Undoubtedly, the Prince of Zhennan was ambitious, and his ambition was not small.

In his view, if the Sima family could seize the throne back then, so could he. Now that the world situation was turbulent, ambitious people all wanted to get a share of the pie.

And so did he!

He had a firm grip on Nan Province, just like Liang Province. However, sitting in the southernmost part of the Central Plains, his ambition did not stop there. He also regarded Shu Province as something already in his pocket.

And a chaotic Shu Province would better suit his interests.

Therefore, he secretly ordered the massacre of the entire Shu Province Patrol Office and the assassination of Lu Renjia, the former Shu Province Golden Envoy, all to create chaos.

But just as he made his move, before he could even start making the preparations that would follow, the imperial court reacted and dispatched the newly appointed Heavenly Envoy Chen Yuan to oversee the three southern provinces.

Under such circumstances, Nangong Lie could only temporarily stop his plans.

After his full investigation, Nangong Lie finally had some detailed understanding of this Central Plains genius who had risen to fame in the last thousand years. He discovered that this person was also one who was unwilling to remain subservient for long.

He relied on his powerful talent and acted extremely arrogantly. He dared to attack anyone, destroying families and exterminating clans at will, unstoppable and unchallenged.

Then, after the last battle at Liangshan, Nangong Lie knew that the world was already in turmoil, and he had to prepare early.

He would use Chen Yuan, this sharp knife, to help him wipe out the troublesome elements in the Shu Province Jianghu (martial world). When the Jianghu could no longer tolerate it, he could descend like a divine soldier, suppress this person, and gain the recognition of the Shu Province Jianghu.

Xie Kunshan was a chess piece he had prepared in advance. By a very accidental chance, Xie Kunshan's son fell into his hands. Using this legitimate son to threaten Xie Kunshan, he dared not resist at all.

This was how the Qianren Sect came to bully Hidden Weapon Valley.

Everything was well-planned. He had even set a restriction in Xie Kunshan's soul. If anyone searched his soul, this person would instantly die, his soul completely destroyed.

What he did not expect was that Chen Yuan was so well-prepared.

Before the Qianren Sect was destroyed and his means could be implemented, Chen Yuan had already produced the evidence of the Qianren Sect's crimes, and it was genuine evidence.

Clearly, Chen Yuan was well aware that someone wanted to use him. He simply went along with it, and actually destroyed the Qianren Sect, successfully establishing his authority in Shu Province and obtaining a batch of resources.

Thoughtful and not as impulsive as he appeared.

This was the Prince of Zhennan's evaluation of him.

"Your Highness, should we continue with the subsequent plans?" A middle-aged man in black armor asked in a deep voice. He was part of the Prince of Zhennan's most elite secret force.

The Tiannan Guard!

Completely different from the military forces, their main duty was to gather intelligence, plant secret agents in the Jianghu, and do some shady things for the Prince of Zhennan.

"Since we're already involved, let's continue. This Prince also wants to see what this world-renowned Martial Marquis of Wu'an will do!" Since he had already begun preparing, he had to give it a try.

Even if he couldn't hurt Chen Yuan, he could stir up the waters of Shu Province.

Qing Province was too far away. With Shu Province and Blood Province acting as barriers, he wouldn't be able to spare time in the short term. Although Blood Province was large, it also accommodated three enormous forces.

Neither Xiang Qianqiu, currently the number one in the world, nor the Heavenly Demon Hall and the Seven Kill Hall were entities he could currently match.

Moreover, he was the one who backstabbed the Xiang family back then. Xiang Qianqiu might come to seek revenge at any time. With his heaven-defying power, the Prince of Zhennan, although he thought highly of himself, also knew the difference between them.

However, that was only for now. The future was hard to say.

"What about Xie Kunshan's family?"

The man asked.

"Xie Kunshan is dead. Keeping them is useless. To avoid being traced, make sure the job is clean and leave no bones behind."

The Prince of Zhennan glanced at him.

"Yes, Your subordinate obeys."

"Also, you..." The Prince of Zhennan was about to order something when he suddenly frowned, his eyes flashed slightly, and he said faintly:

"You may leave for now."

The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment, then quickly bowed:

"Your subordinate takes his leave."

After this person left, a wisp of spider silk suddenly emerged from the void, sealing the surrounding space. A graceful figure in light gauze slowly materialized.

"Why is Daoist Nine Spiders here?"

The woman in black covered her mouth and giggled:

"What? Can't this humble one come to the Prince of Zhennan's manor?"

"This Prince is naturally welcome," Nangong Lie said with a faint smile.

"The other Daoists asked me to ask, how are Daoist Nangong's preparations coming along?" Nine Spiders glanced at Nangong Lie.

"As long as everyone does well, there will naturally be no accidents."

"Hehe, our Xuan Tian Divine Spider Clan has known you for more than a day or two. What, you don't trust us?" Nine Spiders seemed displeased.

"The demon race and the human race have always been at odds. Who knows if you'll betray this Prince?"

Perhaps no one would have thought that the Prince of Zhennan, entrusted with important tasks by the imperial court to govern Zhennan Province, had already become involved with the demon race of the Southern Frontier. If word got out, who knows what kind of shock it would cause.

Moreover, Nangong Lie was cooperating with the Xuan Tian Divine Spider Clan, one of the four great demon clans, on par with the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox clan where Bai Niansheng was from, whose strength was terrifying.

"If Daoist Nangong doesn't believe me, why not take this humble one as your own? That way, we'll naturally be on the same side," Nine Spiders chuckled, her smile captivating.

However, with the Prince of Zhennan's divine eyes, he could naturally see her true form.

It was a terrifying demon body over ten zhang tall, a large spider with eerie glowing eyes. Ordinary people would be scared to death upon seeing it.

And he obviously did not want to be a spider hero.

"That won't be necessary."

"This humble one knows Daoist Nangong's concerns. Don't worry, you are the Prince of Zhennan of the human race. The demon race will need you to coordinate in the future, so naturally, we won't betray you.

The Demon God Flower is not a false story. It is a divine object condensed from the blood essence of many powerful demons in the Demon Suppression Tower. For you, it may allow your physical body to increase greatly."

"You know that's not what this Prince wants," Nangong Lie frowned.

"Hehe... rest assured, there is a treasure left by an expert of my Heavenly Spider Clan inside that can help you comprehend the Dao," Nine Spiders said with a smile.

"Hmph..."

Nangong Lie snorted lightly. The reason why he risked the world's disapproval to contact the demon race was because of this Demon God Flower, which was rumored to be so magical.

He wanted to use it to comprehend the rules!

Only in this way could he hope to resist Xiang Qianqiu, achieve great things, and even... break through the sixth realm and become an immortal from then on!

The two's goal was the upcoming Shu Mountain Sword Offering Ceremony. Sending Xie Kunshan to disrupt the Shu Province Jianghu was also part of the plan. The two talked for a full quarter of an hour before stopping.

"Daoist Nangong must remember that it was the Xuan Tian Divine Spider Clan that contacted you first. As for the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Clan, it's best to have less contact with them."

Nine Spiders' words contained a hint of threat.

Among the four great demon clans in the Southern Frontier today, the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, the Xuan Tian Divine Spider, the Crimson Nether Blood Tiger, and the Azure Heaven Demon Bull, the Spider Clan and the Fox Clan were the most hostile.

She didn't want any other problems to arise.

"Are you threatening this Prince?" Nangong Lie frowned, knowing that she was referring to the previous incident of deliberately letting go of the elder of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Clan.

"Daoist Nangong can understand it that way," Nine Spiders raised her head and chuckled before turning around and stepping into the void.

After she left, Nangong Lie's eyes turned cold, and a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth.

The demon race was not to be trusted!

Even if it was for the Demon God Flower, he could not possibly side with the demon race, let alone the Heavenly Spider Clan. What he was always pursuing was his own interests.

Whether it was befriending the Heavenly Spider Clan or showing goodwill to the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Clan, it was all for this reason.

He had the ambition to dominate the world and needed a clean background.

Later, he would deal with those traces one by one. As for the demon race's 'frame-up', who in the Jianghu would believe it? After all, he was the Prince of Zhennan of the imperial court.

He had been guarding against the demon race for many years, and even if he had no merit, he had worked hard!

......

......

The destruction of the Qianren Sect shook the entire Shu Province Jianghu and touched the sensitive nerves of many people, who secretly suspected that the imperial court was preparing to take action.

But because they were afraid of Xiang Qianqiu of Liangshan, they killed the chicken to scare the monkeys, deliberately letting Chen Yuan destroy the Qianren Sect.

The wind and rain were turbulent, and undercurrents surged.

The truth and falsehood were intertwined, making it difficult to distinguish.

The battle of Liangshan completely ignited the ambitions of some people, who believed that the Great Jin Dynasty, which had barely supported itself for more than two hundred years, was finally about to disintegrate.

Everyone wanted to get a share of the pie.

The last time the former Chu Dynasty was destroyed, large and small forces in the Jianghu were involved. Some supported the Sima family, while others supported the Xiang family. Those who supported the former made a lot of money. The most prominent representative was Lingshan.

With the imperial court's indulgence, Buddhism spread to the Central Plains and had occupied most of it by now. Only because there were too many immortal sects in the south and they resisted Buddhism, it was still confined to Qing Province.

Those who supported the latter suffered great losses. The most prominent example was the Goddess Palace. As one of the top ten immortal sects, it had not made any major moves in the past hundred years.

It seemed to be avoiding the world like the Tai Xu Palace and Kunlun Mountain.

In fact, when the Sima family rebelled and usurped the throne, no one expected it to be so smooth. As a price, and in order to stabilize the situation in the world,

The Sima family made great concessions. It could be said that they left huge hidden dangers from the very beginning of the founding of the country.

Now that the imperial court was showing signs of decline, the huge backlash was revealed. The major immortal sects, aristocratic families, and large sects that had accumulated strength for many years were sharpening their knives at this time.

They wanted to start another gluttonous feast.

No one wanted an imperial court pressing down on their heads. What was most beneficial to the Jianghu was the chaotic era of a thousand years ago, when large and small countries constantly fought, lasting for thousands of years.

Behind every country was a force.

It was both the worst of times and the best of times.

Now, some people wanted to restart that dark age.

Chen Yuan's destruction of the Qianren Sect was like a beginning, and it was also like a fuse. In short, since the battle of Liangshan, almost every one of the thirteen provinces in the world had disputes, and the intensity was constantly increasing.

Every day, sects and aristocratic families were destroyed, and every day, new forces were born. A huge explosion might begin as a result.

However, the imperial court had not yet lost any territory. Most of the Jianghu forces still knew how to restrain themselves, fearing that they would be targeted as the first to stand out.

Chen Yuan of Shu Province, on the other hand, ignored the rumors and disputes outside. He was looking for the next target, seeing who dared to jump out and seek death.

The destruction of the Qianren Sect was a warning, but some forces still wanted to find some sense of existence. What Chen Yuan had to do was to establish his authority with iron-blooded methods.

The lower-level people and forces applauded Chen Yuan's actions, but the forces that were at the same level as the Qianren Sect, or slightly weaker or stronger, felt a sense of crisis.

They guessed that Chen Yuan's destruction of the Qianren Sect was not the end, and might even be a new beginning.

Therefore, several forces secretly united and created unfavorable rumors about Chen Yuan in the Jianghu, trying to suppress his achievements in fighting bloody battles for the Central Plains, using dirty water to slander him.

However, Chen Yuan was not made of mud either. Under his early arrangements, with the Shangguan clan as the leader and the Liu clan as the auxiliary force, they also began to shape Chen Yuan's positive image.

For a time, there was a lively battle of words in the Shu Province Jianghu.

Chen Yuan's energy was now entirely focused on Shu Province. He did not intend to interfere with the news outside. A very strong force from within Shu Province, the south of Shu Province, and Tangshan Prefecture in the north of Shu Province, formed a encirclement to stabilize the situation in Shu West.

Shu Province was much larger than Qing Province. It was divided into three areas of unequal size: Shu East, Shu Central, and Shu West. Shu East was basically led by Shu Mountain and was not easy to interfere with for the time being.

Shu Central was relatively chaotic, with both top forces and hidden families, as well as many ordinary forces. However, the Tang Clan had already washed it once last time. In the future, it would only be necessary to solve a few top forces to control the situation.

The most important was the seven prefectures of Shu West. Like Shu East, it was the fertile land of Shu Province, bordering Nan Province, Blood Province, and Qing Province, with a complex mix of Jianghu forces.

Shu Province City was also located in this area.

However, Chen Yuan had already made preparations. After the destruction of the Qianren Sect, Chen Yuan's forces, both openly and secretly, cleaned up the remaining Jianghu forces together.

They accepted the forces willing to pay tribute, and those unwilling to interfere honestly guarded their own territory, doing whatever they were told to do.

As for some thorns and forces that had close ties with the Qianren Sect, they were all exterminated!

The main culprits were executed, and all the rest were captured and escorted to Blood Province to mine.

In addition, Chen Yuan's men also recruited troops on a large scale, focusing on Jianghu martial artists with good individual strength. As long as they obeyed the rules, the power they could unleash was very strong.

Because it happened suddenly, many forces were unable to react in time. In just two days, the prefecture where the Qianren Sect was located was completely cleared and became Chen Yuan's possession.

In addition to the Shu Province City area, he had now controlled two prefectures in Shu Province.

The battle of Liangshan not only made other forces feel urgent, but also Chen Yuan. The speed of his actions suddenly accelerated. Although he was acting both openly and secretly, people could still guess his purpose.

However, he couldn't care so much at the moment.

As long as the trip to Shu Mountain went smoothly, his strength would be greatly improved. He would have the power of a true old-brand True Lord. Even if he turned against the imperial court, he would have the confidence.

After all, he was not alone. There were also other Dao Lords from the Dao God Palace to help, especially Jiang He, whose individual strength was enough to be called his right-hand man.

The control of the two prefectures was not the end, but only the beginning. Taking the two prefectures as the center, the forces that his subordinates had prepared for a long time began to bloom in all directions.

He was bound to control the land of Shu West within a few months and then annex Shu Central!

And this large-scale action not only did not cause Chen Yuan to suffer losses, but also made him a lot of money. Those Jianghu forces that had accumulated for many years had now become his wedding dress.

However, as a result, the intense actions in just a few days also aroused the common hatred of the Jianghu forces in several prefectures of Shu West. They not only began to attack secretly but also promoted that Chen Yuan had the intention of rebellion.

In addition, there was a force fanning the flames in the dark, saying that the imperial court was preparing to completely cleanse the world, and Chen Yuan of Shu Province was a pilot program, to wipe out all forces that dared to resist.

Chen Yuan also knew that such a large-scale action would attract the attention of the imperial court. Therefore, for the sake of temporary safety, Chen Yuan sent a memorial.

It said:

"Your humble servant, Martial Marquis of Wu'an, Chen Yuan, risks his life to advise. The battle of Liangshan completely changed the situation in the Jianghu. Ambitious people are restless and intend to rebel. The Qianren Sect is the representative of them. Your humble servant was anxious and had no choice but to take people to destroy them. As expected, evidence of the Qianren Sect's rebellion was found. I was shocked by it.

The former Qianren Sect had already colluded with several sects and aristocratic families in Shu West to secretly form an alliance, training soldiers, building various weapons, and purchasing warhorses, waiting for an opportunity.

The world is in danger, and the imperial court is in danger!

Your servant was originally a commoner, farming in Nanling, not seeking fame and fortune among the nobles. What I wish for is only the four words of peace in the world. Your Majesty did not despise your servant's humble background but entrusted me with important tasks, entrusting me with the land of the three southern provinces, placing high hopes on me.

Your servant should serve Your Majesty to the death. Personal honor and disgrace are small matters, and the safety of the country is a major matter. Therefore, your servant boldly requests to completely cleanse the three southern provinces, first Shu, then Nan, and then Blood Province, to do my humble best for the imperial court, so that Your Majesty's troops and horses can be fully prepared to sweep away the rebellious people of the world. Your servant is willing to die for this, and I am willing to be the vanguard!

Everyone will die eventually, either lighter than a feather or heavier than Mount Tai. I beg Your Majesty to approve!

Patrol Office Heavenly Envoy, Martial Marquis of Wu'an, Chen Yuan, respectfully submits!"

At this moment, in the newly renovated imperial study room in the capital, Shenjing City.

Jingtai, wearing a dragon robe, looked at the letter in his hand, his face extremely gloomy. He punched the table heavily, his whole body exuding a murderous intent.

"Damn bastard!"

He was not a fool. Through the previous coercion of Chen Yuan, the relationship between them was no longer close. Now, this person was acting so hypocritically.

He had completely exposed his ambition.

This son was indeed like a wolf, not one to remain subservient for long. As soon as there was chaos in the world, he brazenly began to expand his forces on a large scale, simply not taking him, the emperor, seriously!

Who gave him the courage?!

Without an imperial decree or oral command, he actually did such a big thing in Shu Province. Wasn't this adding fuel to the fire in the current unstable situation? If this person was in front of him, Jingtai really wanted to kill him!

.......

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