Chapter 67

"Then, what should we do next?" This time, Gu Chensha was merely a deputy, with all the major decisions in the hands of Lou Baoyue, so he naturally had to follow her instructions.

"Although the three counties have been reclaimed, this place is desolate, with most of the people killed. The top priority is to urge local officials to quickly restore production and send the displaced people back to their hometowns. At the same time, we must hunt down the barbarian soldiers who have fled into the mountains, not letting a single one escape. These barbarian soldiers, if left alive, will turn into vicious bandits, killing and sacrificing to enhance their strength." Lou Baoyue walked slowly: "Of course, this task will still be handed over to the government and the Iron Blood Marquis. We have more important matters to attend to, which is to rush to the border to defend the Great Stone Wall, and at the same time gather troops. Once the emperor gives the order, we will sweep away the barbarians and annihilate them."

The Iron Blood Marquis is specifically responsible for managing folk cults, bandits, and cultivators who do not respect the king's rule, as well as monitoring officials. Naturally, the task of cleaning up the mess would fall to him.

"Baoyue, your subordinates are all wearing Jiaojiao armor, and even Old Nineteen's subordinates are all in Jiaojiao armor. My subordinates are still in Battle Python armor. How can we fight at the border? Outside the Great Stone Wall is a wilderness, with dense forests, swamps, and miasma, and everywhere are poisonous insects. The Battle Python armor cannot provide adequate protection." The Tenth Prince, Gu Zhensha, looked very unhappy.

It was understandable that Lou Baoyue's subordinates wore Jiaojiao armor, as she had always been favored by the Heavenly Talisman Emperor, enjoying a status second only to the emperor himself, with treatment even surpassing that of the princes.

But for Gu Chensha's subordinates to all be in Jiaojiao armor, he simply couldn't tolerate it.

This barbarian campaign, with its perilous environment, would make it impossible for the troops to advance without Jiaojiao armor.

Throughout history, no dynasty had been able to conquer the barbarian wilderness, mainly due to its treacherous environment, which made it impossible for troops to penetrate deep into it. As soon as they entered, they would be harmed by endless miasma, fierce beasts, and poisonous insects, causing large-scale non-combat casualties.

The Tenth Prince, Gu Zhensha, was very frustrated. This time, he had cultivated to the Dao Realm and led troops on a campaign, hoping to earn merit and receive rewards. However, all the glory was taken by Gu Chensha.

This severely damaged his prestige both in and out of the court.

It should be noted that in the Heavenly Talisman Dynasty, the spirit of martial valor was strong, and military merit was highly rewarded. The Heavenly Talisman Emperor was known for his clear rewards and punishments. Gu Chensha's killing of the barbarian general and the four great demons would certainly earn him significant rewards.

"Old Ten, the Jiaojiao armor is currently being developed by the court. The manufacturing process is very complex and extremely costly. If you write to the court asking for a thousand sets, where would they come from?" Lou Baoyue's tone was very calm: "As for Old Nineteen's Jiaojiao armor, it was a gift from the Great Stone Marquis. The Great Stone Marquis has fought the barbarians many times, slaying many powerful beasts and obtaining countless treasures from the temples, which he then presented to the court's Heavenly Engineering Academy. It was with his materials that the Heavenly Engineering Academy was able to manufacture the Jiaojiao armor. The main materials for the Jiaojiao armor are the horns and skin of the two-headed venomous python from the barbarian wilderness. If you can kill a few and hand them over to the Heavenly Engineering Academy, you can get the armor as well."

The two-headed venomous python is a powerful giant snake, up to ten or even dozens of meters long, with two heads. It is highly venomous and can spray venom and toxic mist. However, it has horns on its head, which are a sacred antidote and can change size at will. If poisoned, simply rubbing the horn on the wound will draw the poison into the horn, which can then be soaked in water to remove the venom.

The horns have a spiritual nature, and it was based on this that the court developed the Jiaojiao armor.

Moreover, the court is now mass-breeding two-headed venomous pythons to produce Jiaojiao armor in bulk.

"Old Ten, I have some extra Jiaojiao armor. If you can afford it, I can sell it to you." Gu Chensha said deliberately. The Great Stone Marquis had given him three hundred sets, and he had already used two hundred and forty-nine. If Gu Zhensha could really come up with something good, he wouldn't mind selling it.

"Old Nineteen, are you getting too cocky?" The Tenth Prince, Gu Zhensha, was furious, taking a step forward, causing the air to swirl and the ground to sink, giving the impression of a collapsing sky and a sinking earth.

The Third Prince, Gu Fansha, watched coldly, saying nothing.

"Alright, everyone will rest here for three days before heading to the border. I have already sent a secret report to the emperor and await his reply." Lou Baoyue waved her hand. "Old Ten, your troops will go to the south of the county, Old Three to the north, I will be in the center, and Old Nineteen to the west. Both sides must not conflict."

"Fine." Gu Chensha turned and left: "Lady Fuyue, the body of the barbarian general must be sent to the court for the Heavenly Engineering Academy to study."

"Of course, your merit will not be overlooked." Lou Baoyue was stern.

Gu Chensha ignored the Third Prince and the Tenth Prince's various opinions, leading his troops to the west of the county. There were rows of temples built by the barbarians, which were spacious, and they set up camp and began to cultivate.

The Tenth Prince, Gu Zhensha, made no attempt to hide his murderous intent and led his troops to the south to garrison.

The Third Prince, Gu Fansha, waved his hand, sending his subordinates to the north, but he stayed in the central hall. "Baoyue, do you think Old Nineteen has a real knack for it? He can randomly recruit civilians from the town and train them into a formidable force, especially those five swordsmen who have reached the peak of martial arts, which are rare talents. Even the most renowned masters in the martial world might not match them. What do you think?"

"Old Nineteen naturally has some cards up his sleeve, but he is becoming increasingly difficult to read." Lou Baoyue looked at the body of the barbarian general on the ground. "A single sword pierced the eye, and the hidden force penetrated the brain, killing a strong opponent with copper skin and iron bones. This barbarian general seemed to have no resistance. If my calculations are correct, he was first restrained by a stronger force before being killed by Old Nineteen."

If Gu Chensha were here, he would be shocked by Lou Baoyue's ability to deduce, even from just a few glances, with her guesses being almost spot on.

"So, Old Nineteen has a powerful expert by his side? To restrain the barbarian general so that he had no resistance, it would probably require a level two higher." Gu Fansha's expression changed, but he then said, "However, Baoyue, I don't think you can't see through Old Nineteen. I know that you and Old Nineteen cooperated to obtain the Tiger Wolf Pill."

"Old Three, your information is so well-informed. It seems you have people planted around me." Lou Baoyue's body trembled.

"Mutual respect." The Third Prince, Gu Fansha, was not concerned: "We are doing business. The Tiger Wolf Pill is a good thing. Can you get more from Old Nineteen?"

"You want a large amount of Tiger Wolf Pills to exchange for the use of the Innate Ten Thousand Transformations Map from the Fan family. You are now at the fifth change of the Dao Realm, with a hundred apertures gathering spirit. This change is a long and arduous process, requiring the compression and concentration of spirit energy in the hundred apertures of the body, squeezing it to produce a qualitative change to reach the sixth change, where the spirit energy is refined into a powerful force, breaking out of the body and destroying everything. Generally, this change requires decades of hard work, but you are cultivating the 'Immovable Venerable Method,' which is extremely powerful but also extremely difficult, a hundred times harder than ordinary techniques. If you follow the steps, it will take at least sixty years. However, the Innate Ten Thousand Transformations Map can help you quickly compress the spirit energy, shortening the time, and you can achieve the innate powerful force in just a few months." Lou Baoyue explained, showing that she was well aware of Gu Fansha's secrets.

"It seems you have also planted people around me." Gu Fansha's expression was not pleasant: "Even my secret cultivation of the Immovable Venerable Method and the Innate Ten Thousand Transformations Map is known to you."

"You are a prince, and your mother's family is the Fan family, but the Fan family is a thousand-year-old lineage with countless direct descendants." Lou Baoyue continued: "Many of the direct descendants feel that you are using too many family resources and have a lot of complaints against you. The elders in the family also feel the same way. You want to use the Innate Ten Thousand Transformations Map, but it is not that easy. You need to exchange it for something. For a family, it is all about a continuous supply of talent. Once the Tiger Wolf Pill is available, the young disciples of the Fan family will all want it, and they will influence the elders. Which elder does not have a few direct descendants?"

"Since we both know each other's cards, there's no need to say more." Gu Fansha said: "I want a large amount of Tiger Wolf Pills, and Old Nineteen definitely has them."

"No, you haven't grasped my cards, but I know yours." Lou Baoyue's tone was very firm: "For example, you don't know what I am cultivating."

"You started with the Pure Yin Scripture and later began cultivating the Great Luo Void Dao, an ancient technique created by the ancient emperor Tianzi Xu. Originally, Tianzi Xu was cultivating the emperor's divine technique, but he could not achieve the second move, 'Heaven and Earth's Longevity,' so he created his own martial arts." Gu Fansha knew everything: "However, the Great Luo Void Dao is extremely difficult to cultivate, even with the Hundred Tribulations Golden Pill, there are still obstacles. Unless you obtain some secret treasures from our Fan family. To be frank, the Lou family only became prominent in this dynasty. In terms of heritage, it is just a third-rate lineage, far inferior to the Fan, Fa, Lei, and Hong families."

"I agree with your assessment of our Lou family," Lou Baoyue did not argue, "but you are greatly mistaken about my martial arts. Do you really think I am cultivating the Great Luo Void Dao?"

As she spoke, she lightly grabbed at Gu Fansha.

Buzz...

Instantly, a destructive force centered on her, shattering the heavens and the earth, collapsing the universe, and causing the fall of countless gods.

A single move that knocked down all the gods.

Gu Fansha looked as if he had seen a ghost: "This is, the emperor's Great Slaughter of the Gods! He actually taught it to you. Even the Seventh Prince didn't receive it. Why did he teach it to you?"

The Great Slaughter of the Gods is known as the first killing technique in the universe, invincible in attack, but it is not an ancient inheritance. It was created by the Heavenly Talisman Emperor, who combined various martial arts and comprehended the supreme mysteries, using it to slaughter countless powerful beings, even gods.

This technique is unimaginably terrifying, and those who have seen it are haunted by nightmares, unwilling even to recall it.

Gu Fansha had long heard the most hidden ancient treasures of the Fan family say that even the ancient gods and buddhas would find it hard to escape a single strike of this technique. It does not use brute force, spiritual energy, soul power, or even the power of the spirit. This force does not exist in the world.

The Heavenly Talisman Emperor never taught the Great Slaughter of the Gods to anyone outside his closest family, and now it has been passed to Lou Baoyue.

Gu Fansha felt as if he had fallen into a bottomless abyss, more terrifying than receiving the imperial token: "Could it be that Lou Baoyue is the emperor's biological daughter? No, even if she is his biological daughter, she wouldn't be so favored. We are also his biological sons."