Chapter 33

Guchen Sha certainly wouldn't tell Lou Baoyue about the secret of the Sun and Moon Dragon Scales.

He practiced the Sun and Moon Cultivation Technique, and after a long time, gradually figured out many principles. The Sun and Moon Dragon Scales were extremely advanced energy storage units, not only allowing him to go without food but also capable of being released to instantly burst out with an attack that surpassed his limits. After being poisoned, they could neutralize and decompose the toxins, and even cure diseases and prolong life.

However, in that attack just now, about one-third of the Sun and Moon Dragon Scales had instantly melted, transforming into power and being consumed. Fortunately, he could accumulate them by consuming Heavenly Dew in the future, which wasn't a difficult task.

"It seems the more Sun and Moon Dragon Scales, the better. If I can cultivate the Sun and Moon Transformation Technique to a profound level, I can hide the Sun and Moon Dragon Scales under my skin, making them invisible from the outside, which would be even better. But this will take at least three to five years of hard work," Guchen Sha thought.

He practiced the Heavenly Son Sealing Technique without a master, and had to explore on his own, which was quite challenging. Fortunately, there were scattered records of such extraordinary techniques in historical books, and he relied on these records and his own thoughts to gradually mature his martial arts cultivation.

"If you don't want to say, that's fine," seeing his silence, Lou Baoyue lost interest in asking further: "Today, I have a new appreciation for you. I believe among all the princes, you will stand out in the future."

"It's just a stroke of luck," Guchen Sha frowned: "As the Black Bat said, the various evil gods of the barbarians have issued such a divine decree, which could lead to chaos in Xianzhou, making it uncontrollable. If it ruins our spring campaign, we will both be held responsible, and the emperor will punish us."

"You're right, this mission is not optimistic," Lou Baoyue pondered: "But the emperor must know every move of the evil gods. Since he has decided on the spring campaign, he must have absolute confidence. If the task were not important, would he entrust it to me? This is the emperor's way of training us."

"That makes sense," Guchen Sha suddenly thought of a problem: "Currently, the third prince, Gufansha, is guarding the Xianzhou border. I hit the steward in the mansion, who is his man. Will the third prince try to harm me?"

"Are you afraid now?" Lou Baoyue said: "The third prince is vengeful and his cultivation is far above mine. I believe that as soon as you arrive in Xianzhou, he will give you a hard time, making you lose face and unable to complete the emperor's task."

"I will face any challenge. I'm not one to shy away from trouble," Guchen Sha knew that the third prince, Gufansha, was not easy to deal with.

Among all the princes, the seventh prince was the highest in martial arts, unmatched by anyone. The first, second, and third princes were on par with each other, none superior to the others.

The fourth prince was more mysterious. Although he had reached the Dao Realm, he did not show his strength, living a peaceful life, and had no deep friendships or enmities with anyone.

"Send a hawk message to the capital, reporting the appearance of the Black Bat, and have the Exorcist Marquis send the Blood Iron Guard to capture this evil demon!" Lou Baoyue ordered.

"Yes!"

"Also, contact our Lou family's business and secret agents in Xianzhou, and I will assign tasks."

"Yes!" ...

Lou Baoyue issued orders one by one, leaving no room for error. The vast power of the Lou family, built over many years, began to operate, and Guchen Sha could only admire.

"I'll rest for a while. I was shaken by the Black Bat and my qi and blood are unstable," Guchen Sha said after a moment of silence and left. Lou Baoyue nodded without saying much.

Guchen Sha went to a small room on the ship, lay down, and covered himself with a blanket, falling into a deep sleep.

In reality, he had disappeared from the blanket and entered the altar space, holding the dry yarrow stalks, lighting them, and mixing them with the essence of the barbarian blood, using the blood as oil to begin the ritual.

"Heaven above, your servant Guchen Sha has slain the evil barbarian, maintaining the clarity and justice of the world. I offer the blood and soul of the evil barbarian to the heavens, hoping that the Heavenly Way will show mercy and grant me Heavenly Dew to remove the evil."

As his thoughts echoed, the barbarian blood and soul suddenly disappeared, replaced by a drop of crystal-clear dew, shimmering and light, floating in the air.

"Only half a drop of Heavenly Dew? It seems these barbarians are not strong enough, not even as powerful as the generals I hunted in the Southern Mountains." Guchen Sha swallowed the half drop of Heavenly Dew, finding it even more pure than what Lou Baoyue had obtained.

The Heavenly Dew that Lou Baoyue had obtained was from ancient emperors' rituals, and after thousands of years, its efficacy had diminished.

After about a dozen breaths, Guchen Sha returned to the blanket, as if he had just had a dream, but the medicinal power of the Heavenly Dew was still circulating in his body.

"I will consume all the Heavenly Dew and use the cultivation methods of the Sun and Moon Cultivation Technique and the Sun and Moon Transformation Technique to convert this medicinal power into Sun and Moon Dragon Scales, protecting my vital areas."

He then swallowed the two drops of Heavenly Dew he had obtained from Lou Baoyue and began to meditate and circulate his qi and blood in the blanket.

His internal qi and blood surged, and under the influence of the medicinal power, they gradually merged into his blood, which then transformed into Sun and Moon Dragon Scales, protecting his abdomen, chest, groin, back, and temples.

The temples were covered by his hair, hiding the Sun and Moon Dragon Scales, making them less noticeable.

This cultivation lasted the entire night. The next morning, the sky was bright, and the sun was high. Guchen Sha woke up from his meditation, feeling refreshed and clear-headed. He took a deep breath, coughed up a thick, turbid phlegm, and spat it into the river, feeling clean all over.

The thick, turbid phlegm was the impurities from the air he had breathed, which had been filtered through his blood and expelled, allowing him to take in fresh air.

If he were at the Dao Realm, he would breathe not ordinary air but the essence of heaven and earth, and there would be no turbid phlegm.

He leaped onto the deck, stretched his limbs, and felt the range of his qi waves expand to three and a half steps. Within this range, any blade or sword would be deflected.

The water ahead gradually widened, and the mountains receded. On both sides, scattered villages and towns appeared, and the river current slowed, with many boats coming and going, much more bustling than the previous night.

"This Fire Shark warship is truly fast. After several hours of navigation last night, we have already passed the two-thousand-mile-long gorge and reached the center of Shizhou, a prosperous place," Guchen Sha retracted his limbs, calmed his breath, and observed the local customs and scenery.

"Your martial arts have improved since last night," Lou Baoyue's voice came again: "After Shizhou, we will enter Xianzhou. In the past, it would take several months to travel by land, but with the canal, it only takes a day. You need to be prepared. I have received intelligence that Xianzhou is indeed deteriorating, with civil unrest and even rebellions against officials. We need to act quickly to stabilize the situation. I originally planned to stay in the provincial capital of Shizhou for half a day to visit the Giant Rock Marquis, but now I can't."

"Giant Rock Marquis," Guchen Sha recalled that the most powerful person guarding the border against the barbarians was not the third prince, Gufansha, but the Giant Rock Marquis.

The Giant Rock Marquis was a true confidant of the Heavenly Symbol Emperor, having guarded the border for many years. Even when the emperor was a prince and wandered among the people, they had sworn brotherhood and fought together to conquer the world.

The Heavenly Symbol Emperor had the mountains of Shizhou excavated, and the stones were transported to the border to build the Giant Rock Great Wall, a project overseen by the Giant Rock Marquis.

According to legend, the father of the Giant Rock Marquis was a huge stone in the mountains, and his mother was a young girl who, while playing on the mountain, rested by the stone and became pregnant with the Giant Rock Marquis.

Because of this, the Giant Rock Marquis was considered a monster in his youth and was not accepted by his family. However, he was recognized by a strange person who taught him divine techniques. After achieving great cultivation, he befriended the Heavenly Symbol Emperor and helped him ascend the throne. He then led the army to resist the barbarians for many years, revitalizing his family and establishing a thousand-year legacy.

Even Lou Chongxiao, a powerful figure in the court, respected the Giant Rock Marquis.

The Giant Rock Marquis' martial arts were unfathomable, and he had killed countless barbarians and evil cultists. The various evil gods of the barbarians had issued divine decrees multiple times to kill him, but to no avail. He was a pillar of the court.

"By the way, with the Giant Rock Marquis in charge, why is there chaos?" Guchen Sha asked: "Could it be that the third prince is interfering with the administration? Are the two factions fighting for power? I remember the third prince was appointed to the border seven years ago to control the military."

"You understand politics," Lou Baoyue's expression was extremely serious: "The third prince is very ambitious. Seven years ago, he began to lay the groundwork, recruit experts, and seize military power. He sent his loyalists to infiltrate the various states of the border and compete for power with the Giant Rock Marquis. The Giant Rock Marquis, out of respect for the emperor, did not confront the third prince and made concessions, leading to instability in the border region."

"The emperor should be fully aware of these matters. Why does he allow it?" Guchen Sha was puzzled, "This is a matter of national importance."

"The emperor seems to have an agreement with the Fan family," Lou Baoyue sighed: "The Fan family is not to be underestimated. They inherited the lineage of the ancient Buddha and possess a treasure that can kill deities. The emperor needs this bow to deal a heavy blow to the barbarian evil gods."

"I know. That treasure is a bow and two arrows. The bow is called 'Liberation,' and the two arrows are called 'Eternal' and 'Impermanent.' It is said that to achieve liberation, one must understand the principles of the eternal and the impermanent," Guchen Sha recalled from historical records: "One person, one bow, and two arrows form the character 'Buddha.' In other words, whoever obtains the Liberation Bow and the arrows of the eternal and the impermanent is like a Buddha."

"It seems you have read many classics and accumulated a lot of knowledge over the years," Lou Baoyue clapped: "This can help me. Now, I will be frank with you. I need to complete this mission for the emperor, and you cannot fail me at a critical moment. Today, I will be open with you. In the past, I had animosity towards you, but this time, the extermination of the barbarians concerns the safety of the world. We must cooperate sincerely. After the mission, I will protect you against the other princes."

"Rest assured, I know the difference between the welfare of the people and my personal interests," Guchen Sha's tone was very serious: "The barbarians are cruel, and the evil gods are disrupting the Heavenly Way. If they gain the upper hand, the people will suffer. I will do my utmost to complete the mission and ensure the army's success in exterminating the barbarians."

"I didn't realize it," Lou Baoyue was quite surprised: "You actually care about the world. I can tell from your tone that you are sincere, which is more noble than many princes who only seek power and expand their influence, even at the cost of chaos. Maintaining this heart will benefit you."

"Since that's the case, let's cooperate sincerely," Guchen Sha did not want to engage in too much intrigue with Lou Baoyue. The current situation was deteriorating, and the priority was to stabilize Xianzhou, eliminate the evil demons, and destroy the barbarian spies.