that this person must be a powerful figure whose name was on the Heavenly Ranking, and they began to speculate.

No matter how hard they tried to figure it out, they could never match the voice with any famous person.

Should the orchids be discarded?

"What is rightfully mine, why should I abandon it?"

The conversation on the mountain was coming to an end.

"I have no choice but to destroy this filth piece by piece, so that the world may learn from this example."

The sound still echoed among the mountains, and among the heroes, the burly man reached out in horror.

"Look!"

Actually, he didn't need to remind them; everyone who followed them here was a master, and all masters could see the Heavenly Ranking.

Above the mountaintop, amidst the clouds of the heavens, a Heavenly Ranking clearly shone brightly at this very moment, accompanied by the lingering echoes around the mountain.

Within the Ancient Heavenly Ranking, the golden name of the Great Immortal Zongheng both blazed brightly and became crystal clear, suddenly leaping up—

A celestial name! Intruding into this world!