The "River Delta Stronghold" offensive and defensive battle concluded, officially marking the emergence of the "Rebel Army" faction onto the historical stage, challenging the "Great Xin Dynasty."
With the shift in momentum, the "Rebel Army" began a fierce assault on the "Imperial Court faction."
Initially, the higher echelons of the "Great Xin Dynasty" remained unconcerned.
Was it not just a small band of "rebels"? Frankly speaking, the "Great Xin Imperial Court" dealt with dozens, even hundreds, of "rebel factions" every year.
It didn't matter; as long as there were "rebels," they would be wiped out!
However, what happened next truly threw the "Great Xin Imperial Court" into a panic!
Regardless of which "bandit suppression army" was sent, they were annihilated!
These "bandit suppression armies" generally met one of two fates:
First, complete annihilation!
Second, surrender!
In reality, the number of "bandit suppression armies" that were completely annihilated was not high. This was because many "Imperial generals" would fall to their knees the moment they saw "Liu Xiu'er," readily pledging their loyalty to "Liu Xiu'er."
Much like the previous "Grand Magistrate of the Year," Cao Man, he too was unable to resist "Liu Xiu'er's" charisma and decisively abandoned his allegiance to the court, joining the "Rebel Army" faction!
With Cao Man's defection, the "Rebel Army" suddenly became affluent.
The "Rebel Army" faction not only successfully acquired the "Cao County base area" but also inherited the "Cao Family ancestral property."
Putting aside other valuable treasures within the "Cao Family ancestral property," the "Merit Stones" alone amounted to a staggering seven hundred sets!
The "Great Xin Imperial Court," in its relentless exploitation of the realm, scoured the land until it felt like it was scraping sparks from the very ground. Through immense effort, they had managed to collect only three hundred sets of "Merit Stones."
Yet, Cao Man casually produced seven hundred sets.
The "Cao Family ancestral property" was truly magnificent and awe-inspiring!
With an ample supply of "Merit Stones," "Liu Xiu'er" and his comrades did not rest. For every territory they conquered, they established a "Temple of Worship," spreading the glory of the "Dihua Cult" far and wide.
The allure of the "Dihua Cult" was irresistible!
To the common populace, the "Dihua Cult" was a genuine divine religion!
They quickly became "devout believers" of the "Dihua Cult."
These individuals prayed daily, generating an immense sea of "merit and divine will."
As the "Rebel Army's" territory continued to expand, eventually claiming one-third of the empire, the number of "Temples of Worship" successfully surpassed three hundred.
Hao Ren, along with those around him, had accumulated "merit and divine will" to an unbelievable degree.
If this trend continued, accumulating a "Golden Body of Merit" would not be an issue!
Meanwhile, the high-ranking officials of the "Great Xin Imperial Court" were infuriated!
They had never in their wildest dreams imagined that in less than a year, the "Rebel Army" would develop to such a terrifying extent.
One-third of the empire!
A genuine one-third of the empire had been seized by an unknown "Rebel Army"!
This was unbearable!
Emperor Wang Ge Bi, who had been recuperating from severe injuries, could no longer remain seated. He personally emerged from seclusion, suppressing his wounds, and issued an imperial decree to the "Imperial Astronomical Bureau," demanding the complete annihilation of the "Rebel Army."
The "Rebel Army" had now become a grave threat to the "Great Xin Imperial Court."
However, something utterly shocking and unbelievable occurred.
The "Imperial Astronomical Bureau" defied the imperial decree!
The "Imperial Astronomical Bureau's Triad" openly disobeyed the Emperor.
Their stated reason was that the "Imperial Astronomical Bureau" had reached a critical and pivotal moment in their conquest of the "Central Continent's Immortal Cultivation World," and it was not advisable to be distracted at this juncture. They should focus on conquering the "Immortal Cultivation World" before turning their attention to the "Rebel Army."
Upon hearing this news, Wang Ge Bi vomited three mouthfuls of blood!
He nearly died of sheer rage!
The "Imperial Astronomical Bureau's Triad" daring to defy his decree showed utter disrespect for him, Wang Ge Bi, and for the "Heavenly Dragon Dharma King."
After all, the "Wang family" were direct descendants of the "Heavenly Dragon Dharma King," representing his will and legacy.
The "Wang family" possessed not only imperial power but also the majesty of the "Heavenly Dragon Dharma King."
Uh...
Well, it seemed the "Heavenly Dragon Dharma King" no longer commanded much majesty!
His "main soul" had split into two, transforming into the "Male Heavenly Dragon Dharma King" and the "Female Heavenly Dragon Dharma King"!
The "Male Heavenly Dragon Dharma King" was suppressed by Wang Tenglong's love and could not move.
The "Female Heavenly Dragon Dharma King" was even more troublesome, having fallen in love with Wang Tenglong and directly switched allegiances.
The "Heavenly Dragon Dharma King" could barely protect himself, with only some scattered souls causing trouble outside. He indeed lacked any prestige...
Wang Ge Bi was furious, his teeth nearly grinding to dust.
Yet, he was utterly helpless.
He was severely injured, no longer the formidable and overbearing "Supreme Sovereign" who commanded absolute authority.
Ultimately, this was a world that "respected strength."
If you had strength, everyone feared and revered you; even your flatulence would smell sweet.
But without strength, no one would pay you any mind!
After smashing his resplendent imperial palace into a mess, Wang Ge Bi finally managed to regain a sliver of his sanity.
With a calmer mind, Wang Ge Bi began to contemplate a countermeasure.
First and foremost, he absolutely could not let the "Rebel Army" go unchecked.
If he did, with the "Rebel Army's" locust-like advance, it wouldn't be long before they reached the "Imperial Capital."
At that point, let alone Wang Ge Bi, the entire "Great Xin Dynasty" would fall.
Such a situation was simply intolerable!
After much deliberation, Wang Ge Bi's gaze fell upon his many sons.
Years of raising sons for a single moment of use!
Wang Ge Bi had numerous sons. Aside from Wang Jiujiu, who had already been killed, he had several hundred other sons.
Among these sons, there were many talented individuals.
For instance, Wang Asi, Wang Aba, Wang Shisan...
The popular rumors of the Fourth Prince, Eighth Prince, Thirteenth Prince, and others vying for the throne were not baseless.
Wang Asi and the others were first-class prodigies.
Their cultivation had reached the "Nascent Soul realm."
Especially Wang Asi, Wang Aba, and Wang Shisan, all of whom had reached the extreme of the "Great Perfection of Nascent Soul realm," on the verge of taking the final step to achieve the "Spirit Severing realm"!
In this critical juncture, Wang Ge Bi no longer held back. To unleash Wang Asi and the others' maximum combat potential, he offered a "deadly temptation."
Whoever annihilated the "Rebel Army" would be abdicated to by Wang Ge Bi, becoming the next "Great Xin Emperor."
Fantastic!
The imperial princes were like injected with adrenaline, excited and unable to contain themselves!
They roared with excitement and led their men to charge towards the "Rebel Army."