I Become a Martial Arts God in the Chaotic Demon World
Chapter 413 - 413 Prince Liang

"The things the Black Mountain Demon said may not necessarily be true; it wanted to survive at the time and might have simply concocted a story to sow discord between Lu Tianfang and Han Zheng."

Xu Cunbao pondered for a while before speaking.

If this matter were merely a fabrication by the Black Mountain Demon, then it wouldn't be too concerning.

But if it were true, then that would be troublesome, and not just any trouble, but an enormous one.

Wen Tingyun frowned and said, "The Black Mountain Demon is indeed cunning and full of tricks, but the problem is that this isn't something one can just make up.

That the Black Mountain Demon knew about the relationship between He Tianxiong and Prince Liang is very strange.

Both of their spheres of influence are in the Capital City; how could a demon king, a local of Southern Mountain, know all this?

Furthermore, given the Black Mountain Demon's cautious and suspicious nature, if it dared to instigate the Demon Chaos, it must have considered the future.

Even if it did succeed in creating the Golden Mountain Demon Body and not even Chen Zhenfu could match it, what about the aftermath? How would it deal with suppression from the Court's powerhouses?

Other demons might not think that far ahead, taking it one step at a time, but the Black Mountain Demon is definitely the sort who plans ten steps ahead.

It being with Prince Liang does seem somewhat possible; otherwise, there's no explaining where the Black Mountain Demon got its confidence from."

Chen Baxian waved his hand emphatically and said with a grave voice, "Now that the Black Mountain Demon is dead, this matter remains an unsolved case.

Remember it, but don't speak of it to outsiders from now on.

I have met this Prince Liang Ji Yuanfang several times. He appears to be forthright and honorable, but in actually, he is extremely shrewd.

The Great Zhou's three bureaus - the Demon Cleansing Bureau, the Dragon Martial Bureau, and the Observatory - are independent from the Court system, each with its own duties, and what they most avoid is too much entanglement between them.

If there was evidence, this matter could be reported to the Grand Commander.

But since there's no evidence now and we can't confirm it, let's just hold off and keep an eye out."

Everyone, including Han Zheng, nodded in agreement.

Chen Baxian might act in a straightforward and direct manner, but he was not reckless.

Prince Liang Ji Yuanfang used to be the Deputy Governor of the Dragon Martial Bureau, and held considerable influence. And although he is no longer with the Dragon Martial Bureau, his connections with it remain close.

Going after a high-ranking official like Prince Liang due to a word from the Black Mountain Demon could potentially cause conflict between the Demon Cleansing Bureau and the Dragon Martial Bureau.

Thus, without conclusive evidence, it's best not to lightly take action against someone from the influential royal family like Prince Liang.

Moreover, Han Zheng had a deeper layer of speculation.

At a glance, Prince Liang Ji Yuanfang seemed influential, but his actual relationship with the current Emperor was not as good as the outside world thought.

Originally, as the Deputy Governor of the Dragon Martial Bureau, Ji Yuanfang orchestrated support from many members of the Imperial Family within the bureau, which was pivotal for the former Emperor to ascend the throne.

And the current Emperor's ascension was also largely thanks to the support from Ji Yuanfang. This Prince Liang could be said to have exceptional foresight, having chosen the winning side twice.

Therefore, by rights, the current Emperor should have promoted his imperial uncle.

The Dragon Martial Bureau was an independent force responsible for guarding the Great Zhou Royal Family, only obeying the current Emperor's command.

For the current Emperor to promote his uncle from Deputy Governor to Grand Commander of the Dragon Martial Bureau wouldn't have been a difficult matter after his ascension.

However, after taking the throne, instead of promoting his uncle, the Emperor actually stripped him of his position as Deputy Governor of the Dragon Martial Bureau.

While he did grant him more fiefs and privileges like 'unhurried entrance to court' and 'the absence of bowing and naming in the palace hall,' as well as 'holding his sword and wearing armored boots in court,' most of these were merely honorific and lacked significant substance.

Therefore, Han Zheng conjectured that Prince Liang Ji Yuanfang might be considered too meritorious and intimidating for the Emperor, who thus deprived him of military power due to his fears.

Of course, all of these were not for Han Zheng to worry about now.

"By the way, Chen Zhenfu, since you're going to the Capital City, who will take charge here in Southern Mountain?"

"Wen Tingyun's gone, Han Zheng's gone, and of the three belonging to Lu Tianfang, some die and some meet their end by the law; now there's only an old man like me left."

Xu Cunbao let out a bitter laugh, feeling that Southern Mountain had reverted to its state from sixty years ago, right after the chaos of the Black Mountain Demon had ended.

Chen Baxian said, "Elder Xu need not worry. The new head of Southern Mountain will be Ren Tianying, the Grand Steward of the Eagle Rise Guard from the Thirteen Guards of the Demon Cleansing Bureau's headquarters.

This man has been in the Yang God Realm for several years now and is looking for a position away from the center. The situation in Southern Mountain suits him well.

Ren Tianying is a stable character, and having just stepped into the Yang God Realm not long ago, he isn't one to stir up trouble but will seek to steadily develop Southern Mountain.

With the Black Mountain Demon gone, and the destabilizing elements of the Five Families and Seven Sects cleared out by me, as well as having addressed the other powers, there should be at least a period of peace.

Born to the Eagle Rise Guard, that's the elite under the Grand Commander. Apart from bringing a few trusted disciples, he won't bring many people to Southern Mountain, so factional strife need not be a concern."

Han Zheng called out Yan Xuankong and asked, "What exactly are the Thirteen Guards?"

Yan Xuankong explained, "The Thirteen Guards are the troops directly under the command of the Grand Commander within the headquarters of the Demon Cleansing Bureau. I've told you before, the Divine Guard responsible for searching for Ancient Divine Relics is one of these Thirteen Guards.

Typically, the Grand Stewards of the Thirteen Guards are beings of the Yang God Realm. Of course, there are also those at the Half-Step Yangshen Realm, but they are extraordinary talents with immense potential to qualify for the position of the Grand Steward of the Thirteen Guards even before reaching the Yang God Realm.

I've never heard of Ren Tianying; he must have risen after I was trapped in Thousand Buddha Village.

However, for him to hold the position of the Grand Steward of the Eagle Rise Guard before entering the Yang God Realm, he must be an extraordinary character."

On this end, Chen Baxian went through all the personnel appointments and dismissals for Southern Mountain once again, as the vacancies from the Capital Faction needed to be filled.

Afterward, Chen Baxian gave Han Zheng and the others ten days' time before they would pack up and follow him to the Capital City.

When he returned to his residence, Han Zheng immediately began his seclusion.

His Qi Blood Essence had yet to recover to its peak, and with the massive amount of Hunger Level he gained from this great battle, he needed to digest it.

The first thing Han Zheng wanted to check was the Soul Crystal; this was the first time he had ever acquired such an item.

[Soul Crystal: The essence of the soul left by a being from the Yang God Realm. Upon sacrifice to the Taotie Furnace, it provides nourishment from the power of the Divine Soul.]

After reading the description of the Soul Crystal, Han Zheng thoughtfully rubbed his chin.

This item wasn't of much use to Han Zheng at the moment unless he was preparing to make a breakthrough to the Yang God Realm, in which case he would need to nurture his Divine Soul.

Of course, if the Soul Crystal could provide enough nourishment for the Divine Soul upon sacrifice, it would indeed be as precious as a peerless Spiritual Medicine.

The process of refining the Divine Soul using the power of Heaven and Earth to forge the Yang God is incredibly difficult and complex.

Any Spiritual Medicine that can enhance the power of the Divine Soul is considered a treasure among treasures.

Therefore, the effect of the Soul Crystal would have to wait until Han Zheng was ready to make a breakthrough to the Yang God Realm.

As for the Hunger Level, with the Qi Blood Essence and Demon Essence sacrificed during this time, his accumulated Hunger Level had reached a staggering one million seven hundred thousand points.

Han Zheng had never been so wealthy.

Although plentiful, how to allocate these Hunger Levels was a problem.

Han Zheng wanted to make a breakthrough in his Cultivation Technique, but he also wanted to use these Hunger Levels to complete the Heavenly Demon Pill Method, open up his Dan Sea, and step into the realm of a Martial Arts Grandmaster at once.

Calling out Yan Xuankong again, Han Zheng asked, "You mentioned before that entering the Capital Demon Suppression Department would grant access to the Heavenly Artillery Armory for cultivation. What is that place?"

Yan Xuankong said, "The Heavenly Artillery Armory is a holy land for cultivation left by Lord Jiu Cang. It contains complex arrays that nearly confine all the Spiritual Energy of the surrounding ley lines within, truly a work that steals the craft of Heaven.

The concentration of nature's Spiritual Energy within the Arsenal is beyond imagination, and it even contains the rules and principles of the world. Cultivating there, one can improve incredibly fast.

However, to ensure the concentration of Spiritual Energy in the Heavenly Artillery Armory, the time allowed inside each year is limited.

As a novice Xuanjia Guard to the headquarters, you should have three days of cultivation time in there.

With the Merit you've accumulated recently, you can probably get about ten days.

That's quite a lot already. When I entered the Heavenly Artillery Armory for cultivation as Garrison Commander, I only stayed for a month."