madnovel Chapter 10 Loss of Public Credibility!
Chapter 10 Loss of Public Credibility!
"Lord Su, this is a letter personally written by my lord, the Marquis of Xibo."
"My lord said that this world has never belonged to any one person, and Ji Province has never belonged to any one person either."
"My lord, you summoned the 100,000-strong army of the Marquis of the North just for the sake of your own pride. Now, the city of Jizhou is about to fall, and the lives of a million people in the city are all in your hands."
Su Hu reached out and tremblingly took the rolled-up brocade.
The letter clearly stated that although the Shang Dynasty's fortunes were clearly declining, its foundation remained intact and it was not something that a single regional lord could shake.
It was also said that Chong Houhu was extremely cruel, and if the city were to fall, the entire Ji Province would be slaughtered, leaving not even a blade of grass behind.
Upon seeing the final line, "To sacrifice one woman to save the entire prefecture, to preserve the ancestral temple to save the people—which is more important? I hope Your Excellency will consider this carefully," Su Hu's heart finally snapped.
"I...accept it."
Su Hu hunched over, and in that instant, he seemed to have aged ten years.
"I would also like to trouble General Nangong to convey a message for me: This sinful subject, Su Hu, is willing to offer my daughter, Daji, and personally escort her to Chaoge to atone for... the sins of this city of Jizhou."
Upon hearing this, the image of the blue wolf that had been hovering above the city of Jizhou shattered instantly, transforming into countless streams of blue light that scattered into the earth.
……
Fifty li outside Jizhou City stands a towering ancient cypress.
Lin Yuan stood on a branch, and the two golden lights in his eyes slowly faded away.
Using the "Qi Fortune Observation Technique," he witnessed firsthand the complete collapse of the destiny that represented "Jizhou's rebellion against the Shang."
【Ding! 】
[Core key node detected – Investiture of the Gods Event 006: Ji Chang writes a letter to persuade Su Hu to surrender!]
[The event has occurred. The host is currently at the core witnessing location (ancient cypress outside Jizhou City). Witnessing completion rate: Perfect!]
[Congratulations, host! You have received the first reward for your knowledge: two hundred years of cultivation!]
[Congratulations, host! You have received the second reward: the secret technique "The Book of Changes Deduction Formula"—by cultivating this formula, you can dispel the fog of celestial secrets and vaguely deduce the cause and effect of recent events!]
"Boom!"
Two hundred years of refined cultivation transformed into a torrent of spiritual energy, which flowed into his crow-like body.
The Great Heavenly Demon Technique has reached its maximum automatic operation.
"Click click click!"
The shackles within his body were forcefully broken apart one by one by this violent spiritual energy.
Mid-stage Nascent Soul Realm...
Late stage of Nascent Soul Realm...
They even advanced triumphantly all the way to the threshold of the Returning to the Void Realm before finally stopping!
At the same time, the "Zhouyi Deduction Formula" transformed into countless golden Bagua phantoms, which were imprinted into his sea of consciousness one by one.
Lin Yuan closed his eyes slightly, feeling his mind was crystal clear, and he could even vaguely discern the direction ahead.
Cool!
The feeling of being able to break through without having to fight on the front lines, but simply sitting aside and watching the changing world, made Lin Yuan extremely comfortable.
After calming down the surging magical power within his body, Lin Yuan summoned the chat interface of the [Mortals' Mutual Aid Association] with a thought.
The small group chat was already filled with the sounds of gongs, drums, and firecrackers.
[Wang Pangzi (F-rank/Waitress at Chaoge Inn): "My goodness, Brother Lin Yuan, you're like my own father! You're truly a god descended to earth!"]
[Chen Ping (Rank E/Changfeng Escort Agency): "Brother Lin, I'm impressed. I, Chen Ping, have never been impressed by anyone in my life. Today, I'm completely in awe of you! The frontline report just came in: Su Hu has surrendered, and 100,000 troops are besieging the city. Jizhou City has become a living hell."]
"If you hadn't held us back so tightly the other day, Fatty and I would probably be scattered to the winds by now!"
[Zhao Ye (Rank E/Son of a Down-on-His-Luck Merchant): "I won't thank you enough. Brother Lin, from now on, if you point east, I'll never go west."]
"You not only saved my life, but you also showed me just how incredibly stupid those high-and-mighty 'elites' really are!"
Seeing the words of gratitude from the brothers in the group, Lin Yuan's lips curled up slightly.
[Lin Yuan (Rank F/Ordinary Crow): "It's good that you're alive. But this great calamity of the conferment of gods has only just begun.]
Lin Yuan (Rank F/Ordinary Crow): "Fatty, from today onwards, your inn should take on as few delivery jobs to the palace as possible. You'd better find an excuse to hide in the kitchen."
Lin Yuan: "Within a month, a new concubine will enter the palace. From the moment that concubine steps through the palace gates... that royal palace will truly become a living hell!"
Leaving behind this prophecy, Lin Yuan ignored the shock of the three people in the group and switched directly to the global chat channel.
The entire server channel was already experiencing a massive earthquake!
Those explorers who listened to the analysis of the military think tank and traveled through mountains and rivers to Jizhou suffered heavy casualties.
Those who survived by sheer luck were all crippled.
After news of Su Hu's surrender and offering of his daughter spread, the resulting anger completely destroyed the credibility of the think tank.
"Your think tank has to come out and take the beating? Is this what you call historical inevitability? Is this the main storyline you've deduced?"
"Anti-Shang united front? Are you going to line up in the underworld to form a united front? My brother believed your lies and got chopped in two by Chong Houhu's soldiers! You'll pay for my brother's life!"
"A bunch of useless armchair strategists, trying to apply the dynastic changes of a low-level martial arts world to this SSS+ level cultivation realm! You're just treating human life like dirt!"
Faced with this overwhelming online bullying and curses, the official account representing the Blue Star military think tank didn't dare to utter a single word.
Amidst the barrage of curses, a message with a gold B-grade border popped up.
[Chu Tianhe (Rank B/Yin Shang Lieutenant): "I've said it before, this world still belongs to the Great Shang, and Your Majesty is the chosen one! You lowly worms just wouldn't believe it, insisting on clinging to the coattails of those rebels."]
[Chu Tianhe: "Now you see clearly, right? This is what you call insightful! I'm currently enjoying great success with the Yin Shang army. Betting on the Shang Dynasty is the only correct way to pass this secret realm!"]
Seeing Chu Tianhe's clownish and ridiculous behavior, Lin Yuan shook his head.
Ignoring the commotion in the server-wide chat, he turned his gaze to the battlefield below, which was gradually quieting down.
The army has already begun cleaning up the battlefield.
The darkness of night became the best cover.
To him, a crow, this desolate ancient battlefield was nothing short of a vast, untended treasure trove.
"The Secret of Observing Qi and Fortune, open!"
Lin Yuan's eyes flashed with golden light as he glided down from the treetop.
In his eyes, the magical artifacts and their spiritual light buried in the blood and mud were like bright lamps in the dark night.
He turned and landed next to the corpse of an old general in the Nascent Soul stage from Ji Province.
The old general had a bullet hole through his chest, and beneath the tattered hem of his armor, a bronze bell was pressed down.
"A good item. Although it's a bit damaged, there are still some captivating array patterns on it."
Lin Yuan opened its beak and spat out a wisp of Golden Crow True Fire, which instantly enveloped the bronze bell completely.
The true fire was incredibly domineering; in the blink of an eye, it burned away the last wisp of divine consciousness remaining in the old general.
With a thought, Lin Yuan shrunk the [Bronze Soul-Shaking Bell] and tied it to one of his claws.
With a slight shake, the bell rings crisply, capable of intimidating cultivators within a hundred paces, making it an excellent tool for delivering a sneaky blow.
Immediately afterwards, Lin Yuan flapped his wings and swept over a pile of corpses of Su Hu's personal guards. With a swipe of his sharp claws, he pulled a bamboo scroll from the pool of blood.
The bamboo slip was inscribed with the four large characters "Jizhou Sword Technique" in demon blood.
Although it was merely a battle formation and sword technique elevated from the mortal martial arts to the realm of immortal cultivation, for Lin Yuan, who possessed the "Great Grade Heavenly Demon Technique" and that terrifying comprehension, he only needed to deduce it slightly to integrate it into his own power, transforming it into a sky full of deadly sword energy.
Finally, following a lingering, powerful aura, Lin Yuan flew to the back of a mound that had been blasted into a large crater.
Not long ago, a life-or-death battle between experts at the Void Returning Realm took place here.
One of Chong Houhu's lieutenants was seriously injured and forced to retreat here.
Lin Yuan's eyes lit up as he pulled out a white jade porcelain bottle from next to a pool of foul-smelling black blood.
Peel off the stopper, and inside lies a pill shimmering with a luminous white glow.
"This is... a pill used by cultivators in the Returning to Void Realm to restore their true essence?"
Lin Yuan was overjoyed and put it into the bell, saving it for later use.