125: Quelling the rebellion only requires one coordinate

The Gu King stood before his throne, lost in thought for a long time.

His heartbeat echoed in the empty, dark tomb.

After advancing to the Monarch rank, it had been a long time since he had felt panic.

But at this moment, he felt a sense of suffocation.

Breaking the Mountain Patrol Gu Formation and killing the Three Ghosts of Lizhou.

That young man named Qin Yang,

Possessed an absolute ability to restrain Gu Insects.

Even if he was a powerful Monarch, he couldn't unleash his full strength in front of him.

Moreover.

His purpose in coming to Lizhou was not to investigate the Wildfire Rift, but to rectify Lizhou.

To intimidate and pacify the mountain strongholds, and to utterly annihilate the Zhong Faction!

"Could it be that Zhen Gu is to withdraw from the stage of history?"

The Gu King muttered, feeling unwilling.

As the leader of a faction, he was very unwilling for the things passed down by his Old Ancestors to disappear just like that.

"This is the so-called ‘when the birds are gone, the good bow is put away.’"

The Gu King sighed deeply, his gaze wandering.

He recalled a hundred years ago, when the Wildfire Rift opened, Lizhou was engulfed in raging wildfires.

During that decade-long War, the Zhong Faction Professionals played a huge role; their Gu Insects were impervious to fire and water, always serving as the main force on the battlefield.

It could be said that without the Zhen Gu faction, Lizhou would have been nothing but scorched earth.

But after that, the Zhong Faction was suppressed for using humans to refine Gu.

The Zhen Gu faction was driven into the deep mountains and old forests.

Thinking of this, the Gu King clenched his fists.

What's wrong with using ordinary people to refine Gu?

Aren't ordinary people supposed to serve Professionals?

At necessary times, they are resources, even food!

When resisting the wildfire, why didn't you say Zhen Gu was evil?

Now that there's peace under Heaven.

You want to utterly annihilate Zhen Gu?

Fine, then no one gets to live!

The Gu King snorted coldly, saying:

"A Lizhou without Gu techniques has no reason to exist either!"

"This King will open the Wildfire Rift and let Chi You's wrath burn everything to ashes!"

His withered voice echoed within the tomb.

The venomous intent contained within it turned the torch green... In the Ninth Mountain Stronghold, within a three-story stilt house.

The chieftains of the eighteen mountain strongholds were all gathered in one room.

They sat in a circle on the floor.

On the white cloth laid out in the empty space in the middle, were the corpses of the Three Ghosts of Lizhou.

Two human heads and a tiny pile of ashes.

Looking at these three things, everyone's faces were filled with shock.

At the same time, they sighed in their hearts, Lizhou was about to change.

The Mountain Patrol Gu Formation was broken, and the Three Ghosts of Lizhou were all dead.

Two major events, happening within a single day.

It made people feel very unreal.

And even more incredible was... the person who killed the Three Ghosts of Lizhou was merely a Professional who had just turned 18.

"According to the informant's news, the Zhong Faction Professionals are all fleeing outwards."

Grandma Zu, whose eyesight had recovered, took a sip of oil tea and said to everyone.

"Three high-combat Professionals died all at once; if I were them, I'd be scared silly too."

A thin chieftain stroked his beard and asked, "What about the Gu King's movements?"

Grandma Zu said, "The Gu King is also missing, but the Zhong Faction Professionals have all been implanted with Gu by him. For those people to be able to flee Lizhou, it proves they had his tacit approval."

Upon hearing this, the chieftains of the eighteen strongholds all showed smiles.

A corpulent chieftain asked, "So, the Zhong Faction has disbanded?"

Grandma Zu nodded slightly and said, "From the current situation, it appears so. They have already realized that Jiuzhou is about to move against them."

"Then what should we do?"

"Jiuzhou shouldn't just be targeting the Zhong Faction, right?"

The fat chieftain and the thin chieftain exchanged glances, then asked.

Grandma Zu, upon hearing this, did not answer directly, but instead looked around at all the chieftains present.

Their expressions varied: some relaxed, some doubtful, some worried.

Grandma Zu pondered for a moment, then shakily stood up and said to everyone:

"Lizhou's autonomy has given all the chieftains great power."

"Now, the Jiuzhou Federation wants to reclaim that power, and many people will certainly be unwilling."

"I know you all want to be local tyrants, to guard your own small territories."

"But Qin Yang's strength, everyone has seen it. I now suspect that our Mountain Patrol Gu Formation was also destroyed by him."

"If we don't accept the Jiuzhou Federation's pacification, our fate will be the same as the Zhen Gu faction."

Grandma Zu's voice was soft, yet it was like thunder, exploding in the ears of every chieftain.

Yes, indeed.

The death of the Three Ghosts of Lizhou was the 'greeting gift' before Lizhou's pacification.

If they didn't accept this 'greeting gift,' then they could only become the 'greeting gift' themselves.

Seeing everyone bowing their heads, not knowing what they were thinking.

Grandma Zu added, "I advise you not to think about resisting, and even more so, don't harbor any ill intentions towards Qin Yang, after all..."

At this point, she paused, then said in a rare stern tone, "Rectifying public order requires evidence, but quelling rebellion only requires a coordinate."

Upon hearing this, all the chieftains trembled.

"Grandma Zu, we would never have such thoughts."

"That's right, we know how much strength we have."

"Lizhou is an inseparable part of Jiuzhou."

Several chieftains hastily declared their stance.

Grandma Zu nodded in satisfaction and said, "Tell the city defense army that the eighteen strongholds will accept the Federation's supervision and management, and accept pacification."

..."What? Lizhou accepted pacification?"

"When did we ever plan to pacify Lizhou?"

News from Lizhou quickly reached Shangjing.

Within the vast office, the astonished query of Sage Si Zhenfeng of the Federation echoed.

Just now, the eighteen strongholds of Lizhou suddenly sent a report to the Federation.

In the report, the eighteen strongholds expressed their recognition and gratitude for the Federation's actions in Lizhou, and hoped that the Federation could dispatch more Professionals to be stationed in Lizhou.

"This is truly rare!"

Si Zhenfeng took a deep breath.

Lizhou had its own armed forces and had previously resisted the Federation's garrison.

But now, they were actively requesting the Federation to increase its presence.

What about their own armed forces?

Had they internally fractured, or suffered heavy losses?

And... when did the Federation launch operations in Lizhou?

As one of the Five Sages, he knew nothing!

Si Zhenfeng's mind was full of questions.

Just then, his secretary handed him a stack of documents, saying, "Saint Si, please take a look at this. These are Qin Yang's movements in Lizhou."

"Related to Qin Yang?"

Si Zhenfeng was stunned.

Only then did he remember that Qin Yang had also gone to Lizhou a few days ago.

The Qin Family had said publicly that he was going on a trip.

Si Zhenfeng took the documents, flipped through a few pages, and his mouth twitched.

"Killing the Three Ghosts of Lizhou consecutively..."

"Suspected of breaking the Mountain Patrol Gu Formation..."

"So."

"Qin Yang went on a trip and pacified Lizhou?"

"Pacifying an entire province by himself, he deserves to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple!"

..."I didn't expect Lizhou to be pacified just like that."

Inside the stilt house, a smile appeared on Qin Yang's face after he heard the Imperial Guards' report.

Lizhou was vast in territory, rich in resources, with countless Heaven And Earth Treasures.

Under the protection of the myriad Gu in the mountains, the number of Professionals in Lizhou was also far greater than in other regions.

During the era of civil War, it was a very powerful region.

However, such a difficult region was unexpectedly pacified by him unintentionally.

This achievement was enough to be recorded in history.

"Pacifying the Southwest, an accomplishment for a thousand autumns."

"I, I must reward myself!"

Qin Yang sighed in his heart.

After waving the Imperial Guards away, he immediately entered his Domain of thought, then quickly flew towards the Bronze Sparrow Terrace.