Marching on Xian Prefecture

"Yes, Xian Prefecture."

Kuang Liuting nodded, then continued, "After taking Xian Prefecture, let's see who else, besides those miscellaneous cultivators from the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall, would dare to make a move. The Demon-Suppressing Barrier is a national treasure established during the reign of the Great Ancestor. The only potential threat should be the Star-Picking Pavilion, since they are the only ones with inside information. The Demon Lieutenant's revelation this time is definitely not due to this 'accident'."

Even though the Sect Leader Kang Da had privately made some preparations for attacking Xian Prefecture.

Upon hearing Kuang Liuting's words, however, without hesitation, he said in a flustered voice, "My lord, I'm afraid I'm not up to the task."

"Don't be so quick to refuse; it's not just your family that's involved." Kuang Liuting wasn't surprised; he simply waved his hand dismissively, then added, "Yang Yongcheng of Ye Prefecture and Kuang Jinzhong of Ding Prefecture both need to take action, and even the various households in Mountain North Circuit need to go out and greet their neighbors."

"Kuang Jinzhong? Your Excellency, is it that the Kuang Household has produced another high-ranking scholar?"

"No, his family just received Ding Prefecture. The head of the Kuang Household changed his name out of gratitude for the emperor's favor."

Whether it was a misperception or not, Kang Dabao felt that Kuang Liuting's tone became a bit heavier when he got to this point. He heard the Sect Leader Kang Da's face twitch slightly, and he sighed that the skill of "flattering superiors" was indeed profound, and he really had a lot to learn.

However, he quickly pulled himself out of this thought and spoke again, "My lord, in my humble opinion, given that the Star-Picking Pavilion has not yet shown signs of decline, it is probably not wise to rashly launch an attack."

"Not at all. I haven't even offered my thanks to Senior Bai Canhong, the Master of the Master of the Star-Picking Pavilion, for driving away Chan Master Gelie from Xuanwei City back then. How could I possibly raise an army rashly?"

Kuang Liuting chuckled, then continued, "If Shannan Circuit can be considered Bai Canhong's homeland and the foundation upon which Star-Picking Pavilion established its business, then what do those small, insignificant families in the northern border of Huangpi Circuit have to do with him, the leader of Mountain South?"

Upon hearing this, Sect Leader Kang Da turned serious, and he thought to himself, "Testing the waters?"

Before Kang Dabao Kuang Liuting react, Kuang Liuting spoke again:

"The other departments are facing Three Administrations powerful forces, so they are all making feints. In addition, since it is only a small-scale attack, they don't need to worry about giving Star-Picking Pavilion any ammunition."

Of all your sects Ghost Sword Sect is the weakest, but with your abilities, sweeping through a small Xian Prefecture should not be difficult. Of course, if you are capable of capturing and killing that monk Huang Mi, that would be even better, and I will not hesitate to reward you handsomely."

The superior's tone was like a hook, subtly drawing Sect Leader Kang Da's thoughts back with just a few words. However, Kuang Liuting wasn't in a hurry to hear Kang Dabao's thoughts, and simply said to the latter in a calm voice:

"If you do a good job, the five prefectures of Pu, Ding, Yun, Ye, and Jing, along with the spiritual lands you seized in Huangpi Circuit, will all fall under the jurisdiction of the Marquis of Martial Peace's Residence."

Unexpectedly, this patient and persuasive approach did not move Kang Dabao at all.

This was because Sect Leader Kang Da was a clear-headed person. In his view, the fact that Chongming Sect had expanded to such a state in just under a hundred years was already like a snake swallowing an elephant.

Although Kang Dabao had harbored some intentions towards Ding and Xian prefectures because of the Hakka cultivators who had recently migrated from the capital region, he planned to proceed gradually, which was quite different from taking the fall for Kuang Liuting.

If given a choice, Sect Leader Kang Da would prefer that the eight cultivators go to Cold Crow Mountain to cultivate some spiritual land, since it wouldn't require his Chongming Sect to cause any casualties.

Seeing that Kang Dabao's complexion had not improved, Kuang Liuting thought for a while and, unusually, felt a sense of sympathy for him.

But then the Duke of Qin said again, "This time, I will order the Marquis of Gucheng to the Ying Mountain Army to garrison Mountain South. Firstly, to defend your territory, and secondly, to provide support should the war go badly."

Don't worry, it won't damage your family's fortune. You should know that I'm granting you control of six provinces, an opportunity your Yue Household would never have dreamed of."

If Kang Dabao didn't agree immediately after all that, he would likely lose the obedient impression that Kuang Liuting had of him.

Kuang Liuting's words were indeed true. If he did not break his promise, then the preferential treatment of granting the Sect Leader Kang Da to govern six prefectures would certainly not have been given to the Fei Household.

At present, it is difficult to keep the major and minor affairs of the Office of the Duke of Qin a secret from outsiders. Even though the six states are not exactly prosperous, if they are handed over to the Fei Household, outsiders can always discern some deeper meanings.

This is something that Kuang Liuting does not want to see now.

However, if the clean-cut Sect Leader Kang Da and the impoverished Chongming Sect were to take charge of the six states, they would obviously have no such concerns.

After all, few people are unaware of the Emperor's habit of selecting and promoting scholars from humble backgrounds. Although even after so many years, it's not clear that he has selected any powerful forces that can compare with the thirty-three Nascent Soul sects.

However, although Sect Leader Kang Da agreed, now that they have formed their Golden Core and advanced to the rank of Superior Cultivator, if they don't know how to ask for some benefits at this time, they will truly become Kuang Liuting's most favored and unquestionably loyal subject.

"My lord, the Ghost Sword Sect may not be a threat, but the Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall has eleven palace masters in charge. Your humble servant..."

"Did Marquis of Martial Peace put those heads back on? Otherwise, how could this miscellaneous sect have eleven superior cultivators?"

"Ahem," even though this deliberate attempt to deceive was exposed, Sect Leader Kang Da didn't change his expression, only letting out a soft "hmm" in his heart:

"How did he know all this? Haven't the Fei Household been saying that this Duke has been neglecting his official duties lately and only focusing on his spiritual practice?"

However, Kang Dabao's reaction was indeed quick. After hearing him cough lightly, he said frankly, "Perhaps you misunderstood, sir. What I just said was that his family has eleven palace masters, not high-ranking cultivators."

Kuang Liuting didn't bother arguing with Sect Leader Kang Da about such trivial matters. After all, having spent many years in Shannan Circuit, he had shed much of the arrogance that came with his noble birth.

If he were still the same Earl of Nan'an had just arrived at the Cloud Horn, he would truly seem like a figure entering the ranks of immortals, and would naturally not realize that Kang Dabao's words were prepared beforehand to make an exorbitant demand.

But then Kuang Liuting picked up the Jade Slip that wasn't fully inscribed, and as he lowered his head, the soft scratching of the inscription began. After seemingly leaving Sect Leader Kang Da waiting for a while, Kuang Liuting spoke calmly again:

"Just say what you want, don't beat around the bush. If it's something I can give you, I'll give you anything."

"My lord, what about the guards of the Duke's mansion?"

Kuang Liuting replied quickly, but without raising his head, he coldly said, "The Duke's personal guards? Should I accompany you to Xian Prefecture?"

"A humble faux pas."

"Don't worry, I know your petty nature. If I'm not mistaken, your only opponent this time will be the Ghost Sword Sect." Kuang Liuting paused abruptly, then spoke again with a meaningful tone, "Even if Huangpi Circuit small, it's not a place that a mere Cloud Marsh Shaman Venerable Hall can control."

"This is Huangpi Circuit a loyal minister!" Kang Dabao's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this, and he understood many things. Then he thought to himself:

"If that's the case, then this doesn't seem like such a difficult task. Besides, if it's just the Ghost Sword Sect that needs to be provided with supplies, are you perhaps using this as a way to subsidize my family, Lord?"

After all, the amount of supplies that Sect Leader Kang Da had collected from Kuang Liuting over the years was probably much higher than that of Little Ring Mountain, but the items he received from the government treasury were really not much.

Opportunities to obtain supplies from the government treasury are indeed few and far between, so Sect Leader Kang Da was naturally unwilling to let one slip by.

After a few breaths, Kang Dabao made up his mind and began to calculate again.

----March later, Xian Prefecture

Ice particles, whipped by the cold wind, sliced across the faces of the cultivators, and more than twenty figures in blue robes snaked along the knee-deep snow.

Old Xiu, at the front of the group, would raise a talisman every three steps. The flickering Chiguang barely tore open a gap in their vision before being swallowed up by the howling snow dragon.

The boy at the very end of the line bit his hair tie, the ice shards on his eyelashes pressing painfully against his eye sockets.

The bluish-purple-faced boy stared blankly at the heavy black iron sword on his senior brother's back. The red tassel at the end of the scabbard had long since frozen into a hard, coral-like lump, and was rubbing weakly against his shoulder blade with each step.

Suddenly, amidst the sticky sound of leather boots sinking into the snow cave, a sharp scraping sound of metal was suddenly added—

It turned out that the graceful female cultivator, whose appearance was not clearly visible, had stumbled and kicked a rock beneath the ice due to insufficient spiritual power.

Her tender flesh was no match for Shi Feng's strength, and the female cultivator's trousers were immediately stained crimson.

The heavy snow mixed with the cold wind was sharper than a knife, and few of these low-level Rogue Cultivator had the energy to feel sorry for the female cultivator.

The old cultivator at the head of the group had a heart harder than ice and snow. He didn't even glance at the female cultivator lying on the ground. He simply lit another talisman and shouted, "Change the formation, hold the jade."

The hoarse commands were quickly swallowed by the wind and snow, but the twenty-odd people did not delay. They changed their formation and each took out a warm jade from their pockets, which seemed to add a bit of life to the group.

At this moment, the old cultivator finally let out a long breath, casually picked up a pill, and fed it haphazardly to the female cultivator on the ground. He offered no words of comfort or encouragement, nor did he look at the layers of frost in her eyes. He simply said in a low voice:

"Lady Xu, the sect has ordered the five families of Immortal Peach Valley to assemble in Tang County within ten days. But today is already the fifth day, and we haven't even reached the halfway point. The crime of being late is punishable by the extermination of the entire family and clan. We really can't wait for you any longer. If you don't get up soon, you will truly perish here."

The voice, though low, seemed to seep into the ears of every cultivator on the cold wind, causing their already trembling bodies to tremble even more. Afterwards, no one stopped, and even those who turned back were few.

The young man had some connection with the female Daoist priest. He only heard what sounded like a single footstep following behind him, and he didn't even have the strength to feel anything. He could only feel a lump in his throat and, like a walking corpse, follow the old cultivator who had caught up with the lead group, his hand glowing with talisman light, and proceed numbly.

Fortunately, it seemed that the heavens had grown tired of snowing, and the biting cold wind finally stopped as they traveled into the evening. The cultivators were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief, no longer needing to use most of their spiritual power to protect themselves.

Of course, no one showed any joy at this, after all, they had already lost two more companions on this journey alone.

The young man breathed a sigh of relief, but he could no longer remember that the girl next door he had once admired had just been killed by the heavy snow. He then fell into a deep sleep next to his senior brother's heavy black iron sword.

He slept soundly and was gently awakened by his senior brother patting him with a sword sheath. When he woke up, he was blinded by the long-awaited sunlight.

"It's sunny!"

No wonder the young man was overjoyed. Just a short while after he uttered his exclamation, the team leader, Old Xiu, had already pulled out a dilapidated small flying boat from his Storage Bag.

"Finally, I don't have to travel on foot anymore!"

The cultivators' morale soared immediately. That's more like it. If they continued on the same journey as before, even if they reached Tang County, probably not many of them would be willing to serve the cultivators.

When the old man steered his boat, which was filled with villagers of varying cultivation levels and incomplete armor, to the training ground in Tang County, his joy was short-lived, for he soon sensed a heavy atmosphere in the air.

"Our Tang County is adjacent to the prefectural capital. Surely the Chongming Sect couldn't have already advanced all the way here?! This... this has only been a month? When the order was issued last time, didn't they say that the Swordless Patriarch had already Chongming Sect that woman-obsessed, immoral leader of the Chongming Sect? How come..."

"Broken."

Thinking back on the hurried and fearful cultivators he had encountered along the way, and seeing the soldiers in the training ground completely demoralized and on high alert, this old cultivator, even if he hadn't yet reached the Foundation Establishment, had lived for nearly a hundred years. How could he not know the current state of the battle between the two sides?

It was too late for regrets at this point, so they could only wait for the heavily pregnant True Cultivator to come and verify their names with the roster.

After a series of inspections, the pot -True Cultivator bellied cultivator's face grew even uglier. "You've only just arrived and you're still short of places? The five families of Immortal Forest Valley are truly audacious."

Old Xiu mustered his courage and explained, "The five families of Immortal Forest Valley dared not be negligent in the slightest. There were indeed thirty people before we set off, but the wind and snow on the road were too severe, which is why five of them perished."

"Hmm, I see." The fat True Cultivator's expression improved slightly, but he still didn't forget to warn, "You must also make sure to prepare the share for the deceased. After the villains of Shannan Circuit have retreated, the sect will not forget to reward your loyalty."

After speaking, the pot -True Cultivator ignored the old cultivator's words of loyalty and urged him to go to the camp to collect armor, weapons, and drums.

However, upon receiving the money, the old cultivator was greatly alarmed. He grabbed the clerk's sleeve in a flustered manner and asked urgently, "Fellow Daoist, what happened? Why was the full amount distributed this time?"

The clerk didn't respond, but simply pointed to a human skin hanging in the storeroom that bore a striking resemblance to the pot -True Cultivator bellied cultivator. This immediately silenced the latter, who walked out in quiet contemplation.

After all, according to the clerk, in two days, the Belly-Bellied True Cultivator would be leading them to aid the Ghost Sword Sect. So, it seems this time, the odds are against them.

These past two days, Lao Xiu has had no interest in training, only worrying about the future. This time, he can clearly see that the Ghost Sword Sect's large ship is even more dilapidated than his own flying boat, a magical Law Artifact that has served for three decades.

However, shortly before they were about to embark on their journey, news spread throughout the camp that Chongming Sect's forces had already captured Tang County.

The insider's account was gruesome, and it was indeed true. Even the pot -True Cultivator bellied cultivator was carried back to the camp not long after. Everything else was fine, but his manhood, it was said, was torn off by a golden-haired old donkey.

With the person in charge still seriously injured, chaos naturally broke out in the camp. It was only after much difficulty that another Foundation Establishment cultivator with a large belly temporarily took over the affairs, but before they could even set out, they saw that the Chongming Sect's troops had already attacked.

"Team A, Team A, advance with sharp edge!"

"Teams C and D are ordered to split up and search for the enemy, and must not scatter!"

"Team B will lead the remaining teams, following me. Be ready to press forward with Team A at any time."

Old Xiu could see a man riding a donkey, even more handsome than a woman, shouting incessantly across from him. He could see that although the armor on the cultivator's body was mottled, it shone brighter under the scorching sun than the fake ones Old Xiu had just brought from the camp.

However, the morale of the cultivators in the camp melted away much faster than snowflakes.

The first to fall before the young man's eyes was his own senior brother. The latter, wielding the Xuan Tie Heavy Sword, was cleaved in two, and the red tassel at the end of the scabbard deepened in color.

Before his tears could even spill, a new piece of news had already spread like wildfire throughout the camp as the cultivators ran around and roamed.

"The Ghost Sword Sect's leader Swordless High Cultivator, was killed by the Chongming Sect Leader Kang Da, San Ji; Xian Prefecture was utterly destroyed!"