Chapter 82

Everyone was resting inside the spirit-gathering array, while Gu Chensha activated the "Great Dragon Armor." The scales on his back almost instantly formed into broad wings, and he flew into the sky.

The speed of his flight was quite fast, and with a slight flutter of his wings, the air currents rose, allowing him to soar effortlessly like a great roc.

The feeling of flying was simply exhilarating, broadening the mind and spirit. The vast forest lay beneath him, taking in the entire scene.

"This Great Dragon Armor is truly a treasure. It was worth spending so many days of dew to evolve it. Unfortunately, it is an external object and offers no benefit to my own cultivation," Gu Chensha, though immersed in the abilities of the Great Dragon Armor, remained vigilant, reminding himself not to be captivated by external objects.

He flew up into the sky, and the terrain of the mountains and rivers became clearer. He saw that the surrounding mountains were in a chaotic state, with some air currents stagnant and others dissipating, lacking any order. This kind of terrain is called "poor mountains and evil waters." If people lived in this area, they would be generations of foolish and brutal individuals.

"Mountains have mountain qi, the earth has earth intent, and water has water spirits. The combination of all things is truly wondrous." He had gained many insights from Yi Ming's guidance and his own diligent study of books, but he had never stood at such a height to overlook the mountains and rivers before.

Now, circling in the air, he soon took in the mountainous terrain within a few hundred miles. In his mind, he calculated and felt the magnetic and spiritual waves, deepening his understanding of feng shui and the unity of heaven, earth, and humanity.

In his mind, he could almost clearly see the spiritual energy rolling and lingering in the vast void, ready to descend with his breath and enter his body.

He once again touched the edge of the Dao realm.

But he still failed to break through, lacking the essence of water flowing into a channel, always falling short of perfection.

Feeling that his cultivation was sufficient, he slowly descended and returned to the spirit-gathering array.

At this moment, he saw that the three Xiangs were not resting but were whispering to each other.

"What are you discussing?" Gu Chensha walked over, wanting to chat with the three Xiangs. These three were Lou Baiyue's people, ostensibly to assist him, but in reality, to gather information and monitor him. However, he could glean insights into Lou Baiyue's inner workings from them.

Through observation over the past few days, he found that these three were extremely powerful, even surpassing himself, and were on the verge of breaking through to the Dao realm. The key was that their cultivation methods complemented each other, somewhat similar to Liu Yu's Five Seasons Sword Technique.

These three were themselves one in ten thousand in terms of talent.

"Your Highness, we are discussing how to fight, contact the princess, and coordinate our efforts," Si Xiang stood up and bowed.

"Oh? Have you contacted the princess?" Gu Chensha asked quickly, as information from Lou Baiyue was crucial.

"We have already made contact," Si Xiang said. "The princess has already led her troops to capture a barbarian tribe with tens of thousands of people. She is currently demoting the tribe's people to slaves, then taming them and building cities on the spot, advancing step by step."

"Capture the tribe and advance step by step?" Gu Chensha was slightly startled. "Barbarians are the hardest to tame. Even if they are demoted to slaves, they will revolt. This is a lesson from ancient times. Does Princess Yuefu not fear a revolt?"

The war between the demon-barbarians and humans has lasted for ten thousand years. Throughout history, when the barbarians invaded, they would either kill humans on the spot as sacrifices to evil gods or take them back to be raised and killed later. In the eyes of the demon-barbarians, humans were no different from prey.

However, humans treated the barbarians differently. They repeatedly tried to educate and assimilate them, teaching them manners, literacy, and moral cultivation, but all attempts failed. The barbarians' wild nature was hard to tame, and they often revolted, killing the surrounding people. Later, even some benevolent scholars believed that the barbarians' blood contained beastly and evil qualities, fundamentally different from humans. Humans are inherently good, but barbarians are inherently evil.

Now, Lou Baiyue was attempting to tame the barbarians again, even as slaves, which was a very dangerous endeavor.

"This time, the princess is experimenting with the emperor's secret method," Si Xiang said. "The emperor's wisdom has calculated a secret method to tame the barbarians, which he has given to the princess to see if it can be implemented. If the evil gods and beastly qualities in the barbarians' blood can be eliminated, making them true humans, it would be a great virtue. Our Great Yong Empire could also conquer the wilderness that has been unconquered for ten thousand years, expanding our territory."

"But the barbarians have a ten-thousand-year blood feud with us. Even if they are tamed and submit, the people will not allow it, and the resistance will be great," Gu Chensha knew that the people hated the barbarians to the bone, wishing to devour their flesh and blood. The hatred was so deep that it could not be resolved. Even he found the barbarians detestable, a view he had gained from books and from witnessing the chaos in the three counties, where the barbarians burned and killed, turning villages to ashes, and beheaded, skinned, and sacrificed the elderly, children, and women on altars.

"The emperor says this is a matter for generations to come. First, the barbarians will be demoted to slaves to build cities and houses for us. Once the projects are completed, we will begin the reckoning, encouraging them to inform on each other. Those with a blood feud with us within three generations will be tried, while those with a clean record for three generations can continue as slaves and are allowed to have children. For the next five generations, they will continue as slaves. If they remain loyal and have no misconduct, they can become serfs. After another five generations, if they have no misconduct and have made contributions, they can become commoners," Si Xiang explained the plan Lou Baiyue intended to implement.

"Such a grand endeavor, generation after generation of taming, might eliminate their beastly nature." Gu Chensha thought. This was a matter for ten generations, not something to rush. "Also, how are the other princes progressing? My information is not very reliable, but you have secret channels to communicate."

"Your Highness, all the princes have made gains. The seventh prince, Prince Fashen, has made the greatest gains, capturing a barbarian tribe with 300,000 people, taking ten barbarian generals and one divine envoy prisoner, and wounding the barbarian king, Ula, who fled. All the barbarians have been demoted to slaves and are building houses and cities. The seventh prince has also issued a call for experts within the pass to settle, offering slaves, houses, and wealth to those with high martial arts skills. Many martial artists and noble children are flocking there, and his power is growing like a snowball," Xue Xiang seemed to want to put pressure on Gu Chensha by recounting this.

"The third prince has also captured a tribe and is using it as a base, advancing step by step and contacting many noble families and clans," Xue Xiang also reported. "He has successfully cultivated the sixth transformation of the Dao realm, refining qi into a powerful force. His martial arts have greatly improved, and he has recruited many experts, making his advance unstoppable. As for the other princes, they have also made gains, with various reports of victories pouring into the court. Currently, only Your Highness's name is empty on the court's merit list. Additionally, the fifth, sixth, eighth, ninth, fourteenth, and eighteenth princes have reported to the court that they have entered the Dao realm."

"Can great matters be rushed?" Gu Chensha's mind was calm, not at all anxious, just as his cultivation had not yet broken through the Dao realm. He was not in a hurry.

Seeing his composure, the three Xiangs secretly admired his ability to maintain his cool.

"Master, an expert is approaching us," at this moment, a faint vibration like a mosquito's hum entered Gu Chensha's ears. It was Yi Ming using his innate qi to form a fine thread, creating a whisper, a technique known as secret transmission.

"Yi Ming, I just discovered some good herbs nearby. Let's go and collect them," Gu Chensha nodded and called out, leaving the area.

The three Xiangs frowned but knew that Gu Chensha had secrets he did not want them to know.

He and Yi Ming quickly entered the forest. Originally, Gu Chensha wanted to fly up and observe closely, but Yi Ming stopped him: "Master, your flight in the sky exposed our target, leading the barbarian experts to discover us. We must not expose ourselves again. While the view from the sky is clear, it also makes us easy targets on the ground."

"Who is the expert approaching?" Gu Chensha was not worried. If Yi Ming could detect them, their cultivation must be below Yi Ming's.

"They are shadow priests from the barbarians, specialized in assassination and operating in the dark," Yi Ming said. "I am a power priest, wielding great authority."

"I know about the shadow priests. They are trained in the barbarian evil god's temple to assassinate important figures, with extremely strong combat skills and great evil," Gu Chensha said. "Before the construction of the Great Stone Wall, many officials in the court were assassinated by shadow priests. Whenever the barbarians planned to invade a place, they would send shadow priests to assassinate key officials, causing chaos and creating opportunities."

"They are approaching," Yi Ming whispered. "However, they have not yet discovered us. Master, should we strike first?"

"Of course," Gu Chensha's face showed a cold smile. "Each shadow priest is a blood-stained killer. I want to see what kind of character is coming to assassinate me. You leave first, and let me face them alone."

"Master, it might be dangerous," Yi Ming listened carefully. "This time, the shadow priests are no ordinary ones. You killed the four great demons and the general, and destroyed the temple. The barbarians must have received the news and sent shadow priests at the general level or higher to assassinate you."

"No problem. I have the Great Dragon Armor. It is not easy to break through my defenses. Battling experts now will greatly benefit my cultivation," Gu Chensha observed his surroundings but saw no movement. "Besides, you can hide in the dark and strike unexpectedly. When I call you, you act."

"Yes!" Yi Ming's body flickered and hid deep in the forest.

Gu Chensha casually wandered around, pretending to gather herbs. It must be said that the herbs in the wilderness were very abundant. He found several rare herbs with great age, worth a fortune in the capital.

Of course, this was deep in the forest. Even a first or second transformation Dao realm cultivator might not be able to withstand the venomous insects and fierce beasts, making herb gathering extremely dangerous.

Swoosh!

Just as he was pretending to gather herbs, a shadow appeared from deep in the forest. The shadow was several hundred steps away, and with a light step, a sharp qi force shot out like lightning, thundering towards him.

The speed was so fast, several times faster than an arrow, leaving no room for reaction. Even Gu Chensha could not dodge, and the qi force struck his chest hard.

Bang!

He was hit as if by a giant hammer, flying back and crashing through three or four trees in the forest.

---

(End of the page)