"Furthermore, announce that any force that dares to establish a sect within my Tangshan Prefecture without permission will be exterminated. The Jinhua Temple serves as their warning!"

"Understood!"

"Understood!"

At Chen Yuan's command, his word became absolute law within Tangshan Prefecture. Han Yu and the others bowed in unison.

As Han Yu and the others retreated, only Chen Yuan and Madam Xu remained in the Sky Patrol Hall. A silence fell over the room. Madam Xu took a deep breath and stepped forward to pour Chen Yuan a cup of tea.

"My Lord, please calm your anger. Aren't you going a bit too far with this...?"

Madam Xu asked with some concern.

She wasn't afraid of repercussions from destroying the Jinhua Temple, nor was she afraid of revenge from the Bright Light Temple. Rather, she was worried about Chen Yuan's order forbidding any Buddhist disciples from entering Tangshan.

He intended to eradicate Buddhism here!

If this were to be spread by those with ulterior motives, it would inevitably cause a considerable uproar. Eradicating Buddhism? What a slogan! Buddhism was flourishing in this era.

It not only occupied the entire Western Regions, but also blossomed everywhere in the Central Plains. Furthermore, high-ranking monks held positions in the court and were listed as national preceptors.

Going against such a terrifying force was unwise.

She also didn't quite understand why Chen Yuan became so furious upon hearing about the Eastern Ying (Japan) warriors. Had he harbored a grudge against them before?

Chen Yuan raised his head, stared at Madam Xu, and said in a deep voice:

"You must remember, in Tangshan, I am the law!"

This time, it wasn't just because of the Eastern Ying warriors, but also because the Jinhua Temple monks were audacious enough to encroach upon his territory. If he were to let it pass or adopt a policy of appeasement,

it would inevitably lead to many subsequent forces following suit.

Therefore, he had to resolve this matter completely in one fell swoop, letting people know his resolve.

Moreover, he had a deep-seated dislike for Buddhism.

While he couldn't say that he hated all monks, at least those he had come into contact with were, for the most part, quite detestable. If he ever gained power,

he would certainly carry out this decree to the end!

"This humble servant understands!"

Madam Xu nodded slightly.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Chen Yuan's gaze narrowed slightly. After calming the anger in his heart, he suddenly realized that his rage today was indeed somewhat abnormal.

He had always been calm and rarely became very angry.

Although it was due to the accumulated hatred from his past and present lives, it was still somewhat unusual. Could it be...?

He was suddenly startled, understanding dawned upon him. Perhaps the reason for his anger this time was inseparable from the fact that he was now at the peak of the Heavenly Palace Realm, and it was even affecting him.

So, the path to Core Formation had already begun from now...

He needed to shift his attention. Thinking of this, Chen Yuan suddenly looked at Madam Xu, causing her heart to tremble. Feeling Chen Yuan's burning gaze, she pursed her lips:

"Why is my Lord looking at this servant like that?"

"During my seclusion, you have done a good job, managing Tangshan Prefecture in an orderly manner. Chen is always fair in meting out rewards and punishments. Since you have made a contribution, I will reward you with something."

"What is it?"

Madam Xu tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and asked with some curiosity.

Chen Yuan moved closer, his lips barely moving as he transmitted his words to her.

Madam Xu's face turned red. She pursed her lips and quickly shook her head:

"My Lord's reward is too heavy. This servant doesn't want it."

Chen Yuan smiled, stepped forward and swept Madam Xu into his arms.

Taking a deep breath, the captivating fragrance lingered around his nose. He hooked the corners of his mouth. The entire hall was instantly enveloped by a powerful, invisible force.

Sometimes, women have to save face. If you offer them something, they will say no, no, but... if you force it upon them, they will still accept it with satisfaction.

......

......

Chen Yuan's orders were practically imperial decrees within Tangshan Prefecture. The Sky Patrol Guards were mobilized, and all the elites moved with them, led by Han Yu, Du Ming, and others.

They burned the yet-to-be-established Jinhua Temple to the ground.

The abbot of Jinhua Temple was furious and fought back.

But in the end, he was defeated beneath the long blades.

He was indeed stronger in cultivation, but facing an attack from several people, he was ultimately unable to withstand it and could only die in Tangshan with lingering hatred. He wouldn't even have imagined, even in death.

That their death wasn't because they wanted to establish themselves here. If that were all, Chen Yuan would have driven them out of Tangshan Prefecture, not taken their lives.

But they had violated a taboo. They had dared to enshrine longevity tablets of Eastern Ying dwarfs in their temple. That was simply unforgivable.

The Sky Patrol Division swept away the Jinhua Temple with lightning speed, beheading over a hundred people and staining the earth with blood. Their heads were piled up outside Tangshan Prefecture city to form a Jingguan (a mound of skulls).

After that, Liu Zheng Song, the current Prefect of Tangshan, officially posted a notice, forbidding Buddhist monks from stepping into Tangshan Prefecture, with immediate execution for violators!

Then, Du Ming, the Military Preparations Commandant, and Han Yu, a Tongxuan realm expert newly emerged in the Tangshan Jianghu and formerly ranked in the top fifty of the Hidden Dragon List, also declared externally that anyone wanting to establish a sect in Tangshan Prefecture should first weigh their own strength!

These two declarations stirred up a thousand waves with one stone, instantly causing a huge uproar.

Because anyone who wasn't stupid knew that this was Chen Yuan's intention. Although he didn't use his own name, doing such a thing just after coming out of seclusion,

it was obvious without even thinking about it!

The news spread quickly within Tangshan Prefecture and even began to spread to the surrounding prefectures, but it didn't cause much of a stir in the Jianghu.

One reason was that Chen Yuan didn't act in his own name, and the second reason was that his scope was only within Tangshan Prefecture. There was no action against the old nest of Jinhua Temple, Yunyang Prefecture.

With such a lesson, the Jinhua Temple in Yunyang Prefecture didn't dare to take any revenge. As for other forces coveting the vast resources of Tangshan Prefecture, seeing Chen Yuan's rigidity, they didn't dare to harbor any more desires.

A storm arose quickly, but subsided even faster.

Because the real hotspot in the Jianghu right now was the Immortal Ascension Battle, and everything else had to be pushed back.

Under Chen Yuan's toughness, Madam Xu could only silently accept the things Chen Yuan had rewarded her with. However, for several days in a row, she didn't eat anything salty.

Which made the maids serving Madam Xu in the Sky Patrol Division somewhat puzzled.

But they didn't dare to ask too much.

Although Chen Yuan hadn't explicitly stated it, most people regarded her as the mistress of Tangshan Prefecture, with amazing power, far exceeding when she had controlled the Weapon Storage Valley.

Things were much simpler after leaving seclusion. Chen Yuan sent someone to deliver the letter to Zhang Xuan and received a reply, indicating that he would wait for him in Nanling Prefecture to set off together.

In addition, just as Chen Yuan was preparing to leave, his good-for-nothing brother Shangguan Yu also came to Tangshan Prefecture with his sister Shangguan Hong.

Preparing to accompany him to Martial Emperor City.

Shangguan Hong was only going to watch the battle. She had also been squeezed out of the fierce Hidden Dragon List melee. She had originally wanted to fight for it again, but was scolded by her father and gave up.

When he saw Chen Yuan again, Shangguan Yu couldn't help but sigh again and whispered:

"The saying 'a day apart is like three autumns' is really true for Brother Chen."

The first time he saw Chen Yuan, he was still at the Tianyuan realm, and he was already at the peak of the Tongxuan realm. The second time he saw Chen Yuan was in the Weapon Storage Valley.

At that time, Chen Yuan had already broken through the Heavenly Palace realm. He originally thought that the other party would not make any further progress in a short period of time, after all, cultivation at the Heavenly Palace level was too difficult.

Even he had cultivated hard for several years to reach the peak.

But he never expected that when he saw Chen Yuan again, the other party had actually reached the same cultivation level as him, and his aura was even more rounded.

Obviously, he was only one step away from forming the core.

He even guessed that as soon as the Immortal Ascension Battle ended, the other party would begin preparing for a breakthrough.

"Brother Shangguan is too kind."

Chen Yuan smiled lightly, not taking it to heart.

"Along the way, I have truly seen the power of Brother Chen, which is really enviable." Shangguan Yu smiled heartily, changing the subject.

Only by truly stepping into Tangshan Prefecture could one understand how terrifying Chen Yuan was here. He not only controlled tremendous power, dominating Tangshan Prefecture at the intersection of the three states, clearing the officialdom and Jianghu, all under his control.

Most importantly, he could actually be praised by ordinary people.

This was the most curious thing for Shangguan Yu and Shangguan Hong. They could actually understand power, after all, Chen Yuan was the number one on the contemporary Hidden Dragon List, and he also had the support of Jiang He, the Golden Envoy of Qing Prefecture, so it was normal for him to become a local emperor in a prefecture.

Other states and prefectures had also had such things happen.

But it was not easy to be praised by ordinary people. In the hearts of many warriors and even officials, ordinary people are also called commoners. What are commoners? Only humble and lowly.

Some people even treated these ordinary people like pigs and dogs, oppressing them to the extreme, feeling that they were superior, while the common people could not even be considered human!

Shangguan Yu might not agree, but he didn't think that ordinary people could compare with them.

But Tangshan Prefecture was different. The people here lived like human beings. Few Jianghu warriors dared to oppress them, and the government was very well controlled by Liu Zheng Song with laws.

With the full assistance of the Sky Patrol Division, the people had a little status.

All of these things were seen by the Shangguan siblings.

They admired Chen Yuan even more, and thought he was a true gentleman.

Although he acted a little harshly, it was all towards Jianghu warriors and corrupt officials in power. Towards the common people, Chen Yuan did not commit any crimes.

When Chen Yuan heard the other party mention the people, he said:

"The people are the cornerstone of the world and the cornerstone of Tangshan. Only by treating the people well can the country be stable."

His style of doing things was already very fierce, and it was too much, so it needed to be neutralized. And the path he chose was the people. He didn't need to pay anything,

as long as he let his officials treat the people well.

He could get a huge reputation and would not be beaten by everyone as a cruel official and a court hawk.

Why did some people complain about his ranking on the Hidden Dragon List before? In addition to fairness, it was Chen Yuan's good reputation built in Tangshan Prefecture. Similarly, Nanling Prefecture was also the same.

Ordinary people didn't have much to gain, so why should they be oppressed? He was also once a member of the common people, so he could understand the sadness in his heart. Although he didn't want to establish a heart for the world or establish a life for the people,

But within his ability, doing a little insignificant thing seemed to have no harm to him.

He wanted to build Tangshan into an iron bucket base. He didn't care about other places, but here, he had to have a good reputation.

Becoming the goal pursued by the young people of Tangshan, let them continuously join the army and join the Sky Patrol Division to serve him.

"Brother Chen is noble."

"Brother Chen is noble."

Listening to Chen Yuan's words, Shangguan Yu and Shangguan Hong looked at each other at the same time, cupping their hands in unison.

Chen Yuan frowned slightly imperceptibly. He really didn't want to be so noble...

After that, the Shangguan siblings stayed in Tangshan Prefecture for another day. Chen Yuan acted as a host and treated the two of them very well. Although there were no rare treasures, it was definitely considered rich.

At the same time, in the contact, Shangguan Yu also noticed a trace of the problem, that is, the officials of Tangshan Prefecture were too respectful to Chen Yuan,

Even the attitude shown was like his family generals and private soldiers.

He didn't continue to think deeply, there was no need, no matter what Chen Yuan did, it had nothing to do with him, he only recognized Chen Yuan as a friend.

Um....

He had wanted to be his brother-in-law before, but Chen Yuan was unwilling, so he could only give up.

As the day of the opening of the Immortal Ascension Battle approached, Chen Yuan and the Shangguan siblings did not stay too long. After the three of them stayed for a day, they went to Nanling Prefecture together.

Originally, Madam Xu and Han Yu and others also wanted to follow, but Chen Yuan rejected them.

This time, he was not just competing for the first place and the Immortal Ascension Fruit. If nothing unexpected happened, he would encounter no small danger on this trip. He didn't know how long the Qingyun Sword Sect and the Yun family would endure.

Therefore, for safety's sake, it was better not to bring them.

Moreover, a bunch of stalls in Tangshan Prefecture could not be separated from the helm of several people. Under Chen Yuan's orders, several people did not dare to have any other changes, and said that they would definitely keep Tangshan well for the adults.

Bidding farewell to Tangshan, the three passed through Yunyang Prefecture to Nanling. Chen Yuan originally thought that he might encounter something related to the Jinhua Temple, and even find an excuse to destroy the Jinhua Temple.

But unexpectedly, it was very peaceful all the way through Yunyang Prefecture. The Qinglian Sword Sect did not make any trouble. To be honest, he was a little unaccustomed to it.

He always felt that because of the Destiny Altar, he was definitely a troublemaker.

Of course, Chen Yuan would not let go of the Jinhua Temple, but because of the impact, it was not good to brazenly enter other states and prefectures to make trouble, otherwise it would appear a little transgressing on the surface, and it would also delay time.

Therefore, before he left Tangshan, he had hinted to Han Yu and Du Ming and others to expand their forces, recruit Jianghu casual cultivators masters,

And don't forget to set up a branch in Yunyang Prefecture.

This place is too close to Tangshan and must be controlled. When the time comes, the Jinhua Temple will be completely eradicated, and the longevity tablets of those dwarfs will be taken to burn as firewood.

In fact, when he took action to destroy the monks in Tangshan Prefecture before, a thought flashed in his mind, that is, one day, when he truly stepped into the peak of martial arts or went to the Eastern Ying Island for other reasons.

He must wash the entire Eastern Ying Jianghu clean, and at the same time brainwash those Eastern Ying people, and let them enshrine his longevity tablet in every household.

It seems, also quite interesting.

Cut off their cultural heritage and tell them that Chen Yuan brought them fire and life, and that he abolished the mountains that oppressed the people.

Of course, this was just a somewhat dark idea of his. Whether to implement it would depend on the situation in the future.

After smoothly passing through Yunyang Prefecture, Chen Yuan and others arrived at the adjacent Nanling Prefecture, and met Chen Yuan. Through his introduction, Zhang Xuan and Shangguan Yu officially met.

Even a little feeling of meeting each other late, whether it is Zhang's family or Shangguan's family, the power in the court is not small, and there have been no contradictions between the two factions.

If they can unite together, it seems to be a good choice, but unfortunately they are still young and cannot be the masters of the previous generation.

Staying in Nanling Prefecture for another two days, the first day was for the reunion of several people, and the second day was when Chen Yuan received an invitation from Wei Xin of the Shenxiao Hall. After thinking about it, he finally attended the banquet.

The two talked a lot, and Wei Xin's attitude was also very low, completely in the attitude of a subordinate, which made Chen Yuan both gratified and sad.

Gratified that Wei Xin was sensible and smart, and sad that his future friends and even old acquaintances, his attitude towards him would probably become more respectful with his power and strength.

In the Shenxiao Hall, the two said a lot, most of which was Wei Xin's compliments, saying that Chen Yuan would definitely be able to sweep the heroes on this trip and reach the real first place.

Chen Yuan just smiled faintly, neither humble nor conceited.

Then, the two talked about some things about forming the core. Wei Xin's experience of failing to form the core once was worth learning from. At that time, it was a different time.

Before, when Chen Yuan first entered the Tongxuan realm, he only understood half of what Wei Xin said.

Now that his cultivation had completely reached its peak, he could get some inspiration and experience when he went to listen.

Chen Yuan was naturally very cautious about forming the core and wanted to form a true and supreme divine core.

Yes, there are also strengths and weaknesses in the true core formed by warriors.

Although no one has ever assessed any grade, it is generally true that warriors with purer true essence, stronger energy and blood, and fuller souls can form the ultimate true core.

And this thing is also related to how much potential the warrior will have in the future.

Jiang He had mentioned this matter before, but he didn't go into it deeply, because in his opinion, with Chen Yuan's talent and potential, there was no need to worry about this.

Staying in the Shenxiao Hall for a day, Wei Xin personally escorted Chen Yuan out of the mountain gate.

After that, Chen Yuan, the Shangguan siblings, Zhang Xuan and others officially embarked on the road to Martial Emperor City in the East China Sea.

The East China Sea is still some distance away from Qingzhou and requires crossing Yunzhou. However, with the strength of several people, these are not too big problems.

Under the imperial flight, it took only a few days to cross the entire Qingzhou domain.

As the Immortal Ascension Battle was about to begin, the young talents in the Jianghu who received the Immortal Ascension Order also began to gather towards the East China Sea from all over the thirteen states of Jin.

In addition to them, there were also bored warriors who wanted to see the strongest Immortal Ascension Battle in a hundred years.

For a time, the Jianghu was restless.

A large number of warriors began to flock to Martial Emperor City.