Chapter 40

"It's not a rebellion, but a restoration of the kingdom." Chen Jianfeng lightly waved his folding fan. "We can fully support you. After the deed is done, a princely title is guaranteed and unshakable."

"Princely title?" Gu Chensha's face was strange. "Then who will be the emperor?"

"Of course, it will be our Crown Prince, Chen Tianhuang. He left with the Grand Tutor years ago, practicing supreme martial arts. Now he has achieved great success. When he emerges from seclusion, he will naturally seek justice from Emperor Tianfu." A hint of killing intent appeared on Chen Jianfeng's face. "I know you have had a hard life, being discriminated against in the palace for years, not even as good as a wealthy old man. Now there is a great opportunity to rise to prominence. This is the only path for you. If you don't cooperate with us, you won't be able to get through this crisis. Lou Baiyue deliberately framed you, don't you know?"

"But if we restore the kingdom, the country will be plunged into war, and the people will suffer. What do you think about that?" Gu Chensha asked.

"The people are like leeks, cut one batch and another grows. Generation after generation, it has always been like this. You can't be so foolish, can you? The victor becomes the king, the loser the bandit." Chen Jianfeng's tone was condescending, not treating the people as human beings.

"The Xian Dynasty's governance was far inferior to Emperor Tianfu's. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been destroyed." Gu Chensha thought to himself, "This person's mindset is not a blessing for the people. Even if they could seize the empire, it would only enslave the people and set the country back."

"What? You don't agree?" Chen Jianfeng's eyes turned cold, staring intently at Gu Chensha.

"The matter can be discussed, but can you really expect me to undertake such a major task with just a few words? Isn't that too frivolous? Why don't you show some sincerity?" Gu Chensha sensed the man's ill intentions but didn't want to confront him yet. He decided to play along for now: "Right now, Lou Baiyue is leading troops near Bannan Province, and the Third Prince, Gu Fansha, has a formidable army. Even further away, the Giant Rock Marquis can come to support at any time. I have no troops or generals, and I am alone. How can I rebel and take over Xian Province?"

"That's no problem. Getting troops and manpower isn't difficult. I can support you with thousands of experts at any time. Also, you say you have no troops or generals, but I don't believe that. I don't think you could kill the Black Bat without a powerful expert by your side." Chen Jianfeng took a few steps forward. "Will you agree or not? Time is pressing. If you miss this opportunity, you will have no place to bury your body in a few days."

"I need two days to consider. This is a major matter and must be carefully planned." Gu Chensha checked his surroundings for any danger and began to stall for time.

"Fine, I'll give you two days. We'll meet here again in two days. I hope you have an answer for me." Chen Jianfeng extended his hand in a gesture of invitation.

Gu Chensha's legs shot back, and in a few leaps, he disappeared.

"Sir, I think this person is just playing us. He won't betray the old scoundrel Emperor Tianfu. He was recently ennobled as a national duke, established his own household, and is basking in glory. Why would he follow us to restore the kingdom?" A subordinate came forward and said solemnly, "Why didn't you capture him? Extract his blood and inject it into Sir's body. Then Sir can communicate with the Giant Spirit God. If the Giant Spirit God acknowledges Sir, he will be the ruler, and even the Crown Prince will have to bow to his command."

"Do you think I didn't want to capture him?" Chen Jianfeng sneered. "But he's not a simple character. He can kill the Black Bat, and the expert by his side could kill me at any moment. So I gave him two days. By then, he will come to me. He can't withstand the attacks from the barbarians and the cult. The court's internal struggles will force him into a desperate situation."

As they spoke, the three of them retreated into the forest.

Gu Chensha didn't return to the provincial capital but opened a map on a small hill outside the city.

It was a map of Bannan Province.

Bannan Province had dozens of counties and five prefectures, all clearly marked on the map. Various major and minor roads, mountain paths, waterways, forests, lakes, and even villages were detailed.

Currently, three counties and the surrounding large rural areas, towns, and forests were circled in red. These were Tao County, An County, and Cha County.

These three areas had completely fallen, with the counties becoming cult altars. Every day, countless people were sacrificed or turned into cult followers, who then attacked other counties and villages. The Bannan army had fought the cult several times but was defeated each time. Now they were retreating and consolidating their defenses.

"The cult's attack is imminent, and the Bannan governor is unreliable. The army is not enough to stop the experts." Gu Chensha had his own plans: "The only way now is to infiltrate the tiger's den, assassinate the cult's experts, and disrupt their plans. This might buy some time. If someone else tried, it wouldn't work, but I have the Heavenly Mandate Space. If I encounter danger, I can enter it with a thought, making me unpredictable."

He had no troops or trusted allies, and enemies surrounded him. The only way to stop the cult's army was this method.

Moreover, his main purpose for coming here was to train in martial arts. If he could kill the cult's experts in battle, he could not only save the people but also offer sacrifices to heaven to obtain celestial dew, and ease the current situation. It was a threefold benefit.

Before learning the "Sun and Moon Killing," this plan might not have been feasible, but now he had a good chance.

"If I could borrow the Dragon Bone Sword and hide in the Heavenly Mandate Space, I could wait for the cult's experts to pass and then assassinate them. The Black Bat couldn't withstand such an attack. But Long Yuyun might not lend it to me. If I had taken Lou Baiyue's Fire Sword, it would have been better. But Lou Baiyue is cunning. If I took her sword, she might suspect me. Besides, it was refined by my father. If it has a spirit, it might sense the Heavenly Mandate Space, which would be bad."

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

Gu Chensha thought as he moved, following the map to the troubled counties.

It was night, and the surroundings were pitch black, with no moon in the sky. But his eyes could see tiny objects several miles away. After a few hours, the sky began to lighten. He avoided the army's encampments and took the small roads, advancing hundreds of miles to approach Tao County.

Along the way, once-prosperous villages and towns were now deserted, with houses burned and trees charred. Fires and smoke filled the villages.

Many villages had burned bodies, including the elderly, women, and children, some even with their chests cut open, a sight too gruesome to bear.

Gu Chensha, seeing this for the first time, was filled with rage, wishing he could immediately kill the cult leaders and the barbarians.

"Hmm? There's the sound of battle in the distance." His ears were sharp, and he heard the commotion. He immediately exerted his strength, leaping onto a tall tree on a hill, and in the morning light, he saw a town with a high wall. The civilians were defending against the cult's attack.

The cultists, dressed in black robes, were tightly wrapped and each carried a long knife, swarming to break into the town.

The cultists, using the three counties as their base, attacked many villages, capturing people and taking them to the cult altars to be sacrificed or brainwashed into cult followers.

This snowballing development was extremely terrifying. In the past, the court would immediately send troops and experts to suppress it.

The distant town was quite prosperous, with a large population. People from surrounding villages had come to seek refuge. Under the leadership of the town chief, they formed a defensive system that was somewhat effective. There were a few experts patrolling the walls, cutting down cultists, and there were archers, crossbows, and even a few cannons.

Suddenly, a long cry came from the cultist camp.

"Bad, a martial arts master." Gu Chensha immediately knew that there was an expert among the cultists. If a martial arts master attacked, leaped onto the wall, and killed the strong leaders in the town, the entire town of ten thousand people would collapse, becoming the cult's livestock, to be slaughtered at will.

"The sun and moon travel, patrolling the world." He activated his movement technique, moving so fast that he was just a blur, quickly approaching the cult's army.

"Someone is coming, stop him." Just as he was about to approach, a cult leader noticed the abnormality, waved a command flag, and a large group of cultists swarmed over.

"Flower Rain." Gu Chensha kicked up stones, pinched them into dozens of pieces, and threw them. The stones whistled through the air, as fast as lightning, knocking dozens of cultists unconscious. This was a hidden weapon technique recorded in the Giant Spirit God's technique, suitable for group battles.

Although he threw dozens of stones, each one was extremely accurate, with precise force. However, he didn't kill them, aiming for non-lethal points, just to stun the cultists. They would be weak and numb for months, unable to harm others.

Most of these cultists were civilians who had been forced or deceived. Killing their leaders would cause them to disperse and wake up, so there was no need to exterminate them all.

He moved extremely fast, quickly rushing into the cult's army, approaching the commander's position.

These cultists were civilians, though fearless, they lacked the discipline of a trained army. If it were the elite troops of the Da Yong Dynasty, with their layered shields, long spears, sword formations, archers, and even musketeers, it would be almost impossible to take the general's head in the midst of thousands of soldiers.

In the past, when the Da Yong army attacked many sects, even experts at the first or second stage of the Dao realm died in battle. Of course, if they reached the third stage, with copper skin and iron bones, the army's threat would be much lower, as even arrows, crossbows, and muskets would struggle to harm them.

This time, the Third Prince feared the barbarian shaman, who had reached the sixth stage of the Dao realm, refining qi into a powerful force, making him invincible to ordinary armies.

"Kill!"

The cult leader stood on a wooden platform, holding a command flag, directing the attack. Seeing that the cultists couldn't stop Gu Chensha, who was quickly approaching, he became furious and grabbed a long spear, throwing it with all his might.

The spear flew like a snake, aiming for Gu Chensha's heart.

"Come on." Gu Chensha ducked to avoid the spear, leaped up, and landed on the platform, spreading his fingers to grab the leader.

The leader's eyes were evil, bloodshot, and cruel, with a tattoo on his face. Seeing Gu Chensha attack, he showed no fear, drawing his knife, and the blade grew, creating a flurry of shadows.

"Blood-Melting Blade!"

He wielded a precious blade.