Chapter 28

After the old man finished reading the two imperial edicts and waited for the two to stand up, he bowed and said, "Congratulations, Princess Yuefu, Prince Nineteen. This trip will surely be successful and you will achieve victory from the start."

"Lord Wang, you are too polite." Lou Baiyue took out a bottle, "This is a small trinket found in the ancient land of Shanggu Tianzi Xu. It is most suitable for you to strengthen your body."

"That old servant will accept it with gratitude." Lord Wang was about to refuse, but upon hearing that it was something found in the ancient land of Shanggu Tianzi Xu, he immediately beamed and accepted it.

Guchen Sha knew that this Lord Wang was a significant figure, renowned in the six palaces alongside Gaoling.

Grand Eunuch Gaoling, who followed Emperor Tianfu, handled secret matters, with a mysterious and gloomy demeanor, like the shadow of the emperor. Lord Wang, on the other hand, managed the various public affairs in the six palaces, with a kind and benevolent demeanor. The two, one open and one hidden, one yin and one yang, perfectly maintained the operation of the imperial palace.

Even Guchen Sha dared not offend this Lord Wang casually.

Guchen Sha did not give any gifts; he was now penniless, and giving gifts would only bring humiliation. He could not compare to Lou Baiyue's wealth and power.

Lord Wang did not care about these things and still had a kind and benevolent expression, "Since the old servant has delivered the edict, I will go back and report."

"Please walk slowly, Lord Wang." Lou Baiyue nodded. After Lord Wang left, she said, "Prince Nineteen, since we have accepted the mission, we must leave the capital within three days. This mission is not easy. I have heard that in Xianzhou, there are remnants of the Xian Dynasty secretly plotting, and there are also spies from the barbarian tribes trying to disrupt the situation. Not only that, many evil spirits and demons also want to take advantage of this once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity to disrupt the world, gain power, collect souls, and refine magical treasures, practicing black magic."

Once the battle begins, countless people will be bloodied on the battlefield. Those souls of the dead, the aura of death, and the spirits of the wronged are the best nourishment for evil spirits.

Guchen Sha, who had sacrificed fierce beasts to heaven, knew that the heavens made equivalent exchanges. You offer your soul to the heavens and receive the heavens' blessings, which is like a business transaction.

The soul is a form of energy, the source of all vitality. Without a soul, a person will decay; with a soul, vitality will circulate and grow in perfect balance.

"What should we do on this mission? I have no ideas, and I will follow your lead." Guchen Sha thought for a moment, "I have no experience in handling missions, and I need to learn many things. I hope you will guide me."

"Very well, then tonight you should go back and pack, and bring some capable attendants. We should not delay, and we will set out early tomorrow by water." Lou Baiyue immediately set the rules.

"I think that's very good." Guchen Sha had to hurry back and finalize the matter.

He knew that this trip would not be simple, and the slightest mistake could bring disaster.

In the pure copper hall deep within the residence of the Tenth Prince, Guzhen Sha was meditating with his eyes closed, his pores emitting a thunderous breath. Deep within his abdomen, the qi flowed, like the roar of dragons and tigers, the cries of ghosts and gods.

After a long time, he suddenly opened his eyes and struck the ground with a fierce punch, leaving cracks in the pure copper floor.

"Unfortunately, it's just a little bit, just a little bit more, and I could subdue the will of the Thunder Dragon, break through the martial arts barrier, and achieve the Dao realm." Guzhen Sha stood up, his body seeming to grow taller.

"Prince Ten, there's no need to be so anxious. Haste makes waste. The Thunder Dragon's bloodline is fierce and tyrannical, and the will it contains is fearless of heaven and earth, dominating the three realms. Subduing that will is not easy, but once subdued, it will be several times more powerful than an ordinary Dao realm."

At this moment, there was another person in the pure copper hall, a middle-aged man, wearing a wide robe, with a white cloth wrapped around his head, dressed in a style similar to that of the southern malarial regions.

This middle-aged man seemed to be guiding Guzhen Sha in his training, clearly the most important chief elder and guest of the residence.

"Mr. Chi, I have made significant progress in my cultivation thanks to your guidance." Although Prince Ten, Guzhen Sha, had a violent temperament, he was very polite to this person: "Unfortunately, I still cannot completely integrate the Ghost King Sutra and the Lightning Slash Technique."

"Prince Ten, there's no need to be so polite. Helping you is my duty. You have already been recognized by the Ancestor Witch Bone Plate. As long as you take one more step and communicate with the true essence of witchcraft, you can become the young master of our ancient witchcraft. At that time, I will still be your subordinate. Also, Your Highness need not be wary of our witchcraft. The way of witchcraft is the ancient natural way, a part of the Heavenly Way, and is unrelated to the divine. The past way is the way of witchcraft, which is survival of the fittest. The present way is the human way, which is the way of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and law, as embodied by the ancient emperors who hold the sacrificial edict. As for the future way, it is unknown." Mr. Chi sighed, "The way of witchcraft, representing the past in the Heavenly Way, has already dissipated in the dust of history, but it must be inherited, or the Heavenly Way will not be complete. I hope you can become the inheritor. I sense that a great calamity is coming, and if Your Highness cannot master the way of witchcraft, there is a risk of falling."

"What do you mean?" Guzhen Sha was chilled to the bone. He knew that Mr. Chi had profound cultivation and could glimpse the Heavenly Way, and had an incomparably vast power behind him. He was able to destroy the Five Ghost Sect and obtain the Ghost King Sutra with Mr. Chi's help, otherwise he would have died long ago.

The Five Ghost Sect merely inherited the superficial aspects of witchcraft, known as witchcraft and ghost techniques.

"Every great era has countless calamities. The end of the ancient witchcraft and the rise of the human way saw the fall of countless gods, demons, and ancestors. It was a struggle that lasted for thousands of years, with endless battles, the collapse of countless voids, and the extinction of countless races. In the struggle of blood and fire, human civilization was born, and the way of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and law emerged. The way of witchcraft, which was survival of the fittest, became the evil way, and thus every dynasty has deeply detested witchcraft and ghost techniques." Mr. Chi sat down, immersed in the ancient history, a sense of沧桑 (cang桑) arising spontaneously: "Now, I feel that the future world is about to begin, and the present world is ending. Because of Emperor Tianfu's thoughts, I am terrified. He may be the key figure to open the future world. At that time, the way of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and law will collapse, and the world will undergo a tremendous change, the Heavenly Way stepping into the future. As for what it will be, I do not know. Emperor Tianfu's cultivation far surpasses mine, and even destroying the remaining traces of witchcraft is not a big deal."

"The past world of the Heavenly Way is the bloody and brutal way of witchcraft, the present world is the way of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and law. What is the future world? Is it what my father wants?" Guzhen Sha suddenly realized that he did not understand his father, Emperor Tianfu: "Regardless, these matters are not for me to think about. First, I need to break through to the Dao realm, and at the same time, make sure that Guchen Sha that boy suffers endless calamities!"

At the residence of the Duke of Chen.

Guchen Sha and Long Yuyun were discussing important matters.

"Who would have thought that Emperor Tianfu would send you on a mission so quickly? This is a great opportunity. Xianzhou is full of experts, all determined to restore their country. You are of the Xian Dynasty's royal bloodline and have activated the Giant Spirit God bloodline. Many experts will likely join you, and your power will quickly grow." Long Yuyun seemed to have seized an opportunity.

"It may not necessarily be a good thing. All sorts of ambitious people will try to use me, and I will be troubled and unable to act freely." Guchen Sha did not see it as an opportunity.

"Without trouble, there is no achievement. The greater the risk, the greater the reward." Long Yuyun said, "Lou Baiyue said we will travel by water tomorrow. Since that's the case, I will prepare a large warship for you, and our Dragon Sword Island warriors will become your personal guards, which will also add to your prestige."

"Absolutely not." Guchen Sha quickly refused, "I should still take Lou Baiyue's ironclad warship. I have just established my residence, and if I create such a grand spectacle, the people in the court and the country will immediately attack me. If you want to work with me on this matter, first send people to Xianzhou to gather intelligence, and we can contact each other later?"

"You are truly thorough in your actions, but going on this mission without your own power will make it difficult to establish authority, and you will be constrained everywhere. Also, your every move will be under Lou Baiyue's surveillance, which is not good." Long Yuyun also saw many drawbacks.

In the past, with the sacrificial edict in his possession, Guchen Sha would never have boarded Lou Baiyue's ship, but now the sacrificial edict has transformed into a spatial altar hidden in his mind, and he has no secrets left, allowing him to once again play the role of a pig eating a tiger.

"I have my own plans." Guchen Sha would not reveal many secrets to Long Yuyun, who was not a good person. They were now cooperating, and he could only trust him to a certain extent.

"Very well, I will lead experts to Xianzhou to lay the groundwork." Long Yuyun had a playful smile on his face, "A great battle is about to begin, and Xianzhou is a chaotic place. Our Dragon Sword Island can also find many opportunities there."

In the early morning, the mist on the canal had not yet dissipated.

An ironclad warship was docked at the pier, dark and heavy, like a giant shark emerging from the water. Many experts and soldiers were loading supplies onto the ship. The soldiers were completely covered in leather armor, which seemed to change color with the environment, perfectly blending in.

In the cabin, Lou Baiyue was listening to a subordinate's report.

"Princess, everything is ready. The experts from the residence are wearing the Illusory Snake leather armor, equipped with secret weapons from the Heavenly Engineering Institute, the continuous fire talisman guns. With dozens of people firing together, even a Dao realm practitioner would die under the fire talisman guns. These are the latest creations from the Heavenly Engineering Institute, not yet widely known, and are absolutely secret." The subordinate was a scar-faced man, full of boundless energy, clearly a martial arts master, but he knelt before Lou Baiyue with utmost respect.

"Blade Slave, you have been with the Lou family for twenty years, haven't you?" Lou Baiyue asked.

"Yes, Princess. Twenty years ago, I was the head of the Crossblade Sect, but I committed illegal acts and was beheaded by the court. The Duke saved me, and since then, I have been willing to serve as a slave, with no second thoughts." Blade Slave knelt and did not dare to look up.

"I know of your loyalty. Your Crossblade Sect had some influence in Xianzhou in the past. This time, I am bringing you mainly because you know the area well." Lou Baiyue said, "Do you know what to do?"

"The slave has already made arrangements." Blade Slave withdrew.

At this moment, a tall and slender man entered and knelt, "Princess, Sword Slave has something to report. Prince Nineteen has arrived, alone, without any attendants."

"Oh?" Lou Baiyue was somewhat surprised, "He didn't even bring a small eunuch? Please invite him up."